Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson plan for English teachers is designed for advanced ESL classes. This business English class material focuses on the sensitive topic of handling difficult conversations, specifically how to terminate employment with compassion and professionalism.
This C1-level lesson helps students develop the language skills needed for sensitive workplace communication. The class material includes a warm-up discussion, a vocabulary matching exercise, and comprehension questions based on an expert video. Students will practice useful phrases for showing empathy and being direct, study the use of the passive voice for depersonalization, and apply all their learning in a realistic, structured role-play activity involving a manager, an employee, and an HR representative.
Activities
- Students begin by discussing the emotional and practical challenges of delivering bad news in a professional context, setting the stage for the lesson's core topic.
- Learners watch a video featuring an expert's advice on firing with humanity. They answer detailed questions to check their understanding of key concepts and common mistakes.
- Students complete exercises to learn useful phrases for showing empathy and being direct. This is followed by a grammar task on using the passive voice for sensitive communication.
- In groups, students simulate a termination meeting, taking on the roles of a manager, an employee, and an HR representative to apply the language and strategies learned.
Vocabulary focus
The vocabulary section introduces advanced terms related to professional conduct and communication. Key words include humanity, humiliating, connotation, to procrastinate, and triggering event, helping students discuss sensitive topics with precision and nuance.
Grammar focus
The grammar section focuses on using the passive voice to deliver difficult news in a formal and objective manner. Students learn to shift the focus from the person making the decision to the action itself, practicing by rewriting active sentences into their passive forms.
