Effective meetings: giving advice and suggestions

Summary

This 90-minute ESL lesson for B2 learners explores Effective meetings: giving advice and suggestions through a real audio recording. Across 11 interactive exercises, you'll develop listening comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, practical communication, speaking skills — all built around authentic English content.

What you'll practise:

• 5 key vocabulary items with definitions and usage notes
• Grammar focus: The subjunctive mood for suggestions with examples and practice
• Real-world phrases for giving feedback in a one-to-one meeting
• Gap-fill and cloze exercises to test vocabulary in context
• Matching exercise to connect terms with their meanings
• Error correction to sharpen grammar awareness
• A reading passage to practise newly learned language

Lesson activities (11 exercises)

Each exercise builds on the previous one. Work through them in order for the best learning experience.

1. Warm-up — Discussion questions to activate what you already know about the topic.
2. Comprehension — Answer questions to check your understanding of the main ideas and supporting details.
3. Vocabulary — Learn key words and expressions from the audio recording, with definitions and usage notes.
4. Matching — Connect words, phrases, or concepts to their correct counterparts.
5. Grammar — Study The subjunctive mood for suggestions — explanation, examples, and key rules.
6. Error correction — Find and fix the mistake in each sentence — a great grammar workout.
7. Practical English — Learn phrases for giving feedback in a one-to-one meeting — ready to use in real conversations.
8. Cloze passage — Fill in blanks within a connected text to practise vocabulary in context.
9. Reading — Read a short passage on the topic and answer comprehension questions.
10. Discussion — Reflect on the topic and share your opinions using the language you've learned.

Vocabulary

This lesson introduces 5 key terms drawn directly from the audio recording:

• To touch base — to make brief contact with someone, usually to check on progress or share a quick update.
• Actionable feedback — specific, practical advice that a person can use to improve their performance.
• To get on the same page — to have a shared understanding or agreement on a situation or plan.
• A stumbling block — an obstacle or problem that prevents progress.
• Key takeaways — the most important points or conclusions to be remembered from a discussion or meeting.

Grammar

This lesson focuses on The subjunctive mood for suggestions.

The subjunctive is a specific verb form used in formal English to express suggestions, recommendations, or demands. In the context of business meetings, it is often used after verbs like 'suggest', 'recommend', 'propose', and phrases like 'it is essential that...' to make advice sound more professional and direct.

Examples from the lesson:

• The project manager recommended that every team member attend the workshop. — Notice the verb is in its base form ('attend', not 'attends' or 'attended'), even though the subject is 'every team member'.
• It is crucial that the deadline be respected by all departments. — Here, the base form 'be' is used instead of 'is'. This is a common structure for making formal and impersonal recommendations.
• I propose that he lead the next phase of the project. — A common mistake is to say '...that he leads...'. In formal suggestions using the subjunctive, the base form 'lead' is correct.

Key rules:

• Use the base form of the verb (e.g., go, be, do) for all subjects (I, you, he, she, they).
• It's commonly used after verbs like: suggest, recommend, propose, insist, demand.
• It's also used after phrases like: it is vital/essential/important that...

Practical English

giving feedback in a one-to-one meeting

Giving feedback, especially constructive criticism, can be challenging. The goal is to be clear and helpful without discouraging your team member. These phrases will help you structure the conversation positively and professionally, from opening the discussion to agreeing on the next steps.

Phrases you'll learn:

• "I'd like to start by saying how impressed I was with your work on [project/task]." — to open the meeting with specific, positive feedback.
• "Moving forward, one area I think we could focus on is..." — to gently transition from positive feedback to constructive criticism.
• "I've noticed that sometimes [the issue] can have an impact on..." — to give constructive feedback by focusing on behaviour and consequences.
• "What are your thoughts on how we could approach this differently?" — to invite collaboration and problem-solving.
• "Does that sound like a reasonable plan to you?" — to check for agreement and ensure you're on the same page.