October Week Two

Now that we have gotten back into our English routine, we got down to tackling a specific topic of conversation.  This week we discussed the art of conversation, and in class we covered small talk, taboo subjects, those who are talkative or quiet, public speaking and much more.  

Now, it's time to try to extend your work at home.  Try some of the following activities!

Listening:
Learners should try an exercise about small talk from ESL flow, or an activity about conversation starters.  For something a little harder, try listening to dialogues.

For original version listening, I recommend listening to some podcasts or videos with people who are the masters at conversation!  Choose one interview from Terry Gross to listen to.

Reading:
Learners can try an article that discusses how to start a conversation, or how to start and MAINTAIN a conversation in English. For something more challenging, try the article, "Are We Losing the Art of Conversation?"

For original version, I recommend an article that lays out all the ways to be the best conversationalist.

Writing:
This week for writing, I would like you to write a dialogue.  It could be about one of the following topics:

• an awkward conversation
• small talk
• catching up
• trying to get someone to open up
• a typical conversation in your life.

Best,
Kelly