English for Cabin Crew Trainer's Guide - Heinle

UNIT
1 Case study
LEAD IN Speaking
Write Getting ready for work on the board. Ask students to think
of three things they always do before going to work. Then tell
them to discuss their ideas with a partner. Have an open class
discussion and fi nd out if anyone has an unusual routine.
Lead in to the reading by asking students to make their own
list of things a fl ight attendant has to check before passengers
board. Then, when students read, ask them for similarities and
differences between the list in the text and their lists.
EXERCISE 1 Reading
Ask students to read the text and fi nd answers to the questions. Let
students discuss the answers in pairs before discussing in open class.
Answers
1 the emergency equipment, the safety instruction card, the number of
meals on board, the usual drinks trolley and duty-free goods, and that
the toilets are all stocked with the necessary hand towels and tissues
2 security and the aircraft’s safety features
Vocabulary in context
You could get students to fi nd and revise words in the text that are
connected with their job. Ask students in pairs to fi nd words for each of
the categories below:
People on a plane: crew, purser, passengers, staff, captain
Things on a plane: carry-on bag, uniform, emergency equipment, exits,
seat pocket, safety instruction card, drinks trolley, duty free goods, toilets
EXERCISE 2 Speaking
The aim here is to get students talking about their personal experiences.
Give students time to read through the situation and questions and
think of responses. Ask them to discuss their responses in pairs or small
groups. After a few minutes, get one student from each pair or group to
briefl y summarize the main points of their discussion.
EXERCISE 3 Speaking
Give students time to read through the things and check any diffi cult
words. Then ask students to discuss them in pairs before ending with a
brief open class discussion.
Pre-teaching vocabulary
You could pre-teach some of the key adjectives used in the interview.
Write the following on the board and check the meaning and
pronunciation: terrifying; intense (not relaxed); nerve-wracking (very
worried); exciting; relaxing, stern (strict, severe); tense (not relaxed);
informative; enjoyable; interesting; serious; poignant (sad). Ask students
which of these words best describe a briefi ng meeting.
EXERCISE 4 and 5 Listening
Give students time to read the situation and questions in exercise 4. Play
the recording. Students listen and then discuss their answers in pairs.
Get feedback in open class at the end.
Follow the same procedure for exercise 5.
Answers
1 She was partly terrifi ed and very excited.
2 The actual content was always the same; the atmosphere could be
different – sometimes friendly, sometimes tense.
3 VIPs / celebrities, passengers who are travelling for sad reasons, such
as to visit someone who is sick or has had an accident.
CD1 Track 1.7
1 What do you remember about your fi rst pre-fl ight briefi ng?
S: My fi rst fl ight was a mixture of emotions. I was partly terrifi ed and very
excited. I was terrifi ed because the training we'd been given over the six
weeks was quite intense and I knew that arriving at the briefi ng room I
would be asked a series of questions and I had to get those answers right
to show that my training profi ciency was up to standard so that was very
nerve-wracking, but I was also really, really excited – I was, you know, part
of this team that was going to be taking a fl ight with, you know, a 100 or so
passengers from one country to another and that was just unbelievable.
2 Were these briefi ngs always the same?
S: The actual content of the briefi ng was always the same. However, depending
on the human factor with different people you're working with, some people,
those in charge, would help create a friendlier environment so you could relax
a little more and others would put the fear of God into you because, you know,
their sternness, their facial expressions, etcetera, so it was always very tense
going into those pre-briefi ngs and you never quite knew what the atmosphere
would be, but on the whole it was, it was the same in content.
3 What was the common theme?
S: Having worked for a number of different airlines, both charter work and
scheduled international and short-haul, there was a common theme with the
pre-briefi ngs throughout the industry and that was primarily safety and, of
course, passenger information. Those briefi ngs were used as an opportunity to
inform and advise the crew of what type of passengers they were having on
board; the service that day, but predominantly it was safety related. One of
the things I really enjoyed about the pre-fl ight briefi ngs was the opportunity
to meet the crew that you would be working with that day or that week and
getting to know about the fl ight and, you know, the particular idiosyncrasies
that would occur. For example, on some fl ights we may have VIPs and that
was always exciting to know that you're carrying someone, you know, of a
celebrity status or it may be that you're carrying, you know, a passenger who
has, you know, got to travel through sad reasons. Perhaps her daughter living
out in New Zealand has just had a serious accident and she’s travelling to New
Zealand to, to visit her sick daughter. All of those opportunities to fi nd out
about the fl ight – some were more poignant than others, but it was always
very interesting and exciting. A really, really nice opportunity to get to know
about the day ahead.
EXERCISE 6 Speaking
Divide the class into pairs or small groups to discuss the questions.
Get open class feedback, and encourage students with interesting
experiences to share with the class.
ROUND UP
Revise vocabulary from the unit by asking students to write
words and phrases connected with the industry under the
following headings:
People / Duties / Parts of the plane / Weather
Ask students to work in pairs to write all the words and phrases
they know, or to search the unit to fi nd words and phrases to
write.
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