English Lesson Plan Example: Business Meetings

Teaching 8 functional phrases that students can use in their working lives

Business Meetings

By the end of the lesson, students will be better able to…

1. To provide students with an understanding of 8 functional phrases that can be used in business meetings.

2. To improve students’ pronunciation and intonation of the 8 phrases.

3. To practice and demonstrate correct usage of the 8 phrases in a business meeting context.

By the end of the lesson, students will have…

1. Students will be able to use the 8 functional phrases correctly in their working lives.

2. Students will be able to demonstrate accurate pronunciation and intonation of the 8 phrases.

3. Students will be able to explain the purpose and context of the 8 phrases when used in a business meeting.

1.     Students may find it difficult to remember all 8 phrases.

2.     Students may struggle with the intonation of the phrases.

3.     Students may not understand the meaning of the phrases.

1.     Break the lesson into two parts, with the first part focusing on introducing the phrases and their pronunciation. For the second part, have students practice using the phrases in context.

2.     Have students repeat the phrases after you and use hand gestures to emphasize the intonation. Then, have them practice saying the phrases in pairs or small groups.

3.     Ask students to answer comprehension questions related to each phrase. Additionally, have them explain the meaning of the phrase in their own words.

●       Choose your set phrases (8-12 is appropriate)

●       Analyse them in a paragraph or table

●       Include meaning, function/use, features of pronunciation (speaking) or spelling and punctuation (writing), plus anything else you think is interesting

1.     “Could you clarify that point?” (Intonation: Rising) Pronunciation: kʊd ju kləˈraɪfɪ ðæt pɔɪnt CCQ: Am I asking for more information or understanding about a particular point? (Yes)

2.     “What’s your position on this issue?” (Intonation: Rising) Pronunciation: wɒts jɔr ˈpɒzɪʃən ɒn ðɪs ˈɪʃu CCQ: Am I asking for someone’s stance or opinion on a specific topic? (Yes)

3.     “Can you give me an update on the progress?” (Intonation: Rising) Pronunciation: kæn ju gɪv mi ən ˈʌpdeɪt ɒn ðə ˈprəʊɡrɛs CCQ: Am I asking for information on the current status of a project or task? (Yes)

4.     “Could you repeat your main points?” (Intonation: Rising) Pronunciation: kʊd ju rɪˈpitoʊr jɔr meɪn pɔɪnts CCQ: Am I asking someone to summarize their main ideas? (Yes)

5.     “What’s the next step?” (Intonation: Rising) Pronunciation: wɒts ðə nɛkst stɛp CCQ: Am I asking for the plan of action after the current situation? (Yes)

6.     “Could you provide more detail?” (Intonation: Rising) Pronunciation: kʊd ju prəˈvaɪd mɔr dɪˈteɪl CCQ: Am I asking for additional information or elaboration on a topic? (Yes)

7.     “Can you give me a summary of the meeting?” (Intonation: Rising) Pronunciation: kæn ju gɪv mi ə ˈsʌməri əv ðə ˈmiːtɪŋ CCQ: Am I asking for a brief overview of the meeting’s content? (Yes)

8.     “What’s your opinion on this proposal?” (Intonation: Rising) Pronunciation: wɒts jɔr əˈpɪnjən ɒn ðɪs prəˈpəʊzəl CCQ: Am I asking for someone’s thoughts or evaluation of a proposal? (Yes)

The phrases selected for the business meeting context are designed to help students communicate effectively in a professional setting. Each phrase focuses on eliciting information, clarifying points, and seeking opinions. The phrases are formulated with a rising intonation, indicating a question, and the pronunciation is provided in phonetic script to aid in pronunciation and intonation practice. The concept checking questions (CCQs) help the students confirm their understanding of the meaning of the phrase and how to use it appropriately in context. The phrases cover a range of topics such as requesting clarification, seeking an update, summarizing the meeting, and expressing opinions. These phrases will be valuable tools for students to use in their working lives and will help them effectively participate in business meetings.

Pattern

Warmer

To engage the learners in the lesson, to activate the learner’s prior knowledge of the topic

10 mins

T-S

S-S

Show pictures of 3 different sports – football (team), tennis (one vs one), marathon running (individual)

Ask students to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each type of sport

Students will identify the lesson topic

Learners will use their previous knowledge to make links to the topic

S-T

S-S

S-S

You should cover: why you have structured the lesson in the way that you have, what each activity will contribute towards the learning aims and how this will be achieved, other activities that you considered including and why you chose not to use them, what you would do if any of your activities didn’t work in the way you have planned

The purpose of this lesson is to equip students with a set of useful phrases they can use in business meetings. To achieve this, the lesson is structured into five different activities that build upon each other and provide a well-rounded learning experience.

The Introduction activity provides a foundation for the lesson by introducing the 8 phrases and explaining their meanings. The teacher will provide examples to help students understand the context in which these phrases can be used. The teacher will also encourage the students to practice speaking each phrase with the teacher to improve their pronunciation and intonation.

The Guided Practice activity allows students to put what they have learned into practice. The teacher will create scenarios and have the students practice using the phrases in a simulated business meeting context. This will give students the opportunity to use the phrases in a controlled environment and receive feedback from the teacher.

The Role-Playing activity builds on the Guided Practice by providing students with the opportunity to use the phrases in a more realistic scenario. The teacher will assign different roles to the students, and they will use the phrases in a simulated business meeting. This activity will help students to develop their confidence in using the phrases and to understand how they can be used in a real-life scenario.

The Group Discussion activity is an important part of the lesson as it provides students with an opportunity to discuss and reflect on their learning. The teacher will guide the discussion and facilitate students’ understanding of the phrases. This will help students to consolidate their learning and to understand the significance of using appropriate language in business meetings.

The Quiz activity provides a way for the teacher to assess students’ understanding of the phrases. The teacher will create a quiz to assess students’ understanding of the phrases, and students will take the quiz in pairs or small groups. This will give students the opportunity to test their knowledge and receive feedback on their performance.

Other activities that were considered but not included in this lesson were pair work activities and individual writing tasks. While these activities could provide opportunities for students to use the phrases, they may not be as effective in building the students’ confidence and fluency in using the phrases in a speaking context.

If any of the activities did not work in the way that was planned, the teacher would have the option to adjust the activity to make it more engaging and effective. For example, if students found the Guided Practice activity too challenging, the teacher could provide additional support or adjust the difficulty of the scenarios. The teacher could also consider alternative activities that could help students to achieve the learning outcomes, such as a matching exercise or a gap-fill task.