Discussions / Risk-Taking

ESL discussion questionsB1–B220 questions · 2 parts

Risk-Taking Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes

Use these 20 discussion questions about Risk-Taking 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 · 22 Aug 2026

Part 1

Personal Risks and Everyday Decisions

Focus: discussing attitudes toward risk, personal experiences, cautious and adventurous choices, uncertainty, and decision-making

Vocabulary warm-upBuild a Risk-Taking Scene

Choose one word from each category: Person: traveler, student, employee, athlete; Action: try, invest, quit, explore; Situation: new job, competition, trip, business idea; Feeling: excited, nervous, confident, uncertain. Use your four words to describe a short scene in two or three sentences.

  1. REFLECT

    Would you describe yourself as a cautious person or someone who enjoys taking risks? Explain.

  2. EXPERIENCE

    What is a risk you have taken that turned out well?

  3. EXPERIENCE

    Have you ever avoided a risk and later wished you had taken it? What happened?

  4. COMPARE

    Which feels riskier to you: trying something completely new or making a big change to something familiar?

  5. EXPLAIN

    Why are some people naturally more comfortable with uncertainty than others?

  6. PRIORITIZE

    What information do you need before deciding whether a risk is worth taking?

  7. PROBLEM-SOLVE

    You are offered an interesting job with better pay, but it is less secure than your current job. How would you decide?

  8. DISCUSS

    When can being too cautious prevent someone from improving their life?

  9. EVALUATE

    Is regretting something you did worse than regretting something you were too afraid to try?

  10. RECOMMEND

    How can someone become more comfortable taking reasonable risks without becoming careless?

Part 2

Risk, Opportunity, and Responsibility

Focus: discussing risk in careers, money, relationships, business, safety, responsibility, and how people judge acceptable risks

Vocabulary warm-upThe Risk-Taking Word Challenge

Think of two situations involving risk, two actions people take to reduce risk, two people who may need to make risky decisions, and one possible negative result.

  1. COMPARE

    Which areas of life require the most careful risk-taking: careers, money, relationships, health, or something else?

  2. DISCUSS

    Why might the same risk seem acceptable to one person but irresponsible to another?

  3. CULTURE

    Do you think attitudes toward risk are different across cultures or generations? Give an example.

  4. RESPONSIBILITY

    How should someone's responsibilities to children, family members, or coworkers affect the risks they take?

  5. COMPARE

    Is taking a financial risk different from taking a physical or emotional risk? Explain how.

  6. PROBLEM-SOLVE

    Two friends want to start a business together, but one is comfortable risking much more money than the other. What should they discuss?

  7. BALANCE

    How can people balance the possibility of a major reward against the chance of a serious loss?

  8. EVALUATE

    Should people be admired simply for taking bold risks, or should the quality of the decision matter more?

  9. REFLECT

    Can failure after taking a reasonable risk still be considered a useful or successful experience?

  10. RECOMMEND

    What questions should someone ask themselves before making a risky but potentially life-changing decision?

More conversation topics

Public SpeakingNegotiationAdvertisingMuseumsHome RenovationLibrariesDentist VisitsPicnics

Browse all ESL articles →