UNIT 1 - COMMUNICATION

Reading strategy: Identifying the main ideas

 Read the title to have an overall understanding of the passage.
 Skim the paragraph(s), then try to identify the topic.
 Identify the topic sentence (often the first sentence or sometimes the last sentence).
 Look for repeated words and ideas throughout the passage.

READING PASSAGE 1

A. VOCABULARY PRACTICE: Match the words with the definitions.

Word Definition

1. productivity B A. something that you give or do to achieve something with

other people

2. to set an example D B. the rate at which a person or company produces things or

does useful work

3. leadership F C. a high level of knowledge or skill in a particular subject

4. to bond with someone H D. to behave in a way that other people should copy

5. contribution A E. to keep giving attention to one particular thing

6. relationship-oriented G F. the position or fact of being a leader, the qualities of a

good leader

7. expertise C G. interested in personal relationships

8. to stay focused E H. to develop a close connection to or strong relationship

with someone

B. READING PRACTICE

Effective collaboration
Difficulty level *

Collaboration means two or more people working together to achieve a goal. Studies have found
that working together makes people more motivated and helps them perform much better. People

4
who are collaborating on tasks stay interested for longer, feel less tired and get better results than
people who are working alone. Working together as a team allows people to achieve things that
could never be done by just one person. What's more, the communication needed in order for team
members to share goals and explain ideas is part of a process that improves the quality of
everyone's thinking and contributions. Here are five tips for effective collaboration and strong
teamwork that will improve productivity and get better results.

Creating a culture of co-operation

To achieve their goals effectively, team members need to co-operate and be generous with their
resources, including their own talents. When people get to know the strengths of their individual
team members, they can use the different skills and expertise in the team to their advantage. Team
leaders can create a culture of co-operation by setting an example that includes spending time
talking to and supporting individuals, and sharing their knowledge and resources with their team.
If we see our team leaders being open and welcoming different ideas, we are more likely to do the
same.

Having clear goals and clear roles

Working in a team without clear goals is like running in a race without a finish line. In order for
team collaboration to be successful, members need to have clear goals and know their individual
responsibilities. This not only helps them to stay focused and motivated, but it also helps them to
understand how they can play their part in the team's success.

Leaders – focusing on tasks and relationships

Objectives are important, but we mustn't forget that a team is made up of people and their
relationships to each other. The stronger those relationships are, the more likely the team is to be
effective. A report by Harvard Business Review found that the most productive and innovative
teams often have leaders with a flexible leadership style. They might start a project being task-
focused and deciding the goals and roles in a team. But during the project, they might switch to a
more relationship-oriented style, focusing on team-building and creating an environment of
friendliness and trust.

Having open communication lines

If we want our team members to work well together, communication is the key. We need to provide
effective channels of communication and encourage people to share what they're doing. Simply
meeting once a week for updates is not enough. There are many project management tools like

5
Microsoft Teams or Slack that provide a regular and open channel of communication with
everyone. Another option could be creating a group on messaging apps like WhatsApp or LINE
to offer team members a chance to informally communicate with others.

Encouraging a spirit of community

Companies often organise social events because they know the importance of creating a sense of
community. The activity could be anything from a weekly lunchtime food share to a quiz
afternoon. Or you can start with simple, everyday things like having coffee breaks together or
creating a space to share books. Ideas like these all encourage collaboration by bringing people
together and helping them bond with their colleagues.

Collaboration is an opportunity to learn from each other and encourage fresh thinking, as well as
a source of energy, strength and continued effort. As the saying goes, ‘If you want to go fast, go
alone. If you want to go far, go together.’

Exercise 1: Which ways of improving collaboration are mentioned in the article? Choose the
FIVE correct answers.

A. Putting in time talking to team members and giving them help.

B. Organising a fun group activity for staff.
C. Encouraging each team member to compete against the others.
D. Making sure each team member understands their role in the project.
E. Limiting communication to weekly team meetings.
F. Focusing on the goals but also on the relationships that team members have with each other.
G. Ensuring that everyone on the team has the same point of view.
H. Encouraging informal communication and socialising between colleagues.

Exercise 2: Choose the correct answers.

1. To promote co-operation, team leaders should

A. provide assistance for those in need.
B. acquire as much knowledge as possible.
C. convince others to follow their ideas.

6
2. Setting clear goals results in
A. motivation being shifted from leaders to all members.
B. each individual’s roles and responsibilities being clearly defined.
C. project deadlines not likely being missed.

3. It is suggested in a study that successful teams

A. adopt scheduling flexibility.
B. tend to strengthen interpersonal bonds.
C. are led by innovative individuals.

4. Lines of communication should be expanded to include

A. visual aids.
B. business correspondence.
C. social media.

READING PASSAGE 2

A. VOCABULARY PRACTICE: Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words.

person agency enquire communicate automate

1. Much emphasis is put on effective communication by __________________ customer

interaction and building a rapport with clients.
2. Chatbots deal with requests like billing details, and technical support, freeing up real customer
service _______________ for other more complex situations.
3. Transcripts of company specific __________________ and calls have to be analysed.
4. The chatbot systems are only suitable for large-scale customer interactions, such as retail, travel,
and ___________________.
5. It should be possible to overcome customers’ fear of dealing with an __________________
system.

7
B. READING PRACTICE

Chatbots: Can we help you?

Difficulty level *

In business so much emphasis is put on effective

communication, personalising customer
interaction and building a rapport with clients that
it leaves you wondering where chatbots fit into
this way of thinking.

Chatbots - automated systems for conversations

by text or voice - are becoming more and more common in customer service situations. The little
pre-sales chatbox with 'Hello, can I help you?' that pops up on the corner of your screen as you are
browsing a shopping site can quite easily be ignored but if you contact a company with a question
or a problem to be resolved you might not have any choice, at least at first, but to talk to one of
these chatbots. These virtual agents, available 24/7, can save companies time and money by
dealing with requests like billing details, technical support and all manner of other mundane tasks,
freeing up real customer service agents for other more complex situations.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language generation have meant that today’s chatbots have
come a long way from the stilted, scripted conversations which were all the first examples were
capable of, but it takes a lot of time, financial investment and data to build an advanced system.
Transcripts of hundreds of thousands of company specific enquiries and calls have to be analysed
to train the AI, through deep learning, in order for the chatbots to handle requests correctly. In
addition, they must be able to connect with the rest of the company’s IT system and records, such
as a customer's past purchases, settings and location. This allows the chatbots to combine this
information with the customer’s current question so as to identify and then correctly respond to
the customer’s intent. For these reasons, the latest virtual agent systems are really only suitable for
huge service-oriented companies, with large-scale customer interactions, such as retail, travel,
telecommunications and financial services.

These advanced forms of chatbots might be able to mimic real speech and respond to subtle
changes in tone of voice, however their aim is not to fool people into believing they are talking
with a real person – that would leave clients feeling cheated and probably wary of using the
company again – but to show that chatbots offer a fast, easy, reliable and above all secure way of

8
contacting a company. In this way, it should be possible to overcome customers’ dislike and fear
of dealing with an automated system instead of talking to a customer service assistant. After all,
being able to resolve any issues quickly and easily is good news for businesses and customers
alike.

Exercise 1: What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Chatbots fuel customers’ fear of dealing with a machine.

B. Chatbots need a compilation of transcripts to grow more powerful.
C. Chatbots provide 24/7 responses to almost all customer inquiries.
D. Chatbots act as a solution to enhanced business-customer communication.

Exercise 2: Read the article and decide if these sentences are True (T), False (F), or Not given
(NG).

1. ____
T The use of chatbots in customer service has increased.
Action plan for True /
2. ____
T Chatbots on e-commerce websites are often ignored by False / Not given:
shoppers. 1. Underline keywords in the
statement.
3. ____
NG Chatbots mean that customer service agents may no longer
2. Scan the text for the
have employment. (paraphrased) keywords.
4. ____
F The first chatbots used a very natural and flowing form 3. Read the sentence(s)
containing the keywords in
of language. detail.
5. ____
T Deep learning is how AI chatbots are able to learn to deal 4. Decide if the information in
the statement agrees with the
efficiently with customer requests.
text (True), contradicts the
6. ____
NG Smaller companies are advised not to use chatbots until text (False) or does not
the costs drop. appear in the text (Not given).

7. ____
F A good chatbot should be able to convince people it is a
real person.
8. ____ Some clients would prefer to speak to customer service
assistants than use chatbots.

9
READING PASSAGE 3

A. VOCABULARY PRACTICE: Complete the following sentences using the words in the box.
Use dictionary if necessary.

reassurance intensity reciprocate unconscious interpersonal

1. The university community provides support for developing vital graduate skills such as verbal
and __________________ communication.
2. During the pandemic, some attorneys pointed out to the fact that there was an increase of the
__________________ of domestic violence.
3. He seems to be driven by an __________________ desire to do better than everyone else.
4. The commitment from meat processors offers some level of __________________ to organic
farmers facing an expensive winter of feeding.
5. European Commission President urged Britain to __________________ EU efforts to resolve
post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland.

B. READING PRACTICE

Recognizing nonverbal communication

Difficulty level *
A. Nonverbal communication is an intriguing part of business communication because it is both
complex and somewhat difficult to pin down. On the sending side, some nonverbal signals are
controllable (such as choosing what to wear), some are habits you may not even think about
(tapping your fingers when you’re impatient, for instance), some are trainable (using specific
hand gestures during a presentation), and some are involuntary (such as blushing). On the
receiving side, nonverbal signals are not always reliable (a person who avoids eye contact isn’t
necessarily trying to hide something, for example), and people vary widely in their ability to
interpret signals correctly.
B. In a face-to-face conversation, everything from your body language to your clothing to your
eye movements can influence the messages and meanings the other party takes away from the
exchange. During a phone call, the pitch, rate, and other qualities of your voice can send
nonverbal signals. Even with written messages (both printed and digital), design and

10
 formatting choices send nonverbal signals, although the focus here is on interpersonal
communication. Six types of signals are particularly important.
C. Your face is the primary vehicle for expressing your emotions because it can reveal both the
type and the intensity of your feelings. Facial expressions can also affect other people’s
emotions – a smile or frown, for instance, can trigger a similar response in anyone you are
talking to. Your eyes are especially effective for indicating attention and interest, influencing
others, regulating interaction, and establishing dominance.
D. Aspects of voice carry both intentional and unintentional messages. A speaker can intentionally
control pitch, pace, and stress to convey a specific message. For instance, compare “What are
you doing?” and “What are you doing?” Unintentional vocal characteristics can convey
happiness, surprise, fear, and other emotions (for example, fear often increases the pitch and
pace of your speaking voice).
E. The way you position and move your body expresses both specific and general messages, some
voluntary and some involuntary. Many gestures – a wave of the hand, for example – have
specific and intentional meanings. Other types of body movement can express meanings that
may be unintended. Slouching, leaning forward, fidgeting, and walking briskly are all
unconscious signals that can reveal whether you feel confident or nervous, friendly or hostile,
assertive or passive, powerful or powerless.
F. People respond to others on the basis of their physical appearance, sometimes fairly and other
times unfairly. Although an individual’s body type and facial features define appearance to a
large degree, you can control grooming, clothing, accessories, piercings, tattoos, and hairstyle.
To make a good impression, adopt the style of the people you want to impress. Employers
differ widely in their expectations of personal appearance, so make sure you are aware of your
company’s dress code, if it has one.
G. Touch is an important way to convey warmth, comfort, and reassurance – as well as control.
Touch is so powerful, in fact, that it is governed by cultural customs that establish who can
touch whom and how in various circumstances. Even within each culture’s norms, however,
individual attitudes toward touch vary widely. A manager might be comfortable using hugs to
express support or congratulations, but his or her subordinates could interpret those hugs as a
show of dominance or sexual interest. In other words, touch is a complex subject. Other than
handshakes, the best general advice is to avoid touching anyone under any circumstances in

11
 the workplace. If someone else takes the initiative, you can choose to reciprocate if you want,
but only if you are comfortable doing so.
H. Like touch, time and space can be used to assert authority, imply intimacy, and send other
nonverbal messages. For instance, some people try to demonstrate their own importance or
disregard for others by making other people wait; others show respect by being on time.
Similarly, taking care not to invade private space, such as standing too close when talking, is
a way to show respect for others. Keep in mind that expectations regarding time and space vary
by culture.

Exercise 1: Match the paragraphs (A-H) with the appropriate headings (i-x).

List of headings

1. Paragraph A i. Different responses to one’s external appearance

2. Paragraph B ii. Techniques to read the other person’s mind
3. Paragraph C iii. Use of vocal characteristics
4. Paragraph D iv. Cultural effects on physical contact
5. Paragraph E v. Emotional states through facial expressions
6. Paragraph F vi. Complicated aspects of nonlinguistic communication
7. Paragraph G vii. Implications of gesture and posture
8. Paragraph H viii. Attention to space-time contexts
ix. Contributing factors in many types of communication
x. Mutual respect among employees

Action plan for Matching headings:

1. Read the list of headings and underline the keywords.
2. Skim the passage quickly to get an overview of its content and structure.
3. Now read and identify the writer’s main idea in each paragraph.
4. Look at the list of headings and choose the one that summarises the main idea.

Exercise 2: Match the information (1-5) with the paragraphs (A-H).

1. An example of nonverbal cues in correspondence

2. A number of human interactions by eye movements
3. Business etiquette regarding tactile communication

12
4. Misinterpretation of nonverbal expressions
5. Ways of treating people with respect

READING PASSAGE 4

A. VOCABULARY PRACTICE

Exercise 1: Find expressions in the article which mean the following.

1. looking at another person (paragraph 2)

2. upsetting or embarrassing someone by being rude (paragraph 2)
3. not be caught or punished when you have done something wrong (paragraph 4)
4. pretend something is true in order to deceive people (paragraph 4)
5. keeping writing or talking to someone, even though you do not see them often (paragraph 8)
6. aiming an idea or product at someone (paragraph 8)

Exercise 2: Complete this text with the expressions in Exercise 1 in the correct form.

I don’t have a problem with him 1_________________ his family whilst he’s posted overseas and
sending e-mails in office time. That’s not the main issue. However, if he thinks he can
2_________________ sending such abusive e-mails to colleagues, he is sadly mistaken and he’ll
have to face the consequences of his actions later. He is clearly 3________________ about his
colleagues and spreading nasty rumours. He’d be better off speaking to colleagues
4_________________ if he has problems with them. He’s slightly better when speaking with
customers, but he needs to think about who he’s speaking to when he’s 5_________________ our
products to them. And he just doesn’t know how to say no to people without
6_________________.

B. READING PRACTICE

……………………………………………

Difficulty level ***

E-mail might just be responsible for the productivity increases that economists tell us are the key
to rising prosperity. But it could also be sending us all mad.

13
The truth is that business is generally best done face to face, and if that is impossible, then speaking
via the phone. But too many of us now hide behind silent, typed communications. The trouble is
that the recipient of an e-mail does not hear a tone of voice or see a facial expression; nor can the
sender modify their message halfway through, sensing that it is causing offence. When you read
an e-mail, you cannot tell the mood of the e-mailer.

A permanent written form is deadly if you are feeling impetuous and emotional. Too often I have
made the mistake of sending an irritable response, which will have festered and angered the other
end much more than a difficult telephone exchange. Spoken words fade, but e-mail is forever.

It is so much easier to be tough via e-mail, or to get away with weak excuses, or to make things
up, or to say no. Almost invariably, it is more human and serious to have a real discussion rather
than a bizarre online conversation. I know employees who have been fired for sending
inappropriate e-mail, or who have faced severe legal consequences for writing something they
should have just said verbally.

Everyone in business finds their inbox is almost swamped every day with spam. I notice I spend
longer and longer sorting out the e-mails that matter from all the junk. It has become, I'm afraid, a
dangerously corrupted medium. Large companies suffer chronic overuse of 'reply to all'.

Moreover, e-mail can be a terrible distraction, especially if you use a BlackBerry. l was recently
reprimanded for peeking at mine during a board meeting – a gross form of hypocrisy on my part,
because I once threatened to sling out of the window any PDA-type devices being used in meetings
I chaired. I have now vowed to switch off both BlackBerry and mobile in all meetings – anything
less is uncivil.

It must be admitted that e-mail is hard to beat as a transmitter of documents and data. It forces the
sender to carefully think through their arguments and express themselves logically. It allows you
to reply swiftly to a host of different questions when time is short. You don't have to worry about
journey times or travel costs, unreliable postage or engaged phones or voicemail.

E-mail is a marvelously economical tool for keeping in touch with far-flung commercial contacts;
you can send them a note at your leisure, 24 hours a day. It is also a terrific method of discreetly
and directly pitching to someone powerful. It certainly beats trying to get a meeting or even reach
them on the phone.

14
Like it or not, I could not do my job without e-mail. Meanwhile, I know a senior financier, an ex-
chair of a FTSE company, who still has his secretary print out his e-mails for him to read so he
can then dictate replies for her to e-mail back. Now that really is mad.

Exercise 1: Read the article quickly and choose the best title.

A. Time to switch your BlackBerry off

B. How to deal with your inbox
C. A quiet word beats sending e-mail

Exercise 2: Complete the following sentences with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from
the passage.

1. A sender of e-mails containing inappropriate messages

Action plan for Sentence
is likely to be _______________.
completion:
2. _______________ important e-mails from irrelevant 1. Keep in mind the word limit.
2. Read each sentence and
ones often takes considerable effort.
underline the keywords.
3. The habit of constantly checking e-mails may be seen as 3. Scan the passage quickly
using the keywords to find the
a source of _______________ during a work-related
relevant parts of the text.
meeting. 4. Read the text section in
detail and choose the word(s)
4. E-mail seems to be an effective ____________ of which fit(s) the space.
materials presented in written form. 5. Double check your answers
to make sure they make sense
5. Given a limited duration of time, writing e-mails enables (idea, spelling, grammar, etc.)
an individual to respond ____________ to many
inquiries.

6. In terms of _______________ for business, the practice

of sending e-mails works wonders as opposed to in-
person meetings.

15