Motivation

Motivation is a topic that connects to work, personal goals, and self-improvement, areas where students usually have experiences to share. These questions explore what drives people, how motivation changes, and the challenges of staying focused on long-term goals.

Questions are organized by level from beginner to advanced. A printable PDF of all the questions is available at the bottom of the page.

Beginner (A1-A2)

1. What activity do you have no motivation to do? What makes it so hard to start?
2. What song do you listen to for motivation? What is it about the song that gets you fired up?
3. Who is the most motivated person you know? Tell me about them.
4. What goals do you have right now? How many do you have?
5. What do you do when you feel lazy? Give me some examples.
6. Do you have a morning routine that helps you start the day? What does it look like?
7. What kind of rewards motivate you the most? Money, praise, or something else?
8. Do you like to make lists of things you need to do? How do you keep track of your tasks?
9. What time of day do you feel the most motivated? What do you usually do then?
10. Do you have a place where you feel more motivated to work or study? Tell me about it.

Elementary (A2)

1. Are you usually a motivated person, or do you need something to push you? What helps you get started?
2. What is a motivational quote you like? Why does it inspire you?
3. Have you read any good motivational books or articles? What were they about, and did they change how you think?
4. Who gives you the best advice about staying motivated? What do they usually say?
5. What is something you are really good at? How did you get so good at it?
6. Have you ever lost motivation to do something you used to love? What happened?
7. Have you ever given up on a goal? What made you stop?
8. What is something you wanted to do but kept putting off? Why did you wait so long?
9. What subject in school were you the most motivated to study? Why?
10. What is one thing you do every day that takes a lot of motivation? Why is it hard?
11. What motivational speaker or influencer do you follow? What do you like about them?
12. Do you use any apps or tools to track your goals? Which ones do you prefer and why?

Intermediate (B1)

1. What motivates you? Why?
2. How can you help someone who has no motivation?
3. How often do you exercise or workout? What is the best way to motivate yourself to work out?
4. What do you think of motivation posters in offices, do they actually help?
5. What is the hardest goal you have ever worked toward? Was it worth it?
6. Have you ever worked with someone who was not motivated at all? How did that affect the work?
7. Do you work better with a deadline or without one? Why?
8. Do you think competition motivates people or discourages them? Why or why not?
9. Should schools give students rewards for good grades? Why or why not?
10. What do you think is the biggest motivation killer in the workplace? Give me some examples.
11. How do you stay motivated when you don’t see results right away? What strategies work for you?
12. Do you prefer working toward short-term goals or long-term goals? What’s good about each?
13. How important is it to have a role model or mentor? What difference does it make?
14. If you could start any project without worrying about failing, what would you do and why?
15. Do you think social media helps people stay motivated, or does it make them feel worse about themselves? How so?
16. What do you think is the biggest reason people lose motivation? Is there a good way to get it back?

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

1. Does motivation come from inside a person or from their environment? Explain why you think so.
2. How has social media affected people’s motivation to improve themselves? Give me some examples.
3. How is motivation different in individualistic cultures versus collectivist cultures? What do you think causes those differences?
4. What role does failure play in motivation? How often have you experienced failure that later motivated you to succeed?
5. How is motivation portrayed in movies and books compared to real life? What do you think about those differences?
6. How does burnout affect someone’s ability to feel motivated? What can be done to recover from it?
7. Some people say you should ‘follow your passion’ while others say you should focus on practical skills. What are the risks and benefits of each approach?
8. How does growing up in poverty affect a person’s motivation compared to growing up in a wealthy family? Does one background produce stronger motivation than the other?
9. In many countries, people are working longer hours but reporting less satisfaction. What do you think is causing this, and what can be done about it?
10. Compare how different generations (your parents’ generation vs yours) think about motivation and hard work. What has changed and why?
11. How has technology changed the way people set and track their goals in the last ten years? Is this mostly helpful or mostly harmful?
12. Why do some people lose motivation as they achieve success, while others become more driven? What psychological or social factors explain this split?
13. Some people are more motivated by a comfortable routine while others need constant change and new challenges. How do workplaces and schools handle this tension, and which group usually gets overlooked?
14. People often say ‘just stay positive’ when someone loses motivation, but some research suggests that too much positivity can actually make things worse. When does encouragement help, and when does it backfire?
15. How has the shift from lifetime employment to short-term contracts and freelance work changed what motivates people in their careers? Are people more free or more anxious?
16. Children are often motivated by gold stars and praise, but adults are expected to motivate themselves. At what age or stage does this shift happen, and how well do schools and families prepare young people for it?

Advanced (C1)

1. What tensions exist between authentic self-motivation and the pressure to appear motivated in professional settings? How do people navigate this gap?
2. How does the constant pressure to be productive affect people’s mental health? What broader assumptions about human worth does this pressure reveal?
3. To what extent does the self-help industry create the problems it claims to solve? How does it both empower and exploit people seeking motivation?
4. How might the transition from survival-based motivation to purpose-based motivation explain many modern mental health challenges? What happens when basic needs are met but meaning is absent?
5. Many companies use gamification — points, badges, and leaderboards — to keep employees motivated. At what point does turning work into a game start to feel manipulative rather than inspiring?
6. Why do people often know exactly what they should do to reach their goals but still struggle to do it? What does this gap between knowledge and action tell us about how motivation actually works in everyday life?
7. Social media is full of people sharing their achievements and success stories. How does constant exposure to other people’s wins change what motivates us, and when does inspiration turn into unhealthy comparison?
8. In many cultures, parents sacrifice their own dreams so their children can have better opportunities. How does carrying someone else’s unfulfilled ambitions shape a person’s motivation, and what happens when their own desires conflict with that inherited purpose?
9. Some of the most creative and successful people describe long periods of doing nothing before a breakthrough. Why does a culture obsessed with productivity have so much trouble accepting that rest and boredom might be essential parts of motivation?
10. Schools and workplaces increasingly use data — test scores, performance reviews, fitness trackers — to measure progress. How does turning motivation into numbers change the way people experience it, and what gets lost when everything has to be measured?
11. People who grow up being told they are naturally talented often struggle more with motivation later in life than people who were praised for working hard. Why might believing you were born gifted actually make it harder to stay motivated when things get difficult?

PDF: Download a PDF of all the questions