Introduction

Teaching students how to end conversations is an essential life skill, especially in Special Education settings. Students need to learn the proper way to leave a conversation as it helps them build better relationships and promotes effective communication. This blog post will discuss an easy-to-implement activity that requires no preparation or materials, discussion questions to stimulate further learning, related skills, and next steps to access more resources.

No-Prep Activity

For this no-prep activity, have your students practice ending conversations with their peers. Begin by explaining the importance of appropriately ending conversations and providing examples, such as the one given in the prompt:

Ashley: I’ve got to go, I have dance practice.
Matt: Bye! See you later.
Ashley: Bye!

Next, have students pair up and engage in a short conversation on a topic of their choice. Encourage them to practice the following three steps when it’s time to end the conversation:

1. Give a reason for leaving the conversation.
2. Look at their conversation partner.
3. Say “Bye” or another appropriate farewell.

After practicing with their partner, have students switch partners and repeat the activity. This will give them a chance to practice ending conversations with different people and in various situations.

Discussion Questions

After completing the activity, use these discussion questions to stimulate further conversations and learning:

1. Why is it important to give a reason when ending a conversation?
2. How does looking at your conversation partner when saying goodbye make the interaction more meaningful?
3. What are some other phrases you can use to end a conversation besides “Bye”?
4. How can practicing ending conversations help improve your relationships and communication skills?
5. Can you think of a situation where ending a conversation appropriately was challenging? How did you handle it?

Related Skills

Teaching students how to end conversations is just one aspect of building strong communication skills. Other related skills that Special Education students can benefit from include:

• Active listening
• Maintaining eye contact during conversations
• Using appropriate body language
• Expressing empathy and understanding
• Asking open-ended questions to engage in conversations

Next Steps

Teaching students how to end conversations is an essential skill for building positive relationships and effective communication. To access more resources and activities geared towards Special Education students, sign up for free samples of the discussed skill and others at Everyday Speech. With these valuable resources, you can help your students develop the communication skills they need for success in all areas of life.