English in and Around the Office

Target Group

Administrative staff, who would benefit from enhancing or refreshing their knowledge for use in specific professional contexts at WU.

This two-stage course is designed to aid participants in using English for administrative purposes at WU with confidence and competence.  In particular, the objectives are to:

• Improve awareness of formal and informal conventions of writing and speaking
• Learn about and correct common mistakes which may occur in writing or speaking
• Gain self-assurance in dealing with students, colleagues and visitors at WU
• Enhance ability to communicate WU-related information effectively

Workshop Content

Amongst others, the workshop will deal with

• Politeness and formalities in spoken and written English
• Do’s and don’ts of emails and letters
• Do’s and don’ts of telephoning
• Communicating information effectively
• Higher education terminology

Methods

The course is divided into two stages. A first half-day workshop will provide an in-depth introduction to the main themes relating to administrative English communication. In four two-hour follow-up sessions spread across the semester, participants will be encouraged to bring along examples of their own English communications in order to review and revise the topics from the first workshop. New material and topics will also be introduced.  The sessions will each be characterised by:

• A lively, interactive approach which enhances motivation and participation
• The opportunity to focus on participants’ individual needs
• A variety of media and exercise types providing a stimulating learning environment
• Detailed handouts providing practical reference materials for future use

Location, date and time

Tuesday, 9 April 2013, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm
Tuesday, 23 April 2013, 10.00 am - 12.00 am
Tuesday, 7 May 2013, 10.00 am - 12.00 am
Tuesday, 28 May 2013, 10.00 am - 12.00 am
Tuesday, 11 June 2013, 10.00 am - 12.00 am

All registered participants will be informed of the location by email one week before the event.

Fees and Registration

This workshop is open to a limited number of participants. The registration deadline is 26 March 2013.
Please note that you should notify us before the registration deadline if you are unable to attend the workshop.
Otherwise the full fee will be charged.

The course fee is €30.

Trainer

Anthony Copnall, M.A., P.G.C.E.   Born and educated in England, Anthony Copnall holds a bachelor’s degree in German and Swedish and a master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) which he gained at the Institute of Education, University of London. A qualified modern languages teacher, he taught at secondary school level in England before becoming a lecturer at WU’s Institute for English Business Communication in 2002, a post which he has held full-time since 2004. He is an experienced continuing education trainer and has run a variety of popular workshops for academic, professional and business contexts for WU and external institutions.