How to Turn Any Topic into a Speaking Practice Session Using AI
The Excuse That Killed More Fluency Than Bad Grammar Ever Did
“Sir, I don’t know what to talk about.”
I heard this sentence hundreds of times. In classrooms in Andheri. In coaching sessions in Ghatkopar. In college seminar rooms in Thane. Students who were intelligent, motivated, genuinely wanting to improve — sitting in front of me with nothing to say.
Not because they had no thoughts. Not because they had no opinions. But because nobody had ever shown them that the thing they were thinking about five minutes ago — the cricket match, the traffic on the highway, the argument at home, the movie they watched last night — was enough. More than enough. It was a complete speaking practice session waiting to happen.
That was the real problem. Not lack of vocabulary. Not bad grammar. Not accent. It was this one belief that sat quietly in the back of every learner’s mind: I need a special topic to practise English. Something academic. Something serious. Something worthy.
No. You do not.
The most powerful speaking practice sessions I ever ran were about chai. About the local train. About why someone’s mother makes better dal than anyone else in the world. About what annoys you in traffic. About a dream you had last night.
Ordinary topics. Extraordinary practice.
And now — with AI — you can turn any of those topics into a full, structured, feedback-rich speaking session. Any time. Any day. For free.
This blog will show you exactly how.
Why Topic Does Not Matter (But Most Learners Think It Does)
Here is what fluency actually is. It is not knowing big words. It is not speaking with an accent. It is the ability to take whatever is in your head and move it smoothly into English — in real time, without freezing, without translating sentence by sentence in your mind.
That ability is built by speaking. About anything. Repeatedly.
When you wait for the “right” topic — the impressive one, the one that feels worthy of practice — you are delaying the only thing that actually helps. Speaking. Now. About whatever is in front of you.
Think about how children learn to speak their mother tongue. A two year old does not wait for a serious topic. They talk about the dog. The biscuit. The colour of their shirt. The noise outside. And in doing that — endlessly, fearlessly, about nothing important — they become fluent.
You already have a topic. You always do. You just have not been shown how to use it.
The 4-Step Method to Turn Any Topic Into a Practice Session
Here is the method. Simple, repeatable, works with any topic you can think of.
Step 1 — Pick anything. A topic from your day. Something you saw, heard, felt, or thought about. We will do examples in a moment.
Step 2 — Tell AI what you want from the session. Not just the topic — the purpose. Do you want to practise giving opinions? Telling a story? Describing something? Debating? Persuading? The same topic can train completely different speaking skills depending on what you ask AI to do with it.
Step 3 — Speak first, think second. Start talking. Imperfect is fine. Messy is fine. The goal is to keep going, not to be perfect.
Step 4 — Extract the learning. After the session, use a feedback prompt to find out what sounded natural, what did not, and one thing to carry into your next session.
That is it. Four steps. Any topic. Every day.
Real Topics, Real Practice — Shown With Prompts
Let’s make this completely concrete. Here are everyday topics that every Indian learner can relate to — and exactly how to turn each one into a speaking session.
Topic 1 — Cricket
Every Indian has opinions about cricket. Strong ones. This makes it perfect.
What you can practise: giving opinions, defending arguments, comparing players or teams, expressing emotions about an event.
I want to practise giving opinions and defending my views in English. I am [A2 / B1 / B2] level. The topic is cricket. Ask me a question about cricket — my favourite player, a recent match, something I agree or disagree with. After I answer, push back a little — give me a different opinion so I have to defend mine. Keep doing this for 5 to 6 rounds. At the end, tell me: did I sound confident when defending my views? What could I have said more naturally?
Topic 2 — The Daily Commute
The local train in Mumbai. The auto that never comes. The highway traffic. Every Indian learner knows this world completely.
What you can practise: describing experiences, storytelling, expressing frustration politely, using sequence words — first, then, after that, finally.
I want to practise storytelling and describing experiences in English. I am [A2 / B1 / B2] level. I am going to tell you about my daily commute — what it looks like, what happens, how it feels. Please listen without interrupting. After I finish, ask me 2 follow-up questions to make me speak more. Then give me feedback on: (1) did my story flow naturally? (2) did I use good connecting words? (3) what is one better way to describe something I said?
Topic 3 — Food
Dal chawal. Biryani. Street food. Home-cooked food versus hotel food. Your mother’s special dish that nobody else makes correctly. Food is emotion in India — and emotion makes for the best speaking practice.
What you can practise: describing things in detail, comparing and contrasting, expressing preferences, using sensory language — how something looks, smells, tastes, feels.
I want to practise describing things in detail in English. I am [A2 / B1 / B2] level. I am going to describe a food I love. Please ask me questions that make me go deeper — about the taste, the smell, the memory connected to it, why it means something to me. After 4 or 5 exchanges, tell me: did I paint a clear picture with my words? What describing words could I add to make it more vivid and natural?
Topic 4 — A Movie or Web Series
Mirzapur. Sacred Games. RRR. Any Bollywood film you watched recently. Or a Hindi web series. Your learners have watched something this week — guaranteed.
What you can practise: summarising, expressing opinions, recommending, comparing, talking about characters and emotions.
I want to practise summarising and giving recommendations in English. I am [A2 / B1 / B2] level. I recently watched [name of film or series]. I will tell you what it is about and whether I recommend it. Please listen, then ask me questions — about the story, the characters, my favourite part, whether I think others should watch it. Help me practise giving clear, natural recommendations. After the conversation, tell me what sounded natural and what I should improve.
Topic 5 — Something That Annoyed You Today
This one is underrated. Frustration makes people speak. The words come faster, the sentences have energy, the emotion is real. Use it.
What you can practise: expressing emotions without sounding rude, using polite but firm language, storytelling with feeling, handling difficult conversations.
I want to practise expressing frustration or disagreement in English — but in a mature, articulate way. I am [A2 / B1 / B2] level. Something annoyed me today and I want to talk about it. Please listen, then help me: (1) express what I felt in more natural English, (2) suggest phrases that sound mature and confident — not childish or rude, (3) show me how a confident English speaker would talk about the same situation. This is about learning to handle uncomfortable topics in English with clarity.
Topic 6 — Your Dream or Goal
What do you want to become? Where do you want to go? What kind of life are you building? This is a topic every learner has deep feelings about — and it is almost never used for practice.
What you can practise: speaking about the future, using ambition language, expressing plans and reasons, sounding motivated and clear.
I want to practise talking about my goals and future plans in English. I am [A2 / B1 / B2] level. I am going to tell you about something I want to achieve — in my career, my studies, or my personal life. Please ask me follow-up questions — why I want it, how I plan to get there, what challenges I expect. Help me sound confident and clear when I talk about my own future. At the end, tell me: did I sound like someone who believes in their dream — or did I sound unsure?
The Student I Still Think About
There was a student I worked with years ago in a class near Dadar. Bright, hardworking, genuinely one of the most motivated learners I had seen. But every time I asked him to speak, he would pause and say — “Sir, kaunsa topic doon apne aap ko?”
Which topic should I give myself?
As if the topic was something that had to be handed to him. As if the speaking could not begin until the perfect subject arrived.
One day I asked him: “What did you do this morning before you came here?”
He said — in Hindi — “Sir, train mein bada rush tha, ek uncle ne mujhe dhakka diya, phir maine socha ki yeh log kyun itna jaldi karte hain.”
There was a crowd in the train, an uncle pushed him, and he started thinking about why people are always in such a hurry.
I said: “Now say exactly that. In English. Go.”
He struggled. He stopped. He started again. He found some words. Lost others. But he spoke. For nearly two minutes, about nothing more than a crowded train and an impatient uncle — and it was the best practice session he had all month.
Because it was real. It was his. It had emotion in it. And that is what language practice needs — not the perfect topic, but a real one.
Every one of your learners has a story like that from this morning. Every single one. The only thing they need is permission to use it.
One More Prompt — The “Anything Goes” Starter
For the days when you really cannot think of a topic — use this:
I want to practise English speaking today but I am not sure what to talk about. I am [A2 / B1 / B2] level. Please ask me 3 quick questions about my day — simple, everyday questions. Based on my answers, choose a topic from what I share and build a short speaking practice session around it. I want the topic to come from my real life, not from a textbook.
This prompt works because it removes the pressure of choosing. You answer three small questions and the session builds itself from your own life. Natural, relevant, and always available.
The Bigger Truth Behind This Blog
There is a reason I keep coming back to this idea — that any topic is enough, that your life is enough material for practice.
It is because the biggest barrier to speaking fluency in India is not lack of knowledge. It is lack of permission. Permission to be imperfect. Permission to use ordinary language about ordinary things. Permission to begin before you are ready.
English is not a subject you finish studying one day and then speak. It is a habit you build one conversation at a time. And those conversations can be about cricket, dal, a crowded train, an annoying uncle, a dream, a movie — anything.
The topic is never the point.
The speaking is the point.
And AI — patient, available, and endlessly willing to talk about anything you bring to it — is the most powerful speaking partner this generation of English learners has ever had access to.
Use it. About everything. Starting today.
The Resource Hub: I write, speak, and create to help you master English. I’m Ziaur Rehman, author of The Confluent Speaker. Visit www.authorzia.com for more guides, or follow my updates on Instagram and YouTube.
