EDUC5823: Developing Professional Practice in TESOL

Assignment 2

Student ID: 2978447

Word Count: 3470

MSc TESOL School of Education & EAS, School of Modern Languages & Cultures

AI Statement
Note: A copy of this statement with the cover page and feedback form is available on Moodle.
The aim of the programme is to develop your skills, knowledge, dispositions and ability to
critically evaluate, and apply these, for your future as English language teachers. An AI-generated
output ‘replicates biased results, and does not provide contextualised, evaluated or critiqued
evaluation of information’ (UofG position). If submitted as your own work, you are not working
with academic integrity and the work does not meet the University Regulations for Assessment.
As unethical AI use does not adequately allow you to bring your own learning experiences to the
learning and assessment process. Specific programme guidelines on AI use and
acknowledgement can be found here: programme guidelines.

It is important therefore that any use of AI tools are employed ‘effectively, ethically, critically,
and transparently’ (UofG position), and that you seek guidance from your tutors on what is
allowed and what is not.

Before submitting this assignment, please complete the following:

✘ 1. I have read and understood the University of Glasgow’s position on AI

✘ 2. I have read and understood the programme guidelines
✘ 3. I have read the assignment guidelines (DPP Guidelines)
✘ 4. I have not used AI for this assignment
5. I have used AI ethically according to the programme and course level guidelines and
acknowledged its use in my references, and completed the section below.

‘If you make use of AI at any point in your research or writing process, no matter at what stage,
you must acknowledge the use of that source/platform as you would any other piece of
evidence/material in your submission’ UofG position.

If you have used AI, describe in detail how you have used and referenced it here:

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Assignment 2 Feedback Sheet

MSc TESOL Course Title: Developing Professional Practice in TESOL (EDUC5823)

Assignment 2: (75%) Written assignment: a series of 3 connected lessons exploring an aspect of language
learning or teaching

Student Matriculation Number: ……………………………………………………..

First marker: Date:

All assignments are marked according to the University moderation and second marking policy. For
further details, see http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_216411_en.pdf

Assignments are assessed and graded according to the University of Glasgow’s Code of Assessment
(http://senate.gla.ac.uk/academic/assessments/scheda.html).* Marks are subject to moderation by
External Examiners and confirmation at the meeting of the Board of Examiners. Until then, all marks are
to be regarded as provisional.

Agreed Grade

Please note that this grade is provisional on ratification by the Examination Board

Course learning outcomes

o Analyse a specific aspect of language learning and select relevant learning tasks and materials
for the development of this area in a specific context.
o Demonstrate an ability to plan a series of connected lessons & show that you can sequence
lessons and activities/tasks.

Overall Comments (task achievement; depth; research; presentation):

Discussion and analysis of an area of Excellent Very Good Satisfactory Weak

language learning Good
Identifies a specific aspect of
language learning
Refers to and critically engages with
relevant literature
Accurately defines and uses
terminology

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Clarifies and exemplifies concept

showing depth of understanding
Discusses practical applications of
the chosen focus
Planning a series of lessons
Provides an outline of specific
learners and teaching context
Shows application of theory to
practice
Includes commentary on
adaptation / supplementation of
materials
Provides a rationale for:
sequencing of, and links between,
the 3 lesson plans
sequencing of tasks / activities
within each lesson in relation to
the chosen specific aspect of
language learning
material selection and how this
relates to the specific learners and
language learning focus
Presentation & conventions
Referenced in line with programme
guidelines
Falls within the prescribed word
Yes / No
length
Presented appropriately (clearly
written and organised; appropriate
layout; cross-references to lesson
plans)

*You must ensure you follow appropriate conventions for referring to sources/background reading. Failure to do so
can be construed as plagiarism. This can have serious consequences, including failing the assignment. See the
University Senate web pages for more information.
http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/senateoffice/studentcodes/staff/plagiarism/

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From Small Talk to Business: A Three-Lesson Sequence for

Business English Communication Course
1. Introduction
1.1 Course Background
This assignment explores the teaching of foundational social language in an introductory Business
English elective course, with a particular focus on helping students learn how to initiate and
sustain small talk as well as how to shift to business smoothly and politely in formal or semi-
formal contexts. According to the requirements set by the Chinese Ministry of Education for
Business English programme (2025), students are expected to command basic knowledge of
intercultural business communication and international business etiquette. Small talk is often used
at the beginning and end of business conversations and it can demonstrate respect for intercultural
etiquette (Holmes & Stubbe, 2003; McCarthy, 2000, as cited in Koester, 2006). In addition, small
talk is important in intercultural communication by demonstrating cultural norms, reducing
interpersonal distance, and displaying cosmopolitan identities (Koester, 2006). Therefore, it is
significant for students who engage in Business English to learn how to handle small talk
appropriately. This lesson is delivered through three 60-minute weekly sessions aiming to
improve students’ pragmatic ability to manage small talk and transition into business talk
smoothly.
1.2 Learner Profile
This course is designed for non-English majors students in a mid-sized class (around 20 students
per class) at an average Chinese university. They currently enroll in a Business English course in
their second or third year. Their language proficiency is around B1 to B2 on the CEFR scale,
which means that most of them can understand the main ideas of clear speech or text and take part
in daily or academic conversations. Some of them can also express their opinions with some
fluency and write connected texts (Council of Europe, n.d.). However, Chinese students tend to
present an imbalanced development in their reading, listening, writing and speaking skills.
According to IELTS statistics (2024), Chinese test takers’ reading and listening scores are
observably higher than their writing and speaking scores, with speaking being the lowest subject
(averaging 5.5). In addition, as Zheng and Huang (2010) observed, Chinese students generally
demonstrate relatively weak pragmatic competence, especially in greetings, small talk,
expressions of gratitude, and responses to compliments. This may be due to Chinese students tend
to apply Chinese linguistic habits inappropriately when expressing themselves in English.
Furthermore, many Business English students are not interested in foreign cultures and have
limited knowledge about them. This makes them struggle to recognize misunderstandings or use

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suitable language strategies in intercultural contexts (Mu & Yu, 2023). Since this course is
designed for students from non-English majors, they may have fewer opportunities to be exposed
to foreign cultures. Therefore, the course should employ authentic English materials and adopt
social contexts from international communication during practice, which can help students
develop intercultural communicative competence. In addition, besides acquiring fundamental
theoretical knowledge and vocabulary, this course should help students practice oral
communication in authentic business contexts.
However, some students may present low engagement in speaking activities because of teacher-
led classroom management, limited tolerance for pauses or silence, and insufficient opportunities
for authentic language production (Tsui, 1996; Swain, 1985, as cited in Zhang & Head, 2010).
This shows the importance of adapting teaching strategies to suit the learning preferences of
Chinese college students. This will be further discussed in Section 2.4.
1.3 Materials
Based on the mentioned learners’ profile and requirements, the main teaching
material selected for this course is English for Socializing, which was designed
for those who wish to build rapport with international clients and colleagues
and maintain successful business relationships with them (Gore & Smith,
2007). In this textbook, Unit 1 and Unit 3 are selected for this course because
they provide clear guidance on how to make greetings and contact, keep
small talk and shift to business, which is acceptable and practical for Business
English beginners.
The difficulty of this textbook is appropriately suited for B1-B2 learners. Most
vocabulary and phrases are basic and practical. However, they can reflect
natural usage in authentic business contexts. For example, in Appendix 2
Figure 3, the textbooks presents several easy but natural phrases to make
contact with clients like “Greet to see you again”, “Can I help with your
bags?”. However, it still contains some expressions that students may be
unfamiliar with (e.g., “There was some turbulence”, “Uneventful, thank you”
(Appendix 2 Figure 2)). This aligns with Krashen’s “i+1” theory (1982),
offering accessible but little challenging expressions through meaningful
context.
Furthermore, this material provides a wide range of authentic business
contexts for students to learn useful expressions and practice speaking
output. For example, when practicing small talk, a highly authentic

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background is provided in which colleagues engage in casual conversation

while waiting for other participants to arrive before a meeting (Appendix 2
Figure 8).
However, this material probably has some limitations. For example, some
exercises in this book are isolated sentence gap-filling tasks, with little or no
contextual support (e.g., Appendix 2 Figure 10). To improve this, a
conversation conducted by Emma and Jack was adapted from this to help
students practice and memorize the phrases in a more authentic contexts
(Appendix 1b Task 2). More detailed adaptations and supplementary materials
will be discussed in Section 3.2.
2. Literature Review
2.1 Small Talk and Pragmatic Competence
Based on the discussion in Section 1.1, the major function of small talk is not
to convey information, but to serve interpersonal relationships and social
interaction goals (Ren, 2023). Many studies pointed out that the successful
small talk requires a relatively strong ability to interpret contextual cues,
understand interpersonal dynamics within the interaction, and manage the
timing of conversational transitions, which goes beyond the English grammar
and linguistic forms (Handford, 2010; Koester, 2006; Ren, 2023). This is the
core content of what pragmatic competence aims to study. Bachman (1990)
defined pragmatic competence as the ability to use language appropriately in
specific contexts, which includes the ability to understand and perform
various speech acts (illocutionary competence) and the ability to apply
sociocultural norms, background knowledge, and pragmatic rules
(sociolinguistic competence). This means that pragmatic competence
provides the essential foundation for people to ensure small talk smoothly
and successfully. Therefore, in order to improve students’ small talk ability, it
is significant to enhance their pragmatic competence in business and
professional contexts.
2.2 Challenges in Developing Chinese College Students’ Pragmatic
Competence
Besides the issues mentioned in Section 1.2 (inappropriate use of speech in greetings,
compliments and responses, and apologies; influence of negative transfer from L1), Chinese
students also tend to struggle with identifying the speaker’s intended meaning or pragmatic cues

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in discourse accurately (Liu, 2006). This may be due to the lack of emphasis on the development
of pragmatic competence in Chinese college ELT. Wen (2018) pointed out that primary college
ELT teaching methods in China are text-centered and input-based, which means the commanding
the text is regarded as the final goal rather than practical language use. This separates language
learning from language use, which may lead to the phenomenon of “dumb English” (Dai, 2001, as
cited in Wen, 2018). Moreover, because Chinese ELT materials and assessment primarily focus on
written input and grammatical structures, it is difficult for students to transfer their learning to
authentic communicative contexts (Wen, 2018). Similarly, Rao (2002) pointed out that most
Chinese college students preferred to non-communicative activities such as grammar drills,
translation exercises, and reading comprehension. However, they are less frequently engaged in
oral activities like role plays, group discussions and interviews. This can reflect that their
oral training is not enough and it will probably make them hard to deal with
the conversation demands in natural contexts. Therefore, college ELT in China
should employ a pragmatics-oriented approach by strengthening oral training
and creating authentic communicative environments. Furthermore, it is
necessary to improve students’ cross cultural knowledge, helping them to
identify pragmatic cues, speaker’s intent, and speech acts in English.
2.3 Task-Based Language Teaching for Developing Students’
Pragmatic Competence
Based on the challenges discussed in Section 2.2, it is important to adopt
effective teaching methods to help Chinese college EFL learners to improve
their pragmatic competence in authentic communication contexts. There are
several pedagogical strategies which have been proved to be effective for
developing students’ pragmatic competence and Task-Based Language
Teaching (TBLT) is widely accepted as one of the most widely-adopted
teaching methods in this field. However, because of the specific features of
Chinese college students such as limited speaking practice, high reliance on
textbooks, and low engagement in interactive activities (Zhang & Head, 2010;
Wen, 2018; Liu, 2006), TBLT probably need to be adjusted to better suit their
learning habits and classroom situations.
TBLT is an ELT strategy based on Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and theories of
Second Language Acquisition (SLA). It organizes language learning through real world
communicative tasks and emphasizes the use of language for meaning rather than grammar drills
(Long, 1985; Candlin, 1987; Breen, 1989; Prabhu, 1987, as cited in Ellis et al., 2020). In TBLT,

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tasks share four core characteristics: they are meaning-focused, involve some kind of information
gap, encourage learner autonomy in language use, and target at a clearly defined communicative
outcome (Ellis & Shintani, 2014). Many researches has demonstrated that TBLT can effectively
enhance learners’ communicative competence, making it particularly suitable for pedagogical
contexts that prioritize authentic language use (Ellis et al., 2020).
However, Ellis et al. (2020) pointed out that TBLT may encounter several challenges during
implementation. One significant issue is the difficulty of some tasks is hard to be assessed and
many students may have difficulty understanding the task requirements. Additionally, because
TBLT emphasizes learner autonomy and self-directed learning, the teacher guidance may be
neglected. Wen (2016) noted that TBLT in China may overemphasize students’ autonomous
practice while marginalizing the teacher’s instruction role. This absence of instructional support
can often lead to low learning efficiency.
To address this challenge, explicit instruction can be adopted as a complementary strategy. This
strategy is triggered by the teacher, instructional content, or classroom design, which aims to
actively guide learners to notice and understand pragmatic features in language use by explicitly
explaining the rules of language use and mechanisms of meaning (Ifantidou, 2013). Many studies
found that explicit instruction can significantly improve learners’ ability to identify implied
meaning in authentic texts and enhance learners’ attention to pragmatic features and help them
facilitate the internalization of language input (Ifantidou, 2013; Ishihara & Cohen, 2014).
Therefore, before TBLT activities like role plays, explicit instruction can provide essential
scaffolding through helping students understand the task objectives and the communicative
intentions involved. It should also include the review of relevant language expressions that help
learners internalize language input and apply it in real communication. This approach can enhance
the effectiveness of the task and avoid the issue noted by Wen (2016), where increased learner
output is mostly incidental rather than the result of systematic instructional design.
2.4 Addressing Students’ Silence in the Speaking Classroom
As what discussed in Section 3, TBLT activities like role plays are useful for
teaching pragmatic competence. However, it might be difficult for Chinese
students to adapt. This can result in classroom silence and reduced
participation (Zhang & Head, 2010). This reticence is probably influenced by
multiple factors. Initially, many students especially those with lower language
proficiency tend to be afraid of making mistakes and losing face. This may
lead to communication anxiety and decrease their willing ro make oral
production (Allwright & Bailey, 1991; Tudor, 1996; Ho & Crookall, 1995, as
cited in Zhang & Head, 2010). Additionally, some teachers’ tolerance of
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silence is low and students’ thinking time will be reduced, which may
discourage their participation motivation (Tsui, 1996, as cited in Zhang &
Head, 2010). Moreover, the traditional Asian education which emphasizes
teacher authority may hinder students from expressing personal opinions (Ho
& Crookall, 1995; Liu, 1998, as cited in Zhang & Head, 2010).
In order to address this issue, Zhang and Head (2010) advocated the use of a negotiated syllabus,
which emphasizes shared decision-making between teachers and students and encourages learners
to participate in course plan and activities (Breen and Littlejohn, 2000). Zhang and Head (2010)
pointed out that negotiated syllabus significantly enhanced students’ participation and sense of
responsibility, improved their motivation and confidence, and reduced classroom reticence.
However, this might not be suitable for Business English elective course for beginners. In Zhang
and Head’s study, some students reported that they lacked confidence in their English ability and
expressed a preference for listening to teacher-centred lectures. This reflects that beginners
probably are not able to take on an active role in the classroom, especially in selecting learning
content or planning activities. Therefore, for beginners of Business English, effective negotiation
with the teacher is probably not feasible, which indicates that instruction should remain teacher-
led in design. However, students’ freedom to express themselves cannot be ignored. Therefore, an
approach that strikes a balance between structure and learner autonomy should be adopted.
To meet this balance, Hunter (2012) proposed delayed corrective feedback (CF) strategy, which
provides a practical and low-anxiety way to improve students’ pragmatic competence by allowing
students to speak freely without being corrected immediately. During student-led speaking tasks,
the teacher should listen silently, note errors, and give written or recorded feedback after class.
This can help avoid embarrassment and allows students to notice their mistakes more comfortably
(Schmidt & Frota, 1986, as cited in Hunter, 2012).
Although Hunter (2012) believed that the learning content should be decided by students instead
of teachers, the feedback method he suggested still keeps a clear teacher-led structure and gives
students chances to speak. This method is especially suitable for Business English beginners who
are not ready to help plan the course and it may improve speaking participation, raise language
awareness, and reduce silence in Chinese EFL classrooms.
3. Theoretical Applications in the Three-Lesson Sequence
3.1 The Sequencing of the Three Lessons
This three-lesson course follows Graves’ (1996) sequencing principles in two core ways. First,
this lesson moves from simple to complex, from concrete to open-ended activities. In Lesson 1,
students are asked to practice simple expressions like “Nice to meet you” and “How was your

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flight?” (Appendix 1a Task 1). Lesson 2 extends this by teaching students how to ask about
hobbies and mutual acquaintances to keep the conversation going. In Lesson 3, students should
decide how and when to shift from small talk to formal business talk. They also need to choose
appropriate phrases like “Shall we begin?” or “Let’s move on to the agenda?” according to
different listeners to conduct small talk and make transition (Appendix 1c Task 1). Second, key
phrases such as greetings, weather talk, and travel questions are recycled across lessons to support
retention and fluency. For example, at the beginning of both Lesson 2 and Lesson 3, a review
activity is included to ask students to recall what they learned in the previous lesson (Appendix 1b
Appendix 1c Stage Plan). Additionally, Lesson 2 Task 4 requires students to do greetings while
Lesson 3 Task 1 asks them to start small talk.
3.2 How Theories Are Integrated in Each Lesson Activity
3.21 Lesson 1: Making Contact: Greetings and Small Talk (Appendix
1a)
This lesson aims to help students learn how to greet and start small talk in a business context. The
warm-up reduces anxiety and activates personal knowledge. It can give students a safe start,
which is important for Chinese learners who often hesitate in speaking (Zhang & Head, 2010).
The matching task (Appendix 1a Task 1) is directly taken from the textbook (Appendix 2 Figure
2), but it is used differently. Instead of simple drill, it uses a task aiming to help students
understand why some responses are more polite or suitable than others. This supports their
illocutionary competence (Bachman, 1990) and prepares them for later use. The listening task’s
(Appendix 1a Task 2) material is adapted from Appendix 3 Figure 1. It combines three separate
dialogues from the textbook into one integrated airport pick-up conversation, which provides
contextualized input and helps students notice how language can be used in real situations. The
next teacher-led explanation (Appendix 1a Task 3) also supports explicit instruction (Ifantidou,
2013), which can let students learn about tone, purpose, and cultural meaning of these phrases. In
the role-play (Appendix 1a Task 4), students practice what they learned using real roles like host
and visitor. To support students’ confidence and accuracy, useful phrases was provided during the
role-play task. This aligns with the principles of explicit instruction and helps learners focus on
appropriate expressions in context. For Chinese students who often struggle with spontaneous
speech (Zhang & Head, 2010), this may reduce their anxiety of making mistakes (Ellis et al.,
2020) and supports more fluent and polite interaction and enhance their awareness of how
pragmatic forms fit different roles and situations (Bachman, 1990). The final reflection gives
delayed feedback, which lets students improve with less pressure (Schmidt & Frota, 1986, as cited
in Hunter, 2012).
3.22 Lesson 2: Getting Acquainted: Extending Small Talk and Building

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Rapport (Appendix 1b)

This lesson targets at helping students extend small talk beyond greetings. The warm-up reviews
previous content and introduces the new content: how to keep small talk going. This supports
Graves’ (1996) sequencing principle and helps reduce anxiety before students begin speaking
(Zhang & Head, 2010). The phrase-sorting task (Appendix 1b Task 1) is adapted from textbook
content (Appendix 3 Figure 6). Instead of simply filling in gaps, the exercises were reorganized by
communicative functions: initiating, responding, and following up. This can help improve
students’ awareness of conversation structure and polite ways to keep interaction going, which
supports pragmatic competence (Bachman, 1990). The next listening task (Appendix 1b Task 2)
was adapted from textbook dialogues about free-time activities (Appendix 2 Figure 10), which is
similar to Lesson 1 Task 2, creating a realistic context for students. This lesson also includes a
Review and Drill stage (Appendix 1b Task 3) as explicit instruction. This role play task (Appendix
1b Task 4) is adapted from Appendix 2 Figure 8. The textbook provides a fixed dialogue for small
talk, which cannot give students a chance to choose what to say and they cannot practice real
communication or improve their speaking flexibility. In this lesson, students can choose their own
roles (host or visitor) and create the conversation based on prompts. This creates a more authentic
setting. To help them, a list of useful phrases was given. This supports explicit instruction
(Ifantidou, 2013) and lowers pressure for students who lack confidence (Zhang & Head, 2010).
3.23 Lesson 3: Moving from Small Talk to Business (Appendix 1c)
This lesson aims to let students learn how to shift from small talk to formal business talk. The first
presentation (Appendix 1c Presentation 1) introduces five typical situations for topic shift, based
on Koester (2006) and Handford (2010) because the textbook does not cover when to move from
small talk to business. The second presentation (Appendix 1c Presentation 2) shows common
phrases used in real meetings based from Appendix 2 Figure 7. Since topic shifting is a higher-
level skill for B1-B2 learners, these two steps reduce pressure and prepare them for speaking
tasks, which follows the principle of explicit instruction (Ifantidou, 2013) and supports students’
pragmatic competence (Bachman, 1990). In the matching activity (Appendix 1c Task 1), students
link expressions to social roles such as colleagues, clients, or managers. In workplace meetings,
language choices can both give task instructions and reflect the relationship and roles between
speakers and listeners. For example, “Shall we begin?” sounds polite and is often used in client
meetings, showing respect and a cooperative tone. In contrast, “Let’s begin” is more direct and is
usually used by a boss to guide staff (Koester, 2006; Handford, 2010). “Right. Okay. So current
technical problems?” is short and direct, which are often used between colleagues at the same
level to focus on efficiency. “Before we start…” is a polite phrase often used in formal or external
meetings to introduce a note or small talk, showing attention to relationship and structure

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(Handford, 2010). This presentation helps them choose suitable language for different situations,
which is often difficult for Chinese students due to limited input (Wen, 2018).
4. Limitations
A key limitation of this lesson is the contradiction between English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)
principles and classroom practice. ELF encourages respect for English varieties, including China
English. However, this course asked students to avoid certain local expressions to ensure cultural
appropriateness in international business settings. For instance, Mu and Yu (2023) noted that some
Chinese students were unaware that “666” is taboo in Western culture but it is often used in China
as praise. Ideally, a separate lesson on intercultural taboos would help students avoid such
misunderstandings. Apart from avoiding taboos, students need not to deliberately imitate Western
English but to ensure their communication is appropriate, polite, and intelligible. Yet, due to time
constraints, the course could not fully address these issues.

References
Bachman, L. F. (1990). Fundamental considerations in language testing. Oxford
University Press.
Breen, M. P., & Littlejohn, A. (2000). Classroom decision-making: Negotiation and
process syllabuses in practice. Cambridge University Press.

Council of Europe. (n.d.). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
teaching, assessment – Global scale (Table 1). https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-
framework-reference-languages/table-1-cefr-3.3-common-reference-levels-global-scale

Ellis, R., Skehan, P., Li, S., Shintani, N., & Lambert, C. (2020). Task-based language
teaching: Theory and practice. Cambridge University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108643689

Ellis, R., & Shintani, N. (2014). Exploring language pedagogy through second language
acquisition research. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203796580

Gore, S., & Smith, A. (2007). English for socializing. Oxford University Press.

Handford, M. (2010). The language of business meetings. Cambridge University Press.

https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139525329

Hunter, J. (2012). ‘Small talk’: Developing fluency, accuracy, and complexity in speaking. ELT
Journal, 66(1), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccq093

IELTS. (2024). Test taker performance 2023–2024. https://ielts.org/researchers/our-research/test-

statistics

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Ifantidou, E. (2013). Pragmatic competence and explicit instruction. Journal of Pragmatics,

59(Part A), 93–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2012.12.008

Ishihara, N., & Cohen, A. D. (2014). Teaching and learning pragmatics: Where language
and culture meet. Routledge.

Koester, A. (2006). Investigating workplace discourse. Routledge.

Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition.

Liu, J. D. (2006). Assessing EFL learners’ interlanguage pragmatic knowledge: Implications for testers
and teachers. Reflections on English Language Teaching, 5(1), 1–22.

Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. (2025). Teaching standards for business
English programmes (Higher Vocational Education – College level).
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zk_jyytydl/jyytydl_yyl/202502/P020250207554543068266.pdf

Mu, Y., & Yu, B. (2023). Developing intercultural competence in college business English students: A
study of innovative teaching in China. International Journal of Intercultural Relations,
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Rao, Z. (2002). Chinese students’ perceptions of communicative and non-communicative activities in

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251X(01)00050-1

Ren, W. (2023). Small talk is not small: A commentary on pragmatics studies on small talk
(postscript). Acta Linguistica Academica, 70(4), 524–528.
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Wen, Q. (2018). The production-oriented approach to teaching university students English in China.
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Zhang, X., & Head, K. (2010). Dealing with learner reticence in the speaking class. ELT Journal,
64(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccp018

Zheng, L., & Huang, J. (2010). A study of Chinese EFL learners’ pragmatic failure and the
implications for college English teaching. Polyglossia, 18, 41–54.

Appendix 1a: Lesson Plan 1

Lesson Title: Making Contact: Greetings and Small Talk
Lesson Frequency: One lesson per week and three weeks in total, this is the
first lesson
Length of Lesson: 60 mins
Numbers of Students: About 20
Students’ Language Proficiency: Intermediate (B1-B2)
Learner Profile: The learners are non-English majors students in a middle-scale class in a
mid-tier Chinese university enrolled in a Business English Communication course (Grade 2-Grade
3). Most learners have intermediate grammar and vocabulary knowledge but lack experience in
authentic speaking contexts, especially in social or business situations. They may often feel unsure

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how to greet or begin small talk when first meeting an unfamiliar foreigner due to limited
exposure to real-life English use.
Lesson Aim: To develop students’ competence of starting greetings and first-contact small
talk in semi-formal situations. By the end of the class, students should have the ability to use
polite and natural phrases to greet a visitor and ask appropriate introductory questions.
Stage Plan:
Stage Interacti Aims (Why) Procedure (What)
and on
Timing
Warm- T-S Activate students’ T asks students: “What
up background do you usually say
(5 mins) knowledge on when you meet
greetings and someone for the first
small talk. time in English?”;
“Have you ever made
small talk with your
friends?” Then, T
introduces the
importance of good
greetings and small
talk.
Match S-S Help students Students match
phrases identify common phrases like “Nice to
with greeting meet you” or “How was
answers expressions and your flight?” to their
(10mins) their purposes. probable answers
Listenin T-S Help students T plays the record and
g task understand target Students listen to a
(10 language in short dialogue of a host
mins) context and greeting a visitor and
improve they complete a gap-fill
comprehension. task.
Languag T-S Review the form T reviews the answers,
e focus and meaning of leads students to drill
& the core phrases. pronunciation, and
clarificat explains usage and
ion (15 cultural meaning.
mins)
Role- S-S T-S Practice learned Students take roles
play phrases in (visitor and host) in
task (15 simulated pairs and act a short
mins) dialogue. first meeting, using
language learned from
the class. T give
feedback.
Feedbac T-S Review the T provides feedback on
k& context and frequent errors and
reflectio reflect on use of leads students to share
n (5 expressions. which strategies were
mins) most useful and where
they felt uncomfortable.

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Materials: English for Socializing, Unit 1 (Gore & Smith, 2007, Oxford University
Press). The class activities are all adapted from this textbook.

Introduction to the Importance of Greetings and Small Talk

Greetings and small talk are very important in English-speaking cultures, especially in
professional or business contexts because they can help build rapport, reduce tension, and create a
friendly atmosphere. Simple exchanges like “Nice to meet you” or “How was your journey?” can
also be helpful to create a positive first impression.
In English-speaking business contexts, small talk is not just a polite routine but it is a
relationship-building process. Skipping this may be seen as unfriendly and rudely. Therefore,
learning how to greet others naturally and engage in brief, polite conversation is a necessary
communication skill for students who plan to interact in international business environments
(Gore & Smith, 2007).

Task 1: Matching Questions with Answers

Questions / Statements
1. Is there a toilet around here?
2. How was your journey?
3. Can I help you with your bags?
4. Would you like to eat something?
5. Nice to meet you.
6. Where are we going from here?
7. How was the drive?
8. Is there a café where we could sit down?
9. How was your flight?
Possible Answers
a. OK, but there was some turbulence.
b. That would be great, thanks.
c. Yes, there’s a nice one just over there.
d. We should probably go straight to the office, if that’s OK.
e. Not so good. The traffic was horrible.
f. Sure, no problem.
g. Nice to meet you too.
h. There’s one just this way.
i. Uneventful, thanks.
Keys: 1–c 2–i 3–f 4–b 5–g 6–d 7–e 8–h 9–a

Task 2: Listening Task

Context: James, a staff member at a UK company, is meeting Raj, an overseas visitor, for the
first time. They are in the company reception area, just before heading to the meeting room.
James: You Raj.
Raj: Yes, me.
James: It’s great to finally meet you after all and emails.
Raj: Likewise! I’m surprised you haven’t .
James: Not at all. It’s meet you. How was ?
Raj: Not bad. Just a little delay .
James: Can I help you ?
Raj: That would be great, thanks.
James: Would with you to the meeting room?
Raj: . Thank you!
Listening Script

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James: You must be Raj.

Raj: Yes, that’s me.
James: It’s great to finally meet you in person after all our phone calls and emails.
Raj: Likewise! I’m surprised you haven’t been waiting long.
James: Not at all. It’s a pleasure to meet you. How was your flight?
Raj: Not bad. Just a little delay at the gate.
James: Can I help you with your bags?
Raj: That would be great, thanks.
James: Would you mind taking this folder with you to the meeting room?
Raj: Not at all. Thank you!

Task 3: Review and Drill

Greetings
Nice/Good/Great to see you again.
(when you know somebody already)
Nice/Good/Great to meet you (at last).
(when you are meeting somebody for the first time)
Apologizing for a delay
I hope you haven’t been waiting long.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Asking about the journey
How was the/your flight/journey?
How was the drive? (AmE) (if somebody comes by car)
Offering and asking for help
Can I help you with your bags?
Let me get/take that for you.
Would you mind taking this?
The next step
I’d just like to wash my hands.
Is there a toilet (BrE)/restroom (AmE) around here?
Is there a café where we could sit down / get something to drink?
Where are we going now?

Task 4: Role Play

Context: Students are divided to working in pairs. One student plays the role of a local host
picking up a visitor from the airport. During the car way to the hotel, they make a formal
conversation, mostly about the weather in each other’s countries.
Student A: Local Host
You will pick up a visitor from a England airport and you need to make polite
small talk during the drive.
Try to:
Ask about the weather in their country.
Describe recent or seasonal weather in your city.
Mention something about local summers or winters.
Respond politely if they complain about weather.
End with a friendly comment.
Student B: Visitor
You have arrived in a new city and you need to answer your host’s questions
and join the conversation naturally.
Try to:
Talk about the weather when you left.
Comment on how this weather compares.
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Mention something about the weather in your country.

Show polite interest.
Respond appropriately.
Language support
You can use:
It’s a nice change from England.
How was the weather when you left?
It’s been really sunny lately.
Do you usually get cold winters?
Sometimes it goes down to minus 15.
It can be quite depressing when it’s grey.

Appendix 1b: Lesson Plan 2

Lesson Title: Getting Acquainted: Extending Small Talk and Building Rapport
Lesson Frequency: One lesson per week and three weeks in total, this is the
second class
Length of Lesson: 60 mins
Numbers of Students: About 20
Students’ Language Proficiency: Intermediate (B1-B2)
Learner Profile: While the students have already learned how to greet others and start small
talk in the first lesson, they may struggle with developing conversations beyond simple greetings
in semi-formal or business contexts. This can probably lead to embarrassed silences or unnatural
topic changes. Therefore, students need to learn the appropriate way to ask follow-up questions,
respond politely, and discuss neutral topics such as hobbies or routines to maintain interaction
with foreign visitors or guests.
Lesson Aim: To help students improve their small talk skills, especially extending
conversations after the initial greeting. By the end of the lesson, students should be able to
question and response appropriately around topics like hobbies, weather and shared interests to
keep a short conversation going naturally. This can enhance students’ pragmatic competence in
semi-formal environments.
Stage Plan:
Stage Interactio Aims (Why) Procedure (What)
and n
Timing
Review T-S S-S Review the T asks students to
and knowledge they recall the content they
warm-up have learned in have learned and raises
(6 mins) the first class and questions: “What can
let students you say after greeting
understand the someone?” After
importance of inviting students
extending the sharing ideas from last
conversation class. T introduces
naturally. today’s focus: how to
keep a short
conversation going
naturally and tells
students its
importance.
Phrase- S-S Help students Students need to read

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Stage Interactio Aims (Why) Procedure (What)

and n
Timing
sorting understand the 10 phrases and sort
task functions of small them into 3 categories:
(10mins) talk expressions Initiating a topic,
about mutual Responding, and
acquaintance. Following up. This
includes: “How’s he
doing these days?”,
“That’s good to hear,
What about Chris?”,
etc.
Listenin T-S Help students T plays a short dialogue
g task understand how between two colleagues
(10 to talk about free- talking about hobbies
mins) time activities in and fitness. Students
an authentic listen and complete a
conversations gap-fill task using the
correct verb form.
Languag T-S Review the form T presents how to ask
e focus and meaning of or talk the safe topics
& the core phrases. about mutual
clarificat acquaintances and free-
ion (15 times activities. T helps
mins) students drill the
pronunciation and
review the appropriate
way to respond or
follow up.
Role- S-S T-S Practice learned Students need to
play phrases in simulate a pre-meeting
task (15 simulated conversation. In pairs,
mins) dialogue. students take roles (A
and B) and follow
structured prompts to
greet each other and
extend small talk using
language related to
journeys, weather,
hobbies, and mutual
acquaintances. T
monitors during the
activity and provides
feedback on fluency
and appropriateness of
expressions.
Feedbac T-S Review the T provides feedback on
k& context and frequent errors and
reflectio reflect on use of leads students to share
n (4 expressions which strategies were

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Stage Interactio Aims (Why) Procedure (What)

and n
Timing
mins) most useful and where
they felt uncomfortable.
Materials: English for Socializing, Unit 3 (Gore & Smith, 2007, Oxford
University Press). The class activities are all adapted from this textbook.

Task 1: Sorting Task

How’s he doing these days?
He says hello, by the way.
Not to worry.
That’s good to hear.
I can imagine.
What about Chris?
She said she wanted to move closer to the sea.
She was promoted to product manager.
Have you heard anything from Joe recently?
Say hi to Maria for me.
Functions: Initiating, Responding, Following up
Keys:
Initiating a topic
How’s he doing these days?
Have you heard anything from Joe recently?
He says hello, by the way.
Say hi to Maria for me.
Responding
That’s good to hear.
I can imagine.
Not to worry.
Following up
What about Chris?
She said she wanted to move closer to the sea.
She was promoted to product manager.

Task 2: Listening Task

Context: Two colleagues, Emma and Jack, are chatting during a coffee break about their hobbies
and fitness.
Instructions: Listen to the dialogue between Emma and Jack and fill in the blanks with the
correct verb: do, go, or play.
Emma: Hey Jack, are there any nice places to ______ running around here?
Jack: Yeah, there’s a park just behind the office. I ______ there sometimes before work.
Emma: Sounds nice. My daughter and I enjoy ______ chess in the evenings. It helps her focus.
Jack: Oh, that’s cool. Have you ever ______ tai chi? I really enjoy it on weekends.
Emma: I’ve seen it in the park, but never tried. How often do you ______ to the gym?
Jack: Twice a week, if I’m lucky. But I’ve ______ the piano since I was a child—keeps me sane.
Emma: That’s impressive! Last summer we ______ windsurfing almost every day. It was
amazing.
Jack: Nice! I used to ______ aerobics when I was younger, but not anymore.
Emma: Same here. I wish I had time to ______ more sport these days.
Listening Script

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Emma: Hey Jack, are there any nice places to go running around here?
Jack: Yeah, there’s a park just behind the office. I go there sometimes before
work.
Emma: Sounds nice. My daughter and I enjoy playing chess in the evenings. It
helps her focus.
Jack: Oh, that’s cool. Have you ever done tai chi? I really enjoy it on
weekends.
Emma: I’ve seen it in the park, but never tried. How often do you go to the
gym?
Jack: Twice a week, if I’m lucky. But I’ve played the piano since I was a child—
keeps me sane.
Emma: That’s impressive! Last summer we went windsurfing almost every
day. It was amazing.
Jack: Nice! I used to do aerobics when I was younger, but not anymore.
Emma: Same here. I wish I had time to do more sport these days.

Task 3: Review and Drill

Talking About Mutual Acquaintances
How to Ask
How’s Marita doing these days?
What’s Carol up to?
Have you heard anything from Joe recently?
I’m seeing him tomorrow. Should I say hello from you?
How to Respond
She’s doing fine.
Not recently, but last time I heard she was well.
Yes, I just talked to him last week.
Oh, please do! That’s kind of you.
How to Follow Up
Say hi to Maria for me. (informal)
Give my regards to Maria. (neutral/formal)
Is she still working at the same place?
Do you still keep in touch with him?
Talking About Free-Time Activities
How to Ask
So, what do you like doing in your free time?
Do you have any hobbies?
Do you do any sports?
What do you do to keep fit?
How to Respond
I like cooking and watching TV.
I go to the gym after work.
I play squash on weekends.
I don’t do much, to be honest.
I prefer staying at home and reading.
How to Follow Up
How often do you go?
Do you go alone or with someone?
What got you into that hobby?
Have you done it for a long time?

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Task 4: Role Play

Context: You are colleagues from different offices. You are waiting in a
meeting room for others to arrive. After doing greetings, try to keep the
conversation polite, natural and flowing.
Student A (host)
Greet your colleague and ask how they are.
Ask about their journey.
Respond, then ask about their hobbies or what they do to relax.
Ask about a mutual colleague (e.g., “Have you heard from…?”)
Say the meeting is about to begin.
Student B (visitor)
Respond to the greeting and ask A how they are.
Say something about the journey or the weather.
Respond to the question and ask A what they do in their free time.
Mention a colleague you both know (e.g., “How’s Chris doing these days?”)
Agree it’s time to begin.
Useful Phrases
“Nice to see you again!” / “Did you find the office easily?”
“Not bad, thanks. Just a bit tired from the flight.”
“What do you usually do to relax?”
“Have you heard from Joe recently?”
“Let’s get started then, shall we?”

Appendix 1c: Lesson Plan 3

Lesson Title: Moving from Small Talk to Business
Lesson Frequency: One lesson per week and three weeks in total, this is the
third lesson
Length of Lesson: 60 mins
Numbers of Students: About 20
Students’ Language Proficiency: Intermediate (B1-B2)
Learner Profile: In the previous two lessons, the students have learned how to greet and
keep small talk by discussing safe topics like hobbies and mutual acquaintances. However, they
may still not know how to move from small talk to business smoothly and naturally.
Lesson Aim: To develop students’ ability to shift from informal or semi-formal small talk to
formal business conversations in a polite and natural way. By the end of the lesson, students
should be able to use appropriate transition like “Shall we get started?”, “Let’s move on…”.
Stage Plan:

Stage Interactio Aims (Why) Procedure (What)

and n
Timing
Review T-S S-S Review how to T asks students to
and continue small recall the content they
warm-up talk naturally have learned and raises
(6 mins) learned in the questions: “When do
second class and you think that it’s the
let students right time to move from
discuss when small talk to business”,
should they move “What phrases are
from small talk to appropriate to start to
business and talk business?” After

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Stage Interactio Aims (Why) Procedure (What)

and n
Timing
what phrases they inviting students
can use. sharing ideas from last
class. T introduces
today’s focus: how to
move from small talk to
business politely and
smoothly.
Presenta T-S Help students T presents the study
tion (10 understand the conducted by Handford
mins) appropriate time (2010) and Koester
to shift to (2006) to show the
business. appropriate time.
Presenta T-S Help students T shows several
tion (10 understand how phrases or sentences to
mins) to use practical shift to business
phrases to shift to politely, like “I suppose
business we should make a
smoothly. start”, “So, shall we get
down to business”.
Match S-S T-S Help students T presents several
phrases know how to transition expressions
with choose like “Shall we begin?”,
function appropriate “Let’s begin with the
s (15 phrases according first item”, “I suppose
mins) to different we should make a
situations and start”and some
relationships. practical meeting
relationships like Peer
to Peer, Boss to Staff
and client meeting.
Students discuss and
match these phrases. T
should provide
feedback and explain
the reasons.
Role- S-S T-S Practice learned Students work in pairs.
play phrases in They should set a
task (15 simulated character for
mins) dialogue. themselves (Boss, Staff,
Client).They begin with
small talk. Then they
should use appropriate
phrases to shift to
business. T monitors
this activity and gives
feedback.
Feedbac T-S Review the T provides feedback on
k& context and frequent errors and

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Stage Interactio Aims (Why) Procedure (What)

and n
Timing
reflectio reflect on use of leads students their
n (4 expressions experience about this
mins) class series.
Materials: English for Socializing, Unit 3 (Gore & Smith, 2007, Oxford
University Press); The Language of Business Meetings, Chapter 3 (Handford, 2010,
Cambridge University Press); Investigating Workplace Discourse, Chapter 7 (Koester,
2006, Routledge). Some class activities are all adapted from these materials and
Role-play activity is self-designed.

Presentation 1: the Appropriate Time to Shift to Business

1. Initiated by the chairman or person in authority
The speaker has the right to lead the shift.
2. When the topic ends or a short pause occurs
This is a natural point for transitioning. Silence or closure often signals it is time to begin the
business discussion.
3. When small talk links to business-related topics
Some topics can serve as a bridge. For example, a discuss about weather can lead to talking about
the schedule; a mention of health can lead into productivity or wellness policies.
4. After completing a practical step (e.g. seating, setup)
When an arrangement is completed, it becomes appropriate to begin.
5. To relieve awkwardness or restart after a break
If there is tension or silence after a coffee break or delay, shifting the topic can help regain focus.
(Adapted from Koester, 2006; Handford, 2010)

Presentation 2: Practical Phrases to Shift to Business

Well, I suppose we should make a start.
So, shall we get down to business?
Right, let's make o start, shall we?
Okay, shall we begin?
Let’s start.
Let’s move on.
Let’s get started.
Let’s move on to the main item.
Let’s kick off with…
Shall we begin?
So…
Anyway…
Before we start…
Moving on…
Can we turn to…
Great. Shall we take a look at the agenda?
Well then, if that’s everything on that, let’s move to…
You wanna sign right over there…
It’s been a rough day.
Now you know.
Okay folks. Thank you.
Anything else?
We’ll have a chat about it next time.

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Right. Okay. So current technical problems?

Well I’ve been told it is but…
Very very… facts and then decisions.
(Adapted from English for Socializing; Koester, 2006; Handford, 2010)

Task 1: Matching the Phrases to the Most Appropriate Relationships

Phrases
1. Okay, shall we begin?
2. So, shall we get down to business?
3. Let’s begin with the first item on the agenda.
4. Let’s move on.
5. Right. Okay. So current technical problems?
6. Before we start…
7. Shall we begin?
8. Can we turn to…
9. Let’s kick off with…
10. Moving on…
Relationships
A. Peer-to-peer (between colleagues of equal status)
B. Boss to staff (leader guiding a meeting or giving direction)
C. Client meeting (interaction with external partners or customers)
Keys & Explanation
1. Okay, shall we begin? → C (Client meeting)
2. So, shall we get down to business? → C (Client meeting)
“Shall we” is a polite and friendly phrase which sounds respectful and
inclusive. It is often used after small talk, this phrase helps move smoothly
into the main discussion with a client.
3. Let’s begin with the first item on the agenda. → B (Boss to staff)
4. Let’s move on. → B (Boss to staff)
“Let’s” is a formal and clear way to start a structured meeting. It has a
stronger tone compared to “shall we”, which is often used by the person
leading the meeting.
5. Right. Okay. So current technical problems? → A (Peer-to-peer)
There are very casual phrases, which can be used between colleagues who
know each other well..
6. Before we start… → C (Client meeting)
This phrase introduces a quick note or reminder before a meeting begins. It
shows professionalism and care.
7. Shall we begin? → C (Client meeting)
See question 1 and 2.
8. Can we turn to… → B (Boss to staff)
This is a relatively strong tone to move to the next topic. Often used by a
manager or a boss.
9. Let’s kick off with… → A/B (Peer-to-peer or Boss to staff)
This is friendly and modern, which can be used in both team meetings or by a
leader starting a session with energy.
10. Moving on… → A/B (Peer-to-peer or Boss to staff)
This is useful for changing topics smoothly, which can be used in both formal
and informal meetings.
(For theoretical support, please refer to the Section 3.23)

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Task 2: Role Play

Context: You are planing to begin a business conversation after small talk. Work in pairs and
choose your roles freely (host, visitor, manager, colleague, client). You need to do brief small talk
and try to use what you have learned to shift to business politely and smoothly.
Useful Phrases:
Polite & Collaborative (used with clients):
Shall we begin?
So, shall we get down to business?
Okay, shall we start the meeting?
Before we start, is there anything else you’d like to mention?
Great. Shall we take a look at the agenda?
Direct & Organised (used by bosses or meeting chairs):
Let’s begin with the first item on the agenda.
Let’s move on to the next point.
Can we turn to the marketing update?
Let’s get started.
Let’s kick off with the budget discussion.
Casual & Peer-to-Peer Style (between colleagues):
Right. Okay. So… current technical problems?
Moving on…
Anything else before we continue?

Appendix 2: Scanned Extracts used in these Lesson Plans

Most of the content in this lesson plan is selected from Units 1 and 3 of English for
Socializing (Gore & Smith, 2007, Oxford University Press). The following are scanned pages
which used in these lesson plans
.

(Figure 1)

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(Figure 2)

(Figure 3)

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(Figure 4)

(Figure 5)

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(Figure 6)

(Figure 7)

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(Figure 8)

(Figure 9)

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(Figure 10)

References of Appendix

Gore, S., & Smith, A. (2007). English for socializing. Oxford University Press.

Handford, M. (2010). The language of business meetings. Cambridge University Press.

https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139525329

Koester, A. (2006). Investigating workplace discourse. Routledge.

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