Speaking clubs

what makes them different from regular lessons and how to prepare for them; Expert opinion - Marina Stifienkova.

Speaking clubs seem to be easy at first sight - what is more to them than just getting a group of people together and making them talk to each other on a set topic for a period of time? However, there is more to them than that. Let’s take a look at how speaking clubs are different from regular lessons and how you can organise them.

1. From general to specific.
   During a speaking club you will usually introduce the topic in general terms, going into details or specifics later. If you are discussing Ecology, for instance, you may ask your students to come up with the definition for the word and then brainstorm different things that harm the environment and later proceed to finding solutions to a particular problem, talking about personal and collective responsibility and forecasting the consequences and repercussions of inaction.

2. Less preparation for students; less or no homework
   Speaking clubs are not a part of a curriculum, the topics are usually unrelated to each other and students come to class the way they are. Rarely, you may ask them to do some initial research on the topic, but that is never mandatory.

3. The focus is on speaking - fluency and confidence
   Where regular courses will involve the development of all four skills - reading, writing, listening and speaking + grammar, speaking clubs do what their name suggests - help you improve your speaking. However, accuracy plays much lesser role here, as the main goal is to be able to express your ideas and be understood by others.

4. No or very little grammar
   As was mentioned before, accuracy is not that important, as long as you are understood by others. Although, if the students request it, you may devote some time to feedback and explaining some common mistakes at the end of the session.

Speaking clubs are there to create a more authentic way of using the language - unprompted, unprepared and completely on-the-spot. There is no recirculation of what you studied before, no careful build up of skills, but a pure chance for students to utilise everything they have learned and know, test themselves in a situation very close to real-life scenarios. To make the session as productive as possible, the teacher needs to plan and prepare themself:

• know your students' interests, hobbies - this will help you choose the topics that will stir their interest and get them engaged in the discussion;

• divide them into smaller groups - you need to make sure that all people have a chance to speak out and practice;

• be prepared for different outcomes - some may not like the topics, some may have nothing to say, and yet others may feel too strongly about the issue;

• teach your students to use functional language, to paraphrase - these will be invaluable in the heat of the debate

Finally, you should have a plan and materials ready for the speaking club. You will make it even more productive and memorable. if students bring out something new, so some new vocabulary related to the topic has to be taught. Here is what you can do:

1. Start with an ice breaker (you can play games such as imaginarium); make it fun, you can even use activities for kids;

2. introduce necessary vocabulary through questions; start with the topic in general

3. Use such resources as Ask Reddit, Quora to find inspiration for questions. You can also give your students some comments to read to introduce them to new and sometimes unconventional opinions. That alone can get them talking in no time.

4. Show one or two videos related to the topic and containing new information - especially if your students have little background knowledge of the topic of haven’t yet formed a solid opinion

5. Ask controversial points related to the topic

6. Use questionnaires / tests / quizzes

Have you ever taught speaking clubs? How do you usually prepare for them and conduct them?

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EXPERT OPINION

by Marina Stifienkova

Hello everyone! It’s my pleasure to write something here for the second time ☺

I’m Marina, a teacher of English and Italian. I have wide experience in working with various age groups, with both international and Russian clients. Some of my students include top executives in major Russian and foreign corporations. I worked for a long time as a corporate teacher and interpreter in large multinational and Russian production companies, which offered me a valuable insight into the work process.

Languages have always been my true passion. I have become fluent in 3 languages: English, Italian and French, so I believe I know how it works, how to learn something by myself and teach others.

As I worked for a long time as an in-company teacher of both English and Italian, at some point I was tasked with organizing the work of a speaking club in addition to our regular lessons and meetings. 

A speaking club is a place for language learners to use a foreign language in a casual setting. Practicing your skills in the classroom is important, but it isn’t like real life. In the classroom, you often focus on one skill and one item.  In a speaking club, you get a chance to practice many different skills in a setting that is more true to life. 

 Good companies provide lessons for their staff or have a language department within the company to offer language support in different areas. And some have the luxury of having a weekly speaking club of the language they are learning. 

I believe speaking clubs along with course-based learning are really beneficial, not only for the people who attend, but for the company in general. 

Speaking clubs usually come with a different topic each time, which is a relief for most people who are stuck using their language skills on one topic. Different topics allow you to use the different areas of a foreign language that you have in your head. Speaking clubs aren’t restricted, and that’s the great thing about them:  you can use the language freely and forget about work. 

Speaking clubs aren't designed to be very serious, although some topics can be quite serious; they should be approached in a way where everyone feels comfortable. They should be a place where not only do they give us the chance to use our foreign language, but also a place that makes us feel entertained by interesting communication and of course educated. A speaking club should be something your students look forward to.

Speaking clubs are a chance to speak. A chance to express yourself, your ideas, opinions, and experience. Speaking clubs don’t really contain closed questions, but questions that are designed to provoke you to think and analyze and then reply, that is, boost your critical thinking. A valuable skill we should encourage in our daily lives. Falling into a “work-home” routine without giving too much thought about things and running on autopilot can be a dangerous thing, so mental stimulation when you have to use your brain on topics that you might not even talk about or think about in your daily life is a brilliant way to get that brain working, and that is mind widening.

Speaking clubs within a company can bring colleagues closer together. These clubs help building a better bond between people, they get to find out more about each other, have a better understanding of who they work with and create a closer connection which is good sign for a healthy and productive working environment. 

What you should take into account when running a speaking club:

• Choose the right frequency and time of the day

Some clubs fail because they expect too much of the members. It is hard to find time to commit to something outside of work and family. Meeting once a week for about 1, 5 - 2 hours is a good start.
Choose a meeting time that is convenient for the group. If you make your meetings too early or too late you may find that people come to the first few meetings and then drop out.

• Choose the right pace 

Start a new club session approximately every three months. This will help keeping the club alive! Another good time to take a break is during holiday times. Some members will return and others will move on to other things. Invite new people to join to fill the empty spots. Change activities/themes that didn't work the first time. Keep adding new ideas, but try to maintain a club identity.

• Organize your students well

To maximize speaking time, divide students into pairs or fours. I like to form random pairs so club members have the opportunity to speak with a different person each time. 

I wouldn’t do a big group discussion, because this leaves too many people out of the discussion as there are always extroverts who naturally dominate and introverts who observe. Paired up, an introvert has a chance to speak more. 

• Have backup ideas on hand

When something goes not as planned, you should have your plan B ☺
The easiest thing to do is to keep a list of discussion questions 

• Use a suggestion box

At the end of each meeting encourage students to write a comment or suggestion for the group.  It can be anything from learning a language (I want to practice pronunciation more. Let's keep track of our new vocabulary. Does anyone want to practice idioms with me?), organizational (It's too cold in this room! Why don't we all bring a snack to share next week?) or other. If your club is online, you may arrange a “Suggestions box” within your group chat in messengers or somewhere else.

• Go out as a group
  Outside of your weekly meetings. This helps create stronger bonds within the group. It is always fun to have something to look forward to as well. Go out to a movie. Play a sport. Go sightseeing. Have a picnic. Go dancing. Whatever you decide to do, everyone should speak a foreign language at all times.

I remember we had great evenings with lots of laugh at a cozy Italian restaurant in Moscow, going to an outdoor music concert with an English speaking group and many more ☺

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That’s all for now!
Stay amazing❤️