Haters Gonna Hate: The Template Debate

In this episode "Haters Gonna Hate: The Template Debate," we dive into the essential strategies for tackling TOEFL Speaking Question 4, focusing on why templates can be a game-changer. Expert TOEFL coach Nathan Mills shares insights drawn from over 150,000 responses, highlighting the value of structured approaches to speaking tasks. Learn how templates help you organize thoughts under pressure, maintain speaking speed, and enhance fluency without sounding robotic.
We’ll also explore tools like MySpeakingScore, which offer personalized feedback on everything from vocabulary to pronunciation, helping you prepare like a pro. Tune in to discover how a well-chosen template can transform your TOEFL speaking skills! 

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• SpeechRater Blog
• SpeechRater Knowledge Base

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Transcript

And it's not just about the score, it's about understanding the WHY behind the score. That's so important because if you don't understand why you're getting a certain score, you can't really improve. Exactly.

(0:16 - 0:26)
This is the TOEFL Speaking Prep Podcast for the AI Era. Welcome back everyone for another deep dive. This time we're tackling TOEFL Speaking Test Prep.

(0:26 - 0:38)
Oh yeah, one of the toughest parts of the TOEFL for sure. It is for a lot of people and we're focusing specifically on question four today. And we always like to bring in the best insights for you guys.

(0:39 - 0:48)
So we're going to be pulling from a recent webinar specifically for TOEFL test takers. Oh nice. It was led by this expert TOEFL coach, Nathan Mills.

(0:49 - 0:58)
And this guy has listened to over 150,000 TOEFL speaking responses. That's a lot of speaking. Yeah, that's a lot of data.

(0:58 - 1:09)
It is a massive amount of data. And so he's got some really interesting insights into what works and what doesn't. And one of the big things that he focused on in this webinar was using templates for answering question four.

(1:10 - 1:18)
So these are those frameworks or structures that people talk about for how to organize your response. Gotcha. I've heard a lot of different opinions about templates.

(1:18 - 1:22)
Yeah, me too. Some people absolutely love them. Some people think they're way too rigid.

(1:23 - 1:35)
So what's the real deal with templates? Well, a template's not about just like memorizing an entire answer. It's really just kind of a blueprint to help you organize your thoughts when you're under pressure. Right.

(1:35 - 1:45)
You know, because with the TOEFL speaking tasks, you have to listen to like a lecture or read a passage and then pull it all together in a response. Right. And all within a time limit.

(1:45 - 1:47)
Yeah, exactly. And you can't just like wing it. No.

(1:48 - 1:56)
And Nathan's seen this over and over again. High scoring test takers almost always use some kind of structured approach. They have a plan going into it.

(1:56 - 2:00)
Right. And that makes sense because the TOEFL is pretty predictable. Yeah.

(2:00 - 2:08)
The tasks are very specific and you've got the timer ticking down. Yeah. So having that template just helps you stay on track and make sure you deliver like a complete response.

(2:08 - 2:10)
Okay. That makes sense. Yeah.

(2:10 - 2:22)
But does using a template make you sound like robotic or unnatural? That's something a lot of people worry about. Yeah. But honestly, a good template doesn't stifle your natural voice.

(2:22 - 2:24)
Okay. It actually enhances it. Okay.

(2:25 - 2:35)
It's not about memorizing sentences word for word. Yeah. It's more about remembering key phrases that can help you transition between ideas smoothly.

(2:35 - 2:45)
Can you give me an example? Yeah, sure. Imagine you're trying to explain like a concept from a lecture. You could use a template phrase like, the professor illustrates this concept with two examples.

(2:45 - 2:51)
Okay. And that could really work for just about any topic and it helps you connect the dots for the listener. Gotcha.

(2:51 - 2:57)
Gotcha. Now I know that in the webinar, Nathan actually had some live practice sessions. Oh, cool.

(2:57 - 3:03)
Where participants got to try out different templates and then they got feedback from him directly. Wow. That's great.

(3:04 - 3:12)
Yeah. I was curious. What were some of the key takeaways from those live practice sessions? One that really surprised me was how important speaking speed is.

(3:12 - 3:17)
Okay. Nathan actually said that you should aim for like 150 words per minute. Wow.

(3:17 - 3:24)
Which, you know, you might think, well, as long as my pronunciation is clear, that's all that matters. Right. But speaking too slowly can actually hurt your score.

(3:24 - 3:30)
Really? Why is that? Well, think about it. You only have so much time to show what you know right. Yeah.

(3:31 - 3:39)
Speaking at a good pace shows that you can process information efficiently and get your ideas across. Okay. It also signals fluency to the raters.

(3:40 - 3:57)
Gotcha. So I'm starting to see how speed plays a role, but how does a template help with that? Good question. Because you might think that a template would make you more likely to pause or overthink, but actually it's the opposite.

(3:57 - 4:16)
Having that structure minimizes those moments where you're like, what do I say next? The template gives you that mental roadmap, keeps you on track, and allows for a smoother and more natural delivery, which ultimately leads to a faster pace overall. That's interesting. Now, I also remember from the webinar that Nathan talked a lot about sustained speech.

(4:16 - 4:18)
Oh, yeah. That's a big one. Yeah.

(4:18 - 4:34)
So can you remind us what that means exactly? Basically, sustained speech means maintaining a steady flow without those frequent pauses or interruptions. It's all about sounding natural and fluent, and that's something that both human raters and the automated scoring system pick up on. Gotcha.

(4:34 - 4:41)
So a template can actually help you achieve that sustained speech by giving you that framework to follow. Exactly. Okay.

(4:41 - 4:49)
That's really cool. And it reminds me of another tip that Nathan shared in the webinar. He talked about using a variety of vocabulary.

(4:49 - 4:52)
Oh, yeah. Like, instead of always saying, the professor says. Exactly.

(4:52 - 5:03)
You can use verbs like explains, defines, illustrates to make your language more interesting and show off a bigger vocabulary. Okay. So we've got templates, we've got speed, we've got vocabulary.

(5:03 - 5:09)
There's a lot to think about here. It's true. But luckily, there are tools out there that can help you pull all of this together.

(5:10 - 5:12)
Okay. Well, let's talk about those tools then. All right.

(5:12 - 5:18)
So, you know, we were just talking about all these different things like templates and speed and vocabulary. Right. A lot to juggle.

(5:19 - 5:24)
It is. And, you know, luckily, there are tools out there that can help us kind of pull it all together. Okay.

(5:24 - 5:29)
So let's talk about those tools then. All right. Well, one that comes to mind right away is my speaking score.

(5:29 - 5:31)
Okay. Yeah. I've heard of that one.

(5:31 - 5:38)
And it's actually powered by the same speech rater engine that's used in the actual TOEFL. Really? Yeah. So it's like you're getting the real deal.

(5:38 - 5:44)
That's amazing. So you're basically practicing with the same technology that's going to be grading you on test day. Exactly.

(5:44 - 5:50)
And over 100,000 students have used it to prep for the TOEFL speaking section. Wow. That's impressive.

(5:50 - 5:54)
So it's clearly something that people are finding helpful. Oh, yeah. For sure.

(5:55 - 6:06)
And, you know, one of the things that I really like about my speaking score is that it doesn't just give you like a generic score. Right. It actually breaks down your performance across like 12 different speaking dimensions.

(6:06 - 6:17)
12. What are some examples? So it looks at things like your speaking rate, how often you pause your vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, pronunciation, intonation, and a bunch of other stuff. Wow.

(6:17 - 6:20)
So it's super detailed. Yeah. It's really comprehensive.

(6:21 - 6:28)
And what's cool is that it gives you personalized feedback based on your strengths and weaknesses. Okay. So it's not just like, here's your score.

(6:29 - 6:33)
Good luck. No, not at all. It's more like, here are the specific areas where you're doing well.

(6:33 - 6:38)
And here are some things you can work on. So it's like having a personal TOEFL coach in your pocket. Exactly.

(6:38 - 6:41)
And that's what makes it so powerful. That's awesome. Yeah.

(6:42 - 6:48)
I love that it's so personalized because everyone learns differently and has different challenges. Right. And my speaking score takes that into account.

(6:49 - 6:59)
So let's say I'm working on my pronunciation, for example. Yeah. How can my speaking score help me with that? Well, it actually provides a transcript of your response and it highlights any pronunciation errors.

(6:59 - 7:05)
Okay. And it can even pinpoint like specific sounds that you might be struggling with. Really? That's amazing.

(7:05 - 7:12)
Yeah. And it can even give you targeted pronunciation practice. So it's like having a pronunciation coach available 24-7.

(7:13 - 7:19)
Pretty much. That's incredible. And what about grammar? Is that something that my speaking score can help with too? Oh, absolutely.

(7:20 - 7:29)
It analyzes your grammar and flags any errors in your transcript. Plus, it explains the rules so you can actually learn from your mistakes. Okay.

(7:29 - 7:39)
That's super helpful because sometimes you don't even realize you're making a grammar mistake until someone points it out to you. Exactly. And my speaking score can be that someone... I love that.

(7:39 - 7:47)
It's like having a built-in grammar checker specifically for TOEFL speaking. Exactly. And it even suggests corrections so you know how to fix the errors.

(7:48 - 7:51)
Wow. So it really is comprehensive. It's like it covers everything.

(7:51 - 7:58)
Pretty much. And, you know, we've talked a lot about vocabulary, how important it is to use a variety of words. Right.

(7:58 - 8:16)
Like those reporting verbs instead of just saying, the professor says all the time. Exactly. Well, my speaking score can actually analyze your vocabulary usage and tell you if you're relying too heavily on simple verbs or if you're incorporating a wider range of verbs like explains, defines, illustrates, and all those good ones.

(8:16 - 8:19)
Oh, wow. So it actually helps you build your vocabulary too. Yeah.

(8:19 - 8:25)
And it can even suggest more sophisticated synonyms to kind of boost your vocabulary score. That's amazing. It takes all the guesswork out of it.

(8:25 - 8:32)
It's like it's telling you exactly what you need to do to improve. Exactly. It's all about making those abstract tips concrete and actionable.

(8:33 - 8:44)
It seems like my speaking score really embraces that data-driven approach that we were talking about earlier. It does. And, you know, analyzing your own speaking data can be so insightful.

(8:45 - 8:53)
Absolutely. It's like you get to see yourself from a different perspective and identify those areas where you can improve. Exactly.

(8:53 - 9:04)
For instance, you can see how your speaking rate and pause frequency affect your overall score. Okay. Maybe you're speaking too slowly or pausing too often, which eats into your precious response time.

(9:04 - 9:10)
Right. That makes sense. The data helps you pinpoint those areas so you can practice speaking at a more appropriate pace.

(9:10 - 9:16)
I love that it gives you that concrete feedback so you know exactly what to work on. Right. And it's not just about the score.

(9:16 - 9:25)
It's about understanding the WHY behind the score. That's so important because if you don't understand why you're getting a certain score, you can't really improve. Exactly.

(9:25 - 9:41)
Exactly. And MySpeakingScore helps you connect those dots. And, you know, this is where the power of templates really comes in, too, because by using a template, you're creating that structure that encourages you to speak at a more consistent pace and minimize those unnecessary pauses.

(9:41 - 9:45)
Right. It's like having that roadmap to guide you through the response. Exactly.

(9:45 - 9:58)
And the beauty of MySpeakingScore is that it provides the data to refine that roadmap and make it even more effective. Absolutely. It's all about using data to personalize your prep and make it as efficient as possible.

(9:58 - 10:05)
I love that. And speaking of personalized prep, let's talk about Nathan's advice on choosing and using templates effectively. OK.

(10:05 - 10:07)
Yeah. He had some great tips in the webinar. He did.

(10:07 - 10:10)
So let's dive into those. OK. So we've talked about MySpeakingScore.

(10:10 - 10:20)
You know, this really cool tool that can help you with all these different aspects of TOEFL speaking prep. Right. From pronunciation and grammar to vocabulary and pacing.

(10:20 - 10:24)
Exactly. Yeah. And it uses that same speech reader engine as the actual TOEFL.

(10:24 - 10:30)
Which is amazing because it gives you that real test day experience. Right. And remember we were talking about Nathan's advice on templates.

(10:30 - 10:36)
Yeah. Those frameworks for structuring your responses. Well, MySpeakingScore can actually help you with that too.

(10:36 - 10:43)
Really? Yeah. So it can analyze your use of templates and give you feedback on how effectively you're using them. Oh, wow.

(10:43 - 10:46)
That's cool. So it's not just about practicing with the templates. Right.

(10:46 - 10:54)
It's about getting feedback on how well you're actually implementing them. So it's like having Nathan right there with you, giving you personalized advice. Exactly.

(10:54 - 11:04)
And, you know, one of the things that Nathan emphasized in the webinar was the importance of choosing the right template. Yeah. Because there's no one-size-fits-all approach.

(11:04 - 11:16)
Right. And MySpeakingScore can actually help you figure out what kind of template might be a good fit for you. How does it do that? Well, it analyzes your speaking patterns and identifies your strengths and weaknesses.

(11:17 - 11:28)
Oh, hey. So for example, if you tend to get lost in the details or have trouble remembering the main points, it might suggest a template that helps you with organization and clarity. Oh, that makes sense.

(11:28 - 11:36)
So it's like it's tailoring the template to your specific needs. Exactly. And it can also give you feedback on how well you're using the template language.

(11:36 - 11:51)
So for instance, if you're using a template that includes a lot of pre-memorized phrases, it can tell you if you're sounding too robotic or if you're not integrating those phrases naturally into your response. So it helps you find that balance between structure and naturalness. Right.

(11:51 - 12:00)
Because you don't want to sound like you're just reciting a script. No, you want to sound like yourself, but with that added layer of organization and clarity. Exactly.

(12:02 - 12:07)
And MySpeakingScore can really help you with that. It sounds like an incredibly powerful tool. It really is.

(12:08 - 12:13)
And it's not just for individual learners either. Oh, yeah. You know, teachers and tutors can use it too.

(12:13 - 12:23)
Exactly. They can use it to track their students' progress, identify areas where they need extra help, and even personalize their lesson plans. Wow.

(12:23 - 12:29)
So it's like it's bringing that data-driven approach to the classroom. It is. And that's what's so exciting about AI in education.

(12:29 - 12:32)
Yeah. It's not about replacing teachers. Right.

(12:32 - 12:38)
It's about giving them more tools and insights to support their students. Exactly. It's all about empowering both learners and teachers.

(12:39 - 12:44)
And I think that's a really beautiful thing. I agree. And, you know, we've covered a lot of ground in this deep dive.

(12:44 - 12:59)
We have from AI and templates to personalized feedback and speaking speed. But I think the biggest takeaway is that with the right tools and strategies, anyone can improve their TOEFL speaking skills. And MySpeakingScore is definitely one of those tools.

(12:59 - 13:05)
It is. And we encourage all of our listeners to check it out and see how it can help them on their TOEFL journey. Absolutely.

(13:06 - 13:11)
It's a game changer. Well, that's it for this deep dive into TOEFL Speaking Prep. Thanks for having me.

(13:11 - 13:15)
It was a great conversation. It was. And thank you to all of our listeners for joining us.

(13:15 - 13:22)
We'll see you next time for another deep dive into a world of knowledge and learning. Until then, keep those brains buzzing.