Start and end your argument with confidence.
スピーキングテストを成功させるためには、答えのはじめ方とまとめ方が肝心です。自信持って出来る様に、簡単なテクニックを紹介致します。
This lesson will help you learn a structure and technique you can easily use for both simple and complex questions. It will help you start and end smoothly and confidently. We’ll begin working on argumentation, evidence and logic in the next lesson.
The main point of this class is to teach students how to give more organized answers on the fly. This will improve their scores on a number of English language tests. It is also useful in business settings, particularly Q&A sessions.
Your teacher will ask you a question. Answer as you would in the test.
Ask your student one of the following questions:
- Do you think a city should preserve its old, historic buildings, or destroy them and build new modern ones?
- What would you most like to take a course in: mathematics; painting; or science?
- What role do grandparents play in the family in your country?
This could go three ways:
1. Rambling
Example feedback: the information was good, but you repeated yourself a lot, and it was actually hard to follow in some parts. You need to be more organized and succinct.
2. Three-point answer*
Example feedback: I think your structure was actually a bit too rigid/stiff/like a textbook answer. To be honest, the number of points is not very important, and native speakers basically never speak like this. You should focus on the evidence itself.
3. A pretty good answer
Example feedback: That was pretty good! Your beginning was quick and clear, and I knew that you were ending. Let's just take a close look at how to make your endings even stronger.
Definition and root cause of the 3-reasons-for-this answer
Some students are taught in their classroom and workplace to use a three-reasons-for-this structure.
- If the question is "Why do you like milk?" a typical answer might be: "I like milk for the following three reasons. First, milk is very healthy. Second, milk is delicious. Finally, milk is good in coffee and tea. For these three reasons, I like milk."
- A native speaker would just say, "Well, it's healthy, it's delicious, and it's good in coffee or tea."
- Adding numbers and repetition does not make this seem more sophisticated in English; in fact, it does quite the opposite.
If your student has a 3-reasons-for-this habit, then try pointing out one or more of these points:
- To be honest, the number of reasons is not important. Imagine if you were going to get on the wrong train and your friend said, "Stop! It's the wrong train!" You wouldn't need any more reasons. Similarly, one really good point with ample evidence and enough reasoning can be a perfectly strong argument.
- It's a waste of time to talk about the number of reasons you have. The beginning and ending should be about the reasons themselves, not the number!
- If you say "There are 3 reasons," then I think, there are only three reasons in the world. Like, "There are 3 reasons that milk is good: it's healthy, it's delicious, and it's good in coffee and tea." So the facts that cats love it and babies drink it can't be reasons milk is good, since there are only 3 reasons.
- Native English speakers never do this. Here at The English Farm, we have done research and asked our contacts at a top-level consulting firm, and they assured us that consultants who speak English at a native level would not use this style.
Let’s discuss techniques that will help you with your structure, especially beginnings and endings.
- What makes for a strong beginning?
- Are conclusions important? What makes for a strong conclusion?
Beginning
There are two basic elements to a strong beginning:
- responding right away; and
- giving a clear claim.
1. Respond right away
For all speaking tests, responding quickly is very important. We will focus more on this later, but for now, encourage students to react to the answer immediately:
- That's a good/interesting/tough/big question.
- Hmm, [repeat words from the question].
- Yes! / Definitely! / Absolutely!
2. Give a clear claim
Next, use one sentence to outline your opinion. It can be positive, negative or mixed.
- It can be strong; for example: “I definitely think historic buildings should be preserved.”
- Or it can be tentative/balanced: “(I suppose) I think that (generally speaking) historic buildings should be preserved.”
Either way, it's a grammatically simple sentence.
If possible, outline all the basic claims at the beginning of the answer. This works well for complex questions about topics that the student is already familiar with. You can ask,
Which sector do you specialize in?
Then follow up with,
What two big changes do you expect in the future?
They can probably tell you two fairly quickly. So for these kinds of questions, the intro should include their ideas. For example:
The healthcare industry here is going to change a lot. First, medical technology like IOT is improving dramatically. Second, our country has a rapidly aging society that's going to be quite a burden on the medical system. So, in terms of medical technology...
Ending
There are generally three parts of a strong ending:
- If the answer is long, then use a transition phrase like, "So to wrap up..." or "All in all...".
- Clearly and simply restate your claims. (This should be very short.)
- Add a "so what?" (This can be a recommendation, prediction, hope or future action.)
1. Transition phrase
NOTE: This is not necessary for short answers—you can simply say, "So, …" to lead into your conclusion.
It's important that the student uses a variety of phrases through the test. Brainstorm a few different ones.
This phrase may be new: All in all = considering all the points I've said.
Here are a few others:
- So, to finish up...
- Therefore...
- In conclusion...
- Anyway... [for informal questions]
2. Clearly and simply restate your claims.
This should be short and simple, just a few words (or less) per claim. Don't repeat evidence or reasoning, don't introduce new ideas, and don't repeat your introduction word for word.
3. Add a "so what?"
Nearly every student misses this, but it's easy. It gives the energy back to the interviewer, and it has a lot of impact. Here are some examples:
- So, I recommend making historic preservation a priority.
- So, a course in mathematics is the most practical, but I'd rather paint. I'm going to take a painting class now!
- So, grandparents are treasured here. I hope mine stay healthy for a long time.
Additional detail
Here are two weak endings:
- For the reasons I mentioned, I think historic buildings should be preserved.
(Too short! What reasons? You should finish on a strong note: a powerful summary of your position.) - So, due to the number of jobs that require mathematics, plus the years it takes to learn to paint well, and the fact that after all that time there aren't very many jobs for artists anyway, and also the world is going more and more digital, so mathematics will become more and more important, I'd take the mathematics class, even though I'd rather paint.
(Too long! I just heard your answer, you don’t need to repeat it. Just remind me of what you said.)
Here’s a strong ending:
So, to wrap up, grandparents have a very important role in the family. They pass on wisdom, provide a sense of continuity, and help with childcare, which means women can go back to work.
I hope my grandparents stay healthy for a long time.
Now that you have learned how to begin and end powerfully, your teacher will ask you some practice questions.