Intermediate

Reading Lesson

Warm up
1 What things do you associate with certain colors?
2 What colors would you choose for your: bedroom? bathroom? kitchen? Why?

Get to the point

Glossary
Quickly skim the article. Choose the
*psychologists- people who study the mind
main idea: A, B, C, or D.
*logo- picture or image that represents a brand or company
A restaurant colors
*band- a group of musicians
B restaurant music
*proven- shown to be true
C restaurant environment
D being hungry in restaurants

www.smallbizwonders.com

Today’s topic: The Power of Perception…

Think back to the last time you ate in a restaurant. Close your eyes, and remember what you
experienced. What did you see? What did you hear?
The fact is, if you are opening any kind of restaurant, the menu is not the only important decision.
You need to create a pleasant environment for your customers as well. This includes the colors you
choose for your walls, sign menus, plates and bowls. And, surprisingly, you don’t need an interior
decorator to help you. You need a scientist.
First of all, according to color *psychologists, some colors make you hungry, while one color actually
removes appetite. Red, orange and yellow are the colors that give us the strongest desire for food so
these colors should be seen clearly on your *logo, menu, tables and walls. Blue, on the other hand, puts
us off eating and should not be used anywhere in the restaurant.
You should also consider the sounds customers hear as they enter your restaurant. Some believe
that a quiet environment is relaxing, and helps diners to enjoy their food in peace. However, silence could
also be a sign that nobody wants to eat at your restaurant so having no noise at all could discourage
customers. No one wants to eat in a place with a crazy level of noise, but some sound is essential for
maintaining good business.
Choosing music is a big decision, and you should not simply play songs by your favorite *band. Loud
rock music might make you happy, but not everyone loves it. However, slow jazz is not always the best
choice either. Instead, you should try to match the music to the type of restaurant you are opening.
Creating the right atmosphere is very important for business. A recent study was published by two
food psychologists from the University of Georgia which said that soft, calm music encourages diners
to stay longer at the table, but eat less food. This means that fewer customers are sitting down in the
restaurant and buying food and so the restaurant makes less money.
In sum, offer tasty food, but also an atmosphere which is scientifically *proven to make people buy a
lot of it!

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 Intermediate

Comprehension
If the statement agrees with information in the article, write A. If it disagrees with information in the article,
write D.

1 The only important decisions are about the food. ____

2 You don’t need to worry about the colors you use. ____
3 You should use blue tables in your restaurant. ____
4 A quiet restaurant can be relaxing. ____
5 If your restaurant is quiet, it could mean nobody wants to eat there. ____
6 Some noise in the restaurant is good. ____
7 You shouldn’t only play the music you like. ____
8 Slow music is always a good choice. ____
9 Soft music encourages people to eat more. ____
10 This article is written for people who might open a restaurant. ____

Vocabulary
Complete the sentences using the bold words from the text.
1 Henry has a big ____________: he always has second helpings of food.
2 You shouldn’t use blue plates to serve food. ____________, you should use white ones.
3 Another word for ‘____________’ is pleasing or enjoyable.
4 An ____________ is someone who designs the inside of a building.
5 Another word for a customer in a restaurant is ‘____________’.
6 To ____________ means to provide something that is suitable for a particular person or situation.
7 The sign outside the movie theater says, “____________ please.” You’re not allowed to talk inside.
8 ____________ good business means keeping the same amount of customers and not losing money.
9 I have no ____________ to swim in the ocean. It’s too dangerous!
10 The smell of rotting food can really ____________ you ____________ eating.

Open your Mind…

1 Do you agree with the advice from the article? Why / Why not?
2 Think of three restaurants that you know. Do they follow the advice from the article?
Are they successful restaurants?

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 Life Skills Project Intermediate

The Power of Persuasion

Skills in use: Persuading others Skills in Mind: Thinking creatively

The use of color is very powerful: it is responsible for shaping our moods, feelings and even our appetite!

Reflect
Why is color important when designing an advert for a product?

Task 1.1
Work in groups. Imagine you have to sell some bread in the supermarket. What strategies could you use to
persuade a customer to buy the bread? How can you use color, sound, smell, etc.? Brainstorm your ideas here:

Reflect
What else could you do to persuade someone to buy the bread? What kind of persuasive language could
you use? Is it important to find out what motivates a person to buy the product?

Task 2.1
You are going to design and advertise a product to your classmates using a logo.
In your groups choose a product to advertise:
mobile phone sportswear laptop perfume / aftershave

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 Life Skills Project Intermediate

Task 2.2
Decide:
O Your target audience. Who is going to buy your product? Which of the following things should you consider?
o Age o Nationality
o Gender o Hair and eye color
o Number of pets o Hobbies and interests
O Your design. What adjectives describe your product? How can you show them in your design?
dynamic youthful traditional elegant fun
crazy powerful feminine masculine soft
functional modern mysterious accessible

Reflect
What do you need to do to persuade your target audience to understand your design and buy your
product?

O Your slogan. How will people remember your product? Think of a slogan or catchphrase that is easy to
remember. Write your slogan here:
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Reflect
How does your slogan persuade people to buy your product?

Task 2.3
Present your logo to the rest of the class.
Think about your body language and your verbal language. Check the things you should do. Cross the things you
shouldn’t do.
O Make eye contact ______ O Speak quietly ______
O Smile ______ O Use positive language, like ‘amazing’ ______
O Sit down ______ O Stand up ______
O Look at your notes ______ O Use negative language, like ‘boring’ ______
O Speak confidently ______ O Don’t smile ______

Reflect
How did you do? Did you persuade your classmates to buy the product? How could you be more
persuasive next time?

Optional: Create a multimedia clip of your logo. Choose suitable music and include the slogan. Record your
presentation with the clip.

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