This lesson is part of the pack: The Psychology of Influence. Teach it as a complete experience.
WHAT'S INSIDE
- Real-World Context: Explore how advertising, propaganda, and marketing manipulate our emotions and choices.
- Vocabulary in Context: Master persuasive collocations and phrasal verbs used to describe manipulation, such as lure someone in, jump on the bandwagon, and mess with someone's head, etc.
- Reading & Historical Analysis: Analyse the legacy of Edward Bernays, Sigmund Freud’s nephew, who blended psychoanalysis with marketing to engineer human desire and shape public opinion through "herd mentality."
- Watching & Discussion: Watch a documentary segment on Bernays’ most controversial campaigns to debate the ethics of engineering desires versus fulfilling needs.
- Case Studies & Analysis: Examine the Nike "Believe in Something" (2018) campaign to evaluate emotional impact and manipulation.
- Discussion & Reflection: Reflect on personal experiences with ads.
Related Lessons
Learn to use natural, everyday excuses (e.g. I’m not really up for it, I'm tied up, It’s a bit of a hassle to get there, I’m not feeling it, I got held up at work) through interactive visuals, real-life role plays, and quick-fire tasks. By the end, students tackle realistic speaking challenges where they have to think on their feet and respond naturally in real-world situations.
FREE
Immerse learners in relatable travel dilemmas while mastering idiomatic expressions (e.g. I’m all in, Count me in, I’m down for that, I'd kill for..., That’s a dealbreaker). Through listening tasks, students analyse how speakers express interest, refusal, hesitation, and strong reactions, then build fluency with guided role-plays and decision-making challenges. A lesson that transforms passive vocabulary into confident, natural communication.
FREE
Explore the rise and fall of WeWork — a startup that attracted billions with its vision of changing how people work before collapsing within months. Through video analysis, uncover how storytelling, identity, and belonging shape belief on a massive scale. The lesson combines rich language in context (e.g. peel back the curtain, keep the lights on), discussion, and critical thinking, ending with a “Crisis Boardroom” role-play where students decide the company’s future.