I am an online ESL teacher. Please help me give post lesson feedback to a C1  student called Diego. We just finished doing this worksheet:

""How bosses demoralize their employees
Copyrights by ESL Brains
1. Rank the things that demotivate you at work from the most (1) to the least
(10) significant and compare and discuss them.
• boredom
• lack of recognition
• lack of fairness
• cancelling projects
• lack of empowerment
• too much work
• lack of progress
• no confidence in company leadership
• poor communication
• unfriendly coworkers
2. Look at the sentences and match the idioms in bold with their meanings (1-
8) on the next page.
a) He wanted the restaurant to be a success and really put his heart and soul
into it.
b) President Reagan pledged at a news conference today to go the extra mile
to compromise with the Democrats.
c) After two of the team leaders left, the project ran out of steam and slowly
died off.
d) The last failure really crushed the team spirits and now nobody is eager to
think about any future products.
e) They all worked together on the project, but while submitting it, one of them
stole their thunder.
f) You did well today so please keep up the good work and together we can
deliver it on time.
g) The EU deliberately promotes an approach where the steps between
sanctions and incentives are closely tied in the effort to combine carrot and
stick methods.
h) Four months after the death of its founder and guiding spirit, Jerry Garcia,
The Grateful Dead announces it is breaking up after 30 years of performing
together.
How bosses demoralize their employees
Copyrights by ESL Brains
1) someone who is influential or an
inspiration to others h
2) do more than what is expected b
3) lose impetus, energy or
enthusiasm to do something c
4) do something with all of your
energy and interest a
5) take the credit for something
someone else did e
6) make somebody feel defeated
and devastated d
7) encourage somebody to
continue doing things as they
are f
8) motivate by both a possible
reward and a threat of
punishment g
3. Complete the gaps in the questions below with the idioms from ex. 2.
a) How often does your manager tell you to keep up the good work? Do you
suppose that it encourages you or is it a meaningless phrase?
b) Why does a manager sometimes steal their employees thunder when they
present team ideas to superiors? Has it ever happened to you? What can be
done to prevent this behaviour?
c) What kind of person can be a guiding spirit in a modern tech company? What
character traits are needed to be such a person? Do you know anybody like
that?
d) What kind of carrot and stick approaches does your company use to motivate
staff? Do you think they are useful? Which ones might be more effective?
e) What happens to a company when it runs out of steam and does not innovate
anymore?
f) How do you make people put their heart and soul into their work or an idea?
g) What was the one experience that really crushed your spirit? How did you
overcome it?
h) Would you go the extra mile to help your teammates? For example, would you
do overtime to help them finish their work or cover for them on your free day?
4. Discuss the questions from ex. 3.
How bosses demoralize their employees
Copyrights by ESL Brains
5. Read this introduction to a video you will watch in a moment. Then, answer
the questions below.
We shouldn’t have to be told that people’s hearts and
souls are not piñatas, and yet here we are. Duke
psychology professor and behavioural economist,
Dan Ariely, says when it comes to increasing
motivation, there’s a precursor lesson many
managers, teachers and parents miss: stop crushing
spirits.
It sounds so obvious but perhaps that’s why it’s such an overlooked facet of
motivation. Bosses and people in authority positions often unknowingly
demoralize those around them. “We do lots of those things,” says Ariely. “We get
people to start projects and we cut it in the middle. We get people to prepare
presentations and they never get delivered. We do all kinds of things that
eliminate motivation … lots of people are working in an environment like that.”
• Have you ever been demotivated by how a manager has acted?
• How would you feel if your work was cut in the middle because management
said so?
6. Watch the video [https://youtu.be/9OuG2b7V2sU] and answer the questions.
a) What kind of solutions did the software engineers from Seattle propose to
make them feel better after their project was cancelled?
The project they’d built could be useful internally in the company. They could
have built just a few prototypes as an experiment. They could have broken
down the software into parts that could be used in other existing projects or
present what they have done to other staff members.
b) What kind of things are done that crush people’s spirits?
We get people to start projects and we cut it in the middle. We get people to
prepare presentations and they never get delivered.
How bosses demoralize their employees
Copyrights by ESL Brains
c) How does an open-source community give credit to people involved in the
project?
They basically agreed that everybody who writes a piece of code, their name
would always be connected to it.
d) Why do you think that the kid who came up with an idea and didn’t do any
drawing was more upset?
Because the idea and credit for it seems to be more important than the
execution.
e) What are the things that Dan Ariely says that managers can do to motivate
their staff?
Don’t crush people’s spirits, build purpose, respect contributions, give credit.
7. Discuss the questions.
• Is the way that credit in your company is given fair? How could you improve it?
• Do you think that trying to utilize failed/cancelled projects can be practical?
Would it just lead to even more resources being wasted?
• What are some other methods management can use to encourage staff?
• Which of the things Ariely mentions would motivate staff in your company
most: building purpose, respecting contributions or giving credit?
• How would you practically implement Ariely’s ideas in your organization? ""

He was quite comfortable with the language in this lesson althought he dint have many real life examples to use with the discussion questions as he works in a factory. Still i tried to push him to answer in a relevant way.

Now, we are moving into a three part lesson about presentation skills. Here is the first lesson:

""How to nail that presentation
1. Match the halves to complete the phrases.
a) step up 3
b) rev 4
c) dry 1
d) nooks and 6
e) hit a 5
f) be stiff and 2
1) run
2) robotic
3) your game
4) up
5) home run
6) crannies
2. Read the sentences and complete the gaps with the phrases from ex. 1.
Discuss if you agree with these sentences.
a) Make a joke at the beginning of your presentation to seem more sociable and
to rev up the audience.
b) The audience will only trust you if they feel that you know all the nooks and
crannies of the topic you present.
c) Doing a dry run in front of the mirror is not the same thing as doing it in front of
an audience.
d) It doesn’t matter if you are being stiff and robotic as long as the information you
present is valuable.
e) There’s no better way to step up your game and do better presentations than
actually doing it many times.
f) The more visual aids you use, the better your chances to hit a home run with
your presentation are.
3. You are going to watch a video about common mistakes to avoid during a
virtual presentation. Before watching, look at the tips and decide if they
should be in a ‘do’ or ‘don’t’ list for successful virtual presentations. Watch
the video [https://youtu.be/atLvsjIIsOI] and check your answers.
a) Exaggerate your gestures and your tone of voice. do [01:07]
b) Try to maintain eye contact by looking at every participant. don’t [02:20]
c) Avoid telling any stories or anecdotes. don’t [03:23]
d) Do a dry run. do [03:45]
e) Make it a lecture and leave questions for the end. don’t [04:36]
How to nail that presentation
Copyrights by ESL Brains
4. Watch the video again and answer the questions.
a) Why is it important to be able to do a presentation virtually? Because it is
ubiquitous nowadays and being able to present is a core skill in the new
environment. [00:01]
b) What should you do to avoid being stiff? You should exaggerate your gestures
and your tone of voice. Try recording yourself, your normal version of doing a
presentation and the exaggerated one. Analyse and decide what looks good
and what doesn’t. [00:37]
c) How is maintaining eye contact different when presenting online rather than in
person? When you do a presentation offline, you are encouraged to look
around the room and make eye contact with people. When presenting virtually,
you should look at your camera directly to give everyone the feeling that you’re
looking at them. [02:02]
d) What is the rule concerning timing? You should keep it short. You can still tell a
story or an anecdote but make it concise. [02:52]
e) Why is it important to do a dry run? Because it’s the only way you can catch all
the nooks and crannies of the things that can go wrong. [03:45]
f) What can you do to make your presentation look less like a lecture? You
should deemphasize yourself and your slides and focus on the audience. Try to
engage them in conversation, make it interactive (use polls, break them out
into groups, have competitions). [04:37]
5. Discuss the questions.
• What do you think of the tips presented in
the video? What are some other tips to
consider when presenting virtually?
• How is a virtual presentation different from
an offline one? What tips would you
suggest for giving a presentation in
person?
[To facilitate the discussion, you may use
these tips https://www.renderforest.com/blog/tricks-for-an-effectivepresentation ]
How to nail that presentation
Copyrights by ESL Brains
6. Read the short text and find the words to match the meanings below.
MEANINGS:
a) pleasant and easy to talk to affable
b) distract from detract from
c) quality of being real or true authenticity
d) present or found everywhere ubiquitous
7. Look at the text above again and discuss the questions.
• Have you ever had to give an elevator pitch? How did it go?
• What advice would you give to someone who needs to give an elevator pitch?
• What other types of business presentations do you know?
8. Match the sentences to the types of presentations they describe.
a) I think my presentation really hit a home run. They appreciated my authenticity
and told me they wanted in. I think having done a dry run really helped. pitch
deck
b) By highlighting our success in sales this year, we’ve tried to detract their
attention from the failed launch of the new feature. annual stakeholder report
c) I tried to communicate our milestones and emphasize ubiquitous ideas of
productivity. I pinpointed the stages where we had to step up our game to
reach the end goal. roadmap presentation
An elevator pitch (a brief summary of your background and experience you
give to a person you want to network with) is ubiquitous in the business world.
Therefore, everyone should have the basic skills to be able to do it. Don’t be
afraid to smile as you want to seem affable. Highlight your authenticity and
don’t ramble as it might detract your listener from the main points.
annual stakeholder report pitch deck
roadmap presentation team briefing
How to nail that presentation
Copyrights by ESL Brains
d) It went on for hours. The manager didn’t just update us on the recent news
and changes in our system. She really went through all the nooks and
crannies. team briefing
9. Discuss the questions.
• Which of the presentations above have you done? What is difficult about
them? Can you think of some tips for each of them?
• Look at the common structure of a business presentation below. Do you think
it is applicable to all types of presentation?
• Look at some other examples of presentations. Discuss structure and tips for
each of them.
o pitching an app to investors
o giving a demo for the MVP
o presenting a new approach to the team
o sharing an action plan with a potential client
[In the next page, you can find some presentation structures that you can share
with students and then discuss what types of presentation they could be used for.]
Possible answers:
• pitching an app to investors: the pitch, situation – challenge – resolution
• giving a demo for the MVP: the explanation, situation – challenge –
resolution
• presenting a new approach to the team: the explanation, the pitch
• sharing an action plan with a potential client: the explanation
How to nail that presentation
Copyrights by ESL Brains
THE EXPLANATION THE PITCH
SITUATION – COMPLICATION – RESOLUTION""

I have give this part of the lesson for homework before the class:

""How to nail that presentation
1. Match the halves to complete the phrases.
a) step up 3
b) rev 4
c) dry 1
d) nooks and 6
e) hit a 5
f) be stiff and 2
1) run
2) robotic
3) your game
4) up
5) home run
6) crannies
2. Read the sentences and complete the gaps with the phrases from ex. 1.
Discuss if you agree with these sentences.
a) Make a joke at the beginning of your presentation to seem more sociable and
to rev up the audience.
b) The audience will only trust you if they feel that you know all the nooks and
crannies of the topic you present.
c) Doing a dry run in front of the mirror is not the same thing as doing it in front of
an audience.
d) It doesn’t matter if you are being stiff and robotic as long as the information you
present is valuable.
e) There’s no better way to step up your game and do better presentations than
actually doing it many times.
f) The more visual aids you use, the better your chances to hit a home run with
your presentation are.
3. You are going to watch a video about common mistakes to avoid during a
virtual presentation. Before watching, look at the tips and decide if they
should be in a ‘do’ or ‘don’t’ list for successful virtual presentations. Watch
the video [https://youtu.be/atLvsjIIsOI] and check your answers.
a) Exaggerate your gestures and your tone of voice. do [01:07]
b) Try to maintain eye contact by looking at every participant. don’t [02:20]
c) Avoid telling any stories or anecdotes. don’t [03:23]
d) Do a dry run. do [03:45]
e) Make it a lecture and leave questions for the end. don’t [04:36]
How to nail that presentation
Copyrights by ESL Brains
4. Watch the video again and answer the questions.
a) Why is it important to be able to do a presentation virtually? Because it is
ubiquitous nowadays and being able to present is a core skill in the new
environment. [00:01]
b) What should you do to avoid being stiff? You should exaggerate your gestures
and your tone of voice. Try recording yourself, your normal version of doing a
presentation and the exaggerated one. Analyse and decide what looks good
and what doesn’t. [00:37]
c) How is maintaining eye contact different when presenting online rather than in
person? When you do a presentation offline, you are encouraged to look
around the room and make eye contact with people. When presenting virtually,
you should look at your camera directly to give everyone the feeling that you’re
looking at them. [02:02]
d) What is the rule concerning timing? You should keep it short. You can still tell a
story or an anecdote but make it concise. [02:52]
e) Why is it important to do a dry run? Because it’s the only way you can catch all
the nooks and crannies of the things that can go wrong. [03:45]
f) What can you do to make your presentation look less like a lecture? You
should deemphasize yourself and your slides and focus on the audience. Try to
engage them in conversation, make it interactive (use polls, break them out
into groups, have competitions). [04:37]
5. Discuss the questions.
• What do you think of the tips presented in
the video? What are some other tips to
consider when presenting virtually?
• How is a virtual presentation different from
an offline one? What tips would you
suggest for giving a presentation in
person?
[To facilitate the discussion, you may use
these tips https://www.renderforest.com/blog/tricks-for-an-effectivepresentation ]
How to nail that presentation
Copyrights by ESL Brains
6. Read the short text and find the words to match the meanings below.
MEANINGS:
a) pleasant and easy to talk to affable
b) distract from detract from
c) quality of being real or true authenticity
d) present or found everywhere ubiquitous
7. Look at the text above again and discuss the questions.
• Have you ever had to give an elevator pitch? How did it go?
• What advice would you give to someone who needs to give an elevator pitch?
• What other types of business presentations do you know?
8. Match the sentences to the types of presentations they describe.
a) I think my presentation really hit a home run. They appreciated my authenticity
and told me they wanted in. I think having done a dry run really helped. pitch
deck
b) By highlighting our success in sales this year, we’ve tried to detract their
attention from the failed launch of the new feature. annual stakeholder report
c) I tried to communicate our milestones and emphasize ubiquitous ideas of
productivity. I pinpointed the stages where we had to step up our game to
reach the end goal. roadmap presentation
An elevator pitch (a brief summary of your background and experience you
give to a person you want to network with) is ubiquitous in the business world.
Therefore, everyone should have the basic skills to be able to do it. Don’t be
afraid to smile as you want to seem affable. Highlight your authenticity and
don’t ramble as it might detract your listener from the main points.
annual stakeholder report pitch deck
roadmap presentation team briefing
How to nail that presentation
Copyrights by ESL Brains
d) It went on for hours. The manager didn’t just update us on the recent news
and changes in our system. She really went through all the nooks and
crannies. team briefing
9. Discuss the questions.
• Which of the presentations above have you done? What is difficult about
them? Can you think of some tips for each of them?
• Look at the common structure of a business presentation below. Do you think
it is applicable to all types of presentation?
• Look at some other examples of presentations. Discuss structure and tips for
each of them.
o pitching an app to investors
o giving a demo for the MVP
o presenting a new approach to the team
o sharing an action plan with a potential client
[In the next page, you can find some presentation structures that you can share
with students and then discuss what types of presentation they could be used for.]
Possible answers:
• pitching an app to investors: the pitch, situation – challenge – resolution
• giving a demo for the MVP: the explanation, situation – challenge –
resolution
• presenting a new approach to the team: the explanation, the pitch
• sharing an action plan with a potential client: the explanation
How to nail that presentation
Copyrights by ESL Brains
THE EXPLANATION THE PITCH
SITUATION – COMPLICATION – RESOLUTION""

I've uploaded the slides to google drive so include a link.