What is the Purpose of a Role Play?
One of the ways Students are taught to speak English is through Role Plays.
The Problem with Role Plays is that students generally do the exercises with only one purpose in mind - To memorize the dialogue that they construct.
Memorization of and by itself is not a problem. Unfortunately, what happens, is that students then demonstrate such dialogues using only those partners with whom they have practiced, and as such, the role play does not teach Students to develop free thinking within a real life context.
Role plays in the classroom only provide a Theoretical Platform from which to gain experience.
Real life does not allow you to prepare in Advance – or – to stick to scripted material.
When you get to work in the business world, no one is going to test your knowledge of the Marketing Mix for example, by giving you an oral exam. Instead, they will expect you to be able to discuss with them the very real workplace situation as it relates to the Marketing Mix.
Only unplanned conversations can provide you with real life experience, and from them you will be able to discover your weaknesses and strength in discussing specific topics.
Real knowledge of a topic, combined with Conversational Skill, will empower you to discuss that topic at a moments notice.
When you enter the business world, you will be involved in two types of situations
In both of these situations you will require very real knowledge. That knowledge of course can be gained through study and research of facts and figures which you will try to remember [memorize]. Your discussion or conversation however, cannot be memorized in advance.
Even in making speeches, many people make the mistake of just memorizing instead of knowing and understanding the topic about which they are going to speak.
If you want to be successful at Business English, then you need to ensure that what you read and study has a greater purpose than just passing a written or spoken test.
By all means memorize facts and information, but remember:
Memorizing: To learn by heart - To commit to Memory.
Understanding: To grasp the meaning of something or to have thorough or technical acquaintance with or expertness in the practice of something. It also means to be thoroughly familiar with the character and propensities of something.
Knowing: See knowledge: the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association [cognizance] : applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, or experience
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