PRACTICAL SPEAKING GUIDE

Rehearse a conversation without memorising a speech

You can repeat a model answer, but freeze when the colleague changes a time or asks a follow-up.

2026-09-27 · Original teaching notes by SpeakBEC

Start with the situation

You can repeat a model answer, but freeze when the colleague changes a time or asks a follow-up. The model has become a sequence of words rather than a set of choices linked to a purpose.

A possible exchange

Model: I can send the quote by four. Would that work?

Change the item: I can send the schedule by four. Would that work?

Change the time: I can send the schedule by eleven. Would that work?

New reply: I need it by ten.

Your turn: decide what you can genuinely offer.

Why this works

Begin with one change at a time so the task remains manageable. Keep the communicative purpose stable: make an offer and check whether it works. Then change the colleague’s response. At that point, repeating the model is no longer enough; you must listen and choose a feasible next move.

Useful repetition has a reason. Repeat to clarify a time, repair a misunderstood item or make a shorter response, rather than repeating until a counter reaches five. If you need a model again, look at it, understand the missing part and try a new variation. The aim is not to avoid all support immediately. It is to reduce support while preserving meaning.

Change the condition and try it

Use the same offer in three situations: a colleague accepts, asks for an earlier time, and says they meant a different file. Record one natural reply to each. Check whether you actually answered the changed message instead of delivering the same rehearsed sentence.

Try a spoken or written response before checking it. Did you address the changed condition? Could the listener identify the next step? The model is not the only acceptable answer.