Warmers
A quick five-minute warmer activity can wake up tired
students, get them speaking in English, activate knowledge/skills and provide a
lead-in to the main activities. For a first lesson, or when covering for a
colleague, warmers can be used to assess the students’ level so that a lesson
can be adapted or developed accordingly. Whatever their purpose, warmers are an
important solution to a ‘cold start’.
Here are ten easy activities for the business English
classroom presented by PHIL WADE (A
Cambridge examiner) in English
Teaching Professional Magazine
1.
An
interesting agenda
Tell one student what activities will be in the next class
and ask them to prepare an agenda, as if
for a business meeting, which they then read to start the lesson (they
can add one item of their own). Another student can then conclude the lesson
with a summary (like the minutes of a
meeting)
2.
Hit
the right buttons
Start with a short, relevant podcast or video. This works
better if it involves something that
affects the students’ company or job, such as a new law banning foreign
investment. Then play devil’s advocate by agreeing with it and gradually
eliciting arguments against.
3.
The
experts
Pair up the students so each is with someone from a
different profession. Ask them to explain their jobs briefly and then to give
each other advice from their professional perspective.
4.
Loads
of money
Tell the students you’ve come into £100,000 and you would
like to invest it but are not sure how. Ask them for advice.
5.
Where
are you going and how?
Explain that you want to become a CEO within ten years, but
you don’t know how. Ask the students to plan your strategy.
6.
Expert
interview
Choose a student to do a one-minute presentation and a
question-and-answer session on the topic. Less knowledgeable students can be
asked to research the topic beforehand.
7.
World’s
worst/best
Ask the students to explain their worst or best career move
or business decision.
8.
Moan
and groan
Put the students in pairs to do a ‘boss and employee’
roleplay. The one playing the employee should behave as if their partner were their real boss and tell
them how they really feel about their job.
9.
Why
are they better?
Find a market-share diagram of any industry and ask the students to discuss why
those with lower shares are in that position and how they can challenge the market
leaders for top position.
10.
Promotion
Ask the students to decide in pairs which student should be
promoted, based on their work in the previous lesson.