Understanding the Problem

Warm-up: What's actually wrong?

2 warm-up questions

• When something goes wrong with your computer or phone, what do you usually do first — and who do you ask for help?
• First try: I'm your colleague. I say, "My laptop isn't working. Can you help?" Find out what's actually wrong — 30 seconds, go.

Reading: Diagnosing Tech Problems

Read a 131-word text about Diagnosing Tech Problems

Diagnosing Tech Problems When someone has a tech problem, you need to understand it before you can fix it. Good questions help you find the cause quickly. Key questions to ask: 1. What exactly is happening? "Can you describe what you see on the screen?" "What error message appears?" 2. When did it start? "When did you first notice this problem?" "Did anything change recently?" 3. What were you doing? "What were you trying to do when this happened?" "Can you walk me through the steps?" 4. Basic checks: "Have you restarted the computer?" "Is the device plugged in/connected to WiFi?" "Have you tried it in a different browser?" Tips for good communication: Be patient and don't assume knowledge Use simple language, not technical jargon Confirm you understand before suggesting solutions

Vocabulary: Troubleshooting Vocabulary

6 items

Reading: Two model problem intakes

Read a 255-word text about Two model problem intakes

Two model problem intakes The same four moves every time: symptom, timing, change, basic check. Here they are in two complete conversations — notice that the helper never suggests a fix until the problem is clear. The help-desk call (a slow laptop) "Thanks for calling — I'll help you with that. Can you describe exactly what you see? Is everything slow, or just one program? … OK, so everything opens slowly. When did you first notice it — was it working normally yesterday? … Yesterday morning, got it. Did anything change just before that — any updates or new software? … An automatic update — that could explain it. One basic check before we go further: have you restarted the computer since the update? No? Then let's do that together now, and see if the problem is still there." The chat message (a file that won't open) "Hi Tomas, happy to help. What exactly happens when you double-click the file — do you get an error message, or nothing at all? … OK. Can you copy the exact text of the error and paste it here? Every word helps. … Thanks. Has this file ever opened before, or is it a new one? … New, from a client. Last question: does another file of the same type open normally? … It does — so the problem is this file, not your program. Now I know exactly what to look at." Four questions, two minutes, no guessing. The fix comes faster because the problem came first.

Practice: Asking About Problems

Gap-fill exercise, 5 items

• What ____ message do you see on the screen?
• Have you tried ____ the computer?
• Can you ____ through the steps you took?
• Let me ____ this issue for you.
• Is your internet ____ working?

Practice: Match Questions to Purposes

Matching exercise, 5 items

• What do you see on the screen?
• When did this start?
• Have you restarted?
• Did anything change recently?
• Can you show me the error?

Dialogue: IT Support Call

Role-play: You're helping a colleague with a computer problem (8 lines)

• User: Hi, my computer isn't working properly. Can you help?
• You: Of course! Can you tell me exactly what's happening?
• User: Everything is really slow. It takes forever to open anything.
• You: I see. When did you first notice this problem?
• User: It started yesterday morning.
• You: Did anything change before that? Any new software or updates?
• User: Actually, yes - there was an automatic update.
• You: That might be the cause. Have you tried restarting the computer?

Discussion: Your mission: find the problem

3 discussion questions

• Mission: your tutor is a user with a mystery problem (Tutor: secretly pick one — no sound in video calls, Wi-Fi drops every hour, a printer that prints blank pages). Find out what's wrong. Success = you discover the symptom, when it started AND what changed, in four questions or fewer — without suggesting a single fix first. (Tutor: count the questions.)
• Second take: same user, but now they only give short answers — "I don't know", "It just doesn't work". Which questions get them talking? Try "Can you walk me through what happened?"
• Compare this with your 30-second try from the warm-up. Which of the four moves — symptom, timing, change, basic check — did you miss before and use now?