Participants

Winter 2024 Conversation Circles registration is now closed

Winter 2024 Conversation Circles run February 5 - April 21, 2024

Participant registration for Summer 2024 opens on May 28

Please read this important information and then sign up for a Circle via the button at the bottom of this page

Conversation Circles are designed to create connections among international students and scholars at U-M, beat the isolation, practice English, and have fun! Each circle consists of five participants and is led by a facilitator - a highly fluent English language speaker. Circles meet both in-person and online - offering convenience to anyone interested. You will get a chance to meet new people and feel connected with the U-M community. Informal conversations on a variety of topics, games designed to promote the use of English in a fun setting, learning about other people’s experiences of staying active and connected, and sharing your own thoughts and ideas, are all things you can expect from participating in a Conversation Circle.

We are happy that you are considering joining an ELI Conversation Circle! All current students, scholars, researchers, and postdocs at the University of Michigan are welcome to join.

Conversation Circles are a great way to practice English. You will meet people from around the world and get an insider’s perspective to the USA.

Please read this important information and then sign up for a Circle via the link at the bottom of this page.

RULES FOR PARTICIPANTS (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU REGISTER)

- You may only register for ONE Conversation Circle to ensure all interested participants are able to join a circle. If you sign up for multiple circles, our staff may drop you from all except the first one.

- You should plan to attend all Conversation Circle meetings. Don't sign up for a Circle if you know you have a conflcit with that time. Participants who miss more than two meetings or who miss a meeting without notifying their facilitator may be dropped from their Conversation Circle. If your schedule changes so that you can no longer attend your circle, please let us know. We often have waitlists!

- Conversation Circles are only open to current U-M students, scholars, researchers, postdocs, faculty, and staff at the University of Michigan. Spouses, partners, and friends without official U-M status are not included. Sorry!

- Conversation Circles are not English lessons! They are an opportunity for casual socializing. They do not follow any lesson plans or grammar books. They are an opportunity for you to use English in a real-life setting: making small talk, ordering food, hanging out with classmates and coworkers. If you are a current U-M student and would like to work on your grammar, writing, pronunciation, etc., ELI offers courses for this. Please schedule an advising appointment to learn about available ELI courses and resources.

- Conversation Circle facilitators are not teachers or editors. You should not ask them for help with papers or other school work. Instead, please utilize the Graduate Clinics or Speaking and Writing Studio for academic help.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the time committment?
Groups meet for an hour per week, but facilitators may schedule extra events or meetings depending on participant interest.

Can I join more than one group?
Maybe! At the beginning of the registration period please only join one group to ensure that everyone has a chance to join their first-choice conversation circle. However, if there are spaces available, the ELI staff will open registration for multiple groups. You will receive an email during the registration period if multiple group registration is open. Please only sign up for additional groups if you’re sure that you can commit to regularly attending each group.

I’m not taking any classes at the ELI. Can I still participate?
Yes! We welcome all current University of Michigan students, postdocs, visiting scholars, staff, and faculty.

Can I keep meeting with my old Circle?
If you would like to continue meeting with a group from last semester, talk to your group leaders and members. Of course, you can always hang out together outside of the conversation circles program, too!

Tips for Making the Most of the Experience

1. Take Charge Of Your Own Language Progress

If you don’t understand something, ask for an explanation immediately — it’s your responsibility to let your facilitator know when something isn’t clear.
Feel free to ask other Circle members to repeat or explain when you don’t understand something — this is the whole reason behind this experience: for you to be able to follow the conversation and participate!
Instead of looking up vocabulary words in your electronic dictionary, try asking the other person to explain what the word means in English.
Ask others to slow down if they speak too quickly.
Make an effort to speak up and speak out, even if you’re shy. It gets easier with practice!

2. Be Sensitive to Other Circle Members’ Needs

When speaking English, please keep in mind that you’re doing this so that everyone can practice — encourage everyone to participate, and make sure they can follow the conversation.
Explain, repeat, write down or translate when necessary, and slow down if other Circle members ask you to.
If someone says a word that you don’t understand (because of inaccurate pronunciation, for example), just ask them to write it down. Practice pronouncing it as a group, to make sure everyone’s saying it correctly. Pronunciation is important!
Encourage shyer participants to speak. For example, you can ask: “What do you think? You’ve been very quiet.”

3. Be Considerate

Speak loudly and clearly.
Give everyone a chance to speak — don’t monopolize the conversation.
Develop a listening attitude.
Allow others their point of view — you can comment, but don’t judge.

4. Give Us Feedback!

If you have ANY questions or comments, let us know! We try to make Conversation Circles as flexible as possible. If you need to change Circles, let us know. If you haven’t heard from your facilitator, let us know.
You can always e-mail CircleUp-Questions@umich.edu with questions or comments.

(Adapted from MyLanguageExchange.com)

Click here to register for a Conversation Circle

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