Building Trust in Business

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Program name: Business Management and Analysis

  Career cluster: Business Management and Administration

  CIP number: 0552070110

  Course number and title: 8215120 - Business and Entrepreneurial Principles

  Course type: Secondary – Career Preparatory

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with case study, “Building Trust in Business.” See CPALMS Resource ID#221300.

• Career Connection

  
  

  For students in business classes, it’s important for them to know how to properly conduct business. Part of that is establishing trust in the workplace. It is important to build trust with clients, business partners, suppliers, coworkers, managers, and subordinates. Building trust is an important soft skill for students to know.

  Students will develop durable skills of collaboration and creativity. Students will work effectively with others to achieve common goals. Students will also generate innovative solutions and ideas.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Explain the importance of trust for successfully conducting business.
  • Identify ways to build trust with clients in the workplace.
  • Present information about building trust orally, with a logical organization and coherent focus, with credible evidence from the case study.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with/able to interact and collaborate with their classmates in small groups.

• Guiding Questions

  
  

  Why is it important for businesses to build trust with clients?

  How can businesses build trust with clients?

• Procedure

  
  

  1. Introduction:

  Have students respond to the following industry quote and partner talk.

  “The glue that holds business relationships together, that is trust, and this trust is purely based on integrity.” - Brian Tracy

  Have students discuss with a partner the two aspects of the quote. First, what does it mean that trust holds business relationships together? Second, what is integrity? Then, ask for volunteers to share what they discussed with a partner.

  2. Discussion:

  Have students read the case study and answer case-study based questions.

  Have students read case study, “Building Trust in Business.” See CPALMS Resource ID#221300. Then answer the following questions as a discussion:

  • What caused the credit union branch manager to want to increase trust with the members?
  • What are ways to build trust with clients?
  • What would be the negative ramifications for not maintaining and fostering trust with your clients?
  • How does integrity play a role in this scenario?

  3. Integrated Activity:

  Students will use the Building Trust Activity attachment to write down what Robert did in the case study to build trust. Then students will think creatively and write down ideas of what else Robert could do to build trust. Then, students will write down for each action item, how it helps build trust.

  Students will work in small groups and share their thoughts that they wrote down on the attachment, specifically what else Robert could do to build trust and why it helps to build trust.

  Next, students will work in pairs or small groups to a PowerPoint presentation giving an overview of what Robert has done and what Robert could do to build trust with clients and why those strategies help build trust. Then, students will present to other students as if they were Robert presenting to his branch manager to build trust among clients.

  4. Closure and Future of Work:

  Students will write an exit ticket at the end of the lesson, which will include 3 ways to build trust, 2 ways they can apply this to a future career, and 1 question they still have.

  Students will also complete a future of work reflection, looking at how the lessons learned from the case study and lesson can apply to their future career. They will turn in the closure and future of work to the teacher at the end of class as an exit ticket. Questions can include:

  • If you are considering a job in business what role do you see yourself in and why?
  • Why is it important to build trust with clients and coworkers
  • How does this case study apply to what you want to do for a career?

• Teacher Notes

  
  

  This lesson is most effective if the teacher prints copies of the attachments and case study for students and students have access to computers to create PowerPoint presentations.