Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson plan for English teachers provides C2-level class material on business English and crisis management. This advanced ESL lesson equips students with the vocabulary, grammar, and practical skills to handle corporate PR crises effectively. This comprehensive lesson guides students through the complexities of crisis communication.
Activities begin with a discussion on real-world corporate crises, followed by a vocabulary matching task. Students will then complete a listening gap-fill, analyze a case study about a tech company's response to an incident, and practice advanced grammar. The lesson culminates in a dynamic group role-play where students manage a PR crisis, applying the phrases and strategies learned throughout the class.
Activities
- Students begin by defining crisis management and discussing real-life examples of good and poor corporate responses, activating their prior knowledge and setting the stage for the lesson's core themes of reputation and public relations.
- A vocabulary section introduces key C2-level terms like 'mitigate,' 'fallout,' and 'contingency plan.' The lesson includes a listening exercise where students fill gaps in a text about the fundamental principles of crisis communication.
- Learners read a case study about a PR crisis and answer comprehension questions. This is followed by a grammar focus on using inversion for emphasis in formal statements, a key skill for proficient speakers.
- The lesson concludes with a collaborative role-play. Students act as a crisis management team, developing a strategy and drafting a public statement for a fictional company, consolidating all the language and skills practiced.
Vocabulary focus
This lesson focuses on advanced vocabulary essential for discussing public relations and corporate crises. Key terms include: damage control, contingency plan, fallout, stakeholder, mitigate, retraction, transparency, and spin. Students learn and practice these words through matching and contextual application.
Grammar focus
The grammar section is dedicated to using inversion for emphasis, a key feature of formal and persuasive English. Students learn to restructure sentences starting with negative or limiting adverbials like 'Not only...', 'Rarely...', 'Never before...', and 'Not until...', adding weight and formality to their statements.
