Elicitation Elicitation means asking the student to provide information or example based on what they know. In preparing for an activity that reviews the present perfect tense, you can ask for several example from the students. However, elicitation doesn’t mean putting leaners on the spot. It only works when you try to elicit what they are likely to know. Because it emphasizes the learners’ experience and knowledge, elicitation helps to take the focus off of the text as the source of authority and helps leaners become more self-reliant, an important skill in learning a language. Elicitation works hand in hand with personalization.