ESL CONNECT | The Meeting Before the Meeting B2

Unspoken Workplace Rules

This B2 lesson helps students understand how decisions are often influenced before the official meeting begins.

Lead-in:

Have you ever been in a meeting where the real decision seemed to have been made before the meeting started?
Is it smart or unfair to discuss an idea privately with colleagues before presenting it formally?
Why might people prefer to test an idea informally before a formal meeting?
How can junior employees influence decisions without formal authority?
What is the difference between building support and manipulating people?

Open video on YouTube

Prep Part 1

Match the key phrases before watching the first part.

Questions

1

If a workplace rule is unspoken,...

2

If people show up cold,...

3

If a decision is made ahead of a meeting,...

4

If a company acquires another company,...

Answer options

Watch Part 1

Watch from 0:00 to about 1:15. Focus on what “the meeting before the meeting” means.

Watch on YouTube

Open the first part of the video.

Open video

Watch 1 Gap Fill: First Minute

Listen to the first minute of the video. Complete the tapescript with the 8 missing words.

Complete the text

It’s one of these unspoken in the workplace where before every meeting is another meeting. People call it the meeting before the . Imagine a big is being made. It’s not the case that people are just showing up . Chances are the decision has already been made well ahead of that actual meeting. Think about how a decision gets made around whether A Company should B Company. People don’t just show up one day in a meeting and say, hey, I think we should do this. What do you think? There’s going to be oftentimes a meeting before the meeting and probably a meeting before the meeting before the meeting before the . What’s going on? Well, someone has an . They socialize the idea, meaning they go around to their .

Missing words

Use each word once.

Comprehension 1

Click each question to reveal the answer.

It is the informal or preparatory discussion that happens before the official meeting.

Because important decisions are usually prepared, discussed and influenced before the formal meeting.

A company deciding whether to acquire another company.

It means sharing the idea with colleagues, getting feedback, and building support before presenting it formally.

Their most ardent supporters.

Vocabulary from Part 1

1Some workplace rules are .

2A decision may be made ahead of the .

3To socialize an idea, you get .

4A supporter who strongly believes in your idea is .

Prep Part 2

Match the ideas before watching the second part.

Questions

1

If a proposal survives,...

2

If everyone is on board,...

3

If you put your head down,...

4

If you navigate unspoken rules,...

Answer options

Watch Part 2

Watch from about 1:15 to the end. Focus on how informal conversations create impact.

Watch on YouTube

Open the second part of the video.

Open video

Watch 2 Gap Fill: Final Minute

Listen to the final minute of the video. Complete the tapescript with the 8 missing words.

Complete the text

So what is a meeting before the meeting? Well, it could be as simple as you instant messaging a and saying, hey, I was thinking of bringing this up, what do you ? Or I was thinking of trying this. Has this ever been tried before? Am I thinking about this the right way? Or it could be something more formal where you have a meeting with your , and you present an idea. They suggest that you speak to so-and-so and then so-and-so and then so-and-so, and then you have slides, and you have , and you have documents. So it really ranges from the super informal, that water cooler , all the way through to version 30 of a slide . If you want to make an impact in your career, it’s not enough to just put your head down and do the hard . You have to speak .

Missing words

Use each word once.

Comprehension 2

Click each question to reveal the answer.

Because it has received input, feedback and support, and may have been improved before the official meeting.

Because people may already have been socialized to the idea before the meeting began.

Instant messaging a coworker to ask what they think about an idea.

Meeting with a manager, speaking to suggested people, preparing slides, memos and documents.

It is not enough to put your head down and do the hard work; you also have to speak up.

Vocabulary from Part 2

1If everyone supports an idea, they are on .

2A slide deck can go through many .

3To make an impact, you need to speak .

4If your idea is implemented, it is put into .

Vocabulary Review

Review key B2 workplace vocabulary from the video.

Word / phrase	Meaning	Example
unspoken rule	an informal rule people understand without saying it directly	The meeting before the meeting is an unspoken rule.
show up cold	arrive without preparation	People rarely show up cold to major decisions.
acquire	buy or take control of a company	Company A may acquire Company B.
socialize an idea	share an idea informally to get feedback and support	You should socialize your idea before the meeting.
ardent supporter	someone who strongly supports something	Start with your most ardent supporters.
naysayer	someone who says no or criticises an idea	You need to understand who the naysayers are.
proposal	a suggested plan or idea	The proposal changed after ten conversations.
on board	supportive or in agreement	Everyone seemed to be on board.
put your head down	focus quietly on work without trying to influence others	It is not enough to put your head down.
speak up	express your opinion clearly	You have to speak up to make an impact.

Vocabulary Gap Fill

Complete the sentences using words and phrases from the vocabulary table.

1An informal rule that people understand without saying it directly is an .

2If you arrive without preparation, you .

3To share an idea informally and build support is to .

4Someone who strongly criticises or rejects an idea can be called a .

5If you express your opinion clearly, you .

Grammar: Advice and Workplace Strategy

Use B2 structures to explain how to influence decisions professionally.

Structure	Use	Example
It’s not enough to...	say that one action is insufficient	It’s not enough to do the hard work.
You have to...	strong necessity	You have to speak up.
Before + -ing	sequence	Before presenting a proposal, get feedback.
The more..., the more...	parallel increase	The more input you get, the stronger your proposal becomes.

Grammar Exercise 1: Complete the sentences

1It’s not enough to just do the hard .

2You have to speak .

3Before presenting a proposal, you should get .

4The more input you get, the stronger your becomes.

5You can make an impact if you navigate the rules .

Grammar Exercise 2: Reveal the correction

It’s not enough to do hard work.

You have to speak up.

Before presenting a proposal, get feedback.

The more input you get, the stronger your proposal becomes.

Grammar Exercise 3: Sentence Transformations

Use “It’s not enough to”.
Doing the hard work alone is insufficient.

Use “have to”.
Speaking up is necessary.

Use “Before”.
Present a proposal only after you get feedback.

Use “The more..., the more...”.
If you get more input, your proposal becomes stronger.

Discussion

Use the vocabulary and grammar from the lesson.

Why are decisions often made before the official meeting?
Is it fair that some people know the unspoken rules and others do not?
How can introverts or junior employees socialize an idea?
What is the difference between influence and manipulation?
What should you do if you know someone will be a naysayer?
How can you make sure your name stays attached to your idea?

Useful Language

Giving advice	Talking about influence	Giving opinions
Before presenting..., you should... It’s not enough to... You have to...	You need to socialize the idea. Get input from... Find out who is on board.	I’d argue that... From my perspective... I’m not convinced that...

Role Play: Socializing a Proposal

Practise preparing an idea before an important meeting.

Situation: One student has a proposal for improving the company. The other student is a colleague who gives feedback before the official meeting.

Student A: Proposal Owner

Present your idea informally and ask for feedback, advice and possible objections.

Student B: Colleague / Naysayer

Ask questions, give honest feedback and suggest who else Student A should speak to.

Challenge

Use at least four phrases from the grammar section.

Proposal owner language	Colleague language
I was thinking of... What do you think? Has this been tried before? Am I thinking about this the right way?	Before presenting this, you should... The more..., the more... You have to consider... I might be a naysayer here, but...