wednesday

Contracts

Task 1:

Listen to a talk and take notes of seven key points and supporting details. Compare your notes with a partner. 

Before you consider signing a contract ...  - make sure you shop around: comparing  prices, guarantees, and warranties, the duration of contract, any terms or conditions that are important  ask 3 companies to compare before signing for services -know who you are dealing with: research this company to see its reputation. world of mouse or reference -never feel pressure to sign the contract right away: offer once a life time special deal and they won't offer it again.

When signing a contract ...   - always get it in writing, never rely on verbal promise: don’t hesitate to cross out some parts of agreement that you don’t agree with. Make sure any of these changes  are initialed of all parties before you sign. also fill in any blank spaces so other detail can't be added without your permission or your knowledge  - read the fine print: if you don't understand any of terms or conditions, ask questions.  - if or how you can get out of contract: cooling off period, check the consumer service act -keep a copy of the contract that you sign

Task 2:

Listen again and answer the questions. 

1.    What can prevent you from getting the best possible service and price?

people don't do the research enough 

2.    What are the potential consequences of not performing due diligence?

- you may cost more money than you should or spent more time
-put yourself in risk and deal with the bad reputation

3.    What signals should you be wary of when a contract is involved?

- sales put pressure on consumers.

4.    What can help prevent misunderstandings or fraud when you sign a contract?

- people has to do some research about this company or service in order to see their reputation or get a reference letter if it was referred from your friends or family members. 
-clarify the terms and conditions in the contract

5.    What is contained in “the fine print” and what are the consequences of not reading it?

- some terms or conditions of the contract

- the contract can't be changed or broken unless you and your parties both agree with the new terms. 

6.    What points does the speaker make about the language of contracts?

Plain language in published communication this means language that the average person understands rather than the complex legal and technical jargon that has been traditionally used. More and more business are slowly coming on board, so we are moving in the right direction 

7.    Explain the term direct agreement and give an example of a personal development service agreement.What do both of these agreements have in common?

direct agreement:  door to door selling situation. 

a personal development service agreement: gym membership contract 

both of them have a cooling off period in 10 days

8.    What are the potential consequences of cancelling a contract?

if people cancel the contract over time, both parties have to agree with it otherwise, you will be charge in most of the time. Or they will spend more money and time to hire a lawyer even going to the court. 

9.    What will help protect you if there is a breach of contract?
 - keep a copy of writing contract 

Task 3:

Fill in the following table and add any new idioms/vocabulary that you have picked from the talk.

Key vocabulary	Meaning	Sentences
party	group or person that involved in the contract
offer	provide something
acceptance	agree with something
consideration	small payment
terms	specific details that have been agreed upon by the parties,
conditions	a requirement stated in a contract which must be met in order to oblige the other party to fulfill his/her obligations
disclaimer	a statement that denies something, especially responsibility
cooling-off period	the period that you can think about to accept something or refuse
regulated sectors	a non-governmental orgainization that regulates the activities of companies in an industry for the government
small claims court	in charge of 25000or less
estimate	to say what you think an amount or value will be
recourse	look for someone or a thing for help
buyer’s remorse	the sense of regret after having made a purchase.
arbitration	the official process of trying to settle a disagreement between two people or groups by considering all the facts and opinions
retainer fee	an upfront cost incurred by an individual in order to ensure the services of a consultant, freelancer, etc
Verbs and verb collocations
to be bound by	to be tied
to be subject to	may request to do
to breach	to break
to sue	to accuse someone
to file a complaint	to submit a somplaint
to resolve	to find
to perform due
diligence	the investigation done before purchasing another company so let’s start there. to be very careful
to disclose	to uncover
information	facts or knowlege
be liable for	be legal for situation
to reserve the right	to keep the right to do somthing if you later think it is necessary

Monday

Task 1:

Listen to a dialogue between a customer and a restaurant manager. Answer the questions below.

1. What product or service does the customer enquire about? What are her general requirements?

 Their family is going to host a family dinner in the restaurant. It's her parents 40th wedding anniversary party. There are 30 people. June 5th Friday evening. 

2. What are the specific items that the customer would like to have included in her order? How will the manager accommodate those needs?

she booked the party on Friday evening on Jun 5th

vegetarian menu

light dessert with fruit on the top. 

The manager offered a private dinner room which is for 50 people. they can set up long tables for people of 30. there is standing room for drinks before the dinner. 18 adults.

it's wheelchair accessible. kids are from 4months -10 years. 

3. Underline the items from the menu that are not mentioned in the conversation:

• mini pizzas • drinks • steak • Caesar salad • cream filling

4. What is the final order that the manager wants the customer to confirm?'

appetizer, green salad.  

5. How and when will the order be finalized?

he will call back in one hour by phone. mary lee and 555-488-6666

6. How would you describe the manager’s style of customer service? Give reasons.

Very professional and polite. flexible and accommodating 

Task 2:

Listen to the recording again. Record the phrases and expressions you hear. Then, with a partner, add your own expressions to the list.

Asking for information: how many are adults? how old are they? do you have a vegetarian menu? why don't we start? I'd like to know if....

Clarifying information: ..would you prefer to light cake or something rich,

Changing the topic: do you know we have a...  let's decide

Closing the conversation: i will get back to you shortly

Task 3:

Locate information relating to each of the situations above. Go to the home page of the Ontario Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services, and then click on then Your Rights. There are four categories, within your groups, write a quick summary, and then present your findings to the class.

Cooling off period

consumers can cancel the contracts anytime without giving a reason by writing a cancellation letter to companies under the following conditions:

. buy a product or service  from a door-to-door salesperson (also called a direct agreement)
. pay in advance to join a fitness club or gym (also called a personal development contracts)

. buy a newly-built condo (under the Condominium Act)

. get a payday loan (under the Payday Loans Act)

.  purchase a time share

In contracts, most of the companies will return consumers money in 15 days or 2 days if it is payday loans. Meanwhile, the companies have responsibility to pick up the products or pay for it to be picked up. 

Friday

Your Voice on the Telephone: Tone, Intonation and Emphasis

The way you use your voice on the telephone will impact on how the message is received. Tone of voice, intonation and emphatic stress all carry meaning and can affect the way the other person perceives your message.

Tone: Because there are no visual cues, a listener must rely on the tone of your voice to determine the mood and intent of the call. For example, if you are making a complaint, your tone will be serious. If you feel that your concerns are not being addressed, your tone may change to one of frustration. If you have complained about the same problem to several people, your voice will probably have an angry tone.

Intonation: Intonation refers to the way your voice goes up and down when you are speaking. It’s important to vary your pitch to maintain the listener’s interest. Having a monotonous or flat voice makes the conversation boring for the listener. It also sends the message that you are bored with what the other person is saying.

Emphasis: Emphasis refers to the way certain words are stressed to convey meaning. For example, in each of the following sentences different words are stressed, and the meaning of each sentence is different because of it.

I was told you did the work. vs. I was told you did the work. vs. Iwas told you did the work.

Task 1:

Listen to segments of eight telephone conversations. Discuss the questions below.

Conversation 1: What message does the tone of the speaker convey? Why?

The speaker was very serious and angry because she wanted to complaint the service with a manager.  Her tone was sharp.

Conversation 2: Describe Eleni’s tone. Describe Adam’s tone at the end of the conversation.

Eleni was angry because Adam didn't pick up Eleni's phone call. Her tone was accusatory 

Adam emphasized his words to Eleni that was true  

Conversation 3 and 4: Compare the tone in the two conversations. How are they different?

Gus was in trouble or there was some issues they had to fix. His tone was very serious. 

Jack had some information to inform to Gus. there was nothing serious happened.

Conversation 5: Describe Greg Milne’s intonation. What impression of Greg would you have if you received this message on your answering machine?

He had falling intonation. he seems that he is not happy.  His tone was monotone. 

Conversation 6: Describe the caller’s tone. What kind of impression does she make?
Would you consider ordering this product based on the sound of her voice? Why?

His tone was perky and high pitched. The caller's tone was very excited and encouraged her to buy the products. she is not interested in it at all and felt he was very annoyed. I will consider ordering it if I need, because his tone sounds like this was very good product

Conversation 7, 8: Which words are emphasized in each conversation? Why? How would you emphasize the words in Tom’s sentences?

Tuesday, Thursday

teller home, tet home. 

wednesday

Calling About a Missed Appointment

Missing a scheduled appointment without providing notification is considered rude. If you inadvertently miss an appointment with a service provider or someone you’ve arranged to meet with, you should call to apologize and offer an explanation.

If you miss an appointment with a healthcare provider, you may have to pay for the missed appointment. Many healthcare providers require 24 hours’ notice to cancel an appointment.

Task 1:

Listen to the following telephone conversation in which a patient is apologizing for missing an appointment. As you listen, fill in the blanks.

Hospital: Good morning. Princess Margaret Lung Scan Study.

Patient: Oh, hello. I had an appointment for a lung scan on Monday and I’m terrible sorry but I ……miss……the appointment. I apologize . I just didn’t notice it on my calendar…

Hospital: Okay. may I have your name, please?


Patient: Yes, it’s Vivian Bryce – that’s B-R-Y-C-E. My appointment was for 9:45 a.m. on Monday the 12th. I was wondering if I could possibly …reschedule………….?

Hospital: Let’s see. how about Wednesday the 21st at 9:15am?

Patient: No, I’m not available on the 21st. Do you have …anything……. on Friday the 23rd?

Hospital: 
Yes, how about 10:30 a.m.?

Patient: Perfect. so that it's Friday the 23rd at 10:30 a.m. Bye.

Hospital: Bye.

Task 2:

Complete the table below with the expressions used to apologize and the explanation used in the above telephone dialogue.

Apology	Explanation
i am terrible sorry. i apologize	i just didn't notice i was wondering