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GENERAL ENGLISH · PRACTICAL ENGLISH · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

SUGGESTING
IDEAS

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1 Warm up

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Are you good at coming up with new ideas?

2. Do you think that some people are better at coming up with ideas than others?

3. If you have a new idea at work or school, do you suggest it to your group members?

4. Why do some people feel nervous when suggesting new ideas?

2 Focus on vocabulary

Let’s look at some vocabulary that will help your understanding of the article.

Part A: Match the following vocabulary to the definitions.

Group 1

come up with (phr. v) encourage (v) mates (n) turn into (phr. v) wonder (v)

1. (n) British and Australian slang term for friends

2. (v) think about something and try to decide if it’s true or what you should do

3. (phr. v) find or produce an answer or an idea

4. (phr. v) become something, change into something

5. (v) give support and hope to somebody

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SUGGESTING IDEAS

Group 2

brainstorm (n) feeds (n) mindless (adj.) summoning (v) taken over (phr. v)

1. (v) calling or trying to get something to you

2. (n) a group thinking about something at the same time to try to solve a
problem
3. (phr. v) began to have control of something

4. (adj.) not needing any thought or intelligence

5. (n) updated lists of all new content posted on a social media platform

Part B: Put the vocabulary from Part A into the correct gaps in the following sentences. You may need
to change the form of the word.

1. My boss loves for us to have a session at the start of every day.

2. I waste so much time on my Twitter and I think I need to take a break from it.

3. Whenever I fell off my bike, my mum would always me to get back on and try
again.

4. I loved the bit in the movie when the main character a monster.

5. The principal me to his office, and I wasn’t looking forward to it.

6. They asked Sally to some new ideas for their marketing project.

3 Skimming for general understanding

Read the following paragraph titles for the article on page three. Match them to the correct paragraph.

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SUGGESTING IDEAS

Coming up with new ideas

How to set that light bulb off

A.

Have you ever found yourself in a meeting and when your boss asks for some new ideas, you find yourself stuck
for something to say? How about when your best mates are looking for new dinner ideas or you have a problem
that needs to be solved?

B.

When your mind goes blank in these situations, you probably wonder if your brain is just built that way. However,
this is most likely not the case. Your brain is an organ that can be trained and with enough practice, you should
be able to learn how to come up with many exciting ideas and suggestions.

C.

It may sound like a dream right now, but it is possible to turn yourself into an "idea person". An idea person is,
quite obviously from the name, a person that has the ability to produce loads of ideas and they do this through
a process called ideation. Ideation doesn’t only include the creation of new ideas but also the development and
communication of such ideas. Luckily there are several practical steps we can take to encourage ideation.

D.

Brainstorming involves the idea of summoning new ideas through exploration, experimentation, and creativity.
However, it is often used in a group setting and the natural flow of the brainstorming can be taken over by more
dominant members.

E.

A brain dump on the other hand is a brainstorm you can do alone and is a more advanced form of ideation.
Performing a brain dump on your own can help you develop your mind in a safe environment, and this allows you
to be better prepared later down the line when someone asks for an idea or suggestion.

F.

We have all heard the idea that we should always aim for quality over quantity, but when it comes to ideation you
need to swap those two concepts around. If you spend too much time thinking about the quality of your idea,
then that is definitely going to stop your creative juices from flowing. At some point in the future the quality of
your idea will have to come into focus but not at the idea stage, so just go for it. Try and let your mind run wild
and you may surprise yourself with what your mind can achieve.

G.

Another way to increase the number of ideas you can generate is to think about what you are consuming. In this
case, we are not talking about food or drink, we are talking about how you feed your mind. What TV shows are
you watching? What books are you choosing to read? Are you wasting too much of your time on mindless social
media feeds? What goes in must come out, so if you improve what you are putting into your brain that in turn will
help your mind grow, develop and become much more creative.

Sources: elmhurst.edu, en.wikipedia.org, interaction-design.org, verywellmind.com, boardofinnovation.com,

medium.com

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4 Reading comprehension

Read the following statements and decide if they are True (T), False (F) or Not Given (NG).

1. Your brain is a fixed organ, and it cannot be trained.

2. An idea person can produce one idea.

3. Ideation includes three separate concepts.

4. Brainstorming can be controlled by people with strong personalities.

5. Brainstorming is becoming less popular in the business world.

6. A brain dump can be performed by one or two people.

7. The quality of your idea is not the most important thing at the start.

8. Improving what content you consume does not affect your creativity.

5 Listening: prediction

You are going to listen to two people suggesting ideas for a trip to Eastern Europe. Before you listen,
predict what you they will talk about when planning their trip. Put a tick beside your choices then
listen and check.

Restaurants Atmosphere

Flights Taxis

Architecture Hotels

Shops Car hire

Hostels Accommodation

Language Money exchange

Listen again and this time fill in the gaps using the expressions in below.

I don’t really think that’s I’m not sure about that I suggest we I suppose we could do that
I was thinking shall we that sounds like what about
what do you think where do you have in mind where shall we why don’t we

1
Alice: So, go for the weekend?
2
Simon: Hmm... let’s look at our choices. go somewhere in Central
or Eastern Europe?
3
Alice: Hmm... ?

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4
Simon: Mm... about Prague. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard lots of great
things about the city, the sights, the views...
5
Alice: to be honest. I mean, it’s pretty touristy this time of
year.
Simon: Perhaps you’re right. I hadn’t thought about that.
6
Alice: about Krakow in Poland? I went there about six years ago
and had a great time. The atmosphere was really lively and the traditional architecture
was stunning.
7
Simon: Hmm... Yes, . I also know someone who’s been there.
8
ask George to come along with us?
9
Alice: a good idea. I’m sure he’ll be interested. He just needs to check if he
can take Monday off work.
10
Simon: accommodation? Shall we book a hotel?
11
Alice: a good idea. Hotels are a bit expensive over there. I think a hostel
would be cheaper and much more enjoyable. Plus, you get to meet lots of different
people.
Simon: Right, I see what you mean.

Alice: Try to find out what you can about hostels on the Internet. I’ll try and find out about
flights.
12
Simon: book the flights as early as possible in order to get a
better deal.
Alice: Yes, that might be worth trying. I’ll get online right away.

6 Functional language: making suggestions

Look at the expressions that you added to the conversation above, each expression has a specific
function. With your partner add them to the correct section below. Once you have completed the
table try and add your own expressions in the Extras box.

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SUGGESTING IDEAS

Suggestions

Asking for

Extras

Making

Extras

Accepting

Extras

Rejecting

Extras

7 Speaking: suggestions
Look at the images below and make suggestions to your partner for places to travel to, your partner
has to accept or reject your suggestion and also give a reason. Make sure you use the expressions
from the table above.

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SUGGESTING IDEAS

A: Why don’t we go to London?

B: I’m not sure about that because I went there last year

New York Rio de Janeiro Tokyo

Edinburgh Istanbul Cape Town

8 Speaking: roleplay

Each of the situations below asks for you to suggest an idea. With your partner take turns to choose
one from the list.

Practise asking for, making, accepting and rejecting suggestions with the expressions from the lesson.

Create extra details and give reasons for why you are rejecting any suggestions.

1. It is your mum’s birthday, and you don’t know what to get for her.
2. You need a new car, and you don’t know which kind to buy.
3. You have won £1,000,000 in the lottery and you don’t know what to spend the money on.
4. You want to start watching a new TV series, but you don’t know which one.
5. You have a day off tomorrow and you don’t know what to do.
6. You are really hungry, but you don’t want to eat anything unhealthy.
7. You really want to find ways to improve your English.
8. Your own idea

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9 Vocabulary for conversation

Look at the examples of natural language from the article, with your partner and from the context,
and try to guess the meaning of each one. To help you remember the expressions, have a chat with
your partner and use them to talk about your life.

• ...when your mind goes blank in these situations...

• ...allows yourself to be better prepared later down the line when someone asks for an idea...
• Try and let your mind run wild and you may surprise yourself...

Let’s chat.

1. When was the last time your mind went blank? What happened?
2. Is there any part of the world you would like to visit later down the line?
3. Is it a good thing to let your mind run wild sometimes?

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