This paper describes how an external stimulus can be used to stimulate oral production, even among the most hesitant and reluctant of learners who are too timid or terrified of speaking aloud before their peers and superiors. It is further argued here that a connection exists between oral sharing and the student writing process. The author suggests that effective conversation and effective writing both demand an examination of a text that exemplifies the genre in which students hope to produce spoken comments and written arguments. A careful textual analysis, undertaken as a class activity, serves to bring the student from the realm of the personal into the common ground of shared, purposeful and goal-directed conversation with others. This prepares students for the world of academic sharing (such as at a scholarly conference) and professional writing.
