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Thursday, November 29, 2012

聖学院大学ECA (Speaking) I (J) - mini-presentations about hotels for 12/3

Hello to all my Nichibun students,



How are you? These are the lesson notes from our lesson today (11/29)

MINI-PRESENTATIONS FOR MONDAY (12/3)
Next Monday (12/3), we will have some pair & group mini-presentations. Here is what you do: 

Rules
Find a pair partner, or get together with two (2) other classmates, to make a group. On the Internet, find a hotel that you and your pair partner, or you and your group members, think is interesting. 

Your hotel can be in Japan, or another country. It can be a Western-style hotel, or a ryokan. Find a hotel you really would like to stay in, in a part of Japan or another country you really would like to go to. 

Bookmark 1-2 pictures on your Smartphones or iPhones, or cell phone internet access, or download and print out your pictures. 

Language
Look at these board notes (they're very important - scroll all the way down to look at all of them!):
Look at these board notes:
Look at these board notes: 
Look at these and study them
Look at these and study them a little. Practice using them and add your own information to finish them
例えば
例:This hotel is in Hokkaido, near Obihiro. (It's located in Hokkaido, near Obihiro.)
例:This hotel is in the south of France, near Monte Carlo. 
例:Here is a picture of the front of the hotel
例:Here is a picture of one of the suites 
例:It has many amenities. For example, here's the main dining hall
例:It has many amenities. For example, here's the sauna     
例:It has many amenities. For example, here's one of the onsen 

Use some of the words and phrases to start the points of your talk in your hotel presentations

I look forward to seeing all of you on Monday. Good luck!

芝浦工業大学Writing 1B 11/30 – explaining a process (Part 2)

Hello to all my Writing 1B students,
Image "Circular Workflow Chart" courtesy of basketman/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How are you? Let's continue with how to explain a process. 
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LESSON
1. Warmup - look at this beginning of a very short story: 
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When I When I went into my bedroom, the first thing I saw was ______ .The second 
thing I ithing I saw was ______, and the next thing was ______. And then...
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Now - type the story into your Word file writing document, but write 1-2 words maximum in the blank spaces. Any words are okay! 
LLLLLLLL
2. Homework check - textbook pg. 97 topic sentence paragraphs #2, #3 & #4
2. Homework check - textbook pp. 100-101 Activity 3 Parts a & b
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wr*write up the paragraph on pg. 101 in your Word file writing document!
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
3. Textbook - pp. 102-103 - describing steps in an experiment a & b
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ACTIVITY
Look at the warmup story above - now add to the word(s) you put in the blank spaces to make a short story, and finish the story after "And then" with your own surprise ending! 
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HOMEWORK
Pg. 103 Writing Exercise 1
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See you next week!

KIFL English for the Hospitality Industry - final interview preparation

Hello Michelle and Tomoyo,
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How are you? I'm very sorry for getting this post up later than what I planned. If you had been checking and didn't see it, my apologies - I had four other posts to write before it!
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Above is a shot of the board notes from Tuesday (11/27).  On the left of the board are the kinds of questions most likely to be asked by interviewers. On the right are a few language points interviewees could use. 
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Here are some more types of questions that interviewers could use: 
Can you tell me (more) about...
How would you describe your strong points?
What would you say were your weak points?
Tell me more about (your experience/internship/coursework at KIFL/university)...
What would you say is your ideal working environment? (In your own words, can you say...?)
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IMPORTANT NOTE!
I show you these interviewers' types of questions because they may help you to make good responses to them.
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Now here is another board note from Wednesday (11/28) for interviewees
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And here are some more response language for interviewees to use: 
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For talking about things in general 
I believe...
It's my belief that...
I would say...
It's my feeling that...
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For talking about your KIFL & internship experience
In my internship, I...
In my vocational college/At KIFL, I...
During my time at the Intercontinental (Hotel), I...
Over the time of my coursework, I...
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For talking about situations & change
There are many challenges that come...
When things happen, I try to...
In that situation, I would try to...
I try (hard) to respond to things when they happen...
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For responding to any point (not a question) that the interviewer makes
That's a (positive adjective) point. 
(:That's a good point)
(例:That'ssss   an interesting point)
I'd like to say more on that...
I'm glad you've said that, because...
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Think hard about what's on your resumes, and follow along the ideas on the kinds of questions interviewers ask so you can respond to them. 
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Next week (12/4-5), let's practice with this language. See you then!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

KIFL Business Communications Skills - final interview preparation - job postings

Hello my Senka students (yet again!), 
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As you can see in the picture above, it's the fictitious Kanda Park Hyatt job posting from today (11/28). In this post, I have this plus three other job postings for you to choose from for 12/5 and 12/12.


You do not have to do these, but they may be good to use. They are not real, but are based on some recent, real job postings.

(*DISCLAIMER: these job postings are fictitious, but have features of real job postings. These have been adapted and modified strictly for non-profit, educational use.)

JOB POSTINGS

Below are three additional job postings. Again, they are fictitious, but are based on real postings. Take a look at each one, and choose one you would most be interested in as an interviewee. Work with your interview partner - as the interviewer, he/she will ask you questions based on what the job is asking for.

Good luck!


1. Bilingual Communications Assistant – U.S. Consulate, Osaka
The U.S. Consulate in Osaka is looking for a bilingual (Japanese-English, English-Japanese) communications assistant. The duties for this position are:
Maintains the Consulate’s social media tools, including Facebook and Twitter.
Participates in Consulate meetings, including business promotion events.
Writes reports about Consulate activities for use in the Principal Officer’s monthly report and other publications.
Provides input and promotion support for community outreach events in Nagoya and the surrounding areas.
Helps prepare for Consulate activities such as the annual Holiday party and U.S.
Independence Day reception.
Assists in protocol activities and administrative tasks.
Photographs or records video of Consulate activities as needed.
Other duties as assigned.

The requirements for this position are:

Good working knowledge spoken and written English is required.
Fluency in spoken and written Japanese.
Good computer skills are required, particularly with Microsoft applications.
Proficiency with various social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, etc).
Familiarity with American culture, politics, and society.

Preference will be given to those candidates who have:

     TOEIC scores of 800 or more.
     Experience living in both the U.S. and Japan (for either educational or employment   
              purposes)

Japanese nationals and U.S. citizens who have spousal visas, or have permanent residency, in Japan are welcome to apply. 

2. Gourmet Shop Manager – Four Seasons Outlet, Tokyo


The Four Seasons outlet in Tokyo is looking for one (1) manager for the hotel gourmet shop revenue center and its daily operations.


Basic roles and responsibilities:

1. Provide and ensure quality service to guests by responding to their requests in a prompt, efficient and courteous manner.

2. Maintain excellent cleanliness and order of the shop to ensure an attractive and appealing environment.

3. Be responsible for monthly stock inventory checks and reports, and prepare monthly reports on sales and activities.
4. Assist guests in related services such as gift-wrapping and delivery of purchased products.

5. Monitor performance and conduct evaluations for shop service attendants.

6. Train service attendants in operating procedures, sales techniques, product knowledge and customer service skills

7. Maintain excellent communications and relations with the pastry kitchen and other hotel departments.

8. Handle complaints and related follow-up.


Requirements:
2-3 years or more experience in café, bakery, patisserie, chocolaterie and/or confiserie products and shop operations, with a preference for some experience in supervisory capacity.
Undergraduate degree from a university, or diploma from a vocational college, in skills related to food service, communications, management and/or the hospitality industry.
Effective customer relations, communication and sales skills.

Food and beverage knowledge preferred.

Knowledge of administration duties.

Good training skills.

Computer literate, with license or certificate in PC/IT applications preferred.
Able to work under pressure.

Flexible,
 good team leader,
good motivator of staff,
quality-oriented
with high standards.

3. Software consultant – Slatecraft Software (Yokohama)

Slatecraft Software is an innovative, dynamic software company that is expanding into the Asia-Pacific market. We make products that enable people to process and understand a wide variety of data. Our software is used by a wide range of business executives, bloggers, journalists, and educators.

Our working culture is casual, family-friendly, yet committed to quality.  Here is what our ideal person would do:

As a software consultant, you will become an expert in our software. You will communicate the features, capabilities, and benefits of Slatecraft. You’ll work in presales capacity, and help existing customers learn about the products by designing and delivering regular training sessions.  After sales, you’ll help people make breakthrough advances with analysis to ensure adoption of our software. You can quickly turn-around possible sales into guaranteed sales with great visual design on our YouTube-style platform. You’ll make this happen by:
     Provide presales support for prospects including data review, product demonstrations and analytic problem solving.
     Become an expert in the features, benefits and application of Slatecraft’s products. Communicate via phone, email, face-to-face and on the web with prospects assisting  
     and guiding them through the evaluation and selection process.
     Communicate daily with sales staff regarding sales activities and tactics.
     Deliver web-based training sessions for customers and prospects.

Here’s what our ideal person would come to the interview with:

Commitment. Willing to go for it with a strong work ethic; self-directed and   
      resourceful.
Energy and Creativity. Energy and enthusiasm are you. You think differently and 
      amaze people with your interesting angles and quality work. You love the 
      creative process – whether that’s selling a new customer or recruiting a great 
      salesperson.
True Team Play.  You're a leader and you know that to get the best results, you 
      also have to be a great team player.
Experience.  A 4-year university degree in computer science, IT, business or 
      economics, or a certificate with a background in languages, business and/or IT.
Service Mindedness.  You deliver customer support like you expect to receive it; 
      with excellence.
Cross Cultural Experience. You have experience relating to customers from a 
      variety of cultural backgrounds. Fluency in English and Japanese. 

KIFL Business Communications Skills - final interview preparation - tasks, language & roles

Hello to my Senka students (again!),


Above is the shot of our plan for next week (12/5) and the week after (12/12) - in this post I will show the first part about what we will have for our last two meetings. A second part will follow shortly.

I decided to do this as I have a lot of notes here, and it might make the post really long. 

INTERVIEWER/INTERVIEWEE LANGUAGE
First, here is the rest of the board notes for today (11/28). These are the kinds of questions most likely to be asked by interviewers (*NOTE - pay special attention to this, the next board shot, and the points in red I show after the board shots!)

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These are the kinds of questions most likely to be asked by interviewers.

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Here are some question language items and strategies for interviewers to use: 
Can you tell me (more) about...
How would you describe your strong points?
What would you say were your weak points?
Tell me more about (your experience/internship/coursework at KIFL/university)...
What would you say is your ideal working environment? (In your own words, can you say...?)

DO NOT RELY ONLY ON THESE! Interviewers - by all means think of some questions of your own, following the ideas on the kinds of questions interviewers ask as well on the interviewers' board note shot above

Now here are some more response language strategies for interviewees to use
I would say...
It's my feeling that...
I'm glad you've said that, because...
I'm very interested in...
It's hard for me to say, but I'll try...

Again - DO NOT RELY ONLY ON THESE as ways to initiate responses, and DO NOT SCRIPT OUT RESPONSES! Interviewees - by all means think hard about your skills and experience on your resumes, following along the ideas on the kinds of questions interviewers ask as well on the interviewers' board note shot above

INTERVIEWER/INTERVIEWEE TASKS
For 12/5 - first round of job interviews
As the board notes show, all of you will pair up and play the roles of interviewers and intervieweesOne person will interview the other person. The interviewee has to prepare for the interview and the interviewer must ask questions of the interviewee. The interviewee has to be ready for the questions, and respond to them. 

INTERVIEWEES - bring your resumes!

For 12/12 - second round of job interviews 
So for 12/12, the same pairs will come in, but the roles will be reversed. The ones who were the interviewees on 12/5 will now be interviewers, and the interviewers from 12/5 will now be interviewees

INTERVIEWEES - bring your resumes!

Here are the lists of interviewers and interviewees for both weeks:
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Good luck and see you then! Part 2 to this final interview preparation post will follow.

KIFL Global Studies - 11/28 first round final presentations

Hello to all my Senka students,



How are you? I'd like to show here a few shots of some of your Power Point slides from the first round of presentations today (11/28). Above is the title slide of Reika's excellent presentation on social networking for business. Here's another one of her slides:




Here are some more, such as Niko's great discussion of alternative ways for volunteerism:





Check out Yusuke's great presentation on differing methods of power generation. One slide from his talk:



And another


I will show more next week (12/5) in the next round of presentations. (Matsuken - my apologies - let me show some of yours next week!)


See you then!

芝浦工業大学英語総合1B 11/27 - Assignment 2 mini-presentation shots

Hello to all my Eigo Sogo students,



Once again I was impressed by your mini-presentations for Assignment 2, about endangered or extinct animals. Here I would like to show some examples of the animals you talked about. Above is the dodo.




Here is an example of a lesser panda, which has been native to Japan but which in terms of population is at small numbers.



Here is a stuffed example of a Japanese otter, also endangered.

And here is the cheetah - famous, but endangered in Africa.



Overall, I was happy with what you did and I am proud of your effort. Next week (12/4), we'll start a new unit and theme in the textbook. See you then!


Tuesday, November 27, 2012

KIFL Global Studies - final presentation preparation for 12/5 presenters

Hello to all my Senka students,


Image "Woman in Kitchen With Laptop" courtesy of ambro/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How are you? I have some links and other things for those of you who are presenting on 12/5. Do not rely completely on these - they're resources that you should supplement with research of your own. But I hope these can help you.


Daisuke - here's a Japan Times editorial piece about the dangers of raising the consumption tax. Check this out as well - it's an analysis of the Diet vote to raise the consumption tax. Somewhat in-depth, but is a good analysis of the political value of the decision by the government. 

Saori - c
heck this blogpost about the numbers of Japanese living abroad and a comparison with Westerners living in Japan, and possible reasons why. A little dated, but good nonetheless. Also take a look at this - another blogpost about the challenges Japanese face when relocating abroad. Also a little old, but still relevant.

Miki - this article is a few years old, but has a list of Japan’s main trading partners. Here's also an easy-to-ready article about why nations trade with each other. Also check this out - it's a PDF with charts about future sea trade routes and partnerships.




Yoshi - take a look at this article from the Japan Times about the secrecy around the execution of those on death row in Japan. Also take a look at this, from the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center on the political response to the recent review of the death penalty in Japan. This is their website


Eisuke - here is a speech at Hiroshima University about the present situation and future possibilities of education in Japan. And go to this American blogpost about the relationship in Japan between education and democracy for the future.

I have tested all these links from here and they worked at the time I wrote this blogpost!

Good luck on these, and again I hope they help you.

See you next week!