🤝 Fluency Class 7 – Workplace Culture & Soft Skills
Case study and debate about team dynamics, communication, and workplace challenges
Share a real experience with a difficult colleague—someone who ghosted on Slack, never showed up to meetings, or was impossible to work with. Ask: "Have you ever dealt with someone like this? How did you handle it?"
Talk about a time you had to have a difficult conversation about performance, code quality, or attitude. Ask: "Have you ever had to give (or receive) tough feedback? What made it work or fail?"
Share about witnessing someone struggling—overworking, making mistakes, seeming stressed—and not knowing if it's your place to intervene. Ask: "When is it appropriate to step in? What would you do?"
💡 Teacher Tip: Workplace culture issues are sensitive. Create psychological safety by sharing your own vulnerabilities first. This isn't about "right answers"—it's about navigating messy human situations.
Complete Example Discussion – "How to Handle a Toxic Teammate"
Key Soft Skills Phrases to Practice:
There's tension between...
The real issue is...
That sounds like...
Addressing the issue directly
I'm hesitant to...
I don't want to create conflict
It's affecting team morale / productivity / work quality
I see your point, but...
You could approach it as...
That's a diplomatic way to...
At what point...
It depends on...
It's time to involve...
The healthy thing to do is...
Setting boundaries
Teacher & Student: Select one case study below. Analyze it together, discuss different approaches, debate what the "right" response is (spoiler: there isn't one).
🤐 Case Study 1: The Silent Senior Developer
The Situation: A highly skilled senior developer never speaks in meetings, takes days to respond to Slack messages, and ignores code review requests. They deliver excellent code but refuse to mentor juniors. Team morale is dropping because they feel like the senior doesn't care.
Discussion Questions:- Is this person actually a problem or just an introvert who prefers async work?
- Who should address this—peers, tech lead, or manager?
- How do you balance respecting someone's work style with team needs?
- What if they're neurodivergent and this is how they work best?
🔥 Case Study 2: The Overworked Junior
The Situation: A junior developer is consistently working 12-hour days, sending PRs at midnight, and taking on way too much. They're trying to prove themselves but making sloppy mistakes due to burnout. As their tech lead, you're worried but don't want to demotivate them.
Discussion Questions:- How do you have the "you're working too much" conversation without sounding like you don't value their effort?
- Is this the company's fault for creating unrealistic expectations, or the junior's for not setting boundaries?
- What's the difference between ambition and unhealthy overwork?
- How would you handle this if you were the junior? The tech lead? The manager?
💬 Case Study 3: The Feedback Conflict
The Situation: You gave constructive feedback on a teammate's code architecture in a PR. They took it personally, got defensive, and now there's awkward tension. They're avoiding you in meetings and pushing back on all your suggestions, even reasonable ones.
Discussion Questions:- How do you repair the relationship after feedback goes wrong?
- Was the feedback the problem, or how it was delivered?
- Should you apologize even if the technical feedback was valid?
- How do you give critical feedback without creating conflict?
👥 Stakeholder Roleplay (15 min)
Instead of a traditional debate, explore the case from different stakeholder perspectives:
- As the person causing the issue: Why might they be behaving this way? What pressures are they under?
- As the affected teammate: How does this impact your daily work? What do you need?
- As the manager: What are your constraints? What are you responsible for?
- As HR/the company: What policies and liability concerns are in play?
Format: Teacher and student take turns roleplaying these perspectives (3-4 min each), using vocabulary from today.
Non-Violent Communication (Observation, Feeling, Need, Request)
Instead of: "You never respond to my messages and it's unprofessional."
Try: "When I don't hear back for 3+ days (observation), I feel worried I'm blocking you (feeling). I need clarity on timelines to plan my work (need). Could we agree on a 24-hour response window? (request)"
Assuming Positive Intent
Instead of: "You're being dismissive and rude in code reviews."
Try: "I notice your code review comments are very direct. I'm sure you're trying to maintain high standards—can you help me understand your thought process?"
Boundaries, Not Demands
Instead of: "You need to stop messaging me after 8pm."
Try: "I don't check Slack after 8pm to protect my personal time. If something's urgent, please text me."
Share Your Own Failures
Use: "I once handled feedback terribly—I got defensive and it hurt a relationship. Looking back, I wish I'd..."
Why it works: Vulnerability builds trust. Shows there's no perfect answer.
Normalize Complexity
Use: "This is genuinely hard. There's no 'right' answer here—just trade-offs. What matters is thinking through the consequences."
Why it works: Relieves pressure to find the "correct" solution.
Acknowledge Cultural Differences
Use: "In some cultures, direct feedback is normal. In others, it's considered rude. What's the norm where you work?"
Why it works: Recognizes that workplace norms vary wildly.
"What's the worst-case scenario if you do nothing?"
"If you were advising a friend in this situation, what would you tell them?"
"What would need to be true for [controversial approach] to be the right call?"
"How would you want someone to handle this if YOU were the problem person?"
📝 Option 1: Workplace Culture Case Analysis (Written)
Write a case analysis (250-300 words) of a real workplace culture challenge you've faced or witnessed. Describe the situation, analyze different stakeholder perspectives, and explain what approach you'd take now. Use at least 4 soft skills phrases from today.
🎯 Real use: Helps process difficult situations objectively and prepares you for similar scenarios.
🎤 Option 2: Difficult Conversation Rehearsal (Audio/Video)
Record yourself (5-7 min) rehearsing a difficult conversation you need to have—giving feedback, setting a boundary, addressing a conflict. Practice both what you'll say AND how you'll respond to pushback. Use phrases like "I don't want to create conflict, but...", "The healthy thing to do is..."
🎯 Real use: Rehearsing hard conversations reduces anxiety and improves delivery when it actually happens.
💬 Option 3: Feedback Framework Document
Create a personal "how to give me feedback" document (150-200 words). Explain your preferences: direct vs indirect, public vs private, written vs verbal. Share what helps you receive feedback well. Use soft skills vocabulary naturally.
🎯 Real use: Many teams create these for README files or onboarding docs—helps prevent feedback disasters.
📊 Option 4: Team Culture Audit
Reflect on your current team's culture (200-250 words). What's working? What's creating tension? If you could change one thing, what would it be and how would you propose it? Use phrases like "There's tension between...", "It's affecting...", "You could approach it as..."
🎯 Real use: Basis for actual retrospective discussions or 1-on-1s with your manager.
💡 Teacher: In the next class, ask them to share one insight from the exercise about navigating workplace relationships (2-3 minutes max).