Task 6. Language Focus

The imperative

Ingrid Kloren is the Human Resources Director of major multinational group. She has just completed a pilot on electronic or remote teamworking and has written the following memo to other human resources managers within the group. Complete the memo using the imperative forms of the verbs in the box. In some cases you will need to use the negative.

set	use	keep	encourage	contact	give
make sure	punish	let	expect	pay	organise
create	restrict	take	schedule

To: The managers of all HR departments

From: Ingrid Kloren, Human Resources Director

Date: 23 March

Subject: Guidelines for remote teamworking

As you are all aware, we have been conducting an international pilot project using electronic media for teamworking. Although I will shortly be forwarding a complete report on this project, I have laid out below some general guidelines, based on this experience, for managers who may already be involved in similar projects.

1. Make sure that you arrange for face to face meetings to place before the start of the project in order to establish relationships.

2. ______clear objectives for the team to achieve.

3. ______in constant contact with your team by e-mail, voicemail and telephone conferencing.

4. ______video conferencing more than is necessary as experience shows that some team members may find this intimidating.

5. ______time to talk to people individually to find out if they have any problems. They may not otherwise volunteer this information.

6. ______virtual meetings at times that are inconvenient for participants living in different time zones.

7. ______your approach to be automatically superior to that of other team members who are often experts in their national markets.

8. ______people for failing to achieve objectives as this can discourage creativity.

9. _______as much support and advice as you can.

10. _______particular attention to relationships and to different national styles of conducting business.

11. _______team members to accept individual responsibility within the group.

12. _______the flow of information only to certain people as others will feel excluded.

13. _______training courses so that everyone is familiar with the different communication systems.

14. _______a feeling of community and common identity. I hope that these guidelines will prove useful and will enhance performance in virtual teams.

15. _______me here at HQ if you have any queries concerning this project.

16. _______me know if you would like to take part in the virtual teamworking forum that we will be organizing in June.

Read the memo again and translate it into Russian.

Task 7. Give Russian equivalents for:

a pilot project on electronic or «remote» teamworking;

I will shortly be forwarding a complete report on this project;

to lay out some general guidelines;

to arrange for face to face meetings to take place;

in order to establish relationships;

to find smth intimidating;

to volunteer information;

this can discourage creativity;

don’t expect your approach to be automatically superior;

encourage team members to accept individual responsibility;

to feel excluded;

to be familiar with the different communication systems;

these guidelines will prove useful;

to enhance performance in virtual teams;

to take part in the virtual team working forum;

to create a feeling of community and common identity;

to have queries concerning the project.