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BUSINESS ENGLISH · BUSINESS ENGLISH · ADVANCED (C1-C2)

LEADING
IN A CRISIS
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1 Warm up

Look at the word and the definition.

upheaval (noun) – a violent or sudden change or disruption to something.

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. What would be an example of an ’upheaval’ at work?

2. Have you experienced any ’upheaval’ at work? What happened?

Now in groups, look at the personality traits in the table. Choose six that you would want the CEO of
your company to have and order them from 1 (most important) to 6 (least important). For each one,
explain how they would demonstrate those traits.

strong compassionate communicative vulnerable

decisive focused dedicated ambitious

organised funny likeable charming

1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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ADVANCED (C1-C2)

LEADING IN A CRISIS

2 Vocabulary

Words in English often have more than one form. When learning new vocabulary, it’s a good idea to
be aware of the different forms of the word you are learning.

Part A - Parts of speech

Match the words to their definitions.

1. complex (adj.) a. a statement that seems to be contradictory or absurd, yet turns

out to be true
2. humiliation (noun) b. being easy to see or understand

3. paradox (noun) c. consisting of many different and connected parts

4. devastation (noun) d. great destruction or damage

5. clear (adj.) e. something that gives support

6. dissipation (noun) f. the act of making someone feel lower in status, shame, or
embarrassment
7. prevention (noun) g. to stop something from happening

8. bolster (noun) h. when something disappears or disperses

Work in pairs. Look at the following sentences from the script of the video you will later watch and
complete them with another form of the word in brackets.

1. We think of a great leader as the unwavering captain who guides us forward through challenge
and complexity / complex / complexities.
2. Whether you are a CEO, a prime minister, a middle manager or even a head of school, upheaval
means you have to ramp up the humiliate / humility / humiliation.
3. Paradoxically / Paradox / Paradoxical, that honesty creates more psychological safety for people,
not less.
4. For example when the pandemic devastation / devastating / devastated the airline industry virtually
overnight, CEO of Delta Airlines Ed Bastian ramped up employee communication despite having
so little clear / clarity / clarification about the path ahead, facing truly dire results.
5. Later, when cases began to dissipation / dissipate / dissipating, she made subsequent decisions
reflecting that new information.
6. Even as the immediate goal shifted from prevention / preventing / prevented illness to preparing
health systems and ultimately to bolstering / bolster / bolstered the economy.

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LEADING IN A CRISIS

Part B – Prefixes

Look at these sentences from the video, and decide which prefix should be added to the words in
bold. Choose the prefix from the box. Note that not all of the prefixes are used.

counter- im- back- anti- in- up- dis- un-

1. Confident wavering leaders, armed with data and past experience have long been celebrated
in business and politics alike.
2. In a completely interconnected world a single political rising, a viral video, a distant tsunami,
or a tiny virus can send shock waves around the world.
3. Second, act with urgency despite complete information.
4. Worse, action leaves people feeling lost and unstable.
5. Our instincts are to hold even more tightly to control in times of upheaval, but it fires.
6. One of the most effective ways to show leadership, if intuitive, is to share power with
those around you.

Part C - Discussion

In pairs or groups, complete the questions using your answers from Parts A and B. Then, answer the
questions.

1. Can you give an example of a very c problem you had at work?

2. Have you had a line manager who showed h (positive meaning)? What did they
do?
3. What steps do you take at work to p problems from happening at work?
4. Can you give an example of when you had to b other people in your office when
there was a problem?
5. Can you give an example of when action leads to problems at
work?
6. Give an example of a time when a decision or an action fired ?

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LEADING IN A CRISIS

3 Watching for general understanding

Watch the video and number the following points that the speaker makes into the correct order. The
first one has been marked for you.

Act with urgency

Be transparent 1

Follow your values

Share the power

4 Watching for details

Now watch the video again and answer the questions.

1. The speaker says we don’t usually celebrate leaders who are ...

a. experienced.
b. cautious.
c. firm.
d. assured.

2. However, great change can happen. Which example does she NOT give of situations which can
cause massive change?

a. a political movement
b. extreme weather conditions
c. a terrorist attack
d. a virus

3. The speaker asserts that in a time of crisis, we need leaders who are ...

a. confident.
b. strong
c. constant
d. humble

4. She tells us that, firstly, communication for managers is important, but they must ...

a. be honest about the limitations of their knowledge.

b. only confirm what information they know.
c. be honest that they don’t know what they are doing.
d. assure their team that they have all the answers.

5. The second rule for managers in a crisis is ...

a. wait until they have all the information they need before acting.
b. make a plan and wait until you have the information you need.
c. act quickly, even if you don’t have all the information.
d. act quickly when you have all the information you need.

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6. The example given of New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern shows that a leader should ...

a. consult with others and then take action.

b. use what information they have to take action, then make adjustments later if needed.
c. make a plan using what information they have and then stick to it.
d. avoid taking action until they have all the knowledge they need.

7. The third point that the speaker made was to keep your ... at the heart of your decisions.

a. customer experience
b. goals and aims
c. guiding light
d. principles and purpose

8. The final point the speaker makes is that a good crisis manager should ... so that people feel ...

a. delegate tasks/ invested in the process and part of the solution.

b. take the time to explain their thoughts/clear on what is happening.
c. take full responsibility/protected from negative outcomes.
d. stick with a plan/certain of where they are going.

In pairs, discuss these questions.

1. Did you think the advice the speaker gave was good? Do you think it is advice that the leadership
in your company would use? Why/Why not?
2. Is there any advice that you think should be added?

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LEADING IN A CRISIS

5 Talking/writing point

In groups, look at the task below. Together, compose an email. Remember to check each other’s
grammar, spelling and punctuation.

It is March 11th 2020.

Covid-19 has just been declared as a pandemic and it is clear that it has become a
serious problem that will have an impact on your company’s work practices.

It is possible that it will have an impact on your company’s finances.

Your group is the senior management of a company of more than 10,000 people.

All of these people are concerned for their future and their families.

Using the ideas from the video, write an email telling your employees what is going to happen next
and how you plan to deal with the crisis.

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