OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES

This ESL lesson on office small talk offers engaging activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for pre-intermediate students. In this lesson, students will:

• Talk about common small talk topics and share personal experiences.
• Learn and practice useful vocabulary and phrases for work-related small talk.
• Watch a video of two colleagues chatting about their jobs, families, and weekends.
• Practice using target phrases through correction tasks and dialogue-building exercises.
• Take part in interactive speaking activities where they create and role-play workplace small talk conversations.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

Students begin this ESL lesson with a small talk dialogue between two colleagues and identify the topics they discuss, such as the weather, health, work, and family. They then answer discussion questions about what small talk is, when people use it, and their own experiences with it. Students also match key vocabulary phrases, such as switch jobs, over the moon, make heaps of money, adjust to, and keep in touch with their definitions. Finally, they talk about how often they use small talk with colleagues and whether they think it is important in the workplace.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

Students watch a short video where two colleagues, Charlotte and Lawrence, chat on a Monday morning. They talk about their weekends, new jobs, moving back home with parents, and switching departments. This is a light, realistic office conversation full of everyday small talk. After watching, students complete a comprehension exercise by choosing the correct speaker for each statement. They then correct incorrect sentences based on the video, and answer short questions that check their understanding of the key details.

VIEWING FOLLOW-UP

Students discuss questions about their own lives, such as whether they prefer busy or relaxing weekends, and what it feels like to start a new job or school. They then complete a gap-fill dialogue using question parts like How was it… and What are your plans… to build natural small talk conversations. Students also practice adding new words to conversation starters, expanding their ability to ask about different topics in flexible ways.

SMALL TALK IN ACTION: WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU?

In this final stage, students put their learning into practice by role-playing small talk in pairs. In Option A, Student A begins with questions such as What’s new with you? or Isn’t the weather great today? and Student B responds, before continuing the conversation. They can then switch roles to try again. In Option B, students choose from a list of questions about daily life, weekends, family, or recent events, and have a free-flowing conversation. To finish, they reflect on the topics they discussed and how natural their small talk felt.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS ESL LESSON ON OFFICE SMALL TALK

Teachers who use this ESL lesson on office small talk give students a clear structure to understand and practice workplace communication. The plan introduces small talk topics step by step, strengthens vocabulary with useful phrases, and connects the video to real-life speaking. Teachers save time with ready-made comprehension, correction, and speaking activities. The role-plays and guided conversations give students the chance to build confidence while practicing English in realistic work contexts.