The purpose of this study was to enhance students’ engagement in speaking skill through oral instructional strategies. The total population was 20 English teachers and 670 Grade 11 students at Durbete General Secondary and Preparatory School in West Gojjam Zone, South Achefer Woreda. Out of these, two sections (88 students) were selected out of670 students using random sampling to participate in the study. In order to see the effect of oral instructional strategies on the students’ speaking skill improvement, an experiment was carried out and speaking proficiency tests were designed and administered to the subject of the study. The main objective of the pre-test was to have match sample groups. Accordingly, two groups were formed based on the pre-test results in an attempt of matching their mean through drawing lots. To check the improvements made by the experimental group, a post-test was designed and administered to both groups. Questionnaires were also developed and employed as other tool for the experimental group students and English language teachers in the school to investigate their perceptions and practice of oral instructional strategies. Furthermore, semi-structured interview with the Grade 11English teachers was used as supplementary data collecting tool. The collected data were analyzed quantitatively using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques and summarized and presented in tables. T-tests, comprising independent and paired samples t-test, were utilized to determine whether there were significant inter- and intra-group differences on achievement in speaking skill. The results from the post-test indicated that the performance of the students in the experimental group was found to be statistically significant in speaking skill. The result from questionnaires also showed that there is a mismatch between teachers’ perception and their classroom practice of oral instructional strategies. It implies that teachers did not give attention to communicative activities; rather they focused on teacher-led classroom practice. To improve this situation, it is recommended that, teachers should use a variety of oral instructional strategies as much as possible when they teach speaking skill in language classes. Hence, oral activities create conducive conditions within students for practicing the target language in the actual classroom.