APIEClass activity: Dana's Appraisal Decoder (Feedback Skills Game)
Feedback, appraisals and difficult conversations
Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.
🕵️♀️ Dana's Appraisal Decoder
Mastering Understatement, Hedges, & Litotes in Sensitive Workplace Feedback
👨🏫 Teacher Setup & Delivery
TEACHER- 1 Group Assembly: Divide students into small collaborative teams of 3 or 4.
- 2 Hand Out Material: Provide each group with the Appraisal Form, Card set, and Response Sheet.
- 3 Explain the Mission: Instruct teams to decode Dana's evaluation comments into plain blunt facts, then rewrite direct criticisms using diplomatic target structures.
- 4 Scorekeeper Assignment: Nominate one player per team to record answers and keep score.
- 5 Check & Debrief: Facilitate peer-checking using the Teacher Key on the board.
🎯 Student Game Plan
STUDENT- 1 Goal: Decode manager diplomatic jargon and soften harsh feedback without sounding rude.
- 2 Part 1 (Decode): Match appraisal comments A–F with their true plain meanings 1–6.
- 3 Part 2 (Softened Rewrites): Rephrase 3 blunt facts using assigned hedging expressions.
- 4 Winning Points: Earn 1pt per match, 2pts per softened rewrite, and 1 bonus point for every Unit vocabulary word correctly applied!
Intro & Handouts
Form groups of 3-4 and hand out cards.
Matching Task
Teams match comments A–F to meanings 1–6.
Softening Task
Soften 3 blunt facts using specified prompts.
Peer-Checking
Swap sheets between groups to mark answers.
Scoring & Tally
Add bonus points for Unit word usage.
Closing Reflection
Debrief manager tone and workplace diplomacy.
SUBJECT: DANA
Role: Sales Assistant Status: Annual Performance ReviewAppraisal form for Dana, a sales assistant (invented). Match comments to meanings. Dana is completing her annual evaluation. Her manager uses diplomatic litotes and hedged understatements. Your job is to decode the comments and craft softer feedback alternatives!
Comment A: Her reports are not unhelpful.
Comment B: Late deliveries are not uncommon in her team.
Comment C: Her handling of the complaint was not without difficulty.
Comment D: Her presentation was less than clear in places.
Comment E: Her March sales were a little short of the target.
Comment F: Her argument for a bonus was not entirely convincing.
Some parts were hard to follow.
She came close but missed it.
They are quite useful.
Some listeners still had doubts.
It happens fairly often.
She had problems but managed.
"Her slides are poor."
hardly ideal
"Her notes copy the agenda."
not unlike
"Her plan to stop all training is a mistake."
With respect
🧩 Task 1: Decoder Matching Sheet (1pt each)
MATCH 1–6 TO A–FMatch each manager comment (A–F) to its true plain workplace meaning (1–6).
✍️ Task 2: Softening & Hedging Sheet (2pts each)
REWRITE DIPLOMATICALLYRewrite each blunt criticism into diplomatic, professional workplace feedback using the assigned expression.
Type your softened version below:
____ (Type softened sentence here...)Type your softened version below:
____ (Type softened sentence here...)Type your softened version below:
____ (Type softened sentence here...)Per Correct Match
Awarded for each correct pair A–F matched with 1–6.
Per Softened Comment
Requires target expression + preserved meaning.
Per Unit Word Used
For integrating vocabulary from the C1 Unit list.
📚 Target Unit Vocabulary Words (+1 Point Bonus Each):
"Her overall performance during her probation period was less than perfect."
"Addressing this minor shortcoming diplomatically would be not unhelpful for team morale."
"Delivering constructive criticism in an overly blunt manner is hardly ideal."
"Adopting a tactful tone during difficult meetings was not without difficulty."
"Appearing evasive during an annual appraisal is not entirely convincing."
"Remaining assertive without sounding aggressive is not unlike balancing on a wire."
PART 1: MATCHING ANSWERS
- Comment A (not unhelpful) → Meaning 3
- Comment B (not uncommon) → Meaning 5
- Comment C (not without difficulty) → Meaning 6
- Comment D (less than clear) → Meaning 1
- Comment E (a little short of) → Meaning 2
- Comment F (not entirely convincing) → Meaning 4
PART 2: MODEL SOFTENED REWRITES
Common Grammatical Error Warning:
Watch out for double-negative confusion like "not hardly"! Emphasize to students that hardly is already negative (e.g. "hardly ideal", NOT "not hardly ideal").
Scaffolded Options
Provide students with a word bank of litotes structures (e.g. not uncommon, less than clear) to choose from directly when matching.
Standard Game
Run the 20-minute decoding task exactly as written above with team scorekeeping and peer-checking.
No Hedges Hints
Remove the required expression prompts from Task 2; students must create their own litotes structures from scratch.
Roleplay appraisal
Pairs act out Dana's annual review: one acts as the diplomatic manager, the other as Dana asking for clarification!
Wrap up the lesson with these 3 open reflection questions on appraisal tone:
Why might a manager choose understatement over direct criticism in a formal performance review?
Consider team morale, professionalism, legal documentation, and tactfulness.
Can litotes ever backfire by being overly evasive or confusing to employees?
Discuss scenarios where non-native speakers or blunt personalities misinterpret double negatives.
How do you balance being tactful with remaining assertive when discussing workplace shortcomings?
Reflect on finding the right tone between extreme politeness and clear constructive feedback.
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