Tag: First Certificate FCE

Workplace Trends Have Shifted Over The Last Years

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Employment conditions vary from generation to generation. Loads of changes have occurred in the way we work through the years. Notice that the way we work has been quite very different from our parents’ time.

Read the article about work trends over the years.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-workplace-trends-have-shifted-over-last-8-years-dan-schawbel

Discussion Questions:

  1. What work trends are there in your country?
  2. How do you see the future of working?
  3. How may present working conditions be different from your parents/grandparents time?
  4. What’s your ideal work setup?

The Future of Marriage

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Women used to have one very good reason to lock it down with a man: Men should offer something that women needed. Men were the providers and protectors while women stay at home and take care of the children. But things have changed…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-180405

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you believe in marriage?

2. At what age do most people in your country get married? Has it changed over the years?

3. Why do fewer people get married nowadays?

Viral Marketing

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In recent years, virtual marketing has shaped the e-commerce world. Let’s get a grasp on how viral marketing works.

Watch the video to learn more about viral marketing.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What comes to your mind when you hear the word  “virus”?
  2. What’s the difference between viral marketing and spamming
  3. What kinds of viral marketing strategies are you aware of?
  4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of viral marketing?
  5. What kind of online marketing does your company have or do?

Stop Rushing

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Are you always in a hurry? We all know that  time  is very precious  to us and so we want to be efficient with it. But what if it’s more efficient to do things slowly? What if being in a fast lane would actually slow us down?

Read the article and be ready to discuss the questions that follow:

https://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/stop-rushing-through-work-stress-is-contagious.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you always in a hurry? In what situation are you usually in a hurry?
  2. What are the disadvantages of being in a rush?
  3. Are there benefits of it? What are they?

“The Customer Is Always Right” Is Wrong

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We have heard the  slogan  “The Customer is always right”  several times and often, this attitude that the customer is always right negatively affects the company as it goes to great lengths to meet customers’ needs. But what if the customer isn’t always right? 

Read the article below and know the reasons this old adage isn’t always right.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/top-5-reasons-customer-service_b_5145636

Discussion Questions:

  1. What could happen if a company adopted the “customer is always right” policy?
  2. What are the effects of this policy to the company and to the employees? Do you think the advantages outweigh the drawbacks? Share your insights.
  3. Share your insights on this statement, “Businesses should abandon ‘The Customer Is Always Right’ once and for all — ironically, because it leads to worse customer service.“
  4. What can companies do to give customers good service, but at the same time, keep their own employees happy?
  5. What can you say about this, “You can’t treat your employees like serfs. You have to value them … If they think that you won’t support them when a customer is out of line, even the smallest problem can cause resentment.“

Niggles that Keep You Healthy

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Rhinitis, eczema, and migraine, to name a few, are some of the most annoying minor ailments one can experience. However, niggle no more as science has proven that they can actually protect us from more serious illnesses.

https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/health/trends/8-annoying-niggles-that-actually-keep-you-healthy-35534

Discussion Questions:

1. Which among these minor ailments do you experience, and how do you cope with them?

2. What other minor illnesses or allergies do you have?

3. How do you keep your health boosted?

Why We Need Mean Friends More

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Agreeably to our preference, the best kind of friend is someone who would always love us – the imperfect us, the confused us, and the wrong us. Moreover, study shows that the best kind of friends are actually our mean friends. Let’s find out how having one can benefit our life more.

Study shows mean friends are the best kind of friends

Discussion Questions:

1. Say something about your friends and your mean friends.
Do you agree with the study?

2. What kind of a friend are you? Tell me about you being a mean friend.

3. What do you think of the saying “Show me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are?”

4. What was the biggest challenge your friendship has ever faced?

5.How do you maintain a good relationship with your friends?

Secrets of Success

B2 – Upper Intermediate

What leads to success?  Richard St. John, a success expert who spent a lot of years researching about it, gives 8 principles to address this question.

Click on the link to find out:

https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_st_john_s_8_secrets_of_success

Discussion Questions:

  1.  Name the secrets mentioned in the video.
  2.  How do you define success?
  3.  Can you think of any famous quotes about success or failure?

What Do You Buy When You’re Sad

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Retail therapy is the act of shopping and spending to improve one’s mood. Often seen in people during periods of depression or transition, it is normally a short-lived habit. Items purchased during periods of retail therapy are sometimes referred to as “comfort buys”.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-171207

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you do to feel better when you are sad?

2. Do you believe in retail therapy or is it just an excuse to go binge shopping?

3. When is retail therapy unhealthy?

Can Facebook Lessen Corruption?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The emergence of the Internet has allowed people to communicate in faster and more efficient ways. Dissemination of opinions and self-expression have been pushed into even more new areas where everything can be exposed with the advent of social media, especially Facebook. For this reason, can this be a tool to hinder corruption?

https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/social-media/facebook-corruption-social-media-internet-penetration

Discussion Questions:

1. Talk about corruption in your country. What are the government’s actions to fight corruption?

2. If you were to post about your thoughts on corruption on Facebook now, what would you say?

3. How else can Facebook and other social media make a positive impact?