Presenting your workplace to the world

Aims: to look back on tours of your workplace that youve given and share your experiences to practise using if-sentences to talk about approaches you use or would use if you have to give a tour to think about and discuss the needs and expectations of different visitors to your company to produce a crib sheet for workplace tours that you can use the next time you have visitors

Starter Discussion Questions: Think about your experiences of workplace tours and answer these questions: If you have visitors who come from a different country, do you ever do some research in advance to find out about their country and its culture? If you give visitors a tour in your first language, do you give more detailed information than you would if you were doing it in another language? If you have to give a tour of your workplace in English, do you try harder to be polite than you would if you were using your first language? If you have to talk about different machines or pieces of equipment in your workplace, do you sometimes forget what the correct English word for them is?

Exercise 1 A. Before you read what three engineers have to say about their experiences of workplace tours, tell your partner how often you give tours of your workplace. B. Now read the three texts and find out how often these three engineers have to give tours of their workplaces. C. Read the texts again and answer these questions: i. Who finds giving tours in English more difficult than doing it in his/her first language? ii. Who has to give tours to visitors from all over the world? iii. Who needs to learn more vocabulary so that he/she can give a tour of his/her workplace more effectively? Page iv. Who usually only has to give tours of his workplace when his colleagues cant do it.
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D. Write a word in each of the gaps to complete these words and word combinations from the three texts: _____ a tour _____ a tour the milling _____ the p____ i________ customers ____ ______ of visitors to be _________ for sth. to be n________ to be _______ E. Complete the sentences using some of the words from exercise d. You have to write more than one word in some of the gaps. i. Francesco is _____________________ the milling shop. ii. Norbert only has to give tours when his colleagues are on holiday or _________________. iii. Luisa often gives workplace tours for ____________________. iv. Three weeks ago, Norbert _______________ a tour for some American visitors. v. Luisa is the most _______________ of the three at giving tours.

Francesco

My boss usually asks me to give visitors to our milling shop a tour of the place because thats the area Im responsible for. Its easy if the visitors are other ItaliansI tell them everything I know about millingbut if I have to give a tour in English, I realise that there are a lot of words I dont know. If I knew more technical English vocabulary, I could describe our processes more clearly.

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Norbert

Usually my colleague Dietmar does tours of our area of the factory for visitors and I never have to, but three weeks ago we had some important customers visiting us from the USA and I had to give them the tour because Dietmar was off sick! I was really nervous, but I did a lot of preparation and it went quite well. If we have any more English-speaking visitors, my boss will probably ask me to give them a tour too.

Luisa

Im the Head of the Secondary Manufacturing Department in our plant, so if we have visitors andthey want to see my department, I have to give them a tour. I probably do two or three tours a month and Ive had all kinds of visitors from all over the world. The more often I do the tour in English, the more confident I feel.

Exercise 2 Read the if-sentences in the box

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Francesco: If I knew more technical English vocabulary, I could describe our processes more clearly. (past simple) (would/ could + verb)

Norbert: If we have any more English-speaking visitors, my boss will probably ask me to give thema tour too. (present simple) (will + verb)

Luisa: If we have visitors and they want to see my department, I have to give them a tour. (present simple) (present simple)

A. Does Francesco know enough technical English vocabulary to be able to describe processes very clearly? B. Is Norbert sure his boss will ask him to give another tour for English-speaking visitors? C. Does Luisa always have to give visitors a tour, if they want to see her department?

Exercise 3 A. Complete the if-sentences below using the correct form of the verb in brackets: If a group of English-speaking customers from India __________(visit) my company. Id be able to give them a lot of information about our products. If a group of colleagues from another branch ___________ (want) to see the plant next week, Ill feel comfortable taking them round. If I have to give a tour to important visitors in English, I ___________(prepare) well for it. B. Make true sentences about yourself by choosing the correct form of the verbs visit, want and prepare and I, Ill or Id.

Exercise 4 Most engineers will be involved in giving a tour of their workplace in English at some time in their careers. To prepare yourself for the next time you have to do this, you can create a workplace tour crib sheet to help you. What should you include in your crib sheet?

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the buildings/ areas/ machines that your tour would include

 the English names for the things you would like to show visitors the English names for the processes or workflows that are happening facts and figures which would be of interest to visitors space to include information about the visitors: where they come from, what their position is, etc. anything else you think is important

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Solutions to exercises 1) C. i. Francesco ii. Luisa iii. Francesco iv. Norbert

D. do a tour give a tour the milling shop the plant important customers all kinds of visitors to be responsible for sth. to be off sick to be confident E. i. Francesco is responsible for the milling shop. ii. Norbert only has to give tours when his colleagues are on holiday or off sick. iii. Luisa often gives workplace tours for all kinds of visitors. iv. Three weeks ago, Norbert did/ gave a tour for some American visitors. v. Luisa is the most confident of the three at giving tours.

2) A. NO, he doesnt B. NO, but its possible C. YES

3) Page A.
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 If a group of English-speaking customers from India visited (visit) my company. Id be able to give them a lot of information about our products. If a group of colleagues from another branch want (want) to see the plant next week, Ill feel comfortable taking them round. If I have to give a tour to important visitors in English, I ll prepare (prepare) well for it.

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