Whose responsibility is it?

There are many times when situations occur that aren’t necessarily part of our job description. You go to the loo and the loo roll needs replacing; you finish photocopying and know more paper is needed; someone has left their desk and forgotten to put their voicemail on – their phone is ringing and nobody is answering it. What should you do? Use your initiative; don’t just expect somebody else do it. You do it. Everyone appreciates consideration, don’t they?

                                                                    L. Brennan. Business Etiquette for the 21st Century

Practicum 1.3

If being considerate as a student, what would you think about doing – towards your professor, the chair, the librarian, your peers; what ‘trifles’ would you attend to?

Practicum 1.4

Study the communication strategy of Expressing / Accepting Gratitude

Step1	Say Thank you
Step 2	Specify what you are grateful for
Step 3	Add a general statement (it helped me a lot / your support made all the difference)
Step 4	Accept gratitude (you are very kind)

Practicum 1.5

Arrange the Expressing Gratitude vocabulary in 4 groups relating to 4 steps of communication strategy (some stock phrases can refer to more than one step), e.g.:

Step 1	Step 2	Step 3	Step 4
Thank you very much	for what you’ve done	It made all the difference	(Answer) Welcome

Thank you, Nick, for being so helpful / considerate

Thank you very much (indeed)

I will be very / really / truly grateful to you if / for your

I am / feel (very) much obliged to you for

Anytime / You are always welcome / Most welcome / Don’t mention it / The pleasure was mine (My pleasure) 

You are so / very kind

Toasting

To your success / health / our project

Cheers!

Bottoms up (infml)

IIa. Expressing Gratitude Practice

Thank your partner for lending you money / the audience for feedback / your HR specialist for the job done / your professor for help; you get promotion on the team leader prompt – thank him.

IIb. Toasting Practice

Exchange toasts with your foreign colleague at a dinner to celebrate signing a contract / conference dinner / on visiting your foreign partner

Practicum 1.6

Study the guidelines for celebratory speech below

At any celebration (wedding anniversary, retirement / house-warming / birthday / corporate party) you may be expected to say a few words as part of the celebration. Keep in mind that the key objective is simply to add to the atmosphere and make people smile; and to create a sense of togetherness.

Follow the guidelines:

- speak to the whole group, make eye contact with everyone;

- rely on we, rather than I -sentences (we all wish you great happiness), as we connects the audience to you and to the subject of your speech;

- avoid chronological description as they overload the audience and it will lose interest. Choose one or two relevant facts;

- do not overload with emotion – every now and then we may wish to wipe a tear away quietly, but the guests wouldn’t like to drowned in floods of tears;

- one personal story is usually enough;

- do not be too formal, keep it short and simple; humor helps, too;

- try to involve the audience, get them to nod, to participate;

- avoid standard phrases at the beginning, begin with a nice quotation.

When you sit down to the applause, you want your audience to be sorry it’s over.

                                                                                                        K. Taylor. English at Work

Practicum 1.7

Make up a celebratory speech at a conference dinner (as a guest, a host); at a corporate party to see a New Year in; at a birthday party of your boss

Practicum 1.8

Study statements relating to speech making. Which offer good advice, which do not? Suggest Arguments to Support your view

Read from notes to avoid mistakes.

Smile.

Try to sound like a native speaker.

Start with the words Ladies and Gentlemen.

Keep eye contact with everyone.

Lean on the table for support.

Try to put emphasis in your voice.

Have your notes in one hand.

Practicum 1.9

Accept gratitude fromthe people to follow and proceed to Initiating Discussion

You host a corporate party and the guests are leaving; you joined a panel discussion to contribute some fresh ideas which are being appreciated by the panel leader

Practicum 1.10

Write a letter of gratitude to the host of the last night formal event

Text 1a

The text to follow deals in office policies / politics. Study the text and use it as a starting point for communication