About Smart Discussions
Smart Discussions exists for one purpose: making your ESL speaking lessons easier, cleaner, and actually fun to teach. Everything we publish is practical and no-BS — simple discussion topics you can use in any class, whether you’re online or in the room. No clutter, no scrolling through junk. Just clear, ready-to-use prompts that work on any device.
You’ll find everything from quick warm-ups to deeper, more thoughtful conversation themes. And when it makes sense, we also link to full lesson recommendations so you can build out the topic even further. We add new topics every day, so you’ll always have something fresh to talk about.
Free, with one small ask
Smart Discussions is free. After a couple of pages we ask for your email and send you a 4-digit code to confirm it’s really you. No password, no account to manage.
In return you get one email a week: new discussion topics, a new lesson, and now and then an offer. Unsubscribe anytime with one click.
The lesson recommendations in those emails come from betterclass, our other site, where you’ll find the full ready-to-teach lessons.
How to Teach ESL Discussion Questions
Here are a few easy ways to make the most of discussion prompts in class:
- Warm up the schema
Start with a quick prediction or mini-brainstorm. It activates background knowledge and gets students ready to speak without pressure. - Model natural language
Give students a couple of example phrases like “In my opinion…” or “I’m not sure I agree.” This builds confidence and helps them keep the conversation flowing. - Let students lead
Put them in pairs or small groups and step back. The less you talk, the more they talk. Jump in only to clarify meaning or fix high-impact errors. - Change the task, not the topic
Turn the same set of questions into a role-play, ranking task, opinion line, or quick debate. Same content, different cognitive load.
Want more than discussion questions? Explore A2–C1 lesson plans built from videos, articles, and audios.