LESSON PLAN: Workshop on conflicts in the workplace - How to respond to

disagreement

1. Warm-up/Eliciting/Needs analysis – 3 minutesWARM-UP QUESTIONS: (3 minutes)

1. Have you encountered conflict in the workplace? What were the difficulties in
terms of communication?
2. In what business settings do you usually encounter conflict (e.g., meetings,
appraisals, conversations with colleagues, etc.)?
3. For you, what is the most important thing to do/most appropriate way to respond
when handling conflict in the workplace (e.g., be diplomatic, respond positively,
acknowledge the other person's opinions, etc.)?

2. Presentation (Article discussion): Read and Discuss – 10 minutes

ARTICLE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (10 minutes)

1. What idea or statement from the article struck you the most? Why?
2. Based on the article, what are the three steps to counter negativity in the
workplace? Explain each step in your own words.
3. Do you think following the three steps would be an effective way to handle
negativity in your workplace? Why or why not?
4. How do you usually respond when someone is being negative at work?
3. Presentation (Grammar and vocabulary): Study I – 10 minutes
PRESENTATION: STUDY I (10 minutes)
This presentation focuses on techniques for toning down your message in English.
The first part presents different ways to use modals to soften strong statements.
Remember that the goal is not to memorize the “correct” modals to use, but to
understand how modals are helpful for toning down your message. The learner should
be able to change the tone of strong statements by using modals.
The second part presents phrases that can be inserted into strong statements to
change the tone. Help your learner understand when and how to use the appropriate
phrases.
4. Practice: Speaking Exercise I – 7 minutes
PRACTICE: SPEAKING EXERCISE I (7 minutes)
There are 10 items in this exercise. Each slide contains a strong statement. Ask
your learner to tone down the message using the modals and phrases learned in the
presentation.
(You may opt to take a five-minute break after the first presentation and practice
exercise.)
5. Break – 5 minutes6. Presentation (Phrases): Study II – 10 minutes
PRESENTATION: STUDY II (10 minutes)
This presentation is about English phrases for handling negativity in the
workplace. The phrases will help learners with the three steps for handling
conflicts or negativity:
• Expressing concern
• Expressing agreement or understanding
• Expressing support
The phrases presented are appropriate for different situations. You may choose to
focus the discussion on the language functions that are more relevant to the
learner's needs.
7. Practice: Speaking Exercise II – 10 minutes
PRACTICE: SPEAKING EXERCISE II (10 minutes)
The trainer will read aloud the text on each slide and allow the learner to
respond. The learner should respond using the phrases or expressions indicated for
each item. It’s important to help the learner feel comfortable so that the
expressions sound automatic and natural. If you have time, you may choose to do a
short role-playing activity for each item by responding to the learner's answers
and extending the discussion.
8. Production: Final Activity – 30 minutes
FINAL ACTIVITY – PRODUCTION (30 minutes)
The final activity is a role-playing exercise. There are three situations for the
learner to respond to. For each situation, you (the trainer) will play the role of
the person making a complaint or expressing negativity. The learner will respond
using the phrases learned. Try to extend the dialogue to give the learner
additional opportunities to respond in a variety of ways.
Depending on how the learner performed in the previous speaking exercises, it might
help to review the presentations. Make sure the learner uses the different
expressions and techniques learned. Provide a brief evaluation of the learner's
performance at the end of each situation.

9. Closing – 5 minutes
CLOSING (5 minutes)
• Give feedback.
• Ask for questions.
• Summarize corrections.
• Highlight the most relevant words or expressions learned (i.e., the
ones that the learner is most likely to use again).