Assignments for Unit 6 Business English Module: Lesson Plans and Tasks

This document provides comprehensive solutions to the assignments for Unit 6 of a Business English module. It covers a range of topics, including anaphoric and cataphoric references, substitution and ellipsis exercises, and the use of coherence markers. The document also includes detailed plans for teaching business letter writing, incorporating suggestions to make the lessons engaging. Furthermore, it outlines strategies for developing listening skills in a business context and presents lesson plans for note-taking and telephone skills, tailored for a class of bank employees. The lesson plans include objectives, materials, and step-by-step procedures, offering practical guidance for educators and learners alike. The assignment emphasizes practical application and aims to enhance professional communication skills.

Unit 6 Business English – Assignments
TASK FOR SUBMISSION TO YOUR TUTOR
TASK 1
Write two examples of anaphoric and cataphoric reference.
Anaphoric and cataphoric reference are emphatic styles of sentence structure. These are used
to lay emphasis on the first clause of the sentence.
Two examples:
1. Three tech giants filed for bankruptcy yesterday. It was shocking. ( Anaphoric
reference)
2. Yesterday’s news was shocking. Three tech giants filed for bankruptcy.
(Cataphoric reference)
In the first example, the subject of the second sentence is not clearly mentioned. But it
implicitly refers to the subject of the first sentence. This is anaphoric reference.
In the second example, the subject of the first clause is not specified. The subject of the
second clause provides the clarificatoryinformation to the first sentence. This is cataphoric
reference. (112)
TASK 2
Write your own examples of each type of substitution.
In English grammar, substitution refers to replacement of a word or phrase, with a filer word
to avoid repetition. It is also known as ellipsis-substitution. There are three types of
substitution: nominal, verbal, and clausal according to the items substituted.
Example of nominal substitution: After submitting the working paper on agronomics, James
started researchfor the next one.
Here, “one” is a substitution for “paper”.
Example of verbal substitution:Mohan is good at math so is Alter.

Here, “so” is substitution for “good at math”.
Example of clausal substitution: Do you think we'll need an hour? If so, how 'bout, the twenty
sixth, three to four?
Here “so” is the substitution for the previous clause. (115)
TASK 3
Give two examples of the above ellipsis exercises suitable for intermediate students.
Example 1: I went to the bakers to get some whole meal rolls and (I went) to the butchers for
lamb chops.
Example 2: The dark-haired girl (who is) standing over there just smiled at you. (36)
TASK 4
Devise two exercises, one controlled and one transfer, for the group of eight bank employees
in the example class profile on Page 9 to practise using markers of coherence. Use vocabulary
relevant to that class.
Exercise 1: Insert either the words however or on the other hand into the following sentences
to connect them.
 The economic condition is showing improvement over the last quarter. The banking
habit of the rural poor is not changing rapidly.
 Some nations are apparently promoting peace. They are funding the terrorist
organizations.
Exercise 2: Write a paragraph on your experience as a banking professional in not more than
250 words. Apply different forms of markers of coherence in your writing.
TASK 5 - Letter Writing
1. Design a way of teaching the correct business letter format to students. Submit your plan
and explain how you would use it.
A business letter format varies greatly from a casual letter format as the former requires a far
more professional approach from the sender. While writing a business letter it is extremely
important to keep in mind that no slangs or casual words be used and the tone should be kept
professional. The following template may be used to draft a business letter:
Date: month, day, year

Your Address: Unless your adress is already present on the letterhead, it is important to
include that in the body of the letter.
Addressing the receiver: Full name should be used when addressing the receiver of your
letter.
Beginning Salutation: A curt colon instead of just a plain old comma looks better when
writing the salutation may help.
Text of the mail body: Start with a professional tone and maintain it throughout the body of
the mail. Use the magic words frequently and avoid using emoticons or smileys. State your
purpose clearly and request for a response professionally.
Call to Action: Ask for a response politely and give clear directions as to what you are
expecting the reader to do.
Signature: Signing the letter is of utmost importance and a blue or black pen should be
ideally used to do the signatures. Include an official stamp or seal if it is available.
Enclosures: Do not forget to mention in the post script of your mail if there are any enclosed
documents with the letter.
2. Explain how you would teach letter writing and how you would make the lessons
interesting.
Letter writing can be a very interesting subject if taught properly. The way a letter is written
goes a long way in representing what type of an individual the sender is. In many cases, a
letter can make or break a business deal. Even for job vacancies, applying for a job with the
right kind of mail can help a person get an upper-hand even before the actual interview. That
is how important letter writing actually is.
To make letter writing interesting to my students if I were to ever teach this subject, I would
help them understand the importance of a good letter over a badly written one using examples
from real life. I would start by forming groups of two and form teams of letter writers and
receivers. I would make these groups write letters to each other and then ask them to rate
these letters on a scale of one to ten. This exercise would help them get a clear picture of
where they stand in terms of their letter writing skills. This would also get them more
interested in the topic as it would appear like a game rather than a boring topic.
TASK 6 - Listening Skills
List suggestions on how you could help your students to practice each of the skills mentioned
above in a Business English context?
I would help my students in developing the listening skills mentioned above in the following
ways:
 Be more attentive: A little attention often goes a long way. Being more attentive to
details can help in honing the skills in a Business English context.

 Stay focused on the topic at hand: Staying focused also helps tremendously in
developing the skills and mastering these on a daily basis.
 Develop an interest: It shows in your reports if there is a lack of interest in what you
do. Therefore, developing an interest in the business English skill set required is a
must if one wants to master it.
 Write regularly: Writing professional letters and practicing regularly can also help my
students in practicing each of the skills required in developing a professional and
business-oriented English.
 Learn the right vocabulary: The right words make all the difference in the world. I
would help my students in learning the right words and gaining more insight in which
words to use when communicating in a business environment. This would help them
in practicing the Business English needed for them to be more professional in a
business environment.
The skills required in this context need to be practiced regularly so that the students may be
able to use them more effortlessly in all their business communications.
TASK 7 - Business English Lessons
A. Look back at the example class profile. Imagine you are going to teach this class. Submit
lesson plans for the following, showing the various stages of the lesson, what the students
will be doing and what the teacher will be doing at each stage.
1) Plan a lesson on note-taking for the class. Submit a detailed lesson
plan and any materials to be used in the class.
Objectives:
1. Taking relevant comprehendible notes from the lectures, other documents and
activities.
2. Students should be exposed to various styles of taking notes.
3. Students need to practice new note-taking ways.
Materials required:
Recording system for keeping lecture audio files
Samples of taking lecture notes
Some written clues on how to save time in taking notes
Procedures:
In an interactive class, students can be asked about the purpose of taking notes, brainstorming
note taking strategies and discussing reasonable strategy. The following list should be
completed by students:
Pick out key ideas is of prime importance. The art of taking out the important points out of a
jumbled up lecture points
Summarizing using short phrases and keywords can do wonders in increasing learning
capacity.

Students should pick out the required phrases and useful words from the lecture. This can be
done by recording the lecture first and hearing the audio file repeatedly. While noting the
elements it is a good idea to leave margins and gaps between ideas. These gaps can be filled
later by further readings and materials.
On each note page a date and brief subject line should help in synchronizing the ideas. The
verbal cues should be listed. Some handouts on ‘taking lecture notes’ can be distributed. This
outline should be checked thoroughly. Then students can give examples on the way of taking
notes and use of abbreviations. Students should be encouraged to provide their insights on the
speedy and accurate ways of taking notes.
Next they will be introduced to Cornell note taking system. There are five key steps in this:
First step is recording. This can be done in as many columns as possible with meaningful
ideas and facts. Writing should be legible.
Reduction: when these ideas and facts are summarized concisely, meanings and relationships
should be clarified. Continuity should be enforced and memory made strong. In this stage
summarization is done in the cue column. Sometimes questions should also be noted down in
order to help in exams later on. This way one can be prepared ahead of time. Questions can
be framed on basis of notes jotted down in the right hand column.
The third step is recitation. Here the note taking column is covered with a sheet of paper.
Then looking at key words, the answers to the questions can be read aloud. Facts or ideas can
be indicated by cue-words.
Reflect: Students can reflect on the given materials by asking questions about the significance
of facts. What principle the materials are based and how they are applicable. The summary of
notes on a page can be noted down below that page.
Review: We can spend around 10 minutes each week to go through the notes. This will help
retain the main points.
2) Plan a lesson on telephone skills for the class. Submit a detailed
lesson plan and any materials to be used in the class.
The objectives of students should be learning the importance of good telephone skills and
learn to schedule calls, greet appropriately and end calls politely. The student should learn
proper listening habits and be able to gather information. They need to pick up phone
etiquette.
The lesson plan should incorporate practical lessons.
A list can be made first for the list of calls. Then they are arranged in order of priority.
Timing should be allocated for each call. This includes time of call and duration. It should be
pre determined which time is proper for which call. So a time table is important to manage
calls. Inward calls should be filtered such that there is no interruption in between works.
Some processes should be developed in order to save time. When unable to take calls

students should be taught how to put suitable message on the answer phone or some other
similar service. Such calls scheduling helps in gaining complete attention.
Proper greetings and ending of a call helps in building proper rapport and avoid any kind of
miscommunication or misunderstanding. It is first important to identify the company and give
one’s name and job designation. Then the receiver of call should ask how to help the caller.
While closing a call one should make sure there is no further query. At the closing of each
call one should thank caller. It is good practice to allow the caller put down the receiver first.
Sometimes telephone call has a purpose. It might be aimed at collecting data. So when the
caller also has similar objectives in mind, the information is to be gather quickly by asking all
personal details. In some more complicated cases some questioning techniques are necessary.
When caller has complaint about a product sold it is important to be patient and ensure the
nature of the problem. Then we should verify the product belongs to us and the warranty
should cover still. Then we need to discover the way a caller is using the product and how the
problem was attempted to rectify.
Ability to listen properly is very important. Active listening is crucial. There should be
encouraging interruptions so that the caller can go on. Sometimes certain prompts may be
used to ensure the caller gives out precise information which are accurate.
Taking notes is crucial. This is more applicable when lots of calls have to be handled.
For callers who are complaining, one should be very patient and personal responsibility
should not be disclaimed.
Above all certain telephone etiquettes should be followed and these should be part of the
lesson.
3) Plan a homework task on report writing to be given to the four
middle management men in the class. Explain which skills the task
practises and how you propose to mark the work.
Write a survey based report on socio-demographic factors affecting choice of credit cards in
the U.S.
The task will accustom the student with telephone skills and also writing skills. Notes should
be taken during interviews, whether face to face or telephonic. So skills of taking notes will
improve as well.
B. Look at the materials enclosed with this unit.
1) Read through them and decide how you could use them in a Business
English class.
A business English class is all about learning how to communicate in
business friendly manner. The first material shows what is expected in

terms of communication from the student. Material two accustoms the
student with certain key terms which might help them understand the
discussions and conversations going on around him or her. Material three
teaches motivating factors which can be used while communicating with
subordinates and team members. Material four and five can be given in
workshops or as case studies or scenario studies.
2) Comment on the materials individually and state any improvements or
additions you would make before using them.
I think all five materials are good. But they can be used in interactive manner. For instance
visually attractive modules may be developed to help students interactively learn the
terminologies in material two. The first material can be given as handout or presented in
bullets and then quizzes could be thrown from there. The third material is about motivating
factors which should be studied with respect to different contexts. Fourth and fifth materials
are case studies which can be designed with some substantial questions and activities.
Materials 1
SPEAKING
QUALITIES OF A GOOD MANAGER
Look at this list and decide what are the most important qualities.
1. Communicative skill
2. Adaptability
3. Practical knowledge of the job
4. Authority
5. Personal knowledge of workers' home life
6. Creativity
7. Foreign language skill

8. Leadership
9. Enthusiasm
10. Presentation
11. Decision - making
12. Decisiveness
13. High work-rate
14. Sensitivity
15. Fairness
16. Ability to delegate
Materials 2
VOCABULARY IN THE WORKPLACE
Can you work out the meanings of these words and expressions connected with work? Use a
dictionary to help you if necessary. Do you have similar expressions and distinctions in your
own language?
WORK / JOB MOONLIGHTING JOB SHARING
UNEMPLOYMENT SALARY / WAGES
WORKAHOLIC REDUNDANCY TO RESIGN
SHIFTWORK TO BE DISMISSED TO BE SACKED
TO BE FIRED GOLDEN HANDSHAKE
EDUCATION FOR LEISURE SANDWICH COURSE PART-TIME
TO WORK TO LIVE / TO LIVE TO WORK

Materials 3
MOTIVATION
POSITIVE MOTIVATORS
1. ACHIEVEMENT
2. RECOGNITION
3. JOB INTEREST
4. RESPONSIBILITY
5. ADVANCEMENT
6. PERSONAL GROWTH
MOTIVATION<------------------------------------------------------------->DEMOTIVATION
NEGATIVE FACTORS
1. SALARY
2. SUPERVISION
3. WORKING CONDITIONS
4. COMPANY POLICY
5. INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS
6. STATUS
7. SECURITY

Materials 4
SITUATIONS
Why might the people in the situations described below feel unmotivated by their work?
Use the sheet on Motivation to help you identify the likely cause(s) in each case.
How would you deal with the situation if you were
a) the person himself
b) the person's manager/supervisor?
1. Mr. A is very good at thinking of new ideas, and his boss is always ready to listen to him.
The only problem is that when the boss introduces one of Mr A's ideas, he always
pretends it is his own.
2. Mr. B has been waiting three years for promotion, but the person directly
above him shows no sign of leaving the company or being promoted
himself.
3. Mr. C works in a team of five people. The rest of the team all dislike Mr. C,
and each other, and are only interested in getting individual recognition
from their immediate boss.
4. Mr. D is a clerk in a busy office. 90% of his job is routine paperwork, the other 10%
routine phone calls. When he started the job three years ago he was ambitious, and he
still has the vague feeling that he should be 'moving up or moving out' - the only problem
is, he doesn't know what he can or should do next.
5. Mr. E enjoys his work, and the boss tells him he does a good job. However, Mr. E doesn't
think his performance is as good as his boss says. If he could improve it he would be a
better candidate for promotion, but he doesn't know how to.
6. Mr. F is recognised both by his colleagues and management as being the
most talented and hardworking member of his department. The
department is expanding and needs a specially - appointed supervisor to
coordinate things. However, management feel that with someone as useful
as Mr. F on the team, the appointment can be postponed for a year or two.
7. Mr. G works for MI5. He is just one link in a very long 'intelligence' chain. The Official
Secrets Act prevents him from discussing his work with anyone else, or from finding out
how the links in the chain fit together.
Materials 5
MORAL ISSUES

Laying - off
You are the manager of a small company. Your company has been selling fewer of its
products recently. You have decided that the only thing to do is to lay off one of your staff.
(There is no recognised way of doing this and you do not have to make any redundancy
payments in your country). Which one of these people will you sack?
JILL is an irregular timekeeper but when she is on form she is
probably the best worker you have. She is 30.
BILL is the foreman. He does very little. The workers like him as a
person. He is 50.
HENRY is the shop steward and he keeps the workers quiet by promising action when
they get angry, and then doing nothing. He is 45.
JENNY is not a good worker but she has been with the firm for 20
years. She has eight children. She is 47.
JOHN is very lazy. He knows one or two things about your private
life which you don't want him to tell anyone. He is 24.
DAVID is left wing. He is aggressive at union meetings. He has a
following among the workers. He is a local councillor.
Six months after the sacking, you find that you still haven't solved the problem of falling
sales. Will you sack someone else? If not, what other possible courses of action are there?