Language Learning for Busy People These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute.. Advanced: Dealing With A Company Crisis

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Advanced Dealing With A Company Crisis Warm up: Opening chat--- 5 minutes Review previous lesson’s content ---5 minutes Check if your student has completed self-study of the lesson. The class activities are designed to help them practice the language from the lesson. Thus, it’s extremely important that they go over different sections of the lesson before class.

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Class Activities: (30-35 minutes) Objective: Unexpected problems arise and crises happen. What do you do if it happens to your company though? There are many different factors to consider and quick decisions to make! In today’s lesson, we look at a company dealing with a bit of a crisis. Check out their discussion and how they decide to deal with their problems. Class Activities

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. 1) Read the dialogue with the student, line by line. Switch roles after the first run. Pay attention to student’s pronunciation, give feedback and help when needed minutes Dialogue

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Dialogue Comprehension--- 5 minutes Do you agree with the PR Director that bad press and publicity may be one of the most important things to deal with first? Why or why not? Why do you think James’ suggestion might be considered borderline unethical? Looking at the context, what do you think it means for a business to be “transparent” in a situation like this?

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Key Vocabulary minutes Bound Devastated Press Scrutiny Damage Control Mitigate His dog died this weekend and he is just absolutely ______________. A bank’s long-term success and discipline can be ensured by the close _____________ of investors. I have to take medication for awhile to help _____________ the pain and soreness from surgery. She is ____________ to be an amazing tennis player is she keeps practicing as much as she does. The company was criticized by foreign ____________ after the international trade deals went bad. The Sales Department has to do some serious ______________ after their numbers were accidentally released to the media sooner than planned.

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Language Focus minutes #1: “make a statement” – This means that you create a certain impression or communicate an idea or mood without using words. In the dialogue, the fact that the CEO and COO would be present and available for interviews gives the impression that they care. He really made a statement when he came to visit me at the hospital. I hope to make a statement by sending her flowers for her birthday. #2: “to deal with something head on” – “Head on” is similar to “face to face”. It just means very direct or in open opposition. In the dialogue, the PR Director thinks they should deal with the problem head on. They should face it directly, without hesitation. I want to tackle this project head on and finish it as soon as possible. We need to deal with this head on and resolve our problems.

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Language Focus #3: “to have one’s work cut out for them” – This means that the work ahead of you will be difficult and usually time-consuming. Sometimes it implies that there is little time to complete the task at hand. It is mostly used with future tenses. We're training a completely new team, so we've got our work cut out for us. Have you seen her garden? She'll have her work cut out for her to get it looking nice in time for the summer.

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Cultural Takeaway minutes When you run a small business, a good reputation can bring endless success. But if your business gets negative publicity, the effects can be devastating. If a negative story about your company has reached the media, the way you respond could have serious consequences for your business. From online complaints to word-of-mouth rumors, there are a few simple things you can do to effectively deal with negative publicity. Take Responsibility If the bad publicity you're getting is accurate, you need to accept responsibility for the issue concerned. Prepare a press statement and distribute it to news agencies and post it on your website and social media pages. Be sure to carefully explain yourself and correct any inaccuracies in what's already been reported.

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Cultural Takeaway Make Things Right Make amends for the issues that has caused your company to receive bad press. If you've had to deal with a product recall, like in the dialogue, then maybe offer your customers a refund or a replacement. Whatever the case, offer a solution to your customers. And just remember that it’s important to review any planned action with your legal team before going public. Complain Contact the media outlets that have run negative stories about your business to complain if the accusations about you are false. Ask for a correction, but remember it’s very important for your business to maintain a good relationship with the media. Get Help If you don’t already have your own department, then a public relations agency can help. PR agencies specialize in dealing with negative publicity. A PR firm will cost money, but may be cheaper than dealing with further damage to your reputation or facing legal action.

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Discussion minutes As we heard about in today’s dialogue, not only does a product recall affect production and company costs (wasted materials, labor, etc.), but there’s also the bad press and publicity to deal with. Think about this scenario (and any others you may know of). Do you feel similarly as the characters do in today’s dialogue in that a company’s reputation may be one of their biggest assets? Do you agree with how they plan to handle their company crisis? Or do you think production, company morale and recovering lost costs are more important? Where do you think the priorities should be? Engage in a two-way discussion, share ideas and opinions, and be sure to practice today’s vocabulary and phrases!

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. The End --- Review minutes * Review today’s class. Encourage the student on where he/she did well; give feedback to where he/she needs to pay more attention. * Assign homework, i.e. the ‘Exercise’ part of today’s lesson. Student should complete it and submit it online. They will see an automatic score. * Have them listen to the dialogue again and see if their understanding has improved. * Remind students that they can save different vocabulary terms in the app or online and review them as flashcards. * Tell the student what the next lesson is.