Idea for October 2026: oracy

Not an elegant word, but an important thought. It’s like literacy and numeracy, but it’s about being able to express ideas by talking.

The idea has been around for a while - it was coined back in 1965 by a British educator called Andew Wilkinson.

But it’s also news: in the UK, the education secretary has just announced a commitment to prioritise oracy in schools.

According to Gemini, oracy has four strands:

• Physical Strand: Voice projection, clarity of articulation, posture, and facial expressions.

• Linguistic Strand: Appropriate vocabulary choice, register, grammar, and sentence structure for different contexts.

• Cognitive Strand: Structuring thoughts, content selection, reasoning with evidence, and critical evaluation.

• Social and Emotional Strand: Active listening, turn-taking, empathy, group dynamics, and confidence in collaborating.

I particularly like that fourth strand - this would be a better world if more people listened to each other.

I wasn't taught oracy at school - but I do remember learning it by taking part in the school debating society. It’s a great route to greater confidence, deeper conviction, and actually clearer thinking.

So I’m speaking up for speaking up.

(Image: sculpture by Joan Bennàssar at Finca Ratxo, Mallorca)