Recommended resources
The freely available resources this lesson will direct you to.
- Tell Me About Yourself - Practice English Speaking Conversation | SELF-INTRODUCTION IN ENGLISHwww.youtube.com
- The Best Way to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” in English | B1 English Level | Real Conversationwww.youtube.com
- Meeting face-to-face | LearnEnglish - British Councillearnenglish.britishcouncil.org
- IELTS Speaking - Sample Tasksielts.org
Hello! This is the first day of your 50-day speaking course. Today is a starting point, not a test you need to pass. You’ll record a short, natural introduction and answer follow-up questions without preparing them. That recording will give you something real to compare with your speaking on Day 50.
Plan for today: about 55 minutes. First, spend 15 minutes on the uncoached speaking baseline. Then allow 10 minutes each for listening, shadowing, and useful expressions, followed by a five-minute speaking challenge and a five-minute review. Do the baseline before reading the model dialogue or expressions below; otherwise, we won’t know what you can already do spontaneously.
Your Day 1 baseline: speak before you prepare
Imagine you’ve joined an online study group and someone is meeting you for the first time. Give a 45–60-second introduction. Share only details you’re comfortable sharing. You can talk generally about what you study, what interests you, and what you hope to do; you do not need to give a real name, location, or institution.
Use a voice message if this chat supports one. Otherwise, start a recording on your device, speak aloud, and send a short “done” message afterward. Do not write and rehearse your answer. Keep the recording running for the follow-up questions if possible.
After your introduction, I’ll ask one follow-up question at a time, without showing you the questions in advance. Start each reply when you’re ready, rather than planning a perfect sentence. I’ll save language corrections until the baseline is finished so they don’t change your uncoached performance.
For a useful Day 50 comparison, keep these simple notes:
| Measure | What to record today |
|---|---|
| Speaking duration | Seconds spoken in your introduction; later, approximate total seconds spoken across the follow-ups |
| Response speed | Approximate seconds from seeing each follow-up to starting your spoken answer |
| Hesitation | Long silent pauses (about two seconds or more) and noticeable “um/uh” fillers |
| Fluency | How steadily you kept communicating, even when you searched for words: 1 = often stopped; 5 = mostly continuous |
| Pronunciation | On playback, how easily a listener could understand your words: 1 = often unclear; 5 = consistently clear |
| Grammar | Noticeable errors that made your meaning unclear, plus any repeated pattern you notice |
You don’t have to count while speaking. Listen back and note the figures afterward. If I receive only typed answers, I can comment on your wording, but I cannot reliably judge your spoken pronunciation, pauses, or response speed; use your recording for those measures.
Stop reading here until we’ve completed the introduction and follow-up questions together. Your first speaking prompt is at the end of this lesson. Once the baseline is finished, return to the listening section.
Listen for a conversation, not a script to memorize
A natural introduction leaves room for the other person to respond. In the British Council’s Meeting face-to-face, two people meet, exchange a few friendly details, and ask how things are going. The situation is face-to-face, but much of its conversational language also works in an online study group.
Meeting face-to-face | LearnEnglish - British Council
The British Council’s “Meeting face-to-face” gives you a short listening model with a transcript. Watch the video on the page, then use the transcript to check what you heard.
In the “Transcript” section, find the meeting that begins with “Are you Noelia?” Read their exchange through Vanya’s reply that she has no plans. Then find Ana’s phrase-review passage, beginning “So, did you notice the useful phrases used for meeting face-to-face?” Focus on how “How are you finding it?” invites a fuller answer, while “Let me know if I can help at all” keeps the tone friendly. Listen once without reading, once with the transcript, and once more while following the speakers’ turns.
Notice that neither person gives a complete biography. One detail creates an opening for a question; the answer gives the conversation somewhere to go. That is a more useful goal than delivering a flawless speech.
Shadow the rhythm, not the accent
Spend about 10 minutes with the same video. Play a short exchange, pause, and say it aloud with the speaker’s rhythm. Then replay it and speak along. Use the transcript when needed, but look away once the words feel familiar.
Pay particular attention to “How are you finding it?” and “Let me know if I can help at all.” In the first question, finding carries the main emphasis. In the second, know and help are more prominent than the smaller connecting words. Aim for clear, flowing international English; you do not need to copy anyone’s accent.
For one final pass, record yourself saying those two lines. Listen for whether the important words stand out and whether the sentence continues smoothly through the smaller words.
Build an introduction from useful chunks
Now you can prepare language for future conversations. Learn these as flexible sentence parts, not as a speech to recite. Choose the ones that genuinely fit you.
| Purpose | Natural chunks |
|---|---|
| Say what you do | “I’m currently studying …” · “Most of my time goes into …” |
| Explain an interest | “I’ve been getting into …” · “I got interested in it because …” |
| Add another side of yourself | “Outside of that, I enjoy …” · “When I have some free time, I like to …” |
| Mention a current focus or goal | “At the moment, I’m working on …” · “I’m hoping to …” |
| Respond and continue | “How are you finding it?” · “That sounds interesting.” · “What about you?” |
| Keep going when you hesitate | “Let me think for a second.” · “What I mean is …” |
Here is a short original practice dialogue. It is a model for practice, not a transcript of the video:
A: Hi. What are you studying at the moment?
B: I’m currently studying AI. Most of my time goes into online lessons and small projects.
A: How are you finding it?
B: I’m enjoying it. I got interested in it because I like solving practical problems. Outside of that, I enjoy cooking. What about you?
A: I’m studying design. At the moment, I’m working on a project with a small group.
B: That sounds interesting.
Read it aloud once. Then cover it and describe your own studies or interests using any three chunks you remember. If a word disappears, keep the sentence moving: “Let me think for a second …” or “What I mean is …” is better than abandoning the idea.
Final speaking challenge and review
For the five-minute challenge, speak for 45–60 seconds as if you were introducing yourself to a new study partner. Do not read the chunk table. Include what you’re focused on now, one reason or interest, and something you hope to do. Finish with a natural invitation for the other person to speak. This is practice after coaching, so keep it separate from your baseline recording.
Spend the last five minutes comparing your practice recording with the baseline. Save one useful expression, one place where you hesitated, and one clearer way to say something. You have now established a starting measure and practised making an introduction sound more like the beginning of a conversation. Next time, you’ll use natural time and sequence expressions to talk about a typical weekday.
To begin the uncoached baseline, start your recording and answer aloud in 45–60 seconds:
Tell me a bit about yourself.