Improve your Speaking online in our Episode 25:

This week we bring new current topics in Episode 25 so you can improve your online speaking from home.

Topic 1: College

«Should everyone go to college?»

The number of college graduates has dramatically increased over the years. But is it a good thing?

We will focus the conversation on the following questions:

1. What are your professional goals?
2. The video shows how this type of teaching is organised in the USA. What do you think about this educational method?
3. Do you believe that a good education guarantees you a good salary and a good job?
4. Do you think you can enjoy the same career opportunities if you decide not to study?
5. Is it necessary to go to university to develop competitiveness?

Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk: 

• Mentorship: the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor.
• Undergraduate education: education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education.
• (to) Take the plunge: to make a decision to do something, especially after thinking about it for a long time.
• Veterans: a person who has had long experience in a particular field.
• Transfer students: a college student who has completed 12 or more credit hours at one school, then later drops enrollment before finishing their degree at another school.
• Coursework: written or practical work done by a student during a course of study, usually assessed in order to count towards a final mark or grade.
• Peers: a person of the same age, the same social position.
• Job market: the market in which employers search for employees and employees search for jobs.
• Big commitment: something that requires a person to do a lot.
• Vantage: a place or position affording a good view of something.

Topic 2: Social media addiction

«Is everyone else perfect?»

Social media was one of the most impactful things the Internet brought us. However, this impact was not entirely positive.

 We will focus the conversation on the following questions:

1. In your opinion, what are the most notable negative effects on our lives because of social media?
2. Which social media do you believe creates the most insecurities? Why?
3. Do you consider that COVID-19 lockdown increased our addiction to social media? If so, in which ways is that visible nowadays? 
4. Does social media normally reflect our true selves? 
5. Do you believe that social media could improve our lives in some way? Give an example. 

Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk:

• Engagement: emotional commitment or involvement.
• Mimetic desire: adopting another person’s desire as our own. 
• Mediator of desire: person who is a model of desire to people imitating them. 
• Social sphere: where a social bond among strangers is created.
• Benchmark: something that serves as a standard by which others may be judged.
• Going over the mountain: expression used to refer to self-improvement. 
• Emulate: to imitate someone or something in order to equal or do better than them.
• Personal boundaries: limits people set for themselves within a relationship.
• Fulfillment: feeling of happiness and satisfaction.
• Dopamine hit: release of a large amount of dopamine by doing something pleasurable. It makes people seek more of that feeling. 

Topic 3: Climate change

«Temperatures go up by 0.18 ºC every single year.»

Climate change is one of the most challenging problems we will face in the future. But what *is* climate change, exactly?

 We will focus the conversation on the following questions:

1. What impact has Climate Change had on society?

2. What is the cause of Climate Change according to scientists? Why?

3. Is the problem that the Earth is warming or that it is warming *too fast*?

4. What are the possible catastrophes that we could face in the near future?

5. Is it right to politicise this issue, or would it be more convenient to leave the political aspects out of it? 

Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk:

• To bear with somebody: To be patient with somebody

• Fossil fuels: Petroleum, and the fuels derived out of it

• To be on track to: To be making progress on something

• Water shortages: Drought, a lack of water

• To slow down: To cause something to move slower

• Pledge: Pact / Agreement

• To pull out of: To quit / To bow out of something

• Power plants: Structures designed to generate electricity on a large scale

• Renewable energy: Energies derived from clean sources, such as solar or wind power

Topic 4: Free topic

Do you find these topics boring or uninteresting? Don’t worry. Dilo gives you the opportunity to choose your own topic for a conversation class.

Think of some vocabulary you would like to learn related to your topic and send us some information about it with the subject «Free topic». We are certain your ideas will be great! 😁.

This is the end of Episode 25. See you on the next one!

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