Giving instructions is the skill of communicating task requirements to learners clearly, concisely, and in a way they can act on. It looks simple. It isn't. Unclear instructions are probably the most frequent cause of failed activities: the task itself may be excellent, but if students don't understand what to do, it collapses. This skill has an outsized impact on lesson quality relative to the attention it typically receives.
Every extra sentence is a sentence that can confuse. Strip instructions to the minimum needed. A good rule: if you can say it in two sentences, don't use four. Instructions that take longer than 60 seconds probably need restructuring: either the task is too complex or the explanation is too wordy.
Instructions must be at or below the students' level, simpler than the language you're teaching. Use short sentences, familiar vocabulary, and imperative forms: "Read the text. Find five adjectives. Underline them." At lower levels, reduce to near-telegraphic: "Read. Find five. Underline."
Doing an example is almost always clearer than explaining the procedure. For a matching exercise: "Look, number 1 goes with C. Now you do 2, 3, 4, 5." This takes 10 seconds and eliminates most confusion. For complex activities, walk through the first round with a volunteer.
Give instructions in the order students need to act on them. Don't say "When you've finished discussing, write your answers on the board, but first read the text silently." Chronological order: read, discuss, write.
After instructions and demonstration, use Instruction Checking Questions to verify understanding. Two to three targeted closed questions: "How many minutes?" "Are you writing or speaking?" "Alone or in pairs?"
Some activities genuinely require detailed setup (jigsaws, role plays, simulations). Strategies for these:
Instructions are a major component of Teacher Talking Time and one of the few areas where TTT is unambiguously necessary; the goal is to make it as efficient as possible. Instruction Checking Questions are the verification tool that closes the loop. Good instructions also connect to Staging because how you set up an activity determines whether it achieves its purpose within the lesson sequence.