Summary
This ESL lesson for C2 English students focuses on the complex communication strategies required during mergers and acquisitions (M&A). This business English lesson plan uses authentic audio, a reading text, and practical exercises to equip advanced students with the vocabulary and grammatical structures needed to discuss and manage M&A communications effectively.
Students will explore how to craft messages for various stakeholders, such as employees and shareholders, by analyzing key vocabulary and mastering nominalization for formal, authoritative communication. The lesson is designed to enhance students' ability to handle sensitive corporate situations with professional finesse.
Activities
- A warm-up discussion exploring students' existing knowledge of mergers and acquisitions, their potential benefits and drawbacks, and the communication challenges involved.
- A listening comprehension exercise where students fill in gaps from an audio clip discussing the nuances of M&A communication, followed by a matching task to solidify understanding of key C2-level vocabulary like finesse, rationale, and synergy.
- A grammar focus on nominalization, teaching students how to transform verbs and adjectives into nouns to create more formal, concise, and objective business communications.
- A reading comprehension activity based on an article about crafting a compelling M&A narrative, helping students understand how to assuage anxieties and build confidence among different stakeholder groups.
- Role-play and discussion scenarios that challenge students to apply the lesson's concepts by creating communication strategies for realistic M&A situations, such as addressing apprehensive employees or discerning shareholders.
Vocabulary focus
The vocabulary section introduces high-level business terms essential for discussing M&A, such as 'finesse,' 'grapple,' 'rationale,' 'apprehensive,' 'discerning,' 'assuage,' 'synergy,' and 'paramount.' Students practice these words through listening, matching, and reading exercises to ensure deep comprehension and active use.
Grammar focus
This lesson concentrates on nominalization, a key feature of formal business writing. Students learn to convert verbs and adjectives into nouns (e.g., 'communicate' to 'communication') to make their language more concise, abstract, and authoritative, a crucial skill for high-level corporate communication.
