A; are you good at making decisions?
B: not really. Sometimes, I even let other people make key decision for me.
A: what kinds of decisions do you leave to other people?
B: there are basic decisions like which restaurant to go to. I can never seem to choose. I let my parents make big decisions for me. They chose my university and my course. I ended up studying something that I didn’t like, although the university they choose was fine.
A: your parents will be choosing your girlfriend if you aren’t careful! Why don’t you try being more decisive1? Start with some basic ones. When your friends are discussing which restaurant to eat at, make a suggestion. As you haven’t suggested anything before, they’ll probably accept your choice.
B: that’s a good idea. You’re very decisive, I’ve noticed. So, which bar are we going to this evening?
A: I can’t make a decision. You’ll have to put forward an idea.
B: you see? You’re becoming more decisive already!
Intermediate2
A: I find it really hard to express myself in class. I have lots of ideas, but they never seem to come out of my mouth.
B: let me give you a little advice. You know what the topics are going to be, so prepares what you would like to say in advance.
A; I often do, but I’m worried about the responses from other people.
B: you have to be realistic. Not everyone is going to agree with you, but people will respect your opinion and they will respect the fact that you have contributed something to the discussion3.
A: I’m worried that what I say will not make sense.
B; we could chat about the topic before class. I could check that what you want to say is logical4 and it would also give you a chance to practice speaking.
A; that’s a good idea. What should I do if I am in two minds about a topic?
B: that’s easy. Express possibilities. People will think that you are pretty smart to be able to look at the topic from more than one angle5.
A: I didn’t realize that speaking in class could be so easy.
B: the most difficult thing is being able to predict what other people will say. They will reply to your statements, but you can’t be sure how.
words
predict decide imagine remember judge wonder work out guess logical memory think (in)decisive suppose suggest realize consider concentrate follow genius brilliant worry nervous guilty confused
