Are the methods for learning speaking skills effective?

While there is little doubt about teachers’ awareness of the importance of speaking skills, there is even less doubt about students’ need for more speaking improvement. Most students agree speaking is a priority and their biggest problem.
Despite common knowledge about the importance of teaching speaking skills, in English courses speaking skills receive the least attention. The reason is not lack of desire, but knowing how to successfully teach these skills. The problem is that teachers have very little training and resources for teaching effective speaking skills. The question, then, is not whether to teach speaking skills, but how to teach speaking skills.
When learning from English grammar books, most of the time is spent on filling in blanks from grammar exercises. So, most of the English practice is choosing the correct words to complete a sentence. This works great for passing English tests, but in the real world, speaking conversations is also necessary.
Speaking is a practical skill and requires practice. Use it, or lose it!