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About the Splendid Speaking Self-Study Course

What is Splendid Speaking?
Splendid Speaking is an online self-study course to teach advanced learners of English top-level speaking skills and communication strategies. It comes in two volumes (‘Introductions and Small Talk’ and ‘Powerful Presentations’) and covers 12 key strategies for communicating effectively, as well as a range of useful vocabulary and language topics.

How much does it cost?
We currently have an introductory offer: Get Volumes 1 and 2 combined for only £25.00 for a three-month subscription. Normal price £30.00.

If I purchase the Splendid Speaking Self-Study Course, do I also get access to Splendid Expressions?
Yes, Splendid Expressions is offered free to subscribers of the Splendid Speaking Self-Study Course.

Does purchase of Splendid Speaking mean I get a Skype interview?
No. The Splendid Speaking Self-Study Course does not include an interview.

Do I download the course to my computer?
No, there’s nothing to download or install. Splendid Speaking is an online course so all you need is a web browser and an Internet connection. You sign-up for a username and password account and then you can log in from any computer - at work, at home, in your local library or Internet cafe. When you have half an hour to spare in your busy day you could be working through a speaking strategy or brushing up on your vocabulary!

Do I need any special software?
No. You will need Flash Player 6,0,79 or later, which is bundled with most browsers. Splendid Speaking runs on both Windows and Macintosh.

How long do I have access to the material?
You have access to Splendid Speaking online self-study course for 91 days, starting from the date you create your account.

About Splendid Expressions

What is Splendid Expressions?
Splendid Expressions is an online self-study resource consisting of topic-based quizzes to help you learn colloquial expressions.

Are the expressions the same as those that appear on the website from Monday to Friday?
Yes, Splendid Expressions pulls together all the quizzes that appear on the website. So, if you're able to visit the website each day for 6 months you'll be able to do the quizzes for free. However, if you prefer to work on the exercises at your own pace and at a time that suits you we recommend you purchase Splendid Expressions or the Splendid Speaking Self-Study course, which now also contains Splendid Expressions.

How much does Splendid Expressions cost?
Splendid Expressions cost £10 for a three-month subscription. However, purchasers of the Splendid Speaking Self-Study course have access to Splendid Expressions for free.

How long do I have access to the material?
You have access to Splendid Expressions for 91 days, starting from the date you create your account.

Participating in the Splendid Speaking community

What is Skype?
Skype is a program for making telephone calls over the Internet. Another popular program is Gizmo, although this has a smaller number of users.

What is PodOmatic?
"PodOmatic is probably the easiest and fastest way to get started with podcasting." (CNET.com, June 2006). We use PodOmatic to publish the Splendid Speaking podcasts so that our users can get a feel for podcasting themselves and hopefully start up one of their own. There are similar services available and you may find these suit your purposes better.

What is Springdoo?
Springdoo is a free service that lets you send voice and video messages to friends and colleagues. We see services like Springdoo as another simple means of allowing students to get feedback on their speaking skills from teachers or study partners.

Free Materials

Do you carry out regular Skype interviews?
No, but we do have a library of recorded interviews which are available for download. You can browse all recordings and/or listen to the featured interview each week as an example of the exercise that appears in our task sheet.

When do you publish the weekly task sheets?
The task sheets are published each week, usually on a Friday, to give teachers who download the sheets the chance to look at them over the weekend before their lessons the following week.

Can I photocopy the task sheets to use with my students?
Yes, copies can be made for educational purposes. We request that our copyright and contact details be left in place and that the materials are not used for commercial purposes.

How often do you update the colloquial expressions exercises?
These are published each day from Monday to Friday.