My Voice, My Story: A Speaking Activity for Students
This is where “My Voice, My Story” can make a simple and useful speaking activity.
The activity is designed to encourage B.Tech students to speak in English in a relaxed and familiar way. Instead of delivering a formal speech or making a presentation, students are given a topic, a few minutes to organise their thoughts, and asked to record their voice for about 2–3 minutes.
No video. No PowerPoint. No memorised speech.
Just their voice and their story.
How Does “My Voice, My Story” Work?
Students are given a simple topic and they are given enough time to think about what they would like to say. They may make a few keywords or brief notes, but they should not write an entire paragraph and simply read it aloud.
The recording can begin with a short self-introduction.
Students can follow this format:
Name:
Year/Class:
Branch:
Topic:
For example:
“Hello everyone. My name is Rahul Kumar. I am a first-year B.Tech student from the Computer Science and Engineering department. Today, I am going to speak about my favourite sport and why I like it.”
The student can then continue speaking about the topic for approximately two to three minutes.
Choosing the Topics
The topics should be simple, familiar, and relatable. Students should have something to say without needing to spend most of their time searching for information.
Some possible topics include:
- My Favourite Sport and Why I Like It
- My Favourite Film Celebrity
- A Wonderful Day in My Life
- My Favourite Film
- A Person Who Inspires Me
- My Favourite Food
- A Childhood Memory I Still Remember
- My Favourite Hobby
- A Place I Would Love to Visit
- My Most Memorable College Day
- A Skill I Would Like to Learn
- My Dream Job
- A Film That Taught Me Something
- A Person I Would Like to Meet
- What Does Success Mean to Me?
- If I Could Travel Anywhere in the World
- One Thing I Would Like to Change
- One Lesson College Has Taught Me
The topics can gradually become more reflective as students become more comfortable speaking.
A Little Help Before They Speak
One common difficulty students may face is deciding what to say for two or three minutes.
A few prompts can make the task easier.
For example, for “My Favourite Film Celebrity,” students can think about:
- Who is the person?
- When did the interest begin?
- What is particularly appealing about the person?
- Which film or performance is memorable?
- What qualities are admired?
- Why is this person a favourite?
These questions are prompts, not a script. They simply help students organise their thoughts before speaking.
A Simple Structure
Students can follow a basic three-part structure:
Begin: Introduce the topic.
Continue: Give reasons, examples, experiences, memories, or opinions.
End: Conclude by briefly explaining what the topic means to them.
This simple structure can help students develop their ideas instead of stopping after just a few sentences.
A Short Script for the Activity
The activity can be introduced to students in the following way:
“Today, we are going to do a speaking activity called ‘My Voice, My Story.’
You will be given a topic, and your task is to speak about it for approximately 2–3 minutes.
Before you begin, introduce yourself by stating your name, year, branch, and topic.
You only need to submit an audio recording. There is no need to switch on your camera.
Take a few minutes to think about what you want to say. You may make a few notes or keywords, but please do not write a complete speech and read it.
Speak naturally and try to express your own ideas.
Don't worry if you make a few grammatical mistakes. The purpose of this activity is to practise speaking and communicating in English.
Once you finish recording, listen to it once to make sure your voice is clear before submitting it.
Most importantly, don't be afraid of making mistakes. This is your voice, your story. Just speak.”
Why Audio Instead of Video?
Keeping the activity audio-only can reduce the pressure associated with speaking in front of a camera.
Students may otherwise become conscious of their appearance, facial expressions, background, or other visual elements instead of concentrating on their speech.
An audio recording keeps the focus on language, fluency, pronunciation, and communication.
It also makes the activity convenient. Students can use the voice recorder on their phones and submit the recording through the platform used for the course.
What Can Be Observed?
The activity does not have to be treated as a formal examination. It can instead be used as a regular opportunity to observe students' speaking development.
Some aspects that can be considered include:
- Fluency – Can the student continue speaking without excessive pauses?
- Pronunciation – Is the speech generally clear and understandable?
- Vocabulary – Are appropriate words used to express ideas?
- Organisation – Does the response have a clear beginning, development, and conclusion?
- Confidence – Does the student make an attempt to communicate without excessive hesitation?
- Overall communication – Can the listener understand the student's ideas?
The emphasis should be on communication rather than grammatical perfection.
A student may make a few grammatical mistakes and still communicate an idea effectively. Such mistakes can become useful points for further language development.
From Simple Stories to Confident Speakers
The first few recordings may contain hesitation, long pauses, or repeated words. Some students may struggle to speak for the full two minutes, while others may initially depend heavily on notes.
With regular practice, however, students can gradually become more comfortable speaking in English.
The topics can also progress from simple subjects such as “My Favourite Food” or “My Favourite Sport” to more reflective topics such as “What Does Success Mean to Me?” or “One Lesson College Has Taught Me.”
This allows students to move from describing familiar things to expressing opinions, experiences, and ideas.
That is the purpose of “My Voice, My Story.”
It is not about producing perfect speeches.
It is not about memorising English.
It is about creating regular opportunities for students to speak, think, express, and be heard.
Because sometimes, the first step towards becoming a confident English speaker is simply being given a topic and being told:
“Don't write it. Tell your story.”
