Below is the link to “ Tara Na Biyahe Tayo” an MTV performed

by various Filipino artists with the common goal of encouraging

Pinoys to visit and explore the wonderful places in the
Philippines. While watching the video clip, think about what for
you must-see in the country.

After watching the video, group yourselves into four groups

each. Decide on the “ Most Exciting Tourist Spot” in the country.
Assign a speaker who will share your decision and reasons for
this with the class. You have 10 minutes.
As soon as all the groups have presented their decisions, you
will vote for the “ Most Exciting Tourist Spot in the Philippines”.
 People communicate everyday to establish and maintain
relationships, know and understand themselves, and find
meaning in the daily grind. Moreover, since human are social
beings who survive more effectively through sensible discourses,
they are always driven to learn the skills of creating and sustaining
meaningful conversations. Successful communication requires
understanding of the relationships between the words and
sentences and the speech act they represent. However, a
conversation may be complex at times, that is why some people
get lost along the way and misunderstand each other. It is only
when we willingly cooperate and speak in ways that we make a
conversation meaningfully.
 According to Cohen (1990), states that strategies must be used
to start and maintain a conversation. Knowing and applying
grammar appropriately is one of the most basic strategies to
maintain a conversation. The following are some strategies that
people use when communicating.

1. Nomination – a speaker carries out information to collaboratively

and productively establish a topic. Basically, when you employ this
strategy, you try to open a topic with the people you are taking to.

When beginning a topic in a conversation, especially it does not

arise from a previous topic, you may start off with news inquiries
and news announcements as they promise extended talk. Most
importantly, keep the conversational environment open for opinions
until the prior topic shuts down easily and initiates a smooth end.
This could efficiently signal the beginning of a new topic in the
conversation.
 a. Have you noticed the weird weather lately? Is this because of
global warming?
b. I was late for class again! The MRT stopped midway. What is
wrong with the MRT?
c. Have you heard the news about the most pretty girl in school?

2. Restriction – in communication refers to any limitation you may

have as a speaker. When communicating, in the classroom,
meeting, or while hanging with your friends, you are typically given a
specific instructions that you must follow. These instructions confine
you as a speaker and limit what you say.

a. In your class, you might be asked by your teacher to brainstorm

on peer pressure.
b. When you were asked to deliver a speech in a specific
language.
3. Turn-Taking – sometimes people are given unequal opportunities
to talk because some others take much time during the conversation. Turn-taking
pertains to the process by which people decide who takes the conversational floor.
There is a code of behavior behind establishing and sustaining, a productive
conversation, but the primary idea is to give all communicators a chance to speak.
Remember to keep your words relevant and reasonably short enough to
express your views or feelings. Try to polite even if you are trying to take the floor
from another speaker. Do not hog the conversation and talk incessantly without
letting the other party air out their own ideas. To acknowledge others, you may
employ visual signals like a nod, a look, or a step back, and you could accompany
these signals with spoken cues such as “What do you think?” or “You wanted to
say something?”

a. Can we all listen to the one who talk in front of us?

b. I agree with the point just made. But may I add that OFWs would
rather be home and work here so they could be with their families.
c. May I have the floor, sir? The topic under discussion is the state of
the Philippines economy today. We want better lives for all Filipinos,
whether they are working here or abroad.
4. Topic Control – covers how procedural formality or informality affects the
development of topic in conversations. This only means that when a topic is
initiated, it should be collectively developed by avoiding unnecessary
interruptions and topic shifts.

a. How do you often ride the MRT, Claudine? How many times have
you encountered a stoppage in service?
b. Your car may break down, too, Angelica, right? So you have to
find another means of getting to school. We all do not want you
to be late for class, yes?
c. What have you learned during English subject, Rose?
5. Topic Shifting – as the name suggests, involves moving from one topic to
another. In other words, it is where one part of a conversation ends and where
another begins. You may also use effective conversational transitions to
indicate a shift “By the way”, “In addition to what you said”, “Which reminds me
of” and the like.

a. By the way, there’s a new shop opening at the mall.

b. In addition to what you said about the beautiful girl is that she
is so smart.
6. Repair – refers to how speakers address the problems in speaking, listening,
and comprehending that they may encounter in a conversation.
Repair is the self-righting mechanism in any social interaction (Schegloff et al,
1977). If there is problem in understanding the conversation, speakers will
always try to address and correct it.

a. Excuse me, but there are five functions of communication not

four.
b. I’m sorry, the word should be pronounced and spelled as Pretty
not Priti.

7. Termination – refers to the conversation participant’s close-initiating

expressions that end a topic in a conversation. Most of the time, the topic initiator
takes responsibility to signal the end of the discussion well.
Asides from this, soliciting agreement from the other participants usually
completes the discussion of the topic meaningfully.

a. It was nice meeting you. Bye!

b. That is all for today class, goodbye!
c. See you soon, my friend.
Identify the type of communicative strategy in each statement.

1. Do you have anything to say?

2. One of the essential lessons I gained from the discussion is the
importance of sports and wellness to a healthy lifestyle.
3. Excuse me? I think we should speak one at a time, so we can
clearly understand what we want to say about the issue.
4. Go on with your ideas. I’ll let you finish first before I say something.
5. Have you heard the news about the latest achievement of our
government?
6. Hey, how are you? I missed you!
7. Best regards to your parents! See you around!
8. Good to see you. Anyway, I came to visit you because I want to
personally offer apologies for what I did yesterday.
9. Sorry, I can’t decide on that now. I am still focused on my writing
assignment. Let’s talk next time, okay?
10. Now, it’s your turn to ask questions.