The TOEFL Speaking Section: a quick view about speaking preparation.

The TOEFL Speaking Section is the shortest section of the TOEFL test; however, I struggled a lot with it when I took the test in 2010. Speaking in English, using a microphone in a very short time that you have, and on top of it, there is a noisy room full of other test-takers. I just did not feel comfortable. It was very stressful and I did not expected that noisy environment. I was not prepared to take the test (somehow) under so much pressure. In this article, I will give an umbrella view of the speaking section (question 01) and what you go through while taking the TOEFL test. My score was not too bad, but could be much better if I knew how it is done.

As a teacher, now I can help my students and others who are interested in taking the TOEFL test. Students have the time to prepare for it; some students might even ace it if you have a good preparation. When you understand the format of the TOEFL Speaking section, you can train, develop, and improve some strategies (not necessarily, though, referably with the help of a teacher). It will prepare you for the whole test and for making good use of your time. By doing so, you will be able to answer all six speaking questions in the allotted time. Let me state how question 01 works.

Question 01. The computer will pop up a question. This first question is open, which means you can choose any answer. However, you should train and time the time as you do it. You have only one minute to answer this question. Do not spend too much time on it, and make sure you choose some answer topic that you are able to support. When you listen to the question, you have only 15 seconds to prepare your answer. After that, you have 45 seconds to speak up and state what you have planned in those 15 seconds.

This question might be about anything, though, it is mostly about giving a description of something related to test-takers (you), what you like or about anything else. So, for example, the question that pops up in the screen is, "what is your favorite food?” Your job is to quickly describe it. The point here is, how do you do exactly? Easy.

In this case, describe the food and in the end tell why it is your favorite. Use a concluding sentence to do so. The key question is: How can you prepare your answer in 15 seconds and quickly state it in 45 seconds? It is not easy to do that! It is true; I agree. It requires too much training, strategy, and effort. Well, this is the part that you need teacher's help! Let me tell what you must do in order to do it well.

Bear in mind that you are allowed to use scrap paper (draft - do it) and take some short notes. Please, make an outline, a sketch on a piece of paper that looks like this:

A _____________________________________

R1 ____________________________________

R2 ____________________________________

The letters stand for: "A" means your answer, "R1" and "R2" are reasons (reason one and reason two) that you will use to support your answer.

Make sure you have onto your answer, information that tells: where, when, and who. Fifteen seconds, how can you get most of it in a very short time? Imagine that the question that shows up in the computer screen is:

What do you consider the most important characteristics in a business leader?

Make your answer simple. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. In the previous sketch, you should use words or maybe short phrases to remind you what to say. Remember! You need to do it all in 15 seconds. See what your sketch must look like:

A - (Knowledge, respect, fun and helpful)

R1 - Itau Bank, Brazil, 2010, president. 

R2 - Santander, 2015, fun and helpful leaders.

Everything is here. Just wrap it up in the end, a concluding sentence. When you orally state your answer, it should pretty much look like this:

Answer -  "In my view, the most important characteristics in a leader are knowledge, respect and being fun." 

Reason 1 - For example, when I worked at Itau Bank in Brazil, in 2010, the president of the bank was very knowledgeable and respectful. He knew everything about banking, he was very open-minded, and he made the bank's goals clear for all the managers and employees.

Reason 2 - I have been working for Santander Bank since 2015, and most leaders in this bank are fun and helpful. Sometimes I call my job a dream job! That is why; Knowledge, respect and fun are the keys to be a leader.

Done! This last sentence you just read was a conclusion. If you try and cannot do everything in 45 seconds, try to state the two reasons and skip the conclusion, the reasons are more important than your conclusion, however, try to do all in a minute, including your notes. It seems too much, but keep trying and you will be able to master these techniques.

With the help of your teacher, use a draft paper and sketch some notes to help you answer a given question. Use your phone device, record your voice, state your answer from your outline, and see how much time it takes and how much you need to improve. At first, you will find it a bit hard, with time and practice you will make it, though! Good luck! See you on our next article.