Interviews

High-intermediate

Think-Pair-Share: Texting or Talking?

Objective: Activate prior knowledge and encourage personal reflection.

Instructions:

• Ask students to individually write down three situations when they prefer to text and three when they prefer to talk.
• Then, in pairs, have them compare and discuss their lists.
• As a class, compile the most common answers on the board.

Opinion Corners: Where Do You Stand?

Objective: Promote critical thinking and oral fluency.

Instructions:

• Place signs in four corners of the room labeled: Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree.
• Read out statements related to the topic (e.g., “Texting is just as good as talking,” “It’s okay to break up with someone over text”).
• Students move to the corner that matches their opinion, then explain their reasoning to those nearby.

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:

• appropriate (adjective): suitable, proper, right for the situation
  – It’s not appropriate to text someone bad news.
  – Please wear appropriate clothes for the interview.
• conversation (noun): a spoken exchange between people
  – Randall and Emily had a deep conversation about communication.
  – I had a short conversation with my neighbor this morning.
• prefer (verb): to like one thing more than another
  – I prefer talking on the phone to texting.
  – Do you prefer coffee or tea in the morning?
• efficiently (adverb): done in a quick and organized way
  – She finished her work efficiently and had time to relax.
  – Texting can help you communicate efficiently in busy situations.
• communication (noun): the way people give and receive information
  – Good communication helps people understand each other.
  – Texting and talking are both forms of communication.

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.

Randall: Emily. Over time, there are many different technologies that advanced our lives in different ways. But let me ask you, what do you think is better: texting or talking? Which is the better option and why? And it perhaps depends on the situation.

Emily: It absolutely does depend on the situation. If, let’s say Mom died tomorrow and I got a text from you, “Hey, you know, just letting you know mom died.” I don’t think that that’s an appropriate thing to have over a text, but if you were to say, “Hey, do you want to go to lunch with me and Mom tomorrow?,” that is an appropriate thing to do over text. There’s just a lot of nuances and subtle communication that is lost when through text.

Randall: What about if you’re going to . . . .you feel that you want to break up with someone: text or talk?

Emily: Definitely don’t text. That’s got to be an in-person conversation or over the phone if it’s really awkward.

Randall: Yeah, that’s kind of a hard situation. I mean, yes, to me, face-to-face communication in those types of situations are vital. I mean, it’s like if you’re just going to text someone goodbye, and that’s just such an abrupt manner of doing that, and it just leaves, I think, a negative impression. “Why couldn’t you take the time to just, you know, speak face to face?” But I understand why people would want to, but I don’t think it’s the most effective way. I think it’s an efficient way, but not effective in terms of getting your message across.

Emily: Exactly.

Randall: All right. Thank you for your thoughts on the topic.

Intermediate Level

1. When do you usually text instead of talking? Can you give some examples from your life?
2. Have you ever received a message by text that made you feel confused or upset? Why do you think that happened?
3. Do you agree with Emily that bad news should not be sent by text? Why or why not?
4. What are the benefits of texting? What are the problems?
5. If a friend broke up with you by text, how would you feel? What would you want them to do instead?

Advanced Level Questions

1. What does this conversation reveal about how digital communication is changing our emotional connections?
2. In your opinion, is texting making people less empathetic? Why or why not?
3. Do you think younger generations view texting differently than older generations like Randall? How so?
4. Can texting ever be just as meaningful as face-to-face communication? Under what conditions?
5. How might cultural background influence someone’s preference for texting or talking in emotional situations?