Enhancing Communicative Competence: An Audience-Centred Approach to 'Speaking Across the Curriculum' (SAC)

This paper discusses the implementation of a Speaking Across the Curriculum (SAC) initiative in the sciences. Results of this 2010 SAC intervention were a significant and positive change in student attitude to oral skills development, as well as a strong and positive relationship between students’ attitude to oral skills development (post-SAC), their perception of Instructor and the audience-centred method of delivery. In addition to this, students who were exposed to the SAC intervention demonstrated greater oral competence in oral presentations than students who were not exposed. The paper suggests that the audience-centred approach used contributed to the effectiveness of the initiative, serving to engage students and to enhance the perceived relevance of oral communication skills.