Trades and trends! (first lesson with B2/C1 Business English students)

Megan | Aug 19, 2024Mar 05, 2025

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

• get to know new Business English students;
• discuss corporate trends and students’ opinions;
• learn and practice work-related collocations.

In this first lesson for Business English students, you can get to know your new students by discussing corporate trends! They discuss the use of English in the corporate world and their own experience with the language, and learn collocations to discuss workplace trends. Students watch a part of a video about corporate trends (3 minutes in total) and look at some of the predictions in further detail. They have an opportunity to check their grammar abilities, as well as engage in plenty of speaking practice as they discuss how to implement certain trends in the workplace.

WARM-UP AND VOCABULARY

In this first lesson for Business English students, they begin with a warm-up in which students discuss how important English proficiency is today in general and for employment. Then, students discuss some questions about their language learning history (e.g. How long have you been learning English?; Is there a requirement to speak English where you work?). After that, they complete statements about workplace trends by choosing the correct verbs, revealing work-related collocations (e.g. implement a strategy, face pressure). Students then have to brainstorm some additional words to create more collocations (e.g. implement new software, implement a policy). Then, they look at the statements again and say which idea they feel most passionate about. 

VIDEO AND DISCUSSION

In the next part of this first lesson for Business English students, there is a video which discusses corporate trends in the U.S. Before watching it, students read some statements and predict if they are true or false. Then, they watch the video and check their answers. After the video, students look at three of the trends in greater detail. First, they discuss AI’s role in the workplace, and complete statements to make them true or false, expanding on their ideas. Next, students discuss skills-based hiring. In this exercise, they correct various grammar mistakes (e.g. use of passive voice, second conditional).

After that, students look at the trend of collapsing traditional career paths. They look at some possible outcomes of the trend and answer some questions about the ideas. To finish this first lesson for Business English students, they look at some corporate culture trends and choose three which are most important for them. They have to expand on their ideas and say how they would like these trends to be implemented in their workplace. 

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This lesson plan also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students imagine that they are a manager looking to implement some new ideas in the workplace, and they have to write an email to their employees about it. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan.

WORKSHEETS

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