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Adapting authentic workplace talk for workplace training 527

Communicative practice can also be facilitated by providing trainees with a
scenario along with a partial transcript of the original interaction containing
either the initial turn(s) or with critical turns omitted and with the requirement
that they work in pairs or groups to complete the interaction. Various versions
can then be presented by the trainees and discussed and compared with the orig-
inal interaction. Mak et al. (1999: 84–85) discuss the advantages of such role-
based approaches to developing sociopragmatic competence. These include op-
portunities for diagnosis by a facilitator, opportunities for observing a range of
ways of managing a speech event, opportunities for obtaining feedback from
other group members, and opportunities for supported experimentation with
different ways of managing communication.

6.2. Awareness-raising and interpretation tasks
Awareness-raising and interpretation tasks are concerned with awareness both
as attention to explicit knowledge and as noticing. These two dimensions of
awareness are discussed below.

6.2.1. Awareness as attention to explicit knowledge

We can distinguish two forms of explicit knowledge for attention in intercultu-
ral communication training: knowledge of broad principles of culture and lan-
guage (sociopragmatic knowledge), and knowledge of appropriate and polite
linguistic forms and strategies (pragmalinguistic knowledge). Both are addressed
in the principles outlined in section 4 above. At a sociopragmatic level, trainees
reflect on their interpretation and performance of linguistic action with refer-
ence to first language values. At a pragmalinguistic level, they instantiate their
sociolinguistic knowledge in the form of particular communication strategies
and linguistic devices.
Analysis of Sara’s talk from the interaction provided in the appendix illus-
trates a number of these principles. Sara’s two main turns in the interaction are
also presented below in example (2) as a single stretch of discourse.

(2)
Sara: and that’s the um issue of writing [deep breath]. Um when, um whenever
you – er – we’re drafting, well, I’ve noticed a couple of mistakes creeping
into our work. That’s stuff that, that even that I’ve looked at. I notice it be-
cause the letters go through – all the letters that go out of the ministry go
through what’s called the day file. They also go through, er, each manager
as well as our own staff. Sometimes suddenly as I’m re-reading I spot a
spelling mistake which I didn’t see the first time or a grammatical mis-
take. I really ask for all of you to make sure that you take it to one other