Listen to this

The BBC World Service offers a superb range of radio programmes available as podcasts. The homepage is attractively laid out, with programmes ordered either by genre or A-Z. Each programme has an icon image, title and one sentence description, making the task of selecting a suitable podcast really quite manageable.
Value
The value for EFL learners seems clear, for example:

• Exposure to themed presentations and discussions on contemporary issues with an international flavour
• Building vocabulary
• Developing listening skills
• Dealing with a range of English accents

Strategy
There are a few issues that prospective listeners to BBC World Service podcasts need to deal with:

• BBC iplayer - can be tempermental in my experience, doesn't seem to work on all browsers. Make sure you can resolve these issues before rolling out in the teaching session.
• Seven day availability - there is no archive! Podcasts are avaible for download, but for a seven day window only. I'm trying to build the habit of checking for content on a weekly basis.
• Selection - even though the podcast homepage is accessible, there is still the difficulty of choice to work through. Naming a genre, using a shortlist or setting a specific podcast could help; try running a review task of the whole index as a co-operative work; get learners to share favourites, descriptions, reviews, reasons, opinions - all this kind of stuff will be useful to build accessibility.

Selection
The Forum (45 mins) - an ideas discussion show with presenter and three speakers. I especially like the Sixty second idea to change the world item. For this, one of the featured speakers suggests a world changing idea - this will be somehow related to their talk. The presenter then leads a short exchange of opinions and ideas in response this with the other featured speakers. Listener interaction is encouraged via Twitter.
The whole thing is ripe for use in a teaching session, whether EFL or other. See this hacked out idea, 60 seconds: Change the World.

Comment
By no means have I investigated all of the World Service website or the content on offer, but recognize that this is a high quality resource to not only make use of in-session, but also to point EFL and other learners to and encourage their use of it. Do it!

60 seconds: Change the World

The Forum is "an ideas discussion show" from the BBC World Service. Presented by Bridget Kendall each show features three "eminent minds" who tackle "the big questions of our age". Of special interest is the part of the show called "Sixty second idea to change the world". For this, one of the featured speakers suggests a core idea which will somehow relate to their specialism.

Session-idea

Pre-session need to listen to the relevant chapter; 

listen to the 60 second thing pre- or in-session; 

have a great discussion; 

tweet responses on Twitter: pre-, in- or post-session; 

pre-, in- or post-session (point to / require) more research about the speakers;