CONVERSATION TOPICS - ADVANCED LEVEL

1. Annoying things

o Do people have habits that annoy you?

o Do you annoy people with some of your habits?

o What does 'pet peeve' mean?

o Do you have a pet peeve?

o What annoys you when you are driving a car?

o What are some things that car drivers do that annoy you?

o Does it annoy you if someone cuts in front of you when

you are waiting in line?

o Does smoking bother you?

o Does something that your parents do annoy you?

o Do some people in your office/company do annoying

things?

o Can you think of any celebrities that are annoying? Why?

o What do people do on public transport that annoys you?

2. Success-Failure

o How would you define success?

o Do you have the same idea of success as your parents?

o To what extent will your encourage your children to

become successful?

o Do you think failures can contribute to a person's

success?

o Can you think of any famous people who encountered

failure before success?

3. Social Networking
 o What is social networking?

o Can social networking sites be dangerous?

o What precautions would you advise people to take?

o Should the use of social networking sites be banned at

work?

o Are social networking sites changing our daily behaviour?

o Is it possible to become a social networking addict?

4. Diseases

o What dangerous diseases are people scared of nowadays?

o Should we be better-informed about the dangers of these

diseases?

o What is the best way to stop diseases from spreading?

o Do diseases have an effect on travel?

o Which disease is it urgent to find a cure for?

5. Manners

o Are good manners important?

o Do people have better manners today than before?

o Can you give examples of what you think are good

manners?

o What do you think are bad manners?

o Can good manners in one country be bad manners in

another country?

o What about table manners? Can you give examples of

some good table manners?

o How about bad table manners?

o Can manners affect your success in life? How?

 o What's the best way to teach manners to children?

o What advice about manners would you give a foreigner

visiting your country?

6. News coverage in the media today.

o Do you think news coverage today correctly describes

what is going on in the world?

o Do you trust everything you hear or see on the news?

o What improvements would you make?

o What is the most important current news story?

o Do certain types of events get too much/too little

coverage?

o Do you trust the media? Are you sure the information

given is always true?

o Is it important to keep up with current events?

7. Job interviews

o Is it necessary to prepare for a job interview?

o How can a person make a good first impression?

o Is there a recommended dress code for an interview?

o Can you think of any difficult questions one should be

prepared for?

o Is there anything a candidate should avoid mentioning?

o Is it ok to make negative comments about your present

employer?

o Is it ok for interviewers to ask questions about age,

marital status, etc.?

o What information should a candidate have about the

company?
8. Environment

o What are some of the most serious environmental

problems today?

o Can you find ten things that each of us can do to help

preserve our planet?

o What is your opinion on climate change?

o In what way will our children be affected by climate

change?

o How can we make our homes more environmentally

friendly?

o What can companies do to help preserve the

environment?

o Which countries cause the most pollution?

o If we run out of oil, where will we get our energy from?

9. Shopping on the internet

o Do you often do your shopping online?

o What do you buy online? :

- food
- clothes
- furniture
- services : airline tickets, theatre reservations, flowers,
greeting cards ...
- other

o Are the prices the same as in the shops/agencies or less

expensive?

o Have you ever had any disappointments or bad surprises?

o What are the advantages of shopping online?

o What are the dangers?

o What advice would you give future online shoppers?

10. Risk

o What is your definition of risk?

 o Do you know any risk takers?

o In your opinion why do people take risks? (pleasure, work,

challenge ...)

o What risks do you come across in your work/life?

o Are some people obliged to take risks in their jobs?

o When is a risk stupid or unnecessary?

11. Politicians' personal lives.

o Does a politician's personal life have an effect on their

ability to do their job?

o Do you think the media pays too much attention to

politicians' personal lives?

o Why do certain types of media give excessive coverage to

minor offences?

o Information concerning personal lives circulates quickly

on social networks.
Is this good or bad?

12. History for future generations.

o You are asked to select a number of objects to represent

life at the beginning of the 21st century.
The idea is to help future generations better understand
how we lived and what major events affected us.
What objects would your choose and why?

13. Technology

o What technology would it be difficult to live without

today?

o Has technology changed our everyday lifestyle?

o What technology, if any, has made our homes more

comfortable?

o Has technology changed education methods?

 o Will online education one day replace the classroom?

14. Travelling has become easier and cheaper. What

has it changed in people's lives:

o speed, comfort, health, family relationships, etc.

o work/employment

o holiday habits

o way of life/standard of living in certain countries

15. Describe the best or worst trip you ever took:

o Where did you go?

o Did you travel alone or with a group?

o What did you do / what had you intended to do?

o What made it your best (or worst) trip?

o What advice would you give someone planning the same

sort of trip?

16. Work

o Do human beings need to work to be happy?

o What motivates people to work long hours?

o Can perks (or fringe benefits) compensate for a boring

job?

o What are the advantages/disadvantages of working from

home?

o How do people find a balance between work and personal

life?

o What would make you leave your job?

 o In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?

17. Is life today better than in the past? Think about

the following:

o Education - employment - job satisfaction

o Health : prevention, treatment, new discoveries, social

security, etc.

o Comfort : standard of living (housing/transport/leisure)

o Violence

o Social issues : single mothers, unmarried couples,

homosexuality ...

18. Inventions

o What invention has had the greatest impact on our lives?

o Are there some things that never should have been

invented?

o Do some countries encourage inventors more than

others?

19. What are the 5 most important decisions in a

person's life?
After making suggestions and defending their ideas, the group
retains five and decides on the order of importance.

20. It is impossible to have a successful career and a

happy family life.
You have to choose one or the other. Do you agree?

21. Careers today: how to advise young people

o How important is it to have a good (well-paid/secure) job?

o What advice would you give a young person today?

 o Would you encourage your children to accept a job in
another country?

o Would you be disappointed if your children

 left school early?

 chose a manual job?

22. The internet is an essential communication tool in

today's world.
.

o The first and most popular use is the email. What others
can you think of?

o Has fraud increased since the arrival of the internet?

How?

o What steps would you advise to protect data and privacy?

o What do you think the internet will be used for in the

future?

23. Recent physical achievements (crossing the Atlantic,

mountain climbing, etc.).

o How many can you think of?

o Which achievement was the most impressive?

o Are the world's best athletes present at the Olympic

Games?

o What do you think of 'extreme' sports (bungee jumping,

tightrope walking...)?

24. Has violence increased in recent years?

o What are the causes (unemployment, poverty, minority

issues, tv series,
poor parenting ...?

o What are the effects on young children?

 o What could be done to reduce violence?

o Is the increase in violence a worldwide phenomenon?

25. The effects of medical and scientific progress:

o health (prevention, treatment, organ transplants, rare

diseases, etc.)

o beauty (plastic surgery, dental care, etc.)

o comfort in the home

o transport