The Business English Program: Sample of a one-week lesson module

Module 1: Effective Communication: Getting Yourself Across

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Theme	First Meetings, Impressions and Relationship Building	"Let's be pragmatic"	The Language of Meetings	Leadership and Team Work	Corporate Case Studies: Customs in American Negotiations
9-10 a.m.	A1: Self and Company Introductions "The Elevator Pitch"	B1: Mixing Business and Pleasure	C1: The Language of Meetings: General Language Points	D1: Decision Making: Independent and Group Styles	E1: Case Study: Part 1 Cultural Background
10-11 a.m.	A2: Describing your Company, Describing your Product	B2: Negotiating I	C2: Arranging a Meeting: All Things Considered	D2: Team Building, Effective Leadership	E2: Case Study: Part 2 Discussing Details
11-12 p.m.	A3: Developing Conversation Skills, Keeping your Listener Engaged	B3: Negotiating II	C3: "I Agree to Disagree" Controlling the Flow of a Meeting	D3: Handling a Crisis: Are you Capable?	E3: Case Study: Part 3 Looking at All Sides
12-1 p.m.	A4: Networking and Relationship Marketing "Building Relationships and Socializing"	B4: Skills Summary	C4: Boardroom Culture Clash: Cross-cultural Communication	D4: What Kind of Boss Are You? Management Styles	E4: Case Study: Part 4 Debate the Issue

Each day’s lessons have a theme and progress from one topic to the next, as they might realistically take place in the workplace: Let’s look at Monday’s theme of First Meetings, Impressions and Relationship Building where you had the opportunity to meet with professionals in your industry and from many others. Your “pitch” was successful and your socializing skills impressive. As a result, you’re meeting with an American associate for a business lunch on Tuesday that you have arranged and you must show him why your company is a good choice for a business relationship. Use your negotiating skills, close the deal and make your business trip something worth writing home about. Review your skills at the end of the day in “Skills Summary” to get feedback, evaluation and advice for improvement.

Let’s look more in-depth at the first part of Tuesday’s lesson, “Let’s be pragmatic.”

Module 1 Day 2

B1- 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
“Mixing Business and Pleasure”

Objective: To engage in and facilitate “small talk”, to host a client in a restaurant and to bring the topic from casual topics to the business at-hand.
Task: To facilitate and maintain a conversation about casual topics, to describe food and communicate information to and from the wait staff and client, and to make a transition from informal topics to more business-focused conversation.
Skills Practiced: communication of opinions and information about casual topics, descriptive food vocabulary/expressions, restaurant etiquette, and transition language

In a typical lesson, your objective is clearly stated and explained to you from the very beginning. As you learn to master each task, you will come closer to meeting your lesson objective. A complete list of skills practiced in the lesson is given to show you the exact areas of language you are focusing on. These skills and many of the tasks are reinforced throughout the day, the week and future lessons for maximum practice.