Communicating
in Business
Student's Book Second Edition

• The course is short - each o f the
fifteen units provides about three
hours o f classroom work.

level where they can operate
successfully in an English-speaking
work environment.

• Communicating in Business is for
students at the intermediate level
who need to improve their skills
in the key areas o f business
communication: taking part in
meetings, telephoning, negotiating,
presenting and socializing.

• There is a strong emphasis on
listening. The audio component
provides around two hours of
listening input so there is a lot
o f opportunity for students to
improve this skill.

• The Second Edition has been
updated and now includes new
one-page self-study sections at the
end o f each unit.

• The course provides students with
realistic controlled and open-ended
activities so that they can build up
their fluency and confidence.

• Authentic reading passages, taken
from a variety o f sources, introduce
the theme o f the units and there are
integrated writing tasks.

• The modular approach allows for
flexibility - teachers can customize
the course to the needs o f their
students and do the modules in
any order.

• Language and Skills checklists in each
unit provide a useful reference after
students have completed the course.

A flexible approach that meets the
needs o f Business English students.

Course components:
Student’s Book
Teacher’s Book
Audio Cassette Set
Audio CD Set


• The course can be used for TOEIC
preparation to get students to the

www.cambridge.org/elt/professional

C a m b r id g e
U N IV E R S IT Y PRESS
w w w .cam b rid q e.o rq


Communicating in
Business
Second Edition
A short course for Business English students:
Cultural diversity and socializing, Using the telephone,
Presentations, Meetings and Negotiations

Student's Book
Simon Sweeney

gig C a m

b r id g e

UNIV E R SIT Y PRESS


Contents
iv


In tr o d u c tio n

Module 1

Cultural diversity
and socializing

Unit s Building a relationship
1 Cross-cultural understanding (1)
2 Welcoming visitors
3 Small talk: keeping the conversation going

A
U
6
8
10

U n it 2 Culture and entertainm ent
1 Cross-cultural understanding (2)
2 Inviting, and accepting or declining
3 Eating out

14
14
15
19

Module 2


Using the telephone

Unit 3 Could I leave a message?
1 Preparing to make a telephone call
2 Receiving calls
3 Taking and leaving messages
4 Asking for and giving repetition
5 The secretarial barrier

24
24
25
26
28
29

Unit 4 Good to hear from you again!
1 Cross-cultural com m unication on the
telephone (1)
2 Setting up appointm ents
3 Changing appointm ents
4 Ending a call

34

Unit 5 Unfortunately there’s a problem ...
1 Cross-cultural com m unication on the
telephone (2)
2 Problem solving on the telephone
3 Complaints


Module 3

34
37
40
41
45
45
46
48

Presentations

Unit 6 Planning and getting started
1 Presentation technique and preparation
2 The audience
3 Structure (1) The introduction
Image, impact and m aking an
impression
1 Using visual aids: general principles
2 Talking about the content of visual aids
3 Describing change

55
55
58
59

Unit 7


64
64
66
70

Unit 8 The m iddle o f the presentation
1 Holding the audience’s attention
2 Structure (2) The m ain body
3 Listing information
4 Linking ideas
5 Sequencing

76
76
78
78
80
82

Unit 9 The end is near ... this is the end
1 Structure (3) The end
2 Summarizing and concluding
3 Questions and discussion

87
87
88
89


Module 4

Meetings

Unit 10 Making m eetings effective
1 W hat makes a good meeting?
2 Chairing a meeting
3 Establishing the purpose o f a meeting

97
97
98
99

Unit 11 Sorry to interrupt, b u t ...
1 The structure o f decision making
2 Stating and asking for opinion
3 Interrupting and handling interruptions

103
103
105
107

Unit 12 W hat do you m ean by ... ?
1 Asking for and giving clarification
2 Delaying decisions
3 Ending the meeting

113

113
114
116

Module 5

Negotiations

Unit 13 Know what you want
1 Types o f negotiation
2 Preparation for a negotiation
3 Making an opening statement

124
124
125
127

Unit 14 Getting what you can
1 Bargaining and making concessions
2 Accepting and confirming
3 Summ arizing and looking ahead

132
132
135
137

Unit 15 Not getting what you don’t want
1 Types o f negotiator

2 Dealing with conflict
3 Rejecting
4 Ending the negotiation

142
142
144
146
149

File cards

1A to 19A

154

File cards

IB to 19B

162

File cards

20 to 33

171


Introduction to the

Second Edition
Communicating in Business is based on the same core content as English for Business
Communication. The main difference is that Communicating in Business uses American
English as its model whereas English for Business Communication uses British English.
Communicating in Business is a short course with two key objectives:
• to develop your technique in five key areas of communication: socializing, using
the telephone, presenting information, participating in meetings and negotiations
• to develop your knowledge of the language used in these key areas.
The course is concerned with improving your listening and speaking skills. There is a lot
of opportunity to practice understanding from the recorded material. It is important that
you try to understand the key message of the extracts, not every word you hear. Similarly,
there are several reading texts where again you should try to understand the key messages,
not necessarily every word on the page.
There are very many opportunities for discussion and plenty of role plays. The discussion
is partly designed to get you to think about what makes communication effective. The
practice material and the role plays lead to a Transfer exercise. This is a chance to connect
what you have studied with your own daily experience, either as a student or as a profes­
sional working in business. The skills learned from this course are useful for those prepar­
ing to start work and for those already in work.
As you use the course, practice as much as you can and prepare for meetings, presenta­
tions or telephone calls by using the Checklists at the end of each unit. Always refer to
these when preparing a communication task. Try to develop the habit of good prepara­
tion. Try also to develop the habit of self-assessment to help you to see where improve­
ments can be made. Your teacher will help you with this.
Enjoy the course!
This second edition not only provides improvements to the overall appearance and
design of the book, but also responds to users’ requests for more practice material. There
is now an additional page of exercises summarising key language from each unit (Quick
Communication Check), designed for self-study use. Some of the listening material has
been re-recorded. Together with various small changes, much of the practice material has

also been updated.
S L ro o n

Sw e& w ey


MODULE 1

CULTURAL
DIVERSITY AND
SOCIALIZING


Building a relationship
AIMS

•

Cross-cultural understanding (i)

•

Welcoming visitors

•

Small talk: Keeping the conversation going

Cross-cultural understanding (i)


1 Look at the photo. In groups, discuss the situation. Decide what you think the
people are talking about. Suggest various topics. Say what you think they are
definitely not talking about. Then spend a few m inutes acting out the conversation.
2 Read the text below. Identify the basic message implied by the text.

Eye co n tact

5

In m any Western societies, including the United States, a person who does n o t m aintain
“good eye contact” is regarded as being slightly suspicious, or a “shifty” character. Americans
unconsciously associate people w ho avoid eye contact as unfriendly, insecure,
untrustw orthy, inattentive and impersonal. However, in contrast, Japanese children are
taught in school to direct their gaze at the region o f their teacher’s Adam’s apple o r tie knot,
and, as adults, Japanese lower their eyes when speaking to a superior, a gesture o f respect.


Building a relationship ^

Latin American cultures, as well as some African cultures, such as Nigeria, have longer
looking time, bu t prolonged eye contact from an individual o f lower status is considered
disrespectful. In the US, it is considered rude to stare - regardless o f w ho is looking at
w hom . In contrast, the polite Englishman is taught to pay strict attention to a speaker, to
listen carefully, and to blink his eyes to let the speaker know he or she has been understood
as well as heard. Americans signal interest and com prehension by bobbing their heads or
grunting.
A w idening o f the eyes can also be interpreted differently, depending on circumstances
and culture. Take, for instance, the case o f an American and a Chinese discussing the term s
of a proposed contract. Regardless o f the language in which the proposed contract is
carried out, the US negotiator m ay interpret a Chinese person’s widened eyes as an

expression o f astonishm ent instead o f as a danger signal (its true m eaning) o f politely
expressed anger.
Adapted from Managing Cultural Differences, Fourth Edition, by Phillip R. Harris and Robert T. Moran.
© 1996 by Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

3 If necessary, read the text again. Then com m ent on the following:
a) observations about m any people from the U nited States
b) observations ab o u t the English
c) an observation about Japanese children
d) the m eaning of lowering one’s eyes in Japan
e) why looking at som eone for a long tim e may be considered disrespectful
f) the m eaning o f w idened eyes in Chinese culture.
4 Before receiving a visitor from a foreign country - or before travelling abroad you need to think about the cultural issues that may affect the relationship.
a) Suggest some basic research that you should do before receiving your visitor, or
before traveling. W hat issues should you think about?
Note: After suggesting your own ideas, compare your list with the Skills Checklist at the end of
this unit.

b) Listen to the recording. An American, Peter Wasserman, w ho is the CEO o f an
international company, talks about w hat he thinks is im p o rtan t in preparing for
business contacts with people from other cultures. He m entions several key areas
to find out about. Identify six o f them . Did you think o f any o f the same issues?

Discussion
In what way is the advice in this section useful when doing business? Look again at
the Skills Checklist on page 12.


^


Building a relationship

2 Welcoming visitors

What happens when a visitor arrives with an appointm ent to visit a company?
What are the typical stages o f the first meeting? What conversations take place?
1 Listen to the recording in which Len Ewing
arrives for a m eeting with Jack Caruso and Luisa
Caldos o f Evco, an advertising agency in Seattle,
Washington.
a) Is the m eeting between Len Ewing and
Evco form al or informal? Give reasons for
your answer.
b) Do they know each o th er quite well?
c) Len has a problem . W hat is it?
Listen again. Think again about how Luisa and
Jack talk to Len.
She interrup ts him at the start. Is this acceptable?
They use first names. Is this right, given the situation?
Jack begins to talk abou t the program for the day. Is this appropriate at this stage?
3 Listen to the recording o f Peter Marwood’s arrival at SDA Ltd., in Sydney, Australia.
He has to wait a few m inutes and asks Stephanie Field for som e assistance.
Identify two things he needs and three things he does not need.
Needs
a) — ------- ------------------------------------

b) ------------ ----------- ------------------Does not need
c) -------------------------------------------d) -------------------------- ----------- ---e) --------------------------------------------



Building a relationship

Practice 1
Make a dialogue based on the follow ing flow chart. If you need help, look at the
Language Checklist on page 12.

Visitor

Receptionist

Introduce yourself.

Say you have an appointm ent with
Sandra Bates.................
Welcome visitor.

Explain th a t SB will be here shortly.

Offer a drink / refreshm ents.
Decline - ask if you can use a phone. ?*■;
Say y es/O ffer fax as well.
Decline - you only need th e phone.
Show the visitor to the phone.
Thank him/her.
t

(a few m inutes later)
f

Thank assistant.


Ask how far it is to station.

Reply - offer any o ther help.

. ................................

Two miles - ten m inutes by taxi.

Offer to g et one.

Accept offer - suggest a time.

Promise to do th a t - say th a t SB is
free now.

Offer to take him /her to SB's office.

N ow listen to the recording o f a m odel answer.


Q

Building a relationship

3 Small talk: keeping the conversation going
1 R andy H em p from the U.S. is v isiting a cu s to m e r in Taiwan. He is
talk in g to th e P ro d u c tio n M anager o f a m a n u fa c tu rin g p la n t in
Taipei. Listen to th e re co rd in g o f an ex tra ct o f th e ir conversation.
man \

HEMP: No, in fact the first time I came was for a trade fair. We
began o ur East Asian operations here at the 1999 Exhibition.
m a n a g e r : Shall we have a look around the plant before lunch?
a) W hat is w rong with what the production m anager says?
The answer is, o f course, that it breaks a “rule” o f conversation. Generally, if you ask
a question you should com m ent on the answer or ask a supplem entary question.
Question .................................
Answer
Comment
....................................
or
Supplementary question

b) Now suggest a b etter version o f the same conversation. There is a recording o f a
m odel version.
2 C om p lete the follow ing dialogue by w ritin g a p p r o p ria te sentences in the blanks.
Have you been to San Francisco before?
JANIS:
No, it’s my first visit.
a) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------IAN1S:
I’m sure I will.
pet lr :
And ... er, is the hotel all right?
janis:
Yes, it’s very comfortable.

PETER:

PETER:

b)
time here in the U.S.? Are you staying long?
janis: No, I have to go back tom o rrow afternoon.

So, do you have m uch

PETER: c) - ---------------—..- ....- ............ - ..-....- -------back again!

You’ll have to come

d ) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------it
So w hat tim e’s your flight tom orrow?
JANIS:
In the evening, 6:35.
PETER: Well, I can get you a taxi if you like, to get you there in good time.
JANIS:

JANIS:
peter:

janis:
PETER:

10

e )— - - ------------- ----------------------- ---- ...
N o problem at all. Was it a good flight today?
No, it wasn’t actually.
f ) ---------------------------------

—............- . g ) ----- -------------- - ................ - ------------ - ............ - ................ - ........

It was raining - quite hard. There was a lot o f turbulence.
h)

- ------------------ - ---------------- - ....- .. - -------------------- ---------

-

janis:
pfter :


Building a relationship ^

3 Listen to the recording o f four conversation extracts.
a) Match each o f them to one o f the four photos below.

b) Listen to each one again. In each case, suggest how you th in k the conversation
m ight develop.
c) Do you think any o f the topics included w ould be unacceptable in a particular
culture that you know about?

Practice 2
Look at the four pictures above and use each o f them for two or three m inutes o f
continual conversation w ith a partner.

Note:
• there should be no breaks of more than three seconds in your conversation
• listen carefully to what your partner says and pick up on specific points

• keep the conversation flowing.

Role play 1
Working in pairs. Student A should look at File card 1A and Student B should look at
File card IB.

Role play 2
Keep the same A and B. Student A should look at File card 2A. Student B should look
at File card 2B.

^ J

transfer

Look at the Skills Checklist and prepare ideas on these topics in relation to a country you know
well either through work or pleasure. Discuss the country you choose w ith a colleague.

11


D

Building a relationship

Language Checklist

Skills Checklist

Cultural diversity and
socializing (i)

Socializing (i)

Welcoming visitors
Welcome to ...
My nam e’s ...
Arriving
Hello. My n am e’s ... from ...
I’ve got an a p p o in tm en t to see ...
Sorry - I’m a little late / early.
M y plane was delayed ...
Introducing someone
This is ... H e/she’s my Personal Assistant.
Can I introduce you to ... H e/she’s o u r (Project
Manager).
I’d like to introduce you to ...
M eeting someone and small talk
Pleased to meet you.
It’s a pleasure.
How was your trip? Did you have a good
flight / trip?
How are things in (London)?
H ow long are you staying in (New York)?
I hope you like it.
Is your hotel comfortable?
Is this your first visit to (the Big Apple)?
Offering assistance
Can I get you anything?
Do you need anything?
W ould you like a drink?

If you need to use a phone or fax, please let me
know.
Can we do anything for you?
Do you need a hotel / a taxi /
any travel inform ation / etc.?
Asking fo r assistance
There is one thing I need ...
C ould you get me ...
C ould you get me a car / taxi / hotel ro o m / ... ?
Could you help m e arrange a flight to ... ?
Can you recom m end a good restaurant?
I’d like to book a room for to m o rrow night. Can
you reco m m end a hotel?

J

Before m eeting business partners and fellow p ro ­
fessionals from other countries, you could find
o u t about their country:
• the actual political situation
• cultural and regional differences
. religion(s)
• the role o f w om en in business and in
society as a whole
• tran sp o rta tio n and telecom m unications
systems
• the econom y
• the m ain com panies
« the m ain exports and im ports
• the m arket for the business sector which

interests you
• com petitors.
You m ight also want to find out:
• which topics are safe for small talk
• which topics are best avoided.
If you are going to visit an o th er country, find out
about:
• the conventions regarding socializing
• attitudes towards foreigners
• attitudes towards gifts
• the extent to which public, business and
private lives are mixed or are kept separate
• conventions regarding food and drink.
You m ight also like to find o u t about:
• the weather at the relevant tim e o f the year
. public holidays
• the conventions regarding working hours
• leisure interests
• tourism
• dress
• body language
• language.


Building a relationship ^

Quick Communication Check
1 Welcoming visitors
Complete the dialogue with words from the box.
_____

to meet you.
a : Hello, (a)
B: T hank you for ( b ) ___________ me.
a:

H o w l o n g a r e y o u ( c ) ____________ here?

B: Just two days.

_______ you to my colleague Paul.
Oh, not long, then. Let me (d)
B: Paul, ( e )
is Angela Fox.

a:

this

staying

nice

introduce

inviting

2 Making small talk
Match the phrases 1-5 to the correct responses a -e to make a conversation.
1 Did you have a good trip?
2 Was the flight on time?

3 T h at’s good. And how was the weather in London?
4 Really? Well it’s m uch better here.
5 Can I get you a drink o r something?
a) Very wet and cold, I’m afraid.
b) Yes, it was.
c) T h ank you. Coffee w ould be great.
d) Very good, thank you.
e) Yes, it’s very warm.

3 Asking for and giving help
Classify the sentences below into offering som ething (O), declining an offer (D),
asking for help (H), accepting an offer (A).
a) Can 1 get you anything?
b )N o , I’m fine thanks.
c) Just a question, is there a drug store near here?
d) Would you like som ething to drink, tea or coffee?
e) Yes, maybe ... a cold drink, if I may.
f) Can I use your phone?
g) I’d like to p rin t som ething from this disk, if possible.
h) W ould you like a lift to your hotel?
(O)

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13

2 Culture and entertainment
AIMS

(2]

•

Cross-cultural understanding

•

Inviting, and accepting or declining

•

Eating out

1 Cross-cultural understanding ( 2 )
1 The following text is about cultural diversity. Read it through once and decide
which o f the three statements (A, B or C) given below the extract offers the
m ost accurate summary.

The impact o f culture on business
Take a look at the new breed o f international
managers, educated according to the m ost modern
m anagem ent philosophies. They all know that in the
SBU, TQM should reign, with products delivered JIT,
5 where CFTs distribute products while subject to MBO.
(SBU = strategic business unit, TQM = total quality
management, (IT = just-in-tim e, CFT = customer first

team, MBO = management by objectives.)
But just how universal are these management
10 solutions? Are these “truths” about what effective
management really is - truths that can be applied
anywhere, under any circumstances?
Even with experienced international companies,
many well-intended universal applications o f
15 management theory have turned out badly. For
example, pay-for-performance has in many instances
been a failure on the African continent because there
are particular, though unspoken, rules about the
sequence and timing o f reward and promotions.
20 Similarly, management-by-objectives schemes have
generally failed within subsidiaries o f multinationals
in southern Europe, because managers have not
wanted to conform to the abstract nature o f
preconceived policy guidelines.

Even the notion o f human resource management is
difficult to translate to other cultures, com ing as it
does from a typically Anglo-Saxon doctrine. It
borrows from econom ics the idea that hum an beings
are resources like physical and monetary resources. It
tends to assume almost unlimited capacities for
individual development. In countries without these
beliefs, this concept is hard to grasp and unpopular
once it is understood.
International managers have it tough. They must
operate on a number o f different premises at any one
time. These premises arise from their culture o f

origin, the culture in which they are working, and the
culture o f the organisation which employs them.
In every culture in the world such phenom ena as
authority, bureaucracy, creativity, good fellowship,
verification and accountability are experienced in
different ways. That we use the same words to
describe them tends to make us unaware that our
cultural biases and our accustomed conduct may not
be appropriate, or shared.

25

30

35

40

45

From Riding the Waves o f Culture: Understanding Cultural Diversity in
Business by Fons Trom pe naa rs a n d Charles H a m pde n-T urn er. P ub lish ed by
N icholas B rea ley P u b lis h in g , Lo nd on, 1997.

A There are certain popular universal truths abou t m anagem ent which can
successfully be applied in various cultural contexts.
B Cultures are so varied and so different thro u g h o u t the world that m anagem ent has
to take into account differences rather th an simply assume similarities.
C Effective m anagem ent o f h u m an resources is the key to everyone achieving their
full potential.

Culture and entertainment

2 Read the text again. Identify the following:
a) the problem with universal m anagem ent solutions
b) an example o f the failure o f pay-for-perform ance
c) an example o f the failure o f m anagem ent-by-objectives schemes
d) the problem with hu m an resource m anagem ent
e) three cultures affecting international managers
f) six areas in which different cultural interpretations apply.

2 Inviting, and accepting or declining

What kinds o f social activities in your town could be appropriate ways o f
entertaining visitors from other countries?
1 Listen to the first example on the recording. You will hear a conversation in which
som eone invites a business associate to a social event. Identify:
a) what is being suggested
b) the response
c) w hat will happen next.
2 Listen to the second example, where som eone else invites a different business
associate to a social event. Identify:
a) w hat is being suggested
b) the response
c) what will happen next.


^

Culture and entertainment

3 Listen to the recording o f three short extracts, where hosts invite their visitors to
take part in a social activity. The invitations are rejected.
a) Identify each suggested activity.
b) Give the reasons for each rejection.
c) Do you think each rejection is appropriate? Explain your answer.
Activity
1

Reason for rejection

Comments

2
3
4 Work in pairs. Invite your partner to a social activity. He/she should respond by
accepting or rejecting the invitation. Use the prompts below.
a) tom orrow night / see a show or go for a drive
b) this evening / a meal in a restaurant w ith som e colleagues
c) w hen you com e / w hat w ould you like to do?
Listen to the model versions.

Practice 1
Work in pairs. Look at the entertainm ents listings below. Choose one or two events to
suggest an evening out with your partner.

p Q u id o J o r n a r o C o n c e r t H a t I

C / f y M useum & A r t G a lie n ,

D ra w in g s fro m th e Ita lia n R e n aissan c e

C ity U n iv e r s ity O r c h e s t r a

T h e S te n w a ld C o llection o f d ra w in g s by
m a s te r s o f th e R e n a iss a n c e in c lu d in g
B e r n in i, L e o n a r d o d a Vinci.
M ich elan g elo, T ie p o lo , T itia n . V asari.

Kohei Yamamoto (Conductor)
Franz Stefenberg (Piano)

AprU 3 rd - July 2 4th
Admission 10 a.m . - 9 p.m.
Museum Square
Tel 0 4 6 7 9 8 7 78 5

Screen One: The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser
Director Werner Herzog starring Bruno S.,
Eva Mattes, Clemens Scheitz.
Screen Two: Once Upon a Time in the West
Director Sergio Leone stamng Henry Fonda,
Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale.

S tra v in sk y

Firebird Suite (1945)

B a rto k P iano Concerto No 3
K u r t a g S te le . Op.33 Four C aprice, os Op.9

Wednesday and Thursday 7.30 p.m.
Box Office 020 7834 2288
www.cc.ac.org/univ/concert/ (no booktng fee)

All this week: 9.00.
Booking 020 7857 8211

Studio Theatre, Sheep Street

The C herry O rch ard

P

Anton Chekhov
Directed b y Anatole Pier M art.nov
Every night a t 8.30 p.m.

siudent nfghK Mondays and Tuesdays.
—

« - « • G» ° - “

'g .u # # iA * d r a m a. A t i t #

'6 > riU iA rvt' T h e S tage

16

p

b e # t ' T im e in R eview s

M u s ic H
■ 88 Lime St ■

a v il io n

o u se

f i t y Opera House
S o u t h P ar a de

N o r t h e r n T o u rin g O p era
The best in contemporary
dance music
plus top local live bands
House DJ Mixer Mo
Admission includes two drinks
(see website for details)

www.pavilion.com

N ow listen to the recording o f model answers.

Bizet’s Carmen
New p ro duction directed by
Colin M akepiece
A new force in opera' Classical Review
'Superb design and passionate per­
formances' The Guide

Culture and entertainment

^

Practice 2
Use the following flow chart to construct a dialogue.
The situation is a sem i-form al business m eeting in your country.

Host

Visitor

Ask your visitor if he/she has tried th e local
cuisine.
Say no - but you've heard it is very
good.
Agree - describe a particular specialty, s * ’’"'
Comment.
Suggest a meal in a restaurant, r f * ; " ........
Accept.
Respond.

...............................

Ask if he/she likes fish.Yes - you have heard th a t th e fish (in this
tow n) is very good.
Confirm this view.

Suggest you'll m e et him /her a t hotel.
Respond.

Ask w h at tim e.
Suggest a tim e, -sft:;;;
Agree and end conversation.
Confirm arrangem ent.
t

End conversation.

N ow listen to the recording o f a m odel answer.

17


^

Culture and entertainment

Practice 3
You receive the email below from a business partner confirm ing a m eeting with you at
a Trade Fair in Munich. Unfortunately you have to leave Munich after your meeting,
but you expect to be in San Francisco a m onth later. Write a reply suggesting a
different arrangement which you can confirm closer to the time.

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SENT

March 15 20-10.38
Munich Trade Fair y

Maria,
Following our telephone conversation I confirm that we will meet at
Interlink stand at the Munich Trade Fair on Thurs May 24 sometime during
the morning.
I look forward to talking about our products and services. I attach details
of some new products that I think will interest you. We can discuss these
when we meet.
It would be nice to meet socially when in Munich. I wonder if you would
be free to join me and a colleague for the evening of Thursday 24? We

plan to meet at the Hilton Hotel, in the lobby, at about 8.30. Do let me
know if you can join us and of course we would be pleased if you would
like to bring a colleague or a partner.
We look forward to meeting you soon.
Best wishes,
John Callam
Product Development

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Role play i
Work in pairs. Student A should look at File card 3A. Student B should look at
File card 3B.


3 Eating out
1 Imagine you are in a restaurant
with a business colleague. Work
in groups o f three. Brainstorm
as many examples as you can o f
the language indicated below.
Group one
recom m ending what to eat

expressing preference

ordering

Group two
co m m entin g on the food

asking for the check

offering to pay

Group three
insisting on paying

inviting

thanking

Divide into different groups o f three and together in your new groups share all the
examples you have o f different ways o f saying the nine functions above.
Complete the grid below with possible phrases:
Recom m ending what to eat

Expressing preference

Ordering

Com m enting on the food

Asking for the check

Offering to pay

Insisting on paying

Inviting

Thanking


^

Culture and entertainment

3 Now listen to a conversation recorded in a restaurant. The recording contains parts
o f a conversation between Patricia Cork and Sandra Martinez. They are colleagues
in a joint venture between two American companies.
Note any similarities between your suggestions and the language in the recording.
Note also any phrases used on the tape that you did not suggest.

Role play 2
Student A should turn to File card 4A and Student B should turn to
File card 4B.

■ T

ransfer

Think o f any professional or business contact you have w ith other countries.Think about any con­
ventions that are different from those in your country and may affect your dealing w ith people
from these countries. Consider for example:
• conventions o f dress
• conventions regarding alcohol and food
• socializing
• shaking hands
• physical contact
• gestures
• eye contact
• hum or
• the relationship between work and pleasure
• the relationship between family and work
• fam ily matters.

Culture and entertainment

Language Checklist

Skills Checklist

Socializing (z]

Socializing (2)

Saying w hat’s going on and w hat’s available
There’s a (good) movie / play / concert / playing
at ...
We have a good theater in the city ...
There are som e ...
- interesting m useum s / public buildings ...
- good restaurants
Are you interested in ...
- eating out?
- visiting / seeing ... ?

Before receiving visitors to your com pany
Be prepared to talk in English about your profes­
sional field and/or your company and business:
- the professional field you are involved in
- your professional activities
- current research and other projects
- future plans
- the history o f your com pany
- com pany organization

- who owns the com pany
- the n u m b er o f employees
- the international involvement o f your
com pany
- products and services
- the m arket
- com petition.

Inviting
W ould you be interested in going to see ...
I’d like to invite you to have d in n er this evening.
Is that a good idea?
Responding to an invitation
That would be very nice.
I’d like that.
T hank you. T hat w ould be a pleasure.
Declining an invitation
I’d like to, b u t I’m afraid ...
That would be nice, but unfortunately ...
- I’m rather tired ...
- I have an ap p o in tm en t this evening ...
- I’m rather busy ...
- I have som e work to do ...
Stating preference
I like (Japanese) cuisine very m uch ...
I think I’d like to ...
I th in k I’d prefer ...
I love (classical) music ...

Q

Be able to talk about:
- your co untry and your town
- history
- tourism
- m useum s and public buildings
- entertainm ent
- cultural and religious centers o f interest.
You m ay wish to talk about:
- education
- tran sp ortation systems
- the econom y
- com panies
- exports and im ports.

Looking at a m enu
The (fish) sounds nice ...
I th ink I’d like to try ...
I th ink I’ll have ...
Shall we have a bottle o f ... ?
C om m enting on a night out
It’s been great! / a terrific night / evening.
It’s been very nice.
Thank you very m uch for your hospitality.
I enjoyed it very m uch.

21


^

Culture and entertainment

Quick Communication Check
1 Inviting
Choose the correct ending to make the invitations below.
1 D o you have any
a) to m eet this evening?
2 There’s a good
b) free tim e this week?
3 We could go for
c) you som e interesting places.
d) m useum near here.
4 W ould you like
e) som ething to eat at a restaurant.
5 I’d like to show

2 Accepting or declining
A Which o f these words indicate an acceptance (A) o f an invitation?
Which words indicate a rejection (R) o f an invitation?
nice idea
very kind
unfortunately
th an k you, b u t
I’m sorry
excellent

rather busy
very kind

have to

B Complete the sentences below with words from the box.
a) I’d like t h a t
_ unfortunately I
_ leave very early in
the m orning.
b) T h a t’s v e r y ___________ o f you, I’d ___________ that very m uch.
c) T hank you, that
be very interesting.
_____
d) It is nice o f you t o ___________ me, b u t I already have a n
tonight. I’m sorry about that.
e) A n o t h e r _______
perhaps?
f) I’d like
, th an k you very much.

time
kind
but
have to
w ould
invite
a p p o intm ent
that
like

3 Eating out
Make correct sentences from the jumbled

words below.
a) the can m enu have I please
b) I’d start like soup please vegetable to with
c) casserole have I’ll chicken then the
d) a the water and o f please cotes-du-rhone
m ineral bottle
e) a m ay bill o f I have the coffee and
please cup

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MODULE 2

USING THE
TELEPHONE


Could I leave a message?
AIMS

•

Preparing to make a telephone call

•

Receiving calls

•

Taking and leaving messages

•

Asking for and giving repetition

•

The secretarial barrier

Preparing to make a telephone call
1 Look at the cartoon. What do you im agine they are saying? Say what the problems
are and how problems like this can be avoided.

N ew York

Tokyo

2 Listen to the recording o f Clare Macey, a director o f Inter Marketing, suggesting
ways to prepare for telephone calls. Then check o ff the suggestions that she
makes that are included in the list below.
Do not try to guess w hat the other person will say.

□

T h in k about your objectives from the call - any questions you need to ask
or things you need to say.

□

If som eone calls and you are not ready for them , ask them to call back later.

□

Desk preparation: prepare the desk - paper, pen, any relevant docum entation,
com puter files.

□

Check recent correspondence, know the situation.

D

Have your desk calendar on hand, so you can make appointm ents.

□


Could I leave a message?

3 Different people have different objectives in a telephone call. What do you think are
the objectives o f the people in the situations below? The first is done for you as an
example.
a) A Purchasing M anager who has received an incom plete delivery.

• to tell the- supplier UnoJb the delivery Is Incomplete.
• to arrange to get the rest of the delivery sent as
soon as possible.
• (possibly) to complain about the poor service.

b) A co m pu ter operator with a software
problem calling a Software Helpline.

c) A Sales Representative for a furniture
m anufacturer m aking a first call to M oda
Design, a com pany which sells office furniture.

d) A purchaser at M oda Design who takes
the call in situation c.

2 Receiving calls
1 Look at the cartoon as you listen
to the recording. Say what the
problem is and how problems
like this can be avoided.

25