Discussions / Leadership
Leadership Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Use these 20 discussion questions about Leadership to run a full speaking lesson with adult learners (B1–B2). Each part opens with a vocabulary warm-up, every question is labelled with the thinking skill it practises, and each part fills roughly thirty minutes of class time on its own.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 24 Aug 2026
Part 1
Leading People and Building a Team
Focus: discussing leadership qualities, communication, teamwork, motivation, responsibility, and different ways people lead
Think of one quality of a good leader, one action a leader often takes, and one situation where someone may need to lead.
Describe each word without saying it directly. Your teacher or partner must guess the word.
EXPERIENCE
Who is a leader you have worked with, studied with, or observed, and what did you notice about their style?
DESCRIBE
What qualities make someone easy to trust as a leader?
PREFERENCE
Do you prefer leaders who give clear instructions or leaders who give people more freedom? Explain your preference.
COMPARE
How is leading a small team different from leading a large organization?
COMMUNICATION
How should a leader communicate when team members disagree with each other?
MOTIVATION
What can a leader do when a team is losing energy or motivation?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
One team member does excellent work but regularly creates conflict with other people. How should the leader handle the situation?
RESPONSIBILITY
When a team fails, how much responsibility should the leader personally accept?
EVALUATE
Can someone be a strong leader without being naturally confident or outgoing? Explain your view.
RECOMMEND
What habits would you recommend to someone who wants to become a better leader?
Part 2
Difficult Decisions and Leadership Challenges
Focus: discussing pressure, unpopular decisions, fairness, delegation, mistakes, trust, and leadership during difficult situations
Choose one word from each category: Person: manager, coach, teacher, team leader; Action: decide, delegate, listen, criticize; Situation: deadline, conflict, failure, change; Feeling: confident, worried, frustrated, proud. Use your four words to describe a short scene in two or three sentences.
EXPERIENCE
What kinds of difficult decisions do leaders commonly need to make?
COMPARE
Which is harder for a leader: making a fast decision or making an unpopular decision? Explain why.
PRIORITIZE
When a leader cannot make everyone happy, what should they consider first?
DISCUSS
How important is it for a leader to admit when they are wrong?
BALANCE
How can leaders stay friendly and approachable without becoming too close to the people they supervise?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
A leader must choose between meeting an important deadline and protecting an exhausted team from extra work. What options could they consider?
DELEGATE
Why do some leaders find it difficult to give important responsibilities to other people?
CULTURE
How might expectations about leadership differ between countries, workplaces, or generations?
EVALUATE
Which is more important for leadership: experience, intelligence, communication skills, or good judgment?
REFLECT
What is the difference between having authority and having genuine influence over people?