Foreign language instruction should begin in kindergarten

Write down ideas

The idea

This time you don’t write down words you want to use but ideas you want to talk about. These are notes so that you don’t forget what to say.

Does it work?

Undoubtedly. All you need to do is practise what types of notes you need and what types of notes are practical when you are speaking. This will depend from person to person. For some people, it is enough to write down a name “James”, others need to write more “James and the bicycle on his birthday”

Any problems?

Really the only problem is finding out what notes work for you in practice. In my experience, some of the most useful notes are to do with examples and not the main points.

Structure or story

The idea

Depending slightly on the cue card you get, you have 2 basic options for organising your talk. You can use a very structured approach (First I am going to talk about.. etc) or you can try a story telling approach. Both can work equally well.