How we make Topical Talk resources

A behind-the-scenes look at how Topical Talk Headlines are produced, ready for you teach each week.

How we make Topical Talk Headlines

Ever wondered how we make Topical Talk lessons? It's a team effort, bringing together our experienced teachers, Economist journalists, topic experts, fact-checkers, designers and proof-readers. The process for each one takes ten days.

Days 1 to 2: preparation

Two women in a meeting looking at some printed layouts and news stories

Decide the story

Our content team meets to decide the topic. They look at the biggest global events and which stories are important for young people to understand.

Collage of newspaper headlines with an illustrated figure drawing a circle around the clipping "smart power"

Research

We research the topic to find the big, interesting questions and debates. Journalists at The Economist support us, lending their expert eye.

Illustrated figure drawing a series of Topical Talk icons - creativity, speaking, listening, problem-solving, knowledge

Choose the objectives

We consider what knowledge the lesson will build and which skills (speaking, listening, problem-solving and creativity) are needed to understand the topic. We use these to underpin the way the lesson develops.

Days 3 to 6: creation

Plan the lesson

We think of fun activities that help students get up, get moving and get talking to each other. These should be easy to access without prior knowledge and develop the lesson’s key skill. For example, a negotiation task that develops problem solving, or a role-play activity that needs good listening skills.

We find moments to link the story to students’ own experiences, for example, with analogies. We pause to introduce new words or concepts and we include topic experts where necessary.

An illustrated figure marking up crosses and question marks on a draft of text

First draft: edit

The first draft is reviewed and edited by the Topical Talk programmes team. Sometimes we try the activities ourselves!

An illustrated figure next to a draft of text covered in green tick marks

Second draft: edit

The second draft goes through The Economist’s editorial system – an expert journalist checks the content is balanced and fair, a fact-checker verifies the information and a senior editor has a final say.

Collage of design layout elements, including colour palettes and typography, with example layouts from a Topical Talk resourcee

Design

Our designer transforms the draft into the lesson that you use in the classroom. The focus is on vibrant, engaging and accessible imagery. We also try to keep your printing and preparation to a minimum.

Days 7 to 10: final checks

Designed teaching lessons stuck onto a wall with a hand circling some elements with a red pen

Third draft: edit

We scrutinise the third draft with more proof-reading and edits.

Laptop screen showing a Topical Talk resources with some hands pointing at elements of it

Final sign-off

The lesson is sent to the senior editor for their final sign-off. Without this, we can’t publish – just like The Economist newspaper.

Homepage of the Topical Talk website on a computer screen

Publish

We upload the resource to the Topical Talk website, email our account holders and promote the resource on our social media channels. It's now ready for your students!