Teaching Conversation Share: A Balanced Talk Time for Successful Conversations
Introduction
When engaging in conversations, it’s essential for students to understand the importance of evenly distributing talk time among participants. The Conversation Share concept helps students visualize the balance of speaking and listening during discussions. By teaching this concept, educators can empower students to participate in more successful and enjoyable conversations while fostering positive social interactions.
No-Prep Activity: The Conversation Pie
This activity requires no preparation or materials from the educator and helps students understand the concept of Conversation Share. Here’s how it works:
- Divide students into pairs.
- Explain the concept of Conversation Share, using the pie chart analogy. Each person in the conversation should aim for an equal “slice” of the pie, or talk time.
- Ask students to engage in a short conversation about a given topic (e.g., favorite hobbies, weekend plans, etc.). Encourage them to be mindful of their Conversation Share.
- After the conversation, students should reflect on how well they shared talk time and discuss any challenges they faced.
Through this activity, students can practice maintaining a balanced Conversation Share, leading to more successful and enjoyable discussions.
Discussion Questions
- Why is it important to have a balanced Conversation Share?
- How can you tell if you’re talking too much or too little in a conversation?
- What strategies can you use to ensure you’re sharing talk time equally with others?
- How does a balanced Conversation Share contribute to positive social interactions?
- What challenges might you face when trying to maintain a balanced Conversation Share?
Related Skills
Teaching students about Conversation Share is just one aspect of fostering positive communication and social skills. Other relevant skills for students to develop include:
- Active listening: Encouraging students to focus on understanding and empathizing with the speaker, rather than just waiting for their turn to talk.
- Nonverbal communication: Helping students recognize and interpret body language, facial expressions, and other nonverbal cues during conversations.
- Turn-taking: Teaching students the importance of allowing others to speak and not interrupting during discussions.
- Empathy: Encouraging students to consider the feelings and perspectives of others during conversations.
Next Steps
Integrating the Conversation Share concept into your curriculum can help students develop valuable social and communication skills. To further explore this skill and others, be sure to sign up for free samples of Everyday Speech’s materials. These resources provide additional activities and lessons to help you teach essential social-emotional skills to your students.
