Unit 1 Academic speaking

An informal talk
1 Work in groups. Discuss these questions.
1 Look at the situations in the box. In which of these situations are you most likely to
offer your help?
2 What might affect your decision?
3 What kind of help would you offer?

• Another student has just accidentally broken their laptop and needs to borrow a device
to write up their assignment.
• A family member has to get to the airport for a 4 a.m. flight, but doesn’t have a car.
• A stranger in front of you at the supermarket checkout has forgotten to bring their
wallet.
• A friend wants to enter a competition to make a five-minute documentary, but needs
other people to lend a hand.

2 1 You are going to listen to a student giving a short informal talk. Read the task
and the notes the student has made. Then listen to the talk and complete the notes
using one word in each space. Compare your answers with a partner.

Talk about a time in your life when you needed a lot of help from someone.
You should say:
when you needed the help
what kind of help you needed
who the person was that helped you
and explain why that person was so helpful.

When? What?

– about ten years ago – gaps in my maths knowledge e.g.

– year 1______ at high school algebra and 3 __________
– a time of great 2 ______ – tried self-study , e.g. by looking at
– working towards exams online 4 _________ in maths – but they
didn’t work

Who? Why?

– a local tutor, Mrs Williams, who – clear and simple explanations

specialized in maths – if I made a mistake, she didn’t get
– it was my 5 ______________who arranged 7________

lessons with Mrs Williams – she gave me a lot of 8___________ & this
– The 6 _________ Mrs Williams owned boosted my confidence
helped me relax

© National Geographic Learning

You can print copies for your students from the Resources folder in this Classroom Presentation Tool. 1
3 1 Listen again. Tick the phrases in the box that you hear.

Giving structure to a short informal talk

Beginning the talk
I’m going to give a short talk on …
I’m going to / I’d like to tell you about …
In this talk, I’d like to describe …
To give you a bit of background, …
Referring to something mentioned before
As I said/mentioned/explained earlier, …
At the beginning I said/told you …
Like I said before, …
I already pointed out that …
Adding information (towards the end of the talk)
Now what else can I say?
I’d just like to add something about …
Let me think – is there anything I’ve forgotten?
One thing I forgot/ought to mention is …
I don’t think I’ve mentioned …

4 Match the beginnings of the sentences (1–4) with the endings (a–d).
1 I’m going to give a talk on a person
2 I’m going to tell you about a news item
3 I’d like to describe an occasion
4 To give you a bit of background:
a when I had to overcome a difficult challenge.
b when I was younger, I lived with my grandparents.
c that I saw recently, which I found very interesting.
d that I very much admire, and who means a lot to me.
5 Correct the mistake in each sentence.
1 One thing I forget to mention is that I met Josh when we were at high school.
2 At the beginning, I have told you that my brother and I were very competitive.
3 Now, what else I can say? Oh yes, I don’t think I’ve mentioned how generous my
parents were.
4 As said earlier, having a close circle of friends is really important to me.
6 Evaluating communication Work with a partner and discuss why you agree or
don’t agree with these tips.
To give a successful informal talk:
1 memorize whole sentences beforehand.
2 speak slowly so you are less likely to make grammatical mistakes.
3 use intonation and word stress to emphasize key points.
4 don’t use idioms and expressions.
5 don’t correct any mistakes you make.
6 use phrases such as Moving on to … and I would now like to turn your attention to …

© National Geographic Learning

You can print copies for your students from the Resources folder in this Classroom Presentation Tool. 2
 SKILLS FOCUS: Planning a short informal talk
During your studies, you may have to give a short informal talk on a topic you are
given. You should prepare your notes so that they are helpful but easy to read. Here
are some tips on how to do this well.
● Look at the title of the talk and decide how many sections to divide it into.
● Then think of a key word for each section, e.g. use question words like who, what,
where.
● Note down at least two points or ideas to include in each section – these points
will act as prompts when you are speaking.
*The student’s notes in Exercise 2 provide a useful model.

7 You are going to give a short informal talk for two minutes. Choose either the task in
Exercise 2 or the task below. Follow these instructions and prepare your talk.
• Decide how many sections to divide it into.
• Think of a key word heading for each section.
• Note down two or more points or ideas for each section.

Describe a friend you enjoy spending time with.

You should say:
who this friend is
how you met this friend
what you do in the time you spend together
and explain why you enjoy spending time with him/her.

8 Work in pairs. Take it in turns to give your talk. When you listen to your partner, use
these questions to check their talk. When your partner has finished, give feedback on
their performance.
Does your partner:
• use some of the strategies in Evaluating communication?
• follow the advice in the Skills focus box?
• include some expressions for giving structure to a short informal talk?

© National Geographic Learning

You can print copies for your students from the Resources folder in this Classroom Presentation Tool. 3