I just created a small group of like minded women on skype to fulfill a need. We are all working from home and miss the social interaction that you get from going to a work place. The idea was to have an online talk at morning tea time based on subjects like fitness and health, relationships, work, and financial management. Our first one was fun as it was inspiring and motivating – I also created a secret Facebook page that we can use each day to stay in contact and where our weekly goals are posted.
I then thought that this would be a good way to practice speaking English live with friends at no cost other than your time. Here are some guidelines for a successful group:
1. Keep the group small – 2 is ideal, 4 is probably the maximum
2. Keep the goal focused – practice spoken English to become more fluent
3. Select topics to talk about (you could all talk about the latest news topics)
4. Have one person act as the facilitator (for groups more than 2)
5. Keep the time short and constant (for example every Monday from 8pm – 8.30pm)
6. Create your own page on Facebook, Myspace or any other free social networking site to post news items and topics that you can talk about
