Talk Show ESL Speaking & Listening Activity: Try it Out!

If you’re looking for a fun, engaging, and interactive speaking and listening activity, then consider Talk Show ESL. Keep on reading to find out more about this fun ESL activity to try it out with your students. It’s ideal for children, adults or anyone in between!

Talk Show ESL Speaking Activity

Skills: Speaking/listening
Time: 15 minutes (small class) to the entire class period (larger classes)
Level: Low-intermediate to Advanced, age 8+
Materials Required: Nothing (optional: toy microphones, a video clip with monitor)

This is a pair work variation of self-introductions. My higher-level students tend to find this more fun than the same old self-introductions they do all the time. I set up the front of the class as a talk show set with a desk and chair (for the host) and a chair for the person being interviewed and divide the students into pairs.

Before beginning, I introduce the activity by asking students about talk shows. Most students will be very familiar with the concept. We then discuss what kinds of questions a host might ask.

One pair at a time comes to the front and the two students take turns being the host and the guest. The host is given either a set number of questions to ask or a time limit. After each host’s time is up, the teacher can open the floor to “audience” questions. It makes an ideal TEFL speaking activity to use at the beginning of the semester to help students get to know each other.

It’s also ideal for holiday lessons. For example, top get opinions about Thanksgiving food.

Teaching Tips for Talk Show

While introducing the topic, it may be helpful for the students if you write some of the questions they (or you) suggest on the whiteboard for them to refer to as needed. However, you will need to remind them that talk show hosts look at the person as they ask questions.

The larger the class, the less time each pair will have to speak in front of the class. So, if your class is very large, limit each pair to 2-3 questions each before switching roles. If you have a large class and a short period, this may not be a feasible activity for even an entire class period.

For lower-level students, it’s still possible to do this activity. However, you may have to do a bit of a review on how to ask and answer WH questions and yes/no questions.

Procedure:

1. Before class begins set up a desk and chair and another chair, talk show-style.
2. To demonstrate, find a short clip of a popular celebrity being interviewed on a talk show to show the class, or simply talk about talk shows: what kinds of questions are asked, etc.
3. Divide students into pairs: interviewer/host and guest. (They will switch roles.)
4. Have one pair at a time come to the front of the class (the audience) and hold their interviews. The guests are playing themselves—this is a self-introduction.
5. After a set number of questions (about 5) or your time limit, open the floor to questions from the audience. Then, have students switch roles.

Did you like this ESL Speaking Activity?

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Have your Say About Talk Show ESL

What do you think about this talk show ESL activity? Have you tried it out with your students? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

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Last update on 2022-06-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API