Making complaints and apologies

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Making complaints and apologies
--- An SBI lesson
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Objectives

• learning to make complaints
• learning to apologize

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Background information

• This is a speaking class of about 45 minutes
• Learners are first-year English major students
  who have spent about half a year at university

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Roles

• One group of this class will please temporarily
  pretend to be my students

• The other members of the class will be observers
  and commentators (but please be patient)

• I will pretend to be a teacher with 40 years of
  experience.

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(Now, the teacher enters the classroom)
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Learning to make complaints and apologies
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Introduction

• Why complain? (\ quarrel)

• Why apologize?

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Activity 1 Brainstorming
Which formulaic expressions do you use when you
want to complain about a situation that you are
not satisfied with? (a noisy hotel room) (Note
down these expressions so that you could use them
later.)
Which formulaic expressions do you use when you
want to apologize for something that you have not
properly done? (Note down these expressions so
that you could use them later.)
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Activity 2 Role Play
Role A You are studying for an important exam
for your English class. Since you study best in a
quiet environment, you have chosen to study in
your room at home. However, your upstairs
neighbor has suddenly started playing rock music
so loudly on the stereo that you are unable to
concentrate. Pretend that you have gone upstairs
to talk to your neighbor about the noise. You
feel strongly that it is your right to study in
peace.
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Activity 2 Role Play
Role B You have just returned from a hard day
at school. In order to relax, you decide to
listen to your favorite rock music on the stereo.
Since its early in the evening, you dont think
your neighbors will mind that you are playing
your music more loudly than you normally do. You
feel strongly that it is your right to play loud
music. As you start to relax and unwind, you
suddenly hear a knock at your door.
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Activity 2 Role Play
Role-play with your neighbor (pair work) Use
those formulaic expressions. Keep your goal in
mind. Pay attention to your intonation, which may
convey attitudinal meaning. Calm down and relax
before you speak to your neighbor.
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Activity 2 Role Play
Change roles with your partner and practice more.
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Activity 3 Performing
Now, act it out before the class.
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Activity 4 Discussion
Discussion (groups of 4) Did you achieve your
goal? Why is it that you did (/did not)? Report
the answers to these questions.
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Wrap-up

• It is often helpful to brainstorm useful words
  and expressions before you execute a speaking
  task.
• Associate some expressions with certain
  situations.
• Keep your goal in mind when you speak. Control
  your feelings.
• Judge for yourself how you have achieved your
  goals and what caused you to fail to achieve your
  goal.
• Communication strategies may be even more
  important than knowledge of language.

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Some Useful Strategies
Before you speak

• Lower your anxiety
• Identify the goal and purpose of the task
• Ask for clarification of the task if you are
• unsure
• Activate your background knowledge
• Predict what is going to happen
• Plan what you will say

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Some Useful Strategies
While you are speaking

• Feel in control
• Concentrate on the task
• Be involved in the conversation
• Monitor your speech (vocabulary, grammar,
• pronunciation)
• Compensate for any difficulties you have

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Some Useful Strategies
After you speak

• Reward yourself
• Evaluate how well the activity was
• accomplished
• Identify the problem areas
• Plan for how you will improve the next time
• Ask for help or correction
• Keep a learning log

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Other Useful Strategies

• Use non-verbal cues
• Use formulaic phrases
• Rephrase your language if you are not understood
• Short responses
• Choose logical patterns of organization
• (chronological, cause / effect, etc)
• Analyze interests of your audience
• Using fillers and conversation maintenance cues
• Using paraphrases for structures one cant produce

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Thank you!