About this worksheet: Learn to build rapport with small talk before coaching sessions, using Past Simple and key conversation phrases. CEFR level: A2-B1. Exercise types: Matching, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, dialogue building, speaking prompts. Estimated time: 30-40 minutes.

🏋️ Coaching English — Class 5

Small Talk & Rapport Building

Warm-Up

Get into the coaching mindset with a quick reading exercise.

Quick Gist Task

Read the dialogue below quickly. What is the coach and client mainly doing?

Coach: Hey! Good to see you. How was your weekend?

Client: Pretty good! I went hiking with some friends on Saturday. The weather was gorgeous.

Coach: Oh nice, where did you go?

Client: We went to the national park. It took about an hour to get there, but it was worth it.

Coach: That sounds amazing. I noticed you’ve been consistent with your outdoor activities — nice work. Ready to crush today’s session?

Client: Let’s do it!

What is the coach and client mainly doing?

a) The coach is giving training instructions.

b) They are having a friendly chat before a training session.

c) The client is complaining about the weekend.

Small Talk Topics & Vocabulary

Build your small talk toolkit for before and after sessions.

Key Topics for Coaches

Weather
Weekend / week recap
Workday
Progress check-in
Energy / mood

Weather Words

gorgeous — beautiful

miserable — terrible

breezy — windy & pleasant

chilly — cold

scorching — very hot

overcast — cloudy

Weekend / Activity Verbs (Past Simple)

hung out — spent time relaxing

caught up (on) — got back to normal

worked out — trained

took it easy — relaxed

hit the gym — went to the gym

went for a run — ran

Rapport Phrases

“How’s it going?”
“How was your week?”
“Did you have a good weekend?”
“You sound like you’re feeling better.”
“I noticed you’ve been consistent.”

🗣️ Speaking Practice

Practice these 3 openers out loud. Use your real weekend!

“How was your weekend?”
“Did you do anything fun?”
“How’s your energy today?”

Matching Exercise

Match each question with the best natural response.

1. How was your weekend?

2. Did you have a good week?

3. How’s the energy today?

4. Nice weather we’re having!

5. Did you do anything fun lately?

6. You seem in good spirits today!

Grammar Lab — Past Simple

Master the past tense to talk about what happened.

Past Simple Rules

Regular verbs: add -ed — talk → talked, play → played

Irregular verbs: must memorize — go → went, have → had, do → did, see → saw, eat → ate, take → took, get → got, make → made, come → came, say → said

Questions: Did + subject + base verb? — “Did you go to the gym?”

Negatives: didn't + base verb. — “I didn’t have time.”

Was / were: was (I/he/she/it), were (you/we/they). “How was your weekend?” “It was great!”

Common mistake: “Did you went?” “Did you go?” ← After “did”, always use the base verb!

Gist Task

Read the dialogue quickly. What’s one thing the client did yesterday?

Coach: Morning! How was your weekend?

Client: It was good, thanks! I went to the gym twice. On Saturday I took a spin class, and on Sunday I just took it easy.

Coach: Nice! Did you eat well, too?

Client: Mostly, yeah. I had a big salad on Saturday, but I also ate pizza on Sunday. Balance, right?

Coach: Absolutely. I noticed you’ve been consistent lately. That makes a big difference. Ready to work?

Client: Let’s go!

Exercise 1: Past Simple Form Drill

Type the past simple form of each verb or phrase.

1. talk →

2. go →

3. have →

4. see →

5. work out →

6. take →

7. eat →

8. do →

Exercise 2: Fix the Mistake

Type the corrected sentence using proper Past Simple.

1. “Did you went to the gym?” →

2. “I didn’t had time.” →

3. “How was your weekend? It were great.” →

4. “She don’t went hiking.” →

5. “We was at the gym yesterday.” →

Exercise 3: Choose the Correct Form

Select the correct word to complete each sentence.

1. “Did you ___ any training this weekend?”

a) do

b) did

c) done

2. “I ___ with an old friend on Saturday.”

a) catch up

b) caught up

c) catching up

3. “How ___ your week?”

a) was

b) were

c) did

4. “They ___ at the gym until 9pm.”

a) was

b) were

c) did

The Rapport Roleplay

Put small talk and Past Simple into real coaching practice.

🎭 Roleplay: Before a Session

Scenario: You are about to start a personal training session with a client.

Round 1: Play the Coach. Make small talk for 2 minutes, then transition to the session naturally.

Round 2: Switch roles — play the Client answering the coach’s questions.

Use at least:

3 past simple questions
2 follow-up questions
1 rapport phrase

Active Listening — Follow-Up Questions

Show you’re listening by asking follow-ups:

“Oh nice, where did you go?”

“How did that feel?”

“That sounds great, how long did it take?”

Reflecting back:

“So you had a busy week then!”

“Sounds like you earned that rest!”

Dialogue Builder

Complete the coach’s lines with the correct form.

1. “How your weekend?”

be (past)

2. “What you ?”

do (past question) + do (base)

3. “ you any time outdoors?”

do (past question) + spend (base)

4. “That amazing!”

sound (present simple)

Review & Speak

Solidify today’s language with quick drills and a final challenge.

🧠 Key Language Summary

Past Simple: Regular (-ed), irregular (memorize), did + base verb, was/were
Small talk topics: weather, weekend, work, progress, energy
Weather: gorgeous, miserable, breezy, chilly, scorching, overcast
Activities: hung out, caught up with, worked out, took it easy, hit the gym, went for a run
Rapport: How’s it going? / I noticed you’ve been consistent / You sound like you’re feeling better
Follow-ups: Oh nice, where did you go? / How did that feel? / Sounds like you earned that rest!

Drill 1: Subject-Verb Agreement with Plurals

Choose the correct verb form.

1. “My clients ___ very motivated.”

a) is

b) are

2. “Your knees ___ bending too much.”

a) is

b) are

3. “The exercises ___ getting easier.”

a) was

b) were

4. “Our sessions ___ productive.”

a) was

b) were

Drill 2: Dropped Copula

Complete the sentence with the correct form of “to be”.

1. “I ___ a personal trainer.” →

2. “She ___ ready for the session.” →

3. “We ___ at the gym.” →

4. “He ___ a certified coach.” →

🎯 Final Speaking Challenge

Imagine you’re about to coach a new client. Make 2 minutes of small talk before starting the session. Use:

2 past simple questions
1 follow-up question
1 weather comment
1 rapport phrase

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