Creating a Simulated Conversation
When you add a Simulated Conversation activity to your lesson, you'll see two main areas: the Conversation Form on the left (the core setup) and the Customize panel on the right (the fine-tuning controls).
The Conversation Form
This is where you define what the conversation is about and what success looks like.
Topic
The topic sets the overall scenario for the conversation. It can be as simple or as detailed as you want.
Simple: "Ordering food at a restaurant"
Detailed: "A job interview for an engineering position at a tech startup, where the student is the candidate"
The more specific you are, the more focused the conversation will be, but a broad topic gives the AI more room to improvise.
Goals
Goals are the specific things your student needs to accomplish during the conversation. Think of them as the rubric the AI uses to know when the student has "done the task."
Examples of good goals:
Describe a dish using at least three adjectives
Ask the waiter two follow-up questions
Use the past tense to recount a recent meal
Politely decline a recommendation
You have two ways to add goals:
Add manually: Click + Add goal and write your own.
Generate with AI: Click Generate goals and Speakable will suggest goals based on your topic and level. You can keep them, edit them, or delete the ones you don't want.
Level
Set the proficiency level you're targeting using the standard your school uses, such as ACTFL (Novice-Low through Distinguished) or WIDA. The AI will calibrate vocabulary, sentence complexity, and conversational pace to match.
Pick the level you expect students to perform at, not necessarily their current level. If you want to push them, set it slightly above where they are now.
The Customize Panel
This is where you control the experience itself — how the conversation feels, sounds, and gets scored.
General Settings
Points: How much this activity is worth, just like any other activity card on Speakable.
Limit Attempts: Toggle on if you want to cap how many tries a student gets. Leave it off to let them practice as many times as they want.
Response Controls
Select Voice: Choose the AI's voice. You can pick male or female voices, and different accents depending on the language. For Spanish, for example, you can choose between a Mexican, Castilian, or Argentine accent.
Mode: Decide whether this is a spoken conversation or a typed chat:
Speaking: The student talks out loud and the AI replies with voice. Transcriptions of both sides appear on screen so the student can review what was said.
Writing: The student types and reads, like a chat. Great for students who need to practice written fluency, or for noisy classroom environments.
Auto-close Conversation: When this is on, the conversation ends automatically the moment the student hits all the goals. When it's off, the student keeps going until they decide they're done and submit manually. We recommend leaving it off if you want students to over-practice or explore.
Resources
Student Support: Turn this on to give students hints during the conversation when they get stuck. Hints don't count as a turn, so students can use them freely without "wasting" a response.
AI Guidance
Additional Context — This is a hidden instruction box. Students never see it, but the AI uses it to stay in character and follow your rules.
Use this for things like:
Vocabulary the AI should weave in (or avoid)
The role the AI is playing ("You are a strict but friendly Italian grandmother")
Background detail (a full restaurant menu, prices, the names of staff, the city the scene is set in)
Constraints ("Never switch into English, even if the student asks")
The more context you give here, the more believable and consistent the conversation becomes.
Starting Message
This is the first thing the AI will say (or type) to kick off the conversation. It's optional, but we recommend filling it in, a strong opening sets the tone and gives the student a clear entry point.
Example: "Welcome to Café Luna! What can I get started for you today?"
If you leave this blank, the AI will improvise an opening based on the topic.
AI Features
These are turned on by default, but you can adjust them.
Instant Feedback: Students get real-time feedback during the conversation, so they can correct themselves as they go.
Automatic Grading: Speakable grades the conversation against a rubric when the student submits.
Grading & Rubrics
By default, your conversation is graded against our built-in conversation rubric, which covers fluency, accuracy, task completion, and more. If you want something different, click Rubric to either:
Pick a different existing rubric, or
Create your own from scratch with the criteria that matter to you.
Tips for Designing a Great Simulated Conversation
A few things we've seen work well from teachers already using the feature:
Start with a clear scenario. "Ordering food" is fine; "Ordering food at a busy Parisian café where the waiter is in a hurry" gives the AI more to work with.
Keep goals concrete and observable. "Use the imperfect tense" is easier to assess than "Speak fluently."
Use Additional Context generously. If you've built a whole scenario in your head, names, places, props, write it down here. The AI will use all of it.
Match the level to the goal of the activity, not the student's current level. Pushing students slightly above where they are is where growth happens.
Try it yourself before assigning it. Run through the conversation once as if you were the student. You'll quickly spot anything you'd want to tweak.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can students restart the conversation?
Yes, unless you've turned on Limit Attempts and capped the number of tries.
What happens if a student goes off-topic?
The AI will gently steer them back. If you've set Additional Context with strong constraints, it'll stay even more on track.
Can I see what the student said after they submit?
Yes, full transcripts of both spoken and written conversations are saved with the student's submission.
Does this work in any language? Simulated Conversations work in all languages supported on Speakable.
Need a hand setting up your first Simulated Conversation? Reach out to us anytime through the in-app chat — we love seeing what teachers build.