Ask the “Expert” is a game for higher level  ESL students.  It requires an ability to think on your feet, the confidence to speak about almost any topic (no matter how unqualified you are) and most of all, players need the ability to lie.

Here are the details about Ask the “Expert”:

• Each round of this game lasts a minute or two.  I suggest playing between 5 or 10 rounds for a total of 20 to 25 minutes.
• For larger classes it’s always fun to break students into smaller classes so that everyone gets a lot of talking time.
• There is no preparation required.  
• The only materials you’ll need are a timer, a die, some “Experts” and a suspicious audience.

USING THE INTERNET TO CHECK FACTS IS NOT ALLOWED!

The object of this game is for the “Experts” to last a full two minutes without being caught in a lie.

The only rule is that the Expert can never say “I don’t know?”.  They have to try and speak convincingly about a topic until the 2 minute timer expires.

Here’s how to play Ask The “Expert”:

1. Brainstorm a list of random topics and write them down.
2. Cut the topic sheet up and put all of the topics into a hat.  
3. Split your class into teams.
4. Pick which team goes first and have that team Select their first “Expert”.   
5. (It’s always best to use a stronger student as an example.)
6. Have the first expert pick a topic out of the hat.
7. Set a timer for 2 minutes and press “start”.
8. The Expert starts by introducing themselves.
   •  “Hello I’m _______ and I’m an expert in _______”.
9. The audience has to attempt to catch the “Expert” in a lie by asking as many topic related questions as possible.   **For very advanced students this is an opportunity to teach about binding questions.**
10. If an audience member accuses the “Expert” of lying when they are telling truth the audience member can no longer ask questions.
11. If an audience member catches the “Expert” in a lie, stop the timer and record how much time was left.
12. Switch teams and repeat the game until just before it gets boring.
13. Tally up the remaining time totals.
14. The team with the lowest total wins.

Ask the “Expert”:

• It’s A great game for high level ESL students.
• It requires almost no preparation.
• It’s tons of fun.

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