ARTICLE 18 Source: https://cmg-agency.com/10-ways-to-stay-motivated-at-work/ Task 1. Read the title of the article. What do you think it is going to be about? Task 2. Read the article and mark the statements T (true) or F (false). 10 WAYS TO STAY MOTIVATED AT WORK Colossus Media Group Aug 30, 2019 You wake up on a Monday morning and you’re exhausted, barely able to get out of bed. You’ve already hit snooze twice and because of that, you’ll need to rush to get out of the house so that you can get to work on time. You’re feeling zapped of all motivation and positively drained… and to be honest, you’re not sure how you’re going to manage through the workday. We’ve all been here before. Even if you love what you do there are some days where we just want to lie in bed and relax. But what matters is what you do to make up for it. Here are 10 ways to stay motivated at work! 1 (___) Set priorities and knock big-ticket, difficult items out first. Consider leaving off smaller tasks like emails until after you’ve already knocked the big ones out of the way. This will keep you from getting lost in the sea that is your inbox. It’s also a surefire way to save your motivation as monotonous tasks can sap inspiration instantaneously. 2 (___) Even arbitrary deadlines can be especially helpful when you’re part of a team. This can inspire your coworkers and motivate them to complete assigned tasks more quickly and efficiently. Remember to be realistic, of course. You don’t want to set yourself up for failure by setting deadlines that will require you to work for tirelessly for hours and shirk your other responsibilities. 3 (___) Asking for feedback is one of the most valuable skills. Constructive criticism helps you look at the big picture, and see things from a different perspective, which can, of course, change your world view and the way you approach your tasks. If you find yourself lacking in motivation, ask for some advice. Someone might just fuel you with a new approach to the same tired assignments. 4 (___) By giving yourself something to look forward to, you can motivate yourself. This can be something as simple as giving yourself a break after 30-40 minutes of consecutive work. A trip to the kitchen for coffee once you finish an important report or maybe a snack when you complete a paragraph. Reward others as well – when someone does something nice for you, if your budget allows, buy them lunch or send flowers. Words as simple as a thank you are an excellent show of gratitude that will keep your team motivated. 5 (___) You might think that taking a break will halt your productivity, but it’s actually quite the opposite. A break every now and again will give you time to regroup and as such, come back ready to work. In the same respect, it’s important to take your lunch break. And a proper lunch break means getting away from your desk for a moment. You’ll find that the slight change in scenery makes for a more productive afternoon overall. Finally, round out your day by setting a quit time as well. You’ll feel more refreshed and productive if you allow yourself some downtime. 6 (___) Without goals, it’s impossible to know what you have to achieve and it’s impossible to truly stay motivated. By breaking down your daily tasks and setting goals, you’ll make things more achievable and as such, be able to more aptly stay motivated. If you have a big project coming up, stay organized by breaking it down into small, easy to manage pieces. Create a to-do list and stick to it – you’ll find it easier to finish that project. 7 (___) Staying organized is one of the most important things in remaining organized. A cluttered desk is indicative of a cluttered mind and a cluttered life. You’ll find that if you take some time at the end of the day to organize and set all of your things in their rightful place, you’ll come in ready to attack the day tomorrow. It’s important to maintain that organization and monitor when it gets out of hand. Odds are that means that you’ve been feeling more stressed as a result and thus lacking motivation. Clear your space, wipe down dusty surfaces and get back to work. 8 (___) Studies have shown that having friends in the workplace positively affects job satisfaction. Your view of your office’s culture and personal wellbeing is directly influenced by the number of work friends that you have and as such, hanging out with your colleagues can boost your levels of motivation. You spend more time at work than you do at home, and it’s important to get to know those around you. Forging office friendships is a great way to bolster teamwork and find comfort in collaborating within your department. 9 (___) To stay motivated, understand that there are somethings that you can’t control. If you rely on someone else’s work to finish a project and they miss a deadline, understand that that isn’t completely in your control. Many different things can impede our progress at work and rather than worry about them, stay focused on the things you excel in – the things that are under your control. 10 (___) Understanding why you must get something done is a surefire way to up your motivation. After all, if you don’t know the ‘why’ what’s the point of putting in the work. Look at the big picture. What you’re doing matters, it has weight. Sometimes it helps to look at the grand scheme of things in order to maintain a level of excitement about coming to work every day. Seeing the vision behind the work will surely keep you on the path to completing that task. Task 3. Match the paragraphs (1-10) to their headings (a-j) a. Don’t Focus on Things You Can’t Control b. Take Breaks c. Set Deadlines d. Define Your Goal e. Reward Yourself f. Forge Friendships g. Understand Your ‘Why’ h. Prioritize i. Get Organized j. Be Open to Criticism Task 4. Find words or expressions in the text with the following meanings. Task 5. Write down five comprehension questions on the text you’ve just read. For example: Why is it important to keep yourself motivated? Task 6. Formulate the main problem of the article using the expressions from the rendering plan. Task 7. Read the article again and underline words or phrases that introduce opinions. Identify the authors opinion on the topic of motivation at work. What helped you figure it out? Task 8. Express your own opinion on the problem discussed in the article Task 9. Make a list of key words. Task 10. Render the text according to the rendering plan. ARTICLE 21 Source : Task 1. Read the title of the article. What do you think it is going to be about? Task 2. Read the article and mark the statements T (true) or F (false). EIGHT TIPS FOR PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE Saul Maslavi Feb 2, 2022 What are the most important factors in providing excellent customer service? If you’re a business owner, this is a question you should be asking yourself. Customer satisfaction directly affects your bottom line, and if you want to increase sales or maintain your current customers, it’s critical that you understand what they care about most. Customer satisfaction is a significant factor in business success. I’ve compiled a list of the top things I’ve found customers value when receiving excellent customer service. To ensure your customers feel valued and get what they want from their experience with you (and without any hassle), be sure to consider these factors: 1 (___) Customers want to feel valued and appreciated. They don’t want to be spoken down to or ignored. When you’re providing customer service, make sure you are respectful and use a polite and helpful tone. 2 (___) In my experience, customers hate waiting. They often want help immediately and don’t want to wait long for it. Put a system in place that allows customers to get assistance quickly. This could mean having someone available to answer the phone or having customer service representatives who can promptly address customer concerns. 3 (___) Not only do many customers dislike waiting, but they also hate having to deal with the same issue repeatedly. They want their problems solved and solutions that meet their specific needs. When you’re providing customer service, take the time to understand what the customer is asking for and find a solution that works for them. Resolve any problems efficiently and as quickly as possible so that the customer doesn’t have to keep coming back. 4 (___) Don’t confuse customers about what is happening or what they need to do. When providing customer service, make sure your communication is clear and easy to understand. This includes using simple language and avoiding jargon. 5 (___) Customers appreciate honesty. If something goes wrong, they want to know what happened, and they typically want businesses to be upfront about it. When you run into an issue, always be honest with the customer and don’t try to hide anything. 6 (___) I’ve found that customers want to feel like they’re the only person that matters and like businesses care about them. Make sure you are focused on the specific customer’s needs and doing everything possible to ensure they are satisfied. Show the customer that you care about their experience and put in the extra effort to help them. 7 (___) I think many of us can sense when someone is unhappy or doesn’t want to be helping us — don’t let this happen in your customer service. It’s important to have a positive attitude and make it clear you are excited to help the customer. This can make them feel more welcome and appreciated. 8 (___) Most people want to work with people who know what they’re doing. Ensure that your staff is knowledgeable about the products and services you offer. This will also help them address customer concerns quickly and effectively. These are just a few of the most critical factors in providing excellent customer service. If you want to keep your customers happy and satisfied, make sure you focus on these key areas. With so many things to take care of in running a business, aim to make the customer experience as stress-free and pleasant for your clients as you can. Task 3. Match the paragraphs (1-8) to their headings (a-h) a. Have a positive attitude b. Communicate clearly and concisely c. Treat customers with respect d. Focus on customer satisfaction and a sense of care e. Educate your team members about your business f. Be honest when things go wrong g. Find solutions that actually meet customer needs h. Provide prompt assistance Task 4. Find words or expressions in the text with the following meanings. Task 5. Write down five comprehension questions on the text you’ve just read. For example: What should you do when you run into an issue? Task 6. Formulate the main problem of the article using the expressions from the rendering plan. Task 7. Read the article again and underline words or phrases that introduce opinions. Identify the authors opinion on the topic of customer service. What helped you figure it out? Task 8.Express your own opinion on the problem discussed in the article Task 9. Make a list of key words. Task 10. Render the text according to the rendering plan. ARTICLE 23 Source: https://pestleanalysis.com/modern-marketing-strategies/ Task 1. Read the title of the article. What do you think it is going to be about? Task 2. Read the article and mark the statements T (true) or F (false). 5 MODERN MARKETING STRATEGIES YOU SHOULD KNOW Thomas Bush Aug 24, 2016 Everybody knows that you can market your business and products by posting leaflets on city signposts and signing up for ads in the local paper, but what about having some more modern marketing strategies in your arsenal? In this article, we’ll be discussing 5 modern marketing techniques that you should definitely know, including social media, email, and product placement. 1 (___) This should be no surprise to you: the first marketing strategy you should know in today’s day and age is social media marketing. Using social media platforms is effectively free and is a great way to get the word out about you and your product. You can reach an audience spread across the entire world with superspecific interests, without any trouble at all. That said, make sure you do it right (don’t spam your followers: give more than you take!) if you want to see any results. Oh, and one last thing — make sure you pick the social media platforms that are most appropriate to your organization. If you’re selling B2C (business-toconsumer), pick platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, and Pinterest, whereas if you’re selling B2B (business-to-business) pick more conservative mediums like Twitter or LinkedIn. 2 (___) Email marketing is another fantastic strategy nowadays, especially as most people check their emails multiple times a day (if their phone doesn’t already do it for them with notifications). Email marketing differs slightly from social media marketing in that it is a more effective way to get in contact with people who already engage with your brand, while social media is more effective in bringing in the initial attention. Basically, don’t send unsolicited emails. Try to collect the emails of potential customers with opt-in newsletters, or gather from those who submitted their details in previous purchases, and follow up discreetly and unobtrusively for best results. 3 (___) Affiliate marketing can sometimes be seen as a less-respected practice on the internet, but that’s just because of the thousands of ‘wantrepreneurs’ who send their friends product links to make money. As a business though, you can introduce an affiliate program to encourage other webmasters to advertise your product for you, in exchange for a percentage cut of every sale which they can drive. If you have a useful product or service, and you can pick the right affiliate rates, then there’ll be plenty of people who’ll want to sell your product for you. 4 (___) Internet ads fall under the “advertising” portion of marketing, which means that you have to pay to use this marketing strategy. In exchange for your hardearned cash, there are plenty of online platforms which will display your advertisements for you. For example, Google Adwords and Facebook Ads are two online advertising platforms that allow you to display your offerings to highlytargeted audiences and receive more metrics about how they perform than with any other strategy. Additionally, there are tools to help you out when designing your ads on these platforms, like a Facebook Ad template, that can not only save you time when setting up your internet ad but also make your ad look professional. 5 (___) Another up-and-coming internet marketing strategy is to pay for product placements in content creators’ work. Take video — many YouTube channels nowadays are willing to incorporate your product into their videos for some sum of money, as long as it doesn’t bother their audience too much. Again, if you’ve got a killer product then this shouldn’t be an issue. In conclusion, there are a number of different modern marketing strategies you can use to promote your business online. From social media to product placement, many of these methods use little-to-none cash and yield great results. So, go give them a try, and report back with your personal results! We’d love to hear it, along with all your other questions and comments, in the section down below. Task 3. Match the paragraphs (1-5) to their headings (a-e) a. Affiliate Marketing b. Product Placement c. Internet Ads d. Social Media Marketing e. Email Marketing Task 4. Find words or expressions in the text with the following meanings. Task 5. Write down five comprehension questions on the text you’ve just read. For example: Task 6. Formulate the main problem of the article using the expressions from the rendering plan. Task 7. Read the article again and underline words or phrases that introduce opinions. Identify the authors opinion on the topic of modern marketing. What helped you figure it out? Task 8.Express your own opinion on the problem discussed in the article Task 9. Make a list of key words. Task 10. Render the text according to the rendering plan.