1. Business English August 25, 2017
As you come in, take out a sheet of paper and write about a time when you had to work with others as part of a team. What were the positives and negatives of the experience. Did your team meet its goal?

2. Yesterday we…
Talked about the importance of interpersonal communication
Reviewed the benefits of good speaking and listening skills
Tested our interpersonal communication skills by speaking, listening, asking questions, and summarizing information presented

3. Objectives for Today
Students will demonstrate their ability to work collaboratively to set goals and solve a problem. Students will actively participate in small groups offering suggestions and critiques; and asking relevant questions which move the group toward its goal. Students will demonstrate the ability to tolerate differing viewpoints and ideas. Groups will produce a coherent plan for accomplishing the stated goal.
TEKS: E4.26; 110(c)(17); ELPS: c2G, c2I, c3E, c3I, c3J

4. The Basics: Checking your current knowledge & skills…
What is Collaboration
Collaboration: the act of working with one or more people to achieve a goal or accomplish a task

5. The basics: Checking your current knowledge & skills…
Can you think of any jobs which might rely heavily on collaboration?
First responders: police, fire, paramedics, etc.
Construction
Oil field
Medical
Professional sports
There are very few jobs in the modern world which don’t require at least some collaboration with others. That is why being able to work well with others is so vitally important!

6. The basics: Checking your current knowledge & skills…
What are some examples of ways you have to work collaboratively in your everyday lives? (Not on school assignments.)

7. The basics: Checking your current knowledge & skills…
Collaboration Exercise: Lost at Sea! The Goal: Work with your team members to determine which items available to you are most important to have with you while you’re lost at sea.

8. The basics: Checking your current knowledge & skills…
Collaboration Exercise: Lost at Sea! The Story: You have chartered a yacht with two friends for the holiday trip of a lifetime across the Atlantic Ocean. Because none of you have any previous sailing experience, you have hired an experienced skipper and two-person crew. Unfortunately in mid Atlantic a fierce fire breaks out in the ships galley and the skipper and crew have been lost while trying to fight the blaze. Much of the yacht is destroyed and is slowly sinking. Your location is unclear because vital navigational and radio equipment have been damaged in the fire. Your best estimate is that you are many hundreds of miles from the nearest landfall. You and your friends have managed to save 5 items, undamaged and intact after the fire. In addition, you have salvaged a four man rubber life craft and a box of matches. Your task is to rank the 5 items in terms of their importance for you, as you wait to be rescued. Place the number 1 by the most important item, the number 2 by the second most important and so forth until you have ranked all 5 items.

9. The basics: Checking your current knowledge & skills…
Collaboration Exercise: Lost at Sea! The Items You Managed to Save: • A mirror • A 25 gallon container of water • A case of dried food packs • A 10 gallon can of gasoline • 20 square feet of clear plastic

10. The basics: Checking your current knowledge & skills…
Collaboration Exercise: Lost at Sea!
Instructions:
1. Read the story about being lost at sea, and then read the list of items you have available to you.
2. Discuss with your group members which items you think are most important and why.
3. Agree as a group on which are most important. Rank each item in order of importance: the most important is number 1, second most important is number 2, and continuing until number 5.
4. When finished, groups will compare their rankings to those suggested by the United States Coast Guard.
5. Each group member will then evaluate how well their group worked together.

11. The basics: Checking your current knowledge & skills…
Collaboration Exercise: Lost at Sea!
How did your group do?
What did you learn about working together?
What are the potential drawbacks to working together as a team?
What are some ways that you might become better at working collaboratively?

12. The basics: Checking your current knowledge & skills…
Questions?

13. Homework
No homework tonight!

14. Next Week We Will…
Next week we will continue with Unit 1: The Basics by spending some time reviewing grammar.