Describing Professional Activities at Work

Read/Listen first

I work as a project coordinator in a busy company. Every week I attend meetings with clients and lead short training sessions for new colleagues. I manage a small team and assign tasks so that everybody knows what to do. Last week I attended a long meeting with a new client and reported all the decisions to my manager. We must apply the company regulations in every situation to keep people safe. I have worked with many clients from different industries, so I can communicate clearly and solve problems quickly. Right now we are implementing a new process to improve quality, and I take care of the first tests. Next month we are going to implement a new safety procedure and operate updated equipment. When a problem appears on a project, I have to speak with the engineer and we decide on a solution together. After we agree, I write a short report and send it to upper management. Sometimes I could join online conferences to learn new tools, but I usually stay at the office.

⚡ Learning goals

• Can understand a short text about a colleague's regular professional activities.
• Can describe own main tasks at work using common action verbs.
• Can talk about past projects and planned changes at work.

✨ Key language

• attend meetings with clients “I attend meetings with clients every Tuesday morning.”
• assign tasks to the team “She assigns tasks to the team before each project.”
• implement a new process “We implemented a new process to improve product quality.”

⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures

1️⃣ Past simple for finished actions

Rule: Use past simple to talk about completed actions at a specific time in the past.
Examples: I attended a long meeting yesterday.; She reported the problem to her manager.; They implemented a new process last month.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners forget -ed on regular verbs — Add -ed for regular past forms like attended.

2️⃣ Present perfect for experience

Rule: Use have / has + past participle to talk about life or work experience with a link to now.
Examples: I have worked with many clients.; She has implemented new procedures.; We have operated this machine for years.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners use past simple with "have" — Remember the structure have/has + past participle.

3️⃣ Future with "going to" for plans

Rule: Use be going to + verb to talk about future plans or decisions already made.
Examples: We are going to implement a new safety procedure.; I am going to attend a conference.; They are going to assign new tasks tomorrow.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners forget the verb "be" — Use am / is / are before "going to".

4️⃣ Modal verbs for obligation

Rule: Use must or have to to talk about strong rules and obligations at work.
Examples: We must apply the company regulations.; I have to speak with the engineer.; Employees must wear safety equipment.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners add "to" after must — Remember: must + base verb, have to + base verb.

✍️ Vocabulary

  attend

Meaning: to be present at a meeting or event.
Synonyms: participate, be present
Chunk/Idiom: attend meetings with clients
Example: I attend a short team meeting every Monday morning.
Morphology: verb; regular.
Self-practice: Write one sentence about a meeting you attend each week.

  lead

Meaning: to direct or guide a group or activity.
Synonyms: guide, conduct
Chunk/Idiom: lead a short training session
Example: She leads a safety training for new workers every month.
Morphology: verb; irregular (lead, led, led).
Self-practice: Say a sentence about a meeting you would like to lead.

  manage

Meaning: to be responsible for people, projects or resources.
Synonyms: supervise, direct
Chunk/Idiom: manage a small team
Example: I manage a small team of three project assistants.
Morphology: verb; regular.
Self-practice: Describe one thing you manage in your current job.

  assign

Meaning: to give a person a task or responsibility.
Synonyms: allocate, give
Chunk/Idiom: assign tasks to colleagues
Example: The coordinator assigns clear tasks before the project starts.
Morphology: verb; regular.
Self-practice: Write two tasks you could assign to a colleague.

  implement

Meaning: to start using a plan, rule or process in real life.
Synonyms: introduce, put in place
Chunk/Idiom: implement a new process
Example: We implemented a new process to improve product quality.
Morphology: verb; regular.
Self-practice: Say one new idea you would like to implement at work.

  report

Meaning: to give information about what happened to another person.
Synonyms: inform, describe
Chunk/Idiom: report decisions to management
Example: I report all important decisions to my manager by email.
Morphology: verb; regular.
Self-practice: Record yourself reporting one decision from a recent project.

☁️ Examples (+ audio)

🔊 Play I attend meetings with clients every Tuesday morning.

🔊 Play My manager assigns tasks to our team very clearly.

🔊 Play We are going to implement a new safety procedure soon.

🔊 Play I have worked with different teams in this company.

✏️ Exercises

Grammar

Vocabulary & Comprehension

✅ Guided practice

Mini-dialogue:

A: What do you usually do as a project coordinator?
B: I attend client meetings, assign tasks to my team and report decisions.
A: Are you going to implement any changes this month?
B: Yes, we are going to implement a new safety procedure at the plant.

Why this matters:

Clear verbs help you explain your work to clients and colleagues. This makes meetings faster and more efficient. It also shows that you understand your responsibilities.

Verb & Adjective Pack:

attend meetings — I attend short meetings with clients every week.
assign tasks — She assigns tasks to the team before each project.
implement new procedures — We implement new procedures when quality problems appear.
responsible — He is responsible for safety in the production area.

Try & compare: