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    Worked example

    Project Manager: Make a Status Update Clearer

    A B2 project manager can report completed work but loses control when explaining delays and dependencies.

    This is a constructed teaching example, not a report of a real student or a claimed learning outcome.

    By Jan BrzostowskiReviewed by Martha, ESL Methodology Reviewer, 10 years of experiencePublished and updated June 15, 2026

    Student context

    A B2 project manager leads a weekly remote status meeting with an international product team. The immediate goal is to explain progress, dependencies, and risk without reading a script.

    Evidence

    • The learner reports completed tasks accurately in a prepared update.
    • When a dependency causes a delay, the learner switches to vague phrases such as "there is a problem".
    • Homework used because and so correctly, but did not distinguish cause, consequence, and mitigation.

    Decision

    Continue

    The core reporting skill is present, but the learner still needs support to explain cause, impact, and next action as one coherent update.

    Lesson objective

    By the end of the lesson, the learner will deliver a 60-second status update that states a dependency, its impact, and one mitigation action without a written script.

    Activity sequence

    1. 1Compare two short status updates and identify which one makes the dependency and impact explicit.
    2. 2Rebuild three vague updates using the frame: dependency, impact, mitigation.
    3. 3Rehearse one authentic project update with a keyword-only prompt.
    4. 4Repeat the update after one follow-up question from the tutor.

    Evidence to collect next

    • Whether the learner separates dependency, impact, and mitigation.
    • Whether the learner can respond to a follow-up question without returning to a full script.
    • Which linking phrases remain accurate under time pressure.
    Decide your next lesson

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