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Business English- Negotiating Language Board Game

A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Students work their way around a fun board game by using useful functional language for internal and external negotiations, then brainstorm what typical phrases they could have used.

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Lesson Plan Content:


Negotiating language meeting criteria board game

 

shorter-term contract

 

time off for the birth of a child

 

work abroad

 

working from home/ telecommuting

START

attending an event (e.g.  trade fair)

renegotiate something

 

Instructions for students

Roleplay the situation written in the square which you are on. Ones in italics are negotiations within a company and so can be more informal. Decide exactly you are negotiating with before you start speaking, and ask your partner to play that part. Start from the very beginning of the negotiation and continue to the very end of the exchange each time. As well as face to face, you can communicate by online meeting, by email, on the telephone, by teleconference, by video conference, or even by phone message.

You will move by the number of points that your partner gives you, one for each of these criteria which they think that you met during the negotiation:

1.     smoothly starting (small talk, getting down to business, etc)

2.     sticking to your position/ insisting/ (polite) negative responses

3.     softening your position/ changing your mind

4.     suggesting compromises/ suggesting solutions

5.     trading/ linking offers and conditions

6.     moving the meeting on/ not getting stuck on points

7.     giving reasons

8.     asking about their position/ getting them to speak

9.     smoothly ending

10.  the right level of formality/ friendliness

Only the person whose turn it is gets points (not their partner).

car parking space

reducing the amount of the order

change teams/ sections/ departments

changing the specifications that you want

changing amount of the order

price rise

 

promotion

changing delivery terms

getting rid of a middleman

performance-related pay

changing the delivery terms

pay rise

 

personal targets

paid-for training

 

changing working hours

negotiate with another team

changing your responsibilities

negotiate with a different division

cheaper supplies

negotiate with a different department

fewer business trips

negotiate with an existing customer/ client

getting more/ better technology

negotiate with a supplier

take time off for a vacation

negotiate with a subcontractor

larger office

negotiate with a prospective customer/ client

longer to complete a project

 

negotiate with a co-worker

 

 

move branches

 

 

more people in your team

 

more budget for your project

 

longer-term contract

 

 

Brainstorm suitable language for the functions above into these gaps:

  1. Smoothly starting (small talk, getting down to business, etc)

 

 

 

  1. Sticking to your position/ Insisting/ (Polite) negative responses

 

 

 

  1. Softening your position/ Changing your mind

 

 

 

  1. Suggesting compromises/ Suggesting solutions

 

 

 

  1. Trading/ Linking offers and conditions

 

 

 

  1. Moving the meeting on/ Not getting stuck on points

 

 

 

  1. Giving reasons

 

 

 

  1. Asking about their position/ Getting them to speak

 

 

 

  1. Smoothly ending (summarising, mentioning future contact, etc)

 

 

 

  1. Formal language/ Polite language

 

 

 

  1. Informal language/ Friendly language

 

 

 

Compare as a class, then use that list to roleplay the situations that you skipped.

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