Professional English Online Cambridge University Press 2012 ..PHOTOCOPIABLE..

International communication
Marjorie Rosenberg

Aims
become familiar with
communication tools used by
international companies
learn the vocabulary used in
describing these tools
understand descriptions of the
tools
be able to identify their pros
and cons
be able to put together a
convincing argument for one or
two of the tools
present your ideas to the class
Tasks
discuss different devices or tools used
by your organisation to communicate
both internally and externally
offer personal experiences in working
with these tools
match words to their definitions
match names of communication tools
to descriptions
work in groups to find the pros and
cons of the tools
prepare arguments in favour of
particular tools
present your opinions to the class
This activity can be used on its own or together with Business Advantage Advanced,
Martin Lisboa and Michael Handford, Unit 7.
Level
Upper-intermediate (C1C2)
Timing
55 minutes without the follow-up activity
This should include checking the answers, the discussions and the debriefing at the
end.
Lead-in (5 minutes)
Students work in pairs and discuss different communication devices or tools that they
know about. They are encouraged to discuss their personal experiences with them.
They then share their ideas with the others in class.
Vocabulary (5 minutes)
Students work in pairs to match words from the texts with their definitions.
Key
1 itemised
2 (to) cover
3 device
4 (to) modify
5 mission statement
6 virtually
7 far-flung
8 gateway
9 f2f (face-to-face)
10 (to) facilitate
11 (to) access
12 firewall
13 chat box
14 roaming charges
Reading (10 minutes)
Students read through descriptions of different communication tools and decide what
they are called. The names of the different tools are in the box at the beginning of the
exercise.
Key
1 smartphone
2 intranet
3 company-wide wiki
4 web conferencing software
5 VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
6 social networking site
7 company website
8 company e-newsletter


Professional English Online Cambridge University Press 2012 ..PHOTOCOPIABLE..
Group work (15 minutes)
Students work in small groups and discuss the pros and cons of each of the
communication tools or devices. They should consider carefully the issues of
communication both internally and externally and take these differences into
consideration. They then create a chart showing the pros and cons and present this
to the class. The class then consolidates the information into one chart.
Coming to a decision (20 minutes)
Students work in groups to decide which two of these devices or tools should be
implemented in their company. They are given a general scenario which states that
they have recently taken over companies abroad and need to communicate with their
new colleagues as well suppliers and customers. They need to find convincing
arguments for the class as the best ones will be chosen. In a debriefing session the
class is asked what exactly it was that was convincing about the arguments they
heard.
Follow-up
Students search for information about one of these tools on the internet and
prepare information about it. They should then present the information to the class
and discuss which of these would be best for their own personal situation at the
moment.
Source
Some of the definitions in Vocabulary are from Cambridge Dictionaries Online
(http://dictionary.cambridge.org).


Professional English Online Cambridge University Press 2012 ..PHOTOCOPIABLE..
International communication
Marjorie Rosenberg

Aims
become familiar with
communication tools used by
international companies
learn the vocabulary used in
describing these tools
understand descriptions of the
tools
be able to identify their pros
and cons
be able to put together a
convincing argument for one or
two of the tools
present your ideas to the class
Tasks
discuss different devices or tools used
by your organisation to communicate
both internally and externally
offer personal experiences in working
with these tools
match words to their definitions
match names of communication tools
to descriptions
work in groups to find the pros and
cons of the tools
prepare arguments in favour of
particular tools
present your opinions to the class
Lead-in
Work in pairs and discuss the different devices or tools your company or institution
uses to communicate with employees, customers, students, teachers etc. Comment
on the different types and give your opinion as to which is most effective and time-
saving. Talk about your personal experiences with these methods of communication.
Be prepared to share your ideas with the others in the class.
Vocabulary
Work in pairs. Read the following definitions and choose the correct word from the
box.
(to) modify (to) cover far-flung mission statement firewall virtually (to) access
device gateway roaming charges (to) facilitate itemised f2f chat box
1. indicating that a bill has a full list of charges rather than just a total. ________
2. to pay for something ________
3. an object or machine which has been invented for a particular purpose ________
4. to slightly change something to improve it or make it more acceptable ________
5. a short written statement of what a company or organization is trying to achieve
with all its activities ________
6. doing or seeing something using a computer ________
7. something (or someone) that is spread over a large area or very far away
________
8. something in a system that allows you access to other parts or introduces them
________
9. used to describe a situation in which you talk directly to another person and not
by phone, email, etc. ________
10. to make easier or possible ________
11. to use a computer system such as the internet ________
12. a computer system or program that prevents someone from seeing or using
information on a computer without permission ________
13. a small area in a computer program in which messages can be typed in
________
14. costs of making mobile calls outside of your local network ________


Reading
Read the intranet site below. Fill in the name of the communicative tool.
web conferencing software social networking site intranet company website
VoIP smartphone company e-newsletter company-wide wiki

Company communication tools
A variety of communication tools are now available to make both internal and external communication
more efficient.
1 __________ Everyone in the organisation will receive a device which will allow them to stay in
contact with customers, clients and colleagues wherever they are. They can make and receive calls
and messages as well as access email world-wide. As roaming charges can be quite expensive when
you go abroad, we ask you to switch off the 3G coverage and use wi-fi to access the internet. We will
cover any business calls you make however. An itemised bill will be produced at the end of the month
with all numbers on it so that you can see what you are being charged for.
2 __________ This network available only to those in the company can be used to contact colleagues
in other branches around the world. It facilitates communication between different parts of the
company and is an excellent tool for data sharing. For those who need internet access, you will need
to request a password in order to access it. In addition, we are looking into creating an extranet which
will open the firewall we have in place to selected people from outside the organisation.
3 __________ This website is accessible to everyone in the organisation. You will find data and
documents which can then be modified by anyone in the company. We hope that this collaborative
method of creating necessary documents will eliminate the number of f2f meetings we have as well as
the large amount of emails going from one person or department to another.
4 __________ This software has a number of very useful features for us. We can invite up to 500
people to take part in an online training session or presentation. Several presenters can log in and
either work together or take turns presenting information about their areas of expertise. Participants
can see the presentation slides and are able to react by typing comments or questions into a
chat box or by virtually raising their hands or applauding. We can also hold meetings with
this software as participants can see each other by turn on their webcams.
5 __________ We have installed software allowing you to make calls or video calls over the
internet to other branches or to our customers for free. You will need to set up your own
account with a user name and then request details from the people you will be contacting.
Once you have shared details, the people will be added to your lists of contacts. When you
enter the site, you will see immediately if they are online and available or not. You can also
make conference calls, send files and use the chat box. With the current software, you can
set up groups of up to 25 people for audio calls.
6 __________ We have also bought software to allow us to set up an online platform
especially for our needs. You are kindly asked to join as a member and upload a photo of
yourself. Then you can set up groups or events and invite others to join them. For those
travelling to a conference or business meeting, you can make arrangements with others,
post information about hotels or travel plans in order to make it easier to set up contacts
before you leave. It also offers creator-designed security so that we can close it to those
outside the company.
7 __________ One of our first tools was set up to be a gateway into our organisation and
allow customers, clients and business partners to find out about it. Our mission statement,
structure of departments, contact details and list of products are only some of the features
of this informative tool. It is updated on a regular basis as staying current is vital. We ask
everyone to give us feedback to make sure we are presenting our organisation in the best
way we can.
8 __________ Departments and personnel are asked to submit articles, photos and other
information they feel would be interesting to others in the company. As we are spread
across the world, we feel it helps to create a sense of community when far-flung colleagues
know what others are doing. Our editing staff are looking forward to your contributions.
Remember, this comes out monthly and the deadline is always on the 5
th
day of the month.




Professional English Online Cambridge University Press 2012 ..PHOTOCOPIABLE..


Professional English Online Cambridge University Press 2012 ..PHOTOCOPIABLE..
Coming to a decision
Your organisation needs to improve its communication with newly acquired
companies in different parts of the world as well as with the suppliers and customers
connected to these companies. Money in the company is tight and you have been
asked to make a proposal naming two of these options. Work in your groups to
decide which would best suit your needs and prepare your arguments for them. Also
think about the negative aspects of these tools as the others may bring them up in
the discussion. Present your ideas to the class. The class then decides on the best
two and everyone should give feedback on why they felt these were the right tools to
implement. Discuss the arguments, how they were presented and what was most
convincing.
Follow-up
Search for one of these tools on the internet. Write down as much information as you
can about it including the price, specifications, level of user-friendliness, interface
possibilities and security issues. Present your information to the class and discuss
which devices or tools would be best for you personally to have.