This method pairs a simple visual worksheet (built in a tool like Canva) with a short, unscripted audio recording made in Audacity. Rather than writing out a script, you talk freely about a topic for a couple of minutes — the result is faster to produce and gives students more natural, authentic listening input than a scripted recording would.

Why use this tool?

Speaking without a script means your natural word choices come through, including repeated vocabulary that reinforces itself as students listen. For example, narrating opinions about fruit naturally leads to repeating a word like "peel" several times — giving students multiple chances to pick up on a word they might not know, without it feeling like a vocabulary drill.

This approach is also fast. Because there's no writing stage, a two-to-three-minute recording can be created in just a few minutes total, start to finish. And because the content isn't scripted, you can easily record a second version with different opinions or details, generating fresh listening material from the same worksheet prompt without much extra effort.

How to use it

1. Prepare your worksheet or prompt first. Decide what you want to talk about — for example, a worksheet listing items with a like/dislike mark next to each one — before you start recording.
2. Open Audacity and start recording. Click the red record button and speak freely and naturally about the topic, without reading from a script. Keep the recording at an appropriate length and level for your students (roughly 2–3 minutes works well for an A2 level).
3. Don't worry about small mistakes while talking. You can keep recording through any stumbles and trim them out afterward, or simply re-record a section if needed.
4. Trim the start and end. Use "Fit Project to Width" to see the whole recording, then use the backspace key to remove any dead air or false starts at the beginning or end.
5. Export the audio. Go to File > Export Audio, name the file, and save it to your desktop or another convenient location.

Because this method doesn't require scripting or careful editing, it's realistic to build out a whole library of listening activities quickly — record once, and if you want a different version, just talk through the same prompt again with different opinions or details.