Many high school students need structured support to participate in reciprocal conversation.

Even at this stage, it is common to see behaviors like interrupting, shifting topics too quickly, or giving minimal responses that do not acknowledge what a peer has shared. These challenges often reflect gaps in pragmatic language development and can make it harder for students to engage meaningfully in social or academic settings.

This free activity, Conversation Drivers and Stoppers, helps students build awareness around the behaviors that either support or shut down conversation. It introduces a clear, visual framework and allows students to analyze real-life scenarios using 30+ discussion cards.

In this article, you’ll find:

• A breakdown of the conversation drivers and stoppers framework
• A complete lesson plan for classroom or therapy use
• Sample scenarios and analysis prompts
• Optional extensions and instructional strategies
• A free download link to access the materials

Why Teach Conversation Drivers and Stoppers?

In high school, pragmatic language expectations increase significantly. Students are expected to:

• Interpret tone and body language
• Sustain and contribute to academic discussions
• Self-monitor for respectful, reciprocal participation

Many students who struggle with these expectations aren’t being disruptive on purpose. Instead, they may lack clear models and structured opportunities to understand conversation skills that make a conversation feel natural and productive.

By explicitly teaching conversation drivers (behaviors that move the conversation forward) and conversation stoppers (behaviors that halt or derail it), educators can help students:

• Build social awareness
• Strengthen peer relationships
• Develop academic and workplace readiness
• Meet IEP goals related to pragmatic and social language

High School Activity: Drivers and Stoppers Scenario Cards

The downloadable resource includes:

• Over 30 short, high school–relevant scenarios describing a student interaction
• A visual prompt for students to identify whether the action “drove” or “stopped” the conversation
• An open-ended question to explain their reasoning
• Blank templates to create additional scenarios

Each scenario is grounded in realistic school settings, such as hallway conversations, group work, lunchroom interactions, or class discussions. This makes the lesson feel directly applicable and age-appropriate.

Lesson Plan: Conversation Drivers and Stoppers

This activity is flexible and works well in speech groups, general education classrooms, or resource settings. The structure below supports approximately 30–40 minutes of instruction.

Step 1: Define the concept

Introduce the terms:

• Conversation Drivers: Behaviors that help a conversation continue. These include asking follow-up questions, showing interest, staying on topic, and using positive body language.
• Conversation Stoppers: Behaviors that interrupt or shut down a conversation. These include interrupting, ignoring, changing the subject abruptly, or giving short or dismissive replies.

Use a visual anchor (such as the icon sheet included in the download) to reinforce the distinction.

Ask students to brainstorm examples of both. Write these on the board or chart paper in two columns.

Step 2: Scenario analysis

Distribute or project a few scenario cards. For each one:

• Read the scenario aloud
• Ask students: Did this behavior drive or stop the conversation?
• Prompt them to explain how they know

Example scenario: 

• “Lily says, ‘I started taking piano lessons last week.’ Violet replies, ‘I love chocolate chip cookies!’”
• Discussion: This is a stopper. Violet’s comment is unrelated and does not acknowledge Lily’s statement. It breaks the flow of conversation.

Encourage students to defend their reasoning and explore how the interaction could have gone differently.

Step 3: Peer discussion and modification

Have students work in pairs or small groups. Assign each group a different scenario from the packet. Ask them to:

• Decide whether the behavior was a driver or stopper
• Rewrite the interaction using a conversation driver instead

Groups can share their revised versions with the class. This encourages students to practice perspective-taking and apply what they’ve learned in a concrete way.

Step 4: Reflect

Conclude the lesson with a short written or verbal reflection:

• What makes a conversation feel easy or difficult?
• Which conversation stoppers do you think are most common?
• What conversation drivers do you want to work on using more often?

Sample Scenarios and Instructional Prompts

To add depth to your lesson, consider using follow-up questions after each scenario:

You can also tie these prompts to goals like:

• Understanding nonverbal communication
• Practicing conversational repair strategies
• Identifying how comments affect listener feelings

Optional Extensions and Teaching Strategies

To build on this lesson or revisit it throughout the year:

• Create a classroom anchor chart with student-generated examples of drivers and stoppers
• Assign a weekly “conversation skill” and have students reflect on how they used it
• Pair with self-assessment tools, asking students to rate their use of conversation drivers during a group activity

You can also use the blank scenario templates for:

• Student-created examples based on their own experiences
• Targeted IEP practice for specific behaviors
• Family engagement activities (e.g., practice at home)

Why This Resource Works

The Conversation Drivers and Stoppers activity offers:

• Clear, student-friendly language to describe abstract social behaviors
• Realistic, age-appropriate scenarios to encourage reflection
• Opportunities to model, analyze, and revise conversational choices
• A visual system that can be reused across multiple settings

For students working on pragmatic goals, this activity supports skill development in topic maintenance, turn-taking, and reciprocal engagement. It also helps general education students build awareness and empathy, which both support classroom culture and peer relationships.