Speaking Unplugged:

30 Activities for One-to-One

Classes

Byreducingtheamountofmaterialthatisimported
intotheclassroom,theteacherfreesthelearning
spaceforthekindofinteractive,talkmediated
learningopportunitiesthataresocrucialforlanguage
development.
ScottThornbury:TeachingUnplugged

Introduction
Like many teachers - I suspect - I used to turn up to my one-to-one classes with a pile of
worksheets under my arm. The worst thing that can happen in a one-to-one class is running
out of materials, I thought.
And then one day, a private student told me he didnt enjoy my classes because he felt I was
just giving him a series of worksheets to complete. What he really wanted to do was develop
his communicative competence - become a more fluent, versatile, adaptable and confident
communicator in English. He looked at the worksheets - exercises written for practising the
present perfect, adjective and preposition combinations - and said:
These exercises - I can do them and home and check the answers myself.
Since that fateful class, I changed my approach and unplugged my one-to-one lessons.
What is unplugged teaching?
If you are not aware of the term unplugged teaching or the Dogme approach, you might
want to click here.
In essence, the approach is as follows:

teaching that is conversation-driven

teaching that is materials-light

teaching that focuses on emergent language

If you feel unsure about adopting a materials-light approach in your lessons, why not try
using some of the activities to supplement the materials you use with your learners. Ask for
some feedback from your learner, you may find they prefer the new approach.

What follows is a list of 30 minimal resources activities for your one-to-one classes. You can
teach these lessons with other resources and materials (videos,photos, dictaphones, laptops
with internet access, magazines etc.) but you dont actually need anything except a few sheets
of paper to make notes on.
Giving Feedback
When giving feedback,I like to use a simple template with 2 columns:
What you said

What you should say

I write down the incorrect language in the left-hand column and then find time during the
lesson - after the utterance, after the exercise, at a convenient point - to see if the learner can
correct their own mistakes. If they cant, I suggest you work with them to recast and
reformulate their utterances.
When possible, I try to make some notes on the language my learner used in the class and
send them as an email attachment so I can quickly review them at the beginning of the next
class.
The final point Id like to make is that you (the teacher) can really help your learner by
participating as an equal partner in many of these activities. For example, if you ask your
learner to give a 2-minute presentation, you should be prepared to do the same (great
listening practice for them too). When two people are together, they produce a dialogue not
separate monologues which means you, the teacher, have to interact, provide feedback, and
make sure the conversation flows as smoothly as possible.
By collaborating with your learners in these activities, you provide a language model and a
model of how to interact when conversing in English. If you do this well, you may well find
that your lessons become more enjoyable: conversations in which learning occurs.

30UnpluggedActivitiesforOnetoOneClasses
1. Knowtheteacher
2. TheQuestionGenerator
3. Twominutetalks
4. TEDTalks
5. Gimmetheshortversion!
6. Itsadeal
7. TheYes/NoGame
8. EveryPictureTellsaStory
9. Liar,Liar!Excuses,Excuses!
10. Ifonlythingshadbeendifferent
11. Dearteacher,Ineedyourhelp
12. TheAudition
13. AStorybeforeBedtime
14. CanIhaveafewminutesofyourtime,please?
15. ThinkingoutsideoftheBox
16. PlayingDevilsAdvocate
17. CelebrityInterviews
18. Imonthephone!
19. TheElevatorPitch
20. TheDinnerPartyChallenge
21. TheBalloonDebate
22. AndtheOscargoesto..
23. AutomaticExclamation
24. PhrasalVerbSwap
25. Wheredoyouseeyourselfin5yearstime?
26. IfIRuledtheWorld
27. ResolvingDisputes
28. ToDoList
29. CompanyPolicy
30. YouretheTeacher

1.KnowtheTeacher

LanguageFocus:Questionforms,shortanswers

Adultlearnerscanfeelinfantilisedwhentheyspeakaforeignlanguage.Theymayhavea
confidentandrespectedpublicidentityintheirfirstlanguagebutfeellikechildren
communicatingwithadultswhenspeakingtheirsecondlanguage,especiallywiththeir
teacher,whotheymayrespondtoasafigureofauthorityandanimparterofknowledge.

Thispowerrelationshipis,inmyopinion,ratherunhealthyandunhelpfulinonetoone
classes.Asteachers,wearenomoreintelligent,cultured,openmindedorwisethanour
learners.Weareequalsinallrespects,exceptourabilitytousetheEnglishlanguage.

Therefore,Ialwaysrecommendagettingtoknowyourteacheractivityinthefirstlesson.
Aswellasgivingyouagoodideaofyourstudentsstrengthsandweaknesses,wecan
alsousethisactivitytobreaktheice.

Startbyaskingyourlearnertowritedownalistofquestionstheywouldliketoaskyou.
Givethemafewideas,themeslikework,family,hobbies,andletthemspendafew
minutesthinkingandformingquestions.Letthemwritethequestionsfirstratherthanask
themtothinkthemuponthespot.Inreallifesituations,wegenerallypreparequestions
beforeaskingthem(jobinterviews)andyouwillgetabetterideaofwhattheyalreadyknow
(e.g.theirabilitytousequestionwords)andanygapsorerrorsintheirknowledge
(omissionofauxiliaryverbs,confusionbetweenwhatandwhich).

Irecommendyoulookattheirquestionsbeforeyoudotheinterviewandmakeany
adjustmentsorcorrectionstoensuretheinterviewflows.

2.TheQuestionGenerator
LanguageFocus:Questionforms,DirectandIndirectquestions,Shortanswers

Afterthefirstactivity,youwillknowwhatproblemsyourlearnerhaswhenforming
questions.Itisimportantthatyougivethemlotsofopportunitiestopractiseasking
questions.Hereareafewsuggestions:

A. Providealistofquestions(maybethosecreatedinthepreviousactivity)andask
thelearnertocreatenewquestionsbychangingoneormoreelementsineach
question.Forexample,whatsyourfavouritefood?couldbechangedtowhatsyour
leastfavouritefood?
B. Sentencescrambleactivity.Changethewordorderinthequestionandaskthe
learnertoreassemblethemcorrectly.
C. Practisedirectandindirectquestions.Createorreusealistofquestionsandask
thelearnertoidentifyifthequestionisdirectorindirectandthenaskthemto
reformulateaccordingtowhethertheyareinterviewingtheirPresidentorafriend.

AnactivityIliketodowithmylearnersissomethingIcallTheQuestionGenerator.Allyou
needareacoupleofdiceandalistofverbs(theycouldbecommonverbs,verbsthatyour
learnerhasrecentlystudied,orverbsthatareusefulforyourlearners).

Youcandothisactivityinseveralways,dependingonwhichtypeofquestionsyouwantto
practise.

a)Assignanumbertoeachquestionword.
1.What?

4.Who?

2.Why?

5.When?

3.Where?

6.How?

Thelearnerrollsthedicetodeterminewhichquestionwordtheyuse.Then,youchoosea
verbfromthelist.Thelearnerthenhastoaskyouaquestionusingthequestionwordand
theverb.Simpleasthat!

Ofcourse,youcanmodifythissimpleactivitybychoosingauxiliaryverbs(be/do/have)or
modals(can/should/will)orevenindirectquestionphrasessuchas:
Wouldyoumindtellingme....?

Youcouldalsousethedicetodeterminetheverbs(eachnumbercouldrepresentaletter
andthelearnerhastoformaquestionusingaverbbeginningwiththatletter)orusethe
dicetodecidewhichtensethequestionisformedin(1=Pastsimple,2=Presentsimple).

Thegreatthingaboutusingdiceisyoucanusethemtocreatehundreds(maybe
thousands)ofquestioncombinations.

3.TwominuteTalks
LanguageFocus:Signpostinglanguage,discoursemarkers

Beingabletospeakforextendedperiodsoftime(anythingfrom2minutestoanhour)isa
skillthatisessentialinmodernlife.Studentsgivepresentations,professionalsinthe
academicandbusinessworldspeakatsalesfairsand/orconferences,andsales
personnelselltheirproductwhenmakingapitch.

Now,yourlearnermaybeanexperiencedpublicspeakerintheirfirstlanguage.However,
thatdoesntmeantheywillfinditeasytodosoinEnglish.Makesureyouprovideamodel
first.Prepareaminipresentationandgiveyourlearnersomelisteningpractice.Givethem
aglobaltaskfirst(simplequestionsortasktochecktheyhaveunderstoodthemainpoints)
andthenrepeatthepresentationwithmorecomplexcomprehensionquestions.Itsagood
ideatotranscribeyourpresentation(ordictateittoyourlearner)whichyoucangivetoyour
learnerasatemplateandaskthemtoidentifyusefulphrasesandorderthedifferentparts
ofthepresentation(introduction,summary,callofactionetc.).Whynotrecordyourself
doingitandgivetherecordingtoyourlearner?

YoucouldalsodothisactivitywithauthenticmaterialssuchasaTEDtalk.However,the
advantageofgivingaminipresentationtoyourlearneristhatyouaredealwithanyqueries
theyhaveaboutthelanguageorthestylisticfeatures.Also,asImentionedearlier,youare
showingyourlearnerthatyouareanequalparticipantinthelearningenvironmentandnot
anauthoritarianfigure.

Avariantofthisactivityistodeliverareallypoorpresentationandworkwithyourlearneron
analysingwhyitwaspoorandhowitcouldbeimproved.

Afteryouhavedemonstratedandanalysedhowtogiveaminipresentation,askyour
learnertoproduceoneonatopicoftheirchoosing.Makesureyougivethemsometimeto
notedownafewideas(again,somethingmostofusdobeforegivingapresentation).You
mayhavealearnerwhowantstodiveinandspeakwithoutanythinkingtime.Ifyourlearner
iswillingtodohomework,whynotaskthemtoprepareandrehearsetheirpresentationat
home?

Itcanbequitedauntingtogiveapresentationtoonepersonsobesensitivetoyour
learnerslevelofdiscomfort.Toreducetheirstresslevels,youcouldturnyourchairround
sotheycantseeyouorletthemdeliverthepresentationtoadictaphoneorvideocamera
whileyouleavetheroom.

Howeveryoudoit,rememberthatfeedbackisthekeytoimprovingperformance.Give
themsomeconstructivefeedbackandgeneraltipsonhowtheycanimproveand
remembertopraisewhattheydidwell.Evennativespeakershesitate,stutterandmake
minorgrammaticalorpronunciationerrorswhenspeakingforextendedperiods.Speaking
naturallyratherthanmechanicallyisoftenakeyfeatureinsuccessfulpresentationsand
overcorrectionislikelytoresultinastiltedpresentationstyle.

Ifthelearneriswilling,suggesttheyrepeatthepresentationandseeiftheycanincorporate
yoursuggestions.Becauseminipresentationsaresoshort,learnersgenerallydontmind
practisingthemastheycanmakemistakesandstartagainwithoutwastingtoomuchtime
oreffort.Positivefeedbackisessentialandmakesurethelearnerleavesthelessonproud
ofwhattheyhaveachievedbutalsopreparedtoworkonimprovingtheirweaknesses.

4.TEDTalks
LanguageFocus:Signpostinglanguage,Intonation,Sentencestress

Atsomepoint,youmightaskyourlearnertopreparealongerpresentationtheirownTED
talk.BusinessEnglishlearnersandpostgraduatestudentsinparticularwillprobablyneed
togivepresentationsforworkorstudypurposes.

Withminipresentations,youwillprobablyfocusonanalysinglanguageatsentencelevel.
Withextendedpresentations,yourlearnerwillbenefitfromlearningaboutotherlinguistic
andparalinguisticfeaturessuchasusinganecdotesorbodylanguage.

Ifyouhaveaccesstotheinternet,IrecommendwatchingandanalysingTEDTalkswith
yourlearner.Aswellasprovidingatranscriptofeveryspeech,youcananalysesuccessful
presentationstrategiesandtechniques(pausingforeffect,howintonationconveys
emotion,sentencestress,discoursemarkers,useofrepetition,askingrhetorical
questions,bodylanguage).Ifyourlearnerenjoyswatchingthem,recommendthattheyfind
aspeakerandapresentationtheyparticularlyenjoyandcanuseasamodelfortheirown
presentationstyle.

Then,askthemtoprepareanextendedpresentationforthenextlesson.Youcouldbreakit
downintopartsandfocusoneachsectionatatime.Iftheyfeelmoreconfident,youcould
letthemdothewholepresentation.

Withextendedpresentations,itisagoodideatoprovidesomeassessmentcriteriasuch
asclarity,speedofdelivery,appropriateintonation,bodylanguage).Thekeytothislesson
isyourfeedbackandletthemtrygivingthepresentationagainiftheywish.

5.Gimmetheshortversion
LanguageFocus:Paraphrasingandsummarisinglanguage

Beingabletosummariseandparaphraseareusefulskillsinlife.Askyourlearnerstofind
anarticle(itdoesntneedtobeinEnglish)oranaudio/videopresentationsuchasaTED
Talkandprepareasummary.Theycouldalsouseapresentationtheyhavegivenor
attendedatworkoratuniversity,orareporttheyhavereadorwritten.Tellthemthatthey
shouldimaginetheirtypicalaudiencememberisintelligentbutnotanexpertinthefieldso
complexideaswhichhavetobesimplifiedorexplainedusinganecdotes,metaphorsand
everydayanalogies.

ThisisagoodexercisetopractisespokendiscoursemarkerssuchasAsIwassayingor
Anyway.Itworkswellifyouletthelearnerfindanarticlethatisrelevanttotheirneedsand
youcanaskthemtoclarifycertainpointsandaskprobingquestionstochallengethemto
demonstratetheirunderstandingofthetopic.Byinterrupting,youarealwaysdemonstrating
howweinteractwithspeakersprovidinginformationtoconfirmwearefollowingwhatthey
aresaying.

6.Itsadeal!

Negotiationsimulationsareperfectforindividualclassesarearesuitableforanytypeof
learner,notjustBusinessEnglishstudents.Inanegotiation,thereisaclearobjectiveanda
desiredresulttherefore,negotiationsareinherentlystimulating.

Thesecrettoasuccessfulnegotiationsimulationispreparationtime.Bygivingthelearners
timetopreparetheirstrategyandcomeupwithafewideas,youarecreatingamorelevel
playingfield.Ifyoujumpstraightintoanegotiationsimulation,yourbettercommandof
Englishwillgiveyouanunfairadvantage:learnersneedtoprocesstheirideasintheirfirst
languageandthentranslatethemintoEnglishwhereasyourideascanbeautomatically
processedverbally.

Now,therearelotsofnegotiationscenariosforBusinessEnglishstudentsbutnotsomany
forGeneralEnglishlearners.But,thinkabouthowoftenwenegotiateinourdailylivesand
youllcomeupwithlotsofideassuchas:

Parentsandchildren:homework,dinner,bedtime,pocketmoney,household
chores,stayingatafriendshouse,birthdaypresents.
Boyfriendsandgirlfriends:wheretogoouttonight,whichfilmtosee,spendingtime
withotherpeople,whichfamilytovisitforChristmas,relationshiprules
Husbandsandwives:marriagecontracts,divisionofhouseholdchores,agreeingon
monthlybudgets,lookingafterchildren,dealingwithrelatives,separatingand
divorcing
Teacherandstudent:amountofhomework,classroombehaviour,contentof
lessons,classroomrules
Employerandemployee:workinghours,salary,jobdescription,work
responsibilities,holidayentitlementsandbenefits,askingforpromotion

 Politicalleaders:internationalagreements,importingandexporting,military
defense
Landlordandtenant:agreeingonrentalfee,rentalconditions,issuesabout
furnishing
Policeofficerandwitness:makingdeals,offeringprotection

Therearesomanynegotiationroleplayswecoulddoinclass.Yourlearnerwillhaveto
improviseanduseallofthelanguageattheirdisposaltoachieveafavourableoutcome.

Aquickwarning:Ihaveseenmanyteacherstakeroleplaysandsimulationsmoreseriously
thantheirlearners.Remember,itsthetakingpartthatcounts,notwinning!

7.Yes/Nogame
LanguageFocus:Avoidingshortanswers,Hedginglanguage

Youmayhaveplayedthisgamewhenyouwereyounger.Itsverysimpleandgreatfor
improvingfluencyandmakingsureourlearnersavoidgivingmonosyllabicresponses.Ask
aseriesofquestionsandtellyourlearnertheyarenotallowedtosayyesornoand
cannotrepeattheirresponses.Ivedonethiswithallsortsoflevelsanditalwaysworkswell.
Again,ifyouswaproleswithyouronetoonelearner,theywillgetextraquestionformation
practiceandyoucanexposethemtoawiderrangeofcommunicationstrategies(howto
avoidansweringawkwardquestions,demonstratingknowledgebyprovidinglotsofdetails,
answeringaquestioninordertopromoteyouridea).

Asyoumayhaveguessed,thisisagreatactivityforaspiringpoliticiansorpeoplewho
workinmarketingandpublicrelations.Inlife,weoftenhavetogivetheimpressionthatwe
haveansweredaquestionwheninfactwehaveskilfullyavoideddoingso.

8.Everypicturetellsastory
LanguageFocus:Relativepronounsandclauses,Narrativetenses

Traineejournalistsaretrainedtoanswer5questions:

1.Who?
2.Where?
3.When?
4.Whathappened?
5.Whyisitimportant?

Usethose5simplequestionsaspromptstoinitiatespeaking.Humansareengineeredto
tellandrespondemotionallytostories.Whatcouldbesimplerthanlessonsbasedaround
apictureand5questions?

Bringinaseriesofpictureswithpeopleinthemandaskthestudentstoinventanswersto
thequestionsabove.Youwillfindthatevenstudentswhodontconsiderthemselves
creativewillbeabletocreatestories.

Anotherwaytodothisactivityistogetportraitphotosofpeople.Askyourlearnersto
choosetwoofthemanddecidewhotheyareandwhattheirrelationshipis.Then,tellthem
theytheyareinthenewsfordoingsomethingextraordinaryorevencriminal.Tohelpyour
studentsbegin,youcanaddanobjectandaplace.Forexample,therewasthismanand
thiswoman,therewasaredmotorbikeandsomethinghappenedoutsideahospital.

Beforelong,yourlearnerwillbethinkinguplotsofpossibleplots.

9.Liar,liar!Excuses,excuses!
LanguageFocus:Negatives,Narrativetenses

Liar,LiarisavariantontheYes/Nogamebutwithanaddedtwist.Thepersonwho
respondsisneverallowedtotellthetruththeyhavetoanswerasiftheywerecompulsive
liars!Aswellasbeinganexcellentcreativethinkingactivity,learnersarestretchedand
challengedtouseallofthelanguageattheirdisposal.

Youcouldstartbyaskingsimplequestionsandthenchallengeyourlearnersbytryingto
catchthemout.Then.letthembytheinterrogatorandyouhavetoavoidtellingthetruth.

Asimilaractivityisoneinwhichthelearnerisaskedtocreatecredibleexcusesfortheir
actions.Youaskthelearnertoconsiderwhenwemakeexcusesinlife:atwork,athome,in
relationships,atschool,tothetaxmanetc.

Together,createaseriesofsituationsinwhichonepersonhastomakeanexcusetotell
theother.Forexample,aboyfriendforgettinghisgirlfriendsbirthdayorastudentforgetting
todotheirhomework.Asweoftentellstoriesandprovidedetailstomakeourexcuses
seemmorebelievable,thisisanexcellentactivityforgettinglearnerstousepasttenses
naturally:

ImtellingyouthetruthSir.IdidmyhomeworkbutthenIheardsomethinginthestreet
outsideandIopenedthewindow.Andthewindwasblowingreallyhardandallthedogs
werebarking,andsuddenly,agustofwindenteredtheroomandblewallthepapersoff
mydeskandoutoftheopenwindow.Iranoutintothestreet,andIsawadoganditwas
runningaroundchasingthesheetsofpaper.WhenIapproachedthedog,itstarted
eatingthepapers...includingmyhomework.

10.Ifonlythingshadbeendifferent
LanguageFocus:Unrealconditionals(2nd,3rd,mixed)

Likemanyofthesespeakingideas,learnerscanusetheirownlivesasthebasisfortheir
answers.However,somelearnerswillfeeluncomfortablewiththissoalwaysgivethemthe
optionofadoptingarole.

Inthisactivity,askthemtochooseafamouspersonwhotheyknowwell.Askyourlearnerto
notedownthingswhichhavehappenedinthispersonslife.Forexample,DavidBeckham
becameaprofessionalfootballer.Thenaskthemtotellyouwhatwouldhavehappenedhas
thisactionnotoccurred.

IfDavidBeckhamhadntbecomeaprofessionalfootballer,hewouldnthave
becomefamous.

Thisisagreatactivityforhigherlevellearnersbecausetheywillgetlotsofpractiseinusing
unrealconditionalsinthepast(alsoknownasthirdconditional)andmixedconditionals.

Withbusinessstudents,youcanevenlookatacasestudyanddiscusswhatmistakes
weremade,whatshouldhavebeendone,andwhythingswentwrongorright.

11.Dear.,Ineedyourhelp
LanguageFocus:Givingadvice,modals

Humansliveinsocialgroupsinwhichweshareandexchangeinformation,adviceand
opinions.Agonyauntactivitiesinwhichonepersonasksanexpertforadvicearesimple
tosetup:

StudentAhasaproblemandasksStudentBforadviceonhowtoresolveit.

Thereasontheseactivitiesworksowellisthateverysinglepersonontheplanethasa
problem.Imtoofat.Imtoothin.Imsingle.Immarried.Imrichbutlifewasmuchsimpler
whenIwaspoor.Impoor,Iwanttoberich.

Again,wecanmovebeyondsimplepersonalissues.Inthelast20years,wehaveseena
hugeincreaseinthenumberofconsultants:political,economic,legal,educational,
creative,linguistic,lifecoaches,businesscoaches,sportscoaches.

Ifyourlearnerhasaspecificareaofexpertise,imagineyouareaclientlookingforanswers
andadviceforqueriesyouhave.Thiswillmaketheactivityfarmorerelevanttotheir
reallifeneeds.

12.TheAudition
LanguageFocus:Featuresofpronunciation(intonation,sentencestress,connected
speech),Adverbsofmanner

Whatdoactorsdobeforefilmingascriptorperformingaplay?Thatsright.Theyrehearse
andpractisesayingtheirlinesinavarietyofdifferentwaystobesuretheyconveythe
appropriateemotion.

IfyourlearnerreallywanttoimprovetheirspokenEnglish(intonation,stresspatterns,
connectedspeech,rhythm),givethemscriptstoworkfrom.Pushthemtogobeyondthe
sentenceandidentifywhatliesbeneath.Createdialogueswithyourlearnersandactthem
out.Getoutofthechairandmovearound.Discussbodylanguageandgestures.

Askthemtoreadalineindifferentways.Stressdifferentwords,changetheintonation,say
thelineindifferentwaysdependingonwhatthecharacterisfeeling.Useadverbsandask
thelearnertosayIloveyouindifferentways:happily,angrily,softly,humorouslyetc.

Modelhowyouwouldsayitandaskyourstudenttorepeatusingthesamesentencestress
andintonation.Tellthemyouaretheiractingcoachpreparingthemforanimportant
audition.Rehearse!Rehearse!Rehearse!

Then,inyournextlesson,youcantellthemitstheirauditionandyouarethedirector
lookingforanactortostarinyournextfilm.

13.AStorybeforeBedtime
LanguageFocus:Narrativetenses,Sentencestress,Intonationtoconveyemotion

Howmanyparentstakerealpleasureinstorytelling?Howmanyofthemdiscovertheyhave
anaturalgiftforstorytelling?Kidsareanappreciateandhonestaudience:iftheydontlike
thewayyoutellastory,theyllfakesleeptoavoidlisteningtoyou!

Thewonderfulthingabouttellingbedtimestoriesorfairytalesingeneralisthatyouhaveto
exaggeratefordramaticeffectandlearnhowtopauseeffectivelytogivekidstimeto
processwhattheyhaveheardandmoreimportantlytopredictwhatsgoingtohappen.

Ifyouwantpeopletolistentoyou,youhavetolearnhowtovaryyourspeechandpause
betweeneachchunkofinformation.Manylearnerstrytospeakquickerwhenmaybethey
shouldbeaimingtopausebetter.

14.CanIhaveafewminutesofyourtime?
LanguageFocus:Questionsandfollowupquestions

Whatseverybodyinterestedin?Sports?Fashion?Cars?Travel?Politics?

Thereisonlyonesubjectthateverybodyisinterestedinthemselves!

WemaydenyitbutImsureitstrue.Eveniftheyarenotwillingtoanalysetheirpersonality
withyou,theywillprobablybewillingtocompleteaquestionnaireabouttheirdiet,theirjob,
theirhabits,theirbeliefs.

Questionnairesareeverywhere.Withhighlevellearners,youcanuseauthentictexts.With
lowerlevels,youcanjustsimplifythequestions.Manyquestionnairesoffermultiplechoice
answers.Youdontneedtousethemifyoudontwantto.

Again,intheinterestsoffairness,ifyouuseaquestionnairewithyourlearner,youshouldbe
willingtoletthemquestionyouback.

15.Thinkingoutsideofthebox
LanguageFocus:Hypotheticallanguagesuchasconditionalsandmodals

Onmanybusinesstrainingcoursesorinjobinterviews,participantsaregivenalateral
thinkingpuzzletosolve.Thesecanalsobeusedinonetooneclassesbutyou,theteacher,
shouldcollaboratewiththelearner.Ifnot,thereisnocommunicativepurposetothetask.
Unlessyouareparticularlyadeptlateralthinker,yourlanguageskillswillnotgiveyouan
advantage.Infact,askingyourlearnertoexplaintheirideastoyouisapowerfullearning
challenge.Equallyso,whentheyuseEnglish,theywillberequiredtounderstandand
respondtootherpeoplesideas,viewsandopinions:trainingforreallifetasks.

Lateralthinkingpuzzlesareeasytofindandthelanguageusedinthemisusuallysimple.
Thedifficultyliesinsolvingthem.

16.PlayingDevilsadvocate
LanguageFocus:Givingopinions,agreeinganddisagreeing,

Playingdevilsadvocatemeanssupportingtheindefensible,arguingforsomethingwe
dontactuallybelieve.Doingsostretchesusmentally,morallyandintellectually.Many
learnerswill,atsomepointintheirlives,berequiredtoconsideropposingviews,whether
inanexamtaskorwhendiscussingtopicswithapersonwhodoesntsharetheiropinion.

Findalistofcontroversialstatements,suchasAlldrugsshouldbelegalised.Askthemto
decideiftheyagreeordisagreewiththesestatements.Lookattheiranswersandthentell
themtheyhavetodisagreewithyourviews.

Thisisgreatforpractisingfixedandsemifixedphrases,suchasOntheonehandor
informalbutfrequentlyusedutterancessuchasYoumustbejoking.

17.Celebrityinterviews
LanguageFocus:DirectandIndirectQuestions,Reportedspeech

AsImentionedearlier,theexistenceofasecondlanguageidentityisoftenanobstacleto
fluidandfluentselfexpression:learnerscanfeelinfantilised,inthepositionofchildrenand
unabletoarticulatetheircomplexideas.

Adoptingaroleisabitlikewearingamask:youhidetherealyou.Bylettingyourlearners
playtheroleofacelebrity,theyfeelatlibertytomakejokes,expresscontroversialviews,
playaroundwithaccentsetc.Whatevertheysaycanbeblamedontherole.Thismeans
theyareatlessriskoflosingfaceiftheymakelinguisticmistakes.

Letthemchoosethecelebrities.itdoesntmatterifyouknowthemornot.Explainingtheir
backstoryisanotherusefultask.

Adoptaroleyourselfandletthemplaytheinterviewer.Aftertheinterview,askthemtotell
youwhatyousaidusingreportingverbsgoodforreviewinghowweuseverbslikesay,tell
andmention.

18.Notnowhoney.Imonthephone
LanguageFocus:Formulaicphrasestouseonthephone,Numbersandletters.

Speakingonthephoneinyoursecondlanguagecanbefarmorechallengingthan
speakingfacetofaceforonemainreason:paralinguisticfactors,suchasfacial
expressionsandphysicalgestures,whichweusetoconveyemotion,checkunderstanding
andreinforceourmessage,areinvisibletothelistener.Interestingly,westillusethese
paralinguisticsignalswhenspeakingonthephone,whichsuggestweusethemforourown
benefitasmuchasforthelistener.

Telephonesimulationsareanexcellentwaytoprovideusefulandauthenticpracticefor
yourlearnerandallyouhavetodotosimulaterealphoneconversationsistoturnyour
chairsaroundsoyousitbacktoback.Idalsorecommendusingyourownphoneasa
prop.

Phonecallsimulationsareeasytosetup.Allyouhavetodoisfindoutwhyyourlearner
mightneedtospeakonthephone.IftheyneedEnglishforbusiness,youcouldpretendto
beaclientseekinginformation.IftheyarethinkingofmovingtotheUK,youcouldsimulate
callingalandlordaboutrentingaflatorapplyingforajob.

Finally,rememberevenhighlevellearnerscanfinditdifficulttowritedownphonenumbers
ornamesandaddressesinrealtime.Moststudentslearnnumbers,lettersanddatesearly
onintheirEnglishlanguagelearningexperience(atElementarylevel)butdontrecyclethis
incrediblyusefullanguageonaregularbasis.

19.TheElevatorPitch
LanguageFocus:Modifyingadverbs,Gradableandungradableadjectives,Intensifiers

Imagineyouworkforalargecorporationandhaveawonderfulideaforaproduct.You
speaktoyourlinemanagerandtheydismissyourideaandtellyoutogetbacktoworking
onwhatyouarebeingpaidtodo.Afewdayslater,youenterthelift/elevatorandfind
yourselfalonewiththeCEO.Thisisyouropportunity:youmayhaveonly60secondsto
convincethemthatyourideaisworthinvestingtimeandmoneyin.

Thatsthebasicideaofanelevatorpitch,whichisalsothebasisfortheTVshowThe
DragonsDen.Aswellasaidingfluency(youcannothesitateandreformulateina60
secondpresentation),ithelpsthelearnerfocusonfeaturesofpronunciationandgives
themthechancetopractiseusingmodifiersandintensifierssuchasextremelyand
absolutely.

WhatIreallylikeaboutElevatorPitchactivitiesisthattheycanbeusedinallsortsof
contextswhenyouhavetouseyourpersuasiveskillsandarenotonlysuitableforBusiness
Englishstudents.

Aboyhas60secondstoconvincethegirlofhisdreamsthatsheshouldgoona
datewithhim
Ascreenwriterhas60secondswithaHollywoodproducertoconvincethemthat
theyshouldmakeascriptoftheirfilm
Amanhas60secondstoconvinceawomanthatsheshouldnotgetonthatflight
andshouldstayandmarryhim
Ashopassistanthas60secondstoconvinceacustomertobuytheproductfrom
theirshopandnotfromthelargersupermarketwhichsellsthesameproductata
cheaperprice

 Atravelagenthas60secondstoconvinceatouristthattheyshouldtaketheirtrip
Astudenthas60secondstoconvinceauniversityprofessorthattheyshouldoffer
themaplaceontheircourse
Apersonhas60secondstoconvinceapoliceofficerthattheactiontheywere
doingwasnotcriminalandthatthereisaperfectlylogicalexplanationfortheir
behaviour
Agirlfriendhas60secondstoconvincetheirboyfriendthattheyshouldgotoa
particularbar/restaurant/seeafilm
Anapplicanthas60secondstoconvinceapotentialemployerthattheyshouldoffer
themajob

20.DinnerPartyChallenge
LanguageFocus:Conditionals(1st,2nd)

Askyourlearnertolist10famouspeople:theycouldbepoliticians,popstars,writers,
sportsmenandwomen,actors.Tellthemthatthesepeoplehavebeeninvitedtoadinner
partyandtheirchallengeistocreateaseatingarrangementwhichwillensurethatthe
conversationflows,nobodyisbored,andnobodystartsarguing.Itsasurprisinglydifficult
butenjoyabletask.Astheteacher,youshouldreformulatewherepossiblebutkeepthe
discussionflowing.Itsimportantthatyouplayanactiveroleinensuringthatyoudecide
togetherbuttrynottodominate,respondtoyourlearnersideainapositivewaybutaskfor
clarificationwhennecessaryand,aboveall,challengeyourlearnertojustifytheirchoices.

21.TheBalloondebate
LanguageFocus:Reachingconsensus,Agreeinganddisagreeing

Theballoondebateisacommonactivityinlanguageclassesandtrainingcourses.The
classicscenarioisthatthereareseveralitemsorpeopleinahotairballoon.However,the
balloonisstartingtofallbecauseitcannotsupporttheweightoftheitemsorpeopleinthe
basket.Therefore,thegrouphastodecidewhichitemsorpeopletothrowoverboard.

Itsbasicallyaselectiontaskbutinsteadofchoosingwhatyouwanttokeepyoufocuson
whatyouwanttogetridof.Again,theclassicballoonscenariomaynotbeparticularly
relevanttoyourlearnerbutitcanbeeasilyadaptedbygettingtotheirspecificneedsand
interests.

Forexample,maybeyoucouldcreateascenarioinwhichthetwoofyouaredirectorsofa
companywhichisexperiencingadifficultperiod.Decidewhichofyouremployeesyou
needtoletgo(becarefulhere:itcouldbealltoorealisticforyourlearner).

Or,youcouldpretendtobeacoupleplanningyourwedding.Youcreatealistof20people
toinvitebutaretheninformedthattherestaurantonlyhasspacefor15.Which5peopledo
youremovefromthelist?

Anotherscenariocouldbetwopeopleplanningatour.Youhaveidentified10placesyou
wanttovisitbutthenfindoutyouonlyhaveenoughtimeormoneytovisit6ofthem.

Imsureyougettheidea:balloondebatesdependonthepremisethatwehavetomake
choicesinlifeandcannothaveeverythingwewant.Wehavetomakedifficultdecisions.

22.AndtheOscargoesto.
LanguageFocus:Agreeinganddisagreeing,presentingviewsandopinions

Wespendhalfourlifemakingdecisions:wheretoeat,whattoeat,whattowatchonTV,
whichYouTubevideotowatch,wheretogoonholiday.Whenmakingdecisions,manyof
usdrawupashortlistandthenlookattheprosandconsofeachoption.Finally,wemake
ourdecisionsbasedonlogicalargumentandemotionalpreferences.

Prizegivingactivitiesaretheflipsideofballoondebates.Whereasballoondebatesare
aboutchoosingtheleastdeservingcandidates,prizegivingcommitteesdecideuponthe
mostdeservingcandidates.

Wemakepositivedecisionseverydayofourlives:whichcountrytovisitonholiday,which
filmtowatch,whattoeattonight,whotoinvitetodinner,whichpoliticalpartytovotefor,
whichcartobuyetc.Thelistisendless.Thinkaboutthekindsofdecisionsyourlearnerhas
tomakeintheirlifeandcreatesuitablescenariosbasedaroundtheirreallifeneeds.

Createacommitteeof2andchallengeyourlearnertojustifytheirchoices.

23.AutomaticExclamations
LanguageFocus:Exclamations

Muchofthelanguageweuseineverydayinteractionsisformulaic.Weusefixedor
semifixedphrasesautomatically.

Howareyou?
Finethanks.Andyou?

Learnersoftenoveranalyzethesephrases.Insteadofprocessingthemasasingle
linguisticchunk,theytrytorememberthemasagrammaticalformula.Asthesephrases
generallyhavebetween2and7words,thereisnoneedforourlearnerstodothis.Far
betterforthemtoprocessthemaschunks.

Wegenerallyusetheseshortphrasesinresponsetowhatanotherpersonhassaidtous.
Wecanshowwearelistening,interested,disinterested,surprisedetc.Theseexclamations
include:

right

OK,

noproblem

cheers,

yourewelcome

really!!!

Youmustbejoking.

Icantbelieveit.

Hmm..typical.

Itoldyouso.

Thatssofunny.

Goon.

Hedidwhat??

Noway

Findalistofthesephrasesandwritethemonpiecesofpaperorpostits.Exploretheir
meaningwithyourlearner(ifyouknowtheirfirstlanguage,youmightevenconsider

translatingthem).Then,createaseriesofminidialoguesinwhichthefirstpersonsays
somethingthatresultsinthesecondpersonrespondingwithoneofthephrasesinthelist.

Forexample:Thanksforhelpingmewithmyluggage.Yourewelcome.

Finally,putthepiecesofpaperwiththephrasesfacedownonthedesk.Takeitinturnsto
pickoneupandsaysomethingsothattheotherpersonrespondswiththewordonthe
paper.

24.Phrasalverbrecast
LanguageFocus:Phrasalverbs

ThisisaparticularlyusefulactivityforESPorEAPlearners.Itisalsosuitableforlearners
whoareabletospeakand/orwriteformalortechnicalEnglishbuthavehadlittle
experienceusingamoreinformalregister..Afewyearsago,Igaveprivatelessonstoa
lawyerfromPakistan.HiscommandoflegalEnglishwasfarbetterthanmine,however,his
conversationwasstilted,formal.longwindedandcuriouslyoldfashioned.

Inthisactivity,youwillneedtouseadocumentwritteninformalEnglish.Letters,emailsor
marketingmaterialsarefine.Withthelearner,gothroughthedocumentandunderlinethe
verbsused.Then,askyourstudentiftheyknowanyphrasalverbswithhaveasimilar
meaning.Forexample,Iwillcollectthesamplesat8amcouldberewrittenasIwillpickup
thesamplesat8am.Ifthelearnerstruggleswiththis,youcanteachthemthephrasalverbs
(Isayteachbutallyouhavetodoisshowthemthattheproperverbhasaphrasalverb
equivalent).

Now,tomakethisaspeakingactivity,tellthelearnerthattheyaregoingtophoneyouand
communicatetheinformationinthedocumentorally.Givethemafewminutestonotedown
thekeypointsbutaskthemtowritephrasalverbsratherthantheoriginalverbs.

Then,havetheconversationandencourageyourlearnertomaketheirlanguageas
naturalaspossible.

25.Wheredoyouseeyourselfin5yearstime?

Mostadultlearnerswhochoosetotakeprivateclasseswillhaveaparticularobjective.
TheymaywanttopassanexamorimprovetheirEnglishforworkpurposes.Beingableto
presentyourselfconfidentiallyandfluentlyinajobinterviewisapracticalskillandmost
learnerswillbenefitfromthisactivity.Rememberthattheymayalsobeemployers
themselvessotheycanalsolearnhowtointerviewsomebodyinEnglish.

Ifyouareteachingaprofessionalperson,rememberthattheymayhavemuchmore
experiencethanyouinthecorporatesector.Therefore,youwontberequiredtoteach
themwhatquestionsareaskedinaninterviewastheywillprobablyknowthem.Whatyou
needtodoisshowthemhowthesequestionsareaskedinEnglish.Itsmainlyabout
reformulation.

So,startbyaskingyourlearnertodrawupalistofinterviewquestions.Youmaywantto
writethemdownsotheycanconcentrateonformingthesequestions.Then,lookatthelist
ofquestionswithyourlearnerandreformulatethemsotheycanlearnhowyousaythemin
English.

Withthislist,youcanthentakeitinturnstointervieweachother.Askyourlearnertothinkof
ajobanddiscusswhatqualitiesandexperienceinterviewerswouldlookforinthe
applicants.Youcouldevenletyourlearnerinterviewyouforapositionintheircompany!Or
thinkofanunusualjob(doghairdresser,Presidentoftheircountry)andhavefunwiththe
interview.

Tomakethisactivityreallyusefulforyourlearner,youshouldwritenotesontheirlanguage
theyusetoansweryourquestions.Then,reformulatesotheyhavearecordofuseful
phrasesforinterviews.Inthesameway,whenyourlearnerinterviewsyou,askthemto

recordanyphrasestheyhearyouuse(orrecordyourselfandlistenback)anddiscuss
whattheymeanandhowtousethem.

26.IfIruledtheworld
LanguageFocus:Unrealconditionals(2nd,3rd,mixed)

Humanbeingslovetoimaginewhatwewoulddoinsomebodyelsesshoes.Wealways
thinkwecoulddoabetterjobthanpeopleinpowerfulpositions.Thisfunactivitygivesour
learnersthechancetodojustthat:imaginewhattheywoulddoiftheywereinpower.Its
alsoagreatwaytopractiseusingunrealconditionals(second,third,mixed).

Askthelearnertotellyouwhatthemainsocialproblemsareintheircountry.Eventhemost
loyalpatriotwillfindthingstocomplainabout.Usethatlist(highunemployment,education
system,lackofrespectforoldpeople,toomuchgraffiti,thewayyoungpeoplebehave,
drugs,highcrime,toomuchcelebritygossipetc.)asthebasisfortheactivity.

Then,tellyourlearnerthattheyhavebeenchosenasapresidentialcandidateandthey
havetodelivertheirmessagetotheelectorate.Inotherwords,theyhavetothinkabout
whattheywoulddoiftheywerepresident.Tomaketheactivitymoreinteractiveand
authentic,youcouldplaytheroleofaTVinterviewer.

IfIwerepresident,Iwouldraisetaxesforrichpeopleandputthismoneyintohospitals
andschools.

Youcanadaptthisactivitybychangingtheroleofpresidenttomayor,principal,CEO,
manageroflocalfootballteam.

27.ResolvingDisputes
LanguageFocus:Conditionalsusedinnegotiating,rejectingideas

Thissimulationisidealforpractisingphrasesweusetogiveopinions,agreeanddisagree
withopinions,offer,acceptandrejectpossiblesolutions.

Aschildren,wehaveproblemswithourparents,teachers,siblingsandfriends.Asadults,
thislistgrowsandwehavedisputesaboutawiderrangeofissues:work,marriage,
educationofourchildren,businessdeals,financialservices.Phew!!!Lifeisnothingbuta
seriesofbattles.

Createascenariowhichisrelevanttoyourlearner.Forexample,iftheyworkfora
company,thedisputecouldbebasedaroundpromotionorasalaryincrease.Iftheyare
universitystudents,thedisputecouldbeaboutastudentgrant.Iftheyhavechildren,the
disputecouldbeaboutabehaviouralissueattheirschool.

Whenyouhavedecideduponthescenario,chooseroles.Forexample,you,theteacher,
couldbethebossandyourlearnercouldbeadisgruntledemployer,angrybecausethey
haventreceivedtheirannualbonus.

Then,individually,answerthesequestions:

1.Whatisthecauseofthedispute?
2.Whatismyobjectiveforhavingthisconversation?
3.WhatamIpreparedtooffertomakesureIgetwhatIwant?
4.WhatwillInotdotogetwhatIwant?
5.AmIpreparedtochangemyobjective?Ifso,howmuch?

Whenbothsidesareready(youmightwanttosetupthisscenarioattheendofoneclass
andaskthelearnertopreparetheirstrategyathome),youcanbeginthesimulation.Itcan
bedifficulttoparticipateinasimulationandmakenotesaboutthelearnersuseof
languageatthesametimebuttrytodosoorrecorditandplayitbackandanalysethe
languageusedwithyourlearner.

Whenyouhavereachedadecision,askafewquestionsabouthowthelearnerfelt
performingthesimulation.Praisethemforholdingtheirowninanegotiationwithafluent
Englishspeaker.Providefeedbackonyourlearnersperformanceandmakesureyoudo
somecorrectionofincorrectlanguageandidentifyandidentifyanyusefullanguagethey
emergedinthetask.

Withhighlevellearnerswhoenjoytheactivity,youcansuggestSpeeddisputeresolution
inwhichyouandthelearnerhaveaseriesofdisputeswitha5minutetimelimittoresolve
eachone.Haveafeedbackslotof1or2minutesaftereachminidisputeandcorrecta
coupleoferrorsand/orintroduceusefulphraseseachtime.Then,moveontothenext
scenarioandyourlearnerwillbegivenanimmediateopportunitytousethecorrectedor
newphrase.

28.ToDoList
LanguageFocus:Causativeverbs

Writearemindernoteonyourhandbeforestartingtheclass.Justsomethingshortlikeget
myhaircut.Startdiscussingtechniquesforrememberingthingswehavetodoorget
done.

Seeifyourlearnerknowshowtousecausativeverbs(togetsomethingdone/tohave
somethingdone)whenonepersonhelpstomakesomethinghappenforanotherperson.
Ihavetogetmyhaircut(somebodywilldoitforme)notIhavetocutmyhair(Idoit
myself).

Askyourlearnertotellyouaboutanimportanteventthatwillhappensoonintheirlife.They
mayhavetoattendaconference,organiseaparty,attendawedding,goonholiday.Ifthey
donthaveanythingplanned,getthemtoimaginesomethingthatrequiresorganisation.

Then,getthemtocreateaToDoList.Thiscanbedoneverbally,innoteformora
combinationofboth.Makesureyoucorrectthelearneriftheydontuseacausativeverb
whenitwouldbeappropriate.

Toconsolidate,tellyourlearnerthatyouwillhelpthemgetthingsdoneanddecidetogether
howyouwillsharethetasks.

WithBusinessEnglishlearners,youcouldexpandthisactivityandcreateaToDoListfora
specificprojectandworktogetherasprojectmanagers,delegatingtaskstomembersof
yourteamorcontractors.

29.CompanyPolicy
LanguageFocus:Modalsforpermission,obligation,prohibitionetc.

Acompanypolicyisadocumentthatestablishestherulesofconductwithinan
organisation.Mostcompaniesandinstitutionshavecompanypoliciessoadultlearnerswill
befamiliarwiththem.Whenwecreateacommonpolicy,weusemodalverbsofobligation
(must),permission(may),adviceandsuggestedactions(should)aswellasaseriesof
phrasessuchasallowedtoorforbiddentoandmorecomplexstructuressuchasinno
circumstancesorundernocondition.

Inthisactivity,youworkwithyourlearnertocreateacompanypolicy.Ifyouareteaching
incompany,youmightaskyourlearnertotranslatetheirpolicyintoEnglish.Youcould
createacompanywithyourlearneranddevelopapolicyforyourimaginarybusiness.With
otherlearners,youcouldcreateapolicyfortheclassroomTheteachermustnotchewgum
inclassoryoucouldchoosearoletheyhaveinreallife(maybetheyareaparent,achild,
aboyfriend)andaskthemtocreateapolicyoutliningtherulesandregulationsinthe
relationshipstheyhavewithotherpeople.Afunwayofdoingthisisbycreatingaprenuptial
agreement(acontractcouplescreatebeforetheygetmarried).Youcouldalsocreatea
codeofconductforcitizensoftheircountryorcity.

30.YouretheTeacher
LanguageForm:UnrealConditionals(2nd,3rd,mixed)

Thisisanactivityyoucoulddoattheendofyourcoursewithaprivatestudentandisa
greatwaytogetfeedbackonyourteachingaswellasgivingthelearnertheopportunityto
practiseconditionals.

Askyourlearnertotellyouwhattheywoulddoiftheyweretheteacherofthisclass.They
mayfeelabituncomfortabletalkingaboutthisinsuchadirectwaysoyoucouldrephraseit
byaskingthemtoimaginethattheyaretheteacherandthatyouareastudent,studying
theirlanguage.

Youcoulduseasetofquestionssuchas:

1. Howwouldyouplanthelessons?
2. Howwouldyoucorrectme?
3. Howoftenwouldyoucorrectme?
4. Wouldyouuseacoursebook?
5. Wouldyougivemehomework?
6. Wouldyouteachmegrammar?
7. Howwouldyougetmetospeakmore?
8. Whatresourceswouldyouuse?
9. Wherewouldyouhavetheclass?
10. WhatwouldyourecommendIdotoimprove?

WhenIhavedonethisactivitywithlearners,Ihavebeenamazedbytheirinsights.Wemust
neverforgetthatourbestresourceisourlearnersandwecanlearnsomuchfromthem
aboutlife,languageandlearning.

Thank you for reading this e-book. Your support means a lot to me and Id love to
hear from you if you use any of these activities. Many of these activities have also
been used with groups with some small modifications.
I sincerely believe that it is possible to teach without a coursebook and with very
few (if any) materials. Every learner brings their life experiences, views, opinions,
hopes and dreams, sense of humour, and, last but not least, some knowledge of the
English language to the lesson.
By using what they already have, we are able to make our lessons stimulating,
creative, useful and relevant to our learners lives.
Finally, feel free to share this ebook with friends and colleagues and any promotion
on Facebook or Twitter would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Dylan

Gotowww.onlinetefltraining.comandjoinourgrowingcommunity
ofEnglishteachers.