Intended for college-level basic writers, this booklet integrates training in selected oral communication activities with writing instruction in order to improve students' academic writing. The first section discusses oral communication theory, emphasizing the underlying rhetorical abilities of invention, audience adaptation, and argumentation, to enhance group interaction in the writing classroom. The second half presents practical exercises to increase writing motivation, such as role switching, peer questioning, topic sculpting, and forensic discussion. This section concludes with an application of these exercises for use in content area writing (writing across the curriculum). (References and a selected bibliography are attached.) (NKA)