Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson plan for English teachers introduces the complex language of mergers and acquisitions. This advanced business English class material is perfect for C1 ESL students seeking to improve their corporate finance and negotiation vocabulary.
This lesson guides students through the complexities of M&A deals. It begins with a discussion to activate schema, followed by a key terminology matching task and a listening gap-fill. Students read a news article about a tech merger, practice hedging language for negotiations, and learn essential phrases. The lesson culminates in a dynamic role-play where students negotiate a key point of the deal, applying all the language they have learned throughout the class.
Activities
- Students learn essential M&A terminology like 'due diligence' and 'synergy' through a matching exercise. They then reinforce this vocabulary with a listening exercise, filling in the gaps in a senior executive's summary of a recent acquisition deal.
- A reading comprehension task based on a fictional news article about a tech merger sets the context. This is followed by a targeted grammar exercise on using hedging and speculative language, which is crucial for diplomatic business communication.
- The lesson builds towards a final role-play where students act as representatives of two companies. They must use the phrases and grammar from the lesson to negotiate a complex deal point, practicing their persuasive and diplomatic speaking skills.
Transcript
0:00 The recent acquisition deal proved incredibly complex. Our team spent months on due diligence, uncovering several hidden liabilities that nearly derailed the entire process.
0:15 Ultimately, the valuation was adjusted, reflecting a more realistic assessment of the target company's assets.
0:23 We anticipate significant synergy, but successful integration will be our next major challenge.
0:30 Regulatory approval, thankfully, seems to be on track, despite some initial concerns from the competition authority.
0:38 This deal truly tested our negotiation skills.
Vocabulary focus
This lesson focuses on high-level business vocabulary related to corporate finance. Key terms include: due diligence, valuation, liability, synergy, hostile takeover, regulatory approval, and non-disclosure agreement (NDA). The role-play also encourages the use of negotiation phrases.
Grammar focus
The grammar section is dedicated to hedging and speculative language, essential for high-stakes business communication. Students practice using modal verbs (could, might), specific verbs (anticipate, suggest), adverbs (reportedly, potentially), and distancing phrases (it appears that...).
