Do you need help with the OET speaking?
Stick around and we'll show you how to improve in appropriateness of language.
Hi it's Jo here from SLC, here to help you pass your OET exam. In today's video we're going to
look at the speaking criteria and specifically appropriateness of language, we'll look at
what this criterion actually means and how to improve in this area. Don't forget to check out
our website we've got the perfect oet preparation course for you, link below. So let's get started!
So what does appropriateness of language mean? Well, it's all to do with register and tone,
vocabulary and using lay terms. So how can you improve in this area? Let's look at
register first. So register means the formality of your language is appropriate to the situation,
take a look at this example, how do you think it could be improved?
Nurse: Good afternoon, I am registered nurse Sam jones, one of the nurses on duty today. I have
reviewed your notes which inform me that you were admitted last night after a car accident.
I will explain the next steps in your care today, but first I am required to ask you some questions.
Patient: Oh, ok Nurse: Could you tell me
if you are currently in any pain? Patient: Well, I have got a bit
of a headache this morning.
Let's listen to another example.
Nurse: Hello I’m Sam, one of the nurses on duty
today. I see from my notes that you were admitted last night after a car
accident. That must have been very frightening. Patient: Oh, it was. It just happened so quickly,
but I suppose it could have been much worse. Nurse: How are you feeling today?
Patient: Much better than yesterday, although I have got a bit of a headache this morning.
In the first example the language is a bit too formal whereas in the second example it's
much better, it's still professional but friendly and reassuring at the same time.
The tone of the conversation should also be appropriate to the context,
have a look at these examples which ones you think is more appropriate to the situation?
Nurse: Hello Jenny. Nice to see you again, I understand that you
want to talk to me about your mum. Patient: Well, yeah, I’m just so worried
about her. I know that the symptoms are to be expected with dementia, but it just seems to be
getting worse more quickly than I’d expected. Nurse: I can see how hard this is for you.
What concerns you the most about what is happening with your mum?
Nurse: Hello Jenny. Nice to see you again, I understand that you
want to talk to me about your mum. Patient: Well, yeah, I’m just so worried
about her. I know that the symptoms are to be expected with dementia, but it just seems to
be getting worse more quickly than I’d expected. Nurse: Ah sure, that is a pity, but don’t worry,
keep your chin up! We’ll take good care of her.
That's right, the first one. You should always consider the situation and how serious it is.
Now let's look at an example of a nurse giving slightly better news than a patient expected,
notice the tone.
Patient: I have read that high cholesterol can
contribute to heart attacks and I have got relatives that died from that. So,
I thought I better get it checked out. Doctor: I can see that you are worried
about your cholesterol levels, but we have the results back and they are only slightly high.
This can be lowered with some lifestyle changes, which we can talk about now. How does that sound?
It's also important not to use any language which might seem judgmental.
Take a look at these examples:
You must give up smoking. It really isn’t helping you.
So, would you say that you don’t really do much exercise then?
How could they be improved?
Well the first example is too direct and would probably make the patient feel bad in some way,
you should use empathy and involve the patient in taking future actions and say something like this:
I know it can be hard to stop smoking,
but would you be willing to try to reduce the amount of cigarettes you smoke?
The second example you looked at is a leading
question which shows judgment instead use an open question like:
Can you tell me how much exercise you do? This provides the opportunity for the
patient to give the information freely and from their perspective.
It's important to communicate using vocabulary appropriate
to the situation, take a look at this example, notice the vocabulary.
Nurse: That’s right. Do you have any other questions about how to use your inhaler?
Patient: No, I feel much better about it now. Nurse: Great. It’s really important to keep
your inhaler on you and to get into the habit of checking that you have it
before you leave the house. Ok? Patient: I’ll put a reminder
on the door or something. Nurse: Yes, that’s great. Well,
if you have any problems, just pop back in and see us.
The nurse uses phrases which fit the context showing natural use of English
such as "get into the habit", "pop back in and see us".
It's important to remember that your patients probably haven't had any medical training so
they probably aren't going to understand medical terminology. This means you need to do lay terms
and if you can use lay terms it means you can communicate the ideas clearly to your patients.
Take a look at these examples, can you think of a more patient friendly way to express them?
Instead of sutures say stitches, in place of abdomen say stomach or tummy, instead
of contusion say bruise, instead of analgesics say painkillers and instead of canula say tube.
Sometimes there may be a medical word on the roll card that you need to use,
in that case you might have to explain it to the patient, let's take a look at an example.
Nurse: Can I ask what you know about jaundice? Patient: Not much really. Just that the
skin goes a bit yellow. Nurse: Yes, that’s right.
Jaundice in newborns is caused when there is a build up of something called bilirubin.
Bilirubin is a substance which is normally cleared by the liver,
but when the liver can’t do this, it can turn the skin a little yellow.
It's also important to use the right language for the task
for example giving advice. Build up a bank of useful expressions like these: I would suggest,
I recommend, it's a good idea to, you might want to, you should, it's better to, you can.
Patient information leaflets are a great resource for patient-friendly language or you can look at
the NHS website, look up common conditions and practice explaining, giving advice or persuading.
Look at this extract from the NHS website about UTIs, notice the patient-friendly language,
now think of some phrases you could use to give advice to someone who has a mild UTI.
Here are some examples.
Let's take a look at some things you can do to improve in this area during your self-study.
Ask for feedback from a teacher or colleague,
this will help you become aware of your strengths and weaknesses in this area.
Become familiar with common lay terms, spend some time becoming familiar with
patient-friendly language. Remember patient information leaflets can be helpful with this.
Matthew Smith's YouTube channel is also great for listening out for patient friendly language,
or check out 24 hours in A&E or GPs behind closed doors. Prepare for giving good news and bad news,
it's important that your tone is appropriate to the situation and preparation and practice
will help. There are a wide variety of tasks you could be asked to do in the OET speaking,
such as giving explanations, persuading, reassuring. Work on your functional language
for these so that you are prepared with language and phrases that are appropriate
to the situation and the tasks and build up a language bank in your notebook.
Top tips for appropriateness of language. Use common lay terms, avoid using medical terminology
when there is an alternative patient-friendly word. Create a language bank, you can prepare
for your speaking exam by reviewing language that is appropriate to the situation, for example
giving explanations as compared to stressing the importance of something and practice, the more
you practice using appropriate language, the more flexibly you will be able to use it in your exam.
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website for how we can help you with your oet preparation and see you next week, bye!