Lesson 02

Communication technology
01. WARM-UP DISCUSSION

01 | Before you plunge into reading the article named: “I’m a fan of Facebook
but not of video calls” discuss the following questions with the class.

How often do you use your mobile phone each day?

I usually use my mobile phone every day. 3 to 4 hours a day.

What do you mainly use it for?

For facebook, WhatsApp and my work.

Do you use the same mobile for business and private calls?
Yes, I do the same mobile.

How many e-mails or text messages do you send and receive each day?
I send to 10 or 20 e-mail each day and I receive 10 or 30 e-mail each day.

How often do you use Zoom, Google Meet or conference calling?

I normally use zoom each day.

How important are gestures (hand movements, etc.) for you when
communicating?
It’s very important are gestures with my hands movements to me for the
communication.

When you communicate, do you prefer to …

meet people face to face? I do prefer meet people face to face.
speak on the phone? I don’t prefer
send e-mails? I do prefer send e-mails
send text messages? I do prefer send text mesages
send voice notes? I don’t prefer
meet people on a video call? I prefer meet people.

02. LET’S READ THE ARTICLE!

01 | It’s time to read the article.

02 | After reading the text, discuss the following questions orally.

How many phones does Mr Colao have and what brands are they?
He has four phones, they are Blackberry, iPhone and Samsung 360.
What does he use these phones for?
Blackberry= He uses it for business e-mail and to swap SMS messages with
colleagues.
Samsung= He uses it for social contact and to access Facebook.

According to Mr Colao, do executives use their mobiles more in northern or

southern Europe?
The executives in southern Europe use their mobiles more than the executives in
northern Europe.

Why doesn’t he like video calling?

Because He like to take notes when he is on the phone.

How does he use these communication technologies?

Conference calling= He uses for keeping up to date on projects.
Facebook?= He olny uses facebook to send messages and to see what friends
are doing.

How similar is Mr Colao’s use of technology to yours?

It’s more or less similar my use of technology with Mr Colao.

03. CHECK UNDERSTANDING

01 | Read the article again. Choose the correct option (a—c) to complete the
sentences.
1. Vittorio Colao..
a. doesn’t like having too many phones.
b. never turns off his phones.
c. turns off his phones at the weekend.

2. Vittorio Colao...
a. uses Facebook for friends and business working.
b. doesn’t like to spend much time on Facebook.
c. has only real friends on Facebook.

3. Vittorio Colao...
a. prefers phone video calling to conference calling.
b. prefers texting to conference calling.
c. prefers conference calling to phone video calling.

4. Vittorio Colao...
a. uses his Samsung for business.
b. uses his BlackBerry for business.
c. uses all his phones for business and social contact.
5. Vittorio Colao...
 a. likes taking notes during conference calls.
b. doesn’t like taking notes during calls.
c. likes taking notes when he is on the phone.

02 | Find these words in the articles. Then choose the correct meaning (a or
b).

1. CEO
a. Chief Executive Officer
b. Chief Elementary Officer

2. switch off
a. to stop/turn off a device
b. to start/ turn on a device

3. carry
a. to collect
b. to have with you

4. swap
a. to exchange
b. to send

5. access
a. to get into
b. to leave

6. disciplined
a. behaving in an uncontrolled way
b. behaving in a controlled way

7. keep up to date with / on

a. to stay updated on the progress of something
b. to tell others about the progress of something

03 | Which sentences are TRUE according to the article?

a) The CEO of Vodafone is Vittorio Colao. TRUE

b) Vittorio Colao doesn’t like his job. FALSE
c) Vittorio Colao is a fan of business networking on Facebook. FALSE
d) The way people work is changing a lot because of mobile technology. TRUE
e) Companies will be able to organize meetings at any time with all the new
technology. TRUE
f) Vittorio Colao carries more than one phone with him everywhere he
goes.TRUE
 g) People in Northern Europe don’t use their phones all the time, just when it’s
necessary.TRUE
h) Vittorio Colao’s only social network is Facebook because he doesn’t
understand the other social media. FALSE

04. VOCABULARY: Internal communication and networking online

01 | Discuss the following questions with your classmates.

A. How do you prefer to communicate with these people? How do they

communicate with you?
 Your colleagues / co-workers? I prefer communicate with them face to face
or by e-mails.
 Your boss / manager? I prefer communicate with them face to face or e-
mails.
 Your customers / clients? I prefer communicate with them face to face or e-
mails.
 Other students in this course? I prefer communicate with them face to face
or e-mails.
 Your teacher? I prefer communicate with them face to face or e-mails.

B. How do companies communicate with employees? What methods can you

think of?
Informative sign, corporate emails and social networks or internal memos.

02 | Complete the text below using the words from the box.

These days, companies are spending more time and money on improving internal
communication. This is the communication which takes place inside an
organization. Communication will be downwards (from managers to junior staff),
upwards (from staff to managers) and across (between staff), as well as between
individuals and groups of people. There are various channels which can be used.
These can be divided into five main areas:

Print: paper-based communication, e.g. magazines, newspapers, newsletter,

letters, notes and messages
Face to face: direct contact with other people, e.g. one-to-one meetings, tam
meetings, forums, conferences, briefings
Workplace: physical objects in the working environment or workspace, e.g. notice
boards, signs
Electronic: communication using computer, phones, televisions, etc. e.g. e-mail,
voicemail, SMS messages, Whatsapp messages, electronic newsletter, conference
calls
Company intranet: using social media to create an internal community, e.g.
posting profiles, writing blogs and wikis, starting discussion forums, etc. Many
leaders write internal blogs. Employees may join chat rooms, forums or message
boards to post ideas and comments or upload images and discuss with other
employees around the world. They may also be able to download information from
the intranet.
Improvements in communication lead to better-informed, happier and more
motivated employees, who will become more loyal to their company.

03 | Match the words on the left used in the text in Exercise 1 to their
definitions on the right.

a meeting where information or instructions are given - methods of communication

- chances for people to discuss subjects - a site where people share knowledge;
visitors can make changes, contributions, or corrections - move information from a
network to a PC - a web page written by an individual - private networks used by
organizations to distribute communications exclusively to their workforce - put
information from a PC onto a network - to publish content online, typically on a blog
or social media website or application.

1) Channels match with F. Methods of communication

2) Forums match A Changes for people to discuss subjects
3) Briefing match with c. meeting where information or instructions are given
4) Blog match with To publish content online, typically on a blog or social
media website or application.
5) Wiki match with A side where people share knowledge; visitors can make
changes, contributions or corrections.
6) To post match with a. A web page written by an individual.
7) To upload match with Put information from a Pc onto a network
8) To download match with Move information from a network to a PC
9) Intranet With Private networks used by organizations to distribute
communicaction exclusively to their workforce

B.. Complete the sentences below with words from the table above. You
won’t need to use all the words.

I'll _______ the agenda for next week's meeting on the intranet.
With the press of a single button, you can______ information to a server.
Discussion _______ are a way of contacting people with similar interests from all
over the world.
In my company we have to attend a ________ once a month.
People can _______ all of our products on our website.
She writes a food ______ in which she shares recipes, tips, and restaurant
reviews.

Listen to the first part of an interview with Ros Pomeroy, a management consultant.
Which of the social networking sites from the list does she use?
LinkedIn
specialist professional networking sites

Listen to the second part of the interview with Ros Pomeroy. Group the following
facts about social networking into Advantages and Disadvantages. Can you think of
any other?

ADVANTAGES
Being able to keep in touch with many more people in your professional field
Making contact with people who are interested in the type of work you do
DISADVANTAGES
People trying to sell you things you are not interested in

Listen to the third part of the interview with Ros Pomeroy. Complete the text
about a great communicator.

He always had a real __passion___ for his subject – whatever he was talking
about, he was ____infic and asking____. He made sure that he knew his
__subject_____ very well, and the one thing that made a big ___diference____, I
think, is that when he ____spoke___ to an audience, he made that audience feel
as if they were very ___important____.

Listen to the final part of the interview with Ros Pomeroy.

A
Does Ros like (L), not like (NL) or not mention (NM) these forms of
communication? Choose the correct option.
letters  NM
face to face Like
e-mail Like
handwritten notes NM
corporate newsletter Not Like
corporate magazine Not Like
phone calls Like
   
B
Match the phrase to the correct meaning.
a. To get (information) across match with 1. tell someone about something
b. To get (things) done match with 3. to deal with situations quickly and
efficiently
c. to make people aware match with 2. to make someone understand a
message or information