Many high school students still need support knowing when it’s their turn to talk. Some interrupt without realizing it. Others stay silent even when it’s their turn to contribute. This can create awkward stops in conversation, make discussions feel one-sided, and affect students’ ability to build peer relationships.

The Conversation Stoplight activity provides a clear, visual framework to help students take turns speaking. It introduces the concept of using social cues—like a pause or a shift in eye contact—to know when to listen and when to talk. With structured prompts and guided practice, students learn how to monitor their timing in conversations.

This article includes:

• A breakdown of the Conversation Stoplight concept
• A full lesson plan for classroom or clinical use
• Instructions for using the printable activity
• A link to download the free resource

Why Teach Turn-Taking in High School?

Even at the high school level, turn-taking is a conversation skill that often needs to be explicitly taught and reinforced. Students working on pragmatic language may:

• Interrupt without noticing
• Respond too quickly before their partner is finished
• Miss cues that it’s their turn to talk
• Stay silent for too long, causing conversations to stall

Teaching this skill helps students:

• Participate in more natural, reciprocal conversations
• Improve classroom discussion skills
• Build self-awareness and responsiveness in peer interactions

The Conversation Stoplight is a visual tool that helps make these abstract ideas concrete. It links observable behaviors (like pausing or finishing a sentence) with simple “rules of the road” to guide conversational timing.

High School Activity: Conversation Stoplight

This printable activity includes:

• A visual explanation of the Conversation Stoplight (green means go, red means listen)
• Four conversation prompts appropriate for teens
• Structured space for students to record their responses and practice turn-taking
• A one-page teaching plan to support guided use

The activity is flexible enough to be used in speech sessions, classroom lessons, or small-group instruction focused on communication or soft skills.

Lesson Plan: Teaching Conversation Stoplight

This lesson takes 15–25 minutes and is best suited for 1:1 or small-group instruction. It pairs well with other basic pragmatic language lessons such as topic maintenance and active listening.

Step 1: Introduce the Stoplight Metaphor

Begin by discussing the purpose of the Conversation Stoplight. Explain: “Just like traffic lights tell us when to stop and when to go, the Conversation Stoplight helps us know when to listen and when to talk.”

Break it down:

• Red Light = Listen and wait
• Green Light = Speak, respond, or ask a question
• Yellow can also be introduced as a signal to slow down or check for cues

Use examples to show how someone finishing their sentence, making eye contact, or pausing is a clue that it may be time to respond.

Step 2: Model the Skill

Choose one of the four conversation prompts and demonstrate a brief interaction with a student or co-facilitator. Emphasize:

• Listening until the speaker is finished
• Responding only when it’s clearly your turn
• Waiting during a pause if it’s not your turn yet

Then, discuss how you knew when to take your turn. Highlight nonverbal and verbal cues.

Step 3: Student Practice

Pair students and have them choose one prompt to begin with. Instruct them to:

• Take turns responding to the prompt
• Wait for a green light moment (e.g., when their partner finishes speaking)
• Practice four back-and-forth exchanges per pair

Encourage students to focus on:

• Not interrupting
• Giving their partner space to speak
• Listening fully before responding

You can use the printable sheet for students to write their answers before sharing to slow down processing and increase accuracy.

Step 4: Reflect and Reinforce

After the activity, lead a short reflection:

• What made it clear that it was your turn to speak?
• Was it ever hard to wait?
• How can we use this skill in other conversations?

You can reinforce the metaphor by creating a classroom visual or having students color in their own red and green cards to use during group discussions.

Supporting Turn-Taking in Real-Life Settings

To help students transfer this skill beyond the activity:

• Pair it with a lesson on listening cues (e.g., nodding, eye contact, verbal affirmations)
• Use conversation video clips to analyze moments where someone takes a turn too early or waits too long
• Ask students to reflect on recent interactions where turn-taking went well or broke down

This type of instruction supports broader IEP goals related to pragmatic language, including:

• Participating in conversations with appropriate timing
• Using nonverbal cues to support communication
• Engaging in reciprocal peer interactions

Instructional Takeaways

The Conversation Stoplight is simple but highly effective for teaching a core communication behavior. It supports students in:

• Recognizing when to take their turn in conversation
• Practicing respectful, attentive listening
• Engaging more fully in peer and classroom interactions

Because the activity includes both visual reinforcement and structured prompts, it provides an accessible entry point for students at a range of communication levels.