ICEBREAKER

Read the definition of icebreaker, then do the icebreaker task as a class.

An “icebreaker” is a game or activity that is used to introduce people to each other so that they feel more relaxed together

1. Each student shares one thing from their personal bucket list. 
2. Each student shares one thing from their professional bucket list.
3. Students share one thing they wish to achieve through taking English classes

Discuss the following Introduction questions in your words:

1. Have you taken part in an icebreaker before? Describe your experience.
2. What is your job title and responsibilities?
3.  What inspired you to pursue the career you are currently in, and what do you find most fulfilling about it?
4.  Can you tell me about your educational background and how it has influenced your career path?
5.  Have you always known what you wanted to do professionally, or did your career path change over time?
6.  Do you commute to an office or do you work from home?
7.  Do you have to dress professionally or casually when you work?
8.  Can you tell me about a particularly meaningful project or accomplishment in your career that you are proud of?
9.  What motivates you to continue learning and growing professionally?
10.  Describe your professional relationships at work.
11.  Can you tell me about a role model who has had a significant impact on your career?
12.  Do you have separate personal and professional goals or are they linked?

Study the adjectives given below which can be used to describe leaders.

empowering    ruthless     authentic     trustworthy     motivating     approachable     understanding     analytic          decisive      optimistic      proactive        persuasive

a) choose the three adjectives you think are most important for a leader to have. Explain your reasoning, and give real-life examples if possible.

b) Does your current manager possess any of the qualities listed in the box?

c) Could any of the adjectives be disadvantages? Explain.

d) Do you possess any of the qualities in the box? In which areas could you improve?

e) Which qualities come naturally, and which can be learned?

Read the office amenities and benefits given below. Rank them from 1 to 8 in terms of usefulness, with 1 being the most useful and 8 being the least useful.

Have fun!

gym               child daycare     ergonomic chairs     pet daycare    

free coffee      free breakfast     meditation room     nap rooms

1. _____________________________________.
2.  _____________________________________.
3.  _____________________________________.
4.  _____________________________________.
5.  _____________________________________.
6.  _____________________________________.
7.  _____________________________________.
8.  ______________________________

Match the phrasal verbs to their definitions:

cut back     bring in      take on       get ahead       follow up

1. ____________: to accept responsibility for something.
2.  ____________: to reduce expenses or decrease the amount of something.
3.  ____________: to introduce or implement something new.
4.  ____________: to make progress or succeed in a competitive environment.
5.  ____________: to check on the progress of something or someone.

Complete the sentences using the phrasal verbs from the above:

a) We need to ________________ a new marketing strategy if we want to attract more customers.

b) I’m willing to ________________ the new project and ensure it’s completed on time.

c) If we want to ________________ in the industry, we need to be innovative and stay ahead of our competitors

d) I’ll ________________ with the client to ensure they’re satisfied with our services.

e) In order to save money, we need to ________________ on our advertising budget.

Watch the first part of the video (00:00-03:30) and complete the following sentences with the words you hear

• In this world that we live in, every conversation has the ___________ to devolve into an argument.

• The most ___________ of issues have someone fighting ______________ for it and against it.

• Pew Research did a study of __________ American adults and found that we are more polarized and ________ than ever before in history.

• A conversation requires a balance between ___________ and _____________ . We have lost that balance.

• According to Pew Research, about _____________ of American teenagers send more than ____________ a day.

• A high school teacher named Paul Barnwell realised that conversational __________ might be the single most _______________ skill that we fail to teach children

Now watch the rest of the talk and number the rules in the order that the speaker presents them. The first one has been done for you.

a. Don’t think your experience is the same as someone else’s.

b. Go with the flow.

c. Don’t multitask. 1

d. Listen.

e. If you don’t know something, be honest about it.

f. Try not to repeat yourself.

g. Use open-ended questions.

h. Be brief.

i. Don’t worry about the details of a story.

j. Don’t pontificate