Management Tips

Students write tips for a new manager, share them on the board, explain their reasoning, and vote for the best ones.

Procedure

1. Ask students to write down two tips they would give to a new manager in their company (or a new teacher, principal, incoming student — adapt to context).
2. Invite students to write their tips on the board. Divide the board so two students can write simultaneously.
3. Students explain their ideas to the class.
4. Number the tips on the board. Students vote for their four favourites (not their own) by writing numbers on paper first, then voting by raising hands. Write totals beside each tip. Discuss why the winning tips won.

Tips

• Naturally leads to anecdotes about where the tips come from.
• With mixed nationalities, reveals intercultural aspects worth exploring.
• Focuses on verb and noun phrase collocations (e.g., "Don't take yourself too seriously").
• Easily expanded to tips for any professional activity students are familiar with.
• Short video clips of CEOs giving advice can supplement or introduce the activity.