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UNIT 1

introduction to business communication

dictionaries
Longman: http://www.ldoceonline.com/ Oxford: http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/ Macmillan: http://www.macmillandictionary.com/ Cambridge: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ Cobuild: http://www.mycobuild.com/free-search.aspx Merriam-Websters (American English): http://www.learnersdictionary.com/

extras
British English / grammar (BBC ENGLISH): http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/askaboutenglish/ British English / reading, listening and vocabulary (BBC ENGLISH): http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/ British English (news, BBC): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ American English (news, VOA): http://www.voanews.com/ American English (learning English, VOA): http://learningenglish.voanews.com/

For class work purposes, you can print out ONLY the pages containing modules A and B (you do NOT have to print out this entire document!).

Adrian Ciupe, 2013

MODULE A

class activities (speaking / writing)

This module will be used in BOTH class meetings allocated to this topic. Look over the following list of questions and choose ONE you would like to answer in class (in either of the two meetings) if you want to obtain bonus points for SPEAKING. You can prepare your answer at home and you can use your notes in class, as you speak, but you will NOT be allowed to simply read them! Be prepared to give your own opinion (2-3 minutes) and then to have a short question-related conversation (with your teacher and colleagues). Remember that the SAME questions will be used for your WRITING activity (the partial test). 1. Would you prefer to have a formal or an informal boss? Why? 2. Is informality necessarily a sign of impoliteness? How can formality and informality be interpreted / perceived in different cultures? 3. Is it easier for you to express yourself better in speech or in writing? Explain. 4. What kinds of problems do you usually have when you express yourself orally (in English and / or Romanian)? 5. What problems do you usually encounter when trying to express yourself in writing (in English and / or Romanian)? 6. Enumerate and explain a few advantages and disadvantages (regarding communication) of using the following technological advances / gadgets: the Internet, a laptop, a tablet, a mobile phone, a multimedia projector, a web cam. Which of these do you most frequently use for communication purposes and why? 7. Is it important to have a FACEBOOK / TWITTER / etc. account or not? What are some of the benefits and shortcomings of using such facilities? 8. What qualities should a web designer have? Explain and illustrate. 9. Explain the difference between shop talk and small talk. 10. Describe some benefits and downsides of one-to-one communication versus written communication. 11. In one-to-one communication nonverbal clues may be important. Can you mention and explain a few of them which could have a great impact on you and your interlocutor? 12. People skills are very important in business. Do you think you have them? What are they? Explain. 13. Do you think that if you are the shy type you lack people skills? Explain. 14. If you had a choice between a job requiring permanent contact with other people or one allowing you to just work behind your desk, which would you choose and why? 15. Are you a computer nerd? If so, do you think this helps or hampers your communication with others? 16. Mention a few job types that do not require communication with other people. Justify your choice(s). 17. Are you an outgoing person, ready to socialise with strangers in a variety of situations? Explain. 18. What is a socialite? Are you one? Would you like to be one? Why? 19. What would you expect from your communication with your boss? Explain. 20. What would you expect from your communication with your colleagues / co-workers? Explain. 21. Imagine you might have a co-worker with a disability. How would you be prepared to communicate with him / her? 22. Imagine you might be part of a virtual team (people in various locations working together as a team using the Internet to get through to one another). What do you think this kind of communication requires? Would you be prepared to work in this way? Why (not)? 23. Different communication problems can arise in the workplace. Do you think you might have the skills needed for conflict resolution (= Rom: soluionarea / rezolvarea conflictelor)? Describe these skills. 24. Do you think that communication skills are innate (= we are born with them) or acquired (= we learn them)? Explain. 25. How is business / professional communication different from communication in ones private life? Explain and illustrate. 26. In what situations would you choose to stop communicating with others? Describe some possible scenarios and also the ensuing consequences in a professional / business context. Adrian Ciupe, 2013

MODULE B

practice tests

This module will be used ONLY in the FIRST class meeting for this topic. It contains a few practice tests that simulate EXACTLY the question formats to be used in your final test. Full instructions will be available in class only. Do NOT do these tests in advance, as you will run a higher risk of making mistakes (in the absence of the step-by-step test strategies and gradual feedback provided in class). Remember that among other things, the problems below can be tested (in similar contexts) in your final test.

practice test 1
enjoy, grow, require, restore A good partnership 01 ____ a lot of communication. A lot of people seem to think the answer 02 ____ lies / lays / stands / sits in technology. All staff have training 03 ____ customer relations. Ask your friends and acquaintances if they know of any job 04 ____ VACANT . Britain agreed to 05 ____ full economic relations with Libya. Britain threatened to 06 ____ knife / slit / slash / sever economic relations with the regime. By the time they sat down to dinner, a warm rapport had 07 ____ between the two employees. During the interview, he 08 ____ MOST gave short answers to my questions. For years, the company 09 ____ good relations with its workers. He believes that wind power is the long-term answer 10 ____ our growing energy 11 ____ crise / crisis / crises / crize . He demanded an answer 12 ____ his question. He entered 13 ____ a business partnership with his brother-in-law. He had begun to 14 ____ set / place / establish / implement friendly relations with the other workers. He had found the manager to be a sensible man during their 15 ____ brief / overall / general / speedy acquaintance.

Adrian Ciupe, 2013

practice test 2
casual, deteriorate, feel, give, go, introduce, type He 01 ____ me to an acquaintance of his, who had visited Tokyo. He nodded at his workmate, as if she was just a 02 ____ acquaintance. Her version of the story bears 03 ____ small / little / sorry / sore relation to the data in the business report. Her colleagues at work did not improve on 04 ____ FAR acquaintance. I always 05 ____ a special rapport with my subordinates in my job. I didnt get a 06 ____ SATISFY answer from the company. I met an old 07 ____ ACQUAINT outside the company headquarters. I 08 ____ struck / stroke / stricken / made up an acquaintance with one of my workmates. I was keen to 09 ____ into partnership with that firm. Ill 10 ____ you an answer tomorrow. Im afraid there are no easy answers in this 11 ____ of situation. 12 ____ answer 13 ____ your question, yes, you can go. In his speech, he 14 ____ EMPHASIS the need to improve relations with other companies. Industrial relations 15 ____ , as the trade unions and management refused to speak to each other.

practice test 3
01 ____ INDUSTRY relations have improved, and there have been no more strikes. Is there a 02 ____ CAUSE relation between a plum job and further career 03 ____ perspectives / prospects / prospectuses / preventions ? It is more difficult to 04 ____ stroke / strike / move / make up a rapport 05 ____ the telephone. It sounded 06 ____ the perfect answer. It will be nice to 07 ____ NEW my acquaintance with him. Its a pleasure to 08 ____ have / do / make / establish your acquaintance. Its an article on possible employment 09 ____ sketches / schemes / receipts / recipes and their relation to 10 ____ PROFESSION success. Its not very 11 ____ HELP to just give one-word answers such as yes or no while being interviewed for a job. Many of the board members remarked 12 ____ the rapport between the two job candidates. Most small business 13 ____ OPERATE have a 14 ____ powerful / close / near / connected rapport with their employees. 15 ____ first acquaintance, she seems rather unfriendly as a boss.

Adrian Ciupe, 2013

practice test 4
come, forge, get, search, sour One my acquaintances spends nearly half her salary 01 ____ clothes. We have been 02 ____ for an answer for years. 03 ____ Raise / Rise / Put / Place up your hand if you know the answer. Relations between us have improved 04 ____ SIGNIFY . Relations between workers and management are 05 ____ GENERAL good. Businesspeople at large believe they have come 06 ____ with an answer to the problems posed by this economic recession. She couldnt think 07 ____ a suitable answer to his question. She wrote to him, but she never 08 ____ an answer. Shes a relation 09 ____ marriage because she married my cousin. Spending more money is not always 10 ____ that / the / obvious / evident answer. The employees 11 ____ little / small / easy / low rapport makes this a friendly working environment. The affair was 12 ____ DISASTER in terms of public relations. The agency tries to 13 ____ effective partnerships with communities and private businesses. The answer to her problem suddenly 14 ____ to her. The dispute has 15 ____ relations further between the two rival companies.

practice test 5
dissolve, strain The EU had hoped to 01 ____ make / launch / impress / propagate a more ambitious economic partnership with Russia. The government is struggling to come up with answers to our 02 ____ economy / economics / economical / economic problems. The obvious answer is to 03 ____ raise / arouse / arise / rise taxes, but that would be very 04 ____ POPULAR . The partnership was 05 ____ and John went freelance. The 06 ____ brief / short / basical / foremost answer is that it cant be done. The 07 ____ relations between the two companies became even worse on that occasion. The two companies have built 08 ____ a close partnership over the past four years. The two collaborators had no 09 ____ PERSON rapport whatsoever. These two businessmen enjoyed a very 10 ____ SUCCESS partnership, spanning at least 30 years. This university has close 11 ____ relations / relationships / establishments / branches with local companies. The US broke 12 ____ all relations with Cuba in the wake of the scandal. Theirs is one of the most 13 ____ FRUIT working partnerships on the pharmaceuticals market. There are excellent relations 14 ____ the workers. These are important questions, and we want answers 15 ____ them.

Adrian Ciupe, 2013

MODULE C

topic-related language development

This module will be used ONLY in the SECOND class meeting for this topic. It consists of a number of language exercises related to the topic. These exercises will be available in class ONLY! This material will also be used in the construction of your final test questions. Attendance is ESSENTIAL for success!

MODULE D

supplementary testing material 1

This module is for self-study ONLY. Using the online LDOCE (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English see the cover page of this unit for the web-link), look up the following words (table column 1) and pay attention to their meanings in context (c.f. the examples given) in terms of collocations, fixed expressions (dependent prepositions, idioms, phrasal verbs) and word formation (table column 2). This material will also be used in the construction of your final test questions. Regular independent work is ESSENTIAL for success! acquaintance (n) answer (n, v) communicate (v) communication (n) computer (n) contact (n, v) debate (n) discuss (v) discussion (n) friend (n) issue (n) matter (n, v) message (n) partner (n) partnership (n) problem (n) question (n) rapport (n) relation (n) relationship (n) reply (n, v) respond (v) response (n) solution (n) solve (v) acquaint, acquainted, unacquainted answerable communication, communicative, uncommunicative computerised debatable discussion friendly, unfriendly, friendship, befriend partnership problematic questionable, questionably, unquestionable, unquestionably, questionnaire relate, relationship, relative(ly), related, unrelated, relativity response, responsive, unresponsive, respondent solution, insoluble

Adrian Ciupe, 2013

MODULE E

supplementary testing material 2

This module is for self-study ONLY. At the end of the SECOND class meeting for this topic you will receive a list of specialised, topic-related vocabulary items ALREADY EXPLAINED (= you do NOT have to look them up in dictionaries) in context (individual words, collocations, fixed expressions in example sentences). You will have to make your own photocopy and use it independently, at leisure. This material will also be used in the construction of your final test questions. Regular independent work is ESSENTIAL for success!

Adrian Ciupe, 2013