1
person runs this conversation
6 min
The shortest conversation
A month in the same room, twice a week, and nothing said but hello. Today you walk out at the same time and she is going your way.
What actually happens
One of them is usually the real reason. What sits underneath it is what actually gets scored.
/01
“You both agree it was hard and then walk in silence.”
'That was hard' is what everybody says and it goes nowhere. One specific thing about the hour you both just sat through is a sentence the other person can actually answer.
/02
“You have sat beside them for a month and could not say what they do.”
Everybody on a course has a reason and almost nobody is asked for it. It is the fastest way from a face you recognise to a person you know, and it costs one question.
/03
“You said goodbye at the first opportunity and were relieved.”
There is a corner coming. Saying nothing about it and continuing to walk is a decision, and it is the one that turns proximity into an acquaintance.
/04
“You still do not know their name and it is now too late to ask.”
A month in, asking is faintly embarrassing and not asking is worse. The person who has been answering never does it, which is the whole tell.
Bring the real thing: the job description, the date on the letter, the words the school used. Everyone who runs someone from your course will work from what you actually walked in with.
How a first conversation worksWho you will be talking to
In whichever order helps. The first 5 minutes with a free partner cost nothing, so you can talk to two of them before you choose.
5 min freeA friend, on a callWhat it costs
A harder conversation simply runs longer. The shortest way to rehearse someone from your course is 6 min.
You pay for the seconds you talk, and the minutes come off a balance you already hold. Nothing renews, and you are never sent a bill. Plans and refunds.
B1 · working
9 min
is how long a conversation at this difficulty runs
The same walk with the silences left where they fall.
At $50 an hour, rounded up to the 60-minute booking nobody will sell you less than.
Your first 5 minutes
01
Not an opinion about the class. One concrete thing from it. Watch what that changes.
The terms, in full
02
The scenario puts a natural exit in front of you. Not taking it is the exercise.
Paid for out of your free minutes
Questions
Nearby
The rest of Social first, then everything else at the same difficulty.
All the situations
B1 · workingB2 · confidentShe asks how your week was and then waits. The four seconds after the question are the whole exercise.1 personfrom 6 minA stranger at a party
B2 · confidentC1 · advancedMusic, an accent, no syllabus, and the hardest part is leaving the conversation without ending it badly.1 personfrom 5 minMeeting someone newB2 · confidentC1 · advancedA friend of a friend, a café, and nobody obliged to keep it going. The first two minutes are the whole thing.1 personfrom 8 min