The way we communicate with students impacts upon their ability to engage with us, and with their learning. The following practical suggestions are easy to follow and accomplish within our teaching practice and can significantly help students engage with our teaching.

Body language is important. Offer eye contact, and smile.
When you are explaining something, consider whether you can use simpler language than the word/phrase you want to communicate. Try to ensure the vocabulary you use is not overly sophisticated.
Use plain English and straightforward sentence structure. One way is by cutting out introductory clauses (‘So, whilst not wishing to underestimate the importance of xxx, I think it is important to stress yyy’). Another is by choosing vocabulary that is in common use as in ‘living in’ rather than ‘domiciled at’ (HEA, 2013). Avoid colloquialisms.
Slow down your speech (but not too much!) International students will feel grateful for this, not patronised.
Don't raise your voice, keep your tone measured.
If an international student doesn't understand what you have said, repeat it without any modification. Try to avoid reformulating or changing the sentence.
Stress the key words in a sentence and use intonation - a rising voice - to ask a question.
Use written instructions where possible, and if necessary ask students to write things down.[1]
Encourage students to clarify with you what they have understood, and to further check understanding with their peers.

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[1] Adapted from Communicating with international students: 10 top tips for library staff

https://blogs.shu.ac.uk/internationalnetwork/files/2013/05/Teaching-and-communicaiton-with-international-students-Tips-for-library-staff.pdf [22/3/17]