Hands-on activities that encourage speaking will help adults to learn English as a second language (ESL). Students need more than listening to a teacher's lesson or doing exercises in the workbook--they need practical language skills and confidence in their ability to speak English, which comes through practice.

Role Playing
Role playing allows students to practice the English they'll need in specific situations. For example, in a travel English class, you could role play buying something in a store, and in a business English class, you could role play a job interview. Students can practice the conversation with a teacher or with other students.

Things in Common
Separate students into pairs and challenge them to find things in common with each other. For example, they may find they are both married, both have an older sibling and both like eating pizza. You can turn this into a contest, with the pair that has the most things in common being the winner.

Writing Business Communication
In a business English class, students will want to learn about writing for business. Give examples of situations in which they may need to write something, such as a cover letter for a job application or responding to a customer complaint. Focus on both the style of the writing--such as the format for a business letter--and the English that the student uses.

Interviewing
Students can practice their speaking skills by interviewing others in the class. Beginning students can ask simply questions, such as "What's your name?" and "What's your favorite food?" while more advanced students can ask questions that require longer answers, such as "How do you make your favorite food?" or "What did you do on your vacation?"

Crossword Puzzles
Crossword puzzles allow students to build and review vocabulary in an entertaining way. Use crossword puzzles that focus on the current batch of vocabulary you are studying. If you can't find a crossword puzzle that works, you can create your own.

Informational Bingo
Most students will be familiar with the concept of bingo, and this game lends a twist. Create a bingo board that has different statements that could apply to the people in the class. For example, you may write "has a dog" or "lives in an apartment." Students must walk around asking other students questions that relate to the boxes, such as "Do you have a dog?" If the other student can answer yes, she signs the square. The students can get only one signature from each student, encouraging them to interact with many others. The first one to get signatures in a straight line is the winner.