Teachers must not only help the students acquire the necessary competencies to communicate; they are also responsible for establishing situations in which the students are stimulated to express themselves. Rivers (1972, pp. 30-32) lists fourteen reasons for using language that can be incorporated into interaction activities in the classroom. She mentions:
1. Establishing and maintaining social relations,
2. Expressing one's reactions,
3. Hiding one's intentions,
4. Talking one's way out of trouble,
5. Seeking and giving information,
6. Learning or teaching others to do or make something,
7. Conversing over the telephone,
8. Solving problems,
9. Discussing ideas,
10. Playing with language,
11. Acting out social roles,
12. Entertaining others,
13. Displaying one's achievements,
14. Sharing leisure activities.