UNIT 1 - MARKET RESEARCH

2. WORKING WITH A FOCUS GROUP - GRAMMAR + VOC

diverse Very different from each other.

participants People who take part in an activity or event.
criteria Standards to judge something.
target costumer A specific group which a product or service is aimed at.
moderator Someone whose job is to control a discussion between people.
Focus groups are used to gather information BEFORE a product is put on a market.

The moderator helps to keep the conversation focused.

Participants should be all diverse.

Typical focus groups questions:

 Now that you've had a look.. what's you general impression?
 I like the way it looks and the idea is very appealing.
 What specific features are the most interesting for you?
 Is there anything about it that doesn't meet your expections?
 I'd really need to use it for a hile before I can answer that question honestly.
 I'm not completely convinced yet.

GRAMMAR

QUESTION TAGS
To change a statement into a question, we can add a question tag to the end.

 be (an auxiliary or modal verb) & the subject from the original sentence.

 when the original sentence is positive, we add a negative tag, & vice versa
o There isn't anything like this at the moment, is there?
o We don't know how good the restaurants are, do we?
o If there was a place nearby for lunch, you would go there sometimes, wouldn't you?

 when the original sentence doesn't have 'be' we use a form of 'do'
o It combines convenience with healthy eating, doesn't it?
o We always had about an hour last semester, didn't we?
o You know this will be recorder, don't you?

when the original sentence contains:

 a negative adverb (hardly, never, rarely, ..) = add a positive tag

o He's never on time, is he?

 'this' or 'that', tag: 'it' and a singular verb

o That wasn't a very good idea, was it?
o These are the menus you wanted, aren't they?

 'these' or 'those', tag: 'they' and a plural verb

o These are the menus you wanted, aren't they?

 'somebody, someone, everybody or everyone', tag: 'they' and a plural verb

 o Everyone knows about the new product already, don't they?

 'nobody' or 'no one', tag: 'they' and a plural positive verb

o Nobody knows the answer, do they?

 'something', tag: 'it' and a singular verb

o Something is wrong here with the app, isn't it?

 'nothing', tag: 'it' and a singular positive verb

o Nothing is as easy as it looks, is it?

 'let's', tag = 'shall we'

o Let's get started, shall we?

 A question tag with imperatives. The tags usually use a form of 'will'
o Please speak lower, will you? (request)
o Have a seat, won't you? (invitation)
o Listen carefully, would you? (polite command)

3. CARRYING OUT A NEEDS ANALYSIS - COMMUNICATION SKILLS

open question
Questions who are deliberately designed to influence the listener into choosing a
leading question
particular response.

FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE
What are your thoughts on ..? Would your staff be interested in .. ?

How would the team feel about .. ? What do you think about .. ?

Have you considered .. ? Have you thought about .. ?

How about .. ?

4. REPORTS - SUMMARY FINDINGS - WRITING

Stap 1: Start met het zeggen wat je gaat schrijven.

➜ Zin 1 = ALTIJD => "The study + the topic + the researchers"
1 2 3
1: a customer survey, an online enquête, ..
2: about ...
3:
According to a recent customer survey we carried out about increasing our prices, ..
We recently conducted a customer survey investigating what our costumers think of possible price
increases. According to our findings, ...
Stap 2: Schrijf coherent: gebruik logische linken tussen de zinnen.
 schrijf chronologisch
 gebruik linking words !!
 verwijs juist !! met they/she/he, ..her, him, them, .. + je moet altijd naar iets verwijzen

Linking words:
Sequence
First, firstly, second, third, thirdly Next, last finally
In addition, moreover Furthermore
Also In conclusion, to summarise
 The first.. The second
One.. Another..
An additional..

Addition (extra info geven)

In addition Furthermore
Also and
As wel ass

Contrast (tegenstellingen)
However Nevertheless
Nonetheless Still
Although, Even though, though but
yet Despite, In spite of
In contract, In comparison While, wheras
On the other hand On the contrary

Stap 3: De inhoud
 gebruik de voc gezien in de lessen
 de tijd = ALTIJD past simple

Stap 4: De laatste zin = conclusie.

UNIT 2 - GIVE AND TAKE

1. MANAGER OR MENTOR? - VOCABULARY

act take action; do something

community Someone whose job is to use social media to talk to customers and to help a company or
manager brand grow.
honest In a way that tells the truth.
loops
pace The speed at which something happens or is done.
provide make available for use
results a thing that is caused or produced by something else; a consequence or outcome
satisfaction In a way that is good enough./ To provide what is needed or wanted. ???
street
thoughtful Always thinking of the things you can do to make people happy or comfortable.
trust Firm belief in the truth

VOCABULARY
nurturing Helping a plan, idea, person to develop.
compassionate Caring about others.
evolve Develop and change gradually over a long period of time.
benefits Good effects or advantages that something has.
isolated Feeling alone and unable to meet or speak to other people.
mentoring A system where experienced people advise and help others, also used to describe such
programmes.
leadership Specific qualities needed in order to be good at leading a group, organisation.
mistrust The feeling that you cannot trust someone, especially because you think they may treat
you unfairly or dishonestly.
candid Truthful, even when the truth may be unpleasant or embarrassing.
feedback Advise or criticism about how well someone does their job and what needs improvement.
peers People who have the same type of job or are on the same level in an organisation.
cooperative The feeling that people in a place will help you and work well with you.
atmosphere
mutually In a way that is acceptable or good for both or all the people involved.
beneficial
call the shots To give orders and make decisions because you are in a position of authority.
best interests at
heart
two-way street Used to say that a situation depends on two people talking to each other and working
well together.
inclusion The act of including someone in a larger group.
2. KINDNESS OR SUCCES? - GRAMMAR + VOC

killed by kindness Too kind in a way that causes harm because it competes with what should be done.
cautionary tale Story/An event used to warn people.
cut the mustard Be good enough to do something.
make hard calls Take difficult decisions.

GRAMMAR - CLEFT SENTENCES

 Grammaticale constructies die worden gebruikt om de nadruk te leggen op een specifiek element in
een zin door de zin op te splitsen in twee stukken.

I love you. (simple sentence: 1 clause)

It is you that I love. (cleft sent.: 2 clauses to say the same thing, but with emphasis)

4 soorten:
1. It-clause ➜ It + a form of 'be' + emphased word/phrase, who/that..
2. Wh-clause (what, why, where, how) ➜ Wh-clause + a form of to be + emphased word/phrase
3. The thing/person that, the only thing/person that, all that, something/someone that..
4. Other nouns ➜ The noun + verb + form of be + the one that + emphased word/phrase

3. CHANGING AN AGREEMENT - COMMUNICATION SKILLS -> NOG EENS NAVRAGEN

Being honest about your misjudgement:

 Not entirely successful.
 But they do at least seem prepared to discuss the new proposal.
Re-analysing the situation
 This approach demonstrates a company that provides solutions.
 They come across as professional and wanting to provide an improved service for their clients.

FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE
Expressing honestly:
 If the truth be told, ..
 In all honsety ..
 To be perfectly frank, ..
Explaining your business ethic:
 I like to be fully transparent ..
 I would rather discuss this face to face
Reassuring the client:
 Putting you first, ..
 With your needs always being our first priority ..
 Keeping your best interests i mind, ..
Showing reflection/further analysis:
 After careful consideration, ..
 On further thought, ..
 Having had a chance to look more carefully
Emphasising experience:
 Having been in the business for a number of years ..
 Drawing on my personal experience ..
4. COLLABORATION - BUSINESS SKILLS

DIT NOG HERBEKIJKEN

Soorten collaborations:
1. moderator, awereness, meeting principles
2. teambuilding, open offices
3. moderator
4. language tools, clear communication (simple voc, enunciation), body language, courses
5. set principles, good practices

FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE
Ask people directly for solutions:
 Do you see any quick wins with regard to ..
 Any thoughts on how best to tackle this?
Include quieter individuals:
 You haven't said much. Any thoughts?
 You haven't commented so far. What's your take on this?
Encourage people to be creative:
 Let's be open today and come up with some new ideas.
 We need to get things moving in a positive direction.
Make people engage with others' ideas:
 What might be the benefits of her line of thinking?
 Any reflections on her suggestions?
Paraphrase to ensure team understanding:
 So, let me just check we're all on the same page.
 So, let me just make sure everyone understood that.
Focus on common ground:
 So, what we're all looking to achieve today is to ..
 I think we're all in the same boat here.
Quieten louder individuals:
 I'll come back to you in a second, if I may, because ..
 If I can stop you there because ..
Manage different views positively:
 I think both perspectives are very valid because ..
 Let's not dismiss this idea too quickly.

5. EMAILS - STATING REQUIREMENTS - WRITING

FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE
Firstly, I would like you to..

Secondly, it is important that you ..

Next, you need to prepare ..

Finally, I expect you to ..

UNIT 3 - MONEY MATTERS

1. MOBILE BANKING - VOCABULARY

digital bank Bank waar geen kantoor is alles is online.

high street bank Bank waar er kantoren zijn in de grootstraten.
account balance saldo op de app
transfer money geld overzetten
transactions transacties
to withdraw cash cash afhalen
to deposit cash cash storten
open/close a bank account bank account openen/sluiten
take out a loan lening aangaan
financial advice financieel advies
exhange currency vreemde munt aanvragen
economic economisch
economical zuining

VOCABULARY

Verb Adjective / Past Participle Noun

account, accountancy,
accounting / accounted
account for accounting, accountant
(for)
(person)
balance balanced balance
bank (place), banking, banker
bank banking
(person)
(open/close) a branch branch
deposit (into) deposited deposit (waarborg)
finance, finances, financing,
finance financial
financier (person)
prohibit prohibited prohibition
save saved savings
top-up topped up top-up
(make/carry out) a
transactional transaction
transaction, transact
transfer transferred transfer
withdraw withdrawn withdrawal

cash Money in the form of notes and coins.

bills A request for payment of money owed.
cheque A printed form, used instead of money, to make payments from your bank account.
credit card A small plastic card that can be used as a method of payment, the money being taken from
you at a later time.
debit card A small plastic card that can be used as a method of payment, the money being taken from
your bank account automatically.
direct debit An arrangement for making payments, usually to on organization, in which your bank
moves money from your account into the organization's account at regular times.
= domiciliëring
fee An amount of money paid for a particular piece of work, right or service.
money order A document that can be bought at a post office to send money through the mail.
rent A fixed amount of money that you pay regularly for the use of a room, house, car, tv that
 someone else owns.

2. MANAGING MONEY - GRAMMAR + VOC

expenses Money that you spend on rent, food, and things such as electricity, gas, ..
come up arise/happen unexpectedly
set up Make the arrangements that are necessary for something to happen.
a trust fund Money that belongs to one person, but is controlled by another.
get by on Have enough money to buy the things you need, but no more.
an allowance An amount of money that you are given regularly or for a special purpose (monthly
allowance).
grant An amount of money given to someone, especially by the governement, for a particular
porpuse (student grant, a research grant, ..).
dip into Use some of an amount of money that you have.
savings All the money you have saved, especially in a bank.

GRAMMAR

Pharsel verbs: enkel betekenis weten

come up = to arise/happen unexpectedly

to get by on = to have enough money to survive (just enough)

to dip into = use a part of (your savings)

carry on = to continue doing something

 I have to carry on studying.
 I have taken too long of a break from studying, I need to carry on.
cut down (on) = to do less of something (cut down on drinking,..)
 I really need to cut down on drinking.
 I drink too much, I really should cut down. ** on weglaten !!
look into, look forward = to consider something (buying new desk)

eat out = go out to a restaurant

fall behind (with) = to be less advanced / to delay = you're not as far as you should be
 I have fallen behind with studying.
 I haven't studied much recently, I have really fallen behind. ** with weglaten !!
pay back

put by (money) = to collect/to save money

put off = to postpone

run up (debts) = to gather, to collect

set up = to create
3. PRESENTATION STYLES - COMMUNICATION SKILLS

a fact-based presentation:
 positive: information about the costs
 negative: not exiting
an emotion-based presentation:
 positive: engaging
 negative: no information about the costs

FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE
Fact based:
 I would like to take this opportunity to ..
 My objective today is to ..
 As you are all aware ..
 Now, turning attention to ..
 I'd like to give you a brief breakdown of ..
Appealing to emotions/senses:
 Try and visualise the looks on ..
 You will be able to feel the anticipation of ..
 Picture it ..
 Imagine how everyone will react when ..
 Can you think of anything more magical/beautiful/impressive?

4. DEFENDING YOUR IDEAS - BUSINESS SKILLS

spending habits Settled or regular tendencies to spend money on certain items/activities.

the big picture The entire perspective of a situation or issue, rather than just the smaller details.
shrinking market A market which is becoming smaller.
from scratch From the beginning without using anything that was prepared before.
dependent on Needing something in order to be successful.
collective targets Targets that are shared by a group of people.
redistribute To share or divide something up in a way which is different than before.
persistent Continuing to do something although it is difficult.
Good - Cheap - Fast
1. If we do it cheap and fast, it won't be good.
2. If we do it fast and good, it won't be cheap.
3. If we do it cheap and good, it won't be fast.

FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE
defending ideas:
- You'll see I have the backing of others
- This idea is the best opportunity we have off..
- Let me break down this.
- When you consider the big picture you'll see that..
- These are the reasons which warrant (=support)
- I can see why there might be objections. However..
describing consequences:
- We should rethink our strategy, as otherwise..
- If we fail to act, then..
- We won't achieve our collective targets if we don't..
- Committing to this action would mean..
- The consequences of that would be..

5. LETTER OF COMPLAINT - WRTINING

1. Salutation

 Dear Sir/Madam --> als je niet de persoon zijn naam weet

 Dear Mr ... / Ms .. + achternaam

2. The reason for writing (the main idea)

 We are writing to express our deep dissatisfaction with your service.

3. Your problem in detail

 vrij te kiezen

4. Calling for action

 We request you kindly to resolve this matter immediately.

 We would appreciate immediate action on this matter.

5. Warning

 Unless you resolve this problem, we shall be forced to ..

 If you do not reply immediately, we shall have no other alternative but to ..

6. Closing

 We look forward to your prompt response and resolution.

 Yours faithfully --> als je de naam niet weet
 Yours sincerely --> als je de naam weet
UNIT 4 - CHALLENGES

1. ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES - VOCABULARY

climate changes klimaat verandering

global warming opwarming van de aarde
rising sea levels stijgen van het zee niveau
melting ice calps smelten van de ijs..
greenhouse gases broeikasgassen
greenhouse gas emissions ?
carbon emissions
CO2 emissions
fossil fuels fossiele brandstoffen (olie, aardgas, ..)
renewable energy hernieuwbare energie
green energy groene energie
clean energy duurzame energie
flood overstroming
cattle vee
wind energy wind-energie
water energy water-energie
solar energy zonne-energie
wind turbines windturbines
solar panels zonnepanelen
sustainability duurzaamheid
carbon footprint CO2 voetafdruk of ecologische voetafdruk ??
extreme weather extreme weersomstandigheden
forest fires bosbranden
greenhouse effect broeikaseffet
pollution vervuiling
recycling recycleren
waste vervuilen
drought droogte
quadruple x4
mitigate (circumstances) verzachtende (omstandigheden)

COLLOCATIONS

 coffee agriculture
 coffee growers
 coffee plants
 coffee plantation
 coffee production
 deal with a challenge
 embrace the challenge
 face a challenge
 human resources
 business partners
 mobile phone
 stock market
 graving demand
  high temperatures

2. CYBER CHALLENGES - GRAMMAR + VOC

outdated No longer considered useful or effective because something more modern exists.
spread When something affects a larger number of people or involves a larger area.
incompatibilty When two things are of different types and so cannot be used together.
standstill A situation which there is no movement or activity at all.
update A change or addition to a computer file so that it has the mos recent information.

GRAMMAR - PERFECT ASPECT

Present perfect simple (= Iets gebeurd in het verleden, maar nog altijd aan de gang)
Mary lives in Dublin. She has lived there all her life.
Subject Helping verb Main verb (Past Participle)
I
You decided
have
They finished
We lost
She chosen
He has gone
It

Past perfect (= 2 gebeurtenissen in het verleden)

When I arrived at the cinema the film had already started.
Subject Helping verb Main verb (Past Participle)
I found
You seen
He been
She had closed
It thought
We talked
They cleaned

Future perfect simple (= Een gebeurtenis zal gebeuren op een bepaald tijdstip in de toekomst.)
By next November, I will have received my promotion.
Subject Helping verb Main verb (Past Participle)
I found
You seen
He been
She will/won't + have closed
It thought
We talked
They cleaned

3. SAYING 'NO' FIRMLY AND POLITELY - COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Firm 'no' approach:

- positive: no extra costs
- negative:
Collective responsibility approach:
- positive:
- negative: extra costs
FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE
giving clear reasons for saying 'no':
- There's no way ..
- Besides that, ..
- For one thing ..
- For this precise reason, ..
- To put it simply, ..
showing empathy and mutual understanding:
- I can see that this puts you in a difficult position.
- It's in all our interests to ..
- We appreciate that..
- I totally understand..
- We all want to..
exploring options - what you can say 'yes' to:
- Let me tell you what ..
- If you were to just .., would that..
- Let's put our heads together and..
- What if .. were to..
- Would you be willing to .. if we were able to..

4. CHALLENGING CONVERSATIONS - BUSINESS SKILLS

FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE
Focus on the facts, not the person:
- The fact of the matter is that..
- I don't think that's a fair reflection of the facts.
- Can we look at this objectively for a moment?
Confirm you've understood:
- I get your point.
- I see what you mean.
- So, to put it differently, you're saying that..
- If I follow you correctly, you mean that..
Find the positives:
- That doesn't sound all bad.
- That's not a bad idea.
- That doesn't sound unreasonable/unrealistic/unfair.
- I can see the benefits of what you're saying.
Ask questions to find out more:
- Can we dive deeper into the topic of ..?
- Are you perhaps overlooking ..? Can we talk about that for a moment?
- Could you elaborate on..?
Collaboratively identify a way forward:
- How can we work together to move beyond this point?
- Can we discuss some logical next steps?
- What would need to happen for us to move beyond this?