Narrator: There are certain actions that make others feel comfortable and happy while talking with us. We call these Conversation Drivers. These are behaviors that drive or keep a conversation going.

[SKILLS]

Narrator: Some Conversation Drivers are:

– We use Eye Contact and Body Language to show we are interested and listening.

– We Make Connected Comments, which means our comments connect back to the other person’s.

– We Share the Conversation by giving an equal amount of talking time to everyone. We all share the talking and listening time.

Let’s watch how to use Conversation Drivers.

[SCENE 1 – school classroom, students are reading at their own desks]

Kiara: (looks up from organizer) Hey Eric, have you seen the new stuff in the art room? (points to art room direction)

Eric: (looks up from book and looks toward the direction of the art room) No, not yet. What did they get? (looks at Kiara)

Kiara: The school got a new pottery wheel and nice easels.

Eric: Aww, that’s so cool! I can’t wait to go to art class on Thursday.

Kiara: Yeah, I think classes will be really fun now.

Eric: What do you want to try first?

Kiara: Painting. Definitely painting!

Eric: I love painting. Pottery would be really fun too!

Kiara: Yeah, I love pottery, too.

Narrator: Let’s see how Kiara was feeling about that conversation.

Kiara: (thought bubble) I had a nice time talking with Eric. I’d like to talk to him again soon.

[FROM MY VIEW]

Eric: (voice over) When I want to drive the conversation and keep it going, I make sure to look at who I’m talking to and follow where they look. I also like to nod to show the person I’m listening. I listen to what Kiara says and make sure my comments connect back to hers. And I make sure to give the other person the same amount of turns to talk.

[SKILLS REVIEW]

Narrator: To keep a conversation going, there are lots of Conversation Drivers we can use. Eric showed Kiara he was listening by watching her. His body language and nodding showed he was listening. He also made sure to talk about the same topic and give Kiara the same amount of turns to talk. This way, he kept the conversation about art class going.

[WHAT DID WE LEARN?]

Narrator: So, what did we learn?

We can use the Conversation Drivers of:

– Making Eye Contact and Body Language to show we are interested and listening.

– We make connected comments, which means our comments connect back to the other person’s.

– Sharing the Conversation by letting everyone have the same amount of time to talk. We all share the talking and listening time.