How to Start a Conversation When You Have Nothing to Talk About (with Examples) Edit Article Sample HintsStarting Your Conversation Edited by Anthony J. Starting a conversation to get to know someone or breaking an awkward silence can be very stressful. Ad Steps Starting Your Conversation 1Introduce yourself if necessary. 10Maintain the equilibrium. Tips Follow the lead that your listener is expressing. Warnings Make use of "please", "may I", "thank you", "could you" when someone is nice to you and when you want something. 101 Conversation Starters (Also see How to Start a Conversation) Ice Breakers Where did you grow up?Do you have any pets?Do you have any siblings?Do you know what your your name means? Childhood Questions What was your favorite children's book? School/Work Topics Where did (do) you go to school? Relationship Questions What is the first think you notice about a guy or girl? Sports Conversation Starters Who is your favorite athlete? Vacation Questions Where was the last place you went on vacation? Food/Drink Topics What is your favorite drink? Entertainment Topics Who is your favorite actor? Personal Questions Who do you look up to? Misc. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
Icebreakers for Teens One of the first steps in forming a group is having the participants find commonality, and you can do this with icebreaker games. Teenagers often find icebreakers a fun way to introduce themselves, especially if they are self-conscious about speaking in front of a group. Top Ten Icebreakers for Teens You can use the following icebreakers for teens as written, or you can alter them to fit the number of participants you have or the theme of the group. #1 Human Bingo Take a pile of note cards, and write a teen's name and a question on it. #2 Teen Interviews Divide the teenagers into pairs. #3 Two Truths One Lie Have each teen tell the group two truths and one lie. #4 What Am I? Write an item on a note card for as many teens as you have. #5 Create a Story Start to tell a story, but don't finish it. #6 Common Personality Game Make up some personality questions and either pass out a sheet of paper with them on there or write them down on a dry erase board, paper easel or chalkboard. Post a comment
useful interview expressions game useful interview expressions: Practice useful interview expressions game using this ESL fun Game.This game is also excellent for classroom teaching. Teachers can engage students in a classroom vocabulary or grammar review. It is suitable for intermediate and advanced esl learners. Games are great for motivating students to learn. More Games Conversation Questions for the ESL/EFL Classroom If this is your first time here, then read the Teacher's Guide to Using These PagesIf you can think of a good question for any list, please send it to us. Home | Articles | Lessons | Techniques | Questions | Games | Jokes | Things for Teachers | Links | Activities for ESL Students Would you like to help? If you can think of a good question for any list, please send it to us. Copyright © 1997-2010 by The Internet TESL Journal Pages from this site should not be put online elsewhere.Permission is not required to link directly to any page on our site as long as you do not trap the page inside a frame.
Required watching for any TED speaker: The science of stage fright One thing can strike fear into the heart of the fiercest warrior, the most powerful CEO and the smartest person in any given room: having to speak in public. The thought of it makes the palms sweat, the heart beat faster and the limbs start to shake. An estimated 75% of people have a fear of speaking in public, and it’s something that nearly everyone who takes the TED stage must work hard to overcome. This TED-Ed lesson, the science of stage fright, just might help. In the lesson — which is taught by educator Mikael Cho and directed by animator Robertino Zambrano of KAPWA Studioworks — looks at stage fright not as an emotion, but as a physiological response. “Humans are wired to worry about reputation. The lesson explains exactly what happens in the body before speaking in public and, of course, gives suggestions on how to calm stage fright. Over on the TED-Ed blog, animator Zambrano shares what shaped the imagery for this very cool lesson.
How to Come Up with Good Conversation Topics (with Sample Topics) This article was co-authored by Lynda Jean. Lynda Jean is an Image Consultant and the Owner of Lynda Jean Image Consulting. With over 15 years of experience, Lynda specializes in color and body/style analysis, wardrobe audits, personal shopping, social and professional etiquette, and personal and business branding. She works with clients to enhance their image, self-esteem, behavior, and communication to facilitate their social and career goals. Lynda holds Bachelor degrees in Sociology and Social Work, a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work, and a Certified Image Consultant (CIC) certification. She studied Image Consulting at the International Image Institute and the International Academy of Fashion and Technology in Toronto, Canada. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback.
26 Fresh ESL Conversation Starters to Get Students Talking! | Jennifer Teacher 10 Oct I love teaching conversation in the ESL classroom. Part of it must be that because the students able to “converse” in English are better able to demonstrate their personalities, preferences, thoughts… and therefore, I get to know them better. If you’re a conversation teacher in an English as a Second Language classroom, there may be times when you feel as though you want fresh ideas, a change in routine or some way to remain slightly unpredictable so your students remain curious as to what tricks you have up your sleeves. Always remember to keep in mind your students’ unique personalities and language learning journey, and never underestimate how engaged they can become with the right activity! Here is a list of 26 fresh ESL Conversation Starters to move your class! And if that’s not enough, The Internet TESOL Journal has about a thousand additional questions to get your conversation class started! Enjoy! Like this: Like Loading... Tags: conversation, Lesson Planning, speaking
Agree or disagree (and why?) Scaffolding discussions for quiet students Some of my new classes this term have students who either whisper, speak in L1 or stay completely silent during speaking activities (even at int/upper int level). Part of this reluctance to speak seems to stem from having no knowledge or strong opinions about the topics being discussed, or not having enough time to think about an answer before a more confident student dominates the conversation. This activity was designed for quiet and shy students by helping them start from expressing a single opinion to engaging fully in a debate. This activity includes two sets of worksheets for Intermediate and Upper-intermediate classes which can be downloaded here as a powerpoint file or as a PDF. The following plan is based on an intermediate level class of 10 to 12 students. Stage 1 – Agree or disagree The students are given a handout with 12 statements. In this example the statements are all in the passive to revise the grammar from the previous lesson.
Online language practice community by Rosetta Stone RWorld: Online Language Practice RWorld is an online community where you can practice your language skills. In RWorld, you'll be completely immersed in your new language in a social environment filled with fun, interactive activities. Available Languages Select from 24 languages to practice: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Dutch, English (American), English (British), Filipino (Tagalog), French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Spain), Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese. Language Activities In RWorld, you'll find a variety of interactive language activities. Is RWorld Right for You? The answer is Yes if you… Want to improve your language skills by interactive practice Want to speak with native speakers or with other conversational–level language partners Are at least conversational in ability If you're a beginner learning a new language, RWorld may not be the best fit for you.
List of Conversation Topics | Conversation starters One of the most frustrating things I have ever experienced around a girl, is if I and her run out of things to talk about. Since you found this post I assume you know what I’m talking about, and maybe you are interested in learning how to avoid awkward silence. I’m thinking about the teeth pooling moments where the awkward silence just takes over the situation, you are just sitting their smiling while desperately in your mind scrambling for something just mildly interesting say, but you just can think of anything, you mind is a total black out, you can’t even remember your own name at this point. Finally you hear yourself saying something completely uninteresting, like: “sooo.. do you come here often”, she says “no its my first time!” It’s a horrible horrible situation to be in, I have thus decided to make this cheat sheet of interesting conversation topics to ensure, that you will never run out of things to say again. Talk about Past Experiences: Talk about Current Experience: