Business english writing - Masterclass International School 2020

Activities discussing issues

When you wish to discuss something you should be able to express your ideas clearly and orderly. Below you will find some useful examples of ways to express opinions, preferences, agreement and disagreement (See Unit 5 Post-reading activity B 3). Remember that expressions are more polite and formal than others, so adjust them to the context:

Opinions and preferences:

I think..., In my opinion..., I'd like to..., I'd rather..., I'd prefer..., The way I see it..., As far as I'm concerned..., If it were up to me..., I suppose..., I suspect that..., I'm pretty sure that..., It is fairly certain that..., I'm convinced that..., I honestly feel that..., I strongly believe that..., Without a doubt,...

Expressing agreement with an opinion:

Yes/yeah. …Exactly/quite/absolutely/definitely. …Right/ All right// Yes you’re right. …That’s (quite) right/true. …Quite so. …Of course. …Yes/well I suppose so. …I agree (entirely)./ …I think so, too. …I couldn’t agree more. …That’s just exactly what I think/thought/ was thinking. …That’s what I was going to say. ….You took the words out of my mouth! …That’s a good point. ... So/neither do I/ Me too.

Disagreeing:

I don't think that..., Don't you think it would be better..., I don't agree, I'd prefer..., Shouldn't we consider..., But what about..., I'm afraid I don't agree..., Frankly, I doubt if..., Let's face it, the truth of the matter is..., The problem with your point of view is that...

Brainstorming is used in many companies as it generates ideas. The employees’ ideas do not receive any criticism. The activity is usually divided into three phases. Participants just provide ideas that could lead to the solution of a problem.

First, they decide on the topic to consider. The group will generate words and phrases that come to their mind and someone will write them on a board.

Second, ideas should be taken and organised. For example, similar ideas, just worded differently, should be combined into one idea.

The third phase consists in examining the list and discarding the ideas that are not practical, feasible or that are contradictory. What remains should be arranged in order of importance, feasibility and affordability.

A similar method could be used in language learning in order to develop vocabulary and improve conversation skills.

EXAMPLE

Problem: Our planet is increasingly polluted and congested. How could this problem be solved?

To the teacher: The first step should aim to identify words related to pollution (nouns, adjectives, acronyms, verbs and so on). This will greatly help students to face the discussion phase, so start asking what to write on the board. Set the time deadline for the class (ex. 10 mins.)

Harmful

Dangerous

Damaging

Tougher laws

Effects

Air

Water

Land

To destroy

The ozone layer

Gases

Radiations

Global warming

Carbon dioxide

Acid rain

Chemicals

International agreements

Smoke

Factories

The greens

Conservation

Protection

Exhaust fumes

Industrial waste

To throw away

Spray

To cut down

Tropical rainforests

To recycle

To plant

Natural resources

To set up

Natural parks

Now ask the group if they know the words and phrases on the board and divide them into different areas (grammar, causes and effects, etc.):

Conversation

Conversation is an interactive form of communication involving two or more people who are supposed to follow rules of good manners. Someone says that conversation is an art and probably it is so, because according to the basic principles of communication we communicate with other people in order to reach our goals. This means that also in everyday conversation we try to persuade other people. But whatever the purpose it may serve, follow the rules below:

✵Be natural

✵Listen more than you talk

✵Adapt the conversation to the listener

✵Respect the turn-taking rules

✵Think before speaking

✵Do not interrupt

✵Do not talk to only one person if you are in a group

✵Do not over-share your life

Now you are ready to start a conversation the conversation. Make sure you use the words and phrases you have just learned. The following exercise could be a good test for practicing your students’ speaking skills. It should be done in pairs or in bigger groups, in order to make different opinions come out and encourage the use of the above words:

✵University is useless because young people do not learn a job. They study subjects no employers want and then they cannot find a job.

✵Patience is an innate quality. You cannot learn how to become more patient and if you can how do you learn to behave patiently?

✵Men and women are equal at last but women continue to earn considerably less than men and can’t break the glass ceiling in their companies.

✵Violence in the media needs to be regulated. Children’s programmes should be appropriate for their ages and stages of development.

✵Most private sector workers think the public sector has it better as regards job security, training, holidays and equal opportunities.

✵When you speak a foreign language 50% of your communicative skills get lost because of anxiety and fear.

✵We are what we want to be and happiness lies in our own hands!

✵Problem-solving is the first skill you need to have in a managerial position

✵Money, then health and thirdly love are the things that count most in life, in order of importance

✵Speaking on the phone in English is really embarrassing

✵Clients are the most important source of life a company has, so they are always right

✵A Two-speed Europe may be inevitable economically

✵Can Italy still afford its health care system or paying for a private insurance, like in the U.S. should be taken into consideration?

✵European soccer has become an industrial-system of corruption, a wrong business model which is no longer based on values but only on money