Speaking file: how to record yourself

Steps to follow to record yourself doing a monologue:

1. Prepare an OUTLINE of the mon. ( ideas, key words, useful language, don´t write the whole text)

2. At home, once you feel you’ve improved in the process of putting together your text, AFTER you’ve been listening to model audios, reading out loud (from your notes) or listening and repeating (just to train and improve your fluency and accuracy), once you have created your OUTLINE and have practiced/practised creating your spoken text, try recording yourself * and listening to yourself.

* To record yourself at home you can use vocaroo.

1. Click to record /ricórd/.

2. Click “Allow”.

3. It’s recording! (if you computer micro is set to being able to record your voice as you speak to it!).

4. Click to stop when you want to stop.

5a. Click on Listen to listen to yourself.

5b. Click on Retry if you want to trash that recording and start again.

5c. Click here to save (it’s just below the two previous tabs). And now a box of Sharing options appears: in tiny script you’ll see “Download as mp3”. Download it to your computer. You need to have a folder ready in your computer. (What about the http address you can see?. It works for a few months. Then the audios are deleted. You can also delete it once you download the mp3 file by clicking “Delete now”)

3. Listen to yourself :

·       Are you using enough useful language (vocabulary and grammar)?

·       Are you speaking clearly enough?

·       Is your talk easy to follow? Are you using (but not exaggerating with) signaling expressions?

·       Can you spot any grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation mistakes?

4. When you are ready share your monologue in class.

5. Example: A MONOLOGUE ABOUT TECHNOLOGY: after listening to a MODEL AUDIO

-  Listen to Joel talking about technology when he was a kid and nowadays (parts 1 and 2). Part 3 here.

-  Listen again, stop after each sentence and repeat, just to practise/practice pronunciation and fluency .
-  Prepare an OUTLINE for a similar monologue (adapt to your situation)

-  Record yourself while you are giving a similar talk where you compare the technology you are using today to that you were using when you were a kid.