Chapter 3: Workplace Communications
16 Listening
Before you listen
Complete the following to help you prepare for the listening:
- You are going to listen to a presentation about safety in the workplace. Think about the following points. Then discuss them.
a) What are the points the speaker is likely to discuss?
b) Who should be responsible for safety in the workplace, the employee or the employer?
c) What can happen if safety procedures are not followed in a workplace?
d) What kinds of safety training will employees at CDN Malls need?
- Talk about what the following words and phrases mean. Listen carefully for the words and phrases in the listening excerpts and think about their meanings.
| certificate | face-to-face | kick off | right |
| condition | fire warden | lined up | supervise |
| environment | follow | manuals | supervisor |
| equal | injured | online | volunteer |
| evacuation | investigate | protective |
- Put the words and phrases from the table on the previous page in the correct place in the chart below. Some words and phrases may go in more than one place. The meaning of a word is not always the same when the form changes. Talk about the meanings of the words that you used more than once.
| Verb | Noun | Adjective |
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Listening: Excerpt 1
Before you start listening, read the questions in the Comprehension section so you have an idea of what to listen for. Then listen to the talk.
After you listen
Comprehension
Answer the questions.
- What is Tim’s job?
a) Security Supervisor
b) Security and Life Safety Supervisor
c) Safety Supervisor
- Where does he work?
- The other safety talks will take place on Fridays.
a) True
b) False
- According to Tim, the employer is more responsible for safety than the employee.
a) True
b) False
- What is Tim discussing in this part of the talk?
a) Safety responsibilities at work
b) Training provided this month
c) The importance of using safety equipment
- Employers have to make sure that
a) they provide safety equipment and clothing to employees
b) employees use safety equipment and clothing
c) both a and b
- According to Tim, employees have rights and responsibilities. Complete the chart by putting the information below in the correct place, Employee Rights or Employee Responsibilities.
| Read and understand all safety procedures | Report accidents immediately |
| Report all unsafe actions to the supervisor | Refuse to do a job that is unsafe |
| Employee Rights | Employee Responsibilities |
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Vocabulary
Complete the following:
- Listen to Excerpt 1 again. Identify the words you heard in this excerpt. Talk about what the words and phrases mean. Compare them with the meanings you had discussed in the Before you listen section.
| certificate | face-to-face | kick off | right |
| condition | fire warden | lined up | supervise |
| environment | follow | manuals | supervisor |
| equal | injured | online | volunteer |
| evacuation | investigate | protective |
- Use a dictionary to look up the words and phrases you identified above. Write down their meanings. Some words and phrases may have more than one meaning. Be careful to select the meaning of the word or phrase as it is used in the excerpt.
- Write sentences using the words and phrases you wrote meanings for. Talk about your sentences.
Listening: Excerpt 2
Complete the following:
Before you start listening, read the questions in the Comprehension section so you have an idea of what to listen for.
Then listen to the rest of the talk by Tim Robins.
After you listen
Comprehension
Tim talks about two kinds of training. Which information is about the first aid and CPR training and which information is about the fire warden training? Put the information from the list into the correct column in the chart.
| Seven hours | Canadian Red Cross | Certificate upon completion |
| Volunteers | Online and face to face | All customer service personnel |
| 16 hours |
| First aid and CPR training | Fire warden training |
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Vocabulary
- Listen to Excerpt 2 again. Identify the words and phrases you heard in this excerpt. Talk about what the words and phrases mean. Compare them with the meanings you had discussed in the Before you listen section.
| certificate | face-to-face | kick off | right |
| condition | fire warden | lined up | supervise |
| environment | follow | manuals | supervisor |
| equal | injured | online | volunteer |
| evacuation | investigate | protective |
- Use a dictionary to look up the words and phrases you identified above. Write down their meanings. Some words and phrases may have more than one meaning. Be careful to select the meaning of the word or phrase as it is used in the listening.
- Write sentences using the words and phrases you wrote meanings for. Talk about your sentences.
Discussion
Refer to the questions in the Before you listen section. Think about the listening excerpts that you heard. Discuss the answers to these questions:
- Did you correctly predict what the listening excerpts were going to be about?
- How did reading the questions and thinking about what you were going to listen for help you understand?
- Did you choose the right meanings of the words and phrases? Which words did you get right?
- Which words are you going to enter in your log? Why did you choose these words?
- What did Tim Robins say in his talk about employer responsibilities and employee responsibilities. Practise using the new vocabulary.
- What two new things did you learn in the listening section?
Listening progress check
Listen to Sima talking about two procedures.
Answer the following:
- When a person gets ill or injured, the employee should call the Security Office before calling 911.
a) True
b) False
- What is the telephone number of the Security Office?
- One detail that an employee must give 911 and Security is missing from the list below. Which one is it?
- Employee name
- Name of company
- Building name and address
- Details of the illness/accident
The missing detail is ________________
- Security personnel will meet the EMS at the entrance.
a) True
b) False
- How did the person enter the office area without permission?
a) The person followed the employee into the elevator and the office
b) The person tried to use his/her access card and said that it didn’t
c) The person said he/she had forgotten the access card at
- What should employees do as soon as they enter the office if they think something is wrong?
a) Call 911
b) Call the Security Office
c) Both a and b