Lesson Aim
Students watch a comic video about unproductive meeting behaviours and practise language for managing brainstorming, interruptions, time pressure, note-taking and difficult participants.
Before watching
- What makes meetings unproductive?
- What types of difficult meeting participants have you seen?
- How can a leader keep a brainstorming session under control?
Prep Part 1
Drag the correct sentence ending into each gap.
Sentence endings
generating ideas freely before evaluating themstudents should connect it to the lesson topic.put a plan or idea into actionbe delayed by busy roadsthey suggest ideas freely before judging them.Watch Part 1
Watch from 0:13 to about 1:46. Focus on the meeting aim, time pressure, late arrival, brainstorming and different participant behaviours.
Open Part 1 on YouTube
Comprehension 1
Choose an answer to get instant green/red feedback.
1. What is the main purpose of the meeting?
2. What does the Time-focused participant ask about?
3. Why is one participant late?
4. What does Tyler say about ideas during brainstorming?
Vocabulary from Part 1
Tyler wants to talk about the marketing .
The team is supposed to throw ideas .
One person wants to implement .
Nancy immediately raises .
Options
analyticsconcernsout therestrategyPinterestPrep Part 2
Drag the correct sentence ending into each gap.
Sentence endings
have an idea that may be usefulthey speak too much and make it hard for others to contribute.shorten words or phrasescontrol the conversation too muchstudents should connect it to the lesson topic.Watch Part 2
Watch from about 1:46 to the end. Focus on domination, technology delays, abbreviations, poor notes and why the meeting fails.
Open Part 2 on YouTube
Comprehension 2
Choose an answer to get instant green/red feedback.
1. What idea does Tripp push forward?
2. What causes a delay in the meeting?
3. What problem does Carol’s note-taking create?
4. What does Tyler realise at the end?
Vocabulary from Part 2
Tripp interrupts and takes .
The group loses time with the screen and .
Carol abbreviates to make for ideas.
The team fails to accomplish its meeting .
Options
housingroomgoalscablesoverVocabulary Review
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| throw an idea out there | suggest an idea informally | Just throw your ideas out there. |
| raise concerns | mention possible problems | Nancy raises concerns about the weather. |
| take over | start controlling something | Tripp takes over the conversation. |
| be onto something | have a promising idea | Tyler thinks Tripp is onto something. |
| get something down | write or record information | Carol says she got the idea down. |
Phrasal Verbs and Expressions
Are you ready to get ?
Just throw your ideas .
Let’s come ideas for the campaign.
Tripp takes the discussion.
Carol gets the notes .
Options
out theredownthroughoverstartedup withCollocations
marketing
publicity
senior
video submission
meeting
Options
demographiccontesteventstrategyventilationagendaB2/C1 Grammar: Managing Meetings Diplomatically
This section practises polite interruption, redirecting discussion and clarifying action points.
Grammar Section 1: Polite Interruption
Choose an answer to get instant green/red feedback.
1. Which phrase is most diplomatic?
2. Complete: “Before we move on, could we ___ the action point?”
Grammar Section 2: Meeting Control Language
Let’s park that idea for .
Can we get back to the main ?
Could you summarise that in one ?
Who is responsible for the next ?
Options
sentencenowtopicbuckstepGrammar Section 3: Speaking Task
| Interrupting politely | Redirecting | Clarifying outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Sorry to interrupt, but... Can I pause you there? Can I jump in? | Let’s return to... Let’s park that for now. Can we focus on...? | What is the action point? Who owns this task? What is the deadline? |
Thought-Provoking Questions
1. Which meeting personality from the video is the most damaging?
2. Is it better to stop bad ideas immediately or encourage all ideas first?
3. How should a leader deal with someone who dominates?
4. How detailed should meeting notes be?
5. Should meetings always have a strict time limit?
6. What technology problems often waste time in meetings?
7. What makes a brainstorming session successful?
Role Play
| Leader language | Difficult participant language | Useful meeting outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Let’s stay focused. Can we hear from someone else? Let’s capture that action point. | I just want to add one more thing. That won’t work because... Can we move on? | Action point Owner Deadline Next step |
Context
Student A
You are the meeting leader. Keep people focused, stop interruptions politely and make sure there are clear action points.
Student B
You are a difficult participant. Choose one behaviour: dominate, criticise every idea, arrive late, or ramble.
Role play task: Finish the meeting with one campaign idea, one owner and one next step.
Thank You
You have completed the ESL CONNECT video lesson.