TEACHING BUSINESS ENGLISH TO SPANISH SPEAKING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS artículo para Journal de English Studies Diciembre 28 2006

Thus, this article contributes to the Teaching ofBusiness English to Spanish Speaking University Students by teaching OralCommunication in the Business World, the Teaching of Business En

TEACHING BUSINESS ENGLISH TO SPANISH SPEAKING UNIVERSITY

STUDENTS

Master Dina Romo R

I INTRODUCTION

English in Business is so important because it is used as a means of communication

In everyday business situations Let’s think about how much time we spend communicatingideas to others or receiving ideas from others When you are reading a report, listening toinstructions, filling out an application form, or speaking about your interests, you arespending time communicating To communicate effectively, one needs to develop his/herabilities in speaking, writing, listening, reading, and observing Miscommunication canoccur easily in any situation-especially in our electronic age, where even the pressing of abutton can send an incorrect message Thus, this article contributes to the Teaching ofBusiness English to Spanish Speaking University Students by teaching OralCommunication in the Business World, the Teaching of Business English and theTechnology in Written Business

II ORAL COMMUNICATION IN THE BUSINESS WORLD

A INTRODUCTION

It is very important to realize that teaching Business English is not only teaching towrite letters and memos, for it is also essential to realize that communicating orally is veryimportant in any office situations By using the correct communication skills, one may beable to solve any difficulty of communication that could arise in the enterprise

It is important to consider the following habits, that are considered the basis of yourcommunication skills:

-Using your voice effectively.- A pleasant voice is an asset in the business office, it is one

that does not distract from the message being spoken

Pronouncing words properly.- You should pronounce words the way they are most

readily understood and accepted in the office, where you work, and the community whereyou live

Enunciating words carefully.- Enunciation is the precision with which you pronounce

each word It is important to learn to enunciate clearly so that you will always beunderstood Two of the most common errors in enunciation are running words together andfailing to sound all the syllables of a word

Avoiding colloquial words and expressions.- The spoken language of a society is

constantly changing There will be, at any given time, certain words and expressions thatare considered satisfactory for informal communication, but not appropriate for moreformal situations, such as communication in a business office

Eliminating slang.- Although colloquial expressions are sometimes acceptable, slang is

out of place in a business office Slang is made up of new words or meanings that arepopular for only a short time

Expressing ideas clearly.- Understanding messages is very important in a business office.

Misunderstanding can cause problems between people and errors in work

Nonverbal influences.- A general attitude towards people influences the quality of your

communication skills People who believe that only they have worthwhile ideas tend to beimpatient or inattentive while others are talking

It is very necessary for students to practice communication activities in the Englishclass, so they will be able to communicate easily in any situation that could arise in anoffice

B PRINCIPAL SKILLS IN WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

It is important to know that the presentation of written communications gives a firstimpression of the secretary and the company While writing any type of businessdocuments, it is important to consider the following aspects:

1.Using Proper Grammar.- In the business world, secretarial workers must have a

command of grammar which is essential to write any type of communications

2 Understanding Business Vocabulary.- In all types of business activities, there are

specialized terms; it is important to increase your comprehension of the vocabulary usedand to know the correct meaning of it

3.Determining appropriate words.- Business messages should be clearly understood by

their readers, because misunderstandings can cause delays in completing transactions

4 Composing your message.- It is helpful to develop a way of proceeding when you are

asked to compose a message, to prepare a message that means exactly what you intended it

to mean

5.Organizing your message.- If a message is to read easily, it must have a structure.

Structure means that there is a definite pattern of organization A correct structure includes

an appropriate opening, a correct division of the message by paragraphs, and its logicalpresentation

C THE BUSINESS LETTER

In today’s business world, letters still play an important part in business Themodern businessperson realizes that the ultimate purpose of all commerce is to achievesales The two main approaches to this are, first, personal contact by travelers or agents,secondly, impersonal communications like circulars, catalogs, price lists, advertisementsand last, but not least, letters

Nothing can completely replace the directness of the personal visit, where everyquestion can be answered, every problem discussed and all difficulties explained on thespot But there are countless occasions where a personal visit is impossible This is true forNational Trade; it is true to a still greater extent for Export Trade The use of thetelephone, quite apart from its cost, has its limits In short, the greater the distance betweenseller and buyer, the more difficult it is to maintain constant personal contact, and thegreater the necessity of using the written word

The three C’s.- There are certain essentials of letter writing, but the writer’s success will

depend largely on his own abilities, on his own initiative, originality and personality Theessential qualities of business letters can be summed up in the “three C’s” In other words,letters should be clear, concise, and courteous

Clear.- First of all, make sure that your letter is so clear that it cannot be misunderstood.

Next, when you are sure about what you want to say, say it in plain, simple words Good,straightforward, simple English seems to be the best for business letters You will still find

in business letters, particularly in those old-fashioned unprogressive firms, the jargon that isknown as “Commercial English” It consists of a collection of strange, pompous, and oftenmeaningless phrases

For example: “Your esteemed favor of even date has just come to hand…… ”

“We beg to acknowledge your esteemed favor of July 14th.”

And what was meant was:

“I received your letter of July 14th

But be careful! We want letters to be clear and natural, but in a business letter, a certain degree of formality is desirable We would not, therefore, dispense with all formality

Concise.- Clearness and conciseness often go hand-in-hand A concise letter is not

necessarily a “short” letter Sometimes a letter, perhaps dealing with a lot of differentmatters cannot avoid being long Generally speaking, you will gain in clearness andconciseness by writing short sentences rather than long ones, and, incidentally, you will beless liable to make grammatical mistakes A paragraph for each point is a good general rule

Courteous.- One of the most important of the elementary rules of politeness is promptness.

“Punctuality is the courtesy of kings.” This proverb should not be reserved for royalty.Make it a definite rule that every letter is answered on the day it is received

Where you have reason to be grateful, make a point of mentioning it in your letterand of expressing your gratitude Obviously, you must be especially polite when asking forfavors like information or references Under no circumstances should a business letter ever

be discourteous: you may lose a customer

Comprehension

Questions.-Answer the following questionnaire to see how much you have understood about business letters

1.- Why are letters important in business?

2.- Why is a personal visit more complete and direct?

3.- What do the 3 C’s stand for?

4.- What do you understand by clearness?

5.- In order to be clear, should you dispense with formality?

6.- Does concise have the same meaning as short?

7.- What is advisable to do in order to write a good concise letter?

8.- What is the relationship between courtesy and punctuality?

9.- What may happen if you write an impolite letter?

10.- What should you do before answering a letter?

11.- What is jargon?

D THE PURCHASE-SALE PROCESS

Like any other process, the purchase-sale process has a beginning and an end The

two main characters involved are, obviously, the customer- whose interest is to buy a certain product or service- and the provider- the one who sells that product or service

Let’s analyze what you usually do when you, as a customer, want to buy something The only thing you know is that you have a necessity For instance, a refrigerator You need

a refrigerator badly Write the steps you would follow from the moment you make the decision of buying the refrigerator until you have it at home ready to be used

As a customer, what would you do or say? And as a provider?

a ……… a ………

b ……… b ………

c ……… c ………

d ……… d ………

e ……… e ………

f ……… f ………

When doing business with a foreign company, the process is basically the same The major difference, and a very important one, is that we must make use of letters and the telephone because of the distance that separates the customer from his provider

The purchase-sale process begins then when a particular and potential buyer becomes interested in a certain product The buyer may have been informed about it by different means: a circular, an advertisement on television or in the press, a comment, a catalog, etc Once a client has made the decision of buying a product, the business correspondence begins

Types of Business Letters.-

1 The enquiry

2 The quotation

3 Letter asking for references

4 Letter giving references

5 a) The rejection of offer

b) The order

6 The confirmation of order

7 The enquiry for freight rates

8 The quotation for freight rates

9 The advice of dispatch and invoicing

13 The adjustment of settlement

Of course, there are other types of letters such as: reservations, recommendations,invitations, and circulars The following is an examples of what can happen when areservation is not made on time

Practice the conversation with a classmate:

Receptionist: Good evening, sir Can I help you?

James Morris: Good evening I’d like a room, please

Receptionist: Have you made a reservation, sir?

James Morris: Well, I wrote last week, but I haven’t had any confirmation

Receptionist: What’s your name, sir?

James Morris: James Morris

Receptionist: No, I’m sorry, sir We have no reservations under the name of Morris

James Morris: What a nuisance! Well, do you have any rooms free?

Receptionist: Would you like a suite, a double bedroom with bath….?

James Morris: I’d rather have a single room

Receptionist: For how long, sir?

James Morris: Well, just for two nights, if that’s possible

Receptionist: Let me see … Yes, 216 Here’s your key Would you like to sign the register, please, sir?

Apparently, James Morris did not make his reservation in advance You must make sure that you make your bookings on time so as not to have the problem Mr Morris had

E INTEROFFICE CORRESPONDENCE MEMORANDA

Memoranda.- In most companies, good memos pass between departments, between the

management and the staff, between individuals in different departments, etc

Most companies provide business forms and restrict inter-office

correspondence to one subject at a time, to facilitate filing and encourage conciseness andclarity Salutations and signatures are superfluous and are omitted

EXAMPLE: The three-part structure of a memo allows for ease of organization

MEMO TO: Janet Peterson

FROM: Jennifer Freeman

DATE: May 20, 2004

SUBJECT: Structure for Writing Memos

As you requested, this is an example of the structure of a memo used in organizations.Memos are organized into three basic sections: the purpose (beginning), message (middle),and conclusions (ending)

The beginning consists of the introduction, which includes the purpose of the memo Themiddle section includes the message and a discussion of the information- all relevant pointsshould be addressed The conclusions and suggestions are placed in the ending section.These must be tied directly to the statement of purpose made in the opening, and supported

by facts presented in the middle section

In addition, it is important that the message be presented clearly, concisely, and completely.

By following the structure, you should be able to develop clear, effective memos that willimprove communication with your organization

III TEACHING BUSINESS ENGLISH

1 INTRODUCTION

This section provides new ideas and supplementary material for business courses.The activities provide communication easily adaptable to different professions, countriesand cultures It is for work with commercial and business school students, also students ofthe faculty of Business Administration, Economy, and LEAI who do not have workexperience yet, as well as for professionally active people who know exactly which specificjob-related linguistic abilities they want to improve The activities are accessible and easy

to use, and they are designed to reduce the time the teacher spends in planning andpreparation

2.GENERAL ENGLISH vs BUSINESS ENGLISH

Communication for business and technical needs tends to be more limited in scopethan general English Essentially it involves gathering, processing, and sharing informationdirectly related to a particular field, whereas general English leans more towards socializingand entertainment Everyday English communication is often deeply enhanced bypersonal opinions, attitudes, beliefs, and prejudices In Business English, however, precisecommunication of information is vital

3 THE BUSINESS STUDENT AND THE ENGLISH TEACHER

Business people typically have a great deal of knowledge in their own field.Generally, they have a lack of English to communicate that knowledge In fact, in talkingwith business people and technicians the attitude, which comes across is that they do notwant or need their English teacher to teach them their job Their desire is to be able to work

in a context which draws on their technical expertise, at the same time, as it affords themlanguage input and practice where they need it This means working in partnership with

your students, with you being the ‘English expert’ and your student the ‘business expert’.This partnership works specially well when you are interested enough to be able to learnfrom your student and vice-versa

B.GENERAL TECHNIQUES

1 LEARNING STYLES

Different students have different learning styles The more you are aware of theseand are able to vary and adapt your own teaching techniques the more success you willhave To a certain extent, people’s learning styles have been influenced by their pastlearning experiences Even if the class is having their first experience with English, theyhave all been learners of something before and have all had teachers Discussing pastexperiences will influence these experiences if they still have them today

Procedure

1.Ask students to think back and bring to mind a teacher and a classmate from the past

2 Students may wish to write down any words or short sentences they associate with these two people

3 In pairs, they tell each other their remembrances

4 Bring the group back together and discuss reactions, attitudes, and patterns which are still very much alive today

Students bring into the classroom attitudes towards learning acquired over the years.Very often these are based on failures, real or imagined difficulties with learning, and bad memories of school in general Once these have disappeared, there is space for more positive experiences To achieve this, the teacher will have to sit down and think about howshe/he wants the class to be

SOME QUESTIONS FOR THE TEACHER TO THINK ABOUT

1 In what ways can the arrangement of tables, chairs, and desks be a barrier or an asset?

2 How could this arrangement hinder or help activities requiring movement?

3 How could I use realia to create a micro-culture in the classroom?

4 How would using color, flowers, posters, and music affect my attitude towards teachingand my students’ attitude towards learning?

5 Who does what in my classroom? Is it always I who set up the role plays or could astudent take over this job?

6 How do all these points affect my students’ willingness to work in groups and participate

in games, mimes, and role plays?

2 ANALYSIS OF NEEDS

Business and professional people fix goals as an everyday part of their job Veryoften, advancement in their career is in direct relation to their ability to reach these goals.The English course needs to adapt to the students’ way of working towards goals Theyneed, as quickly as possible, to learn enough to communicate The course content has togive them the language they need to fit their own professional situations The success orfailure of their company to do business may depend on it

An analysis of needs is the beginning of the business student’s training There aresome advantages for the students:

2 It gives them the opportunity to make choices and establish priorities for thecourse

3 It asks them to consider what can be accomplished in a short period and whatshould be long term goals

For example, the student may eventually need English to participate in formaldiscussions and meetings, but today’s immediate need may be to send a clear andconcise fax

To mention an example, a student says he / she needs to know lots of newvocabulary However, the immediate goals are necessary, so the student realizes he/she is making progress A task-orientated chart of analysis of needs can help thestudent to break down the vague overall goal of knowing lots of vocabulary intotangible professional situations in which he /she felt he was unable to communicateeffectively

Procedure

To use the chart of analysis of needs it is necessary to:

1 Read through the chart.

2 Underline with one color ink all the tasks the student feels he could now dosuccessfully

3 With a different color ink, the student underlines the tasks he wants to be able to

do at the end of the course

The tasks, which are not considered, make up the basis for a realistic set of goals takinginto consideration the student’s level of English, the time, and the money the studentsspend

3 NEGOTIATION

Negotiation, like fixing goals, is another important part of what goes on in thebusiness world Using a chart of analysis of needs prepares you, the teacher, to take the nextstep, which is negotiating course content according to the students’ desires and capabilities

It is very difficult to provide a course which gives all students what they need and whichmotivates them to learn It is relevant to start a negotiation between you and the groupabout how time can be most effectively used During the first class meeting, you can do anactivity like Negotiation

Procedure

1 Ask everyone to write down three things they would like to be able to do by the end

of their course Motivate students to be precise and to avoid goals which are toovague

2 Students compare lists to see where there are common areas in which they canwork For example, one in-company group found they all needed to be able to readinstruction manuals more quickly, write faxes, and deal with customer questions andproblems by phone

This provides a basis to negotiate, for example (a) the amount of time out

of the total number of class hours they would like to devote to each skill, (b) how individualneeds within the group can be provided for, and (c) material and documents the groupwould enjoy working with

Furthermore, you can make use of the fact that business people are always readyand willing to bring information about their company into class I give an example of theresults of course content negotiated with a group (Fig 1)

TASKS COMPONENTS NUMBER OF CLASS

HOURS

Memoranda INTERNAL MEETINGS 8

Internal correspondence Meetings

Letters, faxes External correspondence EXTERNAL CORRESPONDENCE 5

Journals RAPID READING 2

Reports, papers INFORMATION PRESENTATION 3

Conference participation CONFERENCE SKILLS 10

Conference papers Interviews INTERVIEWS 2

Total 30

C PRESENTING INFORMATION

The activities contained in this section give practice in the oral skills people need to make presentations, speak during meetings, and function in everyday conversational situations The emphasis is on building students’ fluency and confidence by helping them

to learn these skills first in class and then to progress to their use in the outside world These ideas can be used as warm-ups or in the early stages of the group’s development when students need to establish contact with each other

1 THE CLOCK

This activity gives students, who are perhaps meeting for the first time, theopportunity to find out about each other’s careers In doing this they often find points incommon which form a basis for future cooperation

c Lower level students may wish to draw in small pictures or use a few key words only

2 Ask students to form sub-groups of two’s or three’s and use their clocks as basis forpresenting themselves and their professional lives

3 Hang the clocks around the room for decoration Additionally, the clocks on the wallscan provide a very real and personal context for later work on tenses For example, whenworking the simple past or the present perfect, you can refer to a clock on the wall tocontextualise sentences like: “Pierre changed jobs in 1985” or “Rosanna has worked atIBM in Rome since 1988”

COMMENTS

The time spent in drawing the clock gives students time to select and mentally rehearsewhat they can and wish to say about themselves You must stress that what is important isspeaking about the meaning of the clock, not the artwork involved

2 MY LAST TRIP

This activity works well for people who travel for business or pleasure and forstudents who need practice using the simple past It gives them very concrete personaltopics to talk about which make for lively, interested participation

2 Tell students to write the following things at the bottom of each block:

upper-left hand corner: Where I went

upper-right hand corner: How I travelled

middle left: Who went with me

middle right: Something I did

lower left-hand corner: Something I brought back

lower right-hand corner: Something I wish I had done

3.Now ask students to quickly and secretly answer these questions about the last trips in theform of sketches instead of words Stress that their artistic ability is not important, they areonly trying to communicate ideas

4.Collect the papers and display them on the floor or on a table

5 Following these rules, students ask each other questions to find out which paper belongs

to whom:

-Each person in turn asks a question about any of the papers to any other student

-Students can ask only ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions

- A ‘no’ answer passes the turn to another student

-The game is to practice asking and answering questions by seeing who can get the longeststring of ‘yes’ answers, so even when students know whose paper it is, they continue to askquestions until they lose their turn

- A simple question/ answer exchange might go something like this:

‘Marisella, did you go to the United States on your last trip?’ ‘Yes, I did.’

‘Did you travel by bus?’ ‘Yes, I did.’

‘Did you travel with your boss?’ ‘Yes, I did.’

‘Did you visit the Statue of Liberty?’ ‘Yes, I did.’

‘Did you bring back toys for your children?’ ‘Yes, I did.’

‘Did you wish you had visited Disneyland?’ ‘Yes, I did.’

VARIATION

In higher level classes, once the students know which paper belongs to whom, students asktag questions to verify the rest of the information in the different pictures The same dialogmight then go like this:

‘Marisella, did you go to the United States on your last trip?’ ‘Yes, I did.’

‘Did you travel by bus ?’ ‘Yes, I did.’

‘Oh, you traveled with your boss, didn’t you?’ ‘Yes, I did.’

‘And you visited the Statue of Liberty, didn’t you?’ ‘Yes, I did.’

‘So you brought back toys for your children?’ ‘Yes, I did.’

‘And you would have liked to visit Disneyland, is that right?’ ‘Yes, I would.’

Stage One: Entrance

1 Divide your class into two groups The first group practices coming into a room in thefollowing ways

4 taking small steps /large steps

5 as noisily/ as quietly as possible

6 full of self-confidence /lacking in self-confidence

7 aware of others in the room /totally unaware of anyone else’s presence

8 ready and prepared to speak publicly / absolutely unprepared

9 with a positive attitude / with a negative attitude

The second group is the audience and observes the entrances

2 Groups reverse roles and repeat entrances

Stage Two: Reading the Speech

3 Give each student a copy of the speech (see on continuation)

4.Put students in pairs and ask them to work together on the speech doing the following: -Reading it through silently for the sense of the words, deciding where full stops andcommas should go and putting them in

- Reading the speech out loud, pausing for the commas and full stops

- Working on variations in intonation: first reading as normally as possible, then with asmuch exaggeration as possible, and finally, finding a natural intonation in the middle

- Working on changes in volume: reading as softly as possible, then as loudly, and finding acomfortable volume in the middle

- Working on speed: reading as slowly and as fast as possible

-Working on variations of body language using the attitudes practiced in Stage One:confident, nervous, self-conscious, etc

Stage Three: Giving the Speech

5 Students take turns delivering their speeches, combining the elements worked onpreviously: entrance, attitude, intonation, volume, speed, and body language

6 The rest of the group acts as the audience

Comment

The speech is given without any punctuation to give students the opportunity topractise punctuation and to punctuate properly

SUGGESTIONS

1 Record the intonation work done during Stage Two on a cassette recorder

2 Video the work done on body language during Stage One and the final presentation

in Stage Three

THE SPEECH a

First of all I would like to say how pleased I am to be here today what I am going to sayconcerns us all every single one of us no matter what our position is there are a million

Longman Group Ltd 1995 (photocopiable)

men women and children on our planet and all of us are struggling from day to day somefor their food others for their freedom here in this country we are struggling together withthe dollarization to preserve a way of life that is decent for all of us and to continueworking hard to give our best to our children and to the future generations

4 CHOOSING A COMPANY NAME a

This exercise can be used as an introduction in a business course to get students tothink about their businesses and the images projected by their names

1.Put students in groups of four or less depending on the size of your class

2 Give each group a photocopy of the list of company names and the five tasks to do withthese names Set a time limit of twenty minutes

3 After the time limit is up, create new groups with one or two from one group joining one

or two from another group and ask them to compare their ideas

Choosing a company name

3 What sort of product or service does the name INNOVUM Inc suggest to you?

4 Choose one of the names from the above list and describe the company and its products

LEVEL: Intermediate – Advanced

MATERIALS: One blank card per student

It’s my great honor to present my distinguished colleague ………

2 Ask students to rank these in order of formality For example: ‘It’s an honor to introduce

my distinguished colleague……’ is more formal than ‘Let me introduce….’

3 Tell students to take notes as you orally present the following dos and don’ts:

- Don’t speak until you are actually in front of the audience- not while walking across theroom

- Speak loudly and clearly enough so that the person in the last row can hear you

- Maintain eye contact with the audience, not with the written card.

-Avoid unnecessary foot movements- no dancing and shuffling around This will distractfrom the message

4 Give out the blank cards Ask students to write their names, their jobs, and a projectthey are working on This may be real or , if your students are not working, imaginary.Something like this:

Henry García

Director, INEN

Coordinating the census for Ecuador for 2008

Marilyn Samsung

Vice president of the World Commission

Negotiating world peace

5 Collect cards, then redistribute them so that no one has their own

6 Tell your students they are going to introduce the person whose card they have before areal audience Give them a few minutes to note a few key words to make theirintroductions

7 Arrange the class like an audience This is very important in motivating good, realisticdelivery

8 Ask one student to start He/she leaves the class, re-enters, makes his /her introductionand asks the person they have introduced to please stand up Continue until everyone hasintroduced someone

9 Motivate the audience to respond to each introduction by clapping

10 Conduct a feedback session in relation to the dos and don’ts mentioned during Step 3

11 if you have access to a video camera and your students are used to being filmed, this is

a good activity to film for viewing and feedback The teacher or the audience can givepoints from one to three to each student for his /her introduction, based on the do’s anddon’ts

NOTE

In groups where there are shy students, the ‘audience’ can wear cartoon charactermasks during the introductions; thus, they should feel at ease and not nervous to speak infront of others

D BUSINESS COMMUNICATION IN WRITING

An ability to communicate in writing is rapidly becoming essential with the increase

of fax machines and electronic mail However, when using traditional businesscommunication exercises to teach writing skills, I have noticed there is a lack ofmotivation and interest even among students who need and ask for improvement in thisarea Just by giving a game or a problem to solve can help a lot I have selected a fewactivities that teach essential business writing skills in an active, enjoyable, andcommunicative way

1 WORD ASSOCIATIONS – WORK

Students often say they cannot write well because they do not have enoughvocabulary This activity builds vocabulary by getting students to share words they alreadyknow in order to complete a writing task

Stage One: Brainstorming Vocabulary

1 Write WORK in capital letters on the board

2 Next write NOUNS

3 The group brainstorms all the nouns they associate with the word WORK

4 Do the same by writing VERBS and finally ADJECTIVES on the board

Stage Two: Writing

5 Students individually write a paragraph entitled WORK using the vocabulary from StageOne

Stage Three: Integrating

6 Students form groups of three

7 They read the paragraphs to each other

8 Then they work together to re-write a new paragraph integrating elements from eachstudent’s original paragraph.

9 Paragraphs are read out aloud or put on the walls for everybody to enjoy

2 E-MAIL EASY ANSWER

Many professional people today have access to electronic mail This is a veryimmediate and convenient system of communication but it is not always the best Goingover the E-mail Reminder Sheet helps students decide when e-mail is a better idea than aphone call or a fax And a short, creative game helps writing practice

LEVEL: Intermediate

MATERIALS: A photocopy of the E-mail Reminder Sheet for each student (example

given after explanation of the game), a sheet of white paper

TIME: 30 minutes

OBJECTIVE: Awareness of e-mail, Writing

Procedure

1 Give everyone a copy of the E-mail Reminder Sheet (see after variation)

2 In class, discuss the ideas on this sheet Be sure to mention real personal situations andget students to tell when and if each idea has been a part of their own experience This time

of sharing helps students to become more aware of the advantages and shortcomings ofdifferent communicative processes in the business world

3 Write the following on the board and ask students to discuss it:

E-mail is really at its best when there is only one idea which requires an immediate answer.

4 Form pairs and give each person a sheet of white paper

5 Tell students to write a short e-mail type of proposal at the top of the sheet and fold itover For example:

10 ‘Jenny, how about lunch in the cafeteria at noon?’

5 Tell students to write a short e-mail type of proposal at the top of the sheet and fold itover For example:

11 ‘Jenny, how about lunch in the cafeteria at noon?’

12 ‘Research group: meeting for the new programming project for 3pm on Friday 20th

Is it OK for you?’

6 Students exchange papers, unfold, read and write an answer to the proposal Beforepassing the paper back to their partner, they write a proposal of their own which theirpartner will respond to This exchange can continue as long as students continue to ask andanswer questions.

7 Put the exchanges up on the wall Pairs circulate and read them

Note: If you have access to a real e-mail system, this whole exercise can be done on the

system

VARIATION

Another way of using the E-mail Reminder Sheet is to play a quick memory game.Read the E-mail Reminder Sheet aloud to the class, then ask students to turn it over andsee who can remember the most of the thirteen different ideas

E-mail Reminder Sheet a

1 To use e-mail you have to be able to type

2.In lots of companies people can use e-mail at home as well as at work so e-mailencourages prompt, spontaneous communication Time zones no longer exist- a messagefrom the other side of the world can be dealt with immediately

3 For secretaries, an e-mail is a very quick and sure way of leaving a message

4 E-mail gives lots of identifying information, like who sent the message, at what time,when it arrived, and who else has received it

5 The big question is ,”Should I send my message e-mail or pick up my phone?’ If there isonly one piece of information to be acted upon, e-mail is OK If a discussion is necessary,then e-mail will become long and complicated A phone call would be better

6 If you have two or three subjects to cover, you must send one e-mail per subject If aperson can’t answer all the problems presented in a mail, he /she will probably put it off ornot answer at all

7.E-mail has your name on it so it can be used as proof of what you have said This is notthe case with a phone call

8 Achieving the right level of formality can be a problem Since there is no intonation ortone of voice as on the phone, words count Decide how formal you want to be In general,

a Longman Group Ltd 1995 (Photocopiable)

e-mail is less formal than a letter, so it tends to be used with people you know rather well.The usual tone is relaxed and friendly.

9 But be careful, e-mail should be ‘boring’ Use straight delivery and say exactly what youwant to say No jokes are permitted here; they could come across different from the wayyou intend as there’s no vocal tone or facial expressions to help get the meaning of whatyou want to say

10 When someone sends e-mail, he/ she probably won’t keep a copy , so you mustremember to add something to your message to make it clear which e-mail is beinganswered Sometimes you may answer a few days later and the sender might have forgottenall about his/her mail, so this reference becomes even more important than in the case of a paper letter or fax

11 Since there is not necessarily a written record of the e-mail, you might like aconfirmation of reception You have to remember to ask for this in your message Forinstance, you can say, ‘Please acknowledge this e-mail.’

12 Think very carefully about the subject topic that you announce in your e-mailidentification Some people receive lots of mail so they look directly at the subject and ifyou haven’t been specific enough about this, they might skip over your mail altogether

13 Again, e-mail users often receive lots of mail, so if you want to broadcast something todifferent people , as when selling something, you should use the electronic bulletin boardincluded in most electronic hook-ups, and not cause e-mail overloads to busy managers,engineers, or secretaries

3 HOW TO IMPROVE A FAX

Because of the fax, many people today in their work have to be able to understandand write simple messages in English This activity gives students the way to start a fax byasking the right questions

LEVEL: Intermediate

MATERIALS: Faxes which students have brought in, a photocopy of the Fax

Questionnaire for each student

TIME: 45 minutes

OBJECTIVE: Reading, deciphering, and writing a fax

Ask students to bring a fax

Procedure

Stage One- Reading and Comprehension

1 Ask students to get out their faxes

2.Put students in pairs and give everyone a copy of the Fax Questionnaire (see next page)

3 Using the faxes and the questionnaire, ask each pair to answer the questions about ‘fax

ID (the identifying information found in the faxes) and compare the answers Students willrealize there is a standard format for fax ID

4 Ask each pair to look at the main body of information being transmitted in the faxes and

to answer the questions under ‘fax information’ in the questionnaire They will realize thatthe information is specific to the needs of their company

5 Ask pairs to discuss the similarities and differences for each document

6 Ask pairs to see if there are any expressions, verbs, functions, etc., that recur throughoutthe faxes Go through the meanings and uses of these and elicit others the students mightknow or have questions about

Stage Two Writing your own Fax

1 At the bottom of the Fax Questionnaire there are fax questions for a sender Point thissection out to your students and in class go over the questions with them

2 Ask students to imagine a work situation where they would have to send a fax In pairs,have them describe these situations to each other

3 Everyone writes his /her faxes Each pair will write two different faxes

4 Pairs exchange faxes and read them over, checking that all necessary information isthere

Fax Questionnaire a

FAX ID

1 What is the date on the document?

2 What is the reference number? What does this refer to?

3 Who is the text from? What is their address, phone/ fax number?

4 Who is the fax to? What is their address, phone/ fax number?

5 Is the text intended for a special person? (attention: )

6 Are copies being sent to someone else?

7 What is the subject?

FAX INFORMATION

1 What is the reason this fax is being sent?

- What reference is presented? (number, phone call, letter, fax, etc.)

- What problem is presented?

2 What information or facts are being given?

FAX QUESTIONS FOR A SENDER

1 What do you want the fax receiver to do?

2.Are there references or contact details for the receiver if he /she needs further

information?

3.Have you thanked them for their help/support/ understanding / business / order / etc.4.What do you say at the end of a fax?

E USING AUTHENTIC BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

For many businesses and technical people, their only contact with English isthrough reading professional documents such as brochures, technical instructions, reports,and company newspapers I include a few activities describing how such documents can bemade into interesting activities which the teacher can apply to the students’ documents All

of these documents are easily accessible and students are always happy to see an activitycreated from something that is so directly applicable to their work

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a Longman Group Ltd 1995 (Photocopiable)