Despite all the speaking that students do in class, they don't speak all that well. We sit through mediocre book reports and think, "Oh well, that's just how kids speak." We post a video to YouTube with students speaking poorly and kid ourselves by saying, "Hey, that's authentic speech!" Daily, we accept oral communication that's far below what our students are capable of--and far below what we should accept. The fact is, if we expect students to learn to speak, we need to teach them how. We often don't, for three compelling reasons: It isn't on the test, we assume that students already know how to talk, and we're not sure how to teach it. Schools need to develop their own version of a multiple-trait speaking rubric--or use the author's P. V. LEGS, which refers to poise, voice, life, expression, gestures, and speed.