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Transcript

CJ [00:00:00] Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Official CELPIP Podcast, where we aim to help you, our test takers, get the best possible scores you can, and support newcomers building a life in Canada. My name is CJ, and along with my co-host, Chris, we talk to a variety of guests, from test-takers, language teachers, and test raters to employment counselors and immigration consultants, just to name a few. We also bring in our in-house staff on the show to get their perspectives. And they’re the people in the company that work behind the scenes to make the CELPIP Test available to you. How are you doing today, Chris?

Chris [00:00:35] I’m doing OK.

CJ [00:00:37] Oh, OK. You seem a bit down. What’s on your mind?

Chris [00:00:42] To be or not to be? That is the question.

CJ [00:00:48] Uh… that’s from Hamlet, right. To tell you the truth, it’s been a while since I read any Shakespeare. So it might be another one, but that feels like Hamlet.

Chris [00:00:56] You can’t handle the truth.

CJ [00:01:00] OK. I think I see what you’re doing. I know this one. It’s a quote from a movie, “A Few Good Men,” from way back in the 90s. Where are you going with all these dramatic quotes?

Chris [00:01:11] To infinity and beyond!

CJ [00:01:14] OK, “Toy Story.” I know this one. You really have a thing for cinema of the 90s. Please let me and our listeners in on why you’re quoting all these lines from movies and theater.

Chris [00:01:26] Well, I’ve been inspired by our guest today to look to movies and plays as an exciting way to develop English language speaking skills.

CJ [00:01:34] Oh, interesting. Well, it’s good to know you haven’t completely lost your mind. That’s a relief.

Chris [00:01:39] Huh. No, not completely. Anyway, we’re going to hear more about how drama can make us better speakers of English in today’s conversation with Simon Best, who also happens to be the newest member of our in-house team. He joined us in June of this year.

CJ [00:01:56] And for future podcast listeners, I should mention that the year is 2021.

Chris [00:02:01] Oh, right. Yes. Simon is joining us in 2021. As we gradually emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Like others on our team, he’s a seasoned professional with many years of teaching experience. He also brings a unique perspective based on his background in theater and acting. The focus of today’s podcast will be to learn more about how Simon’s drama experience informs his work as a language teacher and how the techniques he uses can help test takers improve their performance on the Speaking part of the CELPIP Test.

CJ [00:02:36] That is very cool. Welcome to the podcast, Simon.

Simon [00:02:40] Hi, guys. Thanks for having me. So happy to finally be here to join in the fun.

Chris [00:02:44] Hi, Simon. Maybe we could start off with you telling us a little bit about your journey. Just like our test takers, you started life outside of Canada.

Simon [00:02:54] Yeah, that’s right. I started my Canadian life in 2007. But before that, I was a drama teacher and actor in the UK for six years. As you can probably tell from my accent, I’m originally from the south of England. I taught stage and screen acting and directed a number of theater plays as well as performing all over the country. When I moved to Canada, I initially acted in films, TV, and commercials. But after a few years of doing that, I wanted to go back into teaching, but this time with a focus on ESL. So for the last ten years I’ve been teaching all levels from elementary to proficiency, and now I’m so excited to bring my skills and experience to the team here.

CJ [00:03:35] That’s so awesome. Um, was it difficult for you to transition from teaching drama to ESL?

Simon [00:03:43] Yeah, I was actually really worried at first, as my only teaching experience had been in drama. But the more I taught ESL, the more I realized how many transferable skills there are between the two areas. They both have such a strong focus on language elements. So I soon realized that my theater background was actually a huge advantage.

Chris [00:04:03] It sounds like there are many parts of drama training that could be used for our test takers. Could you tell us how you use them with your language students?

Simon [00:04:12] Yeah, as I’m sure our test takers find when you learn a new language, you can’t just focus on the vocabulary and grammar. In order to be authentic, you have to think about the pronunciation, intonation, and projection of your voice, as well as adjusting your body language to fit your underlying tone. These are the exact same skills that an actor uses when they are creating a character. So I always advise my students to imagine that they have a distinct English-speaking persona. That way they can more easily slip into that speaking style when they switch languages. Speaking a second language is just like taking on a new character.

CJ [00:04:50] Have you noticed any direct improvements in your students’ language skills after they’ve incorporated some drama training?

Simon [00:04:57] Oh, yeah, absolutely. In one of my prior schools, I set up an ESL drama club for all levels and abilities to use whatever English they had to perform to the rest of their peers, and I could clearly see the difference in the English of these students compared to the others. It wasn’t just their speaking and projection, but it was an underlying confidence boost the drama is just so great at delivering. One Japanese student in particular was too shy to ever try her English for fear of making mistakes. But after taking my drama course, she could speak openly and confidently to her friends. And it’s, it’s moments like that that really remind me how empowering drama can be for everyone.

Chris [00:05:38] Can you go through some of the specific activities that our listeners could do at home?

Simon [00:05:43] OK, so a really good way to begin this training at home is to start with breathing. OK, so behind your stomach is a thick muscle called the diaphragm, and it’s the same muscles swimmers use to hold their breath. So if you engage that, your voice instantly becomes stronger. So I would like you all to do it with me. Okay, so sit up straight. Put your hand on your six pack—or your one pack, in my case—whatever’s there. Lower stomach and breathe in through your nose for five seconds. One, two, three, four, five. Then hold it for five seconds. One, two, three, four, five. Then push the air out like you’re blowing through a straw. One, two, three, four, five. If you do this a few times before you speak, you won’t just have a clearer voice, but it’s also great for calming your mind. And then the second thing is to use these four mouth sounds to open and stretch the muscles around your mouth, so that you, first of all, do a big smile and say “Eeeeeeee,” and then you open your mouth wide and go, “Ahhhh,” and then you pinch your mouth tight and go, “Oooohhh,” and then you push forward from your back of your throat and say, “Yahhh.” And apart from sounding awesome, it’s really great for warming up your mouth muscles for pronunciation. So once you’ve done your breathing and you’ve done your mouth warming, you can start working on specific tongue twisters to practice making these strange English shapes. So here’s a few that I’ve written to target common specific areas that I commonly hear. So if there’s a “th” or “w/v” problem, you can say, “I wonder whether the weather will be wetter or whether the weather will be better.” Easy, right. Or if you have “th,” you can say “Thirty-three thieves thought thirty-three thoughts.” Or like many of my Japanese students have problems with the “r/l” sound. You can say, “Robbie’s little rabbits like running long races.” OK, so now I’m going to turn it to you, CJ and Chris, it’s your turn now to practice these tongue twisters. So let’s hear your English. So, CJ, which one would you like to do?

CJ [00:08:02] Oh, gosh. Uh, I’ll try the first one with the whethers and the weather. I wonder whether the weather will be wetter or whether the weather will be better.

Simon [00:08:17] So you prepped it. Top points.

CJ [00:08:19] That’s really tricky. I feel I couldn’t I was muted before, but I was definitely doing those sounds while you were walking us through it. But I do feel like I was able to do it.

Simon [00:08:32] Excellent. Well, good job. How about you, Chris? Which one would you try?

Chris [00:08:35] I’ll try the next one. Thirty-three thieves thought thirty-three thoughts.

Simon [00:08:42] Excellent.

Chris [00:08:43] That could be tricky. I’m glad it was short.

Simon [00:08:48] Yes. These once you start repeating these over and over, if you have problems with “th,” or those different letter sounds, they’re really, really good. So very good, both of you. And remember, fluency isn’t about speaking fast, but it’s more about having a musicality and a flow to your speech. These exercises will help, and you should record yourself on your phone to analyze your own improvement.

Chris [00:09:12] And don’t worry if you missed some of that. We’ll include a link to a handout you can download to use to practice with.

CJ [00:09:20] So, Simon, it’s interesting that you mentioned musicality and I think relating language to music. Would you say that speaking is a little bit like singing?

Simon [00:09:32] Oh, absolutely. I personally love the fact that as a species, we were singing before we were speaking. So when we speak a different language, we’re actually singing their song. Some languages have a monotone that doesn’t work in English, so it’s really important to practice varying your tone in that way.

Chris [00:09:52] And I guess even just singing along with your favorite English songs would help.

Simon [00:09:56] Oh, absolutely. I love singing. All test takers should sing to themselves. It’s a great way to explore intonation. The ways the English sentences tend to go up and down. Singing in the shower is great practice and also, as Chris so superbly demonstrated, to find a line from your favorite movie and try to say it exactly the same way as the actor. It’s a fun and effective way to find a new tone.

Chris [00:10:20] I see. Yes. And what other ways can drama help our test takers? There are parts of the test where the test takers have to imagine the details of a situation. Test takers sometimes struggle with coming up with ideas. Can drama training help with that, too?

Simon [00:10:37] Oh, yeah, absolutely. A really popular approach to acting was developed by a Russian called Stanislavski, and he suggested that we use our existing memories and the emotions that go with them to make our acting more real. So test takers can use the same skills to add details to a test situation. Just use your own experience to imagine details using your own creativity.

CJ [00:11:01] OK, so that’s super interesting, but creativity is a hard thing to train. So what might you suggest for our test takers?

Simon [00:11:10] Yes, creativity is hard, but it’s really important to remember that everyone has creativity. At its root, it’s a combination of imagination and opinion. So great training is to imagine what people might be thinking next time you’re on the bus. Add details of their lives based purely on your observations. You should also take your new vocabulary and write the most exciting short story for kids that you can imagine, playing with the language to make vivid descriptions and expressions. You’ll find that your creative language improves really fast.

CJ [00:11:44] Oh, that’s so interesting. I have definitely done that, just made up life stories of people on the bus in the before times when I was taking the bus a lot. So I wonder if you could talk about how this could be applied specifically to the Writing and Speaking parts of the CELPIP Test, because sometimes test takers say they can’t come up with ideas or simply don’t feel they have a good enough imagination.

Simon [00:12:09] Yeah, this is a really common problem I found with my students, too. With both the writing and speaking tasks, you should try to imagine your environment and ask yourself questions. So, who is there? Who are you talking to? Where are you sitting? And so on. By quickly answering these questions, you can create some authentic details to make the situation feel more alive, which will in turn improve the authenticity of your English.

Chris [00:12:37] Hmm. Interesting. Somewhat on a related point, many test takers experience anxiety when they have to speak. Do you ever feel nervous when you perform?

Simon [00:12:48] Oh, wow. Every time. All the time. I’ve suffered from anxiety all my life, so learning how to walk onto a stage or even in front of a new class, it’s been a vital life skill, and I have drama to thank for that, too. Speaking on a stage of any kind is a place where you have to put yourself as a focus for criticism. And it’s much like speaking a second language, so it can be very intimidating, especially in a test.

Chris [00:13:17] So how do you get over those nerves?

Simon [00:13:20] Deep breathing has saved me on many occasions. Also, you should remember that the listener doesn’t know what you’re about to say. So what you need to do is stay one sentence ahead in your mind. Learn the conjunctions to link your ideas together, and then trust your English ability. Nerves close the mind. So I use every trick I can to avoid the fight or flight response. Relax and trust in your own abilities.

Chris [00:13:46] Those are all excellent techniques test takers could use to stay calm during the test.

CJ [00:13:51] Or say maybe, podcast hosts interviewing guests?

Simon [00:13:56] Well, I’m a big believer in practicing at home in front of the mirror, so try that.

Chris [00:14:00] We will, definitely. This has been really eye-opening. I really hope that our listeners will give these techniques a try. They could make a huge difference in their performance. Thanks, Simon.

CJ [00:14:12] Yeah, Simon, thanks so much. Those were some truly, truly game-changing tips. It was really awesome of you to be here. Thanks for stopping by.

Simon [00:14:20] Oh, my pleasure. Any time. I really had a great time. So I look forward to coming on again.

CJ [00:14:24] And we look forward to having you on again. You’re committed now. There’s there’s no backing out. So we’ll see you again soon.

Simon [00:14:32] OK, I’ll be here.

CJ [00:14:33] So, Chris, what have we got coming up on our next episode?

Chris [00:14:37] Next time, we’re going to find out all about the Writing rating process by talking to our former CELPIP Writing rater who also happens to be one of our in-house CELPIP experts and webinar hosts. This is one for any test taker looking to better understand the Writing part of the test and how it is scored.

CJ [00:14:57] Ah. So basically, everyone taking the CELPIP-General Test.

Chris [00:15:01] Oh, yeah, I guess so. That’s right.

CJ [00:15:04] Perfect. Well, that’s going to be awesome. This was great. And we’ll see everyone soon.

Chris [00:15:08] Bye bye.

CJ [00:15:09] Bye everybody.