Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Management Circle offered a business communication seminar for management assistants in Frankfurt that I had the privilege to teach. They do a really professional job of organising these events. My students, Astrid, Christine, Elke, Petra, Sladana and Theresia were such a pleasure to be with. Two days are obviously very short, but I have the impression that they left the seminar highly motivated to apply their new skills. I tried not to slay them with input, which of course is always the danger with these short intensive courses. Overall, I’m very pleased with how things went.
Here’s a chant I used in this seminar which is really effective. Grammar needs to be “automated”, you shouldn’t be thinking about tenses when you talk – so that’s where chants shine. Read this one out loud rhythmically for it to “work”:
What’s your name? Where are you from?
How long have you been here? (clap, clap)
What’s your name? Where are you from?
How long have you been here? (clap, clap)
How long have you been here? (clap, clap)
How long have you been here? (clap, clap)
What’s your name? Where are you from?
How long have you been here? (clap, clap)
So: How long have I been here? I’ve been here in Munich for 8 years. I’ve been living in Germany for much longer than that. And I’ve been making a fool of myself to amuse my students ever since I started teaching ;-).
Source for jazz chant & recommended lit: Carolyn Graham: Small Talk: More Jazz Chants
Language focus: How long + present perfect continuous
