MBG B4 PDF

MBG Workbook B4 was produced by METEN English.
Language content was checked with The Corpus of Contemporary American English. www.americancorpus.org
Project MBG was piloted by:
Donald Si , R&D Director

Mildred Alberto, R&D Project Manager
Advisers:
Jude Guo , Assistant President

Louis Liu , Academic Director
Jason Burns, Head Teacher Trainer
Christopher Fulton, Education Quality Assurance Specialist
Internal Managing Editor:

Mildred Alberto
Writers:
Jonathan Alexander
Edward Zheng
The R & D team is very grateful to:

METENs CEO, Jason Zhao
Executive Vice President, Alan Peng
The Board of Directors and all our colleagues in China who have
contributed in one way or another to make this book and Project
MBG work:
Michael , June , Anthony , Richmond , Jane
, Aggie , Portia , Flora , Tina , Cici ,
Ava, Dan , Chris , Stone , Vivienne ,
Sunshine, Kiki ,Melody , Helen , Messi ,
Michelle
All the SAs and TAs in CBD, Ke Xue Guan, Nanshan, and Chengdu
Researchers:
The Receptionists in the centers who made our coffee during the
trial runs of the MBG program and our reliable METEN driver
Project Coordinator:
Many thanks to our foreign teachers who tested MBG in R

& D and in the centers and provided us with valuable support
and feedback:
Justine Zhou
Shan Zhao
Dior Jiang
Team Support:
Cecilia Luo
Margaret Li
Marissa Wang
Candice Tang
Megan Xie
Product Launch Team:

Eric Wang
Longman Shen
Technical Support and MBG system programmers:

Edgar
Jack
William
Youki
Sennly
Weehome
Money
Cover and Inside Book Design:
Sun Rising Media
Voice Talents:
Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press
Peter Ronald Cooke

Emmanuel Lebigre
Margaret Rollings
Robert von Collins
John Bayliss
Ewelina Lozowska
Don Ross
Andrew Wai
Timothy Charles Bowden
John Armani
George Steven Arrocha Arraez
We apologize in advance for any unintentional omissions. We

would be pleased to insert the appropriate acknowledgement in
any subsequent edition of this book.
Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
What is in a PC Lesson .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
What is in an AC Workshop ................................................................................................................................................... 8
Welcome to MBG, Incthe company ................................................................................................................................... 10
PC
Title
Lesson
Get your point across
12
Lets talk sales
16
Lets build this team together
20
24
Business Communication Skills Review (Lessons 1-3)

Crisis? What crisis?
26
Whats your point?
30
Get it done!
34
Business Communication Skills Review (Lessons 4-6)
38
Culture Angle....................................................................................................................................................................
Workshop
Module
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
Title
Iceberg: visible and invisible
42
Honestly speaking
46
I can hear, but Im not listening
50
AC
Simulation Game 1 Communication skills
CUSTOMER
SERVICE SKILLS
55
At your service
58
The customer is king
62
Moments that build or destroy reputations
66
Simulation Game 2 Customer service skills
LEADERSHIP
SKILLS
40
71
The golden rules of good leadership
74
Diagnosing your team
78
What am I doing here?
82
Simulation Game 3 Leadership skills
87
Answer Key ....................................................................................................................................................................
91
Audio Scripts ...................................................................................................................................................................
92
Video Scripts ...................................................................................................................................................................
96
Introduction
Welcome to MBG. You may already know MBG from MBG B1, B2 and B3, but if not, this short introduction presents some key
features of the series.
METEN Business Games is a business English program aimed at providing you with a fun and interactive experience in learning the
language of business by way of workshops and simulation games. The program is driven by the Learning by doing principle. You
will acquire language skills and business skills by doing activities or tasks that simulate or imitate real-life activities in common
business settings. Use English; think in English!
This book contains materials for two MBG courses: a Private Course (PC) and an Activity Course (AC). The PC lessons comprise
12 hours and the AC workshops comprise 24 hours of the whole MBG program for a total of 36 hours of class instruction.
The Private Course is a 12-hour course designed to give you a more personalized interaction with your trainer and is focused on
helping you develop your ability to speak accurately. The course provides a good language foundation for the AC workshop activities.
The Activity Course is a skills-based 24-hour course aimed at helping you develop fluency by providing you with a simulated
business environment where you can learn, practice, and use business communication skills such as presenting, brainstorming ideas,
problem-solving, decision-making, socializing in business, etc. Critical thinking skills, creativity, thinking outside the box are all part
of the skills you develop as you go through the course.
The Simulation Games in the Activity Course are consolidations of the AC workshops; therefore you are already familiarized with the
necessary information. The game procedure is in place for the purpose of competing in teams and to demonstrate what you learned in
prior workshops.
Your active involvement as student trainees in completing various tasks at the mock-up company, MBG Inc. allows you direct and
first-hand experience from which you could learn from instead of merely listening to it or reading it in a textbook. You get to create
and do things in a team environment just like you would in real life.
Who is MBG B4 and B5 for?

The MBG B4 course is designed for advanced learners who are already in work, or studying and preparing for a career in business. The
course is also for English learners who are either in management positions who would like to further improve their communication
skills or for those who are preparing to move up the corporate ladder.
The course is focused on helping you develop each of the following core business English communication skills:
leadership communication skills
management communication skills
marketing communication skills
sales communication skills
These are the skills that you need for success at work and in business. Some of the typical features of MBG B4 and B5 include:
1. Further to MBG B1, B2, and B3 which teach and improve learners business language and communication skills, MBG B4 and
B5 aim to teach you skills for success at work and in business. Topics covered in the lessons focus on skills and knowledge that are
useful, practical and interesting, with the goal of helping you maintain and thrive in your existing jobs or business.
2. Advanced communication skills focused on in the lessons include leadership communication and management communication
in MBG B4, marketing communication and sales communication in B5, which are all essential skills for success in todays
business world.
3. The creation of Business across Cultures section in MBG B4 and B5 PC lessons and the addition of Culture Angle to
supplement culture content of the lessons aim to further develop your understanding and competence to work and deal with
people from other cultures, and to help you operate in todays complex business environment. You may already be well aware how
crucially important cross-cultural awareness is to anyone who wants to be successful in a multinational business environment.
4. Readings from authentic, up-to-date texts from a variety of business sources provide stimulating and motivating contexts for your
fun learning here at MBG.
04

workshop
!
MBG Private Course (PC ) Activity Course (AC ) PC
12 AC 24 36 MBG
MBG
PC 12 ,
AC
AC 24
AC workshop workshop
AC
MBG Inc.
MBG B4 / B5 ?
B4
B4
B4 / B5 ,
1. B1 / B2 / B3 B4 / B5
2. B4B5
3. B4 / B5
4.
05
What is in a PC lesson
Start Up
This is a warmer. The lead-in questions serve to activate
your knowledge on the topic, followed by Get Ready to
listen exercises that gets you started and familiarized with
the lessons target language skills [key words and expressions]
in the form of listening and language exercises. (15-20
minutes)
BizBits
This is a section where business stories or articles are
provided for you to have an opportunity to discuss current
events and exchange your views on practical and up-to-date
information around the world. (15-20 minutes)
Business across Cultures

Having trouble understanding why your foreign colleague or
business associate is acting the way he does? Understanding
comes in this section where culture bits are added for
discussion and brainstorming. This section aims to develop
your understanding and competence to work or do business
with people from other cultures. (1520 minutes)
Speak up!
The aim of the task is to let you consolidate and put into
practice the strategies and skills you have learned in the
lesson. This involves a lot of interaction, brainstorming ideas,
problem-solving, critical thinking, managing, and presenting
your ideas and solutions in real and practical business
situations. (20-30 minutes)
Key expressions
The key expressions revolving around a theme or topic are

provided as quick reference both in your speaking activities
during the class and long after the lesson is over. The key
expressions box provides ease of backward reference which
is very important to language learning, where many phrases
and expressions are only half-remembered and need constant
review.
Business Communication Skills Review
Culture Angle
After three lessons, there is a review unit. The reviews help

you to consolidate and recap the skills and good business
practices you have focused on in your lessons.
This added bonus to your learning aims to widen your

cultural competence and enable you to find out your and
your colleagues approach to common business situations.
06
PC
(3-5 )
(15-20 )
(15-20 )
(15-20 )
(20-30 )
07
What is in an AC workshop
Get Ready
engages you in a warm-up game,
a discussion, or learning vocabulary
critical to understanding the tasks.
Get Set
introduces your team to a case
study which your team must work
together to solve. This section
prepares you for the main task in the
Go section.
Go
The main task in this section
aims to activate the language and
business skills that you learned in
the workshop or in previous learning
experiences. You will work in teams
to brainstorm, find solutions to a
problem, and present the solution.
Stop and Reect

Here you will reflect on and assess
your performance. Your trainer will

discuss the language you used in the
activities and provide feedback and
correction.
08
workshop
Get Ready
-
Get Set
-
Go
- workshop
Stop and Relect
09
Welcome to MBG Inc.!
MBG Inc. is a mock-up international company created by METENs

Research & Development team with the aim of adding authenticity and
excitement to workshop activities in the course. You are considered trainees
at MBG Inc. for the extent of the course. You will work in pairs and in teams
to perform diverse and practical tasks, brainstorm ideas, make decisions,
manage projects and present solutions to problems in the company.
As part of a company in a simulation, you will be trained in various
departments Research and Development, HR, Sales, Purchasing, etc.
You will be greatly involved in the decision-making and problem-solving
processes in the company. You will take part in conversations, discussions,
presentations, videos, interviews, role-plays, and many other fun activities
that promote interaction and communication.
MBG Inc.
workshop MBG
10
Lessons
Lesson Title and topic
1
2
3

How to present an argument
Lets talk sales
How to effectively pitch your ideas and wares
How to effectively work as a team
Business communication skills review (1-3)
4
5
6

How to brainstorm and trouble shoot
Whats your point?
How to summarize main points and give accurate reports
Get it done!
How to get results and improve productivity
Business communication skills review (4-6)
MBG Inc PC 01
01

How to present an argument
OBJECTIVES
Stress key words and give reasons for a proposal
Structure an argument
Make a strong case by presenting a structured argument
Start up
Why do companies need to invest in the following kinds of software?
Anti-virus software
Firewalls
Spam filters
Get ready to listen

PC 1.1
A handbag manufacturer has a problem. A pirate company is making counterfeit handbags

which are of inferior quality. The production director proposes a system of electronic IDs
which make the company's own products easy to identify.
Structuring an argument
Listen to the speaker's argument and answer the questions.

1. In what order does he present the following reasons for his proposal?
a. to be able to offer guarantees
b. to maximize return on investment
c. to reassure the customers
2. How does the speaker begin the argument?

a. He asks a question
b. He specifies the topic
c. He describes a problem
3. What sentence does he use to introduce the reasons for his proposal?
4. What is his concluding sentence?
Stressing key words
Listen again and notice the way the presenter speaks.

1. Does he present the argument strongly or neutrally?
2. Which words does he stress? Write down as many keywords as you can.
12
MBG Inc PC 01
BizBits
Making a strong case
Two IT managers argue for an increase in the budget for internet security. Read their arguments.
Which makes the case more strongly? Why?
Jamie Mandaric
Well, as you know, using the
internet is becoming more
dangerous all the time. Attacks
from viruses are becoming more
frequent and they are affecting more
and more people. And theres also
the risk of fraud: hackers stealing the customers bank
details and so on. I dont want to have to economise
on expenditure for developing more secure systems.
Remember what happened last year? Hackers were
able to access our customer database and some highly
confidential information was stolen. If Id had a bigger
budget last year, I'd have been able to protect the data
more effectively. I need an increase in my budget. I
cant make the system secure on the budget Ive got.
Jackie Wu
Id like to propose an increase in the
budget of 15 per cent. That may seem a
lot, but there are two very good reasons
why we need this increase.
Firstly because online sales are
increasingly important to us. More
than 55 per cent of our customers buy via the internet,
and this figure is growing every year. But people wont
buy online if they are worried about the risks. So we must
make sure that our systems are trustworthy.
Secondly because of internet crime. Internet criminals
are becoming more and more sophisticated. So we need
to increase our efforts in order to stay ahead. That means
increasing what we spend on updating and improving our
systems.
The internet offers enormous benefits to us. If we want
to make the most of this potential, we must develop the
best possible security systems. Thats why Im proposing a
substantial increase in the security budget.
Discussion
a. Compare and discuss the structure of both
arguments.
b. If you were the budget officer listening to both
cases, which argument would likely persuade you
to approve the proposal? Why?
c. What questions would you ask Jamie? Jackie?
In Jackie Wu's argument, what phrases

are used for the following?
1. to introduce a series of reasons?
______________________________________
2. to introduce different reasons in a sequence?
______________________________________
3. to repeat the main proposal in the conclusion?
__________________________________
Giving reasons
Choose one of the proposals below or think
of your own idea. Create an argument in
favour of the proposal. Be ready to explain
and emphasize each reason.
Proposal 1
To install security cameras around the
company's premises.
Reasons:
- need to prevent industrial espionage

- cameras are effective in detecting any
unauthorized persons.
- company has a lot of confidential research data.
Proposal 2
To build a gym for the staff on company
premises.
Reasons:
Read phrases / sentences a-f below. Match

them with their function 1,2 or 3 above.
___ a. One reason is
___ b. I`d like to explain the reasons for this.
___ c. It is therefore very important to
___ d. The second reason is
___ e. There are a number of reasons why we need
to take action.
___ f. Whats more ...
- increase staff motivation.

- reduce stress in the workplace
- encourage staff to stay fit
Proposal 3
To produce umbrellas with the company

logo and have them available in reception.
Reasons:
- promote the company name
- impress company guests
- help staff on rainy days
13
MBG Inc PC 01

Showing Feelings
In some cultures, people are not afraid to show their feelings when arguing for an idea or a proposal they really
believe in. In other cultures, people prefer to stay cool.
Uncertainty Avoidance
The Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) measures how much individuals in a culture accept uncertainty.
High uncertainty avoidance cultures
People in these countries feel more comfortable when there are clear rules and regulations. They also prefer
to have structure, stability and clear managerial guidance. Entering new situations is seen as a risk and they
consider the long-term implications of decisions and prepare everything well in advance.
Low uncertainty avoidance cultures
Individuals in these cultures are not afraid of new or unpredictable situations. They accept a variety of opinions,
take greater risks and are open to change.
Individualism / Collectivism
Individualism / Collectivism focuses on how much importance a society places on the individual or group.
Individualism
People in these societies think in terms of I.

In business, it is important to protect personal
interests and pursue individual goals, even at
the expense of others. Competition with friends,
family and colleagues is seen as healthy.
Individualistic cultures:
USA
Italy
France
Sweden
The Netherlands
Collectivism
In these societies, managers and employees

think in terms of we. The success of the
group comes before that of the individual.
Trust, harmony and loyalty within the group
should always be maintained, which means
that competition between group members
is not acceptable. There is an emphasis on
cooperation and the group.
Collectivist cultures:
China Japan Ecuador West Africa Pakistan
You will be given a set of cards with a country and a scenario. You need to make an argument
according to the card but be aware of the culture and norms of that country. Your teacher will award
points from 1-10 based on how well you make the argument and how culturally aware you are.
You are from France but living in

America. You have taken on more
tasks in your job recently and feel
you deserve a pay rise. Put your
case to your American boss.
You are an electronics manufacturer

from Japan and have a partnership
with a Swedish company. The Swedish
company wants to buy an expensive
new type of software before a rival
company can get it. You though don't
feel it has been tested enough. Present
your case to your Swedish partner.
You are the manager of a

company in Ecuador. The sta
have been arguing a lot recently.
You call a meeting to tell them
that this situation must change.
You are from China. Explain to

your foreign business colleagues
the importance of long term
business relationships and trust in
doing business in China.
Want to know more about showing feelings in

other culture?
See Culture Angle: Emotions across cultures on page 40.
14
MBG Inc PC 01
Speak up
Work with a partner.
Case Study
You are the CEO of a company which owns a group of hotels in Europe. The company
has seen its profits fall recently and you and your fellow directors want to expand into
the Asian market to take up new business. Your shareholders are divided. Some see
the risk as too big and think that the company should concentrate on improving their
existing business in Europe rather than looking for new markets. You on the other hand
believe that the European market will take time to recover and its best to pursue new
markets to make up for the loss of profits in Europe.
You are in a meeting with a group of shareholders opposed to the expansion.
Present your argument and structure it in a way to persuade them to back the
boards idea.
Key
expressions
Making a proposal
Id like to propose
Its very important to
Thats why Im
proposing...
Making a strong
case
There are a number of
reasons why
One reason is
Id like to explain
Whats more...
If we want to make the
most of this potential,
we must ...
Remember to:
- specify the topic
If Id had..., Id have
been able to...
- describe the problem

- offer guarantees
- reassure customers
Analysis
After you and your partner have both presented your arguments, discuss the following:
How did your partner organize their argument?
Was the argument logical and effective?
Did the presenter make an effective conclusion?
Business World KnowHow

To be successful at work and in business, you need to have certain skills and qualities. In this lesson we
have focused on the following skills and qualities:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Structuring an argument
Stressing key words
Giving reasons
Being aware how different cultures show emotions or feelings
Making a strong case
15
MBG Inc PC 02
02
Lets talk sales

How to effectively pitch your ideas and wares
OBJECTIVES
Make a proposal
Pitch your idea to obtain a loan from the bank
Make a strong and eective sales pitch
Start up
When making a sales proposal which of the following do you think are most important? Rate
them 1-5 in order of importance and give reasons for your choices.
Preparation
Arguments
Being specific
Presenting style
Conclusion
Get ready to listen

PC 2.1
Karen Yang is the HR manager in a telecommunications company. Listen to her

presenting a proposal to a group of other senior managers in the company and answer
the questions.
1. What is Sandras proposal?
2. What arguments does she give to support her proposal?
3. Does she look at the problem from the employee's point of view or from the companys point of view?
Making a Proposal
Look at the steps (1-6) that you might make when presenting a sales proposal and match
them with statements a-f.
1. describe the current situation ___
2. describe any negative consequences ___
3. state what you want to achieve ___
4. highlight the benets for others ___
5. state your proposal ___
6. introduce the details of your proposal ___
a. So, what I'd like to propose is a program of language

training for everyone in our team.
b. As a result, we often have problems understanding the
callers.
c. What will this involve? How much will it cost?
d. An improvement in skills will be a big advantage for the
company because ___
e. As you know, we frequently deal with phone enquiries
from abroad but we don`t have adequate language
skills.
f. If we want to make a big improvement, we need
intensive training.
16
MBG Inc PC 02
BizBits
Why do sales proposals fail?
Writing sales proposals can be a difficult and timeconsuming task. Yet these proposals are often crucial to
creating buyer urgency and accelerating the sale.
But why do so many sales proposals fail to captivate the
interest of senior decision makers? Here we outline some
of the key reasons why sales proposals fail and what you
can do to ensure that you dont fall into similar traps when
preparing your own proposals.
4. The sales proposal is full of unnecessary detail.
To make a better impression, make sure that your sales

1. The sales proposal is too long.
proposal is succinct and not overcomplicated. Do not
Sales proposals often fail to make the right impression
go into detail about your products or your company. To
because they are too long. This has the effect of diluting the create interest, your sales proposal should immediately
powerful messages within the proposal or losing sight of
discuss the imminent external pressures and challenges
the buyers needs and desires. If a sales proposal is deemed facing the buyer and the internal improvements the
buyer needs to achieve in order to overcome these
to be too long, there is a good chance that it will end up
being tossed aside before the buyer has even had time to
pressures and challenges.
finish reading it.
2. The sales proposal is too cautious.

Sales proposals often fail to impress because they are
too cautious in their approach. Sales proposals that use
cautious words such as possibly and might tell the
buyer that youre not entirely confident that your solution
will satisfy the buyers needs.
3. The sales proposal is over-confident and reckless.

On the other side of the spectrum, sales proposals
frequently deter senior buyers because they use overconfident and reckless words. Some proposals make
outrageous claims such as 100 percent guaranteed or
being the perfect solution to the buyers needs. Although
condence can be a good thing, unreasonable and
unrealistic assertions may create the impression that you
are either naive or trying to mislead the buyer.
5. The sales proposal is too late.
Perhaps the most criminal error, a late sales proposal is

guaranteed to create a bad impression. This is especially
the case if you have no existing relationship with the
potential client. To avoid this trap, get a grip on your
time management skills and make sure that you provide
the buyer with a sales proposal within two days to a
week of your initial meeting.
6. The sales proposal offers little value.

Countless sales proposals are rejected because they offer
no obvious value to the buyer. Often, the salesperson
has neglected to include clear calculations in terms of
the buyers return on investment. A sales proposal that
requires the buying organization to work out the value
and return on offer. It will be seen as an additional cost
that is not worth pursuing.
Discussion
Work in pairs or in groups to decide the answers to the questions about the article above.
1. Which words show a lack of condence or decisiveness when making a sales presentation?
2. What phrase is used to compare a cautious sales proposal with an over-condent one?
3. In point 3, whats the dierence between being naive and trying to mislead the buyer?
4. Why might a sales proposal that is too long be bad for the seller?
5. Make a list of dos and donts when making a sales proposal. Add some of your own ideas.
17
MBG Inc PC 02

Presentations
Sales presentations can take dierent forms from country to country. The American presentation could
cause problems in Scandinavia. The speaker delivers a hard sales pitch, sprinkled with buzz words and such
terms as aggressive," while Scandinavians prefer a low-key presentation with plain language.
The American approach reflects a masculine culture that values competition and aggression, whereas
Scandinavian culture is feminine and emphasizes cooperation more than competition.
Western Europeans make much of their dierent styles, but one should see them as variations on lowcontext, logic-based communication.
Student A
Entrepreneur / Inventor
You are a self-employed engineer and design consultant. Your latest invention is a button xer. Buttons
fall o at the worst possible times, but button xer is a small device which attaches a button with a
single push. Its small, portable and very easy to use. You have already patented this product. Now you
would like to negotiate a loan from the bank to develop, manufacture and market it.
You must now pitch your idea to the bank manager. Here are some details to help you.
Amount of loan
$30000
Personal Investment
$10000
Date of product launch
1 year from today
Production cost (per unit)
$3
All other operating costs (per unit)
$4
Selling price
$15
Sales channel
Mail order (advertising in fashion magazines)
Yearly sales forecast
5000 units
Student B
Bank Manager
You are a bank manager and you have a meeting with an entrepreneur / inventor who you are meeting for
the rst time.
First you need to know more about the entrepreneurs history and personal situation. Then you need to
know more about this new idea what the product is and what the market for it is.
Make sure you get the following details.
* amount of loan
* personal investment
* date of product launch
* production costs
* all other operating costs
* selling price
* sales channel
* yearly sales forecast
When you have this information, decide what to do lend the money, not lend the money, get more
information.
Want to know more about other cultures presentation styles?

See Culture Angle: Cross cultural presentations on page 40.
18
MBG Inc PC 02
Speak up
Key expressions
Work with a partner to make the first part of a sales pitch to a company you
have been in contact with over the past several weeks. They have shown an
interest but still need persuading. Choose one of the following options.
1. You are selling an English language sta training program to a large
telecommunications company who wish to expand their business abroad.
2. You work for a company which produces a range of natural organic fruit juices. You
want a large supermarket to stock the product and have to present your product.
There is a lot of competition in this market.
3. You have a chain of several small bread shops. A new shopping mall is opening soon
and you want to open a shop in it. You must persuade the company management of
the shopping mall that your shop will do well in the mall. Again, there is strong
competition for space in the mall.
With your partner, write down the

main points of your presentation.
Decide which structures to use
and think about what language
you can use to present your points
in the best possible way. Each
pair should prepare a dierent
proposal.
Presentation
Now it is time to present your sales proposal.
Each group should take between two and three
minutes to present their proposal to the others.
Preparing for a sales

proposal
What will this involve?
How much will it cost?
Ho well do I know my
audience?
Making a sales pitch

The company will benefit
because...
After buying this
product, people will be
able to...
If we want to make a big
improvement...
As you know...
So, what Id like to
propose is...
As a result, we often...
An improvement in skills
will be a big advantage for
the company because...
Analysis
Discuss the following questions as a class once you have
finished the presentations.
Which structure did each presenter choose? Was this eective?
Did you nd their arguments convincing?
Do you think they would gain approval in a real situation? Why?/
Why not?

1. Preparing for a sales proposal
2. Making decisions
3. Giving approval to a proposal
4. Making a sales pitch
5. Using persuasive arguments
19
MBG Inc PC 03
03

How to effectively work as a team
OBJECTIVES
Make a contribution
Play an active role
Build a successful team
Start up
How often do you have team meetings at work? In your team meetings who...
reminds others about the goals of the meeting?
keeps an eye on the time?
makes the most creative suggestions?
pays most attention to different people's opinions?
offers to do something practical?
Get ready to listen

PC 3.1 The production team at Rawlings Ltd, a sportswear manufacturer, meets to discuss how
they might handle an unusually large order which overstretches their capacity. These are
the members of the team, in order of speaking:
Charlie: Production Director and Team Coordinator
Lola: Manager, responsible for production schedules
Troy: Responsible for communication with other departments
Nigel: A production supervisor, in charge of one of the production lines
Tia: Quality Control Manager
Listen and answer the questions.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What two solutions to the problem are given at the start?

Why is Nigel unhappy about the second solution?
What two reasons does Tia give for objecting to the rst solution?
What third suggestion is made? Could it work?
What is Troy going to do?
Listen again and say what phrases the team members use to do the following.
1. Summarize the problem and two possible solutions.
_______________________________________________
2. Bring Lola into the discussion.
_______________________________________________
3. Introduce another idea.
_______________________________________________
4. Delegate action to Troy.
_______________________________________________
5. End on a positive note.
_______________________________________________
20
MBG Inc PC 03
BizBits
Successful Team Building
For most team leaders, one of the most important
tasks at hand is generally learning how to build
team spirit among the members in their team. In
today's corporate world, it is extremely important
to understand the importance of working with
others. Team spirit is not only important to avoid
disagreements in a team but also important in order
to enhance performance and to ensure the success of
the team.
Look at any company, whether big or small, you
will see how they are working towards promoting
team spirit. Team building helps foster a sense of
togetherness and brings the team together. This helps
in working towards a common goal and ensuring
that success is achieved. But how do you build team
spirit?
The entire team needs to be made responsible of

any success or failure. It would be unfair to reward a
single member as that could create problems within
the team.
Given below are some activities that you can use at

your workplace to help foster team spirit.
Team building activities are one of the best ways to
One good way of fostering team spirit is by
bring a team together. But there are certain things
building a wall of fame that can have a display
that you need to do on a normal everyday basis to
of trophies, certificates, and awards that team
foster a sense of team spirit. While making teams in
members have won.
your office, it is important that you ensure that the
Get your team to send out messages to other

teams are not bigger than 8 member teams and not
team members regarding things that they
smaller than five members. While with smaller teams
appreciate about each other. Also get them to
there is always the problem of not having enough
share information like birthdays, anniversaries,
people to perform all the tasks, with larger teams, it
favorite restaurants, vacation spots, etc.
becomes difficult to manage the same. If it is possible,
Get to know team members better and discover
try to make membership to a team something that
what their talents and skills are. There may be
needs to be earned. You can have some elite teams for
good singers, painters, dancers, etc.
which membership will be awarded on the basis of
completing some tasks or achieving certain targets. Plan group activities like sporting events, gala
This will push your employees to work harder and
dinners, concerts, family fetes, etc. so that team
also give the team members a sense of healthy
members can have fun together and enjoy with
competitiveness.
the team.
Building Team Spirit
Discussion
Answer the questions about the article above.
1. What does the article say is the result of healthy competition?
2. Whats the problem with having teams which are too large?
3. What do you think is meant by the verb foster?
4. Whats the dierence between team building and team spirit?
5. Which suggestions do you feel are most useful? Does your company use any team-building activities? Share
your team-building experience to the class.
21
MBG Inc PC 03

Teamwork across cultures
Attitudes towards teams and team-working
may vary considerably in dierent companies
and cultures. Look at the statements. To what
extent do you agree / disagree?
1. Information is power. It may be in your best interest
to keep some knowledge to yourself, or to share it
with only one or two other people.
2. It is important to reach consensus even if the
decision-making process is slow. If some people
dont agree, the team should take time to nd the
basis for agreement.
3. A team is a group of people who work together to
achieve shared goals: success and credit for the
group as a whole.
US companies practice teamwork widely, in the

form of self-directed teams, in which employees
themselves are responsible for managing
their groups and their work, and for making
production-related decisions. By the mid-1990s,
around 70 percent of Fortune 1,000 companies
were relying on teams and planning to expand
such usage.
Chinese culture, encompasses a collectivist
orientation that emphasizes the importance
of group structure and values. This orientation
may support crucial aspects of teamwork such
as a common purpose and cooperative eort
and not necessarily teamwork directly. The
management and boss still take the lead role in
decision-making.
Team-building Activity 1
Get into groups and discuss the statements. Give examples from your own working
experience.
Team-building Activity 2
You will now create a scenario for another team.
1. Give some background information such as the type of company and the people involved.
2. Create a problem in the company. The other team must work together to nd a solution to the problem.
Want to know more about teamwork across cultures?

See Culture Angle: Cross cultural teamwork on page 40.
22
MBG Inc PC 03
Speak up
Team Roles
In any team, dierent people play dierent roles. They each behave, contribute and relate to
others in a dierent way.
1. Match the types of behavior 1-8 with the phrases a-h. Take turns in giving the
answers. One starts saying statements (a-h), the next person gives the correct
behavior (1-8).
___ a. Remember that our main objective is (to save money).
___ b. Jack, could you take notes, please?
___ c. Maybe theres another way to look at this. We could (ask for more time)
___ d. Sarah, youre looking worried. What are your thoughts on this?
___ e. I`ll research the options and let you know next week.
___ f. Have you thought of (asking the customers)?
___ g. OK, Weve discussed this point long enough. Can we try to come to an agreement?
___ h. Sandy, would this decision cause problems for you?
1. Ask other people what they think or feel

2. Oer to do something practical
3. Remind people about goals
4. Put forward new suggestions
5. Try to reach a decision that everyone can
agree with.
6. Suggest an alternative viewpoint
7. Push people to make a decision
8. Delegate actions to people
Key
expressions
Successful team
building
Foster team spirit
Share information
Achieve targets
Healthy competition
Shared goals
Make a contribution
If everyone pulls
together, Im sure we can
do this!
Id be willing to give it a
try.
How would you feel if
we...
In a team what do you think is a / an.

- action role?
- people role?
- ideas role?
Which two roles do you think are most important
for a good team coordinator to be able to play?
2. You are all members of an international workforce at a multinational company. A meeting

has been called to discuss ideas for team-building activities. Your teacher will assign roles for
you and you should play to your character.
action role
people role
ideas
role
Analysis
What team-building activity did your group decide on?
Did everybody play to their roles?
Did you incorporate the language from the Get Ready section of the lesson?
To be successful at work and in business, you need to have certain skills and qualities.In this lesson we
1. Building a team
2. Making a contribution
3. Playing an active role
4. Overcoming problems
5. Working together
23
MBG Inc B4 PC
1-3Business Communication Skills Review

1 Presenting an effective argument
Present your proposal in a logical way: people respond positively to ideas that are well organized.
Emphasize the benefits of your proposal.
Use we rather than I or you to get support from others.
Choose two or three strong arguments: too many reasons can weaken your case.
Be positive: say what you want, not what you dont want.
When presenting a detailed argument, use facts and figures to support your ideas.
Now, write an effective argument in favour of something including all the points above.
2 Sell it!
Look at the steps 1-4 that help in a sales

pitch. Match each of them with two of the
sentences a-h.
a. The company will benefit because

b. After buying this product, people will be
able to
c. The experience of other companies is that
we can expect success.
1. Give evidence that your idea will work.
d. Id like to have your commitment today.

e. Research shows that it is highly effective.
2. Describe a successful outcome and a

bright future.
f. The benefits are less waste, lower costs and

greater productivity.
3. Summarize the benefits.
g. If you give your support, we can start right

away.
4. End with a call for action.
h. When we complete this, well have more

effective procedures.
3 Team Building
Look at the three types of team roles. Match the qualities in the box with the team role it
is best suited to.
1. action oriented
2. people oriented
3. ideas oriented
24
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
more focused on tasks

are creative and imaginative
listen to others' opinions
good at motivating people
bored by routines
good at putting ideas into practice
MBG Inc B4 PC
Language Review
1. The following expressions are all useful in presentations, but some letters are missing from
the final words.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Right, lets get... _ T_ _ _ _ D

Just to give you a brief O _ _ _ V _ _ W
To go back to what I was saying E _ R _ _ E _
Id like to look at this in more _ ET _ _ L
Theres an important point to be made _ _ R _
Lets just put this into some kind of P _ R _ P _ _ T _ V _
So, to sum U _
Thank you. I'm sure you have many Q _ _ _ T _ _ _ S
2. Complete the collocations by writing the nouns in the right-hand boxes. They are all things
you might do when making a sales pitch.
figures
a graph
an issue
jokes
a point
make
stress
describe
refer to
quote
compare
tell
crack
address
raise
field
deal with
questions
3. The following sentences were used in a team meeting. Decide at which step in the
conversation each point comes.
I think we should go on a day trip to the beach. __
I think well have to reject this idea for now as it seems a little expensive. __
OK, I think we should go for the weekend to a luxury spa hotel.
__
Now, thats a nice idea. __

Id like to hear what you all have to say. __
Now, what we need are as many ideas as possible. 1
Jill, can I leave the details to you? __
25
MBG Inc PC 04
04

How to brainstorm and troubleshoot
OBJECTIVES
Prepare an action plan
Find solutions to problems
Hold a crisis meeting
Start up
Look at these ways of dealing with a crisis situation. Which things would you do to prepare for
a crisis and which would you do during a crisis?
Brainstorm problems that might happen.
Carry out a risk assessment.
Identify what action is required most urgently.
Prepare an action plan for each potential crisis situation.
Make decisions calmly.
Discuss how to solve the problem.
Get ready to listen

PC 4.1
The Roland group is planning a big summer party for employees and important clients. The
project leader organizing the event is chairing a meeting to assess the risks. The participants
have just finished brainstorming problems that might happen at the party.
Listen and tick the potential problems they mention.

catering
bad weather
transport
natural disasters
medical emergencies and accidents

re
security
room size
Listen to the rest of the conversation, where they decide on an action plan for one of the
potential problem areas. Look at the extract from their action plan and correct five mistakes.
Action plan: Medical emergencies and re
Team coordinator: Alison
Medical back-up
hotel medical facilities (all emergencies)
11 sta trained in rst aid (minor accidents)
Miscellaneous
heat: Arrange 2 rooms where guests can rest. Catering team to provide coee.
indoor swimming pool: 4 members of sta to watch the pool (rota).
26
MBG Inc PC 04
BizBits
How to make a crisis management plan
A crisis management
plan is one of the critical
components of an effective
crisis response. A plan is
not a solution to solve a
crisis. It is a tool that can
guide you through the Initial
Response of just about
any emergency regardless of
its nature . When it comes to crisis plans, size matters. The
thicker the plan the fewer will use it in the heat of battle. In
other words, keep it short, keep it simple.
Seven steps to an effective good plan

There are seven steps to creating an effective
communications plan.
1. Conduct a capability analysis

A capability analysis will help determine the strengths
and weaknesses of your communications team. Include
an assessment of skills and experience for each member of
your team, an inventory of the equipment and the physical
space needed to support communications operations.
2. Select a likely operational crisis scenario

Prepare an operational crisis scenario likely to occur in
your organization based on its purpose or business to give
context to this process.
For example, if your company operates a petroleum
products pipeline you might use a gasoline leak from your
pipeline as the scenario for this exercise.
Participants in these exercises should include your
crisis team members and representatives from parts
of the organization who need to coordinate with the
communications team during a crisis.
3. Determine the ideal response sequence

Conduct a tabletop exercise using the scenario you selected.
A tabletop exercise is a type of crisis training in which
participants typically sit around a conference table and
discuss responses to a developing crisis, hence its name.
Step-by-step, determine the best-case sequence of actions,
decisions and resources needed to respond to a crisis and
record them as part of your plan.
4. Create a resources needed list

Based on the results of the tabletop exercise conducted in
Step 3, prepare a list of the resources needed to implement
the plan,.
5. Test the plan

Now, using the scenario in Step 3, conduct another
tabletop exercise to test and evaluate your fledgling draft
communications plan.
Dont forget to incorporate the actions and decisions
identified in this exercise in your plan.
6. Repeat the process

Conduct a third tabletop exercise, this time using a nonoperational scenario that could occur in your organization
such as fraud, executive malfeasance or reports of sexual
harassment.
7. Repeat the process again

Conduct a fourth tabletop exercise this time using a worstcase scenario that could befall your organization. This
scenario for the petroleum pipeline company could be a
significant gasoline leak in a highly populated area.
Incorporate the actions, decisions and resources identified in
this exercise into your plan.
Discussion
Brainstorm answers to the questions about the article above.
1. What does the article say about a crisis management plan that is too large and has too much detail?
2. What is the purpose of a tabletop exercise?
3. What example is given for the worst crisis that could happen to a petroleum pipeline company?
4. What do you think is meant by the word edgling in step 5?
5. Step 6 mentions a non-operational problem. What do you think is the dierence between an operational and a nonoperational problem?
27
MBG Inc PC 04

Dealing with a crisis
Even in dealing with a crisis, people in diverse cultures have dierent ways of handling problems
brought about by a critical situation. Share what you know about other cultures way of handling crisis.
Crisis communication across cultures
BP CEO Tony Hayward has been in the crossre over his reaction to the oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico. Some of his problems seem to come from failure to take into account cultural dierences.
Dierent cultures communicate in dierent ways, and awareness of this can be vital to success in
dealing with crisis situations like this environmental disaster.
What seems clear is that Tony Haywards down-to earth, self-deprecating, unemotional style,
which is appealing to many British people, doesnt go down well in the US. Americans were
far from reassured when he said, "We dont have all the tools in our tool box." The Americans,
according to commentators quoted in the recent Financial Times article with the title "Cultural
failings leave BP engulfed", wanted to see contrition, serious upset and emotion. Above all, they
wanted action.
To make matters worse, Hayward's tendency to smile or make a joke suggested to many
Americans that he wasnt taking the situation seriously, rather than having the intended eect of
defusing tension. The Times sums it all up in a quote from a source who said, "When America was
crying out for the cool assurance and go-do-it of Tom Hanks in Apollo 13 they got bumbling Hugh
Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral."
By Robert Gibson (http://www.business-spotlight.de/blogs/robert-gibson/crisiscommunication-across-cultures)
Get into groups. Think of a crisis situation. You will

have 15 minutes to come up with an effective crisis
management plan. Each group will then present their
crisis and their action plan to the class. Each group will
be awarded points based on the criteria below.
NOTES:
Score
(1-5)
Number of potentia problems identied
Number of solutions to the problems
Delegating tasks amongst group
(teamwork)
Feasibility of the plan (Is it realistic?)
Creativity
Want to know more about other cultures' crisis management?

See Culture Angle: Crisis management across cultures on page 40.
28
MBG Inc PC 04
Speak up
Work with a partner.
TASK 1
Prepare a crisis situation for another group to discuss. Imagine that a problem has
occurred. Write a description giving details about what has happened. An example is
shown below. Give the notes to another group. Take the crisis situation that the other
group has prepared for you as you will need it for Task 2.
Example
PR Crisis
You work in the Public Relations department of a large Pizza restaurant company which has restaurants all
over the country. Most of the restaurants are franchised but it is up to Head Oce to maintain standards and
protect the brand.
The Crisis:
The media are reporting that your agship store in the centre of Shanghai is dirty, unhygienic and is infested
Key
expressions
Managing a crisis
Capability analysis
Crisis management
Response sequence
Operational and nonoperational scenarios
Working in a crisismanagement
team
So, shall we start by
Ill prepare
How should we handle
that?
We will brief the
with mice and cockroaches. A disgruntled former employee has posted a video on the internet. It shows the
kitchen and food preparation area in a disgusting state and the video has already received 50000 hits on
youku. The media are asking for a company statement. What can you do? How can you make the situation
better?
TASK 2
Taking the crisis situation notes from another group, hold a crisis meeting to deal with
the situation.
All members of the group should look for solutions and make suggestions.
Analysis
1. How well did your group perform as a team during
the crisis meeting?
2. What could your group do to improve its
performance in a similar situation in the future?
3. Do you think you can put some of the strategies you
have learned into your real-life work?

1. Looking at ways of dealing with a crisis
2. Preparing for a crisis
3. Thinking of solutions
4. How to make a crisis management plan
5. Working as a team in a crisis
29
MBG Inc PC 05
05
Whats your point?

How to summarize main points and give accurate reports
OBJECTIVES
Summarize main points
Structure a report
Give an accurate report
Start up
Why is it important to have a summary of a meeting?
Is it useful to have an oral summary as well as a written record (i.e. the minutes) of the meeting?
When is the best time for a chairperson to provide a summary: during the meeting, at the end, or both?
What should the chairperson include when summarizing?
Get ready to listen

PC 5.1
Jimmy, Kirsty and Mac, three managers from Tartan Minerals Ltd, hold a meeting to
discuss another PR question.
Listen to the first extract from the meeting. Make notes on the following points.
a. Do the managers plan to have an open day, an exhibition or both?
b. Who might come to this event?
c. What problem is discussed?
d. What action points are given to:
* Jimmy?
* Kirsty?
e. Do they reach a decision at the end of the meeting?
Listen to Kirsty giving a report of the meeting to Roberto, the plant safety officer, and
answer the questions.
a. What does Kirsty say was decided at the meeting?
____________________________________________________________________
b. What does she say will happen at the open day?
____________________________________________________________________
c. Who does she say is going to draw up the guest list?
____________________________________________________________________
d. What does she ask Roberto to do?
____________________________________________________________________
e. When does she ask him to get it done by?
____________________________________________________________________
f. Which of the above points does Kirsty report inaccurately?
____________________________________________________________________
g. Did she omit any important points?

_________________________________________________________________
30
MBG Inc PC 05
BizBits
The importance of summarizing
It is surprising to observe what emerges from meetings.
People hear different things. Or to put it more correctly,
they hear the same things but give them different
meanings.It is particularly interesting that people who
have opposing viewpoints can attend the same meeting
and come out with the strong conviction that what was
said supports their respective positions, and they quote
the same speaker to prove their points. Because of this
conflict in what some hear, but also because it is desirable
to clarify matters and to provide better understanding
for all in attendance, it is useful to summarize a meeting
before everyone departs.
Of course, if it is an official board or committee meeting,
a secretary might be taking minutes to be circulated later,
and such a verbal summary may not be necessary. But
there are many meetings when this is not the case, and
a summary is helpful. This is particularly true if a deal is
being concocted and it is important for each person to
understand what his or her rights and obligations are, or if
some action is planned and each person has to know what
to do.
A suggested procedure is to volunteer, I would appreciate
the opportunity to summarize what I believe we have
said today to be sure I understand it. Rarely, if ever, will
anyone object, and usually, even for the simplest and
briefest meetings, there are some corrections and addenda
to the summary. Frequently, it leads to a rather lengthy
discussion and clarification, even after everyone thought
the meeting was over and that all present understood the
content. Summarizing a meeting takes a little skill, which
can be improved with practice.
An outstanding practitioner of this is Sally Hayes who is

professional in helping boards and committees go through
evaluation procedures. We were having a meeting about
the possibility of having a management study done for
a non-profit organization.After a two-hour discussion,
she summed up, This is what I hear you saying... And
in about four sentences, she put it all together. It was a
pleasure to see the affirmative nods around the table.
Once I had a luncheon meeting with three men in the oil
business to discuss a complicated deal.As the lunch was
winding down, it appeared that we were ready to leave,
each feeling he had a complete understanding of what had
been decided. I asked for the opportunity to summarize
what I thought had been concluded, to which they agreed.
I had not gone far before I came to an important part of
the deal, and it was apparent that it had not been resolved.
There followed an animated conversation until the matter
was clarified, and then I began again. When it was over,
it was pointed out that I had forgotten to mention two
aspects, which were then described by another person.
It is clear that if I had not volunteered to give a summary,
we would have left with an important point unresolved.
Furthermore, repeating the terms helped reinforce them
in our minds, and a reminder of the two points I had
forgotten to mention was helpful.
Discussion
Brainstorm answers to the questions about the article above.
1. What reasons are given for the advantages of summarizing a meeting?
2. What examples of misunderstandings are given in the text?
3. What phrases can be given to start a summary?
4. What do you think the underlined words in the text mean?
5. According to the text, who can start a summary?
Now, summarize the article above. You

may start by saying,
I would appreciate the opportunity
to summarize what I believe we have
discussed today to be sure I understand
it.
31
MBG Inc PC 05

Social Responsibility
In advanced economies like the U.S. and Japan, corporate social responsibility is a major part of the many
companies corporate culture.
In Germany and Italy there is a long tradition in being socially responsible among businessmen. For example in
working alongside politicians, scientists and representatives of charitable associations or by enhancing the quality
of life of the employees in the communities where the companies operated (for example in terms of education,
health). Also it can be said however, that the deep involvement in the community was gradually reduced as a
consequence of the growth of the welfare state. In recent years there has been a growing focus on corporate
social responsibility among large companies as people demand more accountability from these companies. A
recent study in CSRO among 131 natives of dierent countries working as managers in the U.S. chemical industry
found that natives of the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States did not report
signicant dierences in CSR orientation across countries.
E-tullop is a medium-sized company which burns waste

products. Companies like this have received a lot of bad
publicity recently with environmental groups saying
they produce harmful pollution. The company wants to
promote the image of being socially responsible so has
decided to use $100,000 to sponsor a local project.
Part 1:
You must come up with a suitable project which would best improve the companys image. Two
examples are given below.
There has been a growing trend towards companies

and charities collaborating in long term partnerships
that go beyond just financial commitment. Forest
Watch is a local charity aiming to conserve local forests
and encourage the development of new forests with
tree planting initiatives. You want to offer financial
help to the charity and will also give your own staff
incentives to do volunteer work for Forest Watch.
A local hospital is trying to raise $2,000,000 to update

and modernize its medical equipment. The current
equipment is inefficient and patients health is being
put at risk. The hospital is launching an appeal to raise
the $2,000,000 and it is hoped that local firms will offer
donations.
Part 2:
Hold a meeting with your group discussing the benets of your project, how you will implement it and
how it will improve the companys image.
Part 3:
Your group must now summarize the main points of your proposal and present to the other groups.
Each individual including the trainer will vote for

the best proposal and summary. You cant vote
for your own proposal. The group with the most
votes wins.
32
MBG Inc PC 05
Speak up
Key
expressions
Match the first part of each sentence 1-8 with the second part a-h that goes with it.
The linked sentences should make a logical paragraph giving an oral report about a
meeting to discuss publicity materials.
1. We discussed
2. And we decided to
3. We talked
4. Several people disagreed
5. James pointed out
6. Peter felt that
7. Clarissa suggested
8. In the end, we agreed...
a. ...with this idea.

b. ...how we could make our publicity
materials more exciting
c. ...nding out what it would cost
before deciding
d. ...that the costs would be very high.
e. ...produce a new brochure.
f. ...to postpone the decision until we
have more information.
g. ...about the possibility of hiring
design consultants.
h. ...it was more important to have
good publicity than to save costs.
Summarizing
I would appreciate
the opportunity to
summarize...
Volunteer to give a
summary
Id like to clarify
Reporting
______ pointed out...
______ suggested...
We talked...
We decided to...
______ felt that...
In the end, we agreed...
Look at the audio script on page 93. What should Kirsty have said when
reporting the meeting to Roberto? Prepare your own short oral report
of the meeting. Use some of the reporting phrases from the language
exercise above. Report the meeting to the class.
Analysis
How clear was your partners report?

How accurate was the report?
Did they give enough detail? Or too much detail?
Was it necessary to ask questions to get the
information you needed?
Want to know more about social

responsibility in other cultures?
See Culture Angle on page 40.

1. Summarizing the important points of a meeting, an article, or a discussion
2. Discussing a proposal
3. Summarizing the main points of a proposal
4. Structuring and preparing a structuring and preparing a report
5. Giving an accurate report
33
MBG Inc PC 06
06
Get it done
How to get results and improve productivity
OBJECTIVES
Persuade people to do things
Get things done on time
Use time and energy wisely
Start up
Which of the following strategies do you use to make sure you do things on time? Discuss
with a partner.
Make a list of things to do.

Estimate the time you need for each task.
Break down tasks into steps.
Decide on the order in which to complete tasks.
Draw a workow diagram.
Put high priority tasks rst.
Get ready to listen

PC 6.1
A sales manager talks to a conference organizer about arranging a golf tournament for
important customers.
Look at the list of actions (a-g) below. Then listen to the conversation and write each
action into the plan.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Check the customers requirements

Invite the customers
Book the golf venue
Brief the sales team
Select the golf venue
Choose the menu for lunch
Conrm the number of guests
Actions
February
5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 Hold the tournament
34
March
8
10
11
12
April
13
14
15
16
17
***
*******
*************
****
***************
****
*****
10th
Listen again. What language did the speakers use to say when things must be done?
MBG Inc PC 06
BizBits
Time management and productivity
The key to increased productivity is to focus on managing
actions and energy rather than time. Here are five actions
that can increase your productivity
1. Manage actions and priorities.

Time management is action-management. Think of time
as physical and mental energy that you expend through
actions. The feeling of no time can arise from too many
priorities or unclear priorities. Neglected self-care can
also leave one feeling unable to complete necessary tasks.
Begin your day knowing exactly what you intend to
do. Outlining the day on paper each morning is a great
action-management technique.
What must you do before you can use your time-energy
more efficiently?
4. Stay exible and ask for help.

2. Keep skills sharpened.
Sharp skills allow completion of more actions with less
effort. Sharpen fundamental skills frequently. Take courses
that will keep you up to date with the latest information in
your career. Routine skill sharpening in all aspects of life
is a wise energy-management choice. Personal skills and
career skills will often overlap, affecting productivity .
Urgency is not inflexibility. Flexible plans allow for

interruptions, schedule changes, and unforeseen events
that you cannot control. Flexibility also allows you to
accept help from others. Attempting to do everything
alone can create an energy imbalance in both your
personal life and career. Act on your strengths and ask for
qualified help with those things you cannot handle alone.
What skills could you sharpen that would create more time- What thoughts or attitudes can you change to become more
flexible, balanced, and productive?
energy and productivity?
3. Focus purposefully.
5. Act decisively.
Feelings of time scarcity crop up when thoughts or actions

do not pertain to the purpose at hand. Actions that are
off purpose do not support ones values or goals. Up goes
stress; down goes productivity. Create daily reminders to
check your focus and action-priorities.
Act decisively on the commitments you make to your

goals. Over-analysis and waiting for the perfect moment
can obstruct a successful launch. Fears of either success
or failure can hold you back. Acknowledge fears and look
past them to see the rewards of your actions.
What distractions could you remove that would help to

maintain a purposeful focus?
What could you accomplish if you made the commitment to

begin today?
Discussion
1. What does the writer say you should focus on instead of time?
2. How does improving your skills help you to save time?
Which of the five actions above

resonate to you most?
3. What are the advantages of staying exible?

4
What do you think the writer means by over-analysis in point 5?
How are you going to act on it?

When?
5. With a partner, discuss the questions at the end of each point.
35
MBG Inc PC 06

Attitudes to time and sta training
Traditionally, in low context cultures like Northern Europe, a verbal agreement to do something is not
always to be relied on and so plans are often written in detail to hold people to a certain task. On the
other hand, in high context cultures, like Japan and the Middle East, a persons word is often enough.
However traditional cultural dierences in regards to business practice is becoming less noticeable
around the world as there is a move towards standardization rather than adapting to one specic type of
business practice. This is especially true when looking at modern attitudes to planning, time and the role
of the leader.
Look at the projects below. Hold a short planning meeting with your team to discuss each one
and make an action plan. Assign a different person to lead each discussion.
Project 1
Replace all the desks in your oce.

Budget?
Requirements?
The leader`s role

Suppliers?
Timescale?
- Get the team to

break down each
project into a series
of steps or actions.
Project 2
- Assign each action

to someone in your
team.
Organize a party for a colleague who is leaving in 2 weeks.

Time?
Food and drink?
Gifts?
- Keep to the time

limit.
Place?
- Record the
decisions and
actions on the table
below.
Project 3
Organize a training day for your team next month. The trainer will come from the
USA to run the course in the company.
Date?
Trainers
accommodation?
Training room?
Copies of
training manual?
Action points
Deadline
Person responsible
Want to know more about different cultures' attitude to time ?

See Culture Angle: Attitude to time and hierarchy on page 40.
36
MBG Inc PC 06
Speak up
Which of the following sentences

expresses the greatest priority? Put
them in order from greatest to least
priority.
a. Id like to get everything done before May, if
possible.
b. This is urgentwe must do it right away.
c. Its important to conrm the numbers by the
end of the month.
d. We need to book as soon as possible.
e. Theres no rush we can do that anytime.
Write a list of 5 things you need to do and

prioritize them.
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
Key
expressions
Prioritizing &
Persuasion
This is urgent...
We need to...as soon as
possible.
We must do it right
away.
Id like to get everything
done...
Its important to...
Theres no rush...
Persuade people to do things
Get into groups. Your company has been given some extra money to spend. Look at the
scenarios below, choose one and try to persuade the other members in your group to do
what you want.
1. Suggest a dinner and a night at an

expensive hotel in (city of your choice).
You want to invite wives/husbands/
partners to the event.
2. You want to divide the cash among you

so you can spend it as you wish.
3. You think the money should be given

in the form of shares in the company
(stock options).
4. You want to spend the money on a trip.

Your companys head oce is in London
and none of you has been there yet.
Propose a visit.
Productivity &
Time management
Sharpen skills
Act decisively
Remove distractions
Stay flexible
Analysis
1.
2.
3.
4.
What techniques did your partners use to persuade?

Did you respond to their techniques?
What could they have done better?
What do you think are the most important factors
in persuasion?

1. Being persuasive
2. Using time and energy wisely
3. Organizing a project
4. Getting things done and getting results
5. Increasing productivity
37
MBG Inc B4 PC
4-6Business Communication Skills Review

4 Crisis Management
Put the actions in the box into the
appropriate step below.
1. Clarify the most urgent aspects of the problem.

2. Discuss how to stop the problem from happening
again.
3. Carry out a risk assessment.
4. Keep calm and make informed decisions.
5. Analyze how your team dealt with the problem.
6. Prepare an action plan.
Before a crisis occurs:

During a crisis:
After a crisis:
5 Summarizing
At the end of a meeting a chairperson may sum up as follows. Place the correct verb in the
space.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
____________ to the aims of the meeting and whether they have been met.
____________ people what points have been covered.
____________ priority to the most significant items or decisions.
____________ the main decisions reached.
Briefly ___________ the discussion leading up to these decisions.
____________ that any outstanding items are noted for inclusion at the next meeting.
____________ people for their contributions.
____________ the time and venue for the next meeting.
Thank
Ensure
Refer
Remind
Recap
Give
Set
summarize
6 Getting Results
Which of the following things do you do? Put a tick beside the things you do and dont do.
Do
Dont
make a list of tasks ___
put off tasks because they are too difficult ___

concentrate on one task and forget others ___
break down tasks into shorter actions ___

set deadlines for completing tasks ___
do the most urgent tasks first ___
predict and try to prevent problems ___
check your list regularly to keep on track ___
38
MBG Inc B4 PC
Language Review
1. Match each of the functions 1-3 with two of the phrases a-f that you can use to talk about
solutions.
1. Ask for ideas
2. Divide the problem into parts
3. Suggest ideas
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
How can we sort this out?

Well just have to...
The first thing we should do is...
We need to...
How do you suggest we deal with this?
Lets just take it one step at a time.
2. Look at the phrases a-g below. Which phrases are useful for...
1. summarizing a discussion?
2. summarizing information that you have read?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
So, to sum up
This case study is quite long, so let me just give you a brief summary
It says here that
Weve discussed the question ofand it seems that
Some of you think thatOthers are of the opinion that
Basically, the main points in the report are
So, what weve agreed is that ...
3. Look at four stages of getting results. Take two things you might say from the box and place
them in the correct part.
a. Defining the problem
1. Ok, lets see what weve got so far...

2. On balance, I think we should go with
b. Brainstorming ideas
3. I think there are three main aspects to the problem.

4. I think well have to reject this idea for now.
5. Id like to hear what you all have to say.
c. Reviewing ideas
6. Now, how do we implement this...

7. OK, basically the problem is this...
d. Selecting the solution
8. Lets keep the ideas coming.
39
MBG Inc B4 PC
Culture Angle
PC 4
PC 1
During a crisis, behavior incidents, values , beliefs and attitudes

imposed by each individuals personal heritage can come to
the surface. When expressed they can trigger responses that
accelerate rather than defuse the situation. Knowing these issues
and how they are communicated is critical to successful behavior
management. Multi-cultural issues may provide numerous
challenges to all involved in crisis management. Language
dierences, along with inaccurate assumptions and stereotypes,
may obstruct communication.
Emotions across cultures

The extent to which people express their emotions can often be
described using the terms aective and neutral. People from aective
cultures tend to express their feelings and emotions openly whereas
people from neutral cultures usually try to hide their thoughts and
feelings. These two opposing concepts can help us to understand
behaviours and reactions to situations so that we avoid making false
interpretations or judgments about others when working across
cultures.
Aective cultures vs neutral cultures

When doing business in Brazil or living and working in Italy, both
aective cultures, you may nd that your counterparts show their
reactions immediately and directly through verbal and non-verbal
channels such as increasing the level of their voice, using gestures
or making more physical contact. However, if you are from a neutral
culture like the US or Finland, this may make you feel uncomfortable
and sometimes even aggressed. Meanwhile, your Brazilian or Italian
counterparts may nd your lack of outward expression of feelings
confusing and might perceive you as being cold and reserved.
PC 2
Cross cultural presentations
One area within the business environment in which intercultural
awareness is a necessity is in the business presentation.Directors,
managers, salespeople, consultants and business personnel are
regularly required to deliver presentations. However, when one is
asked to give a presentation to an audience from a dierent culture
there are intercultural factors that can hinder the success of a
presentation.
Style of Presentation
Dierent cultures learn and take in information in varying ways.
One should always try and tailor their presentation style to meet
the needs of the target culture. Some cultures, such as Europeans,
prefer information to be presented in detail and in a way that sets
down foundations that act as the support to a nal argument or
point. In such a presentation the speaker should gradually lead the
audience, using a logical succession of points, to a conclusion. On the
other hand, some cultures, like the US, prefer a much faster paced
presentation that is bottom-line orientated, meaning the presenter
speaks from a point rather towards a point.
PC 3
Cross cultural teamwork
To eectively handle conict about a problem without people
getting mad at each other is the most important thing about making
teams work.
Some cultures are more comfortable about engaging in conict, and
someone from a culture that always brings conicts out in the open
may be astonished when someone from another culture thinks they
are rude and even cruel.
The biggest trick to accomplishing that is to talk to each other about
teamwork, how everyone is feeling about conicts, and how to make
it better. It also helps to know that even before people start to try
to resolve a conict, dierent cultures have three dierent ways to
resolve conicts:
ASK THE BOSS. In many cultures, there is someone whose

decision must be followed. Whatever the chosen person says is true,
even if it does not make sense to anybody else.
FOLLOW THE PROCESS. Some have processes to calculate
or determine the answer for each type of question, and the answer
that process provides is followed without question, no matter how it
aects the people involved.
TAKE CARE OF EVERYBODY. People from these cultures feel
that everybody should get some good out of the conict, even if it
conicts with the boss, or it violates the rulesin some way.
40
Crisis management across cultures
In Business across Cultures, page 28 you have seen how British and
Americans dier in handling a crisis. How about the Chinese? How
do they manage a crisis?
PC 5
Corporate social responsibility
The meaning of corporate social responsibility in a specic
country is determined by the social priorities and the political and
sociocultural context. Companies that wish to do business in and
with foreign countries and wish to accept their corporate social
responsibility will benet if they obtain information beforehand
on the attitudes and customs with regard to corporate social
responsibility in a certain country.
Companies also need to pay attention to the social needs and
problems that exist in a certain country. For example, black
empowerment and contributing to the ght against AIDS are
central themes in South Africa. In the United States, corporate
social responsibility is often associated with charity and, in the
Netherlands, it is seen as activities that transcend legislation.
The politicalsocial situation in a country plays a large role in
what is expected from companiesand certainly from foreign,
Western companieswith regard to corporate social responsibility.
Something that is obvious in one country can be a very important
topic of discussion in another. This is the result of dierences in:
The social problems that are given priority in a certain country
The relationship between (multinational) companies and the
local government
The relationship between (multinational) companies and
their stakeholders (including social organisations) and the
role of the citizens.
PC 6
Attitude to time and hierarchy

Of the many areas in international business where cultural
dierences manifest is in the corporate meeting room. International
meetings are an area where dierences in cultural values, etiquette,
interpretations of professional conduct and corporate rules are at
their most visible and challenging to control.
In international business meetings, cultural dierences between
professionals can and do clash. Although it can not always be
avoided, the negative eects of cultural dierences can be
minimised with careful and eective planning, organisation and
consideration prior to meetings.
Time
Not all cultures live by the clock. Time orientated cultures such as
the British or Germans will have strict approaches to how meetings
run. The start time, nishing time and all the dierent stages in
between will be planned carefully. Other cultures will see the start
time as an approximation, the nish time as non-xed and all the
dierent stages in between as exible.
Hierarchy
The hierarchical nature of a culture can have a massive impact on

the input given by participants in an international meeting. For those
from hierarchical cultures speaking one's mind, criticising ideas,
disagreeing openly, giving feedback and reporting problems in front
of the boss or manager are all areas they would feel uncomfortable
with. To oer a criticism of the manager's idea would be seen as a
loss of face for both the manager and the criticiser.
Workshops
1
2
3
MBG MODULE / Communication Skills

1/ Iceberg: visible and invisible
How to reinforce the impact of your message
2/ Honestly speaking
How to speak out without hurting
3/ I can hear, but Im not listening
How to actively listen and understand what people are really saying
Simulation Game 1 Communication skills
MBG MODULE / Customer Service Skills

4/ At your service
How to manage customer expectations of quality service
5/ The customer is king
How to deal with customer dissatisfaction
6/ Moments that build or destroy reputations

How to build good public relations
Simulation Game 2 Customer service skills
MBG MODULE / Leadership Skills

7/ The golden rules of good leadership
How to deal with problems when taking on a new managerial role
8/ Diagnosing your team
How to identify your teams strong points and weak points
9/ What am I doing here?
How to find out your staffs expectations and how to manage them
Simulation Game 3 Leadership skills
MBG Inc AC 01
Workshop
01
Iceberg: visible and invisible
How to reinforce the impact of your message
Get Ready...
A
Watch a video clip and answer the following questions.

V1.1
1.
Do you know the TV series where the scene is from?
2.
How could Dr. Lightman tell that the man is lying?
Read the following article and fill in the blanks with phrases a - e.
Communication takes places on several levels. Words are just part of communication
which is largely non-verbal. Our appearances, gestures, and other body language
send information and messages which the person were talking to interprets. When
_____________________ , words dont always win. Communication is like an iceberg.
The visible part is what you consciously want to express with your body or words; the
hidden part is what you __________________ , for example, through ________________
or _________________________ . To ensure eective communication, we have to
prepare and try to __________________ . We can reinforce the impact of our message
through conscious action.
a. words contradict body language

b. communicate subconsciously
c. uncontrolled gestures which betray emotions
d. slips of the tongue
e. communicate in a controlled way
Workshop 01
42
MBG Inc AC 01
Get Set...
Background
The American Dream

The Democratic National Convention opened in Denver, Colorado, August 25th 2008 as the party
prepared to nominate the first African-American candidate for U.S. presidency. On the first night of the
convention, the task of introducing Barack Obama was given to his wife, Michelle Obama. The 44-yearold Harvard-trained lawyer described herself and her husband as just another hardworking couple who
were simply living the American Dream.
Discussion
1.
What do you know about the United States of America?
2.
Have you ever heard about the American Dream? What is it?
Watch the last part of Michelle Obamas speech. Discuss the questions with a partner.
V 1.2
I think about how one day... They (my daughters) and your sons and
daughters will tell their own children about what we did together in this
election. They'll tell them They'll tell them how this time, we listened to
our hopes instead of our fears... how this time, in this great country where
a girl from the South Side of Chicago can go to college and law school, and the
son of a single mother from Hawaii can go all the way to the White House...
1. What is the message Michelle Obama tries to convey in her speech?

2. What are the techniques she uses to reinforce her message? List at least 3 techniques.
a. ____________________________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________________________
c. ____________________________________________________________
d. ____________________________________________________________
e. ____________________________________________________________
Skills Practice: Reinforce your message
Take turns to play the role of a manager. Imagine the rest of the class are the team members. Try
the techniques youve listed and discussed above.
Workshop 01
You are a manager and some of your team members are not good team players. However, team work is essential to
every project of the company. You are going to talk to them to ask them to change their behavior.
43
MBG Inc AC 01
Go!
Its time to deliver your message!
=
You are the general manager of an IT service company which has 600 employees. Due to a restructuring
of the company, 75 employees will be laid off two months apart from today and laid-off notices will be
given at the end of the coming month. Today, you are going to announce the news at a new year kickoff meeting where all employees are present. The message, besides what is stated above, you would
like to send is:
1.
you are sorry for the decision, but the layoff is inevitable if the company is to survive
and develop;
2.
you appreciate what the employees have done for the company;
3.
you wish every employee a fulfilling future.
Also, think about the questions the employees might ask. Prepare answers.
Layoff, also called redundancy in the UK, is the temporary

suspension or permanent termination of employment of a
group of employees for business reasons, such as when certain
positions are no longer necessary or when a business slowdown occurs. Originally the term layoff referred exclusively
to a temporary interruption in work, as when factory work
cyclically falls off. The term however nowadays usually means
the permanent elimination of a position.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Workshop 01
44
Step 1:
Step 4:
You have 5 minutes to prepare

your speech.
Comment on one of the

participants performance.
Step 2:
Step 5:
Practice your speech with

your partner and give each
other tips and advice.
Your trainer will give

feedback and announce
scores.
Step 3:
Make your speech to the class.
The rest of the class will be
employees who will act according
to their role cards. The trainer will
evaluate your performance.
MBG Inc AC 01
Performance Evaluation
Names
Criteria
E.g. Paul
Appropriate tone and clarity of speech

1-5 points
Words that emphasize:

contribution of employees 1 point
gratitude of the speaker 1 point
apologies of the speaker 1 point
a fulfilling future 1 point
Thank you
My sincerest
apologies
Body language
Aligned with language 2 points
Aligned with the

message
Positive impact
Mention something that produces a positive
impact on the audience 2 points
Booming of the IT
service industry
Overall impression
Agreeable 1 point Very agreeable 2 points
Agreeable
Total score 16 points
10
2
1
Stop and Reflect

1. What are the different levels of communication?
Language Tips
Useful phrases
Its the only
ever developed to this kind of portability.
The problem with most
You would have been found guilty.
Sure we can recoup most of our costs.
2. Is verbal communication more important than

non-verbal communication?
Calling for action

In honor of, let us devote ourselves to doing
Out of gratitude for...let us work together to fulfill
Lets stand together to do...
Rhetorical figureParallelism
(Successive words, phrases, clauses with the same or very
similar grammatical structure) E.g.
It was strong enough to bring hope to those
neighborhoods in Chicago.
It was strong enough to bring hope to the mother ...
hope to the man...hope to the student
Giving tips on communication

To ensure effective communication, we have to
prepare and try to communicate in a controlled way.
align or match our tone and body language with our
words.
emphasize certain important words.
Workshop 01
3. What can you do to reinforce the message you

want to send?
45
MBG Inc AC 02
Workshop
02
Honestly speaking
How to speak out without hurting
Get Ready...
Erics colleague, Candy, who sits next to him often talks loud on the phone, which greatly affects his
concentration on his work. He would like to talk to her face to face.
Discuss with a partner what you would say to Candy if you were Eric. Then role play
the situation.
Get Set...
Rachel and John are designers working together on a project. They are dealing with Eric Russell, a client.
Sometimes, Rachel and John meet Eric together. Discussion then takes place among the three of them. At
other times, especially when money is discussed, John meets the client alone. This is how they originally
agreed to share the work between them.
Now Rachel is not happy. Sometimes after John has met Mr. Russell alone, he doesnt pass on new
information to her which she should know about, or he does it too slowly. This obviously creates problems
for Rachel with her work. She has to get him to change and she uses the DESC Method.
DESC Method
Description
Describe the situation
Expression
Solution
Express the problem
Suggest a solution
Consequences
Point out the positive

consequences of the
proposed solution
Step 1: Rachel describes the situation that causes the problem. Match her descriptions with the
possible reactions from John.
What do you mean? Never?
You cant say that.
Workshop 02
46
Oh, right. Sorry I

forgot to update you.
What clients do you mean?
When you go to meet clients alone, you

dont let me follow up the information I
need to know about.
After your meetings with

Eric Russell, you never
tell me anything.
I was not told about the changes Eric

Russell asked for at your last two
meetings.
MBG Inc AC 02
Discuss: Whats wrong with the descriptions that generate negative reactions? How would you
describe the one that generates a positive reaction.
Step 2: Rachel Expresses the problem. In pairs, discuss whether each of the following
expressions is likely to produce a positive reaction or negative reaction from John and
why.
You have made me waste two days of work.

As I didnt know about the changes Mr. Russell wanted,two days of work will have to be redone.
You are deliberately holding back information.
Step 3: Rachel suggests a Solution. In pairs, discuss which of the following sentences you
would prefer to hear if you were John and why.
Could you possibly call me when you go to see Mr. Russell?

Call me when you are going to see Mr. Russell.
I insist that you call me when you are going to see Mr. Russell.
Step 4: Rachel talks about the Consequences of the proposed solution. In pairs, discuss
whether each of the following sentences creates a positive mental image. If not,
rewrite it.
Mr. Russell will no longer take us for idiots.
I will no longer be demotivated.
I will no longer waste my time.
I will not fall behind with the other files.
Don
t ac
cus
alize
gener
Dont
Crea
te a p
ositi
ve im
a
ge of
your
solut
ion
e ct
AC 2.1
Listen to what Rachel finally says to John. Does she send her message without harming her relationship
with John?
Workshop 02
esp
wr
Sho
47
MBG Inc AC 02
Go!
Situation 1
Situation 2
You have been working on a project with Paul.

Very often, you have to make presentations to
the client. The two of you always write the PPT
slides together and take turns to talk during the
presentation. At your last presentation, you were
surprised by one PPT slide, as you had never
seen the information on it before. As a result,
you looked like an idiot in front of the client.
Apparently, Paul had added the information
without informing you. You feel frustrated.
Your boss often calls for a meeting on very short

notice. Yesterday, at 10:00 in the morning, he
informed everybody that theres going to be a
meeting at 2:00 in the afternoon. The meeting
lasted 3 hours. As a result, you had to work
overtime to finish a report you had promised to
deliver to a client the next morning. You would
like to talk to your boss about the problem.
Situation 3
Situation 4
You work in an open space office. You sit next to

the marketing department. Sometimes, instead of
going to the meeting room, they have meetings
in their office area. As there are always heated
discussions during their meetings, you have great
difficulty concentrating on your work. Last week
when they had their weekly meeting right there
next to you, it took you twice as much time as
usual to write an email. You would like to talk to
the secretary of the marketing department.
You are the production manager of a trading

company. You are looking for a production
expert who can help you to improve production
efficiency. You had a meeting with the recruitment
specialist, Grace, from the HR department about
this position half a year ago and emphasized that
you needed to find an industrial engineer who
has at least 8 years solid front line experience in
factories. For the past half a year, youve met four
candidates, but none of them meet this criterion.
One of them is a fresh graduate who has no work
experience! You are becoming impatient. You
called for an urgent meeting with Grace.
Each participant chooses one situation

to work on (you cant choose the same
situation as your partner).
Workshop 02
48
Take 5 minutes to prepare what you

will say, using the DESC method.
Role play with your partner.

Your trainer will evaluate your
performance.
Practice your speech with your partner

and give each other suggestions
and advice on how to improve your
speech.
Comment on one of the participants

performance.
Your trainer will give feedback and

announce scores.
MBG Inc AC 02
Evaluation Table
Names
Criteria
Description
Factual 1 point
Cites a specific case 1 point
Does not accuse the other person 2 points
E.g. Lisa
You added the
info without
consulting with
me
Expression
Links the problem with the specific case 1 point
Does not accuse the other person 2 points
Solution
Presents the solution as a proposal 1 point
Consequences
Uses positive words and expressions 2 points
1
lose my face
again
0
Stop and Reflect

Language Tips
1. What does each letter stand for in DESC?
2. What should you avoid saying when you try to

get others to change their behavior ?
Explaining cause and effect

Due to/ As a result of
The effect of this is
This has resulted in..
Subsequently,
A knock-on effect of this is
Propose a solution
3. Do you know other good ways to resolve
tension?
Could you possibly

How about doing ...
We could
Why dont we
...would be my proposal.
Responding to a proposal
Workshop 02
Thats a good idea.

Its worth a try.
I dont think that would
Thats possible (but) Im not convinced.
I suppose so.
That makes (no) sense.
Thats not an ideal solution.
49
MBG Inc AC 03
Workshop
03
I can hear, but Im not listening
How to actively listen and understand what people are really saying
Get Ready...
A
Active listening is a structured form of listening and responding that focuses

the attention on the speaker. It helps improve our job eectiveness and the
quality of our relationships with others.
Questionnaire: Whats your listening style?

Look at the questionnaire on page 54. In pairs, interview each other by asking questions in the
questionnaire. Then, tell your partner what kind of listener he/she is according to the questionnaire.
Read the following passage. What are the four types of obstacles to active listening
according to the passage?
Experts say we learn about two thirds
of what we know through listening. Yet
most of us are not good at it. A study
shows that we hear only 25%-50%
of what the other person says when
engaged in a conversation.
Basically, active listening is not easy.
Regardless of the context, we may come
up against obstacles which affect the
quality of our listening. We are often
distracted by the external environment
or by our wondering thoughts.
Apart from distraction, we might
have natural dispositions such as a
natural tendency to be impatient and
a tendency to get ahead of the other
person.
Workshop 03
50
Furthermore, the other persons

behavior or speech might generate a
negative reaction from us. Thus, we
dont feel like listening to him / her.
All these obstacles to active listening

are reinforced by the effect of the
perception filter which influences
our understanding of the situation.
The perception filter can almost be
compared to color blindness where
alteration of visual cells keeps a
person from seeing other shades. It
is composed of all the conditioning
accumulated over our life time, which
serves as our primary reference. This
conditioning includes our beliefs,
values, culture, education, experience,
mood and anything that influences our
vision of the situation.
To practice active listening and
understand what the other person is
really saying, we have to overcome all
the listening obstacles. Meanwhile, it is
important to identify the influence of
our perception filter, so that we can put
it aside and listen to the other person
without judging.
MBG Inc AC 03
Get Set...
Background
Paul is the marketing manager of a lighting products manufacturer. Lucy is a new intern in his
department. Paul assigned Lucy the task to draft the introduction to one of the new products.
However, Lucy has difficulty finishing the task. She goes to Pauls office to talk to him about
the problem.
AC 3.1
Listen to the conversation between Paul and Lucy. In pairs, find out what mistakes Paul
makes in the conversation.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
He wants to direct and control the conversation.

He cuts Lucy off and doesnt let her explain her problem.
He imposes his judgment and view of the situation.
He finishes Lucys sentences.
He only asks closed questions (yes or no questions) that
leave little room for Lucy to express herself.
Closed questions encourage

action, while open-ended
ones encourage reflection.
To a large degree, your
questions determine the
answers you receive.
Turn the following closed questions into open-ended questions.

1. So youll finish your task on time?
2. Do you like this job?
3. Do you think the company will have a bright future?
Whats the mistake?

With a partner, look at the slip of paper given to you by your trainer, on which a mistake is described. Act out
the mistake in front of the class. The rest of the class will guess what the mistake is.
Read the tips in practicing active listening below.
Ask the right questions (closed questions

as well as open-ended questions)
Be attentive;
Read the speakers body language
Be patient and let the speaker

express herself without
interrupting;
Restate what the speaker has

said to verify your understanding
and to show youve been paying
attention.
Put your perception filter aside

and listen without judging.
AC 3.2
Listen to another version of Pauls conversation with Lucy. Discuss whether Paul follows
the tips this time.
Workshop 03
Look at the speaker without staring;

Lean forward slightly or nod to show approval;
Punctuate the speakers words with
encouraging words like yes and uh hun
51
MBG Inc AC 03
Go!
Karl Jansen, Managing Director at a Shanghai-based trading company, has always believed that
employees perform better in a relaxed working atmosphere. The staff rule book is slim and hed like
to keep it that way. However, recent events have made him wonder whether the company culture has
become a little too casual.
The details
Memo
Urgent and Confidential
From
Karl Jansen, Managing Director
To
Jenny Huang, Human Resources Director
Date
30th, June
Policy on office relationships

Im extremely concerned about the growing
number of close relationships between members
of staff. This is having a very bad effect on both
performance and morale.
As you know, there have been two cases recently
where employees personal relationships seriously
affected their performance.
As a result, Id like the HR department to review
the two recent cases, advise how to proceed, and
draft a policy on office relationships. The two cases
are:
1. Appointment of Tania Jordan

A few months ago, Karl and two other
directors, Marcus and Julia, appointed a
new manager. There were three excellent
candidates. Finally Tania was selected
mainly because Marcus had argued strongly
in her favor. Karl discovered later that she was
Marcus sister-in-law. When Karl talked to
Marcus about it, he insisted that he supported
Tania because she was the best person for the
job.
2. Employment of Eric Liu
One month ago, the finance department hired
a new employee, Eric Liu. Before long, coworkers from other departments who are in
daily contact with Eric complained about Erics
performance, but the finance director, Derek
Lin, defended him. Later on, it was discovered
that Eric and Derek had been friends since
their college years.
1. the appointment of Tania Jordan

2. the employment of Eric Liu
Task
You are members of the HR Department.
Workshop 03
52
1. Discuss and decide on what action to take in regard to the two cases mentioned in Karls memo.
2. Write a set of guidelines concerning office relationships which could be used as a discussion
document at the next board meeting.
While you are interacting with each other, the trainer will fill in the evaluation table. After your meeting
has finished, the trainer will comment on each participants performance and announce scores.
MBG Inc AC 03
Active Listening Skills Evaluation Table

Names
Criteria
Being attentive
Looks attentive 1 point
Language Tips
Useful phrases
E.g. Lisa
Sometimes
absentminded
0
Being patient
Lets other people express themselves
without interrupting 2 points
They are never around.

Dont forget to submit the expenses.
You are having difficulties doing
Thats exactly right.
A study shows that
Regardless of the context, we may
It is important to, so that
Linking the text
Apart from, we might have...

Further more/ Meanwhile
Whats more/ Despite
Asking for an update

No judging
Does not let perception filter
influence understanding 2 points
Base
interpretation
on own
experience
0
Showing interest:
Looks at the speaker without staring
1 point
Leans forward slightly or nods:
1 point
Giving an update
Sometimes
stare
Uses encouraging words 1 point
2
Restating:
Restates what the speaker says
clearly 2 points
Ive been trying to

Some things are going well, and
others
To be frank
Basically, I feel a bit lost.
Were on track.
Things arent running smoothly as
Id hoped.
Showing interest
Asking questions:
Asks the right questions 2 points
How are you getting on with the

task I assigned to you?
I want to know where you are in
doing your task.
Do you feel you are getting by?
How does your side of things look?
How far are you with?
Whats the current status of?
Really?
Thats interesting.
Right / Ok / Mmm / Uh hun / Yes / No
Restating
No questions
So you think
So what youre saying is
If I got it right
If I understand you correctly
Can I clarify what youve just said?
Stop and Reflect

1. What are the benefits of active listening?
3. How can you check whether you understand the speaker correctly?
Workshop 03
2. What are the major obstacles to active listening?
53
MBG Inc AC 03
Listening Style Questionnaire

Please respond according to your first reaction to each statement.
Circle your answer (Y, N).
When you are finished, total the Ys and Ns in the blanks at the bottom
1. I am interested in many subjects and do not knowingly ignore other peoples words.
2. I listen carefully for a speakers main ideas and supporting points.
3. I take notes during meetings to record key points.
4. I am not easily distracted.
5. I keep my emotions under control.
6. I concentrate carefully and do not fake attention.
7. I wait for the speaker to finish before finally evaluating the message.
8. When a speaker is talking, I respond appropriately with a smile, nod or a word of acknowledgement.
9. I am aware of mannerisms that may distract a speaker and keep mine under control.
10. I understand my biases and control them when I am listening.
11. I do not constantly interrupt a speaker.
12. I value eye contact and maintain it most of the time.
13. I often restate what the speaker said to make sure I have the correct meaning.
15. I ask questions for clarification.
16. I do not finish other peoples sentences unless asked to do so.
17. I attempt to set aside my ego and focus on the speaker rather than on myself.
14. I listen for the speakers emotional meaning as well as subject matter content.
TOTAL SCORE
Total Y
_____
Total N
_____
Your listening style

1 to 2 NOs Excellent listener
3 to 7 NOs Good listener, room to improve
Workshop 03
54
8 to 12 NOs Not a good listener, practice will help you improve

13 to 17 NOs Bad listener, hard work is needed to help you listen up
MBG Inc B4 AC
Communication Skills
In this session you will:
1.
2.
play a board game to review the skills you have learned in

the previous workshops;
have a meeting in order to initiate a process to deal with
a communication crisis.
Round One: A board game

Step 1: Here are some skills that you have learned in this module. Please review.
Skills to reinforce your message
Skills in easing tension
Active listening skills
Step 2: Play a board game

1.
Each participant should have a symbol thats easy to draw up, like a circle, a cross, or a check.
2.
Participants take turns to choose a cell in the table below. Behind each cell, there is a description or a question.
You should match the description with its corresponding skills or you need to answer the question. If your
answer is right, you can draw your symbol in the cell. When you have three of your symbols in a line, you win.
55
MBG Inc B4 AC
Round Two: Dealing with a communication crisis

Step 1: Answer the following questions.
1.
Have you ever seen relationships between colleagues degenerate? Communication becomes impossible. Everything
seems blocked. If yes, give an example.
2.
How was the problem solved?
Step 2: Read about a communication problem that has deteriorated into a crisis.
Tension between two colleagues
A meeting to find a solution
Alex and Richard are two account managers of a

telecommunications manufacturer. Matthew is the sales
team manager, who took over the team one month ago.
Mathew has noticed a tension between Alex and Richard.
As he hesitates about what to do about it, the problem
has deteriorated.
Matthew decides to meet with Richard and Alex in order

to sort out the problem and initiate a process to deal with
it. Matthew also invites the HR manager of the company
to join them in their meeting, as he feels that HR
involvement could be helpful in this kind of situation.
Tension degenerates into a crisis

One day Richard shows up in Matthews office and tells
him that he met with a client, Linda Wolf, just now and
he was about to finalize the contract; then Linda asked
him for a proposal on a German prototype that she
had been waiting for two months; as Richard took over
this client from Alex only 3 weeks ago, he didnt know
about it and Alex never bothered to tell him about it.
As a result, Richard looked like a fool in front of Linda
and the deal is yet to be closed. However, when Richard
talks to Alex about it, he denies everything. Richard is
very angry and says that from now on, he refuses to deal
directly with Alex.
Step 3: You are going to role play the meeting. Think about what you would like to discuss and
ll in the meeting agenda.
Meeting agenda
[Location]
Chairperson:
Attendees:
Meeting objective:
Meeting called by: _____________________________
Agenda items
Topic
56
Presenter
Time allotted
MBG Inc B4 AC
Step 4: Each participant will be given a role card. In preparation for the meeting, review your role
card and think about what you will do and say in the meeting.
Matthew
Sales Manager
TIP:
The chairperson will announce
the agenda and acknowledge
members at the beginning of
the meeting. At the end of the
meeting, he/she will sum up the
meeting
Emily
HR Manager
Alex
(the account manager who doesnt pass on information)
Richard
(the account manager who is angry with Alex)
Step 5: Have the meeting. Your trainer will evaluate your performance.
Communication Skills Evaluation Table

Criteria
Names
Verbal communication:
1. Avoid generalizing 1 point
2. Avoid accusing 2 points
3. Stress certain words to reinforce verbal message 2
points
Non-verbal communication:
4. Tone and body language aligned with verbal message
2 points
Active listening:
5. Look attentive 1 point
6. Listen to other people without interrupting 1 point
7. Restate clearly what other people say to verify
understanding 2 points
8. Listen to other people without judging 2 points
9. Show interest by using encouraging words or body
language 1 point
10. Ask questions that facilitate problem solving 2
points
Ex. John
accuses
2
interpretation
based on beliefs
ask questions
that block
communication
5
10
57
MBG Inc AC 04
Workshop
04
At your service
How to manage customer expectations of quality service
Get Ready...
A
Do you have a favorite restaurant? If yes, why is it your favorite?
Choose one picture from above. Describe it to your partner. You could refer to the phrases
below.
tasteful decor
glamorous
family-friendly
reminiscent of something
intimate/romantic ambience
a French bistro
swanky
gourmet
a panoramic/spectacular view
a touch of understated elegance
refined cuisine/delicious home-made food
True or false?
1. Quality is subjective. It depends on customer expectations.
2. It is more dicult to retain an existing customer than to get a new customer.
3. It is more dicult to get a new customer than to retain an existing customer.
4. A business should aim at satisfying all its customers.
Get Set...
Karen was considering opening a restaurant. As part of her research, she posted a piece of information on
a popular social networking website. Soon, some comments followed.
Karen says:
Im thinking about opening a restaurant in a residential area which is popular with families. Any advice?
Jeff says:
The quality of the ingredients and the chefs ability to cook up some great food is key to success.
Annie says to Jeff:
Workshop 04
58
If you only limit yourself to those aspects of quality (basic service), in my experience, you wont get very
far. Other services are of great importance. For example, feeling good and not having to wait long for their
dishes or bill is what customers expect above all.
Paul says:
Customer greeting should also be prioritized. Customers need to feel welcome and taken care of as soon as they
go through the door.
MBG Inc AC 04
Sam says:
I always have a good look at the toilet whenever I go to a restaurant. It tells me a lot about the place.
Jeff says:
To give added value to your service, I suggest you offer cheaper menus at lunch time. Different prices for different
menus, according to the dishes proposed. The dinner menu should be flexible to allow customers to have a starter and
a dessert and probably some cheese included.
Annie says to Jeff:

Its getting a little complicated. If customers dont understand the menu, whats the point? Given that the clientele will
be mainly families, I suggest a list of babysitters living in the area be provided.
Discussion
As a group, discuss which comment you agree with most and why. Then work with a partner to write
your own comment. Share your comment to the class and exchange views.
You say:
AC 4.1
Listen to Karen talk about her restaurant. Fill in the missing words.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Who is our ____________ ?

If we tried to satisfy all customers who might come our way, we would ________________ .
They would like to go and eat in an atmosphere not necessarily __________ , but warm and___________.
The _________of our restaurant is welcoming and ____________ .
Listen again and discuss answers to the following questions.

1. Who are Karens target customers?
2. What are their expectations?
3. What does she do to meet those expectations?
Chez Karen
Family-friendly
Workshop 04
Chez Karen caf and restaurant

234 Nelson street, Mongkok
Hong Kong Tel: (85) 228 24 58 43
59
MBG Inc AC 04
Go!
Lets open a restaurant!
Step 1: Work with a partner.
Choose a project proposal to
work on.
Step 4: Present your work

to the rest of the class. Your
trainer will evaluate your
performance.
Step 2: Brainstorm ideas

about your service concept.
Step 5: Comment on another

pairs service concept.
Step 3: Discuss to fill in the

customer service concept
chart below.
Step 6: Your trainer will

give feedback and announce
scores.
Project Proposal 1
Open a restaurant in the
citys busiest business district
where thousands of offices are
located.
Customer Service Concept Chart

Target
clientele
Project Proposal 2
Open a restaurant in the
citys university town where 3
campuses are located.
Project Proposal 3
Open a restaurant in a
residential area where the
residents are mostly busy
white-collar young people who
have no time to cook.
Project Proposal 4
Workshop 04
60
Open a restaurant in one of

the citys rich residential areas
where the residents are mostly
affluent middle-aged (40s-50s)
couples. Some of them have
teenage children.
Customer
expectations
How to
meet those
expectations
1. Our project
isOur target
customers are...
3. Were going to provide...
2. Our target
customers
expect...
MBG Inc AC 04
1
Performance Evaluation
Criteria
Names
Introduction of the project:

Gives a clear account of the project proposal 1 pt
E.g. Paul + Stan
2
1
Target customers
Have a clear and reasonable target group 2 pts
Customer expectations
Analysis on customer expectations makes sense 1 pt
Analysis on customer expectations seems insightful
2 pts
2
insightful
3
Services to meet customer expectations
Offers basic service 1 pt
Offers other services besides basic service 1 pt
Services offered are creative and really helpful 2pts
Total score 10 pts
not creative
2
8 points
Stop and Reflect

1. In your opinion, what is good quality service?
Language Tips
Talking about customer expectations
2. What do you need to do in order to establish

a good service concept for your business?
is what customers expect above all.

Customers need to feel welcome and taken care of
as soon as
should beto allow customers to do ...
Given that the clientele, should be provided.
If we tried to satisfy all customers who might come
our way, we would go out of business.
Our services should be aligned with families and
their expectations.
Giving opinions
I (dont) think (we should)
If you ask me,we should
,thats my view.
In my opinion,
I think it would be nice / crazy to
Responding to opinions
Talking about importance

...is key / crucial to success.
...is of great / paramount importance.
...is prioritized.
Its essential to
Workshop 04
Exactly / Absolutely.
Youre right.
Whatsays is right.
Yes,but
Im not completely opposed to your opinion,but...
That sounds really interesting.
61
MBG Inc AC 05
Workshop
05
The customer is king

How to deal with customer dissatisfaction
Get Ready...
You own a small restaurant. One day, a customer sees part of the waiters thumb soaked in his noodle soup when it is
served. The customer is not happy and he asks to talk to you.
What would you say to the customer? Role play the situation with a partner.
Read the passage below. Then match the words in bold to their definitions (1-6).
Businesses often regard a disgruntled client as someone
welcome venting and complaining. With the click of a
who will cost them time and money, but realistically,
button, an unhappy client could send your company or
its quite the opposite. A client who complains is a mine
its sales into a tailspin. Its therefore in your interest to
of information that helps you improve your service or
take care of the 55% of dissatisfied clients who express
products for all your clients.
their complaints.
Furthermore, a dissatisfied client who complains is
In truth, the customer isn't always right, and it's
basically someone who wants to stay loyal to your
tempting to engage in heated arguments. But if
business. In fact 45% of dissatisfied clients dont even
customer retention is the end goal, listening intently
take the trouble to express their complaints, and just
and sticking with a calm and collected approach will
head off to the competition. Besides, in todays hyper-
help troubleshoot even the toughest complaint.
digital world, there are myriad online forums that
Workshop 05
62
1. angry and upset _____________________________
4. very many ________________________
2. when something starts to fail and become

more and more out of control __________________
5. doing or saying something to show your

bad feelings ______________________
3. staying calm and having your feelings under control
6. keeping customers _________________
___________________________________________
MBG Inc AC 05
Get Set...
Photo Plus is a chain of photo development shops. There has been some complaint situations that
went wrong recently.
AC 5.1
Here are some mistakes people often make in handling complaining customers. Listen to
two Photo Plus employees and one customer each talk about a complaint situation. Identify
and tick the mistakes the employees made.
Doubting the customers word
Treating customers as if they were stupid
Being rude to the customer
Making the customer responsible for the mistake pointed out
Lying to the customer
Abusing the power of saying no to the customer
Agreeing with the customer who is criticizing the business
Listen again to the first conversation. If you were the Photo Plus
employee, what would you do? Discuss with a partner, and then
role play the situation.
Dont fail your customers

with the listed mistakes.
The management of Photo Plus took action. Employees received training on the
4-step method for managing customer complaints.
AC 5.2
Listen to how Frank handles a dissatisfied customer and try to note down
his expressions in the following table.
4-Step Method
Step 1: Kind welcome
Step 2 :Rephrase what happened

and the customers expectation
Step 3 :Show empathy, apologize

and promise action
Workshop 05
Step 4 :Thank the customer for

expressing dissatisfaction, assure
him your service will be improved,
and give him your contact
information
63
MBG Inc AC 05
Go!
Read the following customer dissatisfaction situations. Match the pictures to the situations.
Situation 1
rant
You are a restau
stomer
manager. A cu
rand of
found a long st
.
hair in his dish
Situation
2
You work
at the cu
st
service d
esk of a b omer
ig
superma
rke
bought a t. A customer
bo
sauce 2 m ttle of soy
inutes ag
o and
shes fou
nd its ex
p
ir
days ago
ed 3
.
n 4
Situatio
rvice
omer se
t
s
u
c
e
h
t
You are f an airline. A
ro
e
g
a
enied
man
s been d ight is
a
h
r
e
g
the fl
passen
because
n
i
k
c
e
ch
ked.
overboo
Work with a partner. Choose one of

the above situations to work on.
Discuss how you would handle

the customer complaint using the
4-step method. Prepare for a role
play.
Comment on another pairs

performance.
Role play the situation. The trainer

will complete the evaluation table
when watching your role plays.
Your trainer will give feedback and

announce scores.
Workshop 05
64
Situation 3
You manage a big
online gift
shop. A customer
ordered a
gift for her sons bi
rthday.
Its supposed to ar
rive 2 days
before his birthday
. However,
the gift arrived on
e week late.
MBG Inc AC 05
Evaluation Table
Language Tips
Talking about problems
Names
Criteria
Step 1
Greets the customer kindly 1 point
E.g. Linda and

Sean
Step 2
Its unbelievable!
He must think Im stupid!
There must be a programming problem
with
I cant believe what this client did!
Ive got a client complaining about...
Weve always got... problems at...
Showing youve understood
Rephrases the problem clearly

according to the customers
description 1 point
Rephrases the customers expectation
clearly according to his/her
description 1 point
didnt
rephrase
expectation
Rephrasing
Step 3
Expresses sympathy 1 point
Apologizes sincerely 1 point
Promises reasonable action 2 points
Stop and Reflect
Yeah. Thats clear.

Ok Yes, Ive got that.
Ok. Im with you.
What you are saying is

Let me get this straight...
If I understand you correctly
Could I just clarify what you are saying?
Showing empathy
Thats bad.
I know what you mean.
How awful!
Oh, no!
Step 4
Thanks the customer for expressing

dissatisfaction 1 point
Assures the customer service will be
improved 1 point
Gives the customer their contact
information and ask him/her to
keep in touch 1 pt
Apologizing
didnt give
contact info
Promising action
2
Overall impression
Agreeable 1 point
Very agreeable 2 points
We are sorry for whats happened.

We apologize for the inconvenience.
You have our sincere apologies for the
mistake weve made.
1
9
Ill look into it straight away.

Well straighten this right away by
doing...
What Ill do is and
Once Ive / As soon as Ive, Ill
Thanking
Thats very kind of you. I appreciate
your concern.
Thank you for pointing out this
problem.
Stop and Reflect
2. Summarize in a one-minute speech what you would do to a complaining customer who is creating a
scene in front of many other customers.
Workshop 05
1. You have probably heard of the sayings, "the customer is God," and "the customer is always right."
Do you agree? Why? Why not?
65
MBG Inc AC 06
Workshop
06
Moments that build or destroy reputations
How to build good public relations
Get Ready...
A
Watch a video clip and discuss the following questions.

V 6.1 A) What does the crisis mean to everyone involved?
B) As a consumer, what do you think about the reaction of the company?
Crisis management experts have identified the following key steps for companies in
crisis management. In pairs, categorize these key steps in the table below.
a. Set up a crisis management team.
b. Try to predict what crises could occur.
f. Analyze the actions you took to deal with the

situation.
d. Inform the directors.
g. Write down and circulate your crisis management

program.
e. Disclose as much information as you can.
h. Practice making decisions under stress.
c. Role play a potential crisis.
i. Work out an action plan to ensure a crisis of the

same nature wont happen again in the future.
Before the crisis
During the crisis
After the crisis
Get Set...
Workshop 06
66
When Swissairs flight 111 plunged into the sea off Nova Scotia, the tragedy bore several similarities
to the loss of Trans World Airlines flight 800 two years earlier. Both jets crashed off the North
American coast soon after leaving New York. Both were bound for Europe. Neither accident left
any survivors. Neither has been fully explained. But the two disasters provoked sharply differing
reactions. In the first, TWA was accused of incompetence and insensitivity for the way it responded
to the needs of the victims families. In the second, Swissair earned praise for its efficiency and
compassion.
What actions should an airlines management take when one of its passenger aircraft crashes?
Read the article on the next page. Then complete the table that follows.
MBG Inc AC 06
Handling a disaster
Moments that build or destroy
reputations
Gary Abe, Deputy Director of the

National Transportation Safety Boards
office of family affairs, says the speed of
an airlines response is one of the most
important factors in determining how
its behavior is perceived.
For TWA, the result has been
lasting damage to its reputation. In
contrast, Swissairs handling of the
flight 111 crash has left confidence
in the airline intact, and may even,
conceivably, enhanced it.
TWA drew fury after the crash of

its flight by refusing to produce a
passenger list until it had determined
exactly who was on the aircraft and
notified their families - a process that
took almost a full day.
Richard George, Director of Public

Relations for the Public Relations
Society of America, says a crash is
a defining moment for an airline.
In a matter of seconds, a reputation
that has been built up over decades
can be destroyed by making a
mistake at that time, he says.
Family members also complained that

calls made to special toll-free telephone
numbers went unanswered, that the
flow of information was inadequate,
and that insufficient attention was paid
to their travel and accommodation
needs.
So what lessons in crisis

management emerge from the
differing outcomes of the TWA and
Swissair crashes?
Soon the news headlines became

critical; and TWA found itself
portrayed as the company that could
do nothing right.
Swissairs experience could hardly have
been more different. Within hours
of the loss of flight 111, a passenger
manifest had been issued,
TWA
fully-functioning hotlines had been

set up, and hundreds of crisis
counselors had arrived in New York,
ready to receive the grieving families.
Soon afterwards, flights to the crash
site at Peggys Cove were being
planned.
Friends and relatives were grateful for
the way Swissair kept them informed
of unfolding events, and appreciated
the airlines offer of $20,000 for each
family to cover immediate expenses.
Favorable headlines flowed.
Swissair also benefited immeasurably
from its code-sharing agreement
with Delta Airlines, the third biggest
US carrier, under which the two sell
seats on each others flights as if they
were their own. By this agreement,
Delta deployed the full weight of its
resources in the crisis management
effort. At times, Delta care-givers
outnumbered the victims relatives
and friends. In contrast, TWA twice
bankrupt, and now a relatively small
carrier was on its own.
From the Financial Times
Swissair
Crash site / Destination

no survivors
Casualties
not fully explained
Cause of crash
Public opinion of airline
Effect on reputation
incompetent/insensitive
lasting damage
quick
Production of passenger list
Treatment of relatives
Press reaction
calls not answered

an offer of $2000 for each family to
cover immediate expenses
favorable
Workshop 06
Telephone communication
67
MBG Inc AC 06
B Compare the way the TWA crash was handled with the way the Swissair crash was
handled. See Language Tips for phrases you could use.
Complete the sentences below with the words and phrases in the box.
loss of reputation
reputation risk
loss of public confidence

stake holders
anticipate
share price
damage of share price

customers
The main crisis that companies face today is the ________________, which damages the
____________and public confidence. It costs a large amount of money to regain the reputation
that youve lost.
To prepare for a crisis, the main thing is to continue dialogue with your ___________________.
They are your employees, your ________, the share holders, your suppliers, i.e. people who have
contact with your business. You should keep communicating with them in order to understand
what they expect of you. Thus you can _________what could become a ______________.
To deal with a crisis, be quick. If its your fault, admit it quickly. Tell the public what went wrong,
what you are doing about it, and keep communicating. If you dont, the _____________and the
_______________will follow.
Go!
Share with the class what you know about these two crises.
KFC Coupon Crisis 2010
Carrefour Pricing Scandal 2011
A press conference
Task
In pairs, choose one crisis to work on.
Your trainer will give you an article
about the crisis.
Read the criteria list. Then prepare for
a press conference where you try to
minimize the damage. The rest of the
class will be journalists who ask you
questions. The trainer will hand out
role cards to the journalists.
Workshop 06
68
The trainer will comment on each

pairs performance and announce
scores.
Stage 1:
Discuss what you would have
done and what you would have
said to the press if you were the
GM and the PR manager of the
company involved.
Role play the press conference.

Your trainer will evaluate each
pairs performance according to
the criteria list.
GM and PR manager state

what they have to say.
Stage 2:
Journalists ask questions.
MBG Inc AC 06
Evaluation table
Names
Criteria
Language Tips
E.g. Paul+sherry
Comparing and contrasting

The tragedy bore several similarities
to
Both were
Neither
In the first,was accused of
incompetence In the second,
earned praise
For ..., the result has beenIn
contrast, handling of thehas
Apologizing:
Apologize sincerely 1 pt
Cause of the problem

Tell the audience the cause of
the problem 1 point
Didnt mention
the cause
The cause of the problem

mentioned seems honest and
believable 1 pt
Action plan
Tell the audience what will be
done 1 pt
Action plan seems reasonable
1 pt
Maintaining communication
Promise that the public will be
kept updated 1 pt
Announce concrete measures
that will keep the public
informed of the latest
development 2 pts
Answering questions:
Give clear answers 1 pt
Seem responsible 2 pts
Give an agreeable overall
impression 2 pts
Total score 13 pts
Giving an explanation
...due to
It seems that
The reason being that
It came about because
Promised to
investigate.
Havent
mapped out a
plan
Asking for clarification

What exactly do you mean by?
So youre saying?
Can you run through that again?
Could you give us some detail, please?
0
Promised result
of investigation
will be
Released soon.
Announced a
hotline number.
Explaining planned future

events
Over the next few weeks, well
We plan to keep you informed
about
Starting from next month, well...
Our idea is to
Later this year well
Were going to arrange...
3
Refused to
comment on
anything at the
moment
0
4
Stop and Reflect

Think of one potential PR crisis your company
might face in the future. As the owner or one of
the key decision-makers in your company,
summarize in two minutes how you would
handle the situation.
"When written in Chinese, the word crisis

is compounded of two characters one
represents danger, and the other represents
opportunity."
John F Kennedy
Workshop 06
45
69
MBG Inc AC 06
Simulation Game 2
BUSINESS OWNERS:_____________________________________
BUSINESS NAME: _____________________________________
Business type
Location
Target customers
Service concept
Complaint
management
guidelines
Possible
reputation risks
Comments
70
MBG Inc B4 AC
Customer Service Skills
1. talk about some of the important factors that should

be considered when setting up a business;
2. write a PR response to a malicious rumor.
Round One: setting up a business

Step 1: Work with a partner. You can either set up a big tea house or a medium-sized supermarket
chain. Study the table below. Use it as a guide in lling in the table on page 70 with details of
your business setting up plan.
Business type
A big grocery shop
Location
Huaihai zhong Lu, Shanghai
Target customers
Expatriates in Shanghai
Basic service: good quality imported food and wine

Other services :
1. Speedy delivery within 5 square kilometers. Customers can order online through
our website and receive free delivery for orders over 200 RMB or simply request
delivery at 15 RMB per delivery.
Service concept
2. For first time deliveries, food is delivered in free fabric shopping bags which can be
reused.
3. Also stock English books and international magazines.
4. A small bar area inside the supermarket where coffee, hamburgers, sandwiches and
pasta are served. Customers can sit at the bar.
5. Located next to a renowned French bakery.
Complaint
management
guidelines
Possible
reputation risks
6. Allow customers to try wine before buying.

Observe the 4 step method.
Quality problem: refund and reasonable compensation
Late delivery: gift vouchers
Other situations: flexible.
Customer overcharged due to an IT system mistake/ food quality
Comments
71
MBG Inc B4 AC
Step 2: Present your business idea to the rest of the class by going over your table. Your trainer
will evaluate your performance by lling in the relevant section in the evaluation table.
Step 3: Role play!

You and your partner are working in your shop. Another pair will come to your shop to
complain to you about your service. Try to handle their complaint. Your trainer will
evaluate your performance.
Round Two: dealing with rumors that hurt your business

Step 1: Read the situations below and brainstorm ideas in dealing with the problem.
The big tea house
The medium-sized supermarket chain
Recently, you have noticed many old customers who

used to frequent your tea house havent showed up
in a long time. The turnover of your business has
dropped by nearly 50% percent. Later on, you have
discovered that this is happening because of a rumor
which says the tea you serve smells and tastes great
because it has added flavor, which harms peoples
health.
Recently, the turnover of your business has

dropped by nearly 50% percent. Later on, you
have discovered that this is happening because of a
rumor which says you sell fake goods. One post on
a popular website claims that the organic vegetables
you sell in your shop is in fact the same as the nonorganic ones. Another one says the cooking oil in
your shop is fake.
Step 2: In response to the rumor, you are going to run an advertisement in the most popular local
newspaper. The ad will include your PR response. Read the following example. Then write
your own response.
Carrefour unveils PR response to China crisis

Media Asia, Saturday, 26 April 2008 03:30AM
SHANGHAI - Carrefour has launched a print advertising campaign in response to consumer boycott that continues to
gather pace on the mainland
The French supermarket chain is working with MindShare China to run an ad in at least three newspapers, which will
extol Carrefours social and commercial eorts in China since 2001. The ad also includes comments made by Carrefour
CEO Jose-Luis Duran at a press conference in Paris.
The reason why The International Olympic Committee has given China the opportunity to organize the Olympic, is to
let China to showcase the result of its development in the past 30 years, says Duran. I personally can see the proof
of the changes in China. It is also these changes which gave the opportunity for Carrefour and our partners to develop
and grow in the past 13-plus years in China.
Carrefour Group and its subsidiaries have not given any direct or indirect assistance to any political or religious
organizations, whether in China or anywhere else. We have never done such thing and will never do such thing in
future.
I hope everyone could try to calm down now, and let the remaining preparations of the Olympics
carry on in a peaceful atmosphere, as the success of the Beijing Olympic is benecial to all.
72
82
MBG Inc B4 AC
Step 3: Read your PR response to the class. Your trainer will evaluate content and delivery.
Customer Service Skills Evaluation Table

Names
Criteria
Ex. Jim & Peter
Round 1: setting up a business

1. Clear about who the target customers are 1
point
2. Service concept is attractive and brings
convenience to customers 2 points
Round 1: role play

3. Kind welcome 1 point
4. Listen attentively and restate clearly what
the customer says 2 points
5. Apologize sincerely 1 point
Didnt give
contact info
6. Promise reasonable action 1 point

7. Thank the customer and assure the customer
your service will be improved 1 point
8. Give the customer your contact info 1 point
Round 2: dealing with rumors

9. The comment sends a clear message that the
rumor is not true. 2 points
10. The comment leaves an agreeable impression.
The comment
is clear but it
doesnt seem
believable.
2 points
2
11
73
MBG Inc AC 07
Workshop
07
The golden rules of good leadership

How to deal with problems when taking on a new managerial role
Get Ready...
A
Discuss these questions with the class.

1. What is the single most important skill that a leader needs?
2. Which business leaders do you admire? Do they possess the skill you hold as important?
Watch a video clip. Two speakersDaisy Dowling, Executive Director of Leadership
Development at Morgan Stanley and Bill George, Professor of Harvard Business School, talk
V7.1 about leadership. What answers do they give to the questions in Exercise A? Make notes as
you watch.
Do you agree with the two professors in their notions of leadership?
Compare your notes with your partner and decide which skills are mentioned in the
video clip. Tick the boxes below.
To control, stifle people
S h o w e m p a t h y, t h e n b u i l d c o n n e c t e d
relationships with people
Be a thoughtful, careful articulator of

policy
Possess a clear sense of purpose, mission and

passion
Have the desire to build capacity into

people
Find the authentic self and be genuine
If you are in love with your iPad or iPhone, or a variety of other apple products, you can thank
Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple. Inc.
Read an extract of an interesting article from The New York Times and discuss these
questions: What do you think of Steve Jobss leading style? Do you think a Steve Jobs
kind of leadership style is consistent with a biblical view of leadership?
He broke every rule in management. Dont try it yourself!
Apples engineers spend 100% of their time making products
planned by a small club of senior managers and sometimes
entirely by Jobs himself. The CEO appoints himself the de facto
product manager for every important release; Jobs usually meets with
the teams working on these new gadgets and apps once a week, and
he puts their creations through the paces.
Workshop 07
74
Steve Jobs himself may have violated every rule of management.

He was not a consensus-builder but a dictator who listened mainly
to his own intuition. He was a maniacal micromanager. He had an
astonishing aesthetic sense, which business people almost always
lack. He could be absolutely brutal in meetings: I watched him
eviscerate staff members for their bozo ideas. He never mellowed,
never let up onAppleemployees, never stopped relying on his
singular instincts in making decisions about how Apple products
should look and how they should work.
Joe Nocera (The New York Times)
MBG Inc AC 07
Get Set...
Case Study: Three managers share their past experiences in new roles.
Imagine you are a newly appointed manager of your department.

1. What kind of problems you may encounter as a new manager? List three possible problems,
then compare your answers with your partner.
2. As far as you are concerned, what steps would you take to gain trust from your people at the
initial stage?
Now, listen to three business people as they talk about their past experiences in new managerial
roles. These managers started their work under difficult conditions, but unfortunately, they
V7.2 all fall into the classic traps associated with these types of problems. Listen and try to identify
their mistakes. After listening, complete the table below.
Claire
John
Had to manage the

uncertainties created by
the takeover
Problems they faced

Actions they took
Paul
Thought she could still be

friends with her former
colleagues
Mistakes in their actions
Task 1
Work in pairs. Discuss the following arguments about what the three managers should have
done. Which one do you agree/disagree with?
Claire should schedule individual meetings with her former colleagues and express her hope that they could
continue to support her in her work. At the same time, she should navigate the fine line between company
business and personal relationship when it comes to problems associated with them.
Team members shouldnt be kept in the dark about the consequences of the takeover. They should know whats
going on and be briefed about the current situation of the company. It is Pauls responsibility to admit that he is
at fault for not briefing the team properly. He should apologize to the team and brief them properly.
John should go out of his way to support his colleagues in the strike in order to earn their trust. He should take
the time out to get to know what the strike is about and fight alongside with his colleagues.
Task 2
Workshop 07
With the help from task 1, you will propose a plausible solution
for a manager. You will be given a slip of paper with Claire,
John or Pauls name on it. Propose a solution for the manager
on your slip of paper. Take it in turns to report the proposed
solutions to the class. Students will then take a vote for the
best suggested solution. You have two minutes to prepare.
75
MBG Inc AC 07
Go!
Give a Pep talk
Brief
Three weeks ago, you were appointed as the new Chief
Executive of Orbit Records, one of the biggest CD sellers
in the UK. In the past two years, the companys profits fell
sharply. Moreover, your predecessor failed in the CE position.
He did not communicate well with employees, who started to
lose confidence in the business. They began to worry about
losing their jobs and their morale suffered.
One of the new CEs main tasks is to motivate staff and raise
morale, so that staff will be more productive. You have asked
Personnel to carry out a survey of staff attitudes. The results
are summarized in a chart on the board.
Task
Give a pep talk at a kick-off party where all staff are present.
The message you would like to send is:
1. You appreciate what the employees have done for the company.
2. Promise a better future under your lead and express your hope for their support.
3. Announce an action plan for raising motivation and morale that will be put into effect in
the coming weeks.
Instructions
1. Refer to the projected PPT slide for the
results of the survey of staff attitudes. Work
with a partner to think of an action plan
for raising motivation and morale based
on the results. On the slide is a list of ideas
to help you to get started. You may use
ONLY one idea from the list in your pep
talk.
5. The MBG trainer comment on each

pairs performance and then announce
the winner!
4. MBG trainer and audience ask speakers

questions concerning the ideas proposed.
2. Take 5 minutes to prepare your talk.

Practice your talk with your partner.
Workshop 07
76
3. Make your pep talk to the class. Fill in

the evaluation form while listening to
other speakers.
MBG Inc AC 07
Evaluation table
Names
Criteria
Tone
Paul + Sherry
Encouraging 1
Sincere 1
Appreciative 1 point
Encouraging 1 point
Sincere 1 point
Positive impact
Mention something that produces a positive
impact on the audience 1 point
Promise audience a better future 1 point
Ask for audiences support in future work 1 point
Didnt ask for support

from the audience 2
Action plan
Action plan sounds

attractive but not
plausible 2
Tell the audience what will be done 1 point

Action plan seems reasonable 2 points
Can not give further

explanation 0
Answering questions
Give clear answers 1 point
Total score 10 point
6 points
Stop and Reflect

Language Tips
What kind of problems you may encounter
as a new manager?
2. Ideally, how should new managers deal
with such problems?
3. What qualities are important for leaders?
4. Are the qualities of a good leader discussed
in this workshop applicable to Chinese
staff?
1.
Proposing solution to a problem

How about
What do you think about
Why dont you try
Heres another possibility / way, why dont you
You could
It is worth a try.
Maybe you should
Expressing appreciation
Thank you for
I appreciate the time and effort you have put in the
company.
I love it when
My sincere thanks go to all of you who
Were all in this together.

Its in everybodys interest to
You get the business, you get the bonus!
Im offering an additional commission to whoever
Come on. Weve got to do better than that!
Workshop 07
Expressions for motivating
77
MBG Inc AC 08
Workshop
08
Diagnosing your team

How to identify your teams strong points and weak points
Get Ready...
A
You have just been appointed as the manager of a new team. At this point, it is very important to make a diagnosis
of your teams strong points and weak points in order to nd out which areas to capitalize on and which areas to
improve.
Before starting on the teams diagnosis, you may want to develop a team identity card to give an overall view. The
following is an example of a team identity card for the photocopier team of Mitchell Inc, a company that installs
and provides maintenance for photocopiers and printers for corporate customers.
Check your concept! Match the items on the left column with the items on the right.
The person who finishes the task first wins!
A
Our customers in the Service Sector: Office Services, Banks,

Insurance, Employment Agencies, etc:
Our 4 main customers are: OFFICE SERVICES, the BARAKA Banking
Network, the CENTRAL INSURANCE CO. and TEMPS Inc., These 4
customers represent 70% of our total Sales.
Customers
producs and
services
The"Photocopier"team is at the core of 5 key areas that focus on

customer satisfaction:"Delivering photocopiers to customers";
"Installing photocopiers"; "Training users"; "Providing maintenance
for photocopiers"; and Dealing with customer complaints".
Systems
Activities
To provide a complete, high quality service for major corporate

customers, supplying and installing photocopiers, training users and
providing maintenance.
Suppliers
Support departments
Suppliers: Supply of Spare Parts (DMG); Logistics and Transport

(Logistix)
Support departments: Sales and Marketing (design of products,
canvassing customers), HR (recruiting and training technicians)
Objectives
Key indicators
1. Comply 100% with customer contractual commitments (delivery

times, maintenance response times).
The team's mission
2. Achieve a minimum customer satisfaction rate of 95%.

3. Maintain a gross operating margin of at least 40%.
Workshop 08
78
In general, the key areas to be examined in detail when carrying out a teams diagnosis are:
customers, products and services, systems and activities, supplier and support departments.
Experts have pointed out that the four criteria for examining these areas are:
Four criteria for carrying out a
teams diagnosis
Customer
satisfaction
Economic
performance
Internal Relationship
with
systems
suppliers
Work with a partner to pick

one criterion and discuss how
would you carry out your teams
diagnosis using that criterion.
Draw up a general action plan
and note down the steps that you
would follow in carrying out the
diagnosis based on the criterion of
your choice.
MBG Inc AC 08
Get Set...
Case Study: carrying out a diagnosis of a team
Michael Gray has recently taken over the photocopier team at Mitchell Inc., a company that installs
and provides maintenance for photocopiers and printers for corporate customers. Michael will be
carrying out a diagnosis to identify the strong areas and problem areas of his team using the four criteria
mentioned in the previous section. We will follow Michael as he analyzes his teams performance in terms
of customer satisfaction.
The first part of Michaels diagnosis is focused on his teams performance in terms of
customer satisfaction. What would you do in his place? Select the suggestions you think are
important in analyzing customer satisfaction. Tick the circles below.
Analyze existing quality surveys
Talk to the technicians who visit customers
Interview a customer
Analyze customer service report

Accompany a technician on a customer call
Task 1
V8.1 Watch a video clip. Michael is analyzing a survey on customer satisfaction done by his
predecessor.
Find out the results of the survey in the video. What should Michael do after the analysis
of the results? Sort the suggestions below in order of priority. Compare your answer with
your partner and share your reasons for your sorting. The chart below shows the result of
the survey.
Accompany a technician on a customer call to see how they
handle an installation for Office Service Inc and see if there
would be any problems exposed in the process.
Meet with the CEO of Office Service Inc to discuss in details
about the problems.
Ask for and analyze the Service Reports for Office Services
Inc filled by the customers. Predict possible problems
based on the reports.
Summarize what he found and make an initial diagnosis of
customer satisfaction.
Task 2
V8.2 Watch another video clip.
Workshop 08
Michael is now meeting with Robert Stanley, the CEO of Office

Services Inc. Listen to a portion of their conversation. After the
listening, help Michael to summarize the strong points and weak
points of the team based on what you have learned so far. Work with
your partner.
79
MBG Inc AC 08
Michael has identified his teams strong points and problem areas in regard of customer
satisfaction. Who else do you advise him to meet? Select from the following candidates
and state your reasons. Also, discuss this question with your partner: what would you talk
about to the person of your choice? Make a list of points or questions. Then take turns to
report your selection and proposed talk to the class.
Head of Training
at Mitchell Inc.
Head of Customer
Quality
Michaels boss
(Operation Director at
Mitchell Inc.)
HR Director at
Mitchell Inc.
Go!
Set up your own team!
Task
Congratulations! You have been chosen from thousands of
candidates, all of whom are the brightest business prospects
around the world, to compete in this seasons The Apprentice!
VIA AIR MAIL
Work in pairs. In this task, you will need to

1) set up your own team.
2) report to the class how you are going to carry out an initial
diagnosis of your team in order to delegate work to team
members properly.
Instructions
1. First, you need to set up a team to help you with creating a 4-page
advertorial for Right Guard deodorant on a British magazine.
Discuss with your partner what kind of people would you need for
this challenge. Then choose with your partner THREE people out
of six candidates, whose information are given on the next page.
Present your reasons for choosing your three people to the class
later.
2. Discuss with your partner how to carry out an initial diagnosis of
your team. Note down the steps and describe in detail things you
would do in each step. You will report the steps to the class later.
3. You have eight minutes to prepare your report with your partner.
Workshop 08
80
4. Take turns to report to the class. Fill in the evaluation form when
listening to other speakers.
5. At the end of each pairs report, the MBG trainer will act as Donald
Trump and ask you questions.
6. Your trainer will comment on each teams performance and
announce which team is Fired !
MBG Inc AC 08
List of candidates
Lindsay Green, Lindsay is an organizational communication consultant and author from London. She is the founder
of the UKs first national car-sharing agency and was a communications manager. She holds a BA and postgraduate
diplomas in Broadcast Journalism and Internal Communications Management.
Matthew Palmer, Matthew has a BA in Business and Computing and a postgraduate Diploma in Marketing and is from
Texas, the United States. His previous jobs include being a self-qualified stockbroker and a computer trainer. He is an
expert in graphic design as well.
Sebastian Schrimpff, Sebastian used to run a number of photography related companies in Colombia. He spent the first
6 years of his career in publishing industry as an editor.
Miranda Rose, Her career has included being a managing director of an estate agency, owning a successful
mail order company and running her own self-funded exhibitions company. She has a BTEC National
Diploma in Leisure and Tourism. She is from Oxford, UK.
Rachel Groves, Rachel is a charity fundraiser and former advertising sales executive from U.K. She has a BA in German
and a Chartered Institute of Management Advanced Certificate.
Paloma Smith, Paloma worked as a senior marketing manager. She studied in a Catholic school in East London,
followed by Middlesex University, from which she graduated with a degree in Psychology. She has been working in the
marketing field for more than eleven years.
Table Evaluation
Names
Criteria
Paul + Sherry
Presents reasonable reasons for choosing team

members 2 points
Reasons are not very

clearly laid out 1 point
Process of diagnosis
Presents clear steps of diagnosis 2 points
Describes in details things needed to be done
in each step 2points
Steps of diagnosis seem reasonable and logical
2 points
Clear steps 2
Tone and pronunciation

Firm and confident 1 point
Clear and loud enough 1 point
Very condent 1
Answering questions
Gives clear answers 2 points
Can not answer questions

0
Did not describe in details

in all the steps 1
Steps seem logical 2
Good pronunciation but

not loud enough 0
7 points
Stop and Reflect

1. What are the four criteria used in carrying
out a teams diagnosis?
Language Tips
Structuring your talk
I am presenting three strong points and two weak
points of the team.
2. Which areas should be examined when

analyzing customer satisfaction of the team?
About the strong points, the first one is...and the second
one is
We are not doing a good job in this aspect for two

reasons: firstlysecondly
There are three factors to be taken into account. The
first one is the second one is and lastly
The second thing Id like to point out is
Finally/ lastly / my third and last point is
Workshop 08
Now, coming to the weak points, the first and the most
obvious one is that
81
MBG Inc AC 09
Workshop
09
What am I doing here?
How to find out your staffs expectations and how to manage them
Get Ready...
A
Read this quiz to find out what kind of company culture do you like the best. Circle A for
agree or D for disagree.
What are your expectations of the company culture?
SECTION A
SECTION B
1. I like taking time to have a chat with

colleagues even if this means spending
more time at work. A/D
6. If I disagree with my boss, I can tell him/her.
2. Its nice when people at work celebrate

birthdays or special occasions. A/D
3. I prefer people to fix a time to meet me
rather than come to my office or my
desk at any time. A/D
4. I dont like working in an open space
with everyones desk in the same area. I
work better in an office of my own. A/D
5. I like to put photos and personal objects
in my work space. A/D
A/D
7. I prefer to receive a formal report about my
work, not just casual comments. A/D
8. When my boss gives me something to do, I
like to get detailed instructions that I can
follow. A/D
9. Its important for me to feel I am involved in
the decision-making process at work. A/D
10. A company should have standard procedures
and policies that everyone must follow, not
ones which change with peoples situations
or personalities. A/D
SECTION C
11. A company must keep up with the times. A/D

12. I need to take on challenges to make my job
interesting. A/D
13. When planning a strategy, it is useful to look
at what has worked well in the past. A/D
14. A company should be proud of its traditions.
A/D
15. Finally, which of these proverbs do you prefer?
A. Better safe than sorry.
B. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Add up your scores for sections A, B and C.

SCORES
Workshop 09
82
Section A
1 A=1 2 A=1
3 A=0
4 A=0
5 A=1
D=0
D=0
D=1
D=1
D=0
Questions 1 to 5 are about your relationship with
colleagues. A score of higher than 2 suggests that
you like to work for a company where employees
are friends and can talk about personal matters.
A score of 2 or less means that you prefer to keep
your work life separate from your personal life.
Section B
6 A=1
7 A=0
8 A=0
9 A=1
10 A=0
D=0
D=1
D=1
D=0
D=1
Questions 6 to 10 are about your relationship with
your managers. A score of higher than 2 suggests

you like to work in a company where roles between
managers and staff are flexible. A score of 2 or less
means that you like to work in a company where
people have clearly defined roles and there is more
distance between staff and managers.
Section C
11 A=1 12 A=1 13 A=0
D=0
D=0
D=1
14 A=0
D=1
15 A=0
B=1
Questions 11 to 15 are about your attitude to

tradition. A score of higher than 2 means you like to
work in a company which values new ideas and takes
serious risks. A score of less than 2 means you prefer
the security of a company with strong traditions.
MBG Inc AC 09
Get Set...
Case Study: how to meet your staffs expectations
You are a manager and you want results, but you can only achieve them with the help of your staff. You
have expectations of them, particularly in terms of performance. Meanwhile, your staff have expectations
of you, of your role as a manager, and of the company. What expectations your staff may have in mind?
How you could meet them in your capacity as a manager?
A
V9.1
Watch a video clip. Two sales representatives Alice and Roger are chatting. Listen carefully
to the conversation. In your view, what are their expectations based on the conversation?
Matching Race: Work in pairs to match the quotations in blue callout boxes
with the corresponding questions in the bubbles.
1. There will be no feedback

when the project is over!
2. Paul hasnt even clearly set
me any targets!
3. I have no idea how I am
going to cope. I havent
spoken German for quite
some time!
4. I really feel theres no future
for me in this department!
7. I really dont see it as

my business. Am I a sales
representative or a project
manager?
6. He only gave me a fifteenminute briefing and left me

to manage it on my own!
5. Its all very well caring for the

customers, but whats in it
for me?
The seven questions above summarize the staffs expectations concerning their work. The
following is a series of management practices. Which one should you adopt for each of your staffs
expectations?
Work with a partner. Match each question in A with its corresponding management
practice and summarize what you can do under each practice. The first has been done as
an example.
1. Define a clear mission What
am I doing here?
Orientation for each position can
be given when a person is recruited.
In the orientation, identify the
values and interests that drive the
organization. For example, main
customers, target market and main
competitions.
2. Set aims for each step.
5. Assess contributions.
6. Accompany career advances.
7. Give something in return.
Workshop 09
3. Improve the requisite

capabilities of the staff.
Organize training when in need.
4. Supervise work.
83
MBG Inc AC 09
Role Play: work with your partner, choose one question out of the Seven Questions and go
about it in practice. If Roger, the Sales Representative, asks you these questions, what would
you do? Role play the situation with your partner! One person will be the staff asking the
question, and the other will be the manager. Use the managerial practices that you have
learned in B. The following is an example done for you.
Question: What
am I doing here?
Solution:
Roger, your task is to draw up the budget, draft
up the initial proposal, phone the customer,
make notes of his remarks and meet his
requirements.
1. Describe his mission
succinctly.
2. Put it in the context by listing
the customers, exact tasks to
do, names of suppliers, etc.
1.
Do not impose too rigid a

framework.
Go!
Role play: motivate your people!
Brief
When people feel motivated by their jobs, it gives them a sense of personal satisfaction, which
results in better quality work. Understanding staffs needs and keeping staff motivated is therefore
a priority for managers and supervisors.
Here are some approaches to motivate people:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Using authority / threats

Establishing a common purpose
Giving people a financial incentive
Empowering people to work autonomously
Task
Work in pairs. Take turns to play the roles of the manager and employee in the situations
below. As a manager, decide which approach you would adopt in order to motivate the employee.
Situation 1:
A manager is conducting an appraisal of an employee. On several occasions, the employee has had serious
disagreements with his/ her supervisor, who has complained about his/her lack of productivity at work.
Situation 2:
A computer engineer has informed the Director of Information Systems that there is a potentially dangerous flaw in
a software system. His / Her immediate superior has refused to give him / her time to work on finding a solution and
criticized him for making a fuss. The computer engineer is very upset and decides not to work on the solution. The
Director of Information Systems needs to ensure that the engineer somehow finds the solution.
Situation 3:
Workshop 09
84
A machine operator has informed the production manager that the machines in the factory are now getting too
old and require frequent maintenance, which leads to frequently working overtime for all the operators. He/she is
suggesting that they are replaced with new machines, but these have not been budgeted for and the old machines
will have to stay in service.
MBG Inc AC 09
Instructions
1. Each pair chooses a situation to work on. Discuss
with your partner which approach you should adopt in
your situation.
2. Take 5 minutes to prepare what you will say. Practice with
your partner.
3. Read the evaluation table.
4. Role play with your partner. Fill in the evaluation table
when listening to other participants.
5. Comment on another pairs performance. Then nd out who
the winner is!
Evaluation table
Names
Paul + Sherry
Approach chosen is appropriate for the situation

2 points
Approach is wellchosen 2 points
For manager:
Cited examples to
support statement
1 point
Lecture the
employee without
nding out
employees opinions
1 point
Criteria
Factual 1 point
Have tried to find out the employees opinions
on this matter 2 point
Adjusts speech according to employees opinions
1 point
Does not accuse the employee 1 point
Expressions:
Uses positive words and expressions 1 point
Persuasive and logical 2 points
Result:
Successfully found out the problem 2 points
Employee feels motivated 2 points
Accuse the
employee 0 point
Use positive words
1 point
Passionate speech
but not logical 1
point
Have located the
problem 2 points
Employee seems
to be motivated 1
point
9 points
Stop and Reflect

1. What are some common expectations sta would
have in mind?
Workshop 09
2. What are the approaches you can use to motivate

your sta?
85
MBG Inc AC 09
Language Tips
Stating an opinion
In my opinion...
The way I see it...
If you want my honest opinion....
According to Lisa...
As far as Im concerned...
If you ask me...
Interruptions
Can I add something here?

Is it okay if I jump in for a second?
If I might add something...
Sorry to interrupt, but...
(after accidentally interrupting someone)
go ahead./Sorry, you were saying...
(after being interrupted)...didnt let me finish.
Motivating
Were all in this together!

This is the last chance Im giving you.
Im offering an additional commission to whoever
Its in everybodys interest to
Im going to let you handle this.
Would you like to take full responsibility for this?
You get the business, you get the bonus!
Come on. Youve got to do better than that!
Reporting
We finally all agreed to

He suggested telling them
What he was trying to say was
In short, she is refusing to
What he wants us to do is
The bottom line is
We recommend / suggest
Setting goals
86
Whats the schedule for this?

How much are you budgeting for?
I think we should aim to
What will you need in the way of resources?
So what exactly would be involved?
When do I have to get this in by?
Is that feasible?
Does that sound reasonable/ doable?
MBG Inc B4 AC
Leadership Skills

1. Hold a meeting to deal with problems of a company
that has been taken over by a new management.
2. Writing: write the action minutes for the above
meeting.
Round One
Dealing with problems caused by new management style
Step 1: Here are some skills that you have learned in this module. Please review and refer to the
previous workshops for clarification.
1. How to be successful in taking on a new managerial role

2. Four criteria used to carry out a diagnosis of your team
3. The fundamentals of people management
Step 2: Brief
Company Profile
Company name: Metrot

Workforce:
3,500
Location:
Lyons, France
Main Activities: French white goods company. Well-known for producing cookers and
refrigerators, as well as a range of household appliances.
Recent Changes
Metrot has been recently bought by Cornerstone Group, an American company that provides
services and products for the oil, gas and electricity industries. Metrot has always been familyowned, and Chief Executive, Jean Metrot, takes a personal interest in his employees. There may be
problems when US style management is introduced.
The new Chief Executive is Hugh Whitman. In his early 30s, trained at Harvard University, Whitman
was formerly Executive Vice President of the Cornerstone Group.
87
MBG Inc B4 AC
Problems
It is now nine months later. The change of ownership and new management style at Metrot has caused many
problems. The memo below illustrates some of the diculties.
MEMO_____________________________
From: Jacques Lafont, Union Organizer of Metrot
Sta are very unhappy with the present changes. As a result, productivity has fallen and sta turnover is
high. Let me summarize some of the reasons for the sta s low morale.
1. Factory inspections: the new CEO sent has appointed American managers in every factory. American
managers are always checking up on us and taking notes. No one knows why they are doing this or
what they are up to.
2. Negative mood: the new American managers never give feedback after a project is nished or a deal
is closed. No senior sta is promoted or given a salary raise since their arrival. The sta feel negative
towards their future.
3. Management Style: Sta constantly complain about the silly changes the new management are
making. I enclose a list of comments made to me by our members.
They are trying to do everything too fast a new computer system, learning English, new product
ranges, new customers.
There was a family atmosphere before. The management really cared about us. Everything was
more informal.
We dont know where the company is going now. Weve no idea what our strategy is, what our
objectives are.
Step 3: Task
Task 1 Discussion
Work in pairs. Discuss with your partner the following questions:
1. What do you think was the new CEOs intention in making all those changes in Metrot? Do you think he has
accomplished what he has intended for?
2. In your opinion, what possible mistakes has the new CEO made when introducing the new management style
into Metrot based on the problems summarized in the Memo? Make a list of the possible mistakes.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
88
MBG Inc B4 AC
Task 2 Group work

A meeting
A meeting of senior managers has been called to resolve the problems. One team, led by the new Chief
Executive, Hugh Whitman, consists of American executives. The other is made up of senior executives of
Metrot who have kept their jobs under the new management.
Instructions
1. The MBG trainer will divide you into two groups: Cornerstone executives and
senior executives of Metrot. Each group prepares separately for the meeting.
2. The Meeting Agenda is as follows:
a. reasons for the resistance to new management style.
b. suggestions for managing the change more eectively.
c. action plan to raise sta morale and resolve the present problems.
3. Hold the meeting as one big group. The trainer will evaluate your
performances according to the criteria in the Evaluation Table.
Round Two: Writing action minutes

Write the action minutes for the above meeting.
Step 1: Read a sample writing of action minutes

Meeting Minutes
Date: 1 March, 14:00
Venue: Room 23M, Shaw House
Present: Chris Rock, Jeremy Yang, Cathy Wang
1. Guidelines for reception sta
Following recent complaints about the attitude and professionalism
of the reception sta, we all agree that it is essential to produce a set of
written guidelines. (CG 8 March)
The Human Resources Department will also arrange additional customer
service training to take place over the next two months. (CG)
Action minutes are

intended to make sure
that decisions of the
meeting are understood.
There is a brief summary

of the discussion for each
item on the agenda.
2. New Brochure
The Marketing Department is speaking to all senior managers about this
on an individual basis. A draft brochure will be circulated so that it can
be approved and sent to the printers by 15 March. (BB 5 March)
Next Meeting: 18 March, 11.00 am
Venue: To be conrmed
The initials of the person

responsible for carrying
out any action required
are given, along with any
deadline.
Step 2: As a group, write the action minutes and hand it in to your trainer. Your trainer will later
give comments on your work. Use the space provided on the next page.
89
MBG Inc B4 AC
Action Minutes
Leadership Evaluation Table

Names
Criteria
Reasons for resistance:

1. good analysis of reasons of resistance 2 pts
2. mention the importance of finding out
expectations of staff 1 point
3. mention the importance of defining a clear
mission and setting aims for the staff 1 point
Action Plan:
1.The action plan has addressed the problems
summarized in the memo. 2 points
2.Its clearly laid out and reasonable. 2 points
3. Its practical. 2 points
4.Use positive language to raise staff morale 1
point
Communication skills:
1. Avoid generalizing 1 point
2. Avoid accusing 2 point
90
Ex. John
Didnt mention
anything about
nding out
expectations of
sta
4 points
Action plan is not

well-organized. It
doesnt seem to
be practical.
5 points
Accuses
1 point
10
MBG Inc ANSWER KEY
ANSWER KEY
PC 1
Start
Up
PC 4
1. c a b
2. a
3. That will simply increase the cost of manufacturing
and the price we charge to our customers, but there
are a number of reasons why we need to take action
now to protect our brand name.
4. Thats why Im proposing we invest in ID tags.
A] 1. There are two very good reasons

2. Firstly...Secondly
BizBits
3. Thats why Im proposing a substantial increase
B] a. 2 b. 1 c. 3 d. 2 e. 1 f. 2
PC 2
Start
Up
A] 1. Her proposal is training in time management.

2. Your own answer.
3. From the employees point of view.
B] 1. e 2. b 3. f 4. d 5. a 6. c
PC 3
A] 1. Subcontract out to another supplier and try to
handle it ourselves.
2. It is very dicult for him to meet his production
schedule.
3. Two reasons: dicult to keep control of quality
and the cost.
Start
Up
4. Work out a production schedule with a bit more

exibility on delivery dates.
5. Talk to the salespeople and tell them they need a
bit of exibility.
B] 1. Well, the situation is this; So, either weor we
try...
2. Er, Lola, how long would it take to
3. Lola, do you think you could work out
4. Good, Troy, could you talk to the salespeople
5. If everyone pulls together, Im sure we can do this!
Speak
Up
1. a-3; b-8; c-4; d-1; e-2; f-6; g-5; h-7
1 - 3 Business Communication Skills Review

Lesson 2 1. a e 2. h c 3. f b 4. d g
Lesson 3 1. a e 2. d c 3. b f
1] a. STARTED ; b. OVERVIEW; c. EARLIER; d. DETAIL;
e. HERE f. PERSPECTIVE g. UP; h. QUESTIONS
Language 2] make / stress a point; quote / compare gures;
Review
address / raise an issue; describe / refer to a graph;
tell / crack jokes; eld / deal with questions
3] 4 3 2 5 7 1 6
1] catering, transport, medical emergencies and

accidents, re, security
Start
Up
2] Action plan: Security issues and re;

Team coordinator: Ruby;
Hotel medical facilities (minor emergencies),
8 sta trained in rst aid.
Miscellaneous: Catering team to provide water;
outdoor swimming pool.
PC 5
1] a. Both.
b. Environmental pressure groups; local government
ocials, the media, press, TV.
c. Safety.
d. Jimmy: Make a list of people who could be invited.
Kirsty: Talk to the plant safety ocer to do a risk
assessment.
e. Yes.
2] a. Hold an open day.
b. Take groups round and show them the renery.
c. Mac
Start
Up
d. Do a risk assessment in a formally written report.
e. Before the end of next week.
f. Points a (they have not yet decided whether to
hold an open day, or an exhibition, or both), c
(Mac assigned Jimmy to draw up the guest list),
d (the report doesnt need to be a formal written
report at this stage)
g. She failed to tell Roberto that they are planning
to invite important persons and that the informal
report will help the team reach a nal decision at
the next meeting.
Speak 1. b 2. e 3. g 4. a 5.d 6. h 7. c 8. f
Up
PC 6
Start
Up
1] 1. c 2. e 3. g 4. b 5.a 6. f 7. d
Speak Greatest to least priority: b d c a e

Up
4 - 6 Business Communication Skills Review

Before the crisis: 3,6
Lesson 4 During the crisis: 1,4
After the crisis: 2,5
Lesson 5
1. Refer 2. Remind 3. Give 4. Recap 5. summarize 6.

Ensure 7. Thank 8. Set
1. a e
Language
2. a e g d
Review
3. 3 7
2. f b
2. b c f
b. 5 6
3. c d
c. 1 8
d. 2 4
91
MBG Inc AUDIO SCRIPTS
AUDIO SCRIPTS
PC 1.1
So why should we use ID tags to identify our brand? You may think
that this is unnecessary. That it will simply increase the cost of
manufacturing and the price we charge to our customers, but there
are a number of reasons why we need to take action now to protect
our brand name.
The first reason is to reassure our customers. So that when people
buy our brand, they can feel confident that it really is our brand
and not some cheap imitation. People expect a high standard of
excellence from our products. So its very important to regain
customer confidence.
The second reason is to be able to guarantee our products. Retailers
are obliged to refund the cost of faulty fake products which
customers return to the store. Clearly, they wouldnt have sold
article if theyd known it wasnt genuine. So we want the retailers to
know they are fully supported by our guarantee.
The third reason is that we want a maximum return on our
investment. Weve spent millions on development to get the
product right. And weve spent millions more on advertising in
order to build an image that sells. Counterfeit products have caused
our sales to drop. At the same time, the counterfeiters are making a
profit out of our ideas. This has to stop.
We have one of the best-known brands in the business. And if we
dont take the threat of counterfeiting seriously, well lose sales. ID
tags are an effective and secure method of protecting our name and
our investment. Thats why Im proposing we invest in ID tags.
PC 2.1
As you know, many people in the company have problems getting
their work done in normal working hours. Some people are
working a fifty-hour week and, as a result, they are often exhausted
and suffer high levels of stress. Are these long hours of work really
necessary? Ive been looking at the way people work and Ive
noticed that a great deal of time is being wasted. Time is wasted
in meetings that go on too long: time is wasted when colleagues
interrupt each other; time is wasted when communication breaks
down between teams. So, long working hours are not just due to
heavy workloads, they are also due to inefficiency.
This isnt only a problem for employees. Its a problem for the
company. When staff are tired, their quality of work suffers
and they make more mistakes. Whats more, stress is a cause of
illness, which can lead to time off work. And stress also leads to
low motivation, which can drive people to look for jobs in other
companies. All this has a high cost for the company.
If we want to reduce workplace stress and improve motivation, we
need to help people reduce their working hours. And the best way
to do that is to improve efficiency. We need to show people how to
plan and organize their work. We need to give them strategies for
prioritizing tasks and improving communication. So, what Id like
to propose is training in time management.
Now, what will this training involve? I have here the details of two
training programmes that we could consider.
92
PC 3.1
Charlie: Well, the situation is this: we cant cover the new order
with our existing capacity. So, either we subcontract out
to another supplier or we try to handle it ourselves. If we
handle it ourselves, well have to change over one of the
other production lines. Er, Lola, how long would it take to
make the changeover?
Lola: A week at least. Id really need to have a decision today
so we can get started as soon as possible. The production
schedule is extremely tight and we`ll never meet the
delivery dates otherwise.
Troy: But if we change over one of the other production lines,
wouldnt that cause problems for the people who are trying
to meet other clients orders? Nigel, how would you feel if
we did that?
Nigel: Well, Im afraid it would make it very difficult for me to
meet my production schedule. Personally, Id prefer to see
the work subcontracted out.
Tia:
Im not happy about subcontracting. It might be difficult
to keep control of quality. And then theres the cost
Charlie: Quality and cost are indeed big issues. But so is the
production schedule. We have to keep in mind that we
guarantee on-schedule delivery to all our clients. To default
on that would be bad for business.
Nigel: Why on earth did the salespeople accept such a huge order?
They shouldve realized that we cant possibly deliver it!
Charlie: I think we can deliver it! This order is a great opportunity
for the company and could lead to further business if we
get it right. We have to find a way to do this. Come on,
everybody. Lets have some ideas.
Tia:
Perhaps there is another way to look at this. Does the client

need to have the whole order delivered at once? Maybe the
sales team could go back to them and see if the deliveries
could be staggered a bit? We could deliver in, say, three
separate batches.
Charlie: Lola, do you think you could work out a production

schedule if you had a bit more flexibility on delivery dates?
Lola:
I think it could be done. Id be willing to give it a try.
Charlie: Good, Troy, could you talk to the salespeople and tell
them we need a bit of flexibility here? Perhaps they could
approach other clients, too, and see where we could gain a
bit more time on other orders.
Troy: OK. Ill talk to them.
Charlie: Thanks, Troy. And thanks to all of you for your
contributions. If everyone pulls together, Im sure we can
do this!
PC 4.1
Part 1
Chair: OK, well, before we move onto the action plan, lets take a
moment to sum up some of the potential problem areas we
identified in our risk assessment. We brainstormed catering
problems and, um, potential transport problems. What else?
Ruby: Ive got a note of security issues and fire.
Chair: Yes and the only other thing is medical emergencies and
accidents. Thats it. So, shall we start by working out an
action plan?
PC 4.1(cont'd)
Mac:
Part 2
Ruby:
PC 5.1 (cont'd)
It will be the middle of the summer and the weather

forecast says it will be very hot. So we need to provide
lots of shade as its an outdoor event.
Alison: We could arrange with the hotel to have a couple of

rooms available for guests in case they feel ill because of
the heat.
Ruby: Yes, and well have to tell the catering team to provide
water to keep people hydrated. And if food is left out
in the heat, it could cause food poisoning. So someone
needs to check that.
Chair: Good point.
Ruby: Also, Ive spoken to the hotel, and they have medical
facilities for minor emergencies and we have eight staff
members who have completed first-aid courses.
Alison: The first-aid team could wear special T-shirts so that
people can identify them. Ill prepare a list of emergency
numbers for local hospitals in case of any major
emergencies.
Chair:
Great idea. OK, anything else?
Ruby:
The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool, which we can

use on the day. But they say that it is our responsibility to
arrange lifeguards. How should we handle that?
OK. These are all very good ideas, but I think we need
to consider everything carefully before making a final
decision. Jimmy, why dont you make a list of people
who could be invited to an open day? And Kirsty could
you talk to the plant safety officer? Ask him to do a risk
assessment. See if he can do it again before we meet again
at the end of next week. It doesnt need to be a formal
written report at this stage, just a list of some general
points for us to think about.
Kirsty: OK.
Part 2
Kirsty:
Roberto:
Hello, Roberto. Have you got a minute?
Kirsty:
Mac asked me to come and talk to you. We had a

meeting yesterday about PR issues. You know theres all
this bad publicity about refineries at the moment.
Yes, sure, what is it?
Roberto:
Yes.
Kirsty:
Well, we discussed how we could show people that

ourrefinery really is safe and non-polluting. And weve
decided to hold an open day. We want to take groups
round and show them the refinery.
Roberto:
What kind of groups? Whos going to come?
Kirsty:
Alison: I thought of that, actually, and Ive arranged a rota for

four members of staff to take turns watching the pool on
the day of the party theyre all trained in life saving.
Well, we discussed the possibility of making it open to

the general public, but some of us felt that there could
be safety problems.
Roberto:
Er, yes
Chair:
Kirsty:
So, we agreed to make it by invitation only. Mac is

going to draw up a list of the people we might invite.
Roberto:
That sounds sensible.
Kirsty:
Yes. Anyway, the reason I wanted to talk to you was

that wed like you to do a risk assessment- you know,
investigate all the risks so we can see how to minimize
them.
Roberto:
You want a formal written report?
Kirsty:
Yes, please. And we need it before the next meeting,

which is at the end of next week. Could you do that?
Thanks, Alison, Ruby, Id like you to be our team

coordinator for this. So you will brief the first-aid team,
the catering staff and the pool assistants. If anyone thinks
of anything else, please speak to Ruby. Right, lets move
on
PC 5.1
Part 1
Jimmy: I think an open day would be a good idea. We need
to show people that we take strict measures to prevent
pollution, that our process isnt harmful to health.
Mac:
Kirsty:
Would people actually want to come and look at a

refinery Jimmy? I mean, its not exactly Disneyland,is it?
And do we really want the general public walking all over
the refinery? What about the safety issues? Personally, I
think it would be better to set up an exhibition. We can
create models to explain our anti-pollution measures.
Jimmy: But models by themselves are a bit dull. I think we need

to show people the refinery as well.
Mac:
Kirsty:
Ok, perhaps we could do both. We show people the

models and then take groups round the r efinery- or parts
of the refinery.
Hmm. Im still worried about safety. They would have to
be quite small groups, I think.
Jimmy: I agree, it would have to be carefully controlled. It would

be better if we could limit the number of visitors.
Mac:
So perhaps we should make it by invitation only.
Kirsty:
Who would we invite?
Jimmy: Well, the environmental pressure groups for a start.

And I think we should invite people whose opinions are
important: local government officials for example. And
the media, obviously. Press, TV
PC 6.1
SM= Sales Manager
CO=Conference Organizer
SM:
OK. Weve decided to organize a golf tournament for some

of our most important customers. Were planning to hold
the event in a luxury hotel with its own golf course. And we
want to fix it for the 10th April so we dont have much
time.
CO:
Hmm. About nine weeks. Have you thought about which

hotel?
SM:
Not yet. I wonder if you could phone round and get some
details and prices? Get three or four so we can compare
them and select the best one.
CO:
Of course, no problem.
SM:
Can we meet tomorrow morning and make a decision? This

is urgent so we must do it right away.
CO:
Yes tomorrow morning is fine with me.
SM:
We need to book as soon as possible.
CO:
Yes. Do you know how many people are coming?
SM:
Well, we wont know exactly until we invite the customers.

We can tell the hotel its for about 20 people, and well
confirm the numbers later.
93
AC 3.1(cont'd)
PC 6.1(cont'd)
CO:
Its important to confirm the numbers quite soon. Lets say

by the end of February?
SM:
Fine. Ill tell the sales people to send out the invitations as
soon as we decide on the hotel. Now the food and drink
arrangements We want to have lunch at the hotel, as
well as coffee in the morning when the guests arrive, and
cocktails and snacks at the end of the day. But before we
choose the menu for lunch, we need to check if any guests
have special requirements.
CO:
OK, Id appreciate it if you could let me know the special

requirements by the third week of March so I can arrange
the menu for lunch. Id like to get everything done by April
if possible.
SM:
Ill tell the sales staff and theyll contact you directly.
CO:
Thanks. Anything else?
SM:
Well, the last step is to brief the sales team on whats going
to happen. But theres no rush we can do that any time.
CO:
Perhaps in March or early April?
SM:
Yes, that`s fine
AC 2.1
As a result, I have made a blunder with him. We have

been made to look like idiots. Whats more, Ive realized
that I need to redo completely two days work. I feel
discouraged.
Could you possibly call me when you go to meet Mr.
Russell, so we know where we are?
This way, Ill be working on correct information and will
make better use of my time. Ill get back on form again
and then our service will keep its image of seriousness.
AC 3.1
Part 1
Lucy :
Paul, I need to talk to you. Its important. We

said wed meet early this morning.
Paul:
Well, Ill do what I can. How are you getting on

with the task I assigned to you?
Lucy:
Uhm,Ok. I guess
Paul (interrupts): So you should be finished next week, right?

Lucy:
Uhm Ill try.
Paul:
Have you made an appointment with the sales

team?
Lucy:
Ive been trying to reach them. But the problem

is
Paul (interrupts): I know. They are never around. Lets contact the
head of the department directly and remind him
its urgent.
Lucy:
Yes, but the real problem is drafting the
specifications. This is the first time Ive done it.
Im not sure I have listed all the features and I
dont know how detailed it should be.
Look at the product introduction that was

done by the intern last year. It was very
good and it was drafted in a tree diagram.
If she could do it, I bet you can. Of course
you can. Buy whatever reference books
you need, and dont forget to submit the
expenses.
AC 3.2
Part 2
Paul:
Listen, I want to know where you are in doing your task.

Do you feel youre getting by?
Lucy: Some things are going well, and othersuhpersonally,

Im notI mean its Ok, to be frank, you wanted
me to take on this task and I do think its interesting,
but the problem is that I dont really know how to draft
the specifications. I have no experience in this field. So
really and also I dont know who to talk to in the sales
department. I dont know if they can help me out. In fact,
basically I feel a bit lost.
Paul:
Rachel: I didnt know about the changes Russell had asked for
at your last two meetings. I have been working without
knowing it on wrong information and I only discovered
it this morning when he called me.
94
Paul:
Ok. If I got this right, youre having difficulties drafting the

specifications, and you dont know who to ask to get help?
Lucy: Yes. Thats exactly right.
AC 4.1
After doing some research on the internet and talking to family
and friends, I finally got the customer service concept of my
restaurant. I opened my restaurant-Chez Karen half a year ago and
its been a success since then. What is our service concept? Here
it is. First, to provide quality service, we have to be precise about
who we are trying to satisfy. Who is our target clientele? If we
tried to satisfy all customers who might come our way, we would
go out of business. As the restaurant is located in a residential
area where the residents are mostly families, weve chosen to serve
families. It means our services should be aligned with families
and their expectations. Besides good-quality ingredients and
delicious home-made food, what do families who eat out in their
own neighborhood expect? They would like to go and eat in an
atmosphere not necessarily luxurious but warm and appealing, a
place they can feel at ease with their children. The ambience of our
restaurant is welcoming and family friendly. There is a play corner
where children can play safely while their parents are eating. We
have a menu designed especially for children and we always make
sure they are served quickly so that they can go to the play corner.
And of course, parents dont have to wait long for their dishes
or bill. In addition, we provide a list of babysitters who live in
the area; at the end of the meal, we offer refreshing towels. These
two services are not difficult to arrange, and have been greatly
appreciated.
AC 5.1
Well, its unbelievable. When I picked up my photos, they were all
dark, whereas on my computer, they are perfect. An employee from
Photo Plus called Frank assured me its normal and its always
like that. He must think Im stupid! There must be a programming
problem with the developing machine.
I cant believe what this client did! She got here and started yelling
at me about her photo not being developed to the right size. I told
her I had no written document certifying the size she wanted and if
it had to be redeveloped, she had to pay for it.
Ive got a client complaining about printing delays. Apparently,
someone told him his photos would be ready for collection within
a week, and two weeks later they still werent ready. Basically, I told
him he was right. Weve always got photo congestion problems at
Photo Plus. I get at least ten complaints a day.
AC 5.2
Frank: Hello Madam. How may I help you?
Client: See these photos here? Nothing strikes you? Youve cut off
the top of my husbands head on every one of them. On
my computer they are all perfect. No heads been cut off.
So why are you incapable of giving them back to me like
that when you printed them out?
Frank: If I understood, your photos are perfect on your computer,
but on the print, the top of the pictures is cut off and youd
like to know why.
Client: Youve got it.
Frank: I think I know whats happened. You see, your photos are
10 by 15, which is indeed the standard size, but for digital
photos, you have to ask for 11 by 15 if you want to get the
same sizes on your computer.
Client: OK, I did ask you for 10 by 15, because I thought its the
same thing. You could have told me all this in the first
place.
Frank: Yes, right. Im sorry for the inconvenience. Well straighten
this right away by printing your pictures in 11 by 15.
Client: Thats very kind of you. I appreciate your concern.
Frank: Its normal. Thank you for pointing out this problem.
Well make sure from now on we get our clients informed
of these differences in size. If you have any questions or
the slightest worry, please dont hesitate to call in or phone
us on this number. Goodbye and have a nice day!
95
MBG Inc VIDEO SCRIPTS
VIDEO SCRIPTS
AC V1.1
AC V1.1
Loker:
Dr. Lightman, the guys from Homeland Security

are here. They want your assessment of the new
handheld polygraph.
Lightman:
I'll be right there.
Questioner:
Do you work at the department of Homeland

Security?
Interviewee: Yes.
Questioner:
Do you have black hair?
Interviewee: Yes.
See, the handheld measures cardio and galvanic skin
Tom:
response. Its the only polygraph ever developed
with this kind of portability.
Lightman:
Oh, not quite.
Foster:
Uh, Cal, you know secretary Miller from Homeland

Security.
Lightman:
Good to see you.
Foster:
And this is Tom Whitmore, the new TSA deputy.
Tom:
What the hell is this?
Lightman:
It's a lie detector. The West Africans used them

first. When youre on trial, you held the egg in your
hands, and if it broke, its a sign of anxiety. You
were found guilty.
Tom:
Well, Id say our handhelds a little more advanced.
Lightman:
Well, unfortunately, both devices suffer from the

same problem. Uh, Ms. Cooper, would you mind?
Ms. Cooper: May I?

Could you ask the control questions again, please?
Lightman:
Tom:
What are you doing?
Ms. Cooper: Do you work at the department of Homeland

Security?
Interviewee: Uh, yes.
Ms. Cooper : Do You have black hair?
Interviewee: Yes.
Lightman:
The problem with all polygraph tests is false

positives.
Foster:
Innocent people can fail if they feel an increase in

any emotion anger, fear, sexual arousal. Not just
guilt. Your polygraph is no better than the egg at
telling us which emotion it's responding to.
Tom:
Lightman:
No.
Ive been waiting to try that for years. See, you
would have been found guilty, but you were just
angry. You should be, uh, spending your money
studying the face. 43 muscles combine to produce a
possibility of 10,000 expressions. Now, if you learn
them all, you dont need a polygraph.
How much did we spend on this damn project
anyway?
Uh, not much. I'm sure we can recoup most of our
costs.
Now, that was lovely.
What?
Miller:
Tom:
Lightman:
Miller:
(cont'd)
96
(cont'n)
Lightman: A gesture of retreat.

Miller:
Whats that?
Lightman: He stepped backwards. Means he doesnt believe what
hes just said. Hes lying.
Nixon:
Well, Im not a crook. Ive earned everything Ive got.
AC V1.2
See, thats why Baracks running: to end the war in Iraq
responsibly; to build an economy that lifts every family; to make
sure health care is available for every American; and to make sure
that every single child in this nation has a world-class education
all the way from preschool to college. Thats what Barack will -Obama will do as President of the United States of America.
Hell achieve these goals the same way he always has: by bringing
us together and reminding us how much we share and how alike
we really are. You see, Barack doesnt care where youre from or
what your background is or what party, if any, you belong to. See,
thats just not how he sees the world. He knows that thread that
connects us: our belief in Americas promise, our commitment to
our childrens future -- he knows that that thread is strong enough
to hold us together as one nation even when we disagree.
It was strong enough to bring hope to those neighborhoods in
Chicago. It was strong enough to bring hope to the mother he met
who was worried about her child in Iraq; hope to the man whos
unemployed and cant afford gas to find a job; hope to the student
working nights to pay for her sisters health care, sleeping just a few
hours a day.
And it was strong enough to bring hope to people who came out
on a cold Iowa night -- and became the first voices in this chorus
for change that has been echoed by millions of Americans from
every corner of this nation -- millions of Americans who know that
Barack understands their dreams; millions of Americans who know
that Barack will fight for people like them and that Barack will
bring finally the change that we need.
And in the end -- And in the end, after all thats happened these
past 19 months, see, the Barack Obama I know today is the same
man I fell in love with 19 years ago. Hes the same man who
drove me and our new baby daughter home from the hospital 10
years ago this summer, inching along at a snails pace -- peering
at us anxiously at the -- through the rear-view mirror, feeling the
whole weight of her future in his hands, determined to give her
everything hed struggled so hard for himself, determined to give
her something he never had: the affirming embrace of a fathers
love.
And as I tuck that little girl in -- as I tuck that little girl in and her
little sister into bed at night, you see, I -- I think about how one
day, theyll have families of their own and how one day, they -- and
your sons and daughters -- will tell their own children about what
we did together in this election. Theyll tell them -- They'll tell
them how this time, we listened to our hopes instead of our fears;
how this time -- how this time, we decided to stop doubting and
to start dreaming; how this time, in this great country -- where
a girl from the South Side of Chicago can go to college and law
school, and the son of a single mother from Hawaii can go all the
way to the White House -- that we committed ourselves -- we
committed ourselves to building the world as it should be.
(cont'd)
AC V1.2
(cont'n)
So tonight, in honor of my fathers memory and my daughters

future, out of gratitude for those whose triumphs we mark this
week and those whose everyday sacrifices have brought us to this
moment, let us devote ourselves to finishing their work; let us
work together to fulfill their hopes; and let's stand together to elect
Barack Obama President of the United States of America.
Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America.
AC V6.1
Experts across the border try to weigh the costs of what may
become the worst oil spill in US history, the BP disaster in the
Gulf of Mexico. One attorney says BP should pay more than a
just financial price, after several other accidents in recent years.
Brian, who represents hundreds of people suing BP, says its time
someone went to prison.
Brian: BP has been given a lot of chances. At some point, if you
are a habitual criminal, you have to do some time.
Some scientists estimated the bust of BP well has
spilled at least 4 million barrels of oil into the gulf and
its still gushing. Its a very costly disaster in financial
and ecological terms. BP says the cost has topped 760
million dollars, but its too early to calculate the total
bill. Industrial executives say they expect more state and
federal regulations which will drive up cost for drilling in
the gulf, and may squeeze out smaller operators. David
Roberts is the head of exploration and production for
Marathon Oil.
David: The key point for us at Marathon and for the industry
in general is that would be a small price to pay, for us to
regain the trust of the American public and the energy
using public around the world.
The industry may also face higher liability cost. The senate
is considering raising the liability capital to 10 billion
dollars from 75 million. However, that may still not be
enough.
AC V7.1
Bill George:
Actually, I think leadership is not about skills. Its

about the character of the leader and the person
within. And I think the most important thing a
leader has to do is find the authentic voice in their
authentic self. And then a person can be genuine and
can establish connected relationships with people, but
that comes from an exploration and understand of
one: life stories, difficult times they had, dealing with
things like destructive emotions. And then having a
sense of purpose, passion and mission. And how they
want to lead because if you dont know where you
are going, why would I want to follow you? So every
leader should have a sense of whats my purpose
of leading? What do I want to accomplish here?
and can I rally people and align them around in
this common sense of purpose and can I lead with
a common set of values so that everyone in their
organization is congruous with what those values are.
Daisy Dowling: I think leaders cant be effective unless they have
two things. And this is very personal answer, maybe
not an academic answer. And the first is they need
empathy, so they have to understand the people
around them, understand where they are coming
from. Because if they cant have that sort of human
connection, and really understand the people they are
(cont'd)
AC V7.1
(cont'n)
Daisy
leading or working alongside. I dont think they are
Dowling: going to be able to lead effectively. They wont be able to
understand peoples motivations. They wont be able to
get them excited about the directions they have set the
organization or for the company. So I think empathy
is one thing. And I think a relentless desire to build
capacity in the people around them. So, in other words,
I think leaders need to be teachers.
AC V 7.2
Woman: In my last assignment, I needed to manage some former
colleagues. I found it really hard. I didnt know whether
to act as their friends or to directly change my attitude
and ignore our previous relationship. It really wasnt easy.
Man A: I remember starting my new role during a very tense
time for the company. 80% of my team members were
on strike for three weeks. After the strike, I didnt know
how to behave - whether to confront them or to avoid
them. I even started rushing internal meetings just to
get away from them. The atmosphere improved after a
while.
Man B: Yes, I also got some bad memories of taking on a new
managerial role. I started my new job just after my
company had been taken over by a major group. I found
myself on the losing side, so to speak. My staff kept
asking me questions about the takeover which of course I
couldnt answer. So I just absorbed myself in work.
AC V8.1
Michael: Ok, lets see. To get an overall idea of how weve
accomplished our mission, I will use an analysis of our
four main customers that was recently carried out by my
predecessor. This survey is important because these four
customers represent 70% of our sales. Hmm...Overall,
the survey shows that by large, our team meets its
commitment. We have an average 98% satisfaction rate,
thats good. Customers must be happy. Still, the team is
not as good at meeting the needs of Office Services. Inc.,
which is one of our top customers. I have to find out why
we have only an 85% service satisfaction rate with this
customer.
AC V8.2
Michael: Generally, what do you think of our service?
Paul:
Well, overall, we are very happy with the machines. Its

the rest we have problems with. Youre often late for the
deliveries, plus our contract stipulates that you have to
provide custom training on new equipment. Frankly, very
often your training is too general and doesnt meet our
specific needs.
Michael: I see. Have you talked to the technicians who install the
machines?
Paul:
Ive tried, but they are always in a hurry, and tell us to

phone your support teamwhich I have to say, is not very
helpful. We having long waits and are often transferred
from one person to another. We never speak to the right
person. So we end up never really having the opportunity
to explain to anyone what we need. I would like to have
one main contactthat would be much more efficient.
97
AC V9.1
Roger: Heres your coffee.
Alice: Thank you. How are you?
Roger: What a pain on Pauls project!
Alice: Oh? Whats happening?
Roger: Ive got a problem Paul wants me to handle. Apparently, I
am supposed to run it. I really dont see it as my business.
Am I a Rep or a project manager? He only gave me a fifteenminute briefing and he left me manage it on my own!
Alice: Yep, I know the style. You are lucky. (..) I have no idea
how I am going to cope. The client is in Berlin and I havent
spoken German for ages. And as usual, Paul hasnt even set
me clear objectives for this task.
Roger: Thats not going to be easy. And do you know hes cut my
deadlines for two weeks to satisfy the clients. Its all very
well-caring for the clients, but whats in it for me? If theres
still a chance of promotion, but I really feel theres no future
for me in this department.
Alice: Ha, its obviously not worth taking too much trouble. There
will be no feedback as usual when the project is over. I wont
even know if Pauls satisfied. I dont know.
98

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MBG Workbook B4 was produced by METEN English.

Project MBG was piloted by:

Donald Si , R&D Director

Jude Guo , Assistant President

Internal Managing Editor:

The R & D team is very grateful to:

Many thanks to our foreign teachers who tested MBG in R

Product Launch Team:

Technical Support and MBG system programmers:

Cover and Inside Book Design:

Sun Rising Media

Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press

Peter Ronald Cooke

We apologize in advance for any unintentional omissions. We

Get your point across

Lets talk sales

Lets build this team together

Business Communication Skills Review (Lessons 1-3)

Whats your point?

Business Communication Skills Review (Lessons 4-6)

Iceberg: visible and invisible

I can hear, but Im not listening

Simulation Game 1 Communication skills

The customer is king

Moments that build or destroy reputations

Simulation Game 2 Customer service skills

The golden rules of good leadership

Diagnosing your team

What am I doing here?

Simulation Game 3 Leadership skills

Answer Key ....................................................................................................................................................................

Audio Scripts ...................................................................................................................................................................

Video Scripts ...................................................................................................................................................................

Who is MBG B4 and B5 for?

Business across Cultures

The key expressions revolving around a theme or topic are

Business Communication Skills Review

After three lessons, there is a review unit. The reviews help

This added bonus to your learning aims to widen your

Stop and Reect

your performance. Your trainer will

Stop and Relect

Welcome to MBG Inc.!

MBG Inc. is a mock-up international company created by METENs

Lesson Title and topic

Get your point across

Business communication skills review (1-3)

Crisis? What crisis?

Business communication skills review (4-6)

Get your point across

Get ready to listen

A handbag manufacturer has a problem. A pirate company is making counterfeit handbags

Listen to the speaker's argument and answer the questions.

2. How does the speaker begin the argument?

Stressing key words

Listen again and notice the way the presenter speaks.

In Jackie Wu's argument, what phrases

- need to prevent industrial espionage

Read phrases / sentences a-f below. Match

- increase staff motivation.

To produce umbrellas with the company

Business across Cultures

High uncertainty avoidance cultures