Tips for carrying out a conversation

1. Starting, Continuin
g, and Ending
Conversations
Ms. Quiñones

2. Tips on Getting Started
Observe the person you want to
speak to
Introduce yourself
Make Eye Contact
Position yourself at a comfortable
distance

3. Starting a Conversation
Mostly we start a conversation in
one of 5 ways:
 Asking a question
 Requesting something
 Commenting on something in the
environment
 Giving a general greeting (e.g.
„hello‟)
 Making a personal remark

4. Practice Starting
Think of 5 opening lines for a
conversation.

5. Starting: Choosing Topics
 Try to find a topic you have in common.
(Small talk helps with this)
 Get the other person to talk about
themselves
 Introduce a topic so they know what you
will discuss
 Ex. “Let me tell you what happened”
 Determine if you have enough time to
fully discuss a topic
 Avoid subjects like
money, salary, rent, cost of
possession, religion, etc.

6. Continuing: Take Turns
 Listen to your partner (instead of
worrying what to say next)
 Show you are listening by nodding and
making eye contact
 When they appear to be finished
talking, wait a few seconds before
responding
 Ask follow up questions related to the
topic of conversation
 Try to talk less than half the time and
encourage sharing of ideas

7. Continuing: Changing the
Subject
 If you want to change the subject/topic
of the conversation, let the other person
know.
 Ex. “there is something else I wanted
to tell you about”
 Or, use a phrase like “on a different
topic”
 You can also look for connections
between the current topic and the one
you want to discuss.
 Ex. “speaking of ____, I wanted to let
you know ___”

8. Practice Changing Subjects
1. You are speaking about pets and you need to
change the subject to books
2. You are speaking about jobs and you need to
change the subject to cars
3. You are speaking about movies and you need to
change the subject to homework
4. You are speaking about class and you need to
change the subject to parents
5. You are speaking about favorite hobbies and you
need to change the subject to work
6. You are speaking about apartments and you
need to shift the topic to the weather

9. Continuing: Observe
Reactions
 Check for your partner‟s physical and
verbal reactions to your topic.
 You may need to switch topics, adjust
your tone, or clarify.
 Be aware of time. There may be signals
that it is time to end the conversation.

10. Ending a Conversation
 If your partner seems like they still want to
talk, explain why you have to leave.
 Bring another person into the conversation
and excuse yourself
 Use a closing phrase that signals you need
to end the conversation.
 Ex. “I really enjoyed talking to you” or “It
was nice to see you again”

11. Practice Closing
 Think of 3 possible reasons that you
might to explain to someone that you
need to end the conversation.
 Think of 3 statements to signal that you
need to end a conversation.

12. Practice Conversations
 Have a conversation with someone in
your class.
 After about 5-10 minutes, close the
conversation.
 Take notes about any potential trouble
spots.