Page 18 - Journeys C1+ (Student Book)
P. 18
1 Communication
With the ever-changing world of technology, today’s
students need to be familiar with various forms of
communication in order to succeed in the future.
They need to be taught how to communicate
effectively using the different means available to
them, as well as ensuring they are able to deal with
face-to-face communication.
First of all, it cannot be denied that future generations
will need to be au fait with using technology in order
to secure a good position in the workplace. However,
whilst we may think these “digital natives” have all the
skills they need to succeed, the reverse is often true.
For example, teenagers tend to use more colloquial
language when chatting with their friends on various
messaging services. However, the language which
Writing they will need to use to communicate in the business
world will need to be more formal. Similarly, learning
A. Discuss with a partner. skills such as how to write a formal email, including
1. How much time do you spend at school: the correct way of addressing the recipient, are skills
a) learning how to write formal emails? which cannot be learnt intuitively and so need to be
b) learning how to speak in public? taught in the classroom.
2. What skills would you like to learn at school Furthermore, there are concerns regarding students’
to help you in the future? ability to communicate in certain situations effectively.
With the increase in the use of emojis, many people
B. Mark the sentences as true (T) or false (F). argue that young people nowadays are unable to
transmit their emotions clearly, choosing instead to
1. Essays should always have an introduction
use a single icon to represent their emotional state.
and a conclusion.
There needs to be more time spent in education
2. When you write an essay, you should use teaching students how to communicate with their
colloquial language and contractions. peers and family members in order to avoid them
3. You should divide your essay into clear bottling things up, leading to serious health issues.
paragraphs. Personally, I believe it is essential for students to
4. In an opinion essay, you only talk about develop their interpersonal communication skills in
one side of the argument. order to succeed in life.
To sum up, schools have a responsibility to educate
the youth of today in communication skills, both on a
personal level to ensure they are able to express their
feelings effectively, and also on a professional level
to prepare them for the workplace.
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