C2 level Speaking – Evolution of CEOs

 

 

 

• C2-level speaking activity centered on Steve Jobs (pair work, 5–7 minutes).
  Title: The Duality of Genius
  Target vocabulary (C2/advanced – use at least 6–7 naturally):

 

• Adjectives: mercurial, visionary, abrasive, relentless, insatiable
• Nouns: hubris, charisma, legacy, maverick, audacity

 

• Task 
  You are advisors to a film studio making a biopic about Steve Jobs.
  Decide together which one sentence best captures the core paradox of his personality and leadership style for the movie tagline. Choose only one:

 

• A. “A visionary maverick whose insatiable curiosity changed the world—but at a brutal human cost.”
  B. “Relentless genius fuelled by audacity and charisma, undone by his own hubris.”
  C. “He was mercurial and often abrasive, yet his legacy proves that true innovation demands discomfort.”

 

•  Justify your choice using the target words.

 

• Challenge your partner’s pick politely with counter-arguments (e.g. “While I see the appeal of X, isn’t that rather reductive given his…”).
  Try to agree on one final tagline (you can slightly rephrase it if needed). 

 

• Quick follow-up (1 min): Which of his traits do you think was most indispensable to Apple’s success—and most detrimental to the people around him?
  Short, high-density, forces precise lexis + nuance + interaction. Perfect for C2 fluency & vocabulary stretch.