Soul-crushing work

The main goals of this ESL lesson plan are to:

• – Learn workplace toxicity vocabulary including terms like “clique,” “blind spot,” and “self-awareness” while exploring toxic working culture concepts through video comprehension activities.
• – Practice imperatives by understanding formation rules and usage, completing sentences, and identifying which statements sound toxic in workplace contexts.
• – Discuss toxic behavior management by watching videos about soul-crushing work environments, analyzing what makes workplace culture harmful, and developing strategies for dealing with difficult colleagues in this business English lesson.

In this Business English lesson, students will learn vocabulary and discuss how to deal with toxic people in the workplace.

Warm-up

The student comes up with things they associate with toxic working culture (heavy workload, gossiping, poor communication, etc.).

Video: Work crushing your soul?

Before watching the video, the student learns new words by matching them with their meanings (clique, blind spot, self-awareness, etc.). Then, they watch the video that explains what makes work culture so toxic. The student answers video comprehension questions and completes the sentences based on the video. 

Grammar: Imperative

The student learns about imperative, how it’s formed, and when to use it. They practice using it by completing sentences and rephrasing them. The student marks the sentences that sound toxic.

In the wrap-up activity, the student reviews the vocabulary and grammar they learned.