The Art of the Productive No
Grammar: Discourse markers and connectors
A Level 6 English lesson exploring psychology.
What's in this lesson
A Level 6 (proficiency) ESL lesson on psychology, practising discourse markers and connectors. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary and discussion questions.
From the reading: The Art of the Productive No
At some point in her career, the primatologist Frans de Waal noticed something that most managers spend years failing to articulate: among chimpanzees, the ability to refuse a request without triggering a social rupture is a mark of high status, not weakness. The highest-ranking individuals say no constantly — and the group functions better for it. Humans, de Waal observed, have built an entire social architecture around avoiding that same word, dressing refusal in apology and qualification until the original clarity is lost.
Vocabulary
- dress / in
- lock in
- rests on
- run in
- at its core
- At some point
- far more
- in practice
- long after
Discussion questions
- Is it harder to say no at work or in your personal life?
- What happens to a team when nobody ever says no?
- Have you ever regretted saying yes to something?
The Art of the Productive No
Grammar: Discourse markers and connectors
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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