How to Teach Conversational English: 10 Best Practices

How to Teach Conversational English: 10 Best Practices

English Teaching

Have you ever taught a student who aces grammar tests but freezes during small talk?

If you’ve been teaching English for any amount of time, chances are you’ve met students like that. They can conjugate verbs like pros, but when it comes to asking someone about their weekend or ordering a coffee? Silence. Or worse—panic.

I’ve seen this play out more times than I can count. One of my adult learners, a brilliant engineer from South Korea, knew every rule in the English grammar book.

But during his first role-play exercise in class—asking for directions—he turned red and stared at the floor. He told me later, “In my head, I know what to say. But my mouth doesn’t listen.”

Sound familiar?

Teaching conversational English isn’t just about vocabulary or sentence structure. It’s about confidence, connection, and communication.

And in my 10+ years of teaching learners from all walks of life, I’ve found that helping students speak naturally requires more than textbook dialogues or scripted role plays.

So, whether you’re a new teacher or just looking to freshen up your approach, here are 10 best practices I’ve learned, practiced, and refined over the years for teaching conversational English—rooted in real classroom experience and backed by research.

1. Create a Safe Space for Speaking

Before your students can speak freely, they need to feel safe.

Think about it: Would you try speaking a foreign language in front of a group if you thought you’d be laughed at or corrected harshly?

In my early years of teaching, I was quick to correct every mistake. But I noticed it made some students clam up. Now, I focus on fluency first, accuracy second—especially in conversation practice.

✅ Best Practices:

  • Praise effort, not just correctness.

  • Share your own language learning struggles to humanize the process.

  • Use sentence starters and visual cues to lower anxiety.

📚 Research says: Language anxiety is a real barrier. According to Horwitz et al. (1986), learners with higher anxiety often avoid speaking, which hinders progress. Your job? Help lower that affective filter.

2. Prioritize Real-Life Topics

Let’s be honest: No one in real life says, “May I borrow your red pencil, please?” (Unless you’re in a 1950s British classroom.)

Focus instead on functional language—topics your students actually need:

💬 In my adult classes, I often start with, “What did you do last weekend?” It leads to lively conversations, and it feels natural. You can also base lessons on situations: job interviews, shopping trips, or phone calls.

🎯 Why it works: When language is useful, students are more motivated to learn it—and use it.

3. Emphasize Listening as Much as Speaking

Many students struggle with conversational English not because they don’t know what to say—but because they don’t understand what’s being said to them.

That’s why teaching conversation must include listening.

👂 Use audio clips, YouTube interviews, or podcasts. Then:

  • Ask comprehension questions.

  • Highlight key expressions.

  • Have students mimic intonation and rhythm.

🧠 Pro tip: Shadowing works wonders. It’s a technique where students listen and repeat immediately, trying to match tone, speed, and pronunciation.

🎓 Evidence: According to linguist Stephen Krashen, comprehensible input is key. Students need to hear language that’s just a bit above their current level to improve.

4. Use Role-Plays—But Keep Them Flexible

Role-plays are classic for a reason. They simulate real conversation scenarios. But there’s a catch: They can feel forced or awkward if done wrong.

🚫 “Student A, you are a customer. Student B, you are a waiter.” (Cue: wooden lines and fake smiles.)

✅ Instead, give context and options:

  • “You’re at a noisy restaurant. The waiter can’t hear you. Try to order food.”

  • “You’re a tourist. Ask about three fun things to do in this city.”

This encourages spontaneous language and helps students adapt to real-world messiness—background noise, misunderstandings, emotions.

📝 Let students take turns being the speaker and the listener. It’s great for empathy-building and fluency.

5. Focus on Communication, Not Perfection

Here’s a truth many learners (and teachers) need to hear: Fluent doesn’t mean flawless.

A conversation isn’t an exam. It’s a connection. And in real life, people pause, restart, say “um,” and make grammar mistakes all the time.

So when your student says, “Yesterday I go to market,” smile and reply, “Nice! What did you buy?” Don’t cut them off. Correct gently later—after the message is received.

💡 Tip: Introduce communication strategies like:

  • Rephrasing: “I mean…”

  • Asking for clarification: “What do you mean?”

  • Stalling: “Let me think…”

These are the tools that keep conversations flowing—even when vocabulary fails.

6. Teach Phrases, Not Just Words

Vocabulary is essential, yes. But phrases are the building blocks of real speech.

Instead of just teaching the word “weekend,” teach:

  • “What did you do over the weekend?”

  • “I had a pretty relaxed weekend.”

  • “Nothing much, just stayed in.”

I call these conversation chunks—ready-made, reusable bits of language.

📋 Try teaching them in categories:

  • Agreeing: “Totally!” “I hear you.”

  • Reacting: “No way!” “That’s awesome.”

  • Asking: “What about you?” “How come?”

🧠 Why it works: According to Michael Lewis’s Lexical Approach, learners acquire language more effectively when taught in chunks rather than individual words.

7. Integrate Culture and Context

Language is never just about words—it’s about people, places, and context.

Here’s a story: One of my students from Japan learned the phrase “How’s it going?” but never used it. Why? Because she was confused when Americans replied, “Good, you?”—before she’d even finished answering!

✨ Solution: Teach cultural norms alongside language.

  • What small talk looks like in different countries

  • How personal space or eye contact differs

  • When to say “please,” “sorry,” or “thank you”

📚 Cultural competence is part of communicative competence, says linguist Dell Hymes. Knowing what to say—and how to say it appropriately—is vital.

8. Give Regular Speaking Feedback—But Keep It Constructive

Speaking practice without feedback is like driving blindfolded. But feedback has to be timely, relevant, and encouraging.

👂 I often jot down 2-3 “cool” phrases I hear during a student dialogue—and maybe 1 area to improve. After the activity, I’ll say:

  • “I loved how you used ‘actually’ to clarify your answer!”

  • “Let’s work on past tense: ‘He go’ should be ‘he went.’”

Avoid over-correcting during conversation—it kills flow. Instead, use post-task feedback to help them notice patterns.

🔁 Even better? Record students (with permission), then play it back and reflect together. It’s powerful to hear your own progress.

9. Mix Group Sizes for Practice

Don’t limit conversation to pair work. Different groupings offer different benefits.

👥 Pairs: Great for low-pressure speaking.

👨‍👩‍👧 Small groups: Encourage discussion, negotiation, turn-taking.

🎭 Whole class: For debates, interviews, or storytelling circles.

One of my most successful activities? A speed-dating conversation. Students rotate every 2 minutes, answering a fun question (“What’s your dream vacation?” or “What’s your guilty pleasure snack?”). It’s fast, fun, and forces spontaneous talk.

⚖️ Rotate roles and pairings often so no one gets too comfortable—or too nervous.

10. Keep it Fun and Fresh

If it’s boring, they won’t speak. Period.

Games, challenges, realia, storytelling—they all make speaking feel less like a task and more like a chat.

🎯 Some of my favorites:

🧩 You can also bring in songs, memes, short clips from sitcoms—anything that sparks emotion or curiosity.

Humor lowers stress and builds connection. And let’s face it—learning is more effective when it’s fun.

Final Thoughts: Conversations Are About Connection

At the heart of it, conversational English is not about perfect grammar or flashy vocabulary. It’s about helping students connect—to ideas, to other people, to the world.

In your classroom, you’re not just teaching speaking. You’re teaching courage. You’re helping someone feel confident enough to walk into a room and say, “Hi,” without fear.

And that’s powerful.

Key Takeaways

✅ Focus on fluency and confidence before perfection
✅ Teach useful phrases and real-life topics
✅ Integrate listening, culture, and feedback
✅ Use engaging, flexible speaking activities
✅ Create a positive, low-stress speaking environment

Want to Try This in Your Class? Here’s a Quick Starter Plan:

  1. Start class with a simple “How was your day?” warm-up. Make it a habit.

  2. Choose one functional topic a week—like giving opinions or asking for help.

  3. Record one speaking activity per month. Reflect with your students.

  4. Collect “golden phrases” from real conversations and build a classroom phrase wall.

  5. Laugh together. It builds trust—and better English.

Whether you’re in a classroom, online, or tutoring one-on-one, remember: Every student you teach is a conversation waiting to happen. Help them speak—and listen—with confidence.

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