What kind of topics

Oppositely, as we mentioned above, the W riting and S peaking tests use topics most people know something about. Why are the L istening and R eading tests about uncommon topics then? The simple reason is this. These tests want to grade your skills , not your knowledge. The aim is to test your ability to read and listen to new topics, then use your English language skills to understand them.

For the essay and the S peaking test s , be prepared to give your opinions, ideas, and examples. While preparing for the IELTS Speaking test, you need to learn a functional language and be able to use it naturally on the test day.

Subtitles on or subtitles off? For English language learners, this is a common question. If I turn the subtitles off, I can focus on my listening skills. If I put the subtitles in English, I can easier understand the actors. If the subtitles are in my 1st language, I can truly understand the movie. So, which is best? If you become Iron Man for a day, then what would you do? How can the minorities in your locality feel secure and at home?

How does the role of a male and female differ in your culture? When will the world be able to function without bureaucrats? If you want to create content for your business website, then this section shares a few proven subjects that generally get loved by readers. Write the story of how you put together your business and the learnings from running it so far.

Write a followup to it. Since then, he has covered the subject multiple times on his blog, the latest being last year. Summarize your favorite book and share any of its learnings that you use. Answer the most frequently asked question by your audience regarding a specific aspect of your business. It ended up generating over 2 million dollars worth of sales for the company.

Prepare a questionnaire that shares your top business challenges. Write down your top five productivity hacks that you use every day. Compile a list of the top conferences and events in your industry that your readers might find useful.

It could mean a breakdown of a recipe, installing WordPress and starting a website, or getting a style makeover. Take your readers behind the scenes of how you run your business every day.

Buffer has baked transparency in its company culture. They share honest accounts of their success, failures, and everything else on their open blog. Look at the top content of your competitors and let that spark fresh ideas. Round up the top myths in your industry in a piece and share the correct beliefs that people should know about. Review your most used product and share actionable ways that a new user can leverage it.

Are there any popularly accepted opinions in your industry that you strongly disagree with? If so, write a counterpoint article with stats, examples, and anecdotes from your experience. You can always find new angles on popular subjects in your industry.

Animalz offers content marketing services to SaaS companies. They still manage to breathe fresh air into old subjects. Just look at the intriguing titles of their content marketing guides below:. Write a post about the causes you support and why you care about them. Suppose your business wants to create a web show that your audience will love and launch it on YouTube.

Write down a one-page introduction to its screenplay. Write an article showing the top features of the products you sell. Invite your top users to share how they find your product valuable. You can consider creating a case study from their experiences. Write down answers to the frequently asked questions regarding your product and business. Conduct a business experiment and share its updates regularly.

It allows your readers to connect with your brand. Their personal tales resonated deeply with their audience and led to the quick growth of their blog. While these ideas are great jumping-off points, I want to empower you to come up with new subjects on your own. A great place to spark fresh ideas is exploring the work of other writers.

Indeed simply scanning the headlines can help jumpstart your writing. Here are a few platforms you can try:. Scan The Amazon Bestsellers List. Amazon remains a popular place for shoppers to buy books. As an author, you can look at the eclectic mix of both nonfiction and fiction titles. I recommend you begin exploring the books by their department in the sidebar on the left.

Here are the best sellers in romance. It is fine to ask what someone does for work or what the positive aspects are of that career, but do not ask questions about salary. Most people will find this question intrusive and inappropriate. The problem with talking about politics is that you never know who in the crowd may have strong opinions.

Stay away from this topic unless you want to risk ending up in the middle of a heated conversation. Religion is another extremely personal and potentially sensitive topic that should be avoided. Talking about sex or asking questions of an intimate nature is inappropriate during small talk. When talking with strangers, avoid talking openly about sex or making sexual innuendos. Both are likely to make others uncomfortable.

Death is another heavy topic that should be avoided during small talk. When you are in the company of strangers, do not bring up emotional topics that have the potential to be upsetting. Unless you know someone well, do not ask their age.

Although the question might seem simple to you, it can be a hot topic for some. In addition, avoid questions related to appearance. Do not ask anyone if they are pregnant, or comment that someone has lost weight. You never know the reason for weight gain or loss, and could be left in an uncomfortable situation. While celebrity gossip is fair game during small talk, gossip about people that you know personally is not.

Avoid bad-mouthing others. Save your sensitive jokes for your best friends or better yet, replace them with jokes that don't have time and place restrictions. In particular, making sexist or racist jokes is offensive and a quick way to end a conversation with strangers.

Sometimes people do make jokes that they don't realize are sensitive or offensive. It can be helpful to consider some of the signs that a joke may be offensive before you tell it. If the joke pokes fun at someone due to their race, culture, sex, or sexual orientation, skip it. You should also avoid jokes that touch on hot-button, controversial, or political issues. If your joke is at the expense of someone else, including the person you're telling it to, it's best to avoid it.

Avoid talking at length about topics that are one-sided. This might include specialized expertise in a particular field or uncommon hobbies of which your conversation partner has no knowledge. This doesn't mean you don't have to avoid mentioning those topics entirely. If someone asks you what your hobbies are, mentioning some uncommon ones can be an interesting jumping-off point for some conversations. The key is to keep the discussion more general and skip getting into long-winded speeches about highly specialized things you are passionate about unless the other person shares those same passions.

Avoid talking about past relationships on a first date or other small talk conversations. When making new romantic connections, making comparisons or talking endlessly about a past love is a turnoff and a quick way to ensure you don't get a second date.

Talking about past relationships tends to focus on negative topics, which is generally something you should try to avoid when making small talk. Your conversation partner may be hesitant to talk if it seems like you might talk negatively about them in the future as well.

Health issues tend to make poor choices for small talk. While you might be tempted to share the latest health kick you're trying, the person you are sharing it with may feel less interested. Some things you should avoid include:. Avoid discussing potentially sensitive health issues, whether they are your own or somebody else's.

Asking others about their health can come off as intrusive, so it's best to avoid it. There are a number of things you can do to help make small talk easier, whether you are meeting new people or dealing with social anxiety at a party. Doing things like asking open-ended questions and engaging in active listening can help you have great conversations with new people. Try to stay positive and discuss optimistic topics.

Avoid complaining, airing grievances, or discussing pessimistic topics. If you do bring up something that isn't generating interest or if you find yourself in an awkward conversation , change the subject and move on to something else. Remember, making small talk gets easier with practice. This course can help you create a blog that will change your life and the lives of your readers.

Try this course free with Fizzle membership ». Earn a living doing something you love. Grow an audience and get paid for your work as an independent creator.

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