business speaking skills
Sample material
1E. Making changes. Add the following words and expressions to the dialogue below :
suit you confirm make it something’s come up I do apologise manage postpone I am tied up get back to you
A: Hello, Marie Bellecourt. B: Marie, Robert James here. Look Marie, I am really sorry, but ____________ and I can’t ____________ to the meeting next week. A: Don’t worry Robert. Can you ____________ the following day ? B: I am afraid ____________ on the Wednesday too. I think we shall have to ____________ it to the week beginning the 17th if you don’t mind. A: No, that’s OK. Would Tuesday ____________ ? B: Yes, Tuesday morning would be fine, but perhaps we should ____________ it with Martin first. A: Yes, good idea – I’ll get in touch with him and ____________ as soon as I can. B: Fine, Maria. Thanks a lot and once again ____________ for the inconvenience.
2. At the Airport – Departure Find a suitable answer / comment to the questions / statements in column 1 on the next page. Write the answers in the box below.
5 c. At the restaurant
Richard and Alan are at the Italian restaurant.
Richard : Is this table OK ? Alan : Actually, do you __________ if we sit over there in the non-smoking section ? Richard : No, of course not. Richard : Alan: Richard :
Alan : Richard : Alan : Richard : Alan : Richard : Waiter : Richard : Waiter : Richard :
Shall we __________ ? Yes, I´d like a salad to start with and then some pasta – the cannelloni, I think. What __________ you ? I´ll have the antipasti and some fish for the __________course. The last time I was here I had the sole, it was excellent. Would you like some wine ? Yes, definitely – red or white ? I don´t mind – let´s have a look at the wine _________. They have a Soave – is that OK for you ? Yes, great. It´s nearly 2.30. I´d __________ be getting back to the office. I´ll get the __________. Let me get the wine, at least. No, no way. This is on me. Excuse me, could you bring me the bill, please ? Of course, sir. Thank you. Is service __________ ? No, sir. It isn´t. OK, in that __________ I´ll just add 10%. Here’s my card.
Complete the text with the following words :
about / better / bill / case / included / list / look / main / mind / order 5d. You have a business visitor from Boston. Invite him out to lunch and role play the dialogue in the restaurant. You will need to explain some of the Spanish dishes on the menu.
3 b. Listen to an interview with Andrew Oswald, Professor of Economics at Warwick University. He specialises in research into job satisfaction. Answer the following questions :
In general are men or women more satisfied with their job ? Which 3 factors are most motivating in the work environment ? Give a profile of a typically dissatisfied worker. Name 3 countries where you can find a high level of job satisfaction. Has the pattern of job security changed in the last 15 years ?
According to Herzberg five factors increase job satisfaction: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Achievement Recognition Challenging work Responsibility Growth and Development
(Frederick Irving Herzberg – Management professor – Utah University )
3 c. Talk about your present job. Include some comments on which areas you enjoy most and what you would like to change. Think about Herzberg’s 5 factors. Complete the following table and use some of the words when talking about your job.
Noun motivate satisfy fulfil frustrate
Adjective
Negative form with prefix (un/dis/de)
motivated unfulfilled frustration
7 a. Problems and solutions Successful companies are those that have understood that in today’s competitive market place, being good is just not good enough. It is important to remember that customer care policies apply internally as well as externally and staff should be trained to regard each other as customers that require the highest standard of service. Here is a list of suggestions for dealing with customer complaints. Choose 5 and be prepared to explain why you think these are the most useful. Are any of the suggestions counterproductive ?
Dealing with customer complaints
Make sure you get full details of the problem. Concentrate on the situation and ignore the personalities. Show the customer that you are listening by checking that you have understood. Summarise and make sure the customer understands what you have said. Do not argue with the customer. Find out exactly what the customer wants. Never admit that you or the company is wrong. Ask the customer to put the complaint in writing. Promise the customer whatever he want Ensure that any promises made, are kept.
4 b. You work for an international company which has offices and production facilities in several countries. Although a company magazine is distributed once a month many employees have expressed dissatisfaction with the global communication system – they feel out of touch with company developments, a lack of involvement with policy decisions and a serious delay in the sharing of ideas among the subsidiaries.
CALL PARTICIPANTS Germany ________________ Norway _________________ Switzerland ______________ Canada __________________ Mexico __________________ Singapore ________________ Korea ___________________ India ___________________
AGENDA Conference Call Monday 21 October 12.30 a.m. Participants: See attached list Subject: Global communications
Each participant should first think of a suggestion for improving the company’s communication system. Add these suggestions to the agenda.
____________________
____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Organise a conference call with the Global Communications Director and a representative from various offices world wide to discuss the suggestions on the agenda and decide on the most appropriate solutions.
If you need help with the language for answering questions, look at the next page !
FINANCE 1 a. Money matters
Choose the correct word to complete each of the sentences below.
1. He got a _____ increase last month. ( payment / expense / salary ) 2. Our staff are our most important _____ . ( asset / property / belonging ) 3. We can’t pay you until we have made a _____ from our account. ( overdraft / withdrawal / loan ) 4. The _____ rate on the loan is 10%. ( charge / currency / interest ) 5. There are certain to be a number of _____ cut-backs this year, so we will have to reduce spending in several areas. ( budget / expense / estimate ) 6. Company _____ have increased by 12%, in part this is due to late payment by suppliers. ( losses / liabilities / overheads ) 7. The dollar / euro _____ rate has fluctuated wildly over since the euro was introduced. (currency / transfer / exchange ) 8. The company has had to pay huge legal _____ because of the recent dispute with their suppliers. ( payments / fees / wages ) 9. All of the company’s regular bills are paid by _____ _____. ( standing order / bank loan / cash dispenser ) 10. Our _____ last year was up by 6%, however our profit was cut by 3%. ( overturn / overheads / turnover ) 1 b. You and your money. There is no key to the quiz on the next page, but your answers to the questions should tell you something about your attitude to money. Think about it carefully ! On a scale of 1 – 10, where are you ? Be honest !!!
1 mean
10 generous
In the Quiz on the next page there are examples of 3 different forms of Conditional sentences. Can you find them ?