| LESSON OVERVIEW
In this Business English conversation class, students discuss upskilling, watch a video and talk about the ideas mentioned in it. They also hold a debate.
C1 / Advanced45 min
60 minSpeaking ClassUnlimited Plan
This is a Speaking Class worksheet. It includes a variety of tasks that let your students practise their speaking skills. This lesson format does not focus on grammar or vocabulary. Learn more about it here.
WARM-UP & VIDEO
This Business English conversation class starts with a warm-up activity in which students need to brainstorm what the words upskill, reskill and deskill mean. Then, students think about the industry they are in and discuss some questions. They can also talk about the companies they have worked for. The discussion questions are about the changes and upskilling in the industry in questions. Before watching the video, students think of three ways of upskilling aside from taking courses. Then, they watch the video and compare their ideas with what some experts say. After the video, students look at some quotations and ideas mentioned there and discuss what they might mean. They also say whether they agree with the quotations and ideas and explain why.
SPEAKING
In the second part of this Business English conversation class, students look at different ideas of upskilling presented in twos. They need to decide which one in each pair would be more useful for them. And then, they mention the advantages of both options in each pair. The ideas include being a mentor, a mentee, a reverse mentor, working on hard and soft skills, being a part of a hub, giving talks at conferences, etc.
After that, students discuss some questions regarding learning culture and upskilling. For example, they talk about ways of convincing employees to upskill, and employers to invest in upskilling. Students also discuss whether governments should be involved in upskilling. In the final task of this Business English conversation class, students look at two statements related to upskilling, prepare some arguments and hold debates. The teacher can decide to choose one of the topics for the debate.
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This is a great lesson to get intermediate students talking! I’ve used it twice and both times it was successful. My students really enjoyed talking about their own experiences learning and growing in their jobs. The lesson is aimed at people working in business, but it worked well for a student who is a preschool teacher as well. The student was able to answer the questions about education instead of business. Thanks for the great lesson plan!
Thanks for the feedback! Happy to hear the lesson can be adapted to students working in education 🙂