Lesson 20: The Clear Communication Challenge (Interactive)
I. Recap: Lesson 19 Case Study - "The Production Delay"
Remember the situation?
- Team Lead Somchai needed iron cores urgently for Assembly Line 5.
- QC Inspector Chom completed the physical check but missed a crucial step.
- The Problem: Chom only emailed Supervisor Jeab. She forgot the required *digital sign-off* from Finance before the cores could be released from inventory.
- The Result: Production stopped, costing time and money.
- The Solution (proposed): Better communication! Clearer process documentation (sequential steps) and potentially direct calls for critical confirmations.
This lesson focuses on preventing such problems using clear, sequential language.
II. Review: Sequential Language
Clear communication often involves explaining steps in order. Use these key phrases:
- Starting:
First,...,To begin with,... - Continuing:
Next,...,Then,...,After that,...,Once X is complete,... - Ending:
Finally,...,The last step is... - Clarifying:
The key point is...,It is critical that you...,Instead of X, you must do Y.
Example: Simplified Winding Process
First, the operator mounts the empty coil bobbin onto the winding machine.
Next, they carefully thread the copper wire through the guides.
Then, the machine automatically winds the specified number of turns for the primary coil.
After that, insulation tape is applied.
Finally, the secondary coil is wound, and the completed coil assembly is removed for testing.
III. Activity: Robot Teacher
This is a fun way to practice giving clear, sequential instructions.
How to Play (Classroom Adaptation):
- Work in small teams (2-3 people).
- Choose a simple task (e.g., drawing a transformer shape, stacking boxes, retrieving an item).
- Write down a sequence of 3-5 steps to instruct someone (Robot Teacher Dan!) to complete the task. Use sequential language (
First,Next,Finally,etc.). - After 5 minutes, each team gives their instructions to Robot Teacher Dan one step at a time.
- Robot Dan will follow the instructions *exactly* as given. If a step is missing or unclear, Robot Dan might make a "mistake"!
- The goal is to see which team's instructions lead to the task being completed correctly.
Why this helps: It shows how easily miscommunication happens if steps aren't clear and in the correct order – just like in the case study!
IV. Main Activity Concept: "Clear Communication Challenge"
This activity tests your understanding of concepts from Unit 2.
Game Idea (for future):
- Divide into two teams.
- Display questions related to sequential language, professional emails, or elevator pitches on a screen.
- Teams race to answer correctly, sometimes needing to use specific phrases (like sequential words).
- Points are awarded for accuracy and using the target language correctly.
Today, we will focus on the case study video and a related quiz online.
V. Wrap-up & Discussion Points
Think about these questions after watching the video and taking the quiz:
- Which part of explaining a process is the most difficult? Why?
- In the "Production Delay" case study, how much time and money might have been lost because of the sequence error? (Estimate!)
- Why is it important to stay calm and factual when explaining a problem to a manager?
Being clear and sequential in your communication prevents costly mistakes!
Watch the Case Study & Take the Quiz
You've reviewed the case study, practiced sequential language, and thought about the activities.
Now, click the button below to watch the "Production Delay" case study video and take the "Clear Communication Challenge" quiz.
Go to Video & Quiz