1. Understand the case and notice useful language
10+2+3 min
Start this session →UNIT 01 · B2 · Vantage · PART 2
Teamwork: make handoffs clear
Explain what this team should change first, support your choice with two reasons, then answer a follow-up.
Start / continue the seven steps45 minutes, in shorter sittings
Three focused sessions
Allow 15 minutes for a core task, one drill and up to five due cards. Full reading, extra repetition and retakes take additional time.
2. Build a view and rehearse it
11+2+2 min
Start this session →3. Speak, respond and review
11+2+2 min
Start this session →STEP 1 · 3 MIN
Understand the situation
You work with sales and operations on a client proposal. The manager asks what matters most when building an effective team. Use the fictional case below to make a recommendation.
What you already know
Sales knows the client; operations knows delivery. Both skills are needed.
On Tuesday, two colleagues prepared the same price report. Neither checked the delivery date.
The proposal is due on Friday. The manager can assign an owner and a check-in time for each handoff.
A familiar connection
When recommending a restaurant, you name your choice, explain why it suits the person and give a concrete example. A business recommendation needs the same connection.
Think first
Which problem should the team fix first: missing skills or unclear ownership? Point to one fact above.
Use this case to practise building reasons; you do not need to invent a personal work history. This is a classroom scaffold, not an exam rule against personal experience.
Open the practice workspace →STEP 2 · 10 MIN
Connect familiar words to useful chunks
Start with the familiar wording. Listen and say each example twice. Both versions can be good English; choose the one that fits your meaning.
01 · FAMILIAR → NEW
work togetherpull together
When deadlines are tight, the team needs to pull together.
When does it fit?
This describes cooperation; it does not specify who owns a task.
02 · FAMILIAR → NEW
use what someone does wellplay to someone's strengths
Assigning delivery checks to operations plays to their strengths.
When does it fit?
Use strengths for abilities; a shared goal is the result people want.
03 · FAMILIAR → NEW
clear jobs for each persona clear division of labour
A clear division of labour prevents two people from writing the same report.
When does it fit?
Division of labour describes how work is shared, not how people are ranked.
04 · FAMILIAR → NEW
make sure we understand the same thingget on the same page
Let's get on the same page about who checks the delivery date.
When does it fit?
It is often about shared understanding, not agreement with every opinion.
05 · FAMILIAR → NEW
check that we do what we agreedhold each other accountable
We hold each other accountable for the handoffs we agree on.
When does it fit?
Responsible for = has the task; accountable for = answerable for the result. They overlap, but are not always interchangeable.
06 · FAMILIAR → NEW
a result we all wanta shared goal
Our shared goal is to send an accurate proposal by Friday.
When does it fit?
Name the result and date so that the goal is concrete.
07 · FAMILIAR → NEW
use different ideas and experiencesdraw on diverse perspectives
We can draw on diverse perspectives by asking sales and operations to review the plan.
When does it fit?
A more formal business phrase. “Use different perspectives” is equally acceptable and often clearer.
08 · FAMILIAR → NEW
do what you promisedfollow through on commitments
Trust grows when people follow through on their commitments.
When does it fit?
Follow through on a commitment; follow up with a person to check progress.
09 · FAMILIAR → NEW
Work can get stuck when it moves between people.Bottlenecks often appear at handoffs.
Bottlenecks often appear at handoffs, so each handoff needs an owner.
When does it fit?
A bottleneck slows the flow of work; a handoff is the transfer itself.
10 · FAMILIAR → NEW
That is the point where the plan stops working.That's where things fall apart.
Nobody owns the final check. That's where things fall apart.
When does it fit?
Point back to a specific weakness. The phrase is stronger than “there is a small problem”.
STEP 3 · 5 MIN
Build a point of view
These are three defensible starting points. Choose one, then connect the claim to a reason, an example and a limitation.
Skills first
Complementary skills matter more than individual stars.
- Why
Sales and operations bring different knowledge.
- For example
A delivery specialist can spot a promise the sales team cannot fulfil.
- A limitation
Both skills are already present here; hiring alone will not fix the missed check.
Roles first
Clear roles should come first for this team.
- Why
The duplicated report and missed check show an ownership gap.
- For example
Name one person to check the delivery date and another to prepare the prices.
- A limitation
Roles need a short check-in so people can raise problems.
Shared goal and follow-through
A shared goal works only when people follow through.
- Why
Everyone needs to know what must reach the client on Friday.
- For example
At a check-in, each owner confirms what is ready and what is blocked.
- A limitation
A shared goal is too vague unless the individual tasks are clear.
STEP 4 · 5 MIN
Organise your message
| Purpose | Useful language | In this case |
|---|---|---|
| State your choice | The main priority is… | The main priority is clear ownership. |
| Give a reason | because… | Clear roles matter because one check was missed. |
| Show the reason in action | For example,… | For example, two colleagues wrote the same report. |
| Explain the consequence | That means… | That means less time for checking delivery. |
| Recognise a limitation | However,… | However, complementary skills still matter. |
| Recommend a next step | So I would… | So I would name an owner for each handoff. |
Position
What should this team fix first?
Clear roles should come first.
Reason + evidence
Link one problem to your recommendation.
Two people wrote the same report because ownership was unclear.
Second reason + balance
Explain how your choice helps; acknowledge skills.
People can use their strengths, although the team still needs the right skills.
Next step
Name an action the manager can take.
Assign an owner and a check-in time to each handoff.
The frame helps the listener follow your reasoning. You do not need a fixed number of connectors or a memorised script.
Open the practice workspace →STEP 5 · 7 MIN
Rehearse with support
Use the cue to complete the message aloud. If you get stuck, open a possible response, then say your own version.
The first thing I would change is ___ because ___.
Choose one priority and connect it to the missed delivery check.
Show a possible response
The first thing I would change is the division of labour because nobody checked the delivery date.
For example, ___, which meant ___.
Use the duplicated report as evidence.
Show a possible response
For example, two colleagues prepared the same report, which meant that their effort was duplicated.
___ still matters, but ___.
Recognise skills without losing your main point.
Show a possible response
Choosing people with complementary skills still matters, but this team needs clearer roles first.
So I would ask ___ to ___ by ___.
Make up a proposed allocation, not a claim about past events.
Show a possible response
So I would ask operations to confirm the delivery date by Thursday.
STEP 6 · 5 MIN
Say it in your own words
Without reading the model, recommend one change in 20–30 seconds. Use one fact from this case and explain its consequence. You may use simpler words.
Listen back for
- I stated one clear priority.
- My reason used a fact from this case.
- I explained what the change would improve.
Need the case facts again?
- Sales knows the client; operations knows delivery. Both skills are needed.
- On Tuesday, two colleagues prepared the same price report. Neither checked the delivery date.
- The proposal is due on Friday. The manager can assign an owner and a check-in time for each handoff.
STEP 7 · 10 MIN
Try a timed challenge
Part 2 · VantageRecommend how sales and operations should share roles when preparing the client proposal in this case.
Choosing team members
Defining roles and responsibilities
This lesson practises one assigned topic: 60 seconds to prepare, 60 to speak, then a follow-up. Use the question bank for a three-topic choice.
Vantage: the examiner asks you about your partner’s presentation. These follow-ups practise responding relevantly.
After your attempt: model and commentary · 139 words
For this team, I would put clear roles and responsibilities first. Both sales and operations have useful skills, but the work is getting lost between them. On Tuesday, two colleagues prepared the same price report while nobody checked the delivery date. A clear division of labour would prevent that duplication and make each handoff easier to track. It would also help people play to their strengths: sales could focus on the client, while operations checked what we could deliver. Choosing team members still matters, of course. We need complementary skills, not just people who think alike. However, those skills are already present in this case. So my first step would be to agree who owns each task and when they will report back. That gives the team a shared goal and a practical way to follow through on it.
The model demonstrates reasoning, not a script to memorise. Word length follows the pack’s editorial target, not an official requirement or a promise that everyone can say it naturally in one minute. Keep your main point and strongest reason if time is short.
Grammar and Vocabulary
Because, while and who connect actions with reasons and responsibilities.
Next time: Choose structures you can control; longer is not automatically better.
Discourse Management
The recommendation follows a case fact, a consequence and a next step.
Next time: Listen back for the link between your example and your main point.
Pronunciation
The written model cannot demonstrate pronunciation.
Next time: Stress “same report”, “nobody” and “first” when contrasting the options.
Interactive Communication
The follow-up compares roles and skills directly.
Next time: Answer the question first, then add one reason.
These are teaching observations, not an examiner endorsement or a predicted exam score.
Respond to a follow-up
Why do you think clear roles matter more than skills here?
Compare the two options using the evidence, rather than repeating your speech.
One possible response
The team already has sales and delivery knowledge. The missed check suggests that ownership, rather than a lack of skills, is the immediate problem.
Errors, expression choices and practice strategies
Only items labelled language error need correction. Expression choices fit a particular context; practice strategies help organise an answer. Clear, correct simple English is welcome.
Language error Each team member have a clear role.
Each team member has a clear role.
Each + singular noun takes a singular verb.
Language error We need to discuss about the handoff.
We need to discuss the handoff.
Discuss takes its object directly; talk about needs about.
Language error She is responsible to checking the dates.
She is responsible for checking the dates.
Use responsible for + noun or -ing form.
Expression choice Teamwork is important.
This team needs a clear division of labour because two people wrote the same report while nobody checked delivery.
The original is grammatical. The revision identifies this team’s problem and connects it to an action; important is not a wrong word.
Practice strategy List several qualities of a good team without linking them to the case.
Choose one priority, use the missed check as evidence and explain how your recommendation would help.
This practice strategy makes your reasoning visible. You may choose a different priority if you support it; ranking one particular option is not an official pass condition.
The three micro-practices
1. What should this team clarify first, and why? Give one recommendation in 20 seconds.
After trying: reference and explanation
I would agree a clear division of labour because two colleagues prepared the same report while nobody checked the delivery date.
Use one action plus because. The repeated report and missed check support clearer ownership; “people should work harder” does not address that evidence.
2. Arrange the proposed handoff plan in the order signalled by the four sentences. These are recommendations, not events that have already happened.
- Finally, review both updates before sending the proposal on Friday.
- Once those owners are named, ask each person to report back by Thursday.
- First, get on the same page about the shared goal: an accurate proposal by Friday.
- Next, give the price report and the delivery check different owners.
After trying: reference and explanation
First, get on the same page about the shared goal: an accurate proposal by Friday. → Next, give the price report and the delivery check different owners. → Once those owners are named, ask each person to report back by Thursday. → Finally, review both updates before sending the proposal on Friday.
First establishes the goal; next assigns responsibility; those owners refers back to that assignment; finally closes the sequence with a joint check.
3. Listen and shadow the sentence. Make the purpose of clear roles audible.
A clear division of labour would prevent that duplication and make each handoff easier to track.
After trying: reference and explanation
Stress “clear division of labour” and “each handoff”; pause briefly before and. Replay to check clarity, rather than trying to copy an accent exactly.