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The researcher at the University of Murcia (UMU) Aránzazu García Pinar says that multimodal techniques, used in TED talks, motivate students to speak English in public.

It also defends that they have positive effects so that they can take the step to learn other languages.

The thesis was carried out with a sample of 151 students of various engineering degrees from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT).

These had to apply multimodal techniques in the presentation of their work in the subject of Technical English and, therefore, put into practice the use of rhythmic and deictic gestures, proxemics, facial expression, as well as the effective use of images to to be able to capture the attention of the public.

And, according to García Pinar, what was intended was "create and develop in students mental constructions of themselves as future English speakers in various contexts, both academic and professional."

The UMU doctor also says that many students "show reluctance when speaking in public for scenic panic and because they complain that in high school they were never required to do so."

Along these lines, Aránzazu García considers that “multimodal competence should be developed alongside other linguistics in class.

If it is not done in primary, in secondary �.

He also thinks that "the visual mode comes much more than the word and students should know the potential of a well thought out and carefully chosen image"

And, of those 151 university students, 119 said that the use of multimodal techniques had helped them stay motivated to make their presentation.

Also, 99 showed that they were able to imagine in the future giving a TED talk and 92 assured that being able to visualize giving a talk of this nature would keep them motivated to continue learning English.

It is also relevant to mention that the visual mode was chosen, by the students, as the best to complement their presentations.

The gestural mode followed and thirdly the intonation and the accent.

Another of the outstanding results is that, of 11 students who were interviewed in depth, 6 affirmed that the deictic gestures - indicate guiding the audience where they want - and rhythmic - emphasize the important words or ideas through a rapid movement of the finger or hand- made your linguistic confidence increase.

"They confessed to me that they saw their partners more involved and that led them to think that they were following their talk, that they were not lost," says the researcher.

Methodology

The research belongs to the thesis of the UMU 'The influence of the TED talks on the "Motivational System of the I" of University Students in the Skill of Oral Expression in English for Specific Purposes: A Study of Mixed Methodology', directed by Raquel Criado Sánchez and Silvia Molina Plaza.

In it, a mixed methodology was used in which the students were divided into 5 groups and with which they intervened on different days.

In addition, the 151 students were given two tests, one before the intervention (pre-test) and another after (post-test).

The intervention consisted of explaining the different ways that can be applied when making a presentation to the public through gestures, proxemics, images, etc.

Then, they were given examples of these applications through the visualization of 6 TED talks.

As for the questionnaires, both the pre-test and the post-test included the same 73 questions.

However, the post-test also included 4 related closed questions about their vision of the future in relation to speaking and learning English, as well as the effectiveness of the techniques.

Source: Universidad de Murcia