Busines English Booklet

Instituto Cultural Dominico Americano - English Immersion Program
Advanced 1 Business Training
Describing a Job
1. Classify these adjectives into positive (+), negative (-) and neutral (n).
Challenging ____ Fulfilling ____ High Pressurized ____ Stimulating ____
____ ____ ____
Competitive Status ____ Responsible Stressful
____ ____ ____
Demanding ____ Office-based ____ Rewarding ____ Worthwhile
Exhausting People-oriented ____ Satisfying
2. Choose which adjectives from the previous activity describe each job. Justify your
answers.
Entrepreneur Engineer
Manager Teacher
Doctor Athlete
3. Match the personal qualities to the negative opposite qualities. (you will add 2 extra
ones in 7 and 8).
1. Creative 1. Dependent
2. Dependable 2. Unsure
3. Independent 3. Unreliable
4. Organized 4. Inefficient
5. Productive 5. Haphazard
6. Assertive 6. Unimaginative
7. 7.
8. 8.
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2. Read the job ad. Which qualities from Activity 1 would you need for the
responsibilities listed in the job ad.
3. Student A will
read about Lucas
Dubois, Student B
will read about
Madison Crusoe.
Ask and answer
questions with your
partner to complete
the information
about the
candidates.
4. Discuss with a
partner which
candidate you think
is most suitable for
the job and why.
Student A
Name: Lucas Dubois

Nationality: French
Education: Fine Arts Associate Degree, RISD
Experience: have travelled for two years after graduating. I’ve worked in
restaurants around Latin America as a waiter. When I returned to France I got
a job as a head waiter. For the past three years I’ve been involved in
managerial tasks that include recruiting and training. In this role I’ve learned
about budgeting and planning.
Skills: Good IT skills, can speak French, Spanish and English.
Name: Madison Crusoe

Nationality:_______________
Education: Baking and Pastry Arts Bachelor’s Degree, JWU
Experience: after graduation I did a ____________ internship at Crowne Plaza
Hotel as a hostess. Then I worked at _________________________ as an
Assistant Pastry Chef. In this position I learned how to ______________ and
____________ and desserts. I currently operate a small business that offers
gourmet desserts and pastries for _____________. Skills: Can speak
__________ and __________
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Student B
Name: Madison Crusoe
Nationality: Canadian
Education: Baking and Pastry Arts Bachelor’s Degree, JWU
Experience: after graduation I did a six month internship at Crowne Plaza Hotel as
a hostess. Then I worked at a local bakery as an Assistant Pastry Chef. In this
position I learned how to make bread and prepare pastries and desserts. I
currently operate a small business that offers gourmet desserts and pastries for
private events.
Skills: Can speak English and French
Name: Lucas Dubois

Nationality: French
Education: _______________ Associate Degree, RISD
Experience: have travelled for _______________ after graduating. I’ve worked
in restaurants around ____________________ as a waiter. When I returned to
France I got a job as a _______________. For the past three years I’ve been
involved in managerial tasks that include ______________ and
_______________. In this role I’ve learned about ______________ and
planning.
Skills: Good IT skills, can speak French, ________________ and English.
Writing a Resume
1. Read the article
WHAT IS A RESUME?
A resume is the representation of your professional self. It longer than a resume, often three pages or more, and
is a concise compilation of your educational and focuses mainly on your academic and professional
professional experience, as well as the skills that make you accomplishments, with a particular focus on education.
desirable for the workforce. It is what you use to sell your
In the United States, a CV is almost exclusively limited to
merit and skills to potential employers.
professions in academia, science and medicine. In the
Your resume is arguable the single most important part of case of academia, the main focus of the CV should be to
the application process. A well-organized, relevant resume identify yourself as a scholar. The added length, should be
will set you up to get an interview, while a poor resume filled with proof of your skills as a teacher, scholar, and
will get completely lost in the sea of applicants. This is a your knowledge of education. A CV should be thought of
fairly modern concern, as job postings now get thousands as a living document, and it will change frequently based
of online applications a day. on the updates in your education and career.
Generally, a resume is much shorter in length compared

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RESUME AND A CV? to a CV, usually limited to one page. It is meant to be a
very brief synopsis of your career and education history.
Some companies will indicate that they want you to
Resumes should focus on measurable accomplishments
submit a CV rather than a resume. A CV and a resume are
rather than soft skills or listed responsibilities. Like a CV,
not the same. CV stands for “curriculum vitae” and is
resumes need to be updated, but those updates should
meant to be an expansion of your resume. It is much
be made from specific job to which you are applying.
2. Complete the chart with information from the reading.
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3.Read about what to include in your resume.

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR RESUME
CONTACT INFORMATION You should also include information about promotions in
this section. When listing your responsibilities, start with
This might seem obvious, but it is very important. Make the most valuable experience first, since the employer will
sure your resume is updated with your most recent likely be skimming your resume top-down.
contact information. Recruiters and hiring managers EDUCATION
often get thousands of resumes for one job position, so
providing them with your email address, personal phone When providing your education on your resume, list
number, and home address will make contacting you for degrees in reverse order. For example, if you have a
an interview much easier. When including your email master’s degree, it should be listed before your bachelor’s
address, be sure not to use addresses that are too casual. degree. Again, if a hiring manager or recruiter is skimming
For example, sarahsmith123@gmail.com is much more your resume, you want them to see your highest degree
appropriate than ilovebieber@gmail.com first. It is very important to include dates in this section.
Furthermore, if you have a bachelor’s degree, it is not
necessary to include your high school education on your
resume. It is assumed that you graduated high school if
you’ve obtained a higher degree. So leave out this
information
SKILLS
Your resume should be tailored to each job you apply to so
WORK EXPERIENCE the skills should be integrated organically in your work
experience if possible.
This section should include all relevant paid work
experience, including internships. For each internship or
job, include the name of the organization where you were
employed, the city and state, the title of the positions
held, the employment period for each job (include both
months and years), and a short description of your
accomplishments and technical skills used, listed in 3-4
max bullet points.
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If necessary, you may want to include a skills section. fluency, heavy machinery operation and HTML. Also
These portions of your resume are especially well-suited include a description of the skill, or your expertise level if
to technical positions. Examples of skills you should possible.
include are computer programming, Wordpress, language
⚫ Bank of America – 2012-2018

Work Bank Teller
Experience Providing account services to customers by receiving deposits and loan payments
Oklahoma City Community College – 2015-2018

Education Business Management
Nowhere High School – 2015
High school Diploma
Skills Languages : English (Native)

Spanish (Intermediate)
French (Intermediate)
Software : Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop
Microsoft Office
4. Look at the example of John Doe’s Resume.

doejohn@business.net
John Doe (405) 555 - 0000
ID: 0258564-6 1436 43rd Ave
Nowhere, OK
73038
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5.Now write your own Resume on the template on page 6.
Email
⚫ (company) ________________________________________ – (years) _______________________________

Work
Experience (Job Title)__________________________________
(Job Description)____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
⚫ (company) ________________________________________ – (years) _______________________________
(Job Title)__________________________________
(Job Description)____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Education ⚫ (Institution) ________________________________________ – (years) _______________________________

(Diploma)__________________________________
⚫ (Institution) ________________________________________ – (years) _______________________________

(Diploma)__________________________________ – (years) _______________________________
⚫ (Institution) ________________________________________
(Diploma)__________________________________
Skills Languages : (Language)____________________ (Level) (_____________)

(Language)____________________ (Level) (_____________)
(Language)____________________ (Level) (_____________)
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Software :
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
________________________________________ (your name) Telephone number
Address
ID: ________________________
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Cover email
1. Read the following article about email format
GOOD EMAIL LETTER FORMAT TO USE:

Quick introduction: just one sentence where you tell them how you found out about the position in
question and say you’d like to be considered for it.
Paragraph 1: Tell them you’ve attached your resume and summarize the qualifications that your
work experience has given you. This can largely be a list of the skills and experience you have,
followed by a sentence about what you enjoy and are seeking in a professional experience.
Paragraph 2: Talk about your current (or most recent) job experience and why you are
leaving/have left to seek new employment.
Closing: Ask to be contacted for an interview and include your phone number and contact details.
End salutation: Thank them for considering you and “sign” with your full name
For example:
Dear (Name Withheld),
I saw your posting on Monster and am interested in applying for the temporary admin assistant
position.
Attached is my CV. As you can see, I am a recent university graduate with experience in office
administration. I have a wide range of experience in administrative assistance and am skilled in
the use of Word, Excel, QuickBooks, and Outlook. I thrive in busy environments where I am
expected to learn new skills quickly and take direction while taking initiative. I type with high
accuracy at 85 WPM, am proficient in 10-key typing, and enjoy customer contact both via phone
and in person. Though I’d be new to work in the medical profession, I would work diligently to
make sure that I learned what I needed to as efficiently as possible.
Recently, I worked as a receptionist and bookkeeping assistant for (a Company) here in London,
but was unfortunately let go due to the business experiencing financial hardship. Since then I have
been working to make the move to supporting myself as a freelance writer, but I miss having a
regular daily occupation and am seeking supplementary work.
I hope you will consider me for an interview. Please feel free to contact me at (e-mail address) or
my mobile phone number: (number).
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Jane Doe
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2. Based on what you read, write your own cover email.
You can use the Useful Phrases on the next page to help you write it.
Useful Phrases Greetings Endings Best wishes,
Dear sir/madam Sincerely, Why you are writing

Dear john, Kind Regards, I’m writing to you regarding
Hi John, Best Regards I’m writing to you to follow up on
Regards,
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I’m writing to complain about I’m I've analyzed the data. Softening obligation
writing to inform you that I've written the report. Sorry to ask you so many questions at
such a busy time.
I am writing to complain about I haven't prepared my presentation
yet. Apologies for the late request.
I am writing to discuss ...
I still haven't printed the handouts. Sorry to pile more onto you at such a
Making complaints busy time.
I still need to print out the report.
The service was not satisfactory Reporting problems
I should finish it later today.
The product arrived two days late There's something wrong with my
I'll get it to you by Friday at the latest. email.
I phoned five times with no response
Checking on progress My phone isn't working properly.
Encouraging Responses
I was wondering if you could give me It wouldn't switch on this morning.
I look forward to receiving your an update on the project.
response shortly It keeps stopping (= repeatedly)
How many of our clients have you
Please contact me if you need further contacted? I kept getting an error warning
information yesterday
How are you getting on?
If you could email me as soon as Asking for help
possible, that would be great How far have you got with it?
I'd really appreciate your help.
Referring to attachments How long will it take (you) to finish?
I would really appreciate your urgent
Please find attached Can you give me a quick update, help with this problem.
please?
I’ve attached I hope you can help with this.
Polite requests and reminders
.
I hope you'll be able to help me.
Just a quick reminder about
Apologies - I forgot to attach
Linking actions / situations and
It could be really helpful if you could
Unfortunately, the attachment was results
not there.
Please let me know when you’ve had
My computer didn’t work this
a chance to look at this
Sorry. Here’s the attachment. morning, and I lost some work.
Have you had a chance to look at …
Reporting on progress I got an error message, so I turned off
yet?
the PC.
We have contacted over 70 of our
Could you possibly look at it before
clients so far. I would really appreciate your help, as
…?
I need to finish this work.
We have finished the research, but I
This email needs to be replied
haven’t written the report yet. I called you, but you were in a
urgently.
meeting
It's all going fine.
Please make this your main priority.
Networking
A. What do you understand by the expression “it's not what you know, but who know that counts”?
Do you think networking is more important in some of these professions than others?
Accountant banking law the media medicine politics teaching
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B. What are your views on networking? To what extent do you agree with these statements?
Compare and discuss your answers.
Partially
Strongly Agree Disagree
Agree
Networking just means socializing with my colleagues and friends.
Networking is all about finding lots of useful business contacts.
Networking with business contacts is insincere and manipulative.
Online social networking is as useful as face-to-face networking.
Networking involves getting lots of help from others

C. Read the article on the next page and compare the writer's views on networking with your own.
What points does he make in relation to the five statements in Exercise B?
D. Read the article again and find words or expressions which mean the following.
1. met someone you know when you were not expecting to (paragraph 2)
2. develop and use fully (paragraphs 3 and 5)
3. morally doubtful (paragraph 3)
4. not related to anything previously mentioned (paragraph 5)
5. when you recommend someone to another person for work (paragraphs 6 and 7)
6. move from one place to another in large amounts (paragraph 10)
7. caring about other people more than about yourself (two expressions) (paragraph 10)
E. Look at these extracts from the article and indicate where the adverbs in
brackets should go. Sometimes more than one answer is possible.
1 We have enough friends and contacts. (already)
2 You have more than 150 close contacts. (probably)
3 The dilemma is how to leverage existing contacts. (successfully)
4 It is important to determine how well your contacts understand what you do. (also)
5 One investment bank had a system for asking for two referrals. (merely)
6 The chances of receiving a referral are increased if they understand what you do. (greatly, exactly)
7 High-level networking is a face-to-face activity. (primarily)
8 If you connect with your network on this beneficial basis, the financial rewards will flow. (mutually)
for recent graduates to build their personal networks.

It's not what you know But some of us may conclude that we already have
by Mike Southon enough friends and contacts —the challenge is making
It is often said that your personal value is not what you the best use of those that we already have.
know, but who you know. This is powerful motivation
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Mathematics supports this argument. If you have been your contacts understand what you do and then how
in business more than 20 years, you probably have inspired they might be to provide a referral.
more than 150 close contacts —people you like and
respect and would recognize if you bumped into them Lopata provides networking training and is always
out of their work context. If you add to this all the amazed to discover how few companies have an
people in their close networks, this aggregates to effective referral strategy. One investment bank merely
potentially more than 20.000 agreeable and interesting had a system for asking for two referrals at the end of
people. every meeting, regardless of whether they had built up
any trust with the client. Lopata says the chances of
It is not a problem to identify other networking receiving a referral are greatly increased if they
prospects. We all have a drawer full of business cards understand exactly what you do and the problems you
and often a large number of online 25 connections. The solve, have a high level of trust and understand how
dilemma is how to successfully leverage existing you help people. Your chances of receiving a referral
contacts without appearing sleazy and manipulative. are increased if you are also perceived to have a wider
purpose to your working life.
The most important lesson to learn from the best-
connected individuals is that little of their networking Lopata recommends making a detailed assessment of
activity is carried out with any specific business goal in your best contacts, the people they know, their
mind. They concentrate their effort on people they willingness to refer you to them and how you might
most like and who seem to like them back. inspire them to make that introduction, for free. While
some people offer direct financial rewards for referrals,
Even for the shyest individual, all that is required to seasoned networkers mostly make introductions on
leverage their network is to generate a list of people the basis that everyone gains a benefit, including the
whose company they enjoy and invite them to a prospect of referrals in return.
private dinner. This would be apropos of nothing in
particular other than the pleasure of good company. While high-level networking is primarily a face-to-face
activity, Lopata agrees that online tools accelerate the
The tools for engineering a mutually successful process.
outcome of such events are well explained by one of
Expert networkers work on the basis that if you
connect with your network on this mutually beneficial
Choosing a Job basis, the financial rewards will flow. Successful
networking should be selfless and altruistic, giving
Europe's leading business networking strategists. Andy referrals without remembering your simple favor, and
Lopata. His website explains that connecting is not receiving them without forgetting their kind gift.
enough; it is important also to determine how well
1.Put these factors in order of importance and compare your answers with a partner.
salary ______ company reputation ______ work environment ______
helping people ______ benefits ______ vacations ______
perks ______ doing what you love ______
flexible schedule ______
2. Which of the factors in Activity 1 do you think are connected to each of these jobs? Nurse
Customer Service Representative Network Administrator bank teller Uber driver
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3. Investment bankers are often paid very well, but have to work long hours. Tell a partner
whether you think the job is worth such a high salary. Why/Why not?
4. Polly Courtney worked for an investment bank before becoming an author, Read the text.
Why did she want the job with the bank and why did she leave it?
Worth the Money? It wasn't so much the number of working hours but the
fact that they were always changing. Occasionally, I
My first experience of banking was in the summer of arranged to meet a friend at 9.00 p.m. However, at
2001 . I was paid £7,000 for an eight-week 6:30 p.m, a director would give me more work, saying
internship at an investment bank. Twice a week, the “Could you just…” I and finishing with “and if you could
company held events — wine-tasting, cocktail evenings have that on my desk by seven o'clock tomorrow
at the Tower of London — that made us think we were morning, that would be great”. There was enough work
working for a top company. Two weeks after my to fill eight hours!
internship finished, they offered me a job as an analyst.
After my final year at Cambridge, I flew to New York for One night I left at 11.00 p.m. and went home to bed. I
two months' training. The starting salary was £37,500 a was sleeping soundly, but my doorbell woke me at 1.00
year plus a 0,500 starting bonus, at a time when a.m. They wanted me back in the office and had sent a
average graduate salaries were around £20,000. We taxi driver round to wake me up. They had tried calling
were 300 ambitious youngsters in Manhattan with a lot my mobile, but I hadn't heard it. I went back to the
of money. It was the most exciting but exhausting office and worked nearly 24 hours.
summer of my life.
Seeing my friends at Christmas finalized my decision to
However, the hours were much longer than during the leave. They reminded me that there was more to life.
internship. I was one of the lucky ones. I often left work Other people weren't so sure. There was the chance of
before midnight, and rarely spent a full weekend in the a big pay rise and bonus for those who stayed. There's
office. Other first-years weren't so lucky. One guy was always something round the corner, making you want
sent home suffering from exhaustion after working all to stay. Of the 32 graduates who joined in my year
night for two days. there are three left today and all have moved out of
that department.
5. Read the text again and complete Polly's job description.

Job Title
Starting Salary
Working Hours
Benefits
6. Would you like to do Polly's job? Are the advantages more important than the
disadvantages?
7. Write the words from the box in the correct column.
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Money Working Hours Benefits Hiring and Firing Personal Profile
salary part-time pension employ qualifications
pay lay off
8. Complete the text describing Ivan's job at a record company with some of the words
from the table in Q using the correct form.
Most ______________ (1) positions in our company require 40 hours per week, but often people work a lot more
than this. I've heard many people complain that their _________________ (2) works out at less than five dollars
an hour with all the unpaid _________________ (3) we do. However, I think we’re lucky to work here, we get 26
days _______________ (4) per year, the company pays into a _______________ (5) for our retirement and we
often get a large __________________ (6) each year which makes a big financial difference. Also, our jobs are very
safe, people rarely get _______________ (7) and we've expanded a lot so we have _____________ (8) many more
people in recent years. You can gain a lot of __________________ (9) working here and many people also get
____________________ (10).
9. Write a description of your ideal job. Talk about the salary, working hours, benefits and
your level of job satisfaction.
The right person for the Job

1. Look at the picture and discuss the questions on the next page.
A B C D
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⚫ What does each person’s body language say ⚫ Who is nervous? Why do you think that?
about them? ⚫ How do you feel about formal interviews?
⚫ Who looks confident? Why do you think
that? ⚫ Who do you think is most prepared
for the interview?
2. Read the following commonly-held beliefs about job interviews. Write A if you agree
and D if you disagree.
1. You get the job if you know the right person. _________
2. You need a degree to get a job. _________
3. You have to wear formal clothes. _________
4. If you are offered a drink you must say yes. _________
5. You should ask a lot of questions. _________
6. You should take every opportunity to highlight your skills._________
3. Discuss your answers from activity 2 in a group. Give reasons. If you disagree, try to
persuade your partners.
4. Read about two friend who are interviewed for the same job. Discuss with you partner
who you think will get the job and why?
Luis is the third candidate of the day. He has two years experience at a similar
job and his former employer has given excellent references. He seemed quite
nervous before the interview and he was going through his notes two minutes
before the interview.
When the interview started he greeted the interviewer with a strong

handshake and kept eye contact until the interviewer turned away. When
offered coffee he refused it and sat down. He was visibly nervous when
answering the first few questions, but after five minutes he became more
confident and was able to give great answers to the rest of the questions.
Towards the end of the interview things were going really well even though he
had a poor start, the interviewer was pleased with his performance.
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Scott was the last person interviewed. He’s a business school student and
the reference from his tutor says he has a lot of potential. He noticed he
was nervous and practiced standing in a confident pose to make himself
feel confident.
When called in, he greeted the interviewer with a normal handshake and a
lot of eye contact, but turned away before the interviewer did. Before
sitting down, he accepts an offer of coffee. After a promising start, he
struggled answering a few questions in the middle of the interview. He’s
able to recover in the end, but as he stands up, he knocks over his coffee.
He excuses himself and feels very annoyed with himself afterwards.
5. Read the results of a psychological study about job interviews. Have you changed your
mind about who you think will get the job? If yes, why?
'Power posing' (standing in positions that make you feel him or her as the dominant person in this situation.
powerful) for just two minutes has been shown to make Other species related to humans, such as chimpanzees
a temporary change in your body's chemistry, making or gorillas, do this.
you behave in a more confident way. Appearing Any kind of exaggerated behaviour has been found to
confident is key to success in job interviews. give a negative impression. So dressing in any extreme
Psychologists have found that we subconsciously prefer way, or giving a handshake that is surprisingly strong,
great potential to good experience, so we would tend is likely to count against you.
to choose someone who could be great rather than
someone who has proved themselves to be good. Surprisingly, psychologists found that spilling a drink
actually makes strong candidates seem more likeable.
The order in which candidates are interviewed has been For candidates who don't perform well, however,
shown to make a difference. There is a slight advantage spilling a drink makes the situation even worse.
to being the first or last of the day, as you stick in the
interviewer's memory more. Experiments have shown that we normally reach our
decision in the first four minutes of a 30-minute
Making eye contact is essential as it shows confidence. interview. Whatever happens after that, it's unlikely to
But it's better to break off before the person you want change the interviewer's mind.
to impress does. This shows that you are recognizing
6. Discuss with a partner.
What surprised you most about the information in the reading?
What practical tips can you take from the texts?
7. Look at these common interview questions. Which two do you think are the most difficult
to answer? Why?
1.Why are you looking for a new job? 4.Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
2.Why do you want to work here? 5.Why have you been unemployed for so long?
3.Why should we hire you? 6.What are your weaknesses?
8. Work with a partner. You’re going to practice answering the interview questions in activity
7. Student A will read the information below. Student B will read the information on the
next page. First spend five minutes preparing your answers and noting down key words to
help you remember. Then taking turns being the interviewer and interviewee
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Student A
You’ve applied for a job that you want, even though it isn’t perfect for you. You’ll need to put a positive spin on the following
points when you answer the interviewer’s questions.
⚫ You hated your last job, so you left.
⚫ You were attracted to this job by the great pay and holidays.
⚫ You only have a little experience of this kind of work, and would need to take a course before starting.
⚫ You want the interviewer’s job one day,
⚫ You have changed jobs often because you just haven’t been able to find a job that you liked. ⚫ You’re hopeless at math.
Student B
You’ve applied for a job that you want, even though it isn’t perfect for you. You’ll need to put a positive spin on the following points
when you answer the interviewer’s questions.
⚫ You hated your last boss, and left after an argument.
⚫ This job would give you the experience you need in your career.
⚫ You have some experience, but the job would be very difficult for you to learn how to do it.
⚫ You’ll see how you feel about the job after a year.
⚫ You’ve changed jobs often because you’ve been building your experience which will be valuable in your career.
⚫ You have a problem arriving on time, especially in the morning.
Identifying Strengths
1. Look at the list of strength and with your group talk about the meaning of the words.
2. Everybody has their own set of strengths. Take a look at the lists below to see if you can identify yours.
Choose them by circling or highlighting them.
Personal Strengths
Accuracy Dedication Humor Optimistic Spontaneous
Action oriented Determination Idealism Open minded Social
Adventurous Discipline Independence Orderly intelligence
Ambitious Educated Ingenuity Originality Social skills
Analytical Empathetic Industriousness Organization Straightforward
Appreciative Energetic Inner peace Outgoing Strategic thinking
Artistic Entertaining Inspirational Patient Tactful
Athletic Enthusiastic Integrity Perseverance Team oriented
Authentic Fair Intelligence Persuasiveness Thoughtful
Caring Fast Kindness Persistence Thrifty
Clever Flexible Knowledgeable Practical Tolerant
Compassionate Focused Leadership Precise Trustworthy
Charm Forceful Lively Problem solving Versatile
Communicative Friendliness Logical Prudence Visionary
Confident Generosity Love Respect Vitality
Considerate Gratitude Love of learning Responsibility Warmth
Courage Helpfulness Mercy Self assurance Willpower
Creativity Honesty Modesty Seriousness Wisdom
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Critical thinking Hope Motivation Self control
Curiosity Humility Observant Spirituality
3. Discuss your answers with your group and choose 5-7 strengths that you have as a group.
Then you will present your answers to the class and justify your answers.
Workplace Strengths
1. Read the list of Workplace strength
Characteristics of the “envision” workplace strength:
Thinking strategically: The ability to see past today’s issues and focus on a longer term destination.
Thinking creatively: The ability to offer new thoughts on subject areas that others have not considered.
Pioneering new ideas: The ability to create a new line of thought that has not yet been proven in practice.
Characteristics of the “design” workplace strength:
Analyzing situations: The ability to conceptually break down a situation into parts and understand those
parts.
Defining detailed objectives: The ability to create explicit goals to direct the work of individuals and the
organization overall.
Planning budgets: The ability to establish and control the allocation of resources to achieve organizational
goals.
Judging performance objectively: The ability to independently weigh evidence and form an opinion on
personal and organizational results.
Characteristics of the “build” workplace strength:
ICDA 2018 18
Implement standard processes: The ability to get work done effectively, efficiently, and consistently, using
a repeatable series of actions.
Implement step-by-step procedures: The ability to get work done using an established set of instructions or
checklists.
Implement practical solutions: The ability to solve problems by applying tools and techniques that are
proven to be sufficient, rather than state of the art.
Characteristics of the “operate” workplace strength:
Building personal relationships: The ability to productively and progressively bond with key people as
individuals and groups on an emotional level.
Working in teams: The ability to work with others in a way where you subordinate yourself as an individual
to better achieve the goals of the group.
Coaching others: The ability to help people contribute more by facilitating their personal growth
breakthroughs to achieve specific personal and organizational goals.
Supporting others: The ability to help people achieve their goals and recover when they encounter
problems.
Communicating: The ability to transfer information verbally and non-verbally to achieve sufficient
interpersonal understanding and produce actions.
Changing spontaneously: The ability to consistently achieve better results by rapidly and successfully
adapting to a dynamic environment.
2. In groups choose the 3-4 most important strengths needed for the following jobs:
A. Teacher C. Marketing Manager
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
B. Bank Teller D. Art Director
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
______________________ _____________________
3. Choose one of the jobs in activity 2 and present the strengths you chose to the class
justifying your answers.
4. Answer the following questions about yourself:

ICDA 2018 19
What are your strengths? Why What are you good at?
should a company hire you?
What will make you a good employee?
5. In pairs ask and answer the questions on Activity 4.
Interview: Questions and Answer

1. Read these interview questions and analyze the examples of good and bad answers.
Question Example of a Good Answer Example of a Bad Answer
"Too long, talking too much about

"To the point, bringing in your strengths your personal life and not at all about
1. Tell us about yourself
and your work history." anything related to this job."
"I think it will challenge me. I enjoy this

2. Why do you want
kind of work. I think I would be good at "I think I will make more money."
this job?
this because ..."
"I will do a good job for you. I have the

3. Why should we hire
experience. I work really hard. I like a "I need this job"
you?
challenge and I like to learn new things"
"I think you are a good company. You do

4. Why do you want to
good work and I hear it's a nice place to "You are hiring people."
work for this company?
work."
"I have done a lot of phone work at my last

"I don't come in late. I don't get
5. What experience do three jobs. I have worked with computers
into fights. I don't steal. I don't
you have that relates to a
come to work drunk or high. That's
this job? lot at my current job. I also do data entry
about it"
and filing."
"I am hard to get along with.

"I work too hard sometimes and get too
7. What are your Sometimes I don't want to work
tired I expect that others will always do
weaknesses? hard, especially if I was out late the
as good a job as I will"
night before."
8. Tell about a
"I reorganized the filing system to make it "I figured out how to get the time
successful experience
more efficient." clock to not notice if I was late."
you had on a job.
9. Why did you leave

"I needed a new challenge" "I couldn't get along with them"
your last job?
10. Why do you want to "I have learned a lot there, and it is time "I think they are going to fire me
leave your current job? to move on" soon"
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11. Tell about a problem "I had a disagreement with my boss and
"I had a disagreement with my boss
you had at a job and we sat down, talked about it and worked
and I hit him."
what you did about it. it out."
"I would like to be working for this

13. What is your career company at a management level in five "I have no plan"
plan? years."
"I would like to be sitting on the other side

14. Where do you see of this table, having moved up in this "I don't know"
yourself in five years? company"
15. Do you have any "Is there much opportunity for growth "Do you think you are going to hire
questions for us? and training in this job?” me?"
2. Come up with your own good and bad answers in the following chart.
Here's a Tip: In every answer you should find a way to tell the interviewer something
3.
good about you.
Question Example of a Good Answer Example of a Bad Answer
1. Tell us about
yourself
2. Why do you want

this job?
3. Why should we hire

your?
4. Why do you want to

work for this
company?
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What experience do
you have that relates
to this job?
What are your

strengths?
What are your

weaknesses?
Tell about a
successful experience
you had on a job.
Why did you leave

your last job?
Why do you want

to leave your current
job?
Tell about a problem

you had at a job and
what you did about it.
Tell about a mistake

you made at work and
what would do
differently?
Where do you see

yourself in five years?
Do you have any

questions for us?
Tips for Job seekers D. Arrive on time for the interview and
prepared for success.
1. Discuss the following tips with your E. Make good first impressions to everyone
partner. you encounter.
F. Be authentic, upbeat, focused, confident,
How to succeed in a job interview candid and concise.
G. Remember body language, avoiding bad
A. Research on the employer, hiring
habits.
manager or job opportunity.
H. Ask insightful questions.
B. Review common interview
questions and prepare responses. C. I. Sell yourself throughout and close the
Dress for success. deal.
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J. Thank the interviewer in person or by
email.
2. Read the following questions and decide if they are questions that would be asked by the
employer E or the applicant A.
A. What salary do you expect?______ E. What did you study in school?_____
B. What salary do you offer?_______ F. What languages can you speak?_____
C. What is your work experience?_____ G. Is there a chance for promotion?_____
D. Where is it located?_____ H. What are the benefits? ___
The Interview
Here's a Tip: Take your time, if you need to. If a question surprises you, you can say "I need a minute
to think about that one." Don't make them wait forever, but it's okay to take a minute to get your
thoughts together.
1. Read the questions and choose 10-15 questions to prepare an interview.
The 31 Most Common Interview

Questions
1. Can you tell me a little about yourself? 19. What's a time you disagreed with a decision 2. How did
you hear about the position? that was made at work?
3. What do you know about the company? 20. How would your boss and co-workers describe
4. Why do you want this job? you?
5. Why should we hire you? 21. Why was there a gap in your employment?
6. What are your greatest professional strengths? 22. Can you explain why you changed career paths?
7. What do you consider to be your weaknesses? 23. How do you deal with pressure or stressful 8.
What is your greatest professional situations? achievement? 24. What would your first
30, 60, or 90 days look
9. Tell me about a challenge or conflict you've like in this role?
faced at work, and how you dealt with it. 25. What are your salary requirements?
10. Where do you see yourself in five years? 26. What do you like to do outside of work?
11. What's your dream job? 27. If you were an animal, which one would you 12. What other companies are you
interviewing want to be?
with? 28. How many tennis balls can you fit into a
13. Why are you leaving your current job? limousine?
14. Why were you fired? 29. Are you planning on having children?
15. What are you looking for in a new position? 30. What do you think we could do better or 16. What type
of work environment do you prefer? differently?
17. What's your management style? 31.Do you have any questions for us?
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18. What's a time you exercised leadership?
2. In pairs interview your partner using the questions you chose. Then switch roles.
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Work Ethics
1. With a partner discuss the following question:
A. What examples can you give of businesses behaving badly? Can you think of any types of behavior that
are unethical in the workplace?
B. Can you think of any specific examples of people who have behaved unethically? Do you think it is your
responsibility to report such behavior to management?
C. What are the consequences of corruption in your opinion?
How ethical are you?

1. In groups of 5 discuss the following situations:
1. You are an engineering office manager and one upper-level manager has repeatedly used the company
credit card for personal expenses. How do you handle the situation?
2. You're a candidate for hiring at a great company as a Purchasing Manager, but you plan to move across the
country in a year. Do you reveal that during the interview?
3. An employee casually reveals to you that he cheats on his wife. You're a manager in a different department.
The employee’s line manager is writing up a positive performance evaluation for this employee. Do you tell your co-
manager what you learned?
1. Working in HR, you have a position available in the marketing department. The position does not ideally suit the
needs of the candidate. Do you disclose all the information, or just disclose the information which would attract
the candidate?
Vocabulary
2. Look at these definitions and discuss them with your group.

Mission statement: a short statement of an organization's purpose, identifying the goal of its
operations: what kind of product or service it provides, its primary customers or market, and its
geographical region of operation.
Fraudulent: obtained, done by, or involving deception, especially criminal deception.
Whistle-blower: a person who exposes any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal,
unethical, or not correct within an organization that is either private or public.
Integrity: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.
Principled: (of a person or their behaviour) acting in accordance with morality and showing
recognition of right and wrong.
Accountability: the fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility.
Underhand: acting or done in a secret or dishonest way.
Reputable: having a good reputation.
3. Write a paragraph explaining one of the words in activity 2 and give examples.
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4. Complete the following questions with the words in activity 2. Then answer the questions
with your group.
1. If you owned your own company, and you found out one of your employees was doing something
_________________ (like taking credit for someone else’s work), what would you do?
2. Would you consider working for a company that had been convicted of ___________________
activities?
3. Do you think it’s possible to succeed in business with __________________, honesty and principles?
4. If your colleague wasn’t pulling their weight, and doing his/her fair share of the work, would you be
the ___________________________ and inform your boss?
5. How important is _______________________ to you in business and in your personal life? Are you
answerable to anyone?
6. If you had a company, what would the _________________________________ and goals be?
7. Would you rather pay more and work with a _________________________ company that has been
recommended, or would you pay less and work with a company you know nothing about?
8. Would you describe yourself as being ___________________________ and having high moral
standards?
5. Read the article.
5 Factors That Demonstrate a Strong Work Ethic

A strong work ethic is vital to a company achieving its goals. Every employee, from the CEO to entry-level workers,
must have a good work ethic to keep the company functioning at its peak. A work ethic is a set of moral principles an
employee uses in his job. Certain factors come together to create a strong work ethic.
Integrity
Integrity stretches to all aspects of an employee's job. An employee with integrity fosters trusting relationships with
clients, coworkers and supervisors. Coworkers value the employee's ability to give honest feedback. Clients trust the
employee's advice. Supervisors rely on the employee's high moral standards, trusting them not to steal from the
company or create problems.
Sense of Responsibility
A strong sense of responsibility affects how an employee works and the amount of work they do. When the employee
feels personally responsible for their job performance, they show up on time, put in their best effort and complete
projects to the best of their ability.
Emphasis on Quality
Some employees do only the bare minimum, just enough to keep their job intact. Employees with a strong work ethic
care about the quality of their work. They do their best to produce great work, not merely churn out what is needed.
The employee's commitment to quality improves the company's overall quality.
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Discipline
It takes a certain level of commitment to finish your tasks every day. Employees with good discipline stay focused on
their goals and are determined to complete their assignments. These employees show a high level of dedication to the
company, always ensuring they do their part.
Sense of Teamwork
Most employees have to work together to meet a company's objectives. An employee with a high sense of teamwork
helps a team meet its goals and deliver quality work. These employees respect their peers and help where they can,
making collaborations go smoother.
6. Answer true or false.

1. Building trust with clients and coworkers is part of having integrity. __________
2. When you have a sense of responsibility you don’t think it’s your responsibility to show up to work on time.__________
3. If you have a strong work ethics you care about the quality of the work you do.____________
4. Having a high level of dedication is a part of having a sense of responsibility._______________
5. An employee with good work ethics doesn’t think it’s necessary to work in together in teams to accomplish
objectives._________
You are the Judge

In groups of 5 you will read each case and decide who is right and who is wrong.
Case 1 – The Cosmetic Surgeon vs. Helen Hill

In 2007, Helen Hill went to a cosmetic surgeon and discussed the possibility of reducing the size of her nose. The plastic
surgeon told her that he would not only reduce the size of her nose, but make it look more harmonious with the rest of
her face. Helen went under the knife twice, but it looked much worse than her original nose. Helen sued the surgeon. Is
the surgeon guilty?
Case 2 – Club Villa vs. Stephanie Johnson

Stephanie Johnson was on a hen night with her friends from work. She had been drinking with her friends when she went
to the toilet. While washing her hands, she slipped and fell, chipping her two front teeth on the side of the sink. The
morning after she went to the dentist to get her tooth repaired and received a bill for £500. She sued Club Villa for
damages and demanded they pay the whole £500 Should Club Villa pay the whole £500 dentist bill?
Case 3 – Politically correct?

A woman walked into a courthouse in London, England in the 1970’s. The woman demanded to change her name as she
felt her current name wasn’t in keeping with women’s rights and social equality. Miss Mansfield, as she was called at the
time, wanted to change her name to Miss Womansfield. This, she argued, was more in keeping with her femininity. Is she
right to change her name? Case 4 – The noisy neighbour
One night, Mr James Martin went to bed at 10 o clock as he had a very important job interview the following morning. All
through the night, his neighbour, Scott Parker, played loud music. Despite repeated complaints from James to turn down
the music, it continued until 4 o clock in the morning. As a result, James had 2 hours sleep and didn’t get the job. He sued
his neighbour, claiming that the loud music prevented him from getting the job and demanded compensation. Should the
neighbour pay compensation to James Martin?
Case 5 – the dodgy dealer

Rachel Rodgers, a paralegal at a small firm in town, went to a second hand car dealer and enquired about a car with
power steering. The car dealer took Rachel for a test drive. Rachel bought the car, only to find out on the way home that
ICDA 2018 27
the power steering didn’t work properly. She tried to return the car but the dealer refused to take it back. She took the
case to court. Who would win the court battle, Rachel or the car dealer?
Asking for help

1. Discuss these questions with a partner
1. Is it difficult for you to ask for help?

2. Who do you usually ask for help?
3. In what situations do you ask for help?
2. Read the text and follow the instructions.
Many people find it difficult to ask for help or advice at work because they are afraid that this is a sign of weakness
or incompetence. We worry that our boss, or worse still, a junior colleague, may think we can’t do the job. But don’t
forget that our colleagues see the mistakes we make when we don’t understand or have too much work, and these
make us look incompetent. So it’s much better to ask for help. You can find a solution to your problems, and also
perform better. Just follow our simple guidelines.
Believe in yourself. It’s difficult to ask for help if you don’t feel very confident. Remember that asking for help shows
strength rather than weakness. You’re showing that quality is more important to you and you want the best for the
company.
Be clear. Give all the details when you explain the problem. Make sure you know exactly what you need to make the
situation better and say who you think is the best person to help you.
Ask the right person. Think about who can help you with your problem and don’t be afraid to ask colleagues. People
like to help and asking for and giving advice is a good way to build relationships.
Say thank you. The final step is to say thank you even if your colleague or co-worker doesn’t agree to help you.
3. Create a role-play conversation in which you ask for help using the guidelines
provided above.
Giving Feedback
1. Read the following quotes. Which one do you agree with most?
“I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what
you’ve done and how you could be doing it better.” – Elon Musk
“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.”
– Bill Gates
“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”

– Elbert Hubbard
2. Discuss the questions with a partner
ICDA 2018 28
1.Have you ever received feedback ? From who? In which situation? How did it make
you feel?
2. Have you ever given someone feedback? How did you feel?
3. Read the article about giving feedback. criticized my report in front of my boss" rather than "You
were insensitive yesterday."
Limit Your Focus

Giving Feedback Effectively
Try to Make It a Positive Experience A feedback session should discuss no more than two
issues. Any more than that and you risk the person feeling
Before giving feedback, remind yourself why you are doing attacked and demoralized.
it. The purpose of giving feedback is to improve the
situation or the person's performance. You won't You should also stick to behaviors he can actually change
accomplish that by being harsh, critical or offensive. or influence.
You'll likely get much more from people when your Talk About Positives Too
approach is positive and focused on improvement. That's
not to say feedback always has to be good, but it should A good rule is to start off with something positive. This
be fair and balanced. helps put the person at ease. It will also allow her to "see"
what success looks like and what steps she needs to take
Be Timely next time to get it right. Try to end on a high note, too.
Otherwise, they may be left feeling despondent and
The closer to the event you address the issue, the better. worthless.
Feedback isn't about surprising someone, so the sooner
you do it, the more the person will be expecting it. Think Provide Specific Suggestions
of it this way: it's much easier to provide feedback about a
single, one-hour job that hasn't been done properly than it Make sure you both know what needs to be done to
is to do so about a whole year of failed, one-hour jobs. Be improve the situation. The main message should be that
Specific you care and want to help the person grow and develop.
Set goals and make plans to monitor and evaluate his
Tell the person exactly what he needs to improve. This progress.
ensures that you stick to facts and there is less room for
ambiguity. Follow Up
If you tell someone that she acted unprofessionally, what The whole purpose of feedback is to improve performance.
does that mean exactly? Was she too loud, too friendly, You need to measure whether or not that is happening and
too casual, too flippant or too poorly dressed? then make adjustments as you go. Be sure to document
your conversations and discuss what is working and what
Remember to stick to what you know first hand: you'll needs to be modified.
quickly find yourself on shaky ground if you start giving
feedback based on other people's views.
Done properly, feedback need not be agonizing,
Criticize in Private
demoralizing or daunting, and the more practice you get
While public recognition is appreciated, public scrutiny is the better you will become at it. It may never be your
not. Establish a safe place to talk where you won't be favorite means of communicating with your team
interrupted or overheard. members, co-workers or your boss, but it does have the
potential to make your workplace a much more productive
Use "I" Statements and harmonious place to be.
Give feedback from your perspective . This way you avoid

labeling the person. Say, "I was angry and hurt when you
4. Work with a partner. Read the different ways of giving feedback 1-7 and based on what
you read on the article discuss whether A or B is better in each case. Explain why.
ICDA 2018 29
1. a. You work has been great - just fantastic.
b. I’ve been especially please with the way you’ve dealt with customers.
2. a. You should set an alarm when you need to remember an appointment.
b. I set an alarm when I need to remember an appointment. You might find that helpful, too.
3. a. I’m concerned about how much time you spend away from your desk, talking.
b. I think you spend too much time socializing instead of working.
4. a. I think your organization has room for improvement. What are your thoughts?
b. I think your organization is, frankly, pretty poor.
5. a. So, to summarize, we’re going to take the following steps to help you prioritize better…
b. So, to summarize, you haven’t prioritized well at all.
6. a. You always arrive really late for meetings.
b. You were ten minutes late for the meeting last Friday.
7. a. Why did you forget the meeting with the customer last week?
b. I understand that you missed a meeting with a customer last week. What happened?
. With your partner choose two of the following scenarios and role play giving each other
feedback.
⚫ Last week you missed your deadline for turning in a report.

⚫ A customer called back to complain about you being rude to them.
⚫ You are not completing your daily workload this week.
⚫ You have forgotten to confirm the customers addresses before shipping their orders so
a lot of orders are getting lost in the mail.
ICDA 2018 30
⚫ You were absent to work two times last week without notifying.
⚫ Your team is not following the call flow guideline.
⚫ You are taking extra time for your breaks.
Team Building
1. Think of at least two advantages and two disadvantages of working in teams.
2. For each category in this quiz, check the three statements that most apply to you. Then
check your results on page
What sort of team player are you?
Doers vs. Thinkers Details vs. Ideas Mind vs. Heart Planners vs.
Improvisers
a) I consider what I say. a) I often a) I like to think a) Meetings have

b) I contribute a lot in come up with logically. to be prepared for
discussions. unusual solutions. b) I keep emotions out carefully.
c) Action is more b) It's of decision-making. b) I like surprises.
important than reflection. important to be c) I avoid c) I hate time-
d) I listen to others realistic. confrontation. wasting at meetings.
before I say anything. e) c) People see d) I sometimes tread d) Too much time
Discussion gives me energy me as a creative on people's toes. can be spent on
and ideas. f) I don't say a lot person. e) Understanding preparation.
at meetings. d) I like people is as important as e) People say I'm
practical being right. a punctual person.
solutions. f) I care about other f) I need a
e) You people's feelings. deadline to get me
shouldn't going.
overlook details.
f) You shouldn't
get lost in details.
Quiz Scores
Score 1 point for each of the following answers: 18-24 points
Doer vs. Thinkers: a, d, f You are definitely the creative type. You value
Mind vs. Heart: a, b, d original ideas over detailed planning. You are
Details vs. Ideas: b, d, e likely to show consideration for others. You can
Planners vs. Improvisers: a, c, e get bored easily and sometimes need to be under
pressure to get results.
Score 2 points for each of the following answers:
Doers vs. Thinkers: b, c, e 12-17 points
Mind vs. Heart: c, e, f Clear thinking and careful planning are of great
Details vs. Ideas: a, c, f importance to you. You are not afraid of
Planners vs. Improvisers: b, d, f challenging others in order to get results. You are
likely to be ambitious and well organized.
ICDA 2018 31
3. Work in groups and compare your answers to Activity 2. Then discuss these questions
1. Do you think your group would make a good team, based on the results of the quiz? Why? /
Why not?
2. Does a team always need a leader, and if so, should a team change its leader regularly?
3. Does tension between team members make a team more effective?
How efficient are you?

1. Complete the efficiency tips with the following words and then add two other tips.
breaks work area track task in advance before
1.Finish every _______________ you start.
2. Plan your tasks for the week __________________.
3. Keep ________________ of the time you spend on every task.
4. Take _____________ every 90 minutes.
5. Keep your desk and __________________ organized.
6. Complete what you’re working on_________________ you start a new task.
7. ____________________________________________________________
8. ____________________________________________________________ 2. Discuss
with a partner which of the tips do you do? Which do you think you should do?
3. Read the article and put the sentences a-f in paragraphs 1-6.
a Most of us would see procrastination as a bad thing. b Slow Workers tell this old story: c Try this. d
In the short term, the human contact will send you back to your desk with a little more enthusiasm.
e But there is a growing movement that takes a different approach. f So, how can this help
productivity?
To get more work done - Slow down and procrastinate
ICDA 2018 32
“Time saving” inventions from the steam engine to the typewriter to the smartphone, have in fact sped up
work to unimaginable speed. Even by missing lunch and making ourselves available 24/7, it is impossible to
deal with all the emails and phone calls that just keep coming in, and the never-ending to-do list.
1._______ The Slow Movement, which evolved from a protest against the opening of a fast-food
restaurant in the historic centre of Rome, believes that in order to be more productive at work, we need to
slow down.
2._______ The next time you have a question for a colleague on the next floor, don't just send them a
quick email; instead, go and see them. Take your time, have a friendly chat and enjoy the trip.
3. _______ According to psychologist Dr Karin Wood, 'Slowing down gives you time to recover
from stress and keeps your body's immune system stronger, making you less likely to burn out early.'
4. _______ Maybe the chat and the change of environment, or even the fact of stopping work for
those few minutes, will let you see a problem from a different angle, and trigger a solution. How many
good ideas have you had when you are completely away from work, maybe jogging or in the shower?
5. _______ However, Slow Work introduces the concept of 'planned procrastination' as a tool to
boost effective work. The idea is not to make decisions deliberately until the last possible moment, in
order to maximize thinking time. Recent research has shown that top tennis players are the best not
because they move faster, but because they delay their decisions and make better choices.
6. _______ A farm worker was working cutting down trees, but every day he cut down fewer. When
the farmer asked him why, he said, “The axe isn't sharp anymore, but I can't stop to sharpen it - I'm too
busy cutting down trees”.
So give it a try: Slow down. Enjoy your work. Sharpen your axe.
5. Complete the sentences with a word or phrase from the text.
1 Most of us have a ________________ list of things we need to do.
2 A slower lifestyle is good for your __________________, some doctors believe.
3 We tend to have more ____________________ when we are not working.
4 If we give ourselves as much __________________, as possible, we make better decisions.
5 The story suggests we are often __________________ to think about how effectively we are working.
6. Discuss the questions with a partner.
• Do you think the advice in the article would work for you?
• How naturally well-organized are you?
• What habits do you have to help you keep productive?
ICDA 2018 33
• How do you stop procrastinating?
• What could you try to improve your productivity?
Customer Service
1. Discuss the following questions with a partner.
1. Do you remember when you had a bad experience with a store or business?
2. Would you go back to that store?
3. Would you recommend that store/company?
4. What would have made it a better experience?
2. In groups of 3 you will role play the following situations. Each group will have a
Customer, a Representative and an Observer.
The Customer and the Representative will choose one of the following situations to role play.
Customer
1.Your product didn’t arrive
2.The color is wrong
3.The product was broken
4.You changed your mind
Representative
1.Not paying attention to the customer
2.Trying to finish the conversation as soon as possible
3.Says they are going to help, but not really
4.Honestly wants to help the customer
5.Wants to chat instead of helping
The Observer will answer the following questions about the role play.
Observer
1. What emotions did the caller show at the start of the call?
2. Did the representative demonstrate Empathy, Patience, Attentiveness,

Tenacity, and an Open Mind?
3.What emotions did the caller show at the end of the call?
3. Switch roles until everyone has played each of the parts.
ICDA 2018 34
1. Read the article and Answer the following questions:

1. In lines 6-7, what is the meaning of “words count”?
ICDA 2018 35
2. In lines 13-14, what is the meaning of “signature phrase”?
3. In lines 25-26, what is the meaning of “a big deal”?
4. In line 36, what is the meaning of “not be left up to chance”?
5. Why is what you say important in customer service?
2. Read the following expressions and discuss in which situations would they be used.
1. “Happy to help!” 7. “Thanks for bringing this to our attention / for
2. "I understand how [blank] that must be." the heads up!”
3. "As much as I'd love to help..." 8. “I completely understand why you’d want
4. "Great question, I'll find that out for you!" that."
5. "Nice to meet you." 9. "I'd love to understand more about..."
6. "May I ask why that is?"
Skills of Customer Service

3. Read the following list of skills, discuss what they mean and decide which are the 5
most important ones for a Customer Service Representative.
Patience Acting Skills Tenacity
Attentiveness Time Management Skills Closing Ability
Clear Communication Skills Ability to "Read" Customers Willingness to Learn
Knowledge of the Product A Calming Presence
Ability to Use "Positive Ability to Handle Surprises
Language" Persuasion Skills
4. In your groups discuss in which work situations is each skill most needed. Explain
your answers to the class.
Selling your ideas in a meeting

1. Look at the tips for selling your ideas at a meeting. Discuss with a partner which is the most important.
1 Dress well and arrive slightly early 4 Express your ideas simply and clearly
2 Sell your ideas in advance 5 Speak quietly
3 Be prepared 6 Learn to interrupt
2. Read the text and match the tips in 1 with the explanations a—f.
Although meetings are the best opportunity to present new ideas, speaking out and getting heard in a
meeting are not always easy. The tips below give some ideas about how to do this more successfully.
_____ Make sure you know what happened in the meeting before this one.
______ People don't always react well to a completely new idea. Make sure that you talk to the most
important people about your ideas in advance of the meeting so they know what you're going to say.
______ Both these things will make you feel more confident. You can also take the opportunity to do some
more selling of your ideas before the meeting starts.
ICDA 2018 36
______ If you think that people aren't listening to you, it's a natural reaction to speak more loudly to get
their attention. However, it works better to do the opposite: speak more quietly and people will listen
harder.
______ It's not a good idea to interrupt too often during a conversation, but it is important to learn how to
do this during a meeting.
______ You can't sell people an idea that they can't understand. Learn to say what you mean as simply and
briefly as possible.
A good communicator
1. Think of a person you know you think is a good communicator. Explain why he/she is
good at communicating.
2. What makes a good communicator? Choose the three most important factors from
this list.
• fluency in the language • physical appearance
• an extensive vocabulary • an awareness of body language
• a sense of humour • not being afraid of making

mistakes
• grammatical accuracy
• no strong accent
• being a good listener
3. Discuss these questions.

1 What other factors are important for communication?
2 What forms of written and spoken communication do you like using? Why?
3 What problems can people have with the different forms of communication?
4 How do you think those problems can be solved?
4. Which of these words apply to good communicators and which apply to bad
communicators? Add two adjectives of your own to the list.
articulate extrovert hesitant rambling sensitive
coherent fluent inhibited reserved succinct
eloquent focused persuasive responsive vague
5. Which of the words in Exercise 4 have these meanings

1.concise _____________________
ICDA 2018 37
2.reluctant to speak _____________________
3.talking in a confused way ________________________
4.able to express ideas well ___________________________
5.clear and easy to understand ___________________________
6.good at influencing people __________________________
7.outgoing _______________________________
8.eager to react and communicate _________________________
6. Complete the extract below from a talk by a communication expert with the verbs from
the box.
clarify confuse digress engage explain

interrupt listen ramble
'Good communicators really (1) listen to people and take in what is said. They maintain eye contact
and have a relaxed body language, but they seldom (2) ______________________ and stop people talking.
If they don't understand and want to (3) _______________________something, they wait for a suitable
opportunity.
When speaking, effective communicators are good at giving information. They do not (4)
___________________ their listener. They make their points clearly. They will avoid technical terms,
abbreviations or jargon. If they do need to use unfamiliar terminology, they (5) __________________ by
giving an easy-to-understand example. Furthermore, although they may

(6) ________________________in order to elaborate a point and give additional information and
details where appropriate, they will not (7) ____________________ and lose sight of their main message.
Really effective communicators who have the ability to (8) _________________ with colleagues,
employees, customers and suppliers are a valuable asset for any business.'
Email: for and against
A.What irritates/irritated you most about these forms of communication?
emails cellphone conference calling voicemail BlackBerry web
presentation B. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using email?
D. Skim the article on the next page and choose the best title.
1 Time to switch your BlackBerry off
ICDA 2018 38
2 How to deal with your inbox
3 A quiet word beats sending email
.............................................................................. by Luke Johnson
E-mail might just be responsible for the productivity increases that economists tell us are the key to rising
prosperity. But it could also be sending us all mad.
The truth is that business is generally best done face to face, and if that is impossible, then speaking via the
phone. But too many of us now hide behind silent, typed communications. The trouble is that the recipient
of an email does not hear a tone of voice or see a facial expression: nor can the sender modify their
message halfway through, sensing that it is causing offence. When you read an email, you cannot tell the
mood of the emailer.
A permanent written form is deadly if you are feeling impetuous and emotional. Too often I have made the
mistake of sending an irritable response, which will have festered and angered the other end much more
than a difficult telephone exchange. Spoken words fade, but email is forever.
It is so much easier to be tough Via email, or to get away with weak excuses, or to make things up, or to
say no. Almost invariably, it is more human and serious to have a real discussion rather than a bizarre
online conversation. I know employees who have been fired for sending abusive emails, or who have faced
severe legal consequences for writing something they should have just said verbally.
Everyone in business finds their inbox almost swamped everyday with spam. I notice I spend longer and
longer sorting out the emails that matter from all the junk. It has become, I'm afraid, a dangerously
corrupted medium. Large companies suffer chronic overuse of 'reply to all'. Moreover, email can be a
terrible distraction, especially if you use a BlackBerry. I was recently reprimanded for peeking at mine
during a board meeting - a gross form of hypocrisy on my part, because I once threatened to sling out of
the window any PDA-type devices being used in meetings I chaired. I have now vowed to switch off both
BlackBerry and mobile in all meetings - anything less is uncivil. It must be admitted that email is hard to
beat as a transmitter of documents and data. It forces the sender to carefully think through their
arguments and express themselves logically. It allows you to reply swiftly to a host of different questions
when time is short. You don't have to worry about journey times or travel costs, unreliable postage or
engaged phones or voicemail. Email is a marvelously economical tool for keeping in touch with far-flung
commercial contacts; you can send them a note at your leisure. 24 hours a day. It is also a terrific method
of discreetly and directly pitching to someone powerful. It certainly beats trying to get a meeting or even
reach them on the phone. Like it or not, I could not do my job without email. Meanwhile, I know a senior
financier, an ex-chair of a FTSE company, who still has his secretary print out his emails for him to read so
he can then dictate replies for her to email back. Now that really is mad.
D. Read the article again and list the advantages and disadvantages of using email. Does the
writer mention any that you listed in Exercise B?
E. Find expressions in the article which mean the following.

1 looking at another person (paragraph 2) __________________________________
ICDA 2018 39
2 upsetting or embarrassing someone by being rude or tactless (paragraph 2)
________________________
3 not be caught or punished when you have done something wrong (paragraph 4) ____________________
4 pretend something is true in order to deceive people (paragraph 4) ____________________
5 keeping writing or talking to someone, even though you do not see them often (paragraph 8)
____________________
6 aiming an idea or product at someone (paragraph 8)_____________________
F. Complete this text with the expressions in Exercise E in the correct form.
I don't have a problem with him 1 ______________________ his family whilst he's posted overseas and
sending emails in office time. That's not the main issue. However, if he thinks he can 2
_________________ sending such abusive emails to colleagues, he is sadly mistaken and he'll have to face
the consequences of his actions later. He is clearly 3________________________ about his colleagues and
spreading nasty rumors. He'd be better off speaking to colleagues 4 _____________________ if he has
problems with them. He's slightly better when speaking with customers, but he needs to think about who
he's speaking to when he's 5 ____________________ our products to them. And he just doesn't know how
to say no to people without 6 ________________________. G. Discuss these questions.
1 'Business is best done face to face.' Do you agree?
2 How could communication be improved in your organization?
3 How will communication change in the office of the future?
4 What do you do when you receive a nasty email?
5 Is communication better these days with all the new technology?
Writing email
1.Ask Ss How are emails and letters similar? and How are letters and emails different? Add your answers in
the Venn diagram.
ICDA 2018 40
emails letters
2. Number the parts of the email in the correct order.
a. greeting ______ d. signature ______ g. subject line ______

b. closing ______ e. recipient ______ h. signoff ______
c. sender ______ f. main body ______ i. opening ______
3. Choose one of the situations below and write an email. You can use the phrases from the “useful
phrases” in your email.
Your order from Rallmart arrived six days late last week and when it did arrive two items were missing.
Email the company.
⚫ complain about the lateness
⚫ explain when it happened
⚫ ask for a quick response
b. You’ve had serious computer problems email the IT technician, Thomas Singh, to tell him about the
problem, using the notes below
⚫ yesterday/ memory stick/ not work/ files/ not open/ “corrupt message”
c. You work for a company that makes digital cameras. Your colleague, norman.lee@opticlite.com, is
going to a tech fair, where he’ll see your main competitors latest product for the first time - the Konia Max
N7. Send Norman an email telling him:
ICDA 2018 41
⚫ why you can’t go to the fair
⚫ what you need to know about the camera: Cost, Size, Weight, Number of megapixels, speed, what
memory card, type of battery and when on sale
⚫ when and how to contact you
4. Exchange your email with a partner and reply to their email.
Making Mistakes
1. Read the quotes about mistakes and discuss with your group: which quote do you
identify with the most? Is there any you disagree with? What advice would you give
someone who has made a mistake at work?
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried something new.” -Albert Einstein
“Your best teacher is your last mistake.” Ralph Nader
“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent
doing nothing.” George Bernard Shaw
“The proactive approach to a mistake is to acknowledge it instantly, correct it and learn

from it.” Stephen Covey
2. Read the article about what to do when you make a mistake.

How To Bounce Back From A Big Mistake
Everybody makes mistakes. But the true measure of a man -- or woman -- is how he recovers. Six tips on
bouncing back gracefully.
By John Caddell
“Mistakes are the portals of discovery,” James Joyce once said. It may be hard to remember this if
you were the guy who incorrectly rerouted some network traffic on Amazon’s Web Services
environment, causing the outage that took down the whole network for nearly 24 hours earlier this
year.
While your mistakes probably won’t disable thousands of websites, it is in your best interest to limit
the damage from a mistake and, most importantly, learn all you can from it.
Here are a few tips on how to effectively bounce back — and grow stronger — when you make a
bad call: It’s too bad if circumstances were against you, or
somebody you counted on failed you, or you just had a
1. Own your mistake. bad day. According to Justin Menkes’ wonderful book
Better Under Pressure, truly great leaders don’t blame
ICDA 2018 42
others when things go wrong. They instead have a them. What can you do differently? This may be
high “sense of agency,” which is “the degree to easier to do when some time has passed,
which people attribute their circumstances and the especially if the mistake and its aftermath were
outcomes they experience to being within their own particularly painful or embarrassing. Consider
control.” former US Secretary of Defense Robert S.
McNamara. Widely vilified for his role in the
2. Fix it if you can, and tell your leader. Vietnam War, it took him 30 years before he wrote a
memoir, In Retrospect, in which he finally came to
Don’t be a “quiet fixer.” Mistakes often have side terms with the consequences of his decisions.
effects, and pretending that it didn’t happen is
dangerous. In an interview, former Toyota 5. Address the root cause.
chairman Katsuaki Watanabe stated, “Hidden
problems are the ones that become serious threats If you systematically reflect on mistakes, you will
eventually. If problems are revealed for everyone to realize there are patterns in your performance that
see, I will feel reassured. Because once problems contribute to these errors. And once you realize
have been visualized, even if our people didn’t that, you are well on the way to fixing that pattern.
notice them earlier, they will rack their brains to find
solutions to them.” 6. Share what you learned.
3. Apologize to anyone affected. In some environments, this sharing can be a

lifesaver. In her research on learning in hospitals,
Make it a real apology. (“I’m sorry I caused your Amy Edmondson of Harvard University discovered
group all that downtime”), not something lame and that the highest-performing nursing units had
self-protective (“I wish it hadn’t happened”). reported the largest number of mistakes. Not
because they made more mistakes, but because
4. Reflect on the mistake. they felt safe to report and share the ones they did
make.
Think about what caused it, and what you did
that contributed to the situation. You can’t learn ***
anything from external factors, so forget about
Adopting these practices may not make mistakes any less embarrassing, but it will help prevent disasters
and ensure that you don’t make the same mistake twice. And won’t that allow you to sleep a little easier?
3. Discuss these questions in groups. Think about a time you
made a mistake.
a) What did you do? d) Which one do you think is most

b) What did you learn from your important?
mistake? e) Which one will you take into account?
c) Which of the tips do you already do?
4. In pairs discuss what you would do on each situation step by

step.
⚫ You placed an order for an item that is not available. It’s been three days and the
customer called to ask on the status of the order.
⚫ Your colleague asked you to help them with a sales report for product A they have due
on Friday. You sent them all the information for product B. Today is Thursday.
ICDA 2018 43
⚫ You have a big presentation on a meeting with a potential client for your company.15
minutes before the meeting you realize you have the wrong presentation with you.
⚫ Your colleague has made a sales report with the information for the wrong product.
Coping with Stress

1.Read the tips for coping with stress.
Track your stressors. Keep a journal for a week or two to identify which situations create the most stress
and how you respond to them. Record your thoughts, feelings and information about the environment,
including the people and circumstances involved, the physical setting and how you reacted. Did you raise
your voice? Get a snack from the vending machine? Go for a walk? Taking notes can help you find patterns
among your stressors and your reactions to them.
Develop healthy responses. Instead of attempting to fight stress with fast food or alcohol, do your best to
make healthy choices when you feel the tension rise. Exercise is a great stress-buster. Yoga can be an
excellent choice, but any form of physical activity is beneficial. Also make time for hobbies and favorite
activities. Whether it's reading a novel, going to concerts or playing games with your family, make sure to
set aside time for the things that bring you pleasure. Getting enough good-quality sleep is also important
for effective stress management. Build healthy sleep habits by limiting your caffeine intake late in the day
and minimizing stimulating activities, such as computer and television use, at night.
Establish boundaries. In today's digital world, it's easy to feel pressure to be available 24 hours a day.
Establish some work-life boundaries for yourself. That might mean making a rule not to check email from
home in the evening, or not answering the phone during dinner. Although people have different
preferences when it comes to how much they blend their work and home life, creating some clear
boundaries between these realms can reduce the potential for work-life conflict and the stress that goes
with it.
Take time to recharge. To avoid the negative effects of chronic stress and burnout, we need time to
replenish and return to our pre-stress level of functioning. This recovery process requires “switching off”
from work by having periods of time when you are neither engaging in work-related activities, nor thinking
about work. That's why it's critical that you disconnect from time to time, in a way that fits your needs and
preferences. Don't let your vacation days go to waste. When possible, take time off to relax and unwind, so
you come back to work feeling reinvigorated and ready to perform at your best. When you're not able to
take time off, get a quick boost by turning off your smartphone and focusing your attention on non-work
activities for a while.
Learn how to relax. Techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises and mindfulness (a state in
which you actively observe present experiences and thoughts without judging them) can help melt away
stress. Start by taking a few minutes each day to focus on a simple activity like breathing, walking or
enjoying a meal. The skill of being able to focus purposefully on a single activity without distraction will get
stronger with practice and you'll find that you can apply it to many different aspects of your life.
ICDA 2018 44
Talk to your supervisor. Healthy employees are typically more productive, so your boss has an incentive
to create a work environment that promotes employee well-being. Start by having an open conversation
with your supervisor. The purpose of this isn't to lay out a list of complaints, but rather to come up with
an effective plan for managing the stressors you've identified, so you can perform at your best on the job.
While some parts of the plan may be designed to help you improve your skills in areas such as time
management, other elements might include identifying employer-sponsored wellness resources you can
tap into, clarifying what's expected of you, getting necessary resources or support from colleagues,
enriching your job to include more challenging or meaningful tasks, or making changes to your physical
workspace to make it more comfortable and reduce strain.
Get some support. Accepting help from trusted friends and family members can improve your ability to
manage stress. Your employer may also have stress management resources available through an employee
assistance program (EAP), including online information, available counseling and referral to mental health
professionals, if needed. If you continue to feel overwhelmed by work stress, you may want to talk to a
psychologist, who can help you better manage stress and change unhealthy behavior.
2. In groups discuss: How do you cope with stress?, Which things from the reading do you
do?, Which do you think is best for dealing with stress? Why?, Which are you going
to start doing?
3. As a group write 3 new tips for dealing with stress. Present them to the class.
ICDA 2018 45

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Instituto Cultural Dominico Americano - English Immersion Program

Advanced 1 Business Training

Name: Lucas Dubois

Name: Madison Crusoe

Name: Lucas Dubois

Generally, a resume is much shorter in length compared

3.Read about what to include in your resume.

⚫ Bank of America – 2012-2018

Oklahoma City Community College – 2015-2018

Skills Languages : English (Native)

Software : Adobe Illustrator

4. Look at the example of John Doe’s Resume.

⚫ (company) ________________________________________ – (years) _______________________________

⚫ (company) ________________________________________ – (years) _______________________________

Education ⚫ (Institution) ________________________________________ – (years) _______________________________

⚫ (Institution) ________________________________________ – (years) _______________________________

Skills Languages : (Language)____________________ (Level) (_____________)

________________________________________ (your name) Telephone number

GOOD EMAIL LETTER FORMAT TO USE:

Dear (Name Withheld),

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Dear sir/madam Sincerely, Why you are writing

Hi John, Best Regards I’m writing to you to follow up on

Accountant banking law the media medicine politics teaching

Networking is all about finding lots of useful business contacts.

Networking with business contacts is insincere and manipulative.

Online social networking is as useful as face-to-face networking.

Networking involves getting lots of help from others

1 We have enough friends and contacts. (already)

2 You have more than 150 close contacts. (probably)

3 The dilemma is how to leverage existing contacts. (successfully)

7 High-level networking is a face-to-face activity. (primarily)

for recent graduates to build their personal networks.

Customer Service Representative Network Administrator bank teller Uber driver

5. Read the text again and complete Polly's job description.

Money Working Hours Benefits Hiring and Firing Personal Profile

salary part-time pension employ qualifications

pay lay off

The right person for the Job

2. You need a degree to get a job. _________

3. You have to wear formal clothes. _________

4. If you are offered a drink you must say yes. _________

5. You should ask a lot of questions. _________

6. You should take every opportunity to highlight your skills._________

When the interview started he greeted the interviewer with a strong

Characteristics of the “design” workplace strength:

Characteristics of the “build” workplace strength:

Characteristics of the “operate” workplace strength:

B. Bank Teller D. Art Director

4. Answer the following questions about yourself:

Interview: Questions and Answer

Question Example of a Good Answer Example of a Bad Answer

"Too long, talking too much about

"I think it will challenge me. I enjoy this

"I will do a good job for you. I have the

"I think you are a good company. You do

"I have done a lot of phone work at my last

"I am hard to get along with.

9. Why did you leave

"I would like to be working for this

"I would like to be sitting on the other side

good about you.

Question Example of a Good Answer Example of a Bad Answer

⚫ (company) __________ – (years) _

⚫ (company) __________ – (years) _

Education ⚫ (Institution) __________ – (years) _

⚫ (Institution) __________ – (years) _

Skills Languages : (Language)________ (Level) (_)