VOICE ONE Business English

Cambridge TV

2012-03-05T21:20:00.007-08:00

Hello,

It looks like Cambridge University Press has started to add YouTube videos. It looks promising.

Cambridge TV

Cheers,
Maurice

Voice One Oy
www.voiceone.fi

Word Dynamo

2011-09-22T00:41:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I've been using Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com for years now. I highly recommend the latter -- thesaurus is an essential tool for learning, and this one is particularly good.

It looks like they just released this new free service, Word Dynamo. It's a Beta version, but it looks like it might offer intermediate to advanced students some http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifexcellent opportunities to practice new vocabulary on their own. You can find it here:

http://dynamo.dictionary.com/

Enjoy the lessons!

Cheers,
Maurice Forget
Voice One Oy
www.voiceone.fi

Business Case Studies

2011-04-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Over the years, I've helped a few executives successfully complete their MBA programs. It was mostly providing editorial advice for their essays and tailoring discussion activities around their assignments. One of the key takeaways for me after reading so many of their assignments was the usefulness of business case studies to stimulate new ways of thinking.

While I don't think it is inevitable, there does seem to be some degree of "groupthink" in large companies. Whether it's a case of yes-men (or yes-women), the fear of rejection in offering divergent ideas, or not wanting to upset a supposed winning streak, people can get into an idea rut.

It is in fact one real value of MBA programs in that they offer students the chance to revisit their thinking by examining real cases of best practice and failure.

Anyways, the British paper, The Times, offers 100 free business case studies for UK business studies students taking GCSEs and A-levels. This places them within the BEC Higher range although I would suggest they would be suitable for BEC Vantage even. At any rate, they offer a wealth of easily accessible, readily discussable, relevant business topics.

http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/

Enjoy the lesson(s)!

Cheers,
Maurice
Voice One
www.voiceone.fi

Distribution of wealth

2011-02-24T08:18:00.001-08:00

Hello,

I don't normally post links to articles without adding downloadable questions. However, I found this recent collection of statistics from Mother Jones rather jaw-dropping. It graphically illustrates the distribution of wealth in the US.

While I think this may stimulate a lot of discussion spontaneously, here are a few questions you can add--

Warm-up: In pairs, create a pie chart showing wealth distribution for the top 20%, second 20%, third 20%, fourth 20%, fifth 20% in the US.

Show the information. Then, discuss:

- Were you surprised by this information? How different was it from your prediction?
- Do you pay too little, just enough, too much tax?
- What do taxes pay for? Is it worth it?
- Who is more cost effective -- private or public sector? Has this changed over the years? Has egovernment and computer technology made government more efficient?
- Why do you think the tax rates have changed? Do you agree with this?
- Should corporations pay more taxes? Why or why not? Do low taxes make companies more competitive or more profitable? How can countries with higher tax rates compete against tax-havens? Should tax havens be outlawed?
- Is paying taxes a patriot act? / Is tax avoidance unpatriotic?

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
Voice One Oy
www.voiceone.fi

Chatbot

2010-12-06T01:12:00.000-08:00

Hello,

It occured to me that it would be good practice for English students to try interacting with well-designed chatbots. This would work especially well with customer service representatives and sales people.

The latest generation of chatbots are programmed to reply in natural conversational English. As well, they are constantly evolving their language through AI. Similarly, some offer up interesting conversation filler to keep the conversation going.

You can find many different chatbots at:
http://www.dmoz.org/Computers/Artificial_Intelligence/Natural_Language/Chatterbots/
http://www.chatbots.org/.

Enjoy the lesson idea!

Cheers,
Maurice
Voice One Oy
www.voiceone.fi

Free ESL/EFL resources from the US Govt

2010-11-11T05:48:00.001-08:00

Hello,

I keep running across great material through my Master's course.

Case in point, the US State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs produces material for ESL/EFL teachers. It's probably on par with the British Council's work in this area.

They publish a quarterly magazine called "English Teaching Forum" which is chock full of instant communicative lessons. I think they were trying to blend contemporary SLA research and applied linguistics into teacher-friendly formats.

You can order a subscription free or download past issues for free online:
http://exchanges.state.gov/englishteaching/forum-journal.html

It's a little American-centric at times, but still very interesting.

Enjoy the lessons!

Cheers,
Maurice
Voice One Oy
www.voiceone.fi

Small Talk

2010-10-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Here's the Small Talk material I promised you.

Small Talk

This is the video I mentioned about John Cleese in Fawlty Towers NOT avoiding taboo subjects in conversation.

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
Voice One Oy
www.voiceone.fi

Real Material: Create an ad on Idea Bounty

2010-09-28T01:51:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I had a great idea for an activity that is sure to get your business and marketing English students highly engaged and motivated. Go to www.ideabounty.com.

Idea Bounty is a crowdsourcing platform where anyone(!) can submit ideas for new advertising and marketing campaigns. Every month, there are several new briefs from different companies, mostly multinationals. The format can range the full gambit from TV commercial scripts and print ads to web campaigns and guerilla marketing campaigns.

To get started, you will need to register on the site to obtain the briefs. This is free to do. Once you download the brief, you can assign it as a classroom activity for students to do in small groups or individually. Use the activity to highlight marketing language. I might also suggest looking at different ad sites to view print copy.

At the end, get students to submit their entries by the deadline. They can have a chance to win several thousand US dollars. (It's an open international competition.) If they don't win, they may still qualify for certificates showing how well they ranked - silver and bronze. (I received 2 bronze awards for the Peperami campaign in 2009 and came 46th out of 1100 entrants. It was a lot of fun.)

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
Voice One Oy
www.voiceone.fi

Brilliant activity resource book for busy teachers

2010-09-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this book while browsing through my favorite bookshop (Amazon.co.uk). What a fantastic book! This book has quickly become one of my favorites. And I say this having a massive library of EFL books at my disposal.

It offers you an extensive and diverse array of communicative activities under four main subject headings: Conversation, Functions, Grammar and Vocabulary. The activities vary from pair work, group work, debates, role plays, brainstorming, and group discussions. Each activity offers anywhere from 5 to 60+ minutes of classroom work. Make your life easier, get this book today!

Enjoy the book!

Cheers,
Maurice
Voice One
www.voiceone.fi

Five big questions about Nokia's New CEO

2010-09-23T05:06:00.000-07:00

Finally, some new material. Sorry, I've been terribly busy, but here is something new on Nokia's new CEO. This is based on the Forbes Mobilized Blog Entry from September 10, 2010. It's available here:
http://blogs.forbes.com/elizabethwoyke/2010/09/10/five-big-questions-about-nokias-new-ceo/

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice

Five Questions for New Nokia CEO

Haiti - A Historical Perspective

2010-01-21T01:40:00.000-08:00

I wanted to create an activity related to the disaster in Haiti, but looking more at the fundamentals of the serious problems facing Haiti. To do that, you need something with some historical perspective. I used this article from Newsweek (not my favorite magazine). The article is typical of Newsweek, light on actual facts drifting off into personal commentary (fluff!). But I think it will do for our purposes.

The article can be found here:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/231179

The discussion activity is here.

Haiti - A Historical Perspective

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

CNBC Business of Innovation: The Future of Work

2009-12-08T02:27:00.001-08:00

This week I am posting a video discussion from the excellent program The Business of Innovation with Maria Bartiromo on CNBC. This video deals with the future of work and includes some really amazing guests including among others: James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds; Dwayne Spadlin, CEO of Innocentive; Bruce Bueno De Mesquita, author of The Predictioneer's Game; and Michael Dukakis, former Democratic Governor of Massachusetts.

You can watch the video here or download it for free in iTunes.

The discussion activity can be found here:

Future of Work Video

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

Dioxin, Duplicity and DuPont video discussion

2009-11-30T00:52:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting video documentary by the Sierra Club about the DuPont plant in DeLisle Mississippi. The documentary goes into dioxin pollution and its effects. You can find it at the Sierra Club or watch it here:

You can find the discussion activity here:

Dioxin, Duplicity and DuPont Video Preview

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

New France 24 Mobile App for Smartphones

2009-11-12T00:29:00.000-08:00

I just discovered last week that France 24 has just developed a new mobile app so you can get live streaming news (or highlights) on your mobile (iPhone, Nokia, Blackberry, and more). You can select between coverage in English, French and Arabic. France 24 has been pushing hard to gain marketshare from CNN, BBC World and Al Jazeera. France 24's definitely not my first choice on cable tv, but I've been using this app quite a bit. They have also developed a desktop widget as well. Most of my students have mobile internet access so I've been recommending they download it so they can practice their listening comprehension when they have time, anywhere they are. And you circumvent the extra cost of TV over 3G.

Mobile app: http://www.france24.com/en/mobile
Widget: http://www.france24.com/en/widget/home-stay-connected-with-france-24-widgets-windows-gadget

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

Coca-Cola and the Fall of the Berlin Wall

2009-11-11T04:07:00.000-08:00

With the recent 20th anniversary celebrations of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, I went looking for articles to use. And I found a great one that had a unique business angle. You can find the article here:
http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/11/09/coca-colas-berlin-wall-blitz-lessons-in-leadership-20-years-later/

You can find the discussion activity here:
Coca-Cola and the Berlin Wall

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

The Crisis of Credit Visualized

2009-11-03T03:00:00.000-08:00

One of my ad agency contacts sent me a link to this video by Jonathan Jarvis. (Thanks Mia!) I thought it was well worth turning into an actual discussion. The video runs 11:10. Very short, easy to follow language with simplified explanation of a complex problem.

You can watch the video here or at Vimeo:

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

You can get the discussion activity here.

Crisis of Credit Visualised

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

The Dangers and Opportunities of Google Sidewiki

2009-10-20T03:59:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of buzz in the advertising and marketing community lately over the launch of the Google Sidewiki in September 2009. This new free Google toolbar app allows anyone to leave comments on websites that other Sidewiki users can later read. Thus, in one fell swoop, Sidewiki creates a whole new era of company transparency and consumer feedback, both positive and negative. Companies will not have ownership over their website's Sidewiki information which means they will need to do an even better job at managing their customer relationships.

Advertising Age was one of the first media outlets to warn companies about this powerful new social media tool. The article is available here:

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=139768

You can find the discussion activity here:

Dangers and Opportunities of Google Sidewiki

You can see a short introductory video here:

Enjoy the discussion!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

Offshore Tax Haven Considers Taxation

2009-10-08T03:13:00.000-07:00

I think most people have heard of the tax loophole created by offshore tax havens. As this article suggests, it has been a source of intrigue and an important subplot in many crime novels like John Grisham's "The Firm." However, an interesting phenomena has occurred as a result of the global economic crisis. Some tax havens are actually considering direct taxation to meet mounting financial debt.

You can find the article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/business/global/04cayman.html
You can find the discussion activity here:
Offshore Haven Considers Taxation

Enjoy the lesson!

Maurice
Voice One
www.voiceone.fi

Breaking the Bank - The US Financial Meltdown of 2008

2009-09-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Level: Upper Intermediate to Advanced students

Well, it's been one year since the financial meltdown. If you have banking students as I do, I think it's really worth presenting them with an activity on the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

I'm a bit of a news junkie so I tend to follow links to new and varied sources. The PBS documentary news series - Frontline - is certainly among the best and one of my favorites. They have 83 full-hour documentaries available online. (I've watched at least 20 of them already) The episode regarding the meltdown is called Breaking the Bank which you can find here:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/breakingthebank/view/

You can get the PBS teacher's guide with discussion questions here:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/meltdown/meltdown.pdf

Tip: I will sometimes ask students to watch videos for homework and sometimes show them videos in class. You need to gauge whether you think they will actually do the homework or not. Many of my business students are very busy people so it is understandable if they don't manage the time outside of class. However, without putting too much of a point on it, you should always try to encourage them to do more outside of class to expand their contact time with the second language. (And then again, it's often a nice change of pace for students to get to watch the occasional video in class.)

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

Lottery Winners and Sound Financial Advice

2009-09-09T02:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, I admit I have been known to play the lottery on occasion. I don't think I ever really expect to win but it's a nice distraction to dream about what you might do with that kind of money. After reading this article, I'm not so sure I would like to win.

This article discusses the real life difficulties that some Americans have had after winning the big one. One cultural point to understand about the article is that in many states in the US, lottery winnings are paid out on an annual basis rather than a lump sum. Consequently, a $1,000,000 lottery win is actually a promise to be paid $50,000 per year over 20 years.

You can find the article here:
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/8lotteryWinnersWhoLostTheirMillions.aspx

The discussion activity is here:

8 Lottery Winners

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

Weird Hotel Signs

2009-09-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

I adapted this activity from a very funny book called "Broken English Spoken Perfectly" by Stewart Clark. (Edda UK, 2005) The book is a collection of very humorous, often embarassing, English mistakes found in public spaces. Students will have a good laugh trying to understand and correct these.

You will need to explain some words such as cock (In this case, it should be faucet (AE) or tap (BE). Cock (aka stopcock or stopper) is a precise word used by scientists or chemists for the valve to control liquid flow in lab equipment.)

Weird Hotel Signs

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,

Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

Gene Simmons Talks Business with Michael Eisner

2009-09-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, you might be thinking this is an odd post for a Business English blog. What does Gene Simmons or KISS have to do with business? Well, think music industry. This is in fact a fantastic interview between Eisner and Simmons on business, the KISS business empire, Simmons' personal projects and Simmons' views on success, life, and love. And Simmons' self-promotion is very funny.

I usually pair this with a vocabulary activity on music. (It is always good to broaden your student's vocabulary.)

The video is available for free on iTunes or you can watch it here.

The discussion activity is here. You will need to brainstorm music genres (rock, classical, jazz, pop, hip hop, country, world music, reggae, heavy metal, etc.) when you fill in the chart.

01.09.2009 Interview With Gene Simmons

Listening Comprehension answers: 80 million albums; Beatles on steroids; Music Trade Magazines (Record World, Cash Box, Billboard), Wall Street Journal; his mother survived the Holocaust; 5000 women; Cher, Diana Ross; If you don't take care of business, it will take care of you; Gene Simmons' Family Jewels, the Apprentice, My Dad the Rock Star (cartoon); for Simmons to get married.

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

Little Sweetie's Fortune - Hong Kong Billionaire and Inheritance Law

2009-08-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

Article Discussion: The Fight for Little Sweetie's Billions Is Getting More Than a Little Weird

You can find the article here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124217178156212899.html#

The Discussion Activity Sheet is here:
28.09.2009 the Fight for Little Sweeties Fortune
Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

Using Business Articles for Discussion in Class

2009-08-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

Like most Business English teachers I rely on current news from leading newspapers and magazines to stimulate discussion in class. Here's some general tips for using articles in the Business English classroom.

Tip 1: To avoid getting in trouble over copyright, it is best to send your students a link to the article for the following week's class and let them print their own copy. You are allowed to print for personal use. Otherwise, newspapers and magazines expect payment for reprints.

Tip 2: I get students to take turns reading paragraphs from the article aloud in class. You can correct pronunciation as you go. And by alternating students, they will understand the article more. I've noticed that when people read aloud, they are actually too focused on their pronunciation that they do not actually catch or follow what they are saying.

Tip 3: It is better for students to try to understand the meaning of the words in context. That is why I often wait to explain difficult words after we have read the text.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi

Classic TV Ads to discuss Advertising

2009-08-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

Requirements: A laptop (& projector) to show the videoclips in class.

This is one activity which I love to use in my Business English classes. Since the commercials are short, often entertaining, and use fairly simple language, you can use them with pre-intermediate to advanced.

It has been a hit with every class I have used it in. Everyone loves to see how different the ads were in the 1950s. Since most companies have meeting rooms with projectors nowadays, I usually show it from there--but I've shown them direct from my laptop as well.

First, you need to download the classic TV commercials from the Prelinger Archive.

Get the videos here:
http://www.archive.org/details/prelinger_commercials

It's free to use (big plus) and may be downloaded and shown in public for educational purposes. Choose an assortment -- the Newport cigarette ads are particularly entertaining.

Next, download the PDF activity. I think it's fairly self-explanatory. You should explain to the students what they should look for with each point.

Get the PDF here:
28.08.2009 Classic TV Commercials

Enjoy the lesson!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi