Welcome to a new series where we feature great books for language learners and teachers. This month we are featuring the ebook, 10 Quick Prep 1-2-1 Business English Activities About Work Life, by Phil Wade and Noreen Lam. 10 Quick Prep 1-2-1 Business English Activities About Work Life covers what it says in the title. It provides 10 almost ‘pick up and go’ activities or ‘lessons’ for teaching/training/coaching individual clients on the simple issues of work life. This book is available on Smashwords and on the Apple Store.
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We caught up with author, Phil Wade, who shared these thoughts about the book:
10 Quick Prep 1-2-1 Business English Activities About Work Life is a short ebook I co-wrote with my amazing editor, Noreen Lam. We wanted to make a book that represented the basic needs of most working students. Not everyone is a high flying business executive who needs training for a make or break presentation to the board of directors. In fact, the majority of Business English students/clients are much lower down the hierarchy and require basic help for basic situations. From teaching business people and talking to other trainers and coaches, I realised that many people need help with the day to day parts of work and office life in English. These are things which the average coursebook will never cover as it aims to combine BA level topics with vocabulary and skills work and also tends to aim at groups.
I spent a lot of time planning the activities to make them as multi-skill, personal and varied as possible but with limited resources. The book kicks off with an activity about morning routines, something everyone is familiar with but challenges the learner to think in new ways. Each activity pushes the learner on a number of levels. My favourite parts are the discussions which are designed to push the client to think ‘beyond the box’. The teacher can approach and utilise these activities as they wish. I know some teachers who have taught each as they are, others who have tried a few and some who took sections of activities and added them to their own lessons. I’m very happy for teachers to use them as they see fit and am interested to hear what they did.
Phil Wade would like to thank Noreen Lam for co-writing this title and supporting the development of it from a basic idea and also cover designer, Kati Alice Bilsborough, who has created several of his other cover designs.
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