[...]... content is or will remain appropriate xii Introduction The need for short activities in Business English There are many situations where Business English teachers need short activities, for example: • a warmer to provide the transition from the students’ daily life to the world of the Business English classroom • a lead-in for whatever business topic or communication skill will be the main focus of... Students can do a personal SWOT analysis for learning English: – What are your strengths in English? – What are your weaknesses in English? – What are your opportunities for practising English? – What stops you getting better (e.g using L1 in class too much)? 13 Five-Minute Activities for Business English 2.5 Company plans Focus Writing about possible developments for the company Level Elementary – Advanced... awareness These activities lead into the main focus of a lesson, in terms of both business content and key language Business communication skills: telephoning, meetings and negotiations, presentations, social English These activities cover the main business communication skills, looking at the nature of the skill itself and the relevant language 1 Five-Minute Activities for Business English Language... demonstration 9 Five-Minute Activities for Business English Box 4 Example for ‘What’s your background?’ I was born and brought up in London, then I went to university in the north of England I lived in Manchester for many years, working as a teacher in community education In my mid thirties I moved to Portugal, and I lived in Lisbon, working as a freelance Business English trainer I did that for six years... that is too technical The activities will therefore work with both pre-experience and post-experience learners As with most Business English materials, this book assumes that the teacher has a basic knowledge of the business world but not necessarily any direct experience of working in business We see the teaching of Business English as a process of working creatively with the business content supplied... 17 Five-Minute Activities for Business English write on the board Then they do mini-role plays in pairs based on these ideas (The resulting role plays will be freer, with students having to provide more of the content as they proceed) • Instead of students doing the mini-role plays in closed pairs, one pair could perform for the class immediately • A combination of the above two activities 18 4 Business. .. grammar; exploiting coursebooks These are activities for the four language skills and general activities to review and extend language that the students have recently learnt Many of these activities will be familiar to General English teachers Level The activities will work over a range of levels We have indicated the recommended level for each activity, but many of the activities can be adapted to other... the board two or three at a time and write:  for things that are very important for them  for things that are quite important for them (nothing) for things that are not important for them 2 Note down the priorities, and tell them you will take these into account when planning the course Follow-up • Discuss with the group their priorities and the reasons for them • Invite them to add more items to the... long car journey to work every morning, or attending unnecessary meetings The word drag is used mostly in informal speech 3 Use the sentence beginning and ending on the board to give a few examples from your teaching job 5 Five-Minute Activities for Business English 4 Students complete the sentences for themselves, then compare with a partner Follow-up You can explore in a class discussion the different... group about their own experience of job interviews: what is the best or worst one they have ever had? 7 Five-Minute Activities for Business English Follow-up • You might discuss the different ways in which an interview can be conducted (formal, with a panel of people on the other side of the table; informal, with a chat over a cup of coffee) • You might discuss whether students have come across any unusual . class="bi x0 y0 w0 h1" alt="" Five-Minute Activities for Business English Cambridge Handbooks for LanguageTeachers This is a series of practical guides for teachers of English and other languages handbooks for language teachers) ISBN 978-0-521-54741-3 (pb.) 1. English language Business English Problems, exercises, etc. 2. English language Business English Study and Teaching. 3. English. appropriate. xii Introduction The need for short activities in Business English There are many situations where Business English teachers need short activities, for example: • a warmer to provide