Business English " Small talk"

In Business not all the time are we talking about finances, and how the business is going.  There are situations that you need to speak with colleagues "small talk."  This could be when you are in an elevator with a colleague, or right before a meeting begins.  You need to be open to these opportunities because they can help you build a business relationship that can come in handy when you meet with that person in a business context.

Key Terms - these can be subjects that you can talk about with colleagues
The weather
Political news
Health news
News that affects your business
The next big holiday coming up
The holiday that just past
Your last vacation
Your next vacation
Your kids' event, i.e. first day at school, graduation
The upcoming meeting
Your hobbies
The traffic
Sports
Holidays


Add more subjects to this list!



Questions:
Job 
What is your job? 
Do you like your job? 
Why did you choose this field?
Which part of your education helped you the most? 
What is your daily routine at work? 
How do you deal with your co-workers? 
How do you deal with a co-worker who you don't like? 
Do you like your Boss? 
How do you deal with criticism at work? 
How do you know that you are effective at work?
Which type of office plan do you like the best? Open space or offices for each worker? 

Meetings
When was the last time you had to speak with a colleague while waiting for a meeting to begin?
What do you usually speak about?
How well do you know that person?
How long do you usually speak in this context?
Hobbies
What is your favorite hobby? 
Why did you choose this hobby? 
When did you start doing this? 
Family 
Who are you closest in your family?
Which is more important to you, your family or friends? 
How can family members help each other more? 
How often do you have contact with family overseas? 


Case Study
You are in the elevator with a colleague whom you don't know well.  You are on a business news site on your smartphone.  Play the scene with your teacher or a colleague.  You can relate to the news that you read on your smartphone, the weather or something that is going to happen at work.

Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach, Professional English 

Teacher 

The History of Amazon English conversation

Ever wondered who started Amazon? Well, not until I read this short article did I really know the history of this business even though I actually have written and have for sale books on Amazon!

 Read and prepare this link. There are many exercises on here, do as many as you can to see what you understand!
http://www.businessenglishmaterials.com/amazon.html

Vocabulary
garage
retailer
popularizing
diversified
popular ranges of goods
cleverly
a huge share
teamed up
minimal packaging
an innovative leader
commerce

Questions
Who started Amazon.com?  
When did he start Amazon?
Why is Amazon so successful?
When did Amazon start selling other products than books? 
Do you buy products on-line? 
Have you ever bought from Amazon? 
If so, were you satisfied with your purchase? 
Do you think that Amazon would take back a product if you didn't like it? 
What can be improved about the Amazon website? 





Here is your English teacher's mini-site on Amazon!http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Alice-Orbach/e/B00A21JOVI

6 ways Journalists can use press releases

When you are starting out as a journalist, you have to learn how to write effectively. This is a different type of writing than what is taught in school, Is  |"Truth in the news" still the norm, or not?

Read this post and discuss it with your English teacher
http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/writing/181207/6-ways-journalists-can-use-press-releases-effectively/


Key Terms
verbatim
 released
 minimal editing
attribution
plagiarism
newsrooms
 traditional reporting skills
fact-check the information
paraphrase
 raise questions
 transparent
newsworthy
 time-sensitive
hoax
analysis
my beat


Questions
Do you believe in the news from social media? 
What makes a press release important? 
What things do you look for in a press release? 
How do you know they they are telling the truth? 
How often do you follow the news? 
Do you write for a blog, or other newspaper? 
Do you think that letters to the Editor are effective? 
What type of news do you like? 




Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English Teacher 

Open Plan Offices or Closed Plan Offices; That is the Question!

When you are setting up your corporate space, you need to decide whether to have your employees sit out in the open, or in cubicals, or offices. This article gives guidelines to business leaders how to plan their space.



http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-06-16/open-plan-offices-for-people-who-hate-open-plan-offices#r=hpt-ls

Key Terms
introvert
retiring
 opt for 
energy-sapping distractions
electrifying ideas
gregarious extroverts
struck a chord
 rankling bullpen offices
decompression or focused work
outfitted
prying eyes and ears
 team-based brainstorming
rejuvenation
 misanthrope
 paradoxes 
negative implications
hidden financial cost


Questions
What type of office do you work in? 
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? 
Which time of day do you do your best work? 
What type of office would you want to work in? 
Which one of these rooms mentioned in the article is your favorite? 
Which one would you go to most? 
Where would you hold a meeting? 
Where would you go to take a break? 
Would your company change to this type of office styles? 


Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English teacher 

Seven Customer Retention Strategies that work - Busiiness English Lesson plan

It has been said that returning customers are the lifeblood of a business. But how can a small business do this?  Large companies can buy CRM software (Customer Retention Management) but small companies may not have the time to imput all the data, and then to carry out the complicated tasks that  it recommends.  Well, here is a blog post that is a bit long, but it is worth reading and implementing at least a few of these strategies. 

http://blog.clientheartbeat.com/customer-retention-programs/

Key Terms
retain
reduce churn
serious stat
engaged customers 
Proactive service
anticipatory
exceeding customer expectations
under-delivered
 ‘at risk’ customers


Questions
What type of company can use these strategies? 
Which ones have you used in the past? 
Which one can help you and your company in the future?  
How can you or your company impliment a new program? 
How can the different departments learn how to work together? 
What type of experience do you have with customer surveys? 
Do customers really tell the truth while filling out surveys? 
How many of your customers are repeat customers? 
How many are first time customers? 
How do you suggest to retain more customers? 




Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English Teacher 

Get Rid of Income Taxes! Business English Lesson

Can the United States be brave? Brave enough to get rid of Income Taxes and have a Neutral Tax? Income taxes came into the picture to help fianance the Civil war in 1862 - Long article about the history of taxation

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005921.html




So now that there are taxes on almost everything, do we really need an income tax? Can't sales taxes be raised to cover everthing? It would be more fair, as the rich buy more than the poor so they should have to pay more tax.




This article here has a lot of interesting things to discuss with your English teacher

http://www.ozy.com/immodest-proposal/get-rid-of-income-taxes/39290





Key Terms

floorboards
foundation
demo squad
sewer
libertarian organization
conservative activists
tax code
loopholes
economic behavior
supporting economic growth
fairness and redistribution
baroque
dirty little secret
minimal effect
revenue
obscure
underhanded
ultimately
ineffective
simple,
transparent
broadly based
tax expenditures
discretionary budget
subsidize
apple-pie stuff
preferential
contradictory incentives
deductions
penalize work and savings
“purple” tax system
consumption
a few offsets
Presto
slaughter of a thousand sacred cows
immersed
incremental change
special provisions


Questions What is the problem with the American Tax code according to this site? 
What needs to change? 
How does the majority of tax get colleted? 
Who pays the most tax? 
Which income group does the current tax system hurt the most? 
How can this be fixed according to the authors? 
What is the liberal standpoint? 
What is the conservative standpoint? 
How is tax collected in your country? 
Do most of the people say it is fair? 
Do you prepare your taxes yourslelf? 
What happens when you are late with your taxes?


Lesson plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English Teacher 

Data Science or Statistics? A new name for an old art? Business English

The word statistics brings up old and boring long lists of numbers to mind. Data Science on the other hand is new and exciting! Are they the same, or is Data Science really a new way of dealing with data?
This is a very long wikipedia article that just scratches the surface of Data Science,  Read it and discuss it with your English teacher.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_science
There are too many key terms to list here.  Sorry!

Questions
What is the difference between Data Science and Statistics?
Which one is more useful?
Are there situations that you would choose one or the other?
Which problems does each solve?
What tools do you use in Data Science?
Which tools do you use in Statistics?
What are the requirements to become a Statistician?
What are the requirements to become a Data Scientist?
Which will give you the big picture?
How do you come to a decision using Data Science?
What is Big Data?
How is that used in Data Science?
What questions does Big Data answer?






Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach -Professional English Teacher

Do you end your workday at 6:00pm Really? Business English

The French really do end their workday at 6:00pm. They don't look at their business e-mails, and go out and enjoy themselves.  Do you?  Can you?  I know that I can't.  I have to always be on the lookout for a new lesson to confirm.

Read this article and discuss it with your English teacher
http://www.theguardian.com/money/shortcuts/2014/apr/09/french-6pm-labour-agreement-work-emails-out-of-office

Key Terms
clock off
 workers' unions
consultancy sectors
malevolent intrusion
pallid
cowering
scurry about
recession-based
continentals
cowed
staring down the barrel
sipping


Questions
What is the main idea of this text?
How many hours do the French work a week?
What has to happen after 6pm? 
How much power does the boss to get his workers to work overtime? 
What is the minimum work week in your country? 
How do you deal with the pressure to always stay connected to work? 
What type of work-related duties do you do at home? 
How often do you take work home?
Are you as efficient when you take the work home? 
Do you get compensated for the hours that you work at home?
Are you jealous of the French that they have 35 hour work week? 
Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English teacher 

If you want to succeed. . . Be more Empathetic - English Conversation, Business English

English Conversation lesson about how to succeed in Business. 

It might go against the grain, but one way to succeed is to be always thinking about what not only what your boss want, but also to understand the problems your colleagues are going through.  This can happen only when you are empathetic. Then everyone can pull together as a team. 


Read, and discuss this article with your English Conversation Teacher. 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-want-succeed-more-empathetic-bruce-kasanoff

Key Terms 
empathy
subordinate
colleague
boss 
to make a difference
an entrepreneur
sell more effectively
very idea of selling
preparation and focus
colleague
disabled child
parent in decline
disinterested
lack of empathy
out-of-sight, out-of-mind trap
to check in regularly
 retrospect
 off the cuff

Questions 
What is the main idea of this article? 
Who do you need to understand the most?
What three points can you understant about empathy?
How can you spot successful person? 
What does a successful person do that other people don't? 
Why is speaking off the cuff not successful?
How can you show empathy to your colleagues?  Customers?
Do you feel that  you are an empathetic person? 
What actions do you do to help your colleagues? 
Is empathy important in your company? 
Is there a way that you can influence your co-workers to be more empathetic?


English Conversaton Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach Professional English Teacher

Five things that Successful People do before going to bed

Business English Conversation lesson.  Another way to give yourself a boost to succeed in business.  

If you are a freelancer, then the line between work and home is blurred.  So in order to have your next day get off on the right foot, you need to have a routine before going to bed. 

Read this short article and be prepared to discuss it with your English Teacher 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhigh/2015/02/16/five-things-successful-people-do-before-they-go-to-bed/

Key Terms 
quell
ensure
 burn the candle at both ends
overall
decompress
prodigiously
disruptive 
counter-intuitive
 playing in their heads
prioritize
thoughts appear to “pop”
cognitive precursors
simmering
condoned

Questions
According to the article, what is the most important thing you can do? 
What did the author learn from the book "The Giving Tree?"  https://archive.org/stream/TheGivingTree/The_Giving_Tree_djvu.txt
How is that different from the lesson that children learn from the book? 
How does planning for the next day help the night before?
Some people plan their day while they are getting ready to go home, which do you do.
What types of things do you get ready for the next day? 
When do you plan your next day?  
What types of books do you read for pleasure?
Which type of books do you like to read, paper or e-book?
Do you read those books at night?
Where do you put your cell phone?  
Do you turn it off at night? 
Do you agree with the last point, that you need 7 hours a night?
How many hours of sleep do you get every night? 
Do you sleep enough?



Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English teacher 

How to give a great presentation! Business English

Business English Conversation lesson.  How you give a presentation is as important as the content!

How you give a presentation is as important as what information you wish to present.  Make sure that you know your data and that you are well prepared with the correct dress and body language.  Presenters from all parts of business need to learn these rules and strive to present even dry data in an interesting way!

Read this article and be prepared to discuss it with your English teacher
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20150223-secrets-of-the-perfect-speech

Key Terms
make a name for themselves
Congressional Medal of Honour
a slap in the face
 a higher calling
impassioned address
fiery 
righteous indignation
exemplifies
emotional involvement
strong narrative
introduction
narrative
 argument
refutation 
summation
recitation
constructive feedback
motivational speaker
freshest version
routine 

Questions
How many presentations do you need to give at your job
How do you prepare for them?
Why does the article say not to rely too much on PowerPoint slides?
What do you do if you see your audience is not interested in your presentation?
If you have to give a presentation about last quarter's sales, how can you give life to the data?
Tell me about a good speech that you recently heard. 
What made it different from other speeches?
How do you get over being nervous before giving a presentation?


Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach-Professional English Teacher 

Habits of Successful people - Business English Conversation

Business Conversation Lesson about how to organize your morning to be successful.

Everyone has daily habits to help them get up and running in the morning.  I usually get up with a vibrating alarm clock that is under my pillow.  I pet the cat and then get the children out of bed and out to school.   I don't sit down to eat until at least 7:30, but to get some energy I squeeze and orange and a lemon and drink it.  'Then after the kids are our, I get down to business.

Read this article to find out what hugely successful people do

https://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/post/107909981712/6-daily-habits-of-hugely-successful-people

Key Terms

 striking 

 retail outlet

pave the way

maximize productivity

, effectiveness

success

catapult 

 distractions 

resources,

sneaky 

undermine 

mental clarity

 nuisances 

up to par

recharge

blast of energy

 one fell swoop

visualize

like a breeze

work burnout

 eliminates stress

peak performance 

less-pressing tasks

trivial

Questions 

Which of these habits seems to you the most important? 

How do you start your day? 

How focused are you at work? 

If you work in open space, how can you reduce distractions? 

Do you get enough rest? 

How can you get more if you don't get enough rest one night? 

What is your morning ritual? 

How much time does it take you to get ready in the morning? 

Do you have an evening ritual? 

How do you decide what needs to be done for the next day? 

What activities do you do to "take care of yourself?"

How much time do you give yourself to do these things? 

How do you budget your time? 

Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English Teacher 

China opens Shanghai Stock Market to Hong Kong - Business English

Business English lesson about the Stock market in China.  

The Stock Exchange in China is about to become much more interesting for investors.  In the past, investors had to choose to invest either in the Shanghai Exchange or Hong Kong. Now, however they might be able to invest in one, and be able to trade stocks in the other. 

Read or listen to  this article and discuss it with your English teacher 
Ihttp://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/china-opens-stock-market-to-hong-kong/2523750.html


Key Terms 
securities 
breakthrough
milestone
gateway
stocks listed 
quota
scheme
capitalization
limited reform measure
capital account
shareholders


Questions
According to the text, what is the advantage of this change? 
How would this open the financial market of China?
Where do most international investors put their money? 
Where do most Chinese investors put their money? 
What limits would investors have to abide by? 
Why does the stock market need these limits?
Why does China want to have international investors?
Do you invest in stocks?  Why or why not? 
What percentage of money should be in stocks?  Bond?  Money Market account? 
Would you take advantage of this new stock market, why or why not?  





Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English Teacher 

Five ways that you are gambling with your money Business English

Financial money management is very important.  This article suggests that the way your deal with your credit cards can be very risky.  The way you take a mortgage can  also effect how much money you will pay back.


http://news.yahoo.com/5-ways-youre-gambling-money-142836370.html

Key terms
standing order
utility bills
expenses
income
monthly budget
deferred debit
immediate debit
debit card
credit card
interest
warranty
adjustable mortgage
fixed-rate mortgage
gamble
withdraw money
postal bank
fees


Questions
Do you have a month budget?
What do you do if you spend more than you make?
What do you do if you have an emergency and need to cover the expense?
What type of loans do you take?
Have you ever borrowed from your credit card?
What type of credit card plan do you have?
What type of large appliances have you bought?
Did you ever buy the extended warranty?
Have you ever fallen for any of these "gamboling" schemes?
Do you set aside money and put in a savings account?





Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English Teacher 

Do you Hate your job? Here's what to do - Business English lesson

Does going to work give you a headache?  Is your work just so boring that you could scream?  Well, it doesn't have to be that way.  Here are tips you can follow to help you make the best of a bad situation, or even turn it around. 

Read this article and be prepared to speak about it with your English teacher 
http://time.com/3630839/hate-your-job/

Key Terms
verge 
The old adage
throw in the towel 
job lined up
employed significant other
physically/emotionally abusive
crucial addition
flexible work schedule
pursuing
career changers
career niche
first point of contact
informal informational interviews 
coffee meetings

Questions
What do you like about your job?  
What do you dislike? 
What can be changed?
Do you have enough money saved up so that you can quit?
Do you really hate your job or is it just the circumstances surrounding it?
What could you change about your job if you could?
In this economic crisis is it really sensible to change your company right now?
Are there other jobs in your industry available? 

What can you do to make your current job better? 

Who can you speak to? 

Are there parts of your job that you really like? 

Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English Teacher 

 

Russia's economy is on the verge of collapse !

Putin has worked for the past 15 years to stabilize the Russian economy, but now it seems to be on the verge of collapse as investors are losing hope and moving their money elsewhere, even to Japan!
In order to stem the tide, the Central Bank of Russia has raised interest rates.  Is this going to be enough?

Read this webpage and be prepared to discuss it with your English teacher!

http://www.journalgazette.net/news/world/Russia-steered-to-economic-crisis-4043471

predicated 
acquiescence
devoid
extraordinary development
held mostly steady
sharp interest rate hike
deep recession
 options
worsened living standards
inevitably rise
poverty
 imported goods
financial meltdown
tactics
defaulted on debts
 hyperinflation
wiped out
 buoyed by 
 economic stability
easing of sanctions
 constructive choices
 cease-fire






Questions
What is this article about in general?
What does raising the interest rate do?
Why did the Central Russian Bank raise the interest rates?
What is the problem when the dollar - ruble exchange rate changes too fast?
Is Putin still popular in Russia right now?
What is he doing to avert the crisis?



Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English Teacher

Couple 'fined" 100 Sterling for bad review on a website! Business English

Business runs on good referrals and satisfied customers.  I even heard in a store here in Jerusalem yesterday the maxim "The customer is king!"   This was very heartwarming, as I come from a business background of customer service at JCPenney, where I trained sales people to give good customer service.  But this incident of bad service shocked and surprised me. 

Read this article and discuss it with your English teacher 
http://news.sky.com/story/1376057/couple-fined-100-by-hotel-for-bad-review 
Watch the video as well. 

Key Terms 
fined
muppets
accommodation
to charge
booking document 
scrap the policy 
public protection 
come across
out of the ark 
fortnight
integrity
run a hoover
didn't expect the Ritz

Questions 

What is your definition of good customer service? 
Does this vary according to which industry?
How could this hotel have provided better customer service, without spending lots of money? 
What do you think about their policy of adding 100 Pounds if people write a negative review? 
What happens if you receive faulty goods or bad service?
Do you complain or write a negative review?
Tell me about a time that you wrote a complaint letter about bad goods or services.  What happened? 
What did you mention in your complaint?
Do you feel we all have the right to complain without reprisals?
What do you think about this couple who went to the business websites to advertise the bad service that they received? 
How should have the hotel respond to this complaint? 
What is Trip Advisors'  policy about bad service? 
Have you used Trip Advisor's to see hotel ratings? 
Do you feel that the comments are fair? 
How do you deal with an angry customer? 
Has the level of customer service risen or fallen since the economic crisis?
Has the quality of goods risen or fallen recently? 
Are there still "Premium" customers?  Do they care about price? 
What do you think about price controls? 






Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach - Professional English teacher