Personalization as a way of stimulation to developing speaking skills Content: Introduction Chapter I: Teaching English Speaking as a Foreign Language

Tell me about a person who…
Prepare a list of qualities and ask the student to tell you about the people they know who these qualities describe. Encourage them to give you examples of their actions and behaviour. The list could include the following: 

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  is introverted
  
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  never takes no for an answer
  
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  is incredibly ambitious
  
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  is an outstanding team player
  
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  loves celebrating
  
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  is always happy to offer advice
  
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  has no sense of humour
  
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  is always eager to talk about politics.
  

You can expand the activity by asking the student how they met the person, when they see them, or what other qualities the person has. If you want to teach conversational English one on one like a pro, you will use every opportunity to get your student to talk.
This activity allows students to talk extensively about people they know, which is something that can be difficult to achieve in a group lesson. If your student finds it challenging to express what the people’s qualities are exactly, use the It’s kind of my favourite stuff lesson to practise using vague language. 
Hear and be heard 

Prepare eight to ten topics which you and your student will talk about. They may vary, depending on the student’s interests and level. Some ideas you could use include: 

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  What have you heard on the news recently?
  
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  Why are people so obsessed with celebrities? 
  
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  Do schools prepare students for life?
  
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  Should people be allowed to own guns?
  
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  Are people too serious about football?
  
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  Is there a company you would really like to work for?
  
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  How is teenage life different now compared to when you were a teenager?
  
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  Why is property so expensive?
  
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  Will everybody work from home in the future?
  
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  What are the drawbacks of democracy?
  

The student is given the first topic (they can choose one from the list or just be given a random topic). They should talk about it for one or two minutes. At this point don’t engage in conversation, just listen. When they have finished, you talk about the second topic for a minute or two. The student just listens. Continue with the rest of the topics. 
Now, you both have to report what was said. Start with the first topic again, and tell the student what you remember they said about it. Encourage them to engage, correct you or add any information you missed. Move on to the second topic and ask your student to report what you said. Continue with the rest of the topics.
This activity provides extensive speaking activities for a one-on-one class, as it provides opportunities for different language forms to emerge. The student will have to correct you, use reporting verbs, express how confident they are about something you said, talk about your attitude, and maybe even negotiate what was said and what wasn’t. If you feel that your student needs more practice with reporting verbs, try our lesson Movie quotes you should know.