📚 First, go through the flashcards to learn the vocabulary:

💬 Discuss these questions with a partner or in small groups. Use the vocabulary words in your answers.

1. What are some things companies can do to ease the stress of their employees during a busy season?
2. If you were the leader of your country, which law or restriction would you lift immediately? Why?
3. If you could spend a day working with your counterpart in a different country, what would you ask them about their job?
4. If a boss alludes to the possibility of layoffs or budget cuts, how does that affect the atmosphere in the office? Is it better to be vague or to tell the whole truth immediately?
5. Why do you think the stock market (or the price of Bitcoin) is so volatile lately?
6. How do you deal with the volatility of your own emotions when you are under a lot of pressure?
7. Have you ever tried to change someone’s mind about a political topic, only to find they wouldn’t budge at all?
8. Many people vow to quit a bad habit on New Year’s Day. Why is it so hard to keep those promises?
9. If you could swap lives with a famous person for 24 hours, who would it be and what would you do?
10. We are seeing a revival of 90s fashion and vinyl records. Is there a trend from the past you wish would come back?
11. When a company makes a big decision, what is usually at stake besides money?
12. In a salary negotiation, do you think having another job offer gives you more leverage? How would you use that to your advantage without sounding rude?

💡 Key Vocabulary: ease, lift, counterpart, allude, volatile, volatility, budge, vow, swap, revival, at stake, leverage

Test your knowledge with this exercise: