Language Partners - Preparation

[Thunter]

Hi,

I would love starting this topic because i recognized that when talking to somebody via Skype time is seldom used efficiently. At the beginning i would often speak with people about holidays or politics. Later i recognized that there is a need to focus every time at different topic and now I use always different topics to widen my vocabulary. To do it efficiently I use the vocabulary lists from my textbooks, because there is already some kind of preparation make and I just can activate my knowledge. But I would love to create a flexible protocol which makes it possible to get the most out of the time i spend with my language partners.
What are you strategies?
How do you manage using different topics and grammatical structures?
I would love having "balanced" conversations.

[Chris]

Topical post, for me. I am only A1 and found Skype very difficult, as I can't construct meaningful conversations - just sentences that on a good day, amount to a bit of a conversation.

My next attempt is to focus my conversation around mundane, daily events, so that I have a better chance of constructing a dialogue.

[tommus]

I definitely agree that Skype exchanges are very much more productive if you put in a considerable amount of preparation. I usually take two hours to prepare for a 30-minute chat. I use a current topic from the news, or a topic I feel both partners would be interested in. I usually supplement the discussion with links of photos from the Internet. I sometimes prepare a series of questions about the country, city, interests, etc. of my partner and have many of the answers and related words at hand. I sometimes try telling short stories (5 min) in my L2 that would be of interest to my partner that would stimulate further discussion.

During the chat, I DO NOT ask for pronunciation or other corrections, but a few occur from time to time. With my partner's approval, I record the Skype exchanges for review later.