Conversation Confidence Builder

Emma Gebhard

Tier 3

Lesson Plan

Confidence Through Practice

Empower the student to confidently initiate and sustain conversations through guided role-playing and feedback.

This lesson builds essential communication skills by exposing the student to real-life scenarios, enhancing self-esteem and practical conversation abilities.

Audience

8th Grade Student

Time

40 minutes

Approach

Interactive role-playing with targeted feedback.

Materials

Confidence Through Practice, Building Self-Assurance Slide Deck, and Confidence Assessment Quiz

Prep

Preparation

5 minutes

Review the Confidence Through Practice lesson plan.
Familiarize yourself with the Building Self-Assurance Slide Deck to highlight key points.
Prepare the Confidence Assessment Quiz to evaluate progress.
Set up a comfortable space conducive for one-on-one role-play practice.

Step 1

Warm-Up Discussion

5 minutes

Engage the student with a brief discussion about everyday conversations.
Ask open-ended questions to gauge current confidence levels.

Step 2

Role-Playing Activity

20 minutes

Introduce a real-life scenario (e.g., starting a conversation at school) from the Confidence Through Practice material.
Role-play the conversation, alternating roles between the teacher and student.
Use prompts from the Building Self-Assurance Slide Deck to keep the dialogue natural.
Provide immediate constructive feedback after each role-play round.

Step 3

Feedback and Reflection

5 minutes

Ask the student how they felt during the role-playing activity.
Highlight achievements and areas for growth.
Encourage the student to reflect on strategies to improve conversational skills.

Step 4

Assessment

5 minutes

Have the student complete the Confidence Assessment Quiz to evaluate their progress.
Review the quiz responses together and discuss next steps.

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Slide Deck

Starting Strong

Learn key strategies for initiating conversations. Remember, every conversation is a new opportunity!

Smile and make eye contact
Introduce yourself confidently
Ask open-ended questions

Introduce the activity and set a positive tone. Emphasize that the purpose of this deck is to provide cues and guidance for starting conversations. Mention that these tips can be used in everyday interactions.

Real-Life Scenarios

Scenario 1: Greeting a new classmate—'Hi, I'm [Your Name]. I noticed you're in my class, what do you think of our teacher?'

Scenario 2: Talking to a teacher—'Good morning, I wanted to ask about the homework assignment.'

Provide visual scenarios that illustrate the conversation starter tips. Use examples of common situations like meeting a new classmate or greeting a teacher. These examples better anchor the abstract strategies into real-life contexts.

Confidence-Boosting Tips

• Maintain good posture and smile
• Listen actively and respond thoughtfully
• Take your time—it's okay to pause and think

Highlight additional techniques and brief reminders on how to be a good listener. This slide encourages self-reflection and empowers the student to rely on their strengths.

You Got This!

Every conversation is an opportunity to improve. Practice these tips, and soon, initiating conversations will feel natural. Let's build that self-assurance together!

Summarize the deck with a strong, encouraging conclusion. Remind the student that communication skills develop with practice and persistence. Prepare to link the discussion back to the role-playing activity.