English in the workplace

general courses

The course is implemented as part of a project co-financed by the European Union with the European Social Fund under the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development 2014-2020.

Therefore, it is necessary to register on the website:

www.wne.uw.edu.pl/pl/misja-wne

and sign a training contract, after completing registration under USOS.

The course is free of charge.

After completing the course participants will receive a certificate confirming participation in the training programme co-financed by the European Union.

English in the Workplace is a practical language course for first- and second-cycle students who are interested in developing their communication and language skills needed for taking employment and effective functioning in work-related situations, such as: recruitment, business meetings, telephoning and teleconferencing, public speaking and forms of communication requiring the use of Business English.

The course consists of five 10-hour functional and thematic modules, thought online using an online meeting program such as Zoom and the e-learning moodle platform of the Faculty of Economic Sciences (WNE).

The course English in the Workplace is implemented as part of a project co-financed by the European Union with the European Social Fund under the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development 2014-2020.

The 50-hour course is addressed to students of first- and second-cycle studies who are interested in developing the communicative competences and language skills needed in the contemporary, international workplace. It is a practical course, focused on teaching the necessary general and business vocabulary and improving the participants’ speaking and writing skills.

The course consists of five 10-hour modules, devoted to different aspects of professional work that require the use of English, namely: recruitment, business meetings, telephoning and video-conferencing, public speaking, and business communication requiring the use of Business English. The modules are taught concurrently by four teachers.

In the summer semester of 2020/2021 the course will be taught entirely online, in a hybrid manner. This means that depending on the module, 50-60% of classes will be given on Zoom or another online meeting program, and the remaining 40-50% on the moodle learning platform of the Faculty of Economic Sciences.

Module 1: Recruitment

Teacher: Stanisław Butowski

The module seeks to develop the skills of: reading and analyzing authentic job ads, writing a CV and a cover letter, and participating in a job interview, with emphasis on effective self-presentation as a candidate for employment and interacting with the interviewer.

Class topics:

1. Reading and analysis of job ads (meeting)

2. Job offers cont. (meeting)

3. CV and letter of application (platform)

4. CV and letter of application (meeting)

5. Preparation for a job interview (platform)

6. Job interview – practice (meeting)

7. Job interview – practice cont. (meeting)

8. Preparation for small talk (platform)

9. Preparation for a conversation about hobbies (platform)

10. Job interview – unusual questions (meeting)

Module II: Business meetings

Teacher: Stanisław Butowski

The modules is aimed at developing communication and language skills that are necessary for conducting and actively participating in business meetings of various types (decision-making, problem-solving, etc.) as well as the ability to prepare an agenda or write minutes of the meeting.

Topics:

1. Introduction to the module (meeting)

2. Discussion – typical vocabulary and phrases (platform)

3. Decision-making meetings, brain storming (meeting)

4. Problem solving meetings, task allocation (meeting)

5. Analysis of meeting minutes (platform)

6. Minutes of the meeting – discussion and practice (meeting)

7. Preparing an agenda (platform)

8. Preparation for chairing a meeting (platform)

9. Formal and working meetings – practice (meeting)

10. Formal and working meetings – practice cont. (meeting)

Module III: Telephoning and teleconferencing

Teacher: Klara Małowiecka

The purpose of the module is to develop the ability to communicate freely and fluently in a situation when one cannot see the interlocutor face-to-face. Participants will learn both what expressions and communication strategies to use in such situations and how to handle communication problems like bad connection or not understanding the interlocutor.

Topics:

1. Making contact on the telephone (meeting)

2. Problems on the phone (platform)

3. Dealing with numbers (meeting)

4. Leaving and taking messages (platform)

5. Asking and answering questions (meeting)

6. Exchanging information (platform)

7. Making arrangements (meeting)

8. Opening and closing a teleconference (platform)

9. Running and participating in a conference (meeting)

10. Solving problems (platform)

Module IV: Public speaking in the workplace

Teacher: Bożena Górska-Poręcka

The aim of the module is to develop the skill of public speaking in English by teaching participants how to prepare, organize and deliver short presentations typical of most work contexts. In addition to getting familiar with the rules and good practices of public speaking and learning phrases and expressions used in presentations, the participants will have a chance to practice their skills by preparing and delivering three mini-presentations.

Topics:

1. Introduction to public speaking in the workplace; exchange of participants’ experiences (meeting)

2. General information about public speaking: definition, characteristics, structure, good practices (platform)

3. Individual presentations: description of one’s job (meeting)

4. Informative speaking: characteristics, formats, discourse markers, presenting figures (platform)

5. Individual presentations: description of a product or service (meeting)

6. Speech delivery: voice, body language, visual aids (platform)

7. Individual presentations: employer profile (meeting)

8. Persuasive speaking: characteristics, form and structure of arguments (platform)

9. Individual presentations: case for a proposed solution

10. Answering questions after a presentation: types of questions, rules and language for answering (platform)

Module V: Business English

Teacher: Katarzyna Kopij

In this module, the participants will get to know the characteristics and functions of general Business English as an example of a special purpose language, study its basic terminology and typical oral and written forms, as well as learn to communicate in the workplace in a more professional manner.

Topics:

1. What is a special purpose language? – discussion (meeting)

2. Characteristics of English for special purposes (platform)

3. Terminology – typical vocabulary of the workplace (meeting)

4. Business terminology – examples and practice (platform)

5. Expressions used in standard office situations (meeting)

6. Typical situations and their language (platform)

7. Written business English and its typical forms (meeting)

8. Forms of written business communication (memo, email, formal letter) - examples, grammar, practice (platform)

9. What is corporate culture? Is it standardized or varied? – discussion (meeting)

10. Company customs, rules and practices – examples and practice (platform)

John Allison, Paul Emmerson, The Business 2.0 B1+ Intermediate, Macmillan, 2012

John Allison, Jeremy Townend with Paul Emerson, The Business 2.0 B2 Upper Intermediate, Macmillan, 2013

Rachel Appleby, Frances Watkins, International Express Upper Intermediate, Oxford, 2014

Michael Duckworth, Oxford Business English Grammar and Practice, OUP, 1995

Mark Foley, Diane Hall, Longman Advanced Learners' Grammar, Pearson Education Limited, 2003

Steven E. Lucas, The Art. Of Public Speaking, Mc Grew Hill Education, 2015

Bill Mascull, Lewis Lansford; Market Leader Pre-Intermediate, Pearson, 2012

Michael McCarthy, Felicity O'Dell, English Collocations in Use, Cambridge University Press, 2017

Jon Nauton, Head for Business Upper-Intermediate, Oxford, 2002

M. Powell, S. Clarke et al.; In Company 3.0, Macmillan, 2014

David E. Smith; English for Telephoning; Oxford

Michael Swan, Practical English Usage. International Student's Edition, Oxford, 2002

After completing the course, its graduates will be able to do the following in English:

• critically analyze job offers

• write an effective CV and cover letter

• present themselves as a competent candidate at the job interview

• know typical expressions and phrases used in discussions and meeting

• actively participate in business meetings of various types

• prepare a meeting agenda and chair a meeting

• draft minutes of a typical meeting

• start and conduct a telephone conversation in typical business situation

• leave and receive phone messages

• organize and host a tele/video conference

• actively participate is a tele/video conference

• effectively solve communication problems during a tele/video conference

• know the golden rules and best practices of public speaking with respect to preparation and organization of typical office presentation

• know and apply the guidelines for effective verbal and non-verbal delivery, including effective visuals

• prepare and deliver typical informative presentations, such as job description, company profile, and product presentation

• prepare and deliver a persuasive presentation voicing an opinion for or against a proposed solution or development

• know the functions and characteristics of general Business English

• be familiar with the forms of oral and written communication occurring in typical workplace situations

• know and correctly use basic business terminology and grammar used in standard forms of office communication

Participants are graded on the following metrics: their presence and participation in online classes, performance on key assignments chosen by each teacher (e.g. individual presentations in Module IV), and work on tasks placed on the e-learning platform. In order to obtain credit, they need to score at least 60% on each of these three metrics.

Term grade calculated on the basis of points scored during the course, in accordance with the requirements for language courses available at: http://www.jezyki.pelnomocnik.uw.edu.pl/