Adaptability

Age range: 11-19

 Contents Activity one Activity two Activity three Summary

Session overview
Time Key learning outcomes Resources

35-50 mins By the end of the activity students will be able to: • Adaptability student
worksheet
• Understand why adaptability is a core skill for the future world
of work • Adaptability
presentation slides
• Identify the traits, skills and characteristics that make someone
adaptable
• Understand that adaptability skills can be developed by anyone
and be applied in many situations – not just at moments of
major change

Remember that you can refer to the guiding principles for establishing a safe learning environment in the Appendix
section of the LifeSkills content guide. This includes suggestions for signposting students to further support. The
content guide can be downloaded here.

Contents
Activities Time Page
Introduction to LifeSkills core transferable skills (11-19) 5 mins 3

Activity one: Exploring adaptability (11-19) 10 mins 5

Activity two: Adaptive thinking (11-19) 5-10 mins 8

Activity two: Adaptive thinking (16-19) 10-15 mins 9

Activity three: Real world adaptability (11-19) 5-10 mins per scenario 11

Summary 5 mins 12

1 The skills companies need most in 2020 – and how to learn them, LinkedIn, 2020
2 Which Divergent Thinking Index Is More Associated With Problem Finding Ability? The Role of Flexibility and Task Nature

© Barclays 2022. Modification of this lesson plan is not permitted. Use of this lesson plan is governed by the LifeSkills terms and conditions which can
be found at [Link]/terms-and-conditions

[Link] Adaptability lesson plan | 2

 Contents Activity one Activity two Activity three Summary

Introduction to transferable skills

Economic, societal and technological forces are changing the world of work, and skills like staying positive (resilience),
problem solving, creativity and leadership are becoming increasingly valuable to employers. Your students may already
possess some of these core transferable skills but by improving them and developing others, they can be better prepared
for the future workplace. By delivering each of the skill-based lessons in this suite you can encourage growth in all these
areas or focus in on the ones your students need most.
• If this is the first LifeSkills lesson you have delivered with this group start by showing students slide 2 which
features each of the core transferable skills at the heart of the programme. Go through each skill and ask students
if they can offer definitions (provided below), examples of these skills in action or explain how they might work
together, for example being proactive to solve a problem
• If you have already introduced all these skills to the group and why they are all important, move on to the next step
to explore the specific skill for this lesson in more detail. Use slide 3 to focus in on the skill of adaptability and explain
how the activities in this lesson help them work towards specific steps of the Skills Builder Framework

Core transferable skills

Problem solving skills are about the ability to find a solution to a complex situation or challenge, often
using analytical thinking to come up with a methodical approach or break a problem down into parts

Creativity is the use of imagination and the generation of new ideas, and building the confidence to
improve these ideas on your own and by collaborating with others

Listening and speaking (communication) is about receiving and retaining information, persuading and
influencing others, and using critical thinking skills to evaluate different perspectives

Leadership is about recognising your own strengths in order to best support, encourage and motivate
others to achieve a shared goal

Aiming high (being proactive) is the ability to set clear goals and prioritise tasks to achieve them, as
well identifying when to take the initiative instead of reacting to external event

Staying positive (resilience) is about the ability to use tactics and strategies to overcome setbacks and
achieve goals

Adaptability is about the ability to use tactics and strategies to overcome setbacks and achieve goals

Teamwork is an important skills used when working with another person, or people in a group

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 Contents Activity one Activity two Activity three Summary

Introduction to transferable skills

• The Skills Builder Framework, developed by the Skills Builder Partnership, provides a shared language and common
expectations for eight essential skills: Listening; Speaking; Problem Solving; Creativity; Staying Positive; Aiming
High; Leadership; Teamwork. LifeSkills content on transferable skills can be used to support a young person’s
progression through each of the essential skills, providing a relatable, real-world employability context and this
relationship is indicated in brackets above
• LifeSkills lessons always include the opportunity for young people to work in groups and share ideas, as well as
providing context for the importance of effective teamwork in the workplace

Optional
The Skills Builder Framework provides measurable steps for eight
essential skills and can be used in combination with this lesson to
support your students’ progress.

Skills Builder also offer a student Self-Assessment Tool, which

helps learners to reflect on their own skill strengths and areas for
development. This and other resources can be accessed on the Skills
Builder Hub ([Link]/hub).

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 Contents Activity one Activity two Activity three Summary

Activity one
Exploring adaptability (11-19)
1. Discuss what adaptability is
Exploring adaptability 3
• Using slide 3, introduce what we mean by adaptability and why it is
Adaptability is defined as our ability to
adjust to new or changed conditions
important in the workplace:
quickly, without experiencing stress or

− Adaptability is defined as our ability to adjust to new or changed

negative emotions
• Adaptability has been voted in the top
five skills that companies need most
in their workforce1.
• This session helps to work towards
conditions quickly, without experiencing stress or negative emotions
steps 8 and 11 from the Skills Builder
Framework for teamwork and step 9
from the Skills Builder Framework for
problem solving. − Adaptability has been voted in the top five skills that companies need
most in their workforce.
1 The skills companies need most in 2020 – and how to learn them, LinkedIn, 2020

© Barclays 2022

• Discuss with the class why they think employers place such importance
on adaptability and encourage them to consider:
− How work and workplaces are becoming more flexible and varied,
which means being able to adapt to these changes well is a core skill
for the future workplace. For example: freelance and contract work;
remote working; shared workspaces
− How adaptability supports other skills like communication and
resilience, depending on the situation

2. Discuss what divergent thinking is

Demonstrating adaptability 4 • In pairs or small groups, ask students to imagine themselves in the job
Industry
Job role
Scenario role scenarios on slide 4 and discuss how they could adapt to deliver a
suitable outcome
Health Your patient has a broken leg and is unable to speak/understand the English
Nurse language. How would you communicate with them to see to their injury / make
them comfortable?

− Thinking back to the earlier discussion, encourage them to think

Transport Your next job is to deliver 500 boxes to the airport in time for a flight. Your
Courier delivery vehicle only has space for 400 boxes. What do you do make the delivery
happen on time?

Construction
Electrician
Another contractor on your site has not finished their work on time, which means
you are not able to start the electric installation as scheduled. You have agreed to
about the other skills needed in each scenario to enable them to
adapt (e.g. communication)
start on a new site immediately after, and so won’t be able to delay this job

© Barclays 2022

Industry: Health Job role: Nurse

Scenario: Your patient has a broken leg and is unable to speak/understand the English language. How would you
communicate with them to see to their injury / make them comfortable?
Adaptation challenge (optional): You cannot use a translation tool online

Industry: Transport Job role: Courier

Scenario: Your next job is to deliver 500 boxes to the airport in time for a flight. Your delivery vehicle only has space for
400 boxes. What do you do make the delivery happen on time?
Adaptation challenge (optional): You cannot deliver on another day. You do not have time to do 2 trips

Industry: Construction Job role: Electrician

Scenario: Another contractor on your site has not finished their work on time, which means you are not able to start
the electric installation as scheduled. You have agreed to start on a new site immediately after, and so won’t be able to
delay this job
Adaptation challenge (optional): You cannot hire more staff in order to do the work more quickly, due to the size of
the work area

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 Contents Activity one Activity two Activity three Summary

Activity one
Exploring adaptability (11-19) (cont’d)
• Offer these potential outcomes as prompts, if necessary

Industry: Health Job role: Nurse

Scenario: Your patient has a broken leg and is unable to speak/understand the English language. How would you
communicate with them to see to their injury / make them comfortable?
Potential outcome (not in slides): Use body language to communicate actions you will take to support the patient
Skills Builder Framework:
Speaking step 6: I speak effectively by using appropriate tone, expression and gesture
Listening step 6: I show I am listening by how I use eye contact and body language

Industry: Transport Job role: Courier

Scenario: Your next job is to deliver 500 boxes to the airport in time for a flight. Your delivery vehicle only has space for
400 boxes. What do you do make the delivery happen on time?
Potential outcome (not in slides): Communicate with a fellow delivery driver to ask if they can support you with the
delivery
Skills Builder Framework:
Speaking step 10: I speak adaptively by changing my language, tone and expression depending on the response
of listeners

Industry: Construction Job role: Electrician

Scenario: Another contractor on your site has not finished their work on time, which means you are not able to start
the electric installation as scheduled. You have agreed to start on a new site immediately after, and so won’t be able to
delay this job
Potential outcome (not in slides): You subcontract out the other client to another contractor, and negotiate a higher
fee for the rushed work and inconvenience to cover costs
Skills Builder Framework:
Speaking step 13: I speak influentially by changing the structure of my points to best persuade the listeners
Listening step 8: I show I am listening by summarising or rephrasing what I have heard

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 Contents Activity one Activity two Activity three Summary

Activity one
Exploring adaptability (11-19) (cont’d)
3. Adaptability examples
• Ask students to come up with scenarios that require adaptability and can happen in their lives at school (or work/
sporting team/at home) and write them on the board
• Examples to start the conversation: Moving to a new house; gaining a new team-mate; starting at a new school;
having to get to school in a new way e.g. from car to public transport

4. Putting adaptability into practise

• Next ask students to come up with one way in which they could:
1. Practice the skill of adaptability at the start of the next school term, or next time they join a new team or club
2. Use the skill of adaptability to succeed in an interview for work experience or a job
3. Include an example of a time when they used adaptability skills on their CV
• This activity aligns with steps 6, 10 and 13 of the Skills Builder Framework for speaking, and steps 6 and 8 for
listening

5. Support students to reflect on what they have learned

Use the questions below to support students reflect and embed what they have learned.

What does positive body language look like?

How do tone, expression and gesture work together to affect the meaning of what is said?
How can you use them to make your speaking engaging?
How can you adapt your language, tone and expression to your audience’s reaction?
What is the difference between influencing and negotiating?
What is the effect of positive body language from the person listening to you speak?
What is the effect of your positive body language on the person you are speaking to?
How would you choose between summarising or rephrasing to show you are listening?

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 Contents Activity one Activity two Activity three Summary

Activity two
Adaptive thinking (11-19)
1. Generate ideas for company/product names
Adaptive thinking 6 • Show slide 6 and distribute the Company and product names student
Come up with several possible company/product names and strap lines for each of these businesses. worksheet. In groups, ask the students to come up with several possible
company/product names and strap lines for the businesses provided on
You are a new construction company
focusing on using sustainable goods
You’re managing a project that aims
to promote participation in sport to
the worksheet. Make sure they come up with several options for each
in your builds and you need a name teenagers, and you need a name

• Ask the students to discuss the following questions in their groups

for your company for the programme

© Barclays 2022

1. How did they find this exercise?

2. Did it get easier as they went along? If not, why do
you think this was the case?

2. Adapting to job role scenarios

Divergent vs convergent thinking 7
• Show slide 7 and introduce the idea of divergent thinking, which this
You just practiced divergent thinking in that activity, one aspect of being adaptable3. activity encouraged them to practice, and which research suggests in
one aspect of being adaptable and flexible
• Divergent thinking involves taking a single idea or piece of information
Divergent thinking Convergent thinking
and expanding it out into several ideas
Expanding a single piece of information Finding the one ‘correct’ answer

• Explain that we more often practice something known as convergent

or idea into several ideas (e.g. a maths problem)

thinking, which focuses more on finding one ‘correct’ answer to things,

© Barclays 2022

like a maths problem. Because divergent thinking is the opposite of that,

sometimes this exercise is quite difficult, and some students will struggle
with it more than others
• Further explain that practising divergent thinking will help them respond
when convergent thinking doesn’t work, like perhaps they’ve got a maths
question wrong and need to consider alternative ways to solve it
• In a work environment, it’s often necessary to be flexible and adapt to
tackle a problem from multiple angles or consider new ways to do things.
Whether you’re taking on a new project, working with a new team of
people or need to find a solution to a setback you’ve faced, applying the
principles of divergent thinking will help you be more productive and
adaptable in these situations
• Encourage students to think about how they can apply this divergent
thinking activity to school projects, perhaps when titling a piece of work,
or starting a new project

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 Contents Activity one Activity two Activity three Summary

Activity two
Adaptive thinking (11-19) (cont’d)
3. Discuss other key skills students need to have
Help students understand how adaptability is a skill that you need to have alongside skills like problem solving and
teamwork by asking them these questions.

Why might you need to encourage others to contribute their ideas?

How can you build relationships?
How might being adaptable help you maintain those relationships over time?
How can being adaptable help you come up with a range of solutions?
Why is it important to consider a range of problems when solving a complex problem?

• This activity aligns with steps 8 and 11 of the Skills Builder Framework for teamwork, and step 9 for problem solving

Activity two
Adaptive thinking (16-19)
1. Discuss the ingredients of adaptive thinking
Adaptive thinking 8 Following on from the previous activity, with an older or more able group,
Research into high-performing professionals who work in jobs that require constant adaptation has
identified three ingredients of Adaptive Thinking: continue to discuss divergent thinking in more detail by introducing the
following concepts.
• Research shows that employers think adaptability continues to be an
A. Planning
Asking ‘What if?’
B. Monitoring
Assessing how you are performing
C. Divergent thinking
Expanding one idea out into several
important skill in their companies
whilst still completing a task ideas

• To help us identify what behaviour contributes to adaptability, there are

three primary components or ingredients of Adaptive Thinking
© Barclays 2022

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 Contents Activity one Activity two Activity three Summary

Activity two
Adaptive thinking (16-19) (cont’d)
• Explain the ingredients of Adaptive Thinking to the group, as per slide 8:
a) Planning: Thinking about what could happen unexpectedly in a situation, asking ‘what if’, which can help you be
more prepared if/when things do come up
b) Monitoring: How are you doing? Have you ever noticed that it’s hard to assess how you are performing on a task
whilst still completing it? Suggest students think about the last time they focussed very hard on something
using all their brainpower, just for a short period of time. It was hard, and tiring wasn’t it? We can practise doing
this to ensure our brains become more used to working as hard as it can, at first for short amounts of time, then
gradually building up
c) Divergent thinking: Practicing divergent thinking involves taking a single idea and expanding it out into lots of
different ideas, and the various ways to do things, enabling you to accommodate unexpected changes in your
environment
• Remember to emphasise it’s not just fighter pilots and doctors who need to quickly adapt at work. Divergent
thinking can help with creative conundrums and thinking on your feet in any job, from a shop to a building site or
an office. Divergent thinking tests, like the one they’ve just done, measure a lot of different things including how
flexible and adaptable they are, and whether they’re able to see situations from multiple perspectives

2. Putting adaptive thinking into practise

• Distribute The three ingredients of adaptive thinking student worksheet
• Ask the students to imagine they are launching a new app for students to help with budgeting during their first year
at university/college and complete the sheet. This activity will require them to practice the three ingredients of
adaptive thinking
• Optional: If necessary, use 1-2 of these examples as prompts for the ‘think divergently’ aspect of this task.
Examples: A customer who’s financially independent and working to support themselves while studying; a
customer who’s living with their parents working a few hours a week; a customer who’s got dependent(s) and
studies part-time
• Ask the students to once again discuss the following questions in their groups

1. How did they find this exercise?

2. Did it get easier as they went along? If not, why do they think this was the case?
3. How could they apply this activity at school, for example in a piece of coursework?

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 Contents Activity one Activity two Activity three Summary

Activity three
Real world adaptability (11-19)
1. Discuss real-world adaptability case studies
• Introduce at least one of the following real-world case studies (where relevant to the age group) to provoke
discussion about adapting well and less well, and the range of situations that can require adaptability from young
people
• Ask the class to discuss in groups of three what they’d do in the situation to avoid negative outcomes or stress
before sharing the suggested responses below

What technique could they apply if the plan they’ve mapped out in advance doesn’t play
out that way?
How would they feel, how could they adapt?

Real world adaptability:

Joe’s parents have decided to move
9 For 11-14
scenario 1 to a new house during the school

Scenario: Joe’s parents have decided to move to a new house during the
holidays, but he’s going to keep
attending the same school. The new
house is closer to a train station,

school holidays, but he’s going to keep attending the same school. The new
meaning his parents will no longer
drive him to school and he’ll be
getting the train. He must reorganise

house is closer to a train station, meaning his parents will no longer drive him
his mornings, figure out what time to
get up and how long it takes to walk
to the station from his house.

to school and he’ll be getting the train. He must reorganise his mornings,
figure out what time to get up and how long it takes to walk to the station
© Barclays 2022

from his house.

Responses are on slide 10
Response 1: Joe goes for a walk to the station while on holiday, so he knows
the way and how long it takes him. He also decides to start taking breakfast
with him and eat it on the train, so that he doesn’t have to get up any earlier.
Response 2: Joe uses his phone to see how long the walk will take, but
realises he’ll have to leave earlier than usual to make his train, he skips
breakfast. His school bag is heavy so he takes longer than thought, and he
must run for the train.

Real world adaptability:

Evie is working in a local shop and
11 For 14-16
scenario 2 receives a call from her boss asking

Scenario: Evie is working in a local shop and receives a call from her boss
her to switch from her regular
Saturday afternoon shift to Sunday
morning shift for the next two weeks.

asking her to switch from her regular Saturday afternoon shift to Sunday
morning shift for the next two weeks.
Responses are on slide 12
© Barclays 2022

Response 1: She accepts her bosses offer straight away but feels stressed,
and sleeps badly the night before her first Sunday shift because she’s worried
about being late.
Response 2: Evie asks her parents if they’ll drive her to work in exchange for
her looking after a younger sibling, or cleaning the car. She tells her boss it’s
ok, but she’d prefer the Saturday shift long term.

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 Contents Activity one Activity two Activity three Summary

Activity three
Real world adaptability (11-19) (cont’d)
Real world adaptability: Response 1: Sam feels nervous and is wishing
14 For 16-19
scenario 3 she hadn’t been selected because she feels

Scenario: Sam plays football at a local club and moved up from under 16s to under
outside of her comfort zone. Sam doesn’t play
to the best of her ability at the first training
session, doesn’t introduce herself to anyone in
the new team and leaves straight away at the

18s. Sam’s excited because it’s a step up that she’s been training to be ready for,
end feeling like she isn’t sure she wants to play
there after all.

but is also a bit worried as most of her friends are staying in her old team.
Response 2: Sam feels nervous, but also
excited. She catches someone’s eye who she
recognises from when they used to be in her
old team too, and introduces herself, asking
them some questions about how long they’ve

Responses are on slide 14

been playing and whether it’s different. They
introduce Sam to a couple of other teammates,
and she leaves feeling pleased to have taken
this step up and met some new people.

© Barclays 2022

Response 1: Sam feels nervous and outside of her comfort zone. She doesn’t
play to the best of her ability at the first training session or introduce herself
to anyone in the new team, and leaves straight after. She isn’t sure she wants
to play there after all.
Response 2: Sam feels nervous, but excited. She recognises someone from
her old team and introduces herself, asking them some questions about the
team. They introduce Sam to a couple of other teammates, and she leaves
feeling pleased to have taken this step up.

2. Feeding back to peers

Ask teams the following questions to feedback to the wider class:

How might you choose between different solutions when adapting to a new situation?
Why is it important to consider both the positive and negative effects of possible solutions?

• This activity aligns with step 10 of Skills Builder Framework for problem solving

Summary
• Finish the lesson by encouraging students to start trying out the tips to develop ‘adaptability’ in their own
life. They could try planning and thinking ahead and doing something new, for example an activity or joining
a club and really think about how they can make their own experience better before they go ahead
• Suggest content that young people could look at on their own to explore adaptability further, for example
− Look online for further activities to encourage divergent thinking, such as the Many Uses Challenge,
or drama improvisation games
− Video content that features experts discussing the benefits of being adaptable in the workplace
e.g. TED talks

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Adaptability
Company and product names
Come up with several possible company/product names and strap lines for each of these businesses.

You are a new construction company

focusing on using sustainable goods
in your builds and you need a name
for your company

You’re managing a project that aims

to promote participation in sport
to teenagers, and you need a name
for the programme
Adaptability
The three ingredients of adaptive thinking
You are launching a new app for students to help them with budgeting during their first year at
University/College.

Ingredient Working space

Plan
Create a simple plan for
design, build and launch.
What could happen at
each point. Come up with
a few likely problematic
scenarios and think about
how you’d solve them.

Monitor
Make sure you allow
time to assess how
you’re performing, both
personally and as a team,
even in busy periods.
Could you communicate
better, or streamline
processes?

Think divergently
Come up with ten different
possible customers who
your app might be for.
Consider different ways it
might be used by different
people.