Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson plan for English teachers offers C2 class material on persuasive presentation skills. This ESL lesson helps students master rhetorical devices, advanced grammar, and handling difficult questions for impactful public speaking.
This comprehensive lesson plan equips C2 students with the tools for powerful, persuasive presentations. Activities include analyzing rhetorical devices like anaphora and antithesis, a listening gap-fill from an inspiring speech, and targeted grammar practice on inversion and advanced conditionals for adding emphasis. The lesson culminates in a practical role-play where students pitch an idea and handle challenging questions, solidifying their public speaking skills in a business context.
Activities
- Students analyze powerful rhetorical devices such as anaphora, antithesis, and chiasmus. This is followed by a listening gap-fill exercise based on an inspiring presentation, applying their comprehension skills in context.
- The lesson provides two dedicated grammar sections focusing on advanced structures for emphasis and formality. Students learn to use inversion after negative adverbials (e.g., "Never before have we...") and master inverted conditionals without 'if' (e.g., "Had we known...").
- Learners are equipped with useful phrases for diplomatically handling difficult questions during a Q&A session. They then apply these skills in a practical "hot seat" role-play, where they pitch a business proposal and defend their position against challenging inquiries.
Vocabulary focus
The vocabulary focus is on the language of persuasion and professional communication. Students will learn and practice key rhetorical devices, including anaphora, antithesis, and chiasmus. The lesson also introduces a wide range of phrases for handling difficult questions, such as acknowledging points, disagreeing politely, and delaying an answer gracefully.
Grammar focus
This C2 lesson targets two advanced grammar points for creating emphasis and sophistication. The first focus is inversion after negative adverbials (e.g., "Rarely have we seen..."). The second is on creating formal inverted conditionals by omitting 'if' (e.g., "Had we known..."), a key structure for high-level business and academic discourse.
