French - Professional communication strategies - Objective C1

Teacher(s)

Simon Florence (coordinator);

Language

French

Prerequisites

To take this course, students must have reached level B2.2 of the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, as attested by :

• the B2 placement test organized by ILV at the beginning of the term, with a minimum score of 16/20
• OR a recent DALF C1 certificate (maximum 1 year and passing all 4 skills)
• OR successful completion of course LFRAN1501
• OR successful completion of LFRAN 1401 with minimum 16/20

Main themes

Students will

• Observe, understand and experience various oral or written professional situations of communication based on authentic or pseudo-authentic documents (movies, documentaries, interviews with managers)
• write several texts in professional language
• make a professional presentation
• perform job interviews both as a candidate and as a recruiter
• take part in oral negotiations, playing different roles
• manage complicated oral situations
• experience group e-working situations
• use professional vocabulary
• progressively compile a communication profile

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

At the end of this C1-level class, students will: understand oral and written discourse in a French speaking professional context without too much difficulty; develop, using professional language, communication strategies appropriate to the situation; write professional texts (emails, reports, letters of complaint, CV) using the appropriate register, complex sentences and specific vocabulary; be able to express themselves precisely and with a certain ease in professional situations requiring oral communication (presentations, job interviews, negotiations, meetings) and cope with unpredictable situations; know and use vocabulary specific to the French professional world ; formulate precisely some of their skills and weaknesses in oral professional communication ; use collaborative e-tools (forums, web platform) efficiently.

Content

Oral and written situations of communication will be studied using authentic  and semi-authentic documents (extracts from movies and documentaries about the business world, interviews, lectures given by specialists, articles from the specialized press...).
By means of regular exercises in class and on Moodle, students will improve their language skills in professional situations analysed in class, and develop their professional vocabulary.
Students will undertake a group project leading to a professional-style oral presentation.
Each oral or written production will be assessed (with or without a grade), based on criteria specified in advance.

NB : This is not a grammar class. However, grammar and spelling will be assessed in oral and written productions. Students are expected to already have C1 linguistic skills and to use reference material to improve their morpho-syntaxic skills.

Teaching methods

The course alternates between synchronous classroom sessions (1) and asynchronous work sessions. The asynchronous activities are carried out on Moodle, independently, and can take different forms:

•     Before certain class sessions: viewing a document, participating in a forum... ;
•     After certain class sessions: lexical and conceptual reinforcement;
•     Completely distance learning (between 2 and 3 hours of work).

(1) In 2023-2024, these course sessions will take place in person. Depending on the evolution of the health situation, they could exceptionally take place by videoconference on Teams.

Evaluation methods

The certification consists of a continuous assessment and a final examination.
Continuous assessment: 40 %

•     Engagement in the course
•     Texts written during the term

Continuous assessment papers may not be submitted after the deadline set by the professor, except in the case of a medical certificate.   
No continuous assessment assignments may be submitted in the August session
Final exam: 60 %

•     Vocabulary test
•     Communication profile sheet
•     Oral exam: group negotiation
•     Written exam: writing a professional report

An absence (justified or not) from the final exam (or one of its parts) will result in a final mark of absence.
The student who represents the final exam in August has the choice of representing the failed competency(ies) OR the entire exam if he/she wishes to improve his/her grade. He/she must explicitly communicate his/her choice to the professor no later than the first day of the session.

Teaching materials

• Les documents sont déposés sur la plateforme Moodle.

Faculty or entity

> ILV