Speaking Skills: Hot Seat

ESL Materials: Speaking Skills

Hot Seat is an English classroom activity. One student sits on a chair at the front of the room and the other students ask as many questions as they can to the person in the "hot seat". It's called "hot seat" because the student needs to answer quickly. The temperature rises with all the excitement!

Hot Seat (.pdf)

Start with a greeting

A		B
How are you today?		I'm good, thanks. And you?
How are you doing today?		I'm fine thanks. And you?
		I'm not so bad, thanks. And you?
		I'm okay. And you?
		I'm a bit tired. And you?
I'm good, thanks.

How was your day?

Ask questions about someone's day, evening and weekend.

YouTube: Hot Seat - How was your day?

Ask your partner these or other questions, then change roles. Next, try changing the underlined phrases.

It's okay to use your imagination! :)

A		B
So, how was your weekend?		Oh, it was good. I went to Tokyo.
Who did you go with?		I went with a friend.
How did you get there?		I got there by train.
How long did it take?		It took about an hour.
How long were you there?		I was there for three hours.
What did you do there?		I went shopping.
Did you buy anything?		Yes, I did.
What did you buy?		I bought a new jacket.
Did you have a good time?		Yeah, it was fun.

Tip:

While you are thinking of an answer, try to keep speaking. You can repeat the question ("How was my weekend?") or use phrases like: Let me see..., Let me think..., That's a good question..., If I remember right...

A		B
So, how was your day?		Oh, the same as usual, but I had training.
Where was your training?		It was in the conference room.
Who did you do it with?		I did it with Tom, Bob, and Isabella.
What else did you do?		I had to finish a report.
How long did it take?		It took about 3 hours.
What time did you finish?		I finished at about 6.
Did you have time for lunch?		Yes, I did.
What did you eat?		I ate a cheese sandwich.
Did you get the message I sent you?		Yeah, thanks.
Why didn't you reply?		Sorry, I didn't have time.

A		B
So, what did you do last night?		Oh, the same as usual, I just stayed in.
And what did you do?		I had dinner.
Who did you have dinner with?		I had dinner with my family.
What did you eat?		I ate a cheese sandwich.
How was it?		It was good!
What else did you do?		I watched TV and played on my phone.
What did you watch?		I watched a documentary about carpets.
Was it any good?		Yeah, it was okay.
What time did you go to bed?		I went to bed at midnight.
Did you sleep well?		Not really, I had a dream about carpets.

Challenge!

You can do this by yourself: Set a timer for one minute and try to ask as many questions as you can without looking at this PDF. Don't answer them. Just ask questions aloud. Where did you go? How did you get there? How long did it take? What did you do there? Etc. Practise and practise until the questions become natural.

Future Questions

Now, practise using be going to + verb to ask about someone's evening, weekend and holiday plans.

YouTube: Hot Seat - What are you going to do?

First, practise asking about someone's evening plans.

A		B
What are you going to do tonight?		Oh, I'm going to watch a movie.
What are you going to watch?		I'm going to watch E.T.
Where are you going to watch it?		I'm going to watch it at home.
Who are you going to watch it with?		I'm going to watch it with my kids.
Are you going to have any snacks?		Yeah, I'll probably have some popcorn.
What are you going to do afterwards?		I'll probably go to bed.
What time are you going to go to bed?		I'll probably go to bed at 11.
What are you going to dream about?		I might dream about aliens!

Now, try asking about their weekend plans.

A		B
What are you going to do this weekend?		Oh, I'm going to go into the city.
Who are you going to go with?		I'm going to go with my friend, Alex.
How are you going to get there?		I'm going to get there by train.
How long is it going to take?		It's going to take about an hour.
What are you going to do there?		I'm going to go to a car show.
Are you going to buy anything?		Yeah, probably!
What are you going to buy?		I'll probably buy some lunch.
Are you going to do anything else?		Well, I might test drive a car!

Finally, ask about their holiday plans.

A		B
What are you going to do over the holiday?		Oh, I'm going to go camping.
Where are you going to go?		I'm going to go to Nagano.
Who are you going to go with?		I'm going to go by myself.
How long are you going to go for?		I'm going to go for three days.
What are you going to eat?		I'll probably eat noodles.
What else are you going to do?		I'll probably go hiking.
Are you going to take some photos?		Yeah, I'll probably take photos of bears.
Are you going to bring back any souvenirs?		Well, I might get something for you!