Students often seem reluctant to take the floor, let alone interrupt a speaker, even those ensconced in a deep and apparently endless pause. This teacher has attempted to make his students more assertive speakers through the occasional use of interruption cards that help teach conversational, turn taking phrases.

Before class, prepare a sheet with six cards (see attached example), each card having three specific parts: an interrupting and occasionally Turn taking phrase in the center in large letters, such as "But..." "By the way..." or "Really?", which will be read aloud; a phrase at the top in small boldface type explaining who will continue the conversation after the card is read; and a space marked in small print at the bottom for signing one's name. The latter enables players to identify who interrupted the most frequently at the finish of the game.