Introduction

Effective communication is an essential aspect of social-emotional learning. In this blog post, we introduce an engaging activity called “Two Sides” that focuses on Conversation Drivers and Conversation Stoppers. This activity helps middle school students develop their communication skills by teaching them the importance of keeping a conversation moving in the right direction and understanding when a conversation should end naturally.

No-Prep Activity: Two Sides

Two Sides is a simple and engaging activity that requires no preparation or materials from the educator. The objective of this game is to help students differentiate between Conversation Drivers and Conversation Stoppers, and practice using effective communication techniques.

Here’s how the activity works:

1. Divide the students into pairs or small groups.
2. Explain the concept of Conversation Drivers (actions that keep the conversation going) and Conversation Stoppers (actions that halt the conversation).
3. Provide students with a conversation topic or let them choose their own.
4. Ask the students to engage in a conversation, with one student using Conversation Drivers and the other using Conversation Stoppers.
5. After a few minutes, have the students switch roles and continue the conversation.

Throughout the activity, students will gain an understanding of the impact of their communication choices on the conversation’s flow and learn to use effective strategies to keep the conversation going.

Discussion Questions

After completing the Two Sides activity, engage your students in a discussion with the following questions:

1. How did it feel to be the Conversation Driver? What strategies did you use to keep the conversation going?
2. How did it feel to be the Conversation Stopper? What actions did you take to halt the conversation?
3. What challenges did you face while trying to keep the conversation going or stopping it?
4. How can you apply the skills learned in this activity to real-life conversations?
5. Why is it important to recognize and adapt our communication style for different situations?

Related Skills

Two Sides is an excellent activity for teaching students about Conversation Drivers and Conversation Stoppers, but it’s just one aspect of social-emotional learning. Other essential skills to help students succeed in their social interactions include:

• Active listening
• Empathy and understanding
• Nonverbal communication
• Conflict resolution
• Assertiveness

Next Steps

If you’re interested in exploring more activities to enhance your students’ social-emotional skills, we invite you to sign up for free samples of our resources. Our materials cover a wide range of topics and are designed to support educators in fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment.