There’s no stress with mini-stories because anyone can say yes or no.
That’s why the questions are designed to be super easy. It is not a memory
exercise, it’s a response exercise. You bypass the whole analysis part and go
straight into fast responses.
Another exercise we do at live events is story retelling. Once students
have listened to a story and they know it well, they retell it to a friend. They
stand up and use their whole body with big, strong gestures and tell the story
in a loud, enthusiastic voice. The idea is to tell the story as quickly as
possible, focusing on speed, not accuracy.
You will do this as well. After you have mastered the questions and
answers, turn off the audio mini story. In a peak emotional state, retell the
story out loud as fast as you can. Shout the story and use big gestures as you
speak. Make it a game and aim for speed. It’s okay to make a mistake and
it’s even okay to change the details of the story. Just practice speaking as fast
as you possibly can.
The point is that the best learning happens when you are in a peak state,
involved and active. My live lessons are like “English rock concerts” and
everyone has tremendous energy. To recreate this at home, put on your
favorite music. Close the door so no one can see you. Now jump around just
before you do the mini-story. Feeling energized, begin listening to the mini-
story. As you’re doing the mini-story, get excited. Get crazy. Really shout out
the answers. Finish with a fast retelling of the story. Remember, the more
powerful your responses are and the more energy you use, the deeper your
learning will go.
Practice Exercise
Here is a more advanced mini-story, without the questions. Note: the bolded
words are the vocabulary I would teach my students in advance at a seminar.
I’ve included part of the transcript to give you an idea.
For a full audio version of this lesson, including the questions, go to:
http://effortlessenglishclub.com/point-of-view-grammar
Listen and Answer Mini Story: The Race
