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vocabulary,
and error corrections.

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 Business:
Meeting New Colleagues
Intermediate Lesson
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• greet someone.
• talk about making friends in a new place.
• discuss manners around the world.

IN
T
Warm Up
Talk to your teacher and classmates. Ask questions to find out about them.

Find a person in class who:

• has many coworkers.

• meets new people every day.
• doesn't like to work with other people.
• works directly with people often at their job.
• doesn't like meeting new people.
• communicates with colleagues remotely.
Vocabulary
How many of these words do you know? Choose a word and define it.

personable
_____________________________________________________
withdrawn
_____________________________________________________

genuine
_____________________________________________________

personality
_____________________________________________________

introduction
_____________________________________________________

manners
_____________________________________________________
Vocabulary Definitions
How many of these words did you know? Choose a word and use it in a sentence.

personable
Having a friendly, social personality
_____________________________________________________
withdrawn
Shy; introverted
_____________________________________________________

genuine
Authentic; honest
_____________________________________________________

personality A person's psychological characteristics

_____________________________________________________

introduction Introducing yourself or another person

_____________________________________________________

manners Etiquette; polite behavior

_____________________________________________________
Vocabulary Fill in the Blanks
Complete the sentences with the correct vocabulary words and answer the question.

Our co-workers like the boss because he's got a friendly ____________________.

Most people enjoy talking to ___________________________________ people.

It's good ______________________ to congratulate a colleague on their success.

Owen feels shy around other people, which is why he is ____________________.

A ___________________ person will not lie about their qualifications or interests.

I have a colleague you should meet. Let me make an ______________________.

personable withdrawn genuine personality introduction manners

What is your personality like?

Grammar Instruction
Talk about useful phrases for interrupting politely and checking for understanding.

To interrupt politely and to make sure everything is clear while talking with someone,
English uses many phrases.

Interrupting Clarifying Checking for

Understanding
Excuse me but… Do you mean… Does that make sense?

Just a moment, can I… I’m sorry, let me make sure I Do you see what I’m saying?
understand.
I’d like to add something… I just want to double check… Do you see what I mean?

Sorry for the interruption… Can you go over that again? Is that clear?

Can you think of any other useful phrases?

Grammar Practice
Read the scenarios, then decide which phrase to use.

1. You just finished explaining a 3. You are new employee. Your

complicated process to a new coworker just explained something to
colleague. What can you ask them to you very quickly. What would you ask
see if they understood? them if you had a question about
what they said?

2. Your new boss is explaining a 4. Your coworker is having a

proposal for a new project. You just conversation with someone else. You
thought of a great idea. What can you are interested in what they are
say to politely add your idea to the saying. What might you say to join the
conversation? conversation?
Matching
Talk about asking and answering questions and match the questions and answers.

You can talk to someone formally or casually. When speaking formally, you should
use Mr., Mrs., or Ms. when asking questions. When you are speaking to friends or
coworkers, you can use their name, and speak much more freely.

• Hello, Mr. Garcia. How are you today? • I'm good, Owen. And yourself?

• Nice to meet you, Claire. • Nice to meet you, too.

• What's up, Julia? • Nothing. What's up with you?

Ask and answer other questions with your class.

Reading and Discussion
Read about networking and answer the questions with your classmates.

As a professional, it’s important to meet

new colleagues. This is called
“networking”. Many cities have
networking events for different industries
such as technology, education or
marketing. Making these connections is
important for professional development
and finding a better position.

• Have you ever attended a networking event?

• What advice would you give a person to help them network?
• How do you stay in contact with new colleagues?
Sign Post
Read the quote and discuss.

"Be genuinely interested in everyone you meet

and everyone you meet will be genuinely
interested in you."
-Rasheed Ogunlaru
(British Life Coach, born 1970)

What does this mean to you?

How can you show a person that you are

genuinely interested in him or her?
Culture Corner
Answer these questions with your teacher and classmates.

Manners are different around the world. In Asia, it is good manners to remove your
shoes before entering a person's home. In Greece, showing the palm of your hand is
very impolite. In the Middle East, showing the bottoms of your feet is an insult.
• What are good manners when meeting people in your country?
• What are bad manners when meeting new people?
• Have you ever met someone who surprised you by doing something unexpected
in your culture? Tell the class about it.
Role Play
Choose a role and act it out with a partner.

Role A

1. You have just moved to a new country for a

job.

2. Ask your coworker how to make new friends.

3. Which recommendations will you follow?

Role B

1. You have lived in many countries, and you are

good at making friends.

2. Give your coworker advice on how to make

new friends.
Class Project
Work with your class to complete this project.

Your company has many international workers. Often, they visit your country. Work
with your class to make a guide for people who come to your country. Agree on the
answers to the questions as a class.

How should you greet a person from your

country?

What should you bring if you are invited to

dinner?

Describe good manners in your country.

Describe bad manners in your country.

Wrap Up
Talk with your class and answer the questions.

Putting it all together

• How do you greet a person when you first meet them?
• How can you politely interrupt, clarify information or check for understanding with
new colleagues?
• Give some examples of bad manners in other countries.