Conversation Skills
Conversation Skills
Conversation should be enjoyable, flow freely and an even exchange between 2 or more communicaion partners.
For conversation to be like this, there are a number of key skills that are required.
These skills include:
- Choosing an appropriate conversational topic. This includes being able to judge your audience, their interests and their level of knowledge about the topic.
- Taking turns to speak.
- Maintaining a topic for an appropriate period of time. Topics should not shift rapidly, but similarly a child should not focus on one topic for an extended period of time, particuarly if the attention of the communication partner is waning.
- Making and sustaining eye contact.
- Maintaining an appropriate distance away from the conversation partner.
- Being able to keep a conversation flowing.
- Being responsive to what the communication partner is saying.
Avoiding conversational breakdown (i.e. when the other person doesnt understand you/ your point).
A child who is unable to natrally do these things, will find conversation difficult. Please use the attached resources to assist children with working on these conversational skills.
Useful Resources
- Staying on Topic task
- Teacher Visuals
These PCS enable teachers to give instruction visually to support children's needs. - Answering the Phone
General script and directions on how to answer the phone. - School Chat Page
Page with images & text to support conversations about what activities a child has engaged in at school. - Home Chat Page
Page with images & text to support conversations about what activities a child has engaged in at home. - Check In
Notebook file and PDF to support students to 'check in' with the teacher and their class mates of a morning.
Useful Links
- Speaking of Speech Materials Exchange
This is a link to a website of free downloadable conversation skills resources. - Social Communication(Pragmatics)
Information and ideas from Kid Sense Child Development.