Sometimes it can be difficult to think of different ways to get teens and adults to get creative and speak in class. On a recent episode of the More Than English Podcast, professional English teacher and ELT Consultant, Harry Waters shared a fun game to allow your students to explore their creativity and think on their feet. 

This EFL speaking game is called, "Why is there a monkey in your bag?"

The teacher starts by asking a student why there is a monkey in their bag. 
A flustered student will say whatever answer comes to their mind.
The teacher will give a follow-up reaction based on the student's answer followed by another question.
And the conversation goes back and forth for a few rounds of questions and answers.

After that, the student will choose another partner and start the conversation over again, and they can change the monkey to something else.

Awarding Points Works - Figure out a simple point system to keep interest. (Ex. 1-3 points based on creativity, follow-up responses or questions)

Teach the Language - Take time to explore and correct the language that they use.

Consistency is Key - If you do this on a regular or semi-regular basis, the students will be able to come up with different answers as they get comfortable with the game.

Thinking on their feet - This is always a useful skill to have whether in public speaking or regular conversation.

Building Community - If lead well by the teacher, your students will feel a part of the community in being able to laugh at themselves and get a bit silly during the exercise.

​What else can you find?

We've come to the realization in language learning that using genuine material that interests us in the best way to truly learn a foreign language. ​

​Listening to fake conversations for exams has its purpose, I guess, but they are not going to teach your students anything about business. Maybe you don't know much about business yourself and the idea of teaching business English intimidates you a bit. No worries!

Ok, this may not be a "business channel", but it is a great resource to learn how to communicate better. They give tips and advice on topics like- starting small talk, dos and don'ts in social situations, using body language effectively, and tricks to add to your sense of humor- to name a few.

These will be useful in business if you have business meetings, dinners, you have to meet with clients, and any social situation you may find. 

One thing to keep in mind, they do talk a bit fast. If you're using this for class, you may have to slow the video down or play it several times to catch some of the details.

The target audience for this channel is web designers and professional development for starting your own web design business. He shows his process in designing a professional quality website, gives business tips and strategy, and he goes through case studies of his and others work.

This will be useful for creatives and entrepreneurs who want to learn tips and practical vocabulary in the web design or graphic design field. 

One thing to keep in mind, he also talks a bit fast. Also English is his second language, but he doesn't really hav an accent, but it may be a challenge for some students. If you're using this for class, you may have to slow the video down or play it several times to catch some of the details.

The author of The Four-Hour Work Week has a YouTube channel where he discusses his strategies and ideas to improve productivity in our businesses and lives. He also interviews important guests in their fields to get their top advice for running a business.

This will be useful for creatives, people who create start-ups, CEOs, and anyone who wants to be more productive in their lives.

One thing to keep in mind, he and his guests shares a lot of technical vocabulary that aren't used everyday (for example "batching"). However, he explains them well.

I don't know if you've ever heard of this new TED Talk thing, but let me break it down for you. You can find an expert speaker giving a talk about... oh, you already know about TED Talks? Well, they are a perfect tool for blue belt+ (intermediate or higher) learners to learn about something and practice their English listening. Why aren't you using them more often in your lessons?

This will be useful for students who want to learn about most any topic.

One thing to keep in mind, the topics of TED Talks can quite literally be about anything, so it can be hard to narrow down a search when you want to sit down and practice listening. 

Business isn't a man's world anymore. If you or your students want some content that gives advice, business ideas, or lifestyle videos from a woman's perspective, assign something from Silicon Valley Girl. She speaks clearly, her videos aren't terribly long, and she gives plenty of actionable tips. Her channel also has a bit of variety as well, which could be helpful for some students.

This will be useful for small business owners, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and girls who need a bit of female inspiration.

Another useful thing about her channel is, it seems that she had either taught English abroad or has had some hand in the EFL world because she has been a part of several language-learning start-ups as you will see in the video below. She naturally speaks slowly and clearly which makes it easy to follow what she's saying.

Do you want to make deals, increase sales, know when and how to call people, and close deals? The host, Will Barron, interviews a variety of guests on his show and digs deep into the world of business. If you follow the worksheet above, you will get plenty of gold expressions and content.

This will be useful for people who want English for sales, business strategy, or any kind of business venture.

One thing to keep in mind, he has plenty of guests and some English learners may have a hard time with some accents and speeds of talking. The shows are also long, so lessons or sessions may need to be broken up in bite-size pieces.

This is personally my favorite business channel to follow. I watch something from The Futur every week, if not daily whether on YouTube or Instagram. If you follow the More Than English Podcast on YouTube, you'll see some familiar styles borrowed from The Futur. If anybody is in the field of creating things and trying to turn it into a business, follow The Futur.

This will be useful for any and all creatives, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and more specifically graphic designers. Students who want to learn clear, useful, and targeted vocabulary and expressions that they can apply to growing their business.

One thing to keep in mind, there are many different types of videos on this channel. Some videos are long and some are short, some have music in the background and some are just conversations. Taking short excerpts from the longer shows and accompanying it with the listening exercises above, could make for some very ​valuable language lessons for business English learners.

Slow the video - Some of these videos may talk a bit fast for you or your students to catch some things. A simple solution is to click on the gear button and you can change the speed to play faster or slower.

Break up longer sessions - Some of the videos on these channels are longer. A teacher or tutor will want to break them up into bite-size sessions of 4-8 minutes depending on the level of the student and the content being discussed.

Content - The students learn real life expressions in context while learning content to help them in the real  business world instead of isolated expressions.

What else can you find?

If your students are planning to study, live, or travel to an English-speaking country, they will probably want to know how to order something in a coffee shop. In this lesson, you will have them work with a partner, learn natural expressions to order from a real coffee shop, practice these expressions, and perform these conversations.

Server:Hi, welcome to Starbucks, can I take yourorder?
Customer:Yes, |could I have acaramel macchiato, please?|
                          |I would like acappuccino with soy milk, please?|
                          |can I have atall Americano black with no sugar to go, please?|
Server: For here or to go?
Customer: To go, please.
Server: What size would you like?
Customer: A tall, please.
Server: Would you like it hot or cold?
Customer: Hot, please.
Server: Will there be anything else?
Customer: |No, thank you. That’s all.|
                   |Yes, can I have a chocolate muffin?|
Server: |That’ll be $4.76.|
             |Sure, anything else?|
Customer: |Here you are.|
Server: Out of 5? 24 cents is your change. Your name, please?
Customer: Jesse. 
Server: Thank you. |You can wait at the end ofthe counter.|
                                |You can have a seat, and we’ll call you when it’s ready.|
Customer: Thank you.

Practice Saying and Counting Money - Learn how to smoothly talk about money and calculate in English.

Confidence - If they are traveling, one of the first things they will have to do is to order something. Equip them with the confidence to speak in English about a familiar topic.

Fun - Let's not forget this is an objective for the students in our class. If they're not having fun, they're probably not learning.

​What else can you find?

Make corrections in students' sentences in the Pre-Listening activity to improve their grammar

Less is more - For lower levels, only focus on them learning one or two new expressions to use

Good music - Not a 'lesson' per se, but they will get to hear a good song that most people enjoy.

Motivation - If they can capture the mood of the song, they could be motivated in their lives.

What else can you find?

Print profession ideas to have the students choose what job they would like to have for today's activity.

Profession Ideas:
 
Actor/Actress
Artist
Teacher
Pro Footballer
Car Mechanic
Pilot
CEO
Writer/Journalist
Photographer
Farmer
Musician
Philosopher
Computer Technician
Carpenter

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