In Company Upper intermediate Resource …

1 Photocopiable169In Company Upper intermediate Resource materialsIn Company Upper intermediate Teacher s Book Macmillan Publishers Limited 2004 RosemaryRichey9bSocialising with confidence1 Look at each awkward situation and think of two ways of rewriting the negative the following situations, using as much polite language from 1 as you can. Situation 1 Student AStudent BSituation 2 Student AStudent BSituation 3 Student AStudent BYou see your colleague in the canteen. You veheard he/she applied for a better job, but didn tget it. How can you diplomatically ask whathappened?You applied for job with another Company withhigher pay and better promotion prospects. Youdidn t get the job because you failed a test in theinterviewing process. How can you explain thisto your colleague?

2 You are the host of a dinner at your favouriterestaurant. One of your guests looks uncomfortableand approaches you about leaving early. It bothersyou that he/she wants to leave, but you can t forcehim/her to stay. How can you handle the situationdiplomatically?You are a guest at a dinner with a VIP client. Therestaurant is noisy and smoky and you think thefood and service are awful. You want to get outof the place as quickly as possible. How can youpolitely excuse yourself?You are a client negotiating an important contractat a meeting with the sales manager. You re aboutto sign when the sales manager spills coffee onyour white shirt. It s an expensive designer labeland one of your favourites. What do you say?You are the sales manager at a meeting with animportant client. The negotiation for a valuablenew contract is going very well but then you spillcoffee on the client s white shirt.

3 What can yousay to apologise and to make amends?I can t standthis food!I m so fed up with this dull conversation!Can t you read?You can t smoke in here!I m just not in the mood to goout with don t have a clue as to whoyou heard you got fired