Discussions / Decision-Making
Decision-Making Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Use these 20 discussion questions about Decision-Making to run a full speaking lesson with adult learners (B1–B2). Each part opens with a vocabulary warm-up, every question is labelled with the thinking skill it practises, and each part fills roughly thirty minutes of class time on its own.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 18 Aug 2026
Part 1
Everyday Choices and Personal Decisions
Focus: discussing how people make everyday choices, compare options, use advice, and decide what matters most
Think of one type of decision, one action people take before deciding, and one feeling connected to making a difficult choice.
Describe each word without saying it directly. Your teacher or partner must guess the word.
EXPERIENCE
What kinds of decisions do you make almost every day without thinking very much about them?
PREFERENCE
Do you usually make decisions quickly or take a long time to think? Explain your usual approach.
COMPARE
How is making a small everyday decision different from making an important life decision?
INFLUENCE
Whose advice do you trust most when you have an important choice to make, and why?
PRIORITIZE
When several options are good, how do you decide which factors are most important?
REFLECT
Have you ever changed your mind after receiving new information? What made you reconsider?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
You have two good job offers with different advantages. How would you compare them before choosing?
EVALUATE
When is it useful to trust your feelings, and when is it better to focus on facts?
ADVISE
What advice would you give someone who worries so much about making the wrong choice that they cannot decide?
REFLECT
What makes a decision feel like the right decision even when the result is uncertain?
Part 2
Difficult Choices and Living with the Results
Focus: discussing uncertainty, risk, mistakes, responsibility, competing priorities, and how people respond after making difficult choices
Choose one word from each category: Person: student, parent, employee, friend; Action: choose, refuse, wait, change; Situation: job offer, move, purchase, relationship; Feeling: confident, worried, confused, relieved. Use your four words to describe a short scene in two or three sentences.
EXPERIENCE
What is a difficult decision you have made or seen someone else make?
COMPARE
Which is harder: choosing between two good options or choosing between two bad options? Explain your view.
RISK
How much risk are you comfortable accepting when making an important decision?
DISCUSS
Why do people sometimes make decisions they already know they may regret?
RESPONSIBILITY
How much responsibility should someone accept when a reasonable decision leads to a bad result?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
You make an important decision and quickly realize it was probably a mistake. What could you do next?
BALANCE
How can people balance what is best for themselves with what is best for their family, team, or community?
EVALUATE
When is changing your mind a sign of good judgment rather than weakness or uncertainty?
REFLECT
Can making a bad decision sometimes teach someone more than making the correct one?
RECOMMEND
What habits can help people become better decision-makers over time?