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General English · Speaking · B2

Participating in discussions

Enter a discussion, build on another contribution and bring others into the exchange.

Lesson 9 · About 22 minutes

Learn: your objectives

  • Connect your contribution to the discussion's purpose.
  • Invite and summarise contributions without dominating.

Warm-up

Think about these questions. Say a short answer aloud.

  • How can you enter a discussion without cutting someone off?
  • What helps a quiet participant contribute?

Useful language

Joining and including

Could I add something to that?

Request a turn connected to the previous point.

Could I add something to that point about timing?

Building on what you said, …

Develop rather than replace a contribution.

Building on what you said, we could offer two starting times.

We haven't heard from … yet.

Invite another participant without demanding agreement.

We haven't heard from Maya yet. Would you like to add anything?

Notice: model speaking

Read aloud. Notice how the speakers use the phrases and respond to each other.

Owen: We need a meeting time that works for parents as well as people finishing work late.

Feruza: Could I add something to that? Instead of one fixed time, perhaps we could alternate early and late meetings.

Owen: That might make the schedule harder to remember.

Feruza: True. Building on your concern, we could publish the whole month's dates together. Maya, would you like to add anything?

Maya: A clear calendar would help. I'd also keep the day of the week the same.

Feruza: So we have an alternating time, a fixed day and a calendar to investigate.

Speaking strategy

Link your entry to a point already made, contribute one developed idea and make space for a response. A summary should preserve unresolved concerns, not pretend there is agreement.

Pronunciation & fluency focus

Use a short entry phrase, then pause to check the floor is available. Avoid repeatedly restarting while another person is still speaking.

Teaching guidance, not an analysis of your voice.

Use: controlled practice

Choose a useful response for each situation. Check when all questions are answered. These are phrase exercises, not a speaking assessment.

1. Enter after a speaker has finished a point about cost.
2. Which contribution genuinely builds on a scheduling concern?
3. Invite a quiet participant without pressure.
4. The group has ideas but no decision. Summarise accurately.
5. How can you avoid dominating after making your point?

Build your answer

Write a few keywords. Then look away and speak. Notes stay on this page only.

Speak: your challenge

Role-play a two-minute group discussion about meeting times. Include three speakers, a connected contribution, an invitation and a summary that preserves any unresolved issue.

You can voice all three roles. Distinguish them by names, not exaggerated accents.

Speak aloud. This page does not record, listen to or assess your speech. There is no automatic speaking score.

Self-check

Open to everyone. Answers, notes and checklists are not saved to an account. These original lessons use level labels to organize learning; completion is not official CEFR certification or proof of a level.