Speaking in front of others is terrifying for most ESL students. The best way through that fear? Just do it. These impromptu speech topic cards get students on their feet and talking, with no time to overthink it.

Coming up with enough varied topics on the spot is a real challenge. These cards take that off your plate entirely. Pull one, hand it over, and they're off. They work especially well as ice breakers during the first days of class.

HOW TO USE THESE CARDS

Have students take turns coming to the front of the class, drawing a card, and starting to speak on that topic right away. The variety of card types keeps things unpredictable and fun.

WHAT'S INSIDE:

✅ Teacher suggestions to help you get the most out of the activity

✅ 28 "If..." / "What would you do if..." cards

✅ 32 "Tell everyone about..." cards

✅ 32 "Would you rather..." cards

✅ 12 action cards where students must perform the action described

✅ 104 cards total

✅ Easel version with one prompt per slide, perfect for paperless classrooms or displaying to the whole class at once

THIS WAS CREATED FOR YOUR ADULT ESL STUDENTS

Adult ESL students often freeze when asked to speak off the cuff. These cards give them a prompt to react to instead of a blank silence to fill. The mix of question types keeps the activity from getting stale, and the action cards add an element of surprise that tends to loosen up even the most reluctant speakers.

GRAB IT AND GO

Download, print, and cut. Laminate if you want them to last. Or skip all of that and use the Easel version. Either way, you've got a ready-to-run speaking activity that gets students up and talking from day one.

Questions? Drop them in the Q&A section.

If you teach conversation classes regularly, take a look at my Adult ESL Discussion Topics MEGA Bundle. It pulls together over two thousand discussion questions across 28 themes, so you'll always have something on hand when a conversation stalls or you need to fill time.