Make new business contacts

1 | Make new business contacts • Unit 2 ©2020 Berlitz Languages, Inc.

In this lesson you will ...

Make new business contacts

Vocabulary & Expressions Language Focus

business contactto get to know someoneto love (= to like very much)I’m not familiar with (that).I’m happy to hear that!to make a connection

I don’t understand.What does … mean?You are speaking too fast.Could you speak more slowly?I didn’t catch that.

Idioms: to touch base, to give someone a buzz, to shoot someone an email

Greet students, review previous lesson and homework.

Review key points from previous lesson, check any assigned homework, and check for questions.

Set customized Speaking Goal. Present, as needed: business contact / to get to know someone

Dictionary: Do you only know people at your company? [N] Do you know

people at other companies? in your business? in other businesses? → your

business contacts

When you first meet a new colleague, do you talk? Do you ask about what

he likes / doesn’t like? where he worked? family? → get to know him

Ask questions to find out about students’ needs and experiences.

How do you make new business contacts? When you first meet new

contact, what do you talk about? How do you get to know them better?etc.

Set a customized speaking goal. For example: Our goal is to make a new contact and get to know him / her better. Write the goal on the board.

Warm-up. Have students say what the people in the SG photo are doing.

Prompt, as needed.Where are these people? Are they getting to know each other? What are

they talking about? What questions are they asking? etc.

Warm-up

GOAL-SETTING01

UNIT 2

©2020 Berlitz Languages, Inc.

Present and practice, as needed: to love (= to like very much) / I’m not familiar with (that). / I’m happy to hear that!

Substitution: Do I like cake very, very much? [Y] → I love cake!

Build-up: (fictitious restaurant name) is a restaurant near my place. Were

you there? [N] Do you know it? [No, I don’t know it.] OR → I’m not familiar

with (that restaurant). [R]

Substitution: I’m going on vacation. Are you happy for me? [Y] OR → I’m

happy to hear that! [R]

Skits. A++

Ask two students to read the first dialog. Point out that Noriko uses A++.

Students re-enact the dialog, substituting their own information.

Pairs. Students choose a dialog to re-enact. For the third dialog, challenge students to make it longer. Encourage students to use A++.

Getting to know you

Present and practice, as needed: to make a connection

Build-up / Gesture: Where does Mr. Bennett work? [at Fermont] And Mr.

Simpson? → So, there’s a connection (use linking gesture) between Mr.

Bennett and Mr. Simpson.

Choose a topic you know the student is not interested in, e.g., Do you like

(golf)? [N]

So, there’s no connection between us there. Can we talk about golf? [Not

really.]

Say: When we are getting to know a new contact, we look for things we can make a connection to: things we both like or are interested in. We can talk about those!

Point out the FYI box in the SG. Call on students to read the examples.Ask students if they can think of any other connections for the sample statement.

FYI

PRESENTATION

PRACTICE

PRESENTATION

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Make new business contacts • Unit 2 | 2


Pre-task. Ask students to brainstorm questions they would ask someone they have just met. For example:

Where are you from? What company do you work for? What do you do?

What does your company do?

Write the questions on the board. Call on a student to ask you one of the questions. Give a simple statement answer.For example:S: Where do you work?

I: I work at Berlitz.

Ask students to make connections (these don’t necessarily have to be true). Model additional examples, as needed:

Really? I’m learning English at Berlitz. Are you a teacher there?

My friend works at Berlitz, too. He’s a Spanish teacher.

There’s a Berlitz near my workplace, on Center Street. Are you familiar with

it?

Task. Pairs or small groups. Students choose one or two questions to ask and answer. Working together, pairs / groups try to make as many connection statements as they can.

Encourage students to add details (BOOST) and / or to end their connections with a follow-up question (A++).Set a time limit.

Post-task. Students share the statements they came up with.

Present or review, and practice as needed: Could you repeat that? (Rev.) / I don’t understand. / What does … mean? / You are speaking too fast. / Could you speak more slowly? / I didn’t catch that.

Instructor note: Most of these expressions were presented in an extension activity in Level 1, so students may or may not have covered them.

Go over the expressions in the Useful Expressions box.Ask students to identify expressions they are familiar with and elicit an example.

Useful expressionsPRESENTATION

PRACTICE

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Present and practice as fixed expressions any new items.Excuse me. Could you tell me where … is?

Gesture: I didn’t hear you. → Could you repeat that?

Substitution: I’m sorry. Could you repeat that (again)? → I don’t

understand. [R]

I didn’t understand that. → I didn’t catch that.

Repeat back, so student knows you understand. → So, you’re a …!

I didn’t understand the word, (word in student’s language). → What does it

mean? [R]

So, it means …

What does … mean?

Speak quickly. Naming: I was speaking fast. Speak slowly. Contrast: Was I speaking fast? [N] → I was speaking slowly.

Do I sometimes speak fast? What can you say? → You’re speaking too

fast. [R]

OR: → Could you speak more slowly? [R]

Speak fast. Was I speaking too fast? Did you understand me? → I didn’t

catch that. [R]

Cue–responseWrite some unknown words on the board to practice: I don’t understand. / What does … mean?

Give your address or other details about yourself very quickly to practice:I didn’t catch that. / Could you repeat that? / You’re speaking too fast. /

Could you speak more slowly?

1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6

Pre-listening. Go over the sentences in the Listening activity. Ask students to guess what the sentences are.

Ask: Is this a conversation? [N] It’s one person’s side of a conversation.

Is this person answering or asking questions? [asking]

Set scene. Noriko is talking to her colleague, Bill. Bill is using a few words

and expressions Noriko is not familiar with.

Listening 1. Set task. Listen to Bill. What is Noriko’s first question? What is her next question? Write the number of her questions next to it.

Play the first track and model what students are to do, if needed.

I didn’t catch that!

Track:LISTENING07



[ANSWER: d = 1. Sorry, Bill. I didn’t catch that. Could you speak more slowly, please?]

Continue to play each track one at a time, giving students time to give or note their answers.

Check answers by playing the tracks and having students read out Noriko’s responses.[ANSWERS: d = 1 b = 2 a = 3 c = 4 e = 5]

Listening 2. Point out the expressions at the bottom of the Listening activity. Say: These are the expressions Bill used. Listen again, and write what they mean.

Play tracks 3, 4, and 6. Check answers.

[ANSWERS: 1. call you 2. speak to you, talk to you 3. send you an email]

Post-listening. QA / Discussion

When are you touching base with your boss?

Can you give me a buzz tomorrow?

Would you like me to shoot you an email tonight?

Are there expressions like this in your language?

What does … mean? etc.

Remind students what the lesson goal was and point it out on the board: Our goal is to make a new contact and get to know him / her better.

Pre-task. Go over the situations in the SG. Adapt according to students’ needs and the lesson goal. With students, brainstorm several questions they could ask for each situation. Remind students to make connections to what the other person says during their conversations.

Task. Role play

Pairs. Students introduce themselves to their conversation partner and ask and answer each other’s questions. Set a time limit. Avoid interruptions during the first enactment. Provide feedback, praise, and corrections.

Second enactment. For a weak performance, set up a second enactment and focus on increasing speed, fluency, and confidence. For a strong performance, challenge students to use the expressions (idioms) they learned, or have students do the situation they didn’t do during the first enactment. Provide feedback, praise, and corrections.

Performance

PERFORMANCE08


Post-task. Have students summarize what they have learned, and say how they can use this in their work. Confirm lesson goal achievement with students.

Extension 1. Making connections

Ask students to make a list of of three things they like, for example: • What they like to do after work / on the weekend

• What kind of books or movies they like

• A place in their city or country they love

Pairs / small groups. Students ask each other about their likes. When they find something in common, students use the techniques presented in Units 1 and 2 to expand the conversation.

Extension 2. Stop me!

Ask: How can you stop a speaker? [Say Excuse me. / I’m sorry…]

Say: I am going to read a short text. If I’m too fast, or you don’t understand

something, or you need to know what a word means, stop me and ask.

Ready?

Read out a short text (e.g., from a later unit) at your normal speaking speed. If students don’t stop you, tell them you plan to ask questions about the text at the end.

Remind students to complete their homework activities online.ONLINE PRACTICE

CONSOLIDATE & APPLY

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Documents

Make new business contacts