5 Key Considerations for Teaching Advanced Speaking Lessons Online

Teaching advanced speaking lessons can be one of the most rewarding—and at times most challenging—parts of ESL teaching. By the time students reach an upper-intermediate or advanced level, they can communicate in English with relative ease. The real question becomes: how well can they express themselves, and how can we as teachers push them toward fluency, accuracy, and confidence?

With Florentis Learning’s new Advanced Speaking Lessons now available, online ESL teachers have access to structured, engaging resources that save prep time and keep students motivated. But whether you’re using ready-made lessons or designing your own, there are some key considerations to keep in mind when teaching advanced learners.

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Understanding the Needs of Advanced Learners

At the advanced level, teaching priorities shift:

From role play to critical thinking. Instead of practicing “ordering in a restaurant,” students need opportunities to debate, justify opinions, and analyze real-world issues.
From survival English to academic and professional English. Many advanced learners are preparing for exams like Cambridge B2 First (FCE) or IELTS, or they need polished speaking skills for work and study abroad.
From “Can they talk?” to “How well can they communicate?” Advanced learners already manage basic conversations, so your role is to help them refine nuance and accuracy.

Key Considerations for Planning Advanced Speaking Lessons

1. Choose engaging topics

Advanced learners thrive on discussion-worthy themes. Rotate between light, personal topics (hobbies, music, travel) and thought-provoking ones (climate change, artificial intelligence, ethics in technology).

Tip: Themed units in Florentis Learning’s Advanced Speaking Lessons are built around exam-relevant topics that encourage both fluency and critical thinking.

2. Balance structure and spontaneity

While it’s tempting to let advanced students “just talk,” providing scaffolding helps them stretch their language use. Sentence stems, discussion prompts, or debate frameworks give structure, but you should gradually reduce support so learners become independent speakers.

3. Integrate grammar and vocabulary naturally

At this stage, students need targeted language support:

Allowing time for reflection, e.g., by recording and replaying responses.
Functional phrases: agreeing/disagreeing, hypothesizing, hedging.
Complex grammar: conditionals, relative clauses, discourse markers.
Topic-specific vocabulary tied to the lesson theme.

4. Use effective error correction

Advanced learners expect correction—but not interruption. A balance works best: on-the-spot correction for key errors that block communication; delayed correction at the end of the activity with error notes and reformulations; and encouraging self- and peer correction so students develop independence.

Here are some practical ways to provide corrections to advanced learners to help them refine and polish their English without breaking their flow:

Prioritize errors that matter. Focus on mistakes with advanced grammar (conditionals, relative clauses) or word choice that affects clarity. Don’t overcorrect small slips in fluency.
Use a correction code. In the chat box, type a symbol like G (grammar), V (vocabulary), or PR (pronunciation) instead of stopping them mid-sentence. Students can self-correct and stay in the conversation.
Note errors for later. Keep a “mistake log” during discussions. At the end of class, review the top 3–5 errors together and provide reformulated sentences.
Turn errors into practice. If a student misuses a phrase (e.g., “in the other hand”), write the correct version (“on the other hand”) and immediately have them use it in two new sentences.
Record and reflect. Ask students to record a speaking task and listen back with your notes. This encourages self-awareness and helps them hear the difference between their attempt and the correct form. This is a great pre or post class activity.
Balance correction with praise. Point out one strong phrase or structure for every correction. This builds confidence while reinforcing what they’re doing well.

Want to see these strategies in action? I recently created a short video where I walk through practical techniques for correcting advanced speakers without interrupting their flow. In it, I share real examples of when to correct immediately, when to delay feedback, and how to encourage learners to self-correct.

5. Build confidence and motivation

Even strong learners hesitate when expressing complex thoughts. They may worry about making mistakes, sounding less fluent than in their native language, or struggling to find the “perfect” word. Your role is to create an environment where they feel safe experimenting with language and proud of their progress.

Encourage risk-taking by:

Assigning debates or problem-solving tasks where they must defend ideas. These structured challenges push students to use advanced grammar and persuasive vocabulary in real time.
Praising attempts at advanced grammar and vocabulary even if imperfect. Highlight effort as much as accuracy—for example, commend the use of a conditional even if the form wasn’t quite right.
Normalizing mistakes. Remind students that errors are part of growth. You can even share your own experiences learning another language to humanize the process.
Setting achievable micro-goals. For example: “This week, try using two different linking words in your answers,” or “Practice giving at least one counterargument in the debate.” Small wins add up and keep motivation high.
Using reflection activities. Have students record short answers and then listen back to identify what they did well. This builds self-awareness and reduces the fear of mistakes.
Incorporating choice. Let learners pick topics that interest them, or choose between two speaking tasks. Autonomy increases engagement and ownership of learning.
Celebrating progress. Track growth over time (e.g., fewer pauses, more advanced vocabulary) and point it out to students. Tangible evidence of improvement is highly motivating.

Practical Activities for Advanced Speaking Lessons

Here are a few go-to formats:

Debates – structured, with assigned roles and evidence.
Role plays with complexity – such as a business negotiation or panel discussion.
Opinion pyramids – brainstorm individually → share in pairs → group debate.
Timed speaking challenges – simulate FCE or IELTS conditions.
Mini-presentations – students prepare short talks and field follow-up questions.

👉 Many of these activity types are ready-to-use in Florentis Learning’s Advanced Speaking Lessons, saving you valuable prep time.

Common Challenges (and How to Handle Them)

Even when students are advanced, teaching speaking isn’t always smooth sailing. Strong learners can still fall into predictable habits, stall in conversation, or face difficulties that come from the online classroom itself. As teachers, it helps to anticipate these hurdles and prepare strategies in advance. Here are some of the most common challenges you may face—and practical ways to overcome them:

Safe vocabulary use. Advanced students often rely on the same “safe” words and phrases instead of experimenting with richer language. Encourage them to vary word choice by modeling alternatives, keeping a “word bank” on screen, or challenging them to rephrase their answers in two different ways.
Silences in 1:1 lessons. Even confident learners sometimes run out of things to say. To keep conversations flowing, prepare a bank of follow-up questions or use prompts that extend ideas (e.g., “Why do you think that?” or “Can you give an example?”). This prevents dead air while still putting responsibility on the student to elaborate.
Mixed-level groups. In small group lessons, one student may dominate while another hangs back. Assigning roles—such as “discussion leader,” “note-taker,” or “counter-arguer”—gives each learner a clear responsibility and ensures balanced participation.
Cultural gaps. Discussion topics may involve references that are unfamiliar to students. Pre-teach essential background knowledge (for example, what “climate summit” means before a debate on global warming) so learners feel prepared to contribute meaningfully.

Tips for Online Classroom Management

Advanced speaking lessons often happen online, either 1:1 or in small groups. To keep lessons smooth:

Use breakout rooms for pair debates.
Incorporate collaborative tools like Google Docs for brainstorming or Padlet for idea sharing.
Manage airtime carefully—set timers if needed to ensure balance.

Linking Speaking Practice to Exams and Real Life

Many advanced learners study English with a clear goal in mind:

Exams: Practice tasks should mirror Cambridge FCE Speaking Part 3 (collaborative discussion) or IELTS long-turn speaking.
Real life: Build transferable skills like leading meetings, participating in discussions, and giving presentations.

Conclusion

Teaching advanced speaking lessons means striking the right balance: structure and freedom, correction and encouragement, light and serious topics. When you get it right, students not only improve their exam performance but also grow into confident communicators ready for real-world conversations. If you’d like to save time while still delivering engaging, exam-aligned lessons, check out Florentis Learning’s new Advanced Speaking Lessons—a growing collection designed to help you challenge students, boost confidence, and keep conversations flowing.