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Soyou'reataconference,aworkdo,oraparty,
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Summary
Keith from the Keith Speaking Academy shares 7 practical English conversation starters for social and work events, plus tips on how to follow up and keep conversations flowing naturally.
Present perfect for recent experience — used to ask about ongoing or recent activity, making questions feel open and relevant. "What have you been up to lately?" / "Have you read anything interesting lately?"
Indirect/open question words (what, which, why) — Keith contrasts "how" questions (which tend to get short answers) with "what" questions that invite storytelling. "What have you been up to?" yields more than "How was your weekend?"
Present continuous for current projects — used to ask about something happening right now or around now, keeping the question personal and immediate. "What are you working on at the moment?"
Imperative + then + question (share-then-ask formula) — Keith models combining a personal statement with a tag question to balance the conversation. "This is my first time here. I feel a bit nervous actually. What about you?"
About this video
This video is a practical coaching lesson from Keith of the Keith Speaking Academy, focused on seven specific conversation starters you can use at conferences, parties, and work events. Keith walks through each phrase in detail — for example, explaining why "What have you been up to lately?" is more powerful than a closed yes/no question like "Are you busy at work?", and why "What brings you here today?" sounds friendly while "Why are you here?" sounds like a police interrogation. He also shares a memorable technique borrowed from high-level managers: asking someone to "Explain it to me like I'm 5 years old" when conversation gets too technical.
For shadowing practice, this video is excellent material. Keith speaks at a natural but measured B2-friendly pace, with a clear, expressive Irish-British accent that is easy to follow. He repeats key phrases multiple times, often modelling stress and intonation explicitly — for instance, stressing what and up in "What have you been UP to lately?" — which makes it ideal for drilling connected speech and sentence rhythm. The language is conversational and authentic rather than scripted.
This video suits upper-intermediate (B2) learners who want to hold real social conversations in English, not just pass exams. Shadowers will practise question formation, present perfect phrases, intonation patterns for small talk, and the natural "share then ask" rhythm that makes English conversation feel effortless. It is especially useful for professionals who network in English-speaking environments.
Idioms & expressions
up to — what someone has been doing; used in casual questions about recent activity ("What have you been up to lately?")
dive in — to start something eagerly and without hesitation ("Let's dive in with number 1")
build rapport — to gradually develop a friendly, comfortable relationship with someone ("after you've built some rapport")
digging deeper — asking more personal or detailed questions after initial small talk ("you're kind of digging deeper")
like pulling teeth — describes a conversation that is painfully difficult to keep going because one person gives very short answers ("it's like pulling teeth")
explain it to me like I'm 5 years old — a request to simplify a complex explanation so anyone can understand it ("Explain it to me like I'm 5 years old")
come along — to join someone at an event or activity ("she invited me to come along")
What about you? — a short, natural phrase used to redirect a question back to the other person after sharing something about yourself ("I feel a bit nervous actually. What about you?")
