Conversation with two people

Today we looked at conversation. (General)


We divided into groups of three. One person marked the other person's conversation. For example, general, details, feelings, conclusion, safety, smiling, nodding, body language, eye contact, comments. (Details)

It was interesting, but difficult. I think that I became a more natural speaker than before. (Feelings)

Anway, that's about it. (Conclusion)

The students are now realising that conversation is made up of complex components that all act in many various ways. By teaching the students about these components I hope that they will distinguish between why some conversations work and others don't. By talking about these components (termed "meta-language") students consciously look at how their own "Japanese" communicative style operates - this brings student ideas and opinions more out in the open because the students are now in the position of explaining to me about what they think - very motivational stuff! I intend to reformulate the students' particular language, so that they will be able to explain these features, in a light-hearted, but analytical way, if the opportunity arises in any conversation.

The other added bonus is that any discussion around conversation may also focus on specific communication breakdowns and how these might be avoided in the future.