Objective To improve your reading and listening skills.

Think about it How good are you at listening? In what way are you a good listener? How much do you know about body
language? How important is it? How would you rate your sense of humour? What does it mean to have a sense of humour? How
important is empathy in relationships? Give examples. Give an example of a time when you were flexible about something.
Exams This reading and listening activity will help prepare you for English exams such as FCE, IELTS and TOEFL.
TRACK 17: ENGLISHMAN & US WOMAN
ARE YOU
LISTENING
ACTIVELY?

8 PEOPLE SKILLS YOU

Answers on page 44
NEED TO SUCCEED!
H
aving good people 4 Flexibility about your two-week trip to
1 Pre-reading skills is essential It’s important to have the beach.
Look at the paragraph titles. for success at opinions and ideas, but
What does each skill involve? work and in life. These you also need to be able to 8 Body language
Which ones are the most skills (also known as respond to changes. When Body language makes
important? Why? “soft skills” or “emotional the situation transforms, you up around 80% of the
intelligence”) can make all need to be able to adapt. meaning in the messages
2 Reading I the difference. Here are a we communicate. So, being
Read or listen to the article once few you need to develop. 5 Persuasive powers aware of what your gestures,
to compare your ideas from the Knowing how to persuade expressions and voice are
Pre-reading activity. 1 Active listening people to do things is a key actually saying can really
Active listening involves skill in life and business. This help. And understanding
3 Reading II listening very carefully to often involves having a clear other people’s body
Read the article again. Then, what the other person is idea of who you’re talking to language may tell you what
complete the sentences with saying without interrupting and their specific needs. This they’re really feeling or
the correct words. them. Then, taking your will allow you to focus on any thinking.
1. Active listening involves time to think and respond, potential benefits for them.
listening without rather than just answering Start developing your people
someone. as quickly as you can so 6 Patience skills now. You need them!
2. Humour can be used you can say what you want No one likes a hothead, so
to a tense to say. it’s good to be able to keep
situation. a level head in stressful GLOSSARY
3. Empathy can help 2A sense of humour situations. The key to people skills n
if you’ve got good “people skills”, you’re
you what Humour is a great way of being patient is to wait and good at dealing with people
to diffuse vb
someone might do. diffusing a tense situation. observe, and know when to if you “diffuse” a tense situation, you make
4. In order to persuade And being able to see act, rather than just jumping it less tense
to relate to exp
someone to do the funny side of things in without considering your if you can “relate to” someone, you can
understand how they feel
something, you need to can often help make the options. key adj
focus on any potential environment more pleasant a “key” skill (for example) is a very
important one
for them. and relaxed. 7 Knowing your empathy n
5. The to audience “empathy” is the ability to understand
another person's feelings
being patient is to wait 3 Empathy Knowing what, when and an insight n
if you’ve got an “insight” into something,
and observe. Having an ability to how to say something is you can understand that thing
6. Knowing your audience relate to others and critical; above all, it involves to predict vb
if you can “predict” what will happen, you
involves knowing understand how they’re understanding exactly can imagine or guess what will happen
exactly who you’re feeling is a key skill. who you’re talking to. For a hothead n
a person who gets angry very easily
to. Empathy allows you to example, if you’ve just been to keep a level head exp
to remain calm
7. Understanding body create relationships. It can away on holiday while your critical adj
language might tell you also give you an insight into colleagues have been stuck very important
stuck adj
what someone else is people’s motives, which can in the office, it probably isn’t if you’re “stuck” somewhere, you can’t
or feeling. help you predict responses. a good idea to start talking leave that place

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