Corporate Crisis Management — Ep 4: Executing a Severe Team Downsizing/Layoff | English C1-C2
Shadow this lesson: play a line, pause, and repeat it out loud — matching speed and intonation.
Conversation Script
HR Director
Once we've finalized the severance packages, we need to brief the managers before the announcements go out tomorrow morning.
Manager
Honestly, I'm dreading this. Half my team has no idea what's coming.
HR Director
I know it's brutal, but delaying it any further would only fuel more rumors and anxiety.
Manager
Fair point, though I still think we're underestimating how blindsided some of them will feel.
HR Director
That's exactly why we've scripted talking points. Consistency matters more than improvisation in moments like these.
Manager
Wait, we're not allowed to deviate from the script at all?
HR Director
You can show empathy, obviously, but legally we can't risk any manager promising something the company can't guarantee.
Manager
That makes sense, I just don't want to sound like I'm reading from a corporate manual.
HR Director
Practice it a few times beforehand and it'll come across as sincere rather than rehearsed.
Manager
What about the ones we're keeping. Morale's going to tank the second this news spreads.
HR Director
We've built a retention plan for that exact scenario, including transparent follow-up sessions next week.
Manager
Good, because survivor's guilt is real, and silence afterward would be catastrophic for trust.
HR Director
Agreed, so we'll schedule open forums immediately after the layoffs to address lingering concerns directly.
Manager
Alright, I'd rather over-communicate now than clean up a morale disaster later.