Talk Show

Students simulate a TV talk show: one student plays the celebrity or expert guest while classmates role-play as host and studio audience, generating extended interview discourse.

Procedure

1. Assign roles: one student is the guest (a famous person, a fictional character, or an expert on the lesson topic); one or two students are the host(s); the rest are audience members.
2. Give the guest 5 minutes to prepare their character — key facts, opinions, backstory. Give hosts 3 minutes to prepare 4–5 opening questions. Give audience members 2–3 questions each.
3. Run the show for 10–15 minutes. The host opens and interviews the guest, then the floor opens to audience questions.
4. Debrief: audience votes on the most interesting answer; class identifies effective question types and strategies the guest used to extend their turns.

Variations

• Panel format: two or three guests with contrasting views (e.g. a scientist and a sceptic) for natural disagreement and turn competition.
• Live vs pre-recorded: pause the "recording" mid-show to discuss a moment of effective language use without disrupting the whole performance.

Tips

• Students know the talk-show format from media, which reduces setup anxiety and provides an implicit discourse model — they already know what a good guest sounds like.
• Give guests a one-page character card rather than leaving preparation entirely open: it ensures enough content for a 10-minute interview.
• Host preparation matters as much as guest preparation. Weak questions produce short answers. Review question types (open, follow-up, clarification) before the activity.
• For the audience, require each member to ask at least one question — this prevents passive observation and keeps everyone in the discourse.