Professional Documents
Culture Documents
INGLÉS COMERCIAL I
Santillanaformación
INGLÉS COMERCIAL I
INDEX
Inglés Comercial I
Quantities.....................................................................................................19
Compare ......................................................................................................20
Doing business with other cultures ..............................................................22
Imperatives ..................................................................................................24
3. Working routines
Everyday work .............................................................................................27
Market research...........................................................................................29
Personal interest and lifestyles ...................................................................30
Past Simple .................................................................................................33
Changes .....................................................................................................36
Present Perfect............................................................................................38
4. Telephoning
Good manners ............................................................................................41
Speak on the phone ...................................................................................43
Useful expressions on the phone ...............................................................45
Work and home life ....................................................................................48
The Future .................................................................................................50
Ing forms ....................................................................................................52
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I
Inglés comercial I
As a general rule, Americans tend to be more informal and they like to treat their
business acquaintances casually very soon. British, however, differentiate clearly
business from friendship.
You may think that shaking hands is the only logical way of greeting someone,
well, you are wrong. Asians bow and Arabs do not like to be touched by a business
woman so, things are not so easy!
Even the distance you must keep when talking is a cultural convention. Latin and
Mediterranean people get closer, British like middle distances and Orientals stand
up as far as possible. Do not try to approach and do not move your hands and
arms while you are speaking to reinforce your words, they consider this type of
body language menacing and frightening.
In the old days it was very common to use the expression “I’m pleased to make
your acquaintance”, and when two people met for the first time they asked each
other “How do you do?” repeating the sentence without really answering it.
Although some old people still use them, they are considered too polite today.
The ceremony of interchanging visiting cards is also important for them. Do not
give it a quick look and put it into your pocket, but hold it showing your appreciation
and respect.
When you meet someone for the first time you can use a formal or an informal
greeting.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I FINDING A NEW JOB
You should always use Mr. + Surname/Mrs. + Surname until the other
person tells you to use his/her name with the following sentence:
4 Índice
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L INGLÉS COMERCIAL I FINDING A NEW JOB
Requesting information
We can ask people about their works and this is not considered curiosity but a way
of showing interest. Socializing in a convention or a meeting is a substantial part of
an executive’s job.
In fact, the ability to get information from a colleague or a competitor is not easy to
acquire, you need some sort of psychological disposition not to frighten your
opponent by an intensive questioning.
Experts advice that you should listen to the speaker with a broad smile and
assertive movements proving that you are keeping an interest in his words.
Sometimes reassuring sentences like “I see”, “I think so” “Really?”, or more
informally “No kidding?” can be interpreted as a hint to go on.
Why do we want all this knowledge about people we are not interested in? Well, in
many occasions we only find out garbage, but there may be new job offers, some
news about our own company that the executive board did not want to reveal to its
own employees, gossiping about markets’ behavior, joint ventures, company’s
mergers and all sorts of things that we can learn from an inoffensive talk.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I FINDING A NEW JOB
These strategies are not at all modern, an ancient Chinese military strategist wrote
a book titled Sun Tzu Management, and his ideas which came from military training
are still as relevant to the business world as they were for war purposes when the
book was written.
He goes as far as justifying industrial espionage with these words “Although some
people have condemned such activities, my personal feeling is that all is fair in
war”.
He mentions some useful ways of obtaining information from men who know the
enemy position:
GRAMMAR POINT
When asking about a company these questions will come in handy. Learn
them by heart with their answers.
They usually start with a question word followed by a form of the verb “to be” or
an auxiliary: do/does, did, have/has.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I FINDING A NEW JOB
"A large international energy company is looking for a general manager to run its
East African office, based in Nairobi. You will work closely with technical and
operational specialists and play a leading role in all the company's commercial
activities in the region.
You should be a graduate with a working knowledge of English. You must also
have excellent communicative and interpersonal skills.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I FINDING A NEW JOB
A 25-year-old graduate.
From Harvard Business School who grew up in Kenya.
A 40-year-old communications consultant who has worked in 12 different
countries.
A 35-year-old major in the South African army who is looking for a new career.
This chart lists what is probably the most widely-accepted number of continents
(7), and shows the associated adjective and the noun used for a person from each
continent:
Look at some of the expressions in the text. They all refer to origin:
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I FINDING A NEW JOB
Here you have some of the most common questions about precedence:
France French
Spanish Australian Japanese
U.S.A. American
Polish Italian Portuguese
When answering to these questions you will often need adjectives of origin. They
use different endings, although some are irregular. Adjectives are always written
with a capital letter.
Differences in spelling
When writing or reading we can find a lot of differences in spelling in the same
word. If you look up in the dictionary words such as:
Analyze
Prioritize
Organization
You will find them written with “z” or with “s” and both spellings are right. The same
happens when you have words such as: “colour”, “odour”, or “harbour”, they can
also be: “color”, “odor” and “harbor”. Why is this so?
The answer is easy: American English has tried to simplify spelling as much as
possible and has intended to write words as close to their pronunciation.
That tendency usually causes trouble in written English and it is very difficult to be
consistent when writing, as British themselves have accepted some of the
modifications but not others.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I FINDING A NEW JOB
In business English the spelling is very often closer to the American ways because
the U.S.A. are the first economic power and their influence in the world is very
strong, so, apart from specific vocabulary, we can learn some of the most frequent
spelling differences:
But, words such as “instalment” are written with a double consonant “installment” in
American English.
English alphabet
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
These are the English letters and their correct pronunciation. You have to learn
them very well to spell fast.
It is very common to spell surnames, cities and street names. On the telephone
you will hear:
How do you spell it/that?
Can you spell that for me please?
A = éi B= C = D = E = i: F = ef G = H=
bi: sí: di: dzi: éik
I = ái J = K = L = M= N = O = P =
dzéi kéi él ém én óu pi:
Q = KJÚ R = S = T = U = V = W = X =
ÁR ÉS TÍ: JÚ: VI: dabljú eks
Y = WAI Z =
ZÉD
Remember: In English the letter “ll” does not exist. If you find it in a word you must
spell it /dabol él/. The letter “ñ” can only be found in Spanish. They usually spell it
like an “n” so, if your name contains an “ñ” keep calm!
However the words “traveller, travelling and travelled” from the same stem, are
written with a single “l” in American English.
This inconsistency prevents grammar rules from being effective and forces us to
check the spelling whenever we are in doubt.
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Índice
INGLÉS COMERCIAL I FINDING A NEW JOB
When giving addresses, surnames, etc. or when speaking on the phone, you can
have some problems because the other person does not know how to write
correctly what you are saying. In that case, you need to spell that problematic word
to avoid misunderstandings.
Therefore the practice of spelling is very common in English. People will ask you:
How do you spell that? Or, Can you spell that for me, please? Whenever there
might be a misunderstanding, a name or a word that they have never seen.
British colleges and universities dictated what was acceptable and what was not.
You can easily find lists of words that are different in both countries although most
of them are well understood in Britain as well as in the United States, here are
some of them:
Write a curriculum
When we want to find a job we need to plan carefully what we should do. First of
all, we need to have a degree, a diploma or some sort of official qualification that
proves that we have received the training required for the post we are applying for.
Secondly, we have to point out any working experience that we may have
acquired. If we are still young, part-time jobs will help us to prove that we are
willing to work and we do not depend entirely on our family’s support.
companies, when looking for a new employee, specify the required age.
Common components
Name, address, phone number, & e-
Heading
Mail
Career Shows your job target
objective
Education Describes academic achievement
Experience Paid and volunteer experience
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Professional, educational, or civic
Activities
activities
INGLÉS COMERCIAL I FINDING A NEW JOB
Optional components
Skills / Summary of List of relevant skills and
qualifications qualifications
Used with functional / combination
Functional skills
resumes
Contains educational and related
Honours / Awards
honours
Certifications / Those which are pertinent to your
Licenses objective
Additional qualifications related to
Others
your goal
The chronological resume format is the most common and easiest to write. It's
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
also the resume format that many employers and recruiters prefer.
Do not forget your age, and place of birth. Your nationality is also important, as well
as a picture, because in many occasions, personal appearance is determinant.
Educational qualifications should follow, mark clearly the year in which you
obtained the degree, or finished the course. List all your qualifications even if you
think that some of them are not really relevant for the type of job you are interested
in, sometimes the person who is going to read your curriculum can be impressed
by some aspects that you have considered unimportant.
Don’t forget to mention the foreign languages you can speak. Today a good
competence in English can make a big difference.
Finally, do not hesitate in enclosing a description of your interests. They will show
that you are a person of your time, and what is more important, that you have
social abilities that can be well-used, specially if your job involves dealing with
people.
Do not use the subject "I", use tenses in the past. Except for your present job.
Example: conducted routine inspections of on site equipment.
A presentation letter should be attached to your C.V. you must refer to the post,
and where have you learn about it: a newspaper, an employment agency…etc.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I FINDING A NEW JOB
If you are given the chance to attend a personal interview, try to learn as much as
possible about the company, what they produce, where they are located, what their
corporative image is and any details that show that you have done your homework.
Be friendly and well-mannered, do not forget that you are being evaluated, but
remain calm and confident. Remember that doing well at a job interview is also a
matter of practice.
Most words indicating jobs and professions are usually formed by adding an
ending to a base that can be a verb or a noun. The most common endings are:
-er, -or, -ist
Some professions do not have any endings: “architect”, “pilot”, “air host”.
Notice that the –er ending is the most active.
Professions endings
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Presentation letters
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I FINDING A NEW JOB
It is very important that you seem interested in the company, so it is a good idea to
find out about its products, branches or subsidiaries, as well as its latest results.
You also should give the impression of being an active person, willing to join their
team. That’s the main objective of a presentation letter; it speaks for you, before
you have the chance to speak for yourself. It will show a possible employer how
well you “sell” yourself.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to apply for the post at the sales department as advertised in the New
York Times on July 27th, 2004.
Yours faithfully,
Laura Sánchez
Presentation letters should go together with C.V.s. They point out your personal
qualities and let your employer know a little more about your expectations.
Greeting. Always use Sir/Madam if you do not know the name of the person
you are writing to.
Stating the objective of your letter. If you are answering to a telephone
conversation or to an advertisement, do say so, and make reference to it,
date and name of the publication.
Point out your qualifications and personal strengths.
Closing sentence. It has been established by convention “I’m looking
forward to…”
End with “yours faithfully” if you do not know the person’s name, or with
“yours sincerely” if you have had some previous relation or know them.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I
When describing companies and their organization, charts are very useful. They
help us visualize the company’s hierarchy and structure. It can be pyramidal,
where a chief executive or a manager is at the top and some departments are
more important than others, or it can be horizontal, where the departments are all
at the same level each one with a manger, and interact on equality bases.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Organization charts describe processes as well; they are effective visual aids and
are a good option to explain a company’s methods and plans. We can find these
charts usually printed in brochures so that we understand easily what they are
doing or how they are structured. They use square or rectangular boxes connected
by lines or arrows.
Pie charts are essential to represent figures and percentages in the easiest
possible way. As you know, they are circles divided by radial lines. The complete
circle should amount to a 100%.
16 Índice
INGLÉS COMERCIAL I LEARNING ABOUT FIGURES
Our market share fell by 2% last year, but on the other hand our turnover increased
by 10 %, due to some savings in energy bills that dropped to a half. The number of
employees went down by a 4% because retirements have not been covered by
new recruitments. However the productivity is a 6% higher as the number of days
lost decreased by a 10%.
On the contrary, distribution cost went up because of the rise in the price of oil. We
conducted a survey on customer satisfaction and the results were that a half of
them declared themselves “very satisfied” and a 30% were “reasonably satisfied”,
less than a third of them thought that some improvement was needed.
When reading percentages the preposition “of” is used and we read: “... per cent
of ...”
With fractions we use: “a/one half”, “a/one third” “a/one quarter” and after ¼ , the
number below is an ordinal: 1/6 “one sixth”.
Negative numbers are read with the word “minus” before them.
Decimals have a “point”: 12.5 “twelve point five”. But we do not read “point” with
money: €4.25 “four twenty-five euros”.
About/around are used to say approximate numbers.
Schedules
Today, schedules are everywhere and not only to tell us when do we start work or
when do we finish it, they are at airports, railway and bus stations… etc. To avoid
misunderstandings they usually use four digits to tell the time from 00:00 to 24:00,
leaving out traditional clocks which only have twelve hours on display.
When doing business with people from foreign countries you need to have always
into account the time difference that may exist between your countries as it
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I LEARNING ABOUT FIGURES
wouldn’t be a good idea to phone someone in the middle of the night. Also have in
mind their everyday schedules, the time they begin their day, lunch and dinner
hours… since a lot of business is made at a restaurant table.
As you know, Americans and most Europeans have lunch at about 12:00 and
dinner around 6:00 p.m. So if you are entertaining visitors do not keep them waiting
until 3:00 for lunch or 10:00 for dinner. They will probably be starving and not
interested in business at all.
Electricity changed all this; factories could keep on without having to stop at night.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Workers had to suffer exploitation and abuse from employers. Even children
worked 15 or 16 hours daily.
It was not until the twentieth century that labour was regulated by laws which
established a fixed number of hours a worker could do, a number of days of paid
holidays, health care and other benefits that some companies offer their staff as an
incentive.
Nowadays some people work shifts; others have morning jobs, from 7:30 a.m. to
3:00 p.m. Others have a day in two parts from 9:30 to 1:30 and in the afternoons
from 5:30 to 8:30. There are night jobs from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Part-time jobs
for people who can’t work all day long. Flexi-time jobs, that allows you to arrive or
leave at different times, as long as the total amount of hours in a week is right.
FLIGHT DEPARTURES
FLIGHT DESTINATION TIME GATE INFORMATION 18 Índice
CARDINAL NUMBERS
Cardinal numbers express figures, telephone numbers, years and times.
we use:
10:15 = a quarter past ten.
9:45 = a quarter to ten.
6:30 = half past six.
11.40 = twenty to twelve.
Americans use “after” instead of the British Past and “of” instead of “to”.
To know the time use these questions:
Quantities
It is always difficult to explain how to use quantities in English because nouns are
countable or uncountable. These are grammatical terms but sometimes do not
respond to the logic.
Let’s take an example: although it is perfectly possible to count money. The word
“money” itself is grammatically uncountable; therefore you cannot say “a money”,
or “two monies”. However, you can count currencies such as pounds, euros or
dollars.
In general, we can say that countable nouns can be used in the plural but not
uncountable nouns. The problem is that there are special cases where a word can
have both uses like “hair”.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I LEARNING ABOUT FIGURES
It is not the same to have only one hair that to have short red hair. Other
uncountable nouns can have countable equivalents: “travel” cannot be plural but
“trips” can be counted easily. And, what about “goods”, “scissors”, “valuables”,
“earnings”? Well believe it or nor, they only can occur in the plural.
GRAMMAR POINT
To ask about quantities we use:
How much for uncountable nouns and how many for countable nouns.
“A lot of”/ “a lot”/ “lots of” and “plenty of” can be used for both.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Compare
In this text, a sales manager is explaining to his colleagues why they can afford
such operating margin.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I LEARNING ABOUT FIGURES
“This is a leading company, our customers are well aware that we only use the
best materials and they are satisfied with our quality standards. That is the reason
why they are ready to pay a higher price for any item with our brand on it.
I do not think our gross profit is excessive if you take into account that although our
complements and clothes are more expensive than others, they are also more
resistant, colours are more solid and do not fade away with use. Whereas results
have plunged in other organizations, our finances are healthier than ever”.
When we compare two things we use the comparative form of adjectives. When we
compare more than two things, or a thing within a group, we use the superlative
form.
Comparatives
Superlatives
-The same.
-As....as
-Similar.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I LEARNING ABOUT FIGURES
Other adjectives double the last consonant before adding –er or –est.
Big – bigger – the biggest
Sad – sadder – the saddest
Fat – fatter – the fattest
Holidays are also a very important part of a country’s culture and it is a good idea
to learn more about them when you are dealing with people from a particular
country.
Western people assume that on Sundays we take a rest from our weekly
obligations, but this is not quite true.
If you are doing business with Muslim colleagues or clients, you should respect
their Fridays and if your client is from Israel, he or she will not work on Saturdays.
Since these days are related to religious duties they differ from one religion to
another and we tend to forget it. As we do not realize that Christmas is only a
holiday period for Christians.
It is also important to remember National holidays such as the 4th of July for the
Americans, their Independence Day. The 14th of July for the French., when they
celebrate the French Revolution. The 5th of November, Guy Fawkes Day for the
British, the 1st of May …
Don’t forget it is never a waste of time finding out as much as possible about the
people you are going to work with.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I LEARNING ABOUT FIGURES
“A few years ago when I was a young consultant at a prestigious law firm, our
advice was required to divide a huge inheritance among several heirs who lived in
the United States. Most of the properties where located in the south of England,
including a magnificent manor house, surrounded by three acres of farming land.
After many conversations, all theirs agreed on a date to fly to London and visit the
properties: 6/7/2004. On June seven, we were at Heathrow airport waiting for the
British solicitor who was supposed to receive us all. When I phoned him, He was
very surprised to hear that we had flown in advance, because we were not
expected until the sixth of July.
I could not imagine what had happened and how I could have mistaken the date. I
did not remember that they where British and we were not”.
GRAMMAR POINT
Dates are written using ordinal numbers when referring to the day, and
cardinal numbers when referring to the month.
With dates we use the preposition “on”.
BRITAIN AMERICA
On the first of June On June, 1
23 Índice
On 1st of June On June, the first
(June, 1st)
INGLÉS COMERCIAL I LEARNING ABOUT FIGURES
Americans write the month first and tend to avoid ordinal numbers, which can
cause some trouble in business letters and appointments.
To avoid errors look at the differences.
To talk about a period of time use from ... to
6 June Jun. 30
7 July Jul. 31 Summer
8 August Aug. 30
9 September Sep. 30
10 October Oct. 31 Autumn
11 November Nov. 30
12 December Dec. 31 Winter
Imperatives
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I LEARNING ABOUT FIGURES
a great view and a meal to match, reserve a window table at the 40th floor Everst
Room in the Loop.
But Chicago is best seen on foot. Visit the shops on North Michigan Avenue or
take an early morning walk in the parks along Lake Shore Drive. In the summer,
swim in the lake and don’t forget to bring a sweater, because the city’s famous
winds can cause extreme changes in temperature”.
Entertaining visitors usually implies showing them around and telling them what to
do, where to go and how to do it.
After work, many people like to know what a place has to offer and executives
change easily into tourists when they have some spare time.
Learn how to use them reading attentively the next grammar hints.
You can find many imperatives in this text; they are easily recognized because
they are verbs without a subject and can only be used in their base form. At work
we need imperatives when writing faxes, messages or giving instructions.
How much for uncountable nouns and how many for countable nouns.
Direct orders
-Affirmative: Answer the phone.
-Negative: Do not/Don’t answer telephone.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I LEARNING ABOUT FIGURES
Indirect orders: they are given to a third person not present. We need an
introductory verb such as: “tell or ask”.
-Tell/Ask + complement + infinitive with “to”.
-Tell him to fax the letter = affirmative.
-Ask her not to open the door = negative.
-Let/make are followed by infinitive without to = Let me speak freely.
After reading this text you may have the impression that it’s a description from
a tourist office or a travel agent, well, you are wrong. It is a set of instructions
offered by a local worker to one of his colleagues who will be visiting the town.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Grand
Building
Índice
26
INGLÉS COMERCIAL I
3 Working routines
Everyday work
Today in Britain 70 per cent of women have jobs outside their homes. A recent
survey shows that full-time housewives spend an average fifty-five hours on
household jobs, while women who work outside the home spend an average thirty
hours a week on housework.
Nobody enjoys doing housework when they could be doing something more
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
interesting. A man doesn’t usually worry about getting the place clean before doing
something more interesting. A recent survey shows that only one out of seven
marriages, husband and wife share housework equally.
It is important to share hours, not jobs. But sometimes it is women’s fault, many
men complain that their wives do not let them help at home and they feel frustrated
because when they try to help they are strongly criticized, so they take the easiest
way and give up trying”.
Negative statements: The third person singular does not have any ending. The
auxiliary can be contracted: don’t / doesn’t.
Questions. The third person singular does not have any ending.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I WORKING ROUTINES
GRAMMAR POINT
As you can see this text uses the Present Simple tense to describe present
activities and situations. As a general rule, we use this tense for routine actions
and permanent situations, but sometimes it is difficult to decide if we should
use Present Simple or Continuous.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Henry works for a delivery company. Every day he collects and delivers
packages.
The man is packing some parcels, he is waiting in reception.
Stative verbs (which describe states rather than actions) are not normally
used in the continuous form.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I WORKING ROUTINES
Market research
“Companies carry out market research to find out what people think about their
products or services. It is always valuable to know what potential consumers feel
about social issues. Once they have obtained this information, they use it to create
products and services that consumers actually want, and what is most important, to
select the most suitable media for advertising them.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Then, they put forward a market research plan to the client for approval. After, the
information recorded from each questionnaire is analysed and results are put
together in an easy-to-read report with charts and diagrams. This is presented to
the client who must never be disappointed”.
GRAMMAR POINT
In this text we can find many frequency adverbs that are used with Present
Simple, to express how often an action takes place.
Their order in the sentence is fixed by grammar. They must be placed before
the lexical verb. Except when the lexical verb is “to be”.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I WORKING ROUTINES
But:
Workers are often tired of their routines.
Every: every week, every day, every year, every other day…
Time: Once, twice, three times, four times… many times
These expressions are usually placed at the end of the sentence, or at the
beginning separated by a comma.
Read this article on lifestyles: “At the altar of the machine”, by Charles Handy.
“Consider these numbers: 42% of workers feel used up by the end of the day.
Another 69% would like to have a more relaxed life. Parents spend 40% less time
with their children than they did 30 years ago. The rise in per capita consumption in
the last 20 years is 45% but the decrease in the quality of life is 51%. Only 21% of
the young think they have a very good chance of achieving a “good life”.
The numbers are American but the British already work longer hours, but not
necessarily better than every other country in Europe. They don’t all enjoy it.
In a survey by the Institute of Management, 77% considered their hours were
stressful, 77% worried about the effect on their family and 74% about their
relationship with their partner. They have concluded that stress costs Britain 40
million working days a year and 7 billion pounds in health care. But nobody can
avoid it. It seems that overworking is the price we have to pay for the privilege of
living in big cities in the, so called, first world”.
30 Índice
INGLÉS COMERCIAL I WORKING ROUTINES
group
Focused on people and relationships,
individualistic and creative,
Self actualized enthusiastically exploring change, “in a
framework of non-prescriptive
consideration for others”.
Self-confident risk-takers, seeking new
Innovators and different things, setting their own
targets to achieve.
Acquisitive and materialistic, aspiring to
Esteem seekers what they see are symbols of success,
including things and experiences.
Attaching importance to image and
status, as a means of enabling
Strivers acceptance by their peer group, at the
same time holding onto traditional
values.
Wanting to be “normal”, so follow the
Contented herd, accepting of their circumstances,
conformers they are contented and comfortable in
the security of their own making.
Averse to risk, guided by traditional
behaviors and values, quiet and
Traditionalists
reserved, hanging back and blending in
with the crowd.
Detached and resentful, embittered and
Disconnected apathetic, tending to live in the 'ever-
present now.
INGLÉS COMERCIAL I WORKING ROUTINES
GRAMMAR POINT
There are several ways of expressing likes and dislikes in English.
Like Dislike
Love Don´t like
Enjoy Hate
As in these examples:
I love travelling abroad.
I enjoy going shopping.
I hate getting up early in the mornings.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Levy Strauss
The San Francisco firm of Levi Strauss & Co. were the first to make jeans. In 1850,
Levi Strauss, a twenty-year-old immigrant from Bavaria, heard about the gold strike
in California and went there.
He planned to make money by selling cloth to the people who were looking for
gold. Strauss brought over heavy canvas which he hoped to sell for tents and
wagon covers. However, when he arrived in California he soon ran across
prospectors who said, “Don’t you have any pants?” We already have tents, but we
really need strong pants that won’t rip or tear. We haven’t found any good ones
yet”.
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They praised the new pants and soon began to call then “Levi’s” after the tailor
who made them. It wasn’t surprising to see why they were an immediate success.
Decades have passed, but the original Straus design is still basically the same. Of
course, there have been a few minor alterations. For example, copper rivets were
added to all the places that might rip or tear with hard use, like pockets.
This innovation was originally designed to satisfy a customer called Alkali Ike.
Alkali was a prospector who insisted on filling his pockets with rock samples. As a
result, he was always destroying his pants. The rivets solved that problem. Another
change was the fabric. Strauss stopped using canvas and changed to tough cotton
from France called Serge de Nimes. Soon this French name was modified and the
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Past Simple
Read this text about a shoe factory. As you can see the text uses the Past Simple.
“The factory was founded at the beginning of the twentieth century by three friends.
When they returned from the First World War, they decided to earn their living by
doing what they had learnt in the army; shoe repairing. They rented an old
warehouse in their home town and started mending their neighbours’ footwear.
After two decades, another war took place, but they were not young enough to
fight, however they found a new way to help their country, they made strong
leather boots for soldiers and thus, the business boomed.
They set up a new factory and bought new machinery, more than fifty employees
were recruited, most of them women. When the war ended, the need for shoes did
not end with it, and the three friends continued to make good shoes throughout the
fifties until the mid-sixties.
At that point, new trends had changed the way people dressed and what young
people liked to wear, these customers seemed not to be interested in old designs
and preferred sports shoes.
The company survived badly for almost thirty years more, but in 1998 they were
bankrupt. Some of the former owners’ grandchildren, who had attended a
prestigious business school, decided to reorganize the old company and turn it into
a profitable business again”.
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GRAMMAR POINT
See how the Past Simple is formed and its uses:
The Past Simple (positive) is formed by using the Past tense form.
Regular verbs
Add –d or –ed to the bare infinitive to form the past tense. For negatives and
questions we use the auxiliary “did” and the bare infinitive. The short form of
the negative is commonly used in speech and informal writing.
Common mistakes: using the Past tense form in negatives and in questions.
Wrong: Did you checked the figures?
No, I didn’t checked them.
Right: Did you check the figures?
No, I didn’t check them.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Irregular verbs
Some verbs do not add –ed to the bare infinitive to form the Past Simple, but
change in other ways:
Present: –go
Past : –went
Past Participle: –gone
Completed actions
The Past Simple is used to talk about completed actions in the past: Singapore
branch lost 800 million dollars.
34 Índice
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L INGLÉS COMERCIAL I WORKING ROUTINES
midnight
Remembering verbs
Regular Past: work
Irregular Past: go
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Changes
Read about an old company and focus on the time expressions used:
The company has changed a lot since its beginnings. The factory used to produce
all the materials in the United States. “When we were producing something we all
knew where the fabrics came from”. One of the workers said. The director used to
know the names of every simple member of the staff. “It was like a family”. “He
used to go around on Fridays and see how everybody was getting along”, pointed
out Mr. Jones, who used to work there until he retired ten years ago.
A designer from the company said “we used to have a lot of design staff and
researchers. We could complete most projects 100% inside the company, and we
used to employ a lot of secretaries. Everything had to be typed out by hand and
repeated if there was a mistake”, another worker added “we used to have fixed
hours for everybody in the company, office workers came in at nine and went home
at five, as the rest of us”.
While we were talking a young manager came into the room and invited us to go to
the canteen.
You see, interrupted and old man, that’s new too, we used to have separate
dinning rooms. Management used to eat in the Executive Restaurant and workers
in the canteen.
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GRAMMAR POINT
When we want to talk about an action that took place in the past on regular
basis, that is to say, that happened very often, was a habit or a permanent
characteristic we use the expression.
Used to + verb
use to + verb
use to + verb
used to + verb
It is a common mistake to use this structure for present habits, but it is wrong.
When talking about present habits, we have to use: Present Simple + usually.
Time clauses
These both clauses are used to talk about an action or activity that was already in
progress at a particular moment of time in the past and was interrupted by another
action.
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As you can see the action in progress is in Past Continuous and the action that
interrupts it is in Past Simple.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Were we/you/they
Present Perfect
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This trend has affected the economy of tourist places like Egypt, that has been one
of the favourite destinations for British and Germans. However, yesterday the
Egyptian authorities announced a devaluation of its currency, the Egyptian pound,
as a way to restore the confidence in its economy and also as a desperate attempt
to recover the Europeans who flooded its temples and pyramids. Egypt cannot
afford to lose its tourist industry.
Another side effect of this war has been suffered by a well known multinational
which produces toys for children. The oil prices have increased, with the
consequent rise of the inflation rate. Salaries have remained steady and
consumers have lost purchasing power. The consequence is that consumers want
to save their money, in case things get worse. Children will have to wait”.
As you can see, the Present perfect is used combined with simple Past and
present. See how it works:
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
GRAMMAR POINT
The Present Perfect tense is formed by using the Present tense of the auxiliary
“have” and the Past Participle.
The short forms of the positive “’ve”, “’s”, and the negative “haven’t” or “hasn’t”
are commonly used in speech and informal writing.
The Present Perfect often links a present situation with something that
happened at an unspecified time in the past. Therefore we cannot use specific
time expressions such as “yesterday”, “ago”, “last week”… etc. with this tense.
Example: I have sent them the samples (they still have them).
We use the Present Perfect to talk about recent events: There has been a
collapse in the Japanese stock market this morning.
Just
The Present Perfect is often used with the word just between the auxiliary and
the Past Participle, to talk about recent news or actions, when the exact time is
not mentioned.
Have + just + Past Participle
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Been/gone
When we use the verbs forms been/gone there is a little difference,
as it is shown at the examples:
I’m afraid Mr. Jones is not here at the moment. He has gone to a meeting in
London. (He is still at the meeting).
Amanda has been to the travel agency. She has your tickets for Hong-Kong.
(She went to the travel agency and has returned).
Interrogative
Have I / you / we/ they gone?
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Ever / never
The Present Perfect is often used with ever and never to talk about general life
experience.
Has he ever worked abroad?
I have never been abroad.
Already / yet
Already is used in positive sentences. It indicates that something has taken
place earlier than expected.
She has already shown me the figures (Not: She has shown me already the
figures).
Yet is used in questions and negatives, it is placed always at the end of the
sentence.
Have you talked to Peter yet?
I haven't talked to him yet.
For / since
We use for to talk about the duration of periods of time and since to talk about
when a period started.
I have been here since December.
I have been here for a year.
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4 Telephoning
Good manners
In the case you don’t know the answer to a question, never say so because the
other person may thing that you don’t know much about your own company or
worst, that you are not interested at all in giving out any information.
Many customers make strange or impossible demands, but instead of saying “We
can’t do that”, try to offer an alternative, don’t impose anything, and give advice.
While you ask or check something, you may need to leave a person waiting for
you, make sure that he or she knows that you are doing your best to solve their
problem, and if it takes you longer than you expected, don’t hesitate, leave what
you are doing, go back to the telephone and reassure the customer, because if you
don’t do it, they may think that you have neglected them.
Apologize if the person is very excited or if they rise their voice, but do not do the
same, a client may think that he has the right to be rude to you as you represent
the company, don’t take it personally, and don’t react aggressively, you cannot
forget that answering the phone is an important part of your job and you project the
company’s image.
Your attitude on the telephone will be taken as your company’s attitude towards the
customers.
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©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L INGLÉS COMERCIAL I TELEPHONING
GRAMMAR POINT
These are some important things to have into account when you answer the
telephone at your work.
The Future Simple is very useful in reassuring sentences: “I’ll see”, “I’ll
check”, “I’ll put you through”, “I’ll be back in a moment”, “I’ll be right back”....
When you give information, it has to be clear and well organized. Do not
hesitate on the phone and do not interrupt your sentences.
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The person we are talking to may want to write down what we are saying,
therefore, you should not speak too fast, and if we include names, brands or
addresses you should spell them carefully. Take your time and don’t sound
impatient.
Repeat the information without looking bored. What is obvious for you, may
be completely new for other people.
please?
Asking for Someone
Can I have extension 321?
(extensions are internal Connecting Someone
numbers at a company) I'll put you through (put
Could I speak to...? (Can I - through - phrasal verb
more informal / May I - more meaning '"connect")
formal) Can you hold the line? Can
Is Jack in? (informal idiom you hold on a moment?
meaning: Is Jack in the
office?)
How to reply when
someone is not available
Taking a Message
I'm afraid ... is not available at
Could (Can, May) I take a
the moment.
message?
The line is busy... (when the
Could (Can, May) I tell him
extension requested is being
who is calling?
used).
Would you like to leave a
Mr. Jackson isn't in... Mr.
message?
Jackson is out at the
moment...
It is evident that speaking on the phone when you are using a foreign language is
not the same that speaking face to face because we cannot interpret the gestures,
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I TELEPHONING
the body language and the movement of the lips which help us in a direct dialogue.
In addition, the person who is at the other end of the line often speaks too fast and
does not vocalize well.
We also have to take into account the different regional accents, and what’s more,
interferences in the line, noises, interruptions and distortion of the voice.
What can we do to understand better? There are several useful hints to improve
our skills on the telephone:
-Prediction.
-Deduction.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
-Logic conclusion.
In this way you can guess the meaning of something that you have not
understood directly.
Thirdly, you have to be prepared for the possibility that the conversation may
take an unexpected turn, do not get nervous and keep your attention if it
happens so.
When you are not very familiarized with the telephone you should prepare a list
with the questions you need to ask and you can jot down the answers.
It is very important that you lose your fear of making a fool of yourself. Ask for
repetition and spelling if something is not clear enough. A good way to be sure of
everything is to repeat the information in order to check that we have got
everything right. Finally, write down words or ideas which may be useful
afterwards.
Before calling you can practice aloud what you want to say, so that you can check
that you know how to pronounce everything clearly. If we have doubts we can look
the word up in a dictionary.
Once you have made several phone calls, you will see how your self confidence
increases and you don’t get so nervous on the telephone.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I TELEPHONING
Position.
Extension number if you know it.
Useful expressions
Can you put me through the ...... department, please?
Could I speak to Mr/Mrs. ........, please?
I don’t know the extension number.
I think he is on extension number.........
Things to ask
When
Where
How long
How much
How can I pay
Will you...
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Explanations
Your letter was dated....
My colleague and I think.
As we agreed.
I need some further information about.
It’s really important for us.
Can you confirm....?
Do we have to .....?
Closing
Thank you very much for your help!
Thank you, you have been most helpful!
Thank you for your interest!
When you call someone the conversation is always going to follow some sort of
pattern. There are useful expressions which can help you in each stage of the
process.
You should learn how to predict what you are going to say on the phone, that will
give you confidence and you will understand better.
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We tend to use the personal pronoun “I” when we want to identify ourselves.
But this is a common error, In English we should start by a demonstrative
“this” or using the name and “speaking”. Here you have some examples:
This is John Ford.
John Ford speaking.
John Ford, is that Julia Roberts?
Sometimes you need to know the speaker’s name, then you can ask:
Who is speaking, please?
Can I have your name, please?
Or if you know the extension number or the department where the person
you are calling is just say:
Extension.... please.
Sales department, please.
No problem
When the person we are looking for is available and there are no problems you will
receive this answer: Hold on, please I’ll put you through to Mr./Ms. ____
Problems
There are many problems when you are talking by phone.
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Sometimes we cannot reach the person we want to speak to, the reasons can
be varied:
I’ll hold.
I’ll call back later.
Could you take a message?
Could you give him/her a message?
Can you put me through to her/his secretary?
Can you ask him/her to ring me next...?
In case you have some language problems you can tell the other person to
speak slower:
Do not hang up without making sure that you have got the information right.
Use these sentences to help you:
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To finish the conversation, show your appreciation and thank the person who has
helped you:
Read this text on how to achieve a balance between your work and your home life.
“Wherever you work, getting into good working habits now can pay dividends in the
future. Effective time management skills can help us through a stressful day. The
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
key to creating a happy working life which will boost your wellbeing is to adopt a
flexible and organized approach to work.
You can keep a work diary, you could start by listing all the tasks you do regularly
and how long it takes you to do them, you can try to identify any wasted time. You
can also add a deadline to each task and review the list once a week.
You can plan the most challenging activities when you are feeling at your best but
do not plan out your whole day; you may want to keep your home life separated
from your work.
It’s a good idea to create an area at home where you can open your post, pay your
bills and carry out any other tasks that feel like work, then, the rest of the house
can be a place to unwind. Relax, set aside some time for yourself every week,
whether it is a regular visit to the gym, listening to your favourite CD or if you need
more time to chill, you can take a long weekend or midweek break. Closer to
home, consider taking a part-time or evening course, not only does it feel great to
learn something new, it can also earn you valuable CV points.
How can we help? For stress-free banking we can make it easier to manage your
money: online banking can help you check your account balance and statements,
transfer money, pay bills, apply for a loan, open an e-savings account.... and much
more. To find more you can visit us”.
GRAMMAR POINT
If you read the text attentively you will notice the constant use of the model
auxiliaries “can”, “could” and “may”.
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They all take a bare infinitive and can be used in questions inverting the
subject-verb order. The negative forms are “cannot”, “could not” and “may not”.
Modal auxiliary verbs may sound difficult but in fact they're easy. They are
invariable (no conjugation). The main verb is always the "bare infinitive" (the
infinitive without "to").
Be able to
Be able to is not a modal auxiliary verb. We include it here for convenience,
because it is often used like "can" and "could", which are modal auxiliary verbs.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Ability
For present ability we use “can”:
We can start now if you wish.
Possibility
Both “can” and “could” express present and future possibility “can” is stronger
than “could” (podría).
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For impossibility:
They didn’t meet yesterday, so they couldn’t have made the decision.
Permission
“May” and “can” express permission so we don’t want to have any ambiguity
we use “may” for permission and “can” / “could” for ability and possibility.
Present permission:
Only members can enter the building site.
Past permission:
Only the manager could authorize visits when I worked there.
Present prohibition:
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Past prohibition:
When I was there, we couldn’t take more than an hour for lunch.
The Future
Of course, there are those who believe that men will have bigger brains, and thus,
they will be able to speak telepathically, they will produce flying vehicles and will
have robots to do all the boring or dangerous tasks that burden us today. But all
this is still science-fiction. There is no proof that a better technology results in a
wiser way of life, only busier.
It is possible that many illnesses which kill us nowadays, will have a proper
treatment in the future but if we are made not to last, what seems obvious is that,
with machines doing most of the work our leisure time will increase.
On line services will provide people with rail and air tickets, as well as with their
home entertainment. They will allow us to do the shopping without leaving our
armchair, and we will live isolated from other human beings most of the time. Even
going to a school will be optional, because on line teaching facilities will be
available for everybody.
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Students will have access to all the universities and libraries from their homes.
Work will also be different, but in this case, the future has already started. It is likely
that some shops will close in the retail sector as on-line shopping facilities will
become common.
Trading will be different too, as goods will be delivered directly into the consumer’s
house, therefore, retailers, wholesalers and other intermediaries will disappear.
People will work from their homes and commuting won’t be necessary, relieving
the cities from the problems of heavy traffic.
Oil consumption will decrease due to the lack of private demand. Most countries
will use clean energies and the atmosphere will recover from the damages caused
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
in the 20th Century. But as I said in the beginning you are just an optimist!”
GRAMMAR POINT
If you look closely at the text you will find out that most sentences use the
modal will always followed by a base form of the verb.
Structure of will
Auxiliary Main
Subject
verb verb
Affirmative I will open the door.
You will finish before me.
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It is used:
In replies to requests:
Of course, I will.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
In offers:
I’ll fax the information.
In promises:
Don’t worry; I will help you with that.
Ing forms
Unless you are independently wealthy, it’s unlikely that you will be able to finance
more than a couple months away from work without saving scrupulously for the
future.
According to a recent survey by a leading bank, 10 per cent of employers now offer
career breaks to their staff, so it is worth checking whether your company has such
a policy.
If there isn’t an official scheme, you may still be able to negotiate it, but bear in
mind that benefits such as pension contributions, life insurance and health
insurance; if you belong to a private company; may be put on hold while you are
away.
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If your employer isn’t at all keen on letting you go, it is worth pointing out that your
carrier break could work out well for them too as the chances that you return
refreshed with new experiences, a new approach and new ideas to share are high.
But if you need to earn as you travel, consider working abroad. It could be a good
option; however, you must not forget to sort out a work permit before you set off.
In some European countries belonging to the European Union you may not need it,
nevertheless if you are not sure where to go, or the requirements needed for
working in a certain country you can visit its embassy.
Another option is voluntary work, where projects aim at passing on business skills.
As well as receiving their travel cost and living expenses, volunteers receive an
allowance when they return home to help with resettlement and job-hunting”.
GRAMMAR POINT
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
The verb + ing can be seen in the Present Continuous, but in English it is used
in many other cases, in some of them Spanish would use an infinitive, that’s
why sometimes we do not use it correctly.
Present Participle
I heard the manager giving a speech.
Noun forms
Trading is essential in today’s economy.
In this case it functions as a noun and can be called a verbal noun, but
Spanish would use an infinitive or an equivalent noun.
-It can be the object of certain verbs such as: dislike, miss, risk, avoid, enjoy,
post pone, suggest, regret, delay…
That would involve redesigning the programme.
-After a preposition:
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- After certain phrases: (not) worth, spend / waste time, have trouble /
difficulty:
I can’t bear / stand wasting my time.
Notice that –ing forms can also be found in forbidding signs and as a part of a
noun:
No smoking in the meting room.
This club offers a swimming-pool among its facilities.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I
Business presentation
Most people are not used to speak in front of an audience; they have never had the
opportunity to do it, although we have attended many conferences not only at work
but also at school or university.
Inform
Train
Persuade
Sell
Sitting there among a crowd of people has given us the chance of criticizing the
weaknesses of the lecturer, but what happens when we are at the other side?
Even the best ideas may seem dull when we fail at presenting them.
Some of these tips can be important and help you get started:
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You can also prepare hand-outs with a lay out of what you are going to say
therefore, you would prevent people from writing down what you are saying
and not getting right what is coming next.
You can practice speaking aloud in front of a friend or in front of the mirror to
know first hand how others will view you.
Rehearsal
Rehearsal is a vital part of preparation. You should leave time to practise your
presentation two or three times. This will have the following benefits:
You will become more familiar with what you want to say.
You will identify weaknesses in your presentation.
You will be able to practice difficult pronunciations.
You will be able to check the time that your presentation takes and make any
necessary modifications.
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
If you have never prepared a presentation, follow this pattern to help you.
A SUCCESSFULLY PRESENTATION
Objective
Before you start to prepare a presentation, you should ask yourself: Why am I
making this presentation? Do you need to inform, to persuade, to train or to
sell? Your objective should be clear in your mind. If it is not clear in your mind,
it cannot possibly be clear to your audience.
Audience
Who am I making this presentation to? Sometimes this will be obvious, but not
always. You should try to inform yourself. How many people? Who are they?
Business people? Professional people? Political people? Experts or non-
experts? Will it be a small, intimate group of 4 colleagues or a large gathering
of 400 competitors? How much do they know already and what will they expect
from you?
Venue
Where am I making this presentation? In a small hotel meeting-room or a large
conference hall? What facilities and equipment are available? What are the
seating arrangements?
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Method
How should I make this presentation? What approach should you use?
Formal or informal? Lots of visual aids or only a few? Will you include some
anecdotes and humour for variety?
Content
"What should I say?" Now you must decide exactly what you want to say. First,
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
you should brainstorm your ideas. You will no doubt discover many ideas that
you want to include in your presentation. But you must be selective. You
should include only information that is relevant to your audience and your
objective. You should exclude all other ideas. You also need to create a title for
your presentation (if you have not already been given a title). The title will help
you to focus on the subject. And you will prepare your visual aids, if you have
decided to use them. But remember, in general, less is better than more (a little
is better than a lot). You can always give additional information during the
questions after the presentation.
Structure
A well organised presentation with a clear structure is easier for the audience
to follow. It is therefore more effective. You should organise the points you
wish to make in a logical order. Most presentations are organised in three
parts, followed by questions.
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Structure
S
T Short Welcome your audience
A introduction
R Introduce your subject
T
Índice
Beginning
I
Explain the structure of your
N
G presentation
A Explain rules for questions
D
V
Body of
I
Middle Present the subject itself
C presentation
E
S Short conclusion Summarise your presentation
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
End Thank your audience
S Invite questions
a
Questions and Answers
y
who you are and your position.
Welcome your audience and introduce any visitors or speakers who may
cooperate with you.
Welcome here.
Thanks for coming today.
It’s good to have Mr./Mrs _______ here with us.
By the end of this session you’ll know the details for our project.
Mr.___________, asked me to explain the project to you.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I PLANNING NEW PRODUCTS
Explain the plan for the session, letting people know how long it will take and
if there are any breaks. How many speakers there will be…
Clarify if you will accept questions while you are speaking or if they will come
at the end of the session.
Also inform your listeners if the hand-outs will be distributed at the beginning
or at the end.
Organising points
Nervous
Most speakers are a little nervous at the beginning of a presentation. So it is
normal if you are nervous. The answer is to pay special attention to the beginning
of your presentation. First impressions count. This is the time when you establish a
rapport with your audience. During this time, try to speak slowly and calmly. You
should perhaps learn your introduction by heart. After a few moments, you will
relax and gain confidence.
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INGLÉS COMERCIAL I PLANNING NEW PRODUCTS
familiar with your subject and with the information that you want to deliver that you
do not need to read a text. Reading a text is boring! Reading a text will make your
audience go to sleep! So if you don't have a text to read, how can you remember to
say everything you need to say? With notes.
You can create your own system of notes. Some people make notes on small, A6
cards. Some people write down just the title of each section of their talk. Some
people write down keywords to remind them. The notes will give you confidence,
but because you will have prepared your presentation fully, you may not even need
them!
After reading both texts, maybe you’ll understand better what I mean when I say
that a good presentation needs to be logical and easy to understand. The first text
shows the speaker’s hesitation and the lack of a well established intention.
Option A
“Good, well, can I start? I’ll start. Can you hear me all right? Now, probable the
most important thing I have to say is that, in fact, the company’s results are quite
good this year. Can you see this graph? Oh, you can’t at the back, well, I’m sorry
but I don’t have any hand outs or anything, you’ll have to trust me. Actually, results
are good, but I’ll tell you a bit more about it later. Where was I…? Oh yes, we
should start by the figures. Is that a good idea?”
Great audience
Porpose: talk about new working practices
Four parts:
Option B
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. As you all know, I’m Fred Perry, marketing
manager. I’m here today to tell you about our company’s publishing campaign. I’ve
divided my presentation into four parts. Firstly, I’ll talk about publicity costs;
secondly, I’d like to examine our performance over the past year. Thirdly, I’ll look at
our prospects for the next year, the new product’s image and finally I’ll make some
recommendations.
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It will take me about forty-five minutes and I’ll be happy to answer any questions
you may have at the end of my presentation.
Right, I’d like you to pass these hand outs over…. And please, now look at this
graph…”
Great audience
Purpose: talk about new working practices
Four parts:
a. the product
b. the launch
c. advertising and promotion
Stating sources
I used examples, statistics from...
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In addition to
Thanking people for listening and telling them how to contact you
Thank you for your attention / for coming / for listening.
We have time for a few questions before we finish…
Please, feel free to contact me at...
QUESTIONS
Questions are a good opportunity for you to interact with your audience. It may
be helpful for you to try to predict what questions will be asked so that you can
prepare your response in advance.
You may wish to accept questions at any time during your presentation, or to
keep a time for questions after your presentation. Normally, it's your decision,
and you should make it clear during the introduction.
Be polite with all questioners, even if they ask difficult questions. They are
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
showing interest in what you have to say and they deserve attention.
Sometimes you can reformulate a question. Or answer the question with
another question. Or even ask for comment from the rest of the audience.
Past Perfect
“Reiss was voted high street Fashion Retailer of the year, after the event, industry
insiders agreed that there was no retailer more deserving of the title.
Originally Reiss offered clothes from a variety of brands, mostly imported, but all
the height of the current trends. By the time Reiss set up his first store, the 1980s
had arrived and menswear had never looked so diverse. At the time there was less
competition and as their clothes were great the business took off and they opened
several more stores.
The recession at the end of that decade and the beginning of the 1990s meant that
he had to step back and seriously assess how to move forward. It was then that
Reiss made his crucial decision. He focused only in his own brand and identity,
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
getting rid of all the other brands they supplied. He put a full design team in place
and they did all the manufacturing.
He looked at everything, from the way his staff and stores looked, to what he
offered in his shops. Reiss is certain now that ensuring brands consistency in
location, store design, the store environment and marketing, has been one of the
most important decisions he ever made. Staying true to his new identity and never
compromising the integrity of the brand meant that they were once again in a
position to grow.
Reiss also had decided to move against the tide of price-cutting and discounts that
so many retailers had introduced in an effort to increase their market share. He,
instead, introduced the luxury feel that his clothes still have today. His strategy
worked.
Public perception of the Reiss brand began to change and the more experiences
Reiss had to learn from, the more the brand gained strength.
From the shop he had opened in the 80s he has reached the top, with more than
33 stores across the U.K. or maybe not?”
GRAMMAR POINT
If you read the text closely, you will see that it describes a series of past actions
an events, using Past Simple, Present Perfect and Past Perfect.
We can describe Past Perfect as the “most ancient past”. We use it to talk about
activities that happened at a time before the past.
Past Perfect is formed by the past of the auxiliary “have”, and the Past Participle
of a verb.
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Positive form
I, you, he, she, it, we, they / had / finished / the project.
The auxiliary can be contracted with the subject in spoken or informal writing
English.
I’d started a new business on my own.
Negative form
I, you, he, she, it, we, they / had not / finished / the project
It can also be contracted “hadn’t”.
Interrogative form
Had / I, you, he, she, it, we, they / finished / the project?
Uses:
To indicate an activity at a time before the past.
He had opened his shop when the recession started.
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After the following time conjunctions: “after”, “before”, “once”, “until”, “when”,
“as soon as”.
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The whiteboard (more rarely blackboard or green board) is a useful device for
spontaneous writing - as in brainstorming, for example. For prepared material, the
OHP might be more suitable.
The flipchart consists of several leaves of paper that you 'flip' or turn over. Some
people prefer the flipchart to the whiteboard, but its use is limited to smaller
presentations.
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The Slide projector - which must be used in a darkened room - adds a certain
drama. Some slide projectors can be synchronised with audio for audio-visual (AV)
presentations. These projectors are typically used for larger presentations. The
majority take 35mm slides or transparencies (as seen here), but projectors for
6x6cm slides are also available.
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Handouts are any documents or samples that you 'hand out' or distribute to your
audience. Note that it is not usually a good idea to distribute handouts before your
presentation. The audience will read the handouts instead of listening to you.
Future plans
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We are buying stores which have been closed for different reasons, but which are
in the right location and environment. We are going to redecorate them, following a
well-established pattern: comfort and elegance. In addition, we are going to launch
an aggressive advertising campaign in all the best-selling magazines. We are also
going to promote special campaigns, sponsoring cultural and sport events. In a
month, we are going to be present in 15 European capitals, with a flagship store in
each major city and outlets in some other parts of the country. We are going to
expend a huge amount in design. But marketing is also a priority. People will see
us as a leading brand offering quality and good service.
Our publishing executives are flying to Europe within a few weeks. We are leaving
a period of our history and entering a new way of doing business. The company
will need you all to accomplish this project and the reward will be shared by all of
us”.
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GRAMMAR POINT
When we want to express plans or activities in the future we can use the
structure:
to be + going to + verb
Possitive form
I am
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going to close 68
he, she, it is
the shop
we, you, they are
Negative form
I am not / ’m not
going to close
he, she, it is not / isn’t
the shop
we, you, they are not / aren’t
Interrogative form
Am I
going to close
Is he, she, it
the shop ?
Are we, you, they
INGLÉS COMERCIAL I PLANNING NEW PRODUCTS
To indicate intention:
We are going to look for cheaper workers in the East.
On + day / date
In + month / year
This product design brief is written by Tony Wills, a leading designer, writer and
speaker on the subject:
Even more exciting is when designers are used to help steer a company into
uncharted territory, generating concepts for products that have no antecedents but
instead exploit a new technology or process, or address a problem not answered
by any other product on the market.
Outside designers can be used to bring fresh thinking to a project, with the
potential to challenge the traditional methods and processes of a particular industry
and to contribute experience gathered across a wide variety of industries. The end
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results of such collaborations are frequently products with a unique identity and a
strong market differentiation.”
Denim Designs
It’s the fabric of the moment, but today, unlike in the past, denim is not just for
jeans.
Stingray chic
Environmentalists beware! The latest material being used for accessories is the
skin of the stingray fish better known as shagreen. In fact, Cartier, has come out
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
with a shagreen jewellery holder and Bill Blass has launched a line of watches with
shagreen bands. So what’s the attraction? Many customers like shagreen because
it resembles pavé set gems, explained celebrity jeweller Stephen Webster.
GRAMMAR POINT
We can describe objects attending to:
Measure
Material
Shape
Colour
Other features
Meassure
How heavy is it / How much does it weight?
How long is it / What’s its length?
How wide is it / What’s its width?
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Material
What is it made of?
It’s made of…
Rubber.
Stone (diamond, sapphire, ruby).
Animal skin.
Shape
What shape is it / what’s its shape?
Colour
What colour is it? / What’s its colour?
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Other features
What is it like?
It’s user-friendly.
It’s wonderful.
It’s efficient.
It’s silent / quiet.
It’s active.
It’s automatic.
It’s waterproof.
It’s fashionable / trendy.
It’s comfortable.
It’s heavy.
It’s light
It’s huge / big.
It’s small / tiny.
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It’s long-lasting.
It’s great, nice, wonderful, fantastic, terrific.
It’s safe.
It’s guaranteed.
It’s electronic / solar / laser / battery operated / powered.
It’s classic.
It’s modern.
It’s typical.
It’s easy to handle / to store / maintain.
It’s bright / it shines.
Publicity is so important today that we cannot imagine our daily life without
advertisements. They are everywhere, on the radio, on the television, on the roads,
on the bus-stops. We can’t help looking at the smiling faces that are willing to sell us
something.
Although some people may think that all the adverts look alike nothing is more
untrue. Publicists are experts in using colours, language and symbols to attract our
attention.
However, sometimes, they don’t succeed and the campaign has to be retired. One
example was a telephone company which advertised a certain telephone with
dwarf people. An association complained because they considered it humiliating.
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A perfume campaign that used the image of a naked woman was also a failure
because it offended a significant part of the population and used women as sexual
objects. In Saudi Arabia, a Western air company which promoted its flights to the
Arabic peninsula using an unveiled air hostess who was serving alcohol in the
plane was a big mistake because alcohol is forbidden by religion and women’s hair
cannot be showed in public.
The history of marketing has some significant disasters, such as the “Emu”. A
name chose for a new Australian air company which had to close. All Australians
knew that the Emu is a bird which can’t fly.
On the contrary, the bull chosen by a leading winery to advertise its brandy has
become protected by Spanish legislation as a cultural sign.
What makes a good campaign? How can we be sure that the image we are using
will be a success and will identify the product and make people wan to buy it?
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ADS STRATEGIES
Advertising is probable as old as the products. It persuades us to buy. The first
advertisements were oral. People with something to sell shouted the product’s
name in the street for everyone to hear.
Written ads developed early too, for instance, there is some notice of a Greek
ad mentioning a cloth shop, over three thousand years ago, and in ancient
Rome ads announced circuses. In the Middle Ages, advertisers used drawings
as their clients didn’t know how to read. When the printing and the newspapers
appeared ads became more and more important, growing, as education and
reading skills developed in the general population. The radio and television
made adverts a substantial part of our lives and the base of our economy.
The writers of the best ads use many different ways to persuade the public and
call their attention.
Another method focuses on the customer’s emotions, these ads try to make
people feel bad because they don’t do something important, such as serving
their children good food or calling their families on the phone.
Another method is the scientific approach, which uses tests and graphs,
doctors or other high qualified professionals, to show that a certain product
works well.
Anything is valid if it sells!
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MARKETING RULES
Obviously we can’t, but there are a few common sense rules that any publicist
or marketing executive must follow:
Target market
Who do you want to sell the product to? Women, men, children,
professionals, middle-class housewives? The type of advertisement will
depend on the public it aims at.
Spending a lot of money and using famous people can be a good option to
©2004bySantillanaFormación,S.L
Image
You have to decide what type of image you want to give to your product:
casual, formal, fashionable, modern, for everybody, not for everybody.
Create a need
Think of the needs the product will meet. Make the client aware of a need he
or she may not know that he or she has. You can start with sentences such
as:
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Means that…
Makes sure that…
Helps you to …
Action
End your advert with an imperative or giving more information about the
product at a certain address or telephone number:
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Must be believable
This is usually best accomplished by explaining ‘why’ and ‘how’ you are able
to do the things you are offering, in support of your claims.
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