Students introduce their partners.

A pre-speech speaking activity.

Students are divided into pairs by chance–perhaps by drawing pennies out of a cup after each coin has been labeled by a student with his/her name in indelible ink–and interview each other using a form provided by the instructor. The pairs then introduce each other to the rest of the class. If time permits, this activity can begin on the second or third day of class. To keep the atmosphere comfortable and unthreatening, I don’t require any particular length for the speech and don’t ask the students to remove hats or otherwise alter their appearance to enhance their professionalism. This is basically an ice-breaking, getting-to-know-you activity.

View a sample video of students performing this task on the Open Course Library Youtube channel:

Other samples are available at: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL26CB614399F31194