Workplace Small Talk
Professional English for the workplace
A complete, ready-to-teach B2 business lesson on "Workplace Small Talk". Includes objective, target vocabulary (How was your weekend?, busy week, coffee?, the project…), warm-up, controlled & freer practice, production task, exit ticket, and homework. Print-and-play or run live in the ReadyESL classroom.
Warm-up (5 min)
Activate prior knowledge: ask students what they already know about workplace small talk. Brainstorm 3–5 words on the board.
Presentation (10 min)
Introduce the target language for Workplace Small Talk using flashcards/visuals. Drill pronunciation chorally, then individually.
- How was your weekend?
- busy week
- coffee?
- the project
- agree
- plans
- lunch
- catch up
Controlled Practice (10 min)
- Matching: words ↔ pictures
- Gap-fill worksheet
- Pronunciation drill of: How was your weekend?, busy week, coffee?, the project
Freer Practice (12 min)
Pair role-play using the target phrases for Workplace Small Talk. Swap roles after 4 minutes.
Production (10 min)
Mini-presentation or group share: each student/team produces an original example using the target language.
Cool-down & Exit Ticket (3 min)
Each student says/writes one sentence using a target word from today's lesson.
Homework
Reinforcement: complete the Workplace Small Talk worksheet or record a 30-second voice note using 5 target words.