AEE IELTS: How to Connect, NOT Perfect on the IELTS Speaking Section

Have you ever thought about taking the TOEIC? On today’s Test Talk, Lindsay and Jessica talk about using prediction in testing, and how it can help!   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training course now   When getting a bank account, cell phone, or internet connection in a foreign country, you need to be able to ask questions and know the right structures of conversation. If you don’t, you might not be told all of the information you need to know. By practicing, especially if you’re able to do so with a partner, you can learn to anticipate what might be said by the other person. Doing this is learning to predict, and see what you’re missing. It might make you a better test-taker.   A practice conversation might go like this: “I need to open a bank account.” “Okay, to open an account, please complete this form.”   “Where should I take the form?” “Give it to the woman in the office down the hall.”   “When can I have my account? Today?” “No, it takes two weeks.”   “Do you need my passport?” “Yes, and your birth certificate.”   If you would like to learn about this strategy, hear advice on how to strengthen it with resources that are free online, and get a practice guide written by Jessica, purchase the full episode.   Are you taking the TOEIC-1? If so, let us know in the comments section below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

18 Des 201415min

On today’s Deep Thoughts Thursday, Lindsay and Michelle consider a quote from Teddy Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States.   When he was a child, Teddy Roosevelt was weak, sickly and asthmatic. He had poor eyesight, too. Yet he grew up to be one of America’s greatest symbols of achievement and individual strength. His attitude continues to inspire today, and is summed up in the following quote: Come back to our site to leave a comment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

18 Des 201413min

Are you thinking about testing in English? Today, Lindsay introduces Jessica, the Examiner of Excellence, who’s here to help you excel at your English tests!   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training course now   Test preparation doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it should be interesting. When you’re studying for an English test, it isn’t the same as studying for a math test. You need to activate your emotions so you can remember more. Reading or watching movies in English can help, but you can also practice writing essays on subjects that are interesting to you, or go out and speak English with native speakers. Think of it as test preparation.   As for taking the actual test, Jessica has four essential tips to give you an advantage: Be proactive. Take an active approach that involves your brain. Try to think about and predict answers. Trust yourself. Don’t start doubting yourself when answering questions. Often, your first answer is the correct one. Follow directions. Tests are written by smart people. Don’t start looking ahead and trying to race the clock. If you do, you might miss an important instruction. Don’t rush. Don’t worry about timing. Instead, focus on your English and do what the test asks you to do.   Have you done any testing in English? How did it go? Tell us about it in the comments section below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 Des 201419min

Are you sometimes unsure what to do next in life and with your English learning? Today Lindsay and Michelle talk about how to proceed when life feels overwhelming!   Come back to our site for more tips   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training course now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 Des 201413min

Do you have an information addiction? Today, Lindsay and Michelle will have a natural English conversation about how information addiction can affect your life, and what you can do to unplug!   Come back to our website for more tips       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

15 Des 201416min

Are you nervous about speaking English? Are you looking for a way around it? Today, Lindsay and Michelle share a story about one student who overcame his fear of speaking English by being an expert at something else!   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training course now   An English student in an American business course had little confidence in his English abilities. But when the other students in his course discovered that he understood their subject better than any of them, he was asked to be their tutor. Of course, they wanted him to tutor them in English. This turned out much better than expected. As a tutor, he had to be in the moment and focused. He couldn’t worry about his inhibitions or nervousness, or making mistakes. And because of this, he was able to take control.   A classroom is a safe place to learn English, but you are expected not to make mistakes, and so you must focus on your own perfection rather than connection. Connecting with others is more natural. Try to get out of the classroom and overcome your inhibitions.   How do you practice English outside the classroom? Does it help make you less self-conscious about speaking English? Let us know in the comments section below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10 Des 201413min

Need some help talking about your plans in English? On today’s Tear Up Your Textbook Tuesday, Lindsay and Michelle tell you how to talk about the future the way native speakers do!   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training now   Usually English textbooks tell you to talk about the future using ‘will’ and ‘going to’. These work, but native English speakers also do it by using the progressive tense. To native ears, this is a more natural and conversational way to talk.   Here are some examples of conversation about the future using the progressive tense: “What are you having for dinner?” “Tonight I’m having chicken.”   “Are you bringing anything?” “I’m bringing wine.”   “What are you doing tomorrow?” “I’m going to see a movie.”   Note that all of these conversations are talking about the future, not the immediate moment.   What are you doing tomorrow? What are you doing next week? Let us know in the comments section below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9 Des 201418min

Do you want to get a job in the US? Today, Lindsay and Michelle discuss what you need to know to excel at an American job interview!   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training now   Job interviews everywhere focus on skills and training. But in the US, employers are usually interested in character as well. They want to know whether you’re a team player, what your potential is to be a leader, and how you will grow in your job. As such, they might ask some questions focused more on your behaviors than your skills. It would help to think about these questions ahead of time, so you can be prepared.   Some American job interview questions might include: “Tell us about the most difficult/frustrating individual you ever had to work with, and how you managed to work with them.” By asking this, they’re seeing whether you can rise above a problem and keep it from affecting the company. “Give an example of how you’ve broken out of a routine or when you’ve successfully developed a new approach.” Here they’re asking you to show flexibility. “How do you schedule your time/prioritize time when you have a tight turnaround?” With this, you might want to explain how you ask others for help or delegate your work.   In answering all of these questions, try to tell a story from conflict to resolution, and keep it under three minutes if possible.   Do employers ask questions like these during job interviews in your country? Tell us about it in the comments section below!     Brad received his undergraduate degree at New York University in 1984, and spent the next 15 years in the business world focused on sales and marketing. After spending a year testing the English teaching waters in Korea, he returned to the USA and got a Masters degree in TESOL from Seattle University in March 2001. Since then Brad has worked in London for a summer, spent a few years in Ireland writing TEFL materials for the Wall Street Institute and other companies, and has worked in Germany and Austria as an in-house Business English trainer for companies like Siemens, Deutsche Post/DHL and EADS. He has also taught many seminars and workshops for various companies on skills like presentations and business correspondence, as well as a business course for two years at the University of Ulm, Germany.   How to Work with Brad on italki: Step 1- Go to italki to get $10 off your second lesson. You must use this link to get the special deal. Step 2- Search for “Brad C” in the teacher search bar after you have registered with the above link for our special promotion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8 Des 201418min