Conversation Strategies
29 Pair and Group Activities for Developing Communicative Competence

What are Conversation Strategies? They are techniques that help the speaker and listener keep a conversation going to its natural and desired conclusion. They are skills that supplement the linguistic and sociolinguistic skills most texts focus on: grammar, vocabulary, and usage.

To develop strategic competence, students must learn the words, phrases, and conventions used as two speakers engage in the active give-and-take of conversation. These are the strategies we use to get more information, make comparisons, correct someone politely, agree and disagree, summarize, share information, and make decisions in a business meeting. Students also practice polite forms, rejoinders, clarifications, follow-up questions, getting a response, expressing probability, interrupting, and avoiding conversation killers.

Each activity has three parts: a teacher's introduction, a written introductory exercise to be done by students individually, and pair/group practice that makes use of information gap and other interactive formats.

Each fun, student-centered activity begins with controlled language and moves to open, imaginative exchanges. The work is enjoyable for students and teacher.
Easy to use in any intermediate level class.


Books by David Kehe & Peggy Dustin Kehe

Basic Conversation Strategies
Conversation Strategies
Cultural Differences
Discussion Strategies
Writing Strategies One
Writing Strategies Two
Write after Input
The Grammar Review Book