Dealing with Complaints: Staying Calm in English
A customer once threw a menu at me in a busy Sydney restaurant. He was angry. Not at me — his food was cold. But I was the nearest person. My manager came over and…
Tag: elt
Numbers and Money: Maths English for Hospitality
On my second day in a Sydney restaurant, I gave a customer the wrong change. Not because I couldn't count — I could. The problem was the English. 'Out of twenty' meant he gave me…
Small Talk with Customers: The Art of Light Conversation
At Ivy in Sydney I noticed that the best waiters didn't just take orders — they noticed things. 'Did you just come from the theatre?' 'Is this a special occasion?' One question. A real answer.…
Taking Orders: Polite English for Restaurant Staff
My first job in Sydney was taking orders at a small Italian restaurant in Strathfield. I was so nervous. I kept writing the wrong thing. One evening a chef said to me: 'Repeat the order…
Taste in Words: Describing Wine Like a Sommelier
At Uccello in Sydney, I once described a Barossa Shiraz to a table of eight. I used three adjectives — smoky, full-bodied, long finish — and the table ordered a second bottle. Language sold the…
Coffee Talk: Vocabulary from Behind the Espresso Machine
My first week at a Sydney café, a customer asked for a 'flat white'. I nodded. Then I stared at the machine for a full minute with no idea what to do. The other barista…
Present Perfect: Connecting Past to Now (B1 Grammar)
I have lived in four countries. That one sentence — present perfect — tells you something about who I am right now.
5-Min Pro · Error Correction: Deciding When and How
The idea — Not all errors need correcting immediately. Interrupting a fluency task for accuracy correction kills communication. Correcting everything demoralises. The question is always: what is this task for?
5-Min Pro · Professional Development on a Budget
The idea — Paid CPD is not the only CPD. The most effective professional development often costs nothing and happens between lessons: peer observation, reading one article, watching one teaching video, reflecting on one moment.
5-Min Pro · Dealing with Disruptive Learners: Three Strategies
The idea — Most classroom disruption is unmet need: boredom (task too easy), confusion (task too hard), or social need (task not engaging enough). The behaviour is the message. Read it before responding to it.