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Meeting Essentials
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Meeting Essentials
A business English study guide to communicating effectively in meetings
2nd Edition
Written by
James Moss
Paul Meredith
Online activities by
James Moss
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written
permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Table of Contents
(Click a unit title to jump to the start of that unit)
Whether you love them or hate them, meetings are part of almost every job. So
performing well in meetings is a very important skill. People who can express
their opinions, disagree politely, handle the discussion with skill and diplomacy –
these kinds of people succeed in their careers and rise to the top in their
companies.
Meetings come in many types. They include large, formal conferences, like year-
end meetings, and small informal discussions, like a quick chat between team
leaders and their staff. In this 12-chapter e-book on meeting skills, we will learn
useful language for meetings of many different types. The goal is to study all the
essentials you need for participating actively in, and, when required, leading and
managing the discussion.
In each chapter, I will introduce the topic, then I’ll play a dialog that
demonstrates the key concepts. Afterwards, in the “debrief” section, I’ll take you
through the main points and explain important vocabulary and idioms. For each
skill, we’ll learn more phrases that you can use. Then, finally, in the practice
section of each debrief, you will have the opportunity to use some of the
language you learned.
Learners often ask me how to study more efficiently and effectively. I have some
suggestions. Listen to each chapter and practice the example phrases multiple
times. First listen without the transcript; then, when you have time, go back and
listen again with the transcript. Underline and look up words you don’t
Do the practice section of each debrief at least a couple times; try substituting
different language the second time you practice. Substitution helps you increase
your fluency, that is, your ability to say the same thing in many ways. You can
also record yourself, write and act out dialogs, and practice together with a
learning partner. These and many more strategies are covered in the study
notes for each chapter.
What’s Included?
All Business English Pod e-books come with a variety of study resources to
provide learners with maximum flexibility and value.
You can access and download all the materials for this e-book on this webpage:
http://www.businessenglishpod.com/learningcenter2/ebooks/meeting-essentials/
First let’s listen to a more formal situation. We’ll be listening to part of a meeting
at DigiSoft, a multinational software company. Sheila, a vice president, is talking
to Walt, George and Bruce, three software engineers, about the deadline for the
new software release. Release here means launch: That is, bring the product
onto the market.
Vocabulary
Dialogs
Sheila: So, let’s move on to the topic of release date. Gentlemen, when do you
think we will be able to launch this product? Walt?
Walt: Well, I tend to feel that... we should probably be able to start testing the
product in April. That means that if all goes well, we can have a first release in
May or June.
Sheila: I see. Thank you, Walt. What’s your reaction to that Bruce?
George: Excuse me, may I come in here? I wonder if I could say something.
George: Well, it seems to me that May is much, much too early. Actually, we
are still having some pretty major problems with bugs in the update engine, and
I just don’t see how we will be able to...
Ok, now let’s listen to George, Bruce and Walt walk into the break room right
after the meeting. Sheila, their boss, is not here; this is a more informal
situation.
Bruce: Hey guys, did you see the Chelsea/Liverpool game last night? What did
you think, Walt? Quite a game, huh? Chelsea looked pretty good!
Walt: You always have to rub it in, don’t you Bruce. You know I’m a Liverpool fan.
George: Actually, that was one of the greatest games I’ve ever seen. But the
way you guys keep telling the boss we can finish the product by May, none of us
are going to have time to watch any more football games. We’re all going to be
working overtime every night, burning the midnight oil!
Debrief
So now you’ve heard both formal and informal dialogs. Let’s look at the formal
conversation. How does Sheila ask for her employees’ opinions?
Sheila is in charge. She is the boss and the chairperson of the meeting. One way
for her to ask for an employee’s opinion is simply to say his name with a rising
intonation or tone.
Sheila: ... Gentlemen, when do you think we will be able to launch this product?
Walt?
Sheila also uses some other ways to ask for her employees’ opinions. All these
ways are relatively formal. They signal that this is a formal meeting. She says..
Sheila: I see. Thank you, Walt. What’s your reaction to that, Bruce?
And:
Together with these speakers, try some other formal phrases for asking for an
opinion:
Now, let’s look at the language Walt, Bruce and George use to express their
opinions in a formal situation. Walt says...
Walt: Well, I tend to feel that we should be able to start testing the product in
April...
This language—“I tend to feel that”—shows a careful, formal tone. Walt uses this
tone because he is talking to his boss, and perhaps because he is not sure
whether or not the others will agree with him.
Sheila: I see. Thank you, Walt. What’s your reaction to that, Bruce?
Think about the ways that George uses to express his opinion—“I wonder if I
could say something,” and “Well, it seems to me that....” These ways expression
are also quite careful. George has a good reason to be careful, doesn’t he? He
disagrees with his colleagues.
Now let’s practice some further formal (or careful) phrases for expressing your
opinion:
Next, let’s turn to the more informal discussion between Walt, Bruce and
George. Remember, they are in the break room right after the meeting. Bruce
asks George and Walt:
Bruce: Hey guys, did you see the Chelsea/Liverpool game last night? What did
you think, Walt? Quite a game, huh? Chelsea looked pretty good!
This is an informal, relaxed discussion among colleagues. You can tell it’s
informal because Bruce uses the informal word “guys” to address George and
Walt. Also, he says “What do you think?” This is an informal way to ask for an
opinion. Walt says:
Walt: You always have to rub it in, don’t you Bruce. You know I’m a Liverpool
fan.
George: Actually, that was one of the greatest games I’ve ever seen.
Next, notice how George starts his sentence with “actually.” “Actually” is a direct
or informal way to state an opinion. It shows us that George has something new
or surprising to say. With George, practice more direct ways to state an opinion:
George: Actually, that was one of the greatest games I’ve ever seen.
But the way you guys keep telling the boss we can finish the product by May,
none of us are going to have time to watch any more football games.
George means that if Bruce and Walt keep telling the boss that they can meet
the May deadline, everyone is going to have to work very hard; in fact, they are
going to have to work so hard that they won’t have time to watch any football
games. Listen to some more examples of this sentence pattern:
The way you are always looking at her, she’s going to think you have fallen in
love with her.
This means, “Because you are looking at her very often, she will think that you
have fallen in love with her.”
The way we are working, we’re never going to finish the project in time.
This means, “If we keep working this slowly, we will not be able to finish the
project on time.”
One last time, let’s listen to the final part of the dialog again.
George: ... We’re all going to be working overtime every night, burning the
midnight oil!
“To burn the midnight oil” is an idiom. It means to work hard, or to work late
into the night, until past midnight. Because it is dark, you have to burn a candle
or a light, thus you have to burn the midnight oil.
First, we’ll try using the formal phrases we learned today for expressing an
opinion. Imagine you are leading a meeting at your company. In the prompt,
you’ll hear the name of one of your employees, and a topic. After the beep, use
some of the phrases you have learned today to ask for his or her opinion about
that topic. For example, if you hear, “Sheila, stock price” you can say, “How do
you feel about the stock price, Sheila?” Let’s give it a try.
Imagine you work at DigiSoft and you are attending a meeting with you
manager, Pat. First you’ll hear a prompt telling you whether you should be
formal and careful, or informal and direct. Then, Pat will ask a question. After
the beep, respond appropriately with your own opinion. You should make up
any details you need.
1) Prompt: Careful, formal. Pat: So, do you think we should release the product
this month?
Learner:
2) Prompt: Careful, formal. Pat: What do you think of our customer’s new
product?
Learner:
Now, listen to some example answers. Of course, your answers will be different.
These are just provided for reference.
1) Prompt: Careful, formal. Pat: So, do you think we should release the
product this month?
Learner: Hmmm. Don’t you think that’s a little early? I tend to think we
should release it next month.
2) Prompt: Careful, formal. Pat: What do you think of our customer’s new
product?
Learner: Well, I have the impression that it’s a very good product.
How did you do? To increase fluency, try substituting different language when
you practice again.
That concludes this episode. We’ve practiced formal and informal ways of
giving and asking for opinions. In the next chapter, we will be looking at ways
of agreeing and disagreeing in meetings and discussions.
A. Jumbled Sentences
Rearrange the jumbled sentences to make phrases you can use to ask or state
an opinion:
Study Strategy
What topics do you like to talk about? Sports? Stock market? Culture? Film?
Write down five questions that you find interesting, then practice answering
them. You can also practice role playing with a friend. Make a conscious effort to
use the phrases we’ve practiced in this episode.
Answers
Language Review
A. Jumbled sentences
1) What’s your reaction to that Bruce?
2) Any comments, Simon?
3) My impression is that …
4) As far as I am concerned …
5) From my point of view …
Online Practice
What language do the speakers use to agree with each other? Let’s listen.
Dialog
Gene: So, what do you think about the new Zorax trial? This could be the drug
we’ve all been waiting for. I think it’s going to be a big seller.
Louis: So do I.
Carina: I’m sorry, but I really can’t agree. After all, so far we’ve only carried out
two trials. And don’t forget the strange results from the first trial.
Louis: Yes, I admit, the first trial was a little disappointing; but that doesn’t take
anything away from these new results. Absolutely amazing!
Carina: Don’t you think it’s still a little early to be so sure? Perhaps we shouldn’t
count our chickens before they’re hatched. I still think there may still be some
issues with Zorax.
Gene: Do you really think so? Anyway, we don’t have anything else coming
down the pipeline right now. We have to try to make this work.
Gene: The patients always come first. We won’t forget that. Now, Carina, let’s
talk about these issues one by one...
Vocabulary
(To be a) big seller: A product that sells very well. “In a year’s time, the
majority of our revenue could come from sales of this new product, so it’s fair to
say that it’s a big seller.”
Amazing: In slang/informal use, this just means very, very good. “My trip to
Brazil last week was amazing! I really could’ve stayed there some more days.”
Fantastic: In slang/informal use, this means very, very good (like “amazing”
above). “We had a fantastic time last night at our Christmas party – you should
have come!”
To count one’s chickens before they’ve (they’re) hatched: Idiom. This saying
criticizes the attitude of counting on something before it has been confirmed. “I
know that we have a lot of possible new contracts, but we shouldn’t count our
chickens before they’ve hatched. We need to be more conservative in our
earnings estimates for the new year.”
(To have/to be) an/some issue(s): In many industries, this is jargon (industry
language) for having a problem. “Issue” sounds less serious and more positive
than “problem.” “We’re having some issues with the new software, but nothing
that can’t be solved before the product launch in two months.”
To come first: To be the priority. “Our sales team should come first next year
when we upgrade computers – they really need new laptops.”
One-by-one: One at a time. “Let’s deal one-by-one with the problems you
raised.”
Okay, now, let’s look at ways to agree. Remember, Louis agrees with Gene
about the trial.
Gene: So, what do you think about the new Zorax trial? This could be the drug
we’ve all been waiting for. I think it’s going to be a big seller.
Louis: So do I.
Here, the short answer, “so do I” means “I think so too.” This is a common way
to show agreement. The agreement is strong. Here are some more examples.
Here, “so do I” means “I hate working in the evening too.” You can also say “I
do too.”
In negative sentences, you can also say “I don’t either,” “neither do I,” or “nor
do I.” “Nor” sounds more formal than “neither.”
In short answers, sometimes you need to use modal verbs (such as will, can,
should, would and so on).
A: We won’t do that.
B: Neither will we.
In addition to short answers, there are other ways to agree. For example, you
can use a standard phrase. Let’s look at some standard phrases for agreeing.
Exactly!
Absolutely!
Another way to agree is to use a synonym. Synonym means a word with the
same meaning. For example “amazing” and “fantastic” are synonyms. Listen
again.
Louis: Yes, I admit, the first trial was a little disappointing; but that doesn’t take
anything away from these new results. Absolutely amazing.
Here are some more words that mean very, very good.
Terrific!
Wonderful!
Splendid!
Marvelous!
And here are some words that mean very, very bad.
Awful.
Terrible.
Pathetic.
Miserable.
Ok, so far, we’ve looked at two ways to agree: You can use a standard phrase,
or you can use a synonym. Another way to agree is to use an example. Louis
uses this way to agree with Gene. Let’s listen again.
Louis: Yes, I admit, the first trial was a little disappointing; but that doesn’t take
anything away from these new results. Absolutely amazing.
“Especially for men over 60” is an example: an example of the amazing results.
This is agreeing by using an example. Let’s practice some more examples of
agreeing this in way.
“The patients always come first” is a general comment that shows agreement
with Carina. Let’s listen to another example of using a general comment to
agree.
Carina: Perhaps we shouldn’t count our chickens before they’re hatched. I still
think there may still be some issues with Zorax.
Carina says the company shouldn’t “count its chickens before they’re hatched.”
“Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched” is an idiom (or proverb). The
verb “to hatch” means to come out of an egg. When a baby chicken comes out
of the egg, we say the “chicken hatches.” In this idiom, the eggs represent
potential (or possible) profit: We shouldn’t count it until we’re sure of it.
There’s also another idiomatic expression in Carina’s speech: “I still think there
may still be some issues with Zorax.” She says there may be “issues” with
Zorax. In business, “issues” means problems. So Carina means that there may
be problems with Zorax.
Carina: Perhaps we shouldn’t count our chickens before they’re hatched. I still
think there may still be some issues with Zorax.
Gene: Do you really think so? Anyway, we don’t have anything else coming
down the pipeline right now. We have to try to make this work.
Gene says the company “doesn’t have any more products coming down the
pipeline right now.” This is another idiom. Pipeline means pipe; water travels
through pipes to get to your office or house. If there are no more products
coming down the pipeline, that means there are no more new products coming
out of R&D. We can also use this idiom to talk about business, projects and so
on. For example,
Now it’s your turn. First, let’s practice agreeing with short statements such as
“so do I,” “I do too,” “neither do we,” and so on.
You’ll hear a series of comments. After the beep, agree appropriately with each
comment by using a short statement. Are you ready?
Cue 4: We’re not going to hire any new employees next year.
Learner:
Cue 4: We’re not going to hire any new employees next year.
Answer: Nor are we.
Now, let’s practice using standard phrases to agree. Standard phrases include, “I
entirely agree with you,” or “You’re quite right,” or “I couldn’t agree more,” and
so on. After each beep, use a standard phrase to agree. When appropriate, you
may also wish to use expressions that mean very good, like, “Yes, terrific isn’t it?”
or expressions that mean very bad, like, “I know – it’s awful, isn’t it?” Let’s begin.
Cue 1: It’s time to stop investing in the stock market and put your money in
something safer.
Learner:
Cue 3: Well, I really think we can expect good things from the new employee.
Learner:
How did you do? Here are some example answers so you can check.
Cue 1: It’s time to stop investing in the American stock market and put your
money in something safer.
Answer: That’s exactly how I see it.
Cue 3: Well, I really think we can expect good things from the new employee.
Answer: That’s just how I feel.
Remember it’s always a good idea to go back and try the practice again.
Substitute different language to build up fluency.
Well, that’s about all. We’ve looked at many different ways of appropriately
agreeing, as we as some useful idioms.
In the next chapter coming down the pipeline, we’ll be looking closely at
different ways to express agreement.
Language Review
3) The food is great, isn't it? c) Yes, ________ just Sudan alone --
slightly more than a quarter the size of
the US!
4) Africa is a big place. d) Yes! Take this pizza, for _________.
Delicious!
5) A lot of the younger guys in e) For ________ the way he passed the
the sales department just ball. That was amazing!
can't keep up.
6) Chinese food is delicious. f) Learning any language is difficult.
Study Strategy
Take any of the short exchanges in exercise A or B above and develop it into a
full dialog. You can either do this by role playing with a friend, or by actually
writing out the dialog. As you practice, be sure to use the different strategies
we’ve studied for agreeing.
Answers
A. Short Answers and Standard Phrases
Part 1: Short Answers
B.
1) This food is great. Especially the chicken! (b)
2) Michael Ballack looked For example the way he passed the ball. That
great last night. was amazing! (e)
3) The food is great, isn't it? Yes! Take this pizza, for instance. Delicious! (d)
4) Africa is a big place. Yes, take just Sudan alone -- slightly more than a
quarter the size of the US! (c)
5) A lot of the younger guys Yeah. Just look at Fred – he hasn't made a sale in
in the sales department months. (a)
just can't keep up.
Online Practice
Dialog
Gene: So, what do you think about the new Zorax trial? This could be the drug
we’ve all been waiting for. I think it’s going to be a big seller.
Louis: So do I.
Carina: I’m sorry, but I really can’t agree. After all, so far we’ve only carried out
two trials. And don’t forget the strange results from the first trial.
Louis: Yes, I admit, the first trial was a little disappointing; but that doesn’t take
anything away from these new results. Absolutely amazing!
Carina: Don’t you think it’s still a little early to be so sure? Perhaps we shouldn’t
count our chickens before they’re hatched. I still think there may still be some
issues with Zorax.
Gene: Do you really think so? Anyway, we don’t have anything else coming
down the pipeline right now. We have to try to make this work.
Gene: The patients always come first. We won’t forget that. Now, Carina, let’s
talk about these issues one by one...
Vocabulary
(To be a) big seller: A product that sells very well. “In a year’s time, the
majority of our revenue could come from sales of this new product, so it’s fair to
say that it’s a big seller.”
Amazing: In slang/informal use, this just means very, very good. “My trip to
Brazil last week was amazing! I really could’ve stayed there some more days.”
Fantastic: In slang/informal use, this means very, very good (like “amazing”
above). “We had a fantastic time last night at our Christmas party – you should
have come!”
To count one’s chickens before they’ve (they’re) hatched: Idiom. This saying
criticizes the attitude of counting on something before it has been confirmed. “I
know that we have a lot of possible new contracts, but we shouldn’t count our
chickens before they’ve hatched. We need to be more conservative in our
earnings estimates for the new year.”
(To have/to be) an/some issue(s): In many industries, this is jargon (industry
language) for having a problem. “Issue” sounds less serious and more positive
than “problem.” “We’re having some issues with the new software, but nothing
that can’t be solved before the product launch in two months.”
To come first: To be the priority. “Our sales team should come first next year
when we upgrade computers – they really need new laptops.”
One-by-one: One at a time. “Let’s deal one-by-one with the problems you
raised.”
Debrief
As with agreeing, you can use standard phrases to disagree. Carina uses a
standard phrase when she disagrees with Gene and Louis.
Carina: I’m sorry, but I really can’t agree. After all, so far we’ve only carried out
two trials. And don’t forget the strange results from the first trial.
“I’m sorry, but I really can’t agree” is a formal (or careful) phrase for
disagreeing. Perhaps Carina is being careful because she is talking to her boss,
Gene, the head scientist. Let’s listen to some more polite phrases that Carina
could use.
There are also many informal (or direct) phrases for disagreeing. But be careful.
They are very strong.
I disagree.
I couldn’t disagree more.
I totally disagree.
You must be joking!
Come off it!
Get real!
Louis: Yes, I admit, the first trial was a little disappointing; but that doesn’t take
anything away from these new results. Absolutely amazing.
A: I just didn’t think it was a very good presentation—not fluent, you know what
I mean?
B: Yes, but at least he was well prepared.
To make these sentences even more polite (or careful), you can use “though” or
“although” to put your disagreement at the beginning of the sentence; then,
finish the sentence with a little bit of agreement.
A: I just didn’t think it was a very good presentation—not fluent, you know what
I mean?
B: Mmmm... Although I thought he was pretty well prepared, he wasn’t very
fluent, you’re right about that.
In addition to standard phrases and “Yes, but...,” there are more ways to
disagree. Let’s look back at the dialog again.
Besides negative questions, you can also use other types of questions to
disagree. Do you remember how Gene disagrees with Carina at the end of the
dialog?
Carina: ...I still think there may still be some issues with Zorax.
Now it’s your turn to practice. First we’ll review formal and informal phrases for
disagreement. In a moment, you’ll hear a series of comments, each followed by
a beep. After each beep, use a standard phrase to disagree. A cue will tell you
whether to be careful (that is, formal) or direct (that is, informal). Remember,
careful phrases include “Well, I am not so sure about that, to be honest,” and,
“Well, it depends.” Direct phrases include, “I disagree,” or “I totally disagree!”
Cue 1: Careful – “I just don’t think it’s a good idea to sell the company.”
Learner:
Cue 2: Direct – “Having money is more important than having free time.”
Learner:
Cue 3: Careful – “We should delay the launch date for the new product.”
Learner:
Cue 1: Careful – “I just don’t think it’s a good idea to sell the company.”
Answer: Well, I don’t know.
Cue 2: Direct – “Having money is more important than having free time.
Answer: I couldn’t disagree more.
Cue 3: Careful – “We should delay the launch date for the new product.”
Answer: I’m afraid I don’t totally agree with that.
Keep in mind that “You must be joking!” along with such expressions as “Come
off it!” and “Get real!” are very strong and direct; they may be quite offensive in
some situations.
Now, let’s another skill: We’re going to review the “yes, but” method of
disagreement. For example, if you hear, “The economy is bad, so we should be
careful,” you can say something like, “Yes, the economy is bad, but our
performance is still very good.” Are you ready?
Cue 1: Our products are very competitive, so it’s time to enter a new market.
Learner:
Cue 3: It’s hard to lower construction costs when the cost of steel is so high.
Learner:
Cue 1: Our products are very competitive, so it’s time to enter a new market.
Answer: Yes, our products are competitive, but the market is also very
competitive.
Cue 3: It’s hard to lower construction costs when the cost of steel is so high.
Answer: Yes, the oil price of steel is high, but perhaps we can find better
suppliers.
That’s all for this chapter. We’ve studied several ways of disagreeing: using
standard phrases, using “yes, but...,” using negative questions (“Don’t you
think...?”) and using other types of questions (“Do you really think
so?”...”Really?”).
Study Strategy
For further practice, you can develop each sentence into a dialog with further
instances of agreement and disagreement. Write out your dialog, then perform it
with a friend. You may wish to record it as well, then play back the recording to
see how you sound.
A. Standard Phrases
To practice standard language for disagreeing, select the most appropriate
response for each blank from the box. As you do the exercise, observe the
differences between formal/careful/weak language and informal/direct/strong
language. As you do the exercise, note which of the phrases are more formal
and which are more informal.
5) Wow, that was a great movie. e) Really? But we just got here.
6) It’s almost time to go home. f) Don’t you think it was just a little
too long?
Answers
A. Standard Phrases
1) Well, I am not so sure about that, to be honest.
2) Well, I don’t know.
3) Well, it depends.
4) I don’t really agree, I’m afraid.
5) I’m afraid I don’t totally agree with that.
6) I disagree.
7) I couldn’t disagree more.
8) I totally disagree.
9) You must be joking!
10) Come off it!
11) Get real!
1) Our price is too high. We have to Yes—sales are important; but we can’t
improve sales. lower our price. (b)
2) Our products are very competitive, so Yes, our products are competitive, but the
it’s time to enter a new market. market is also very competitive. (d)
3) I just didn’t think it was a very good Mmmm... Although I thought he was
presentation—not fluent, you know pretty well prepared, he wasn’t very
what I mean? fluent, you’re right about that. (a)
4) We are lacking people with Yes, our people lack experience, but they
management experience, so we need can be trained. (c)
to recruit from outside.
5) Wow, that was a great movie. Don’t you think it was just a little too
long? (f)
6) It’s almost time to go home. Really? But we just got here. (e)
Online Practice
In this episode, we’re focusing on making suggestions. Next time, we’ll look at
accepting and rejecting suggestions. This dialog takes place at a sports shoe
company called Stratos. You’ll be listening to Karen, a marketing manager, meet
with three members of her team, Charles, Sven and Miguel. They are choosing a
celebrity spokesperson for a new product. Celebrity means a famous person.
Here, spokesperson is someone who gets paid to be in an advertisement for a
product.
In the dialog, “target market” is the place where you want to sell your product.
And “target consumer” is the type of customer you want to sell your product to.
In this case, the product is a special kind of new sports shoe made especially for
overweight people. Overweight is a nice way of saying too heavy or not fit.
Okay, let’s listen. As you listen, pay attention to the language the speakers use
to make suggestions to each other.
Vocabulary
Spokesperson: Someone hired to represent a company. A famous spokesperson
– usually an athlete or movie star – is someone who advertises a product. “Nike
usually gets famous spokespersons to sponsor their products.”
To go around the table: To hear everybody’s opinion one at a time. “Let’s go
around the table to see if we all agree.”
Overweight: Adjective. A polite way to say someone is not slim. “Overweight can
have a range of meanings from slightly fat to very fat.”
Fit: Adjective. 1) To be slim and healthy. “I really want to get fit in the new
year, so I went on a diet and I’m exercising every day.” 2) To be suitable for
something. “He’s not fit to manage the company.”
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it: Idiom. Also, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” (American
slang). It criticizes the approach of always trying to improve things that are
okay. “Look, let’s stop looking for things to change and just release the product
on time – If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”
Target market: The market one is trying to sell something to. “The target
market for this new kind of sports car is urban professionals with an income over
80,000 euros per year.”
Target customer: Similar to target market, but target customer refers to a
specific group of customers you are trying to sell something to. “Our target
customers are women in their early 30s with children.”
Agile: Adjective. Able to move flexibly and quickly. “What makes her such a
great sports star is her amazing agility.” “In this business environment, only
agile companies with the ability to make quick decisions will succeed.”
To kill two birds with one stone: Idiom. To get two things done at once. “We can
kill two birds with one stone by improving our training system - the number of
staff who leave the company will decrease and our sales will improve.”
Dialog
Karen: Okay. Now, let’s talk about who we want to use as a spokesperson for
this product. Let’s go around the table. Shall we use a sports star? Or someone
else? Sven—what do you think?
Karen: Good suggestion. But I can see one or two problems with that, to be
honest.
Miguel: Oh?
Karen: First off, our target markets are the UK and the U.S. We need someone
who both Americans and Britons really like. Secondly, our target customer is
kind of special...
Karen: Right, I can see what you mean. What do others think?
Miguel: Yes, that might be worth trying.
Sven: Okay, but what about the UK? Who are we going to use on this side of the
Atlantic?
Karen: Hmmm... let me think about this. Shall we try to find someone in golf?
That’s popular in the U.S. and in the UK. That way, we can kill two birds with
one stone.
Everybody (chorus): That’s not a bad idea! Good idea! Yes, I think that’s
worth trying.
Karen’s team has a lot of ideas. What language do they use to make their
suggestions? First, listen to Sven.
How does Sven make his suggestion? He says, “One possibility would be to...”
Instead of “will,” he uses “would.” The use of “would” here means it is just a
suggestion. Past modal verbs (should, could, might would) are often used like
this in suggestions.
Miguel: Perhaps we should just use a famous sports star like we usually do. If it
isn’t broken, don’t fix it, you know what I mean?
Perhaps we should...
Now, let’s look at a couple more ways to make suggestions. Listen to Charles.
Charles: It’s just an idea, but how about choosing someone from a sport where
it’s normal to be heavy.
First Charles shows that he has a suggestion: I’ve got a suggestion. Then, since
he is talking to his boss (and perhaps since he is not sure everyone will agree
with him), he uses a careful, polite way to introduce the suggestion: “It’s just an
idea, but how about...” “How about” is a normal way of making a suggestion.
“It’s just an idea, but...” makes it extra polite.
Instead of “how about,” you can also say “what about.” “How about” and “what
about” are followed by a verb +ing
These are sometimes followed by a phrase (or sentence.) This is more common
with “how about”:
Finally, let’s look at a couple more way of making a suggestion. Listen to how
Karen makes her suggestion: Shall we try to find someone in golf? You can also
say “What if....” For example:
Now, it’s your turn to talk. In a moment, you’ll hear a series of cues followed by
a beep. After each beep, use the information supplied in the cue to make a
suggestion. For example, if you hear, “Get Beckham to sponsor the product,”
you can say “Well, one possibility would be to get Beckham to sponsor the
product.” Are you ready? Let’s give it a try.
Now that you’ve heard examples, go back and practice again. Substitute
different phrases to build fluency.
That’s all for this chapter. We’ve covered many useful expressions for making
suggestions. In the next chapter, we’ll use the same dialog to cover rejecting
and accepting suggestions. We’ll also look closely at some idioms that were used
in the dialog.
Language Review
A. Making Suggestions
Revise key language by filling in the blanks with words from the box.
B. Jumbled Sentences
To review the language for making suggestions, put the following jumbled
sentences in order:
Study Strategy
What kind of suggestions do you have for making your office, company, or
government better? Make a list of 10. Pretend you are in a meeting in which you
have the opportunity to make your suggestions. Using the language we have
learned today, practice forming new sentences. Do your bet to use a variety of
language in order to practice fluency.
A. Making Suggestions
1) How about washing the dishes?
2) It’s just an idea, but what about eating lunch together?
3) What if we...cut costs by finding a new office?
4) Well, one possibility would be to...hire more staff.
5) Perhaps we should...have more vacation?
6) It’s just an idea, but...how about leaving a little bit early today?
7) Shall we try to look at this from another point of view?
8) Well, what if we try to open a new store in Germany?
B. Jumbled Sentences
Online Practice
Today’s show is the second part of a two-part series on making, rejecting and
accepting suggestions. In the first episode, you practiced making suggestions. In
this episode, we’ll look at appropriate ways to reject and accept suggestions.
As you’ll remember, the listening takes place at a sports shoe company called
Stratos. You’ll be listening to Karen, a marketing manager, meet with three
members of her team, Charles, Sven and Miguel. They are choosing a celebrity
spokesperson for a new product. Celebrity means a famous person. Here,
spokesperson is someone who gets paid to be in an advertisement for a product.
Okay, as you listen, pay attention to how the speakers accept or reject each
other’s suggestions.
Vocabulary
Spokesperson: Someone hired to represent a company. A famous spokesperson
– usually an athlete or movie star – is someone who advertises a product. “Nike
usually gets famous spokespersons to sponsor their products.”
To go around the table: To hear everybody’s opinion one at a time. “Let’s go
around the table to see if we all agree.”
Overweight: Adjective. A polite way to say someone is not slim. “Overweight can
have a range of meanings from slightly fat to very fat.”
Fit: Adjective. 1) To be slim and healthy. “I really want to get fit in the new
year, so I went on a diet and I’m exercising every day.” 2) To be suitable for
something. “He’s not fit to manage the company.”
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it: Idiom. Also, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” (American
slang). It criticizes the approach of always trying to improve things that are
okay. “Look, let’s stop looking for things to change and just release the product
on time – If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”
Target market: The market one is trying to sell something to. “The target
market for this new kind of sports car is urban professionals with an income over
80,000 euros per year.”
Target customer: Similar to target market, but target customer refers to a
specific group of customers you are trying to sell something to. “Our target
customers are women in their early 30s with children.”
Agile: Adjective. Able to move flexibly and quickly. “What makes her such a
great sports star is her amazing agility.” “In this business environment, only
agile companies with the ability to make quick decisions will succeed.”
To kill two birds with one stone: Idiom. To get two things done at once. “We can
kill two birds with one stone by improving our training system - the number of
staff who leave the company will decrease and our sales will improve.”
Karen: Okay. Now, let’s talk about who we want to use as a spokesperson for
this product. Let’s go around the table. Shall we use a sports star? Or someone
else? Sven—what do you think?
Miguel: Oh?
Karen: First off, our target markets are the UK and the U.S. We need someone
who both Americans and Britons really like. Secondly, our target customer is
kind of special...
Debrief
Here’s another good idea: Let’s study the dialog to learn about accepting and
rejecting suggestions. First, we’ll talk about rejecting suggestions.
Miguel: That’s a good idea, but I’m not sure it would work.
Miguel interrupts politely: Can I come in here? Then he says, “That’s a good
idea, but I’m not sure it would work....” This is a good careful way of rejecting a
suggestion.
Miguel: ...If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, you know what I mean? We could try
getting Rooney, or Nadal.
Karen: Good suggestion. But I can see one or two problems with that, to be
honest.
Karen’s way of rejecting Miguel’s suggestion follows the same form: First she
praises the idea: Good suggestion. Then she politely rejects it: But I can see one
or two problems with that, to be honest. Here, adding “to be honest” to the
sentence makes it even more polite. You can add “to be honest” to almost any
rejection. You can also use “frankly speaking” or to “to be frank” the same way.
Let’s practice that together.
Good suggestion. But frankly speaking I can see one or two problems with
that.
That’s a good idea, but I’m not sure it would work, to be frank.
Karen and Miguel like Charles’ suggestion, don’t they? Charles wants to use a
sports star that is heavy but agile. Agile means quick and skillful. Let’s listen
again.
Karen: Right, I can see what you mean. What do others think?
“Right, I can see what you mean...” and “Yes, that might be worth trying...” are
two ways to accept suggestions. What else can you say?
Okay. So today, you’ve learned many ways to reject and accept suggestions.
Now, before we finish today’s show, let’s look at an idiom Karen uses at the end
of the listening.
Karen: Hmmm... Let me think about this. Shall we try to find someone in golf?
That’s popular in the U.S. and in the UK. That way, we can kill two birds with
one stone.
“To kill two birds with one stone” is an idiom that means to do or accomplish two
things at one time. You can say, “That way, we kill two birds with one stone” or
“That will let us kill two birds with one stone.”
Now, let’s practice what we’ve learned. First let’s go over rejecting suggestions
politely. You’ll hear a series of suggestions, each followed by a beep. After each
beep, use a polite phrase to reject the suggestion. For example, if you hear,
“What if we cut the sales training budget,” you can say, “Well, I can see one or
two problems with that idea” or “Well, I don’t know….” Are you ready? Let’s give
it a try.
Practice 2
Now let’s practice accepting suggestions. After each beep, use a phrase for
accepting the suggestion, like, “Okay, let’s do that,” or “That’s not a bad idea.”
Cue 3: We’re wasting a lot of time. Is there any way we can hold fewer meetings?
Learner:
How did you do? It’s always a good idea to go back and practice again. This
time, substitute different language to build fluency.
Cue 3: We’re wasting a lot of time. Is there any way we can hold fewer meetings?
Answer: That’s not a bad idea.
Remember, you can download this and many other shows on to your MP3 player
and practice on the go! That way, you’re always killing two birds with one stone.
Listen to Business English Pod on the way to work, in the car, on the train, in the
bus... just about anywhere!
2) good that a idea but I’m not sure work it would to frank ’s be
3) do so think you
B. Rejecting Suggestions
Part 1: Jumbled sentences – put the words in order to form phrases for
accepting suggestions.
1) let okay do that ’s
2) not that idea a bad ’s
3) think I would that well work really yes
Study Strategy
Using the language we have studied in Unit 205 and 206, play a game with your
friends or colleagues: Every person playing should write down several common
problems people have, such as how to quite smoking or how to make more
money. Put all the cards in a pile. Then, take turns drawing cards and asking the
rest of the group for their suggestions. Accept and reject suggestions as you see
fit. After everyone has had a chance to give you a suggestion, give your card to
the person whose suggestion you liked best. At the end of the game, the person
with the most cards wins.
Answers
A. Accepting Suggestions
Part 1:
1) Frankly speaking I can see one or two problems with that.
2) That’s a good idea, but I’m not sure it would work, to be frank.
3) Do you think so?
4) I’m not really sure about that.
Part 2:
Cue 1: How about we all go on an outing together next weekend?
Learner: Great idea!
Cue 2: What if we hold a party to increase morale?
Learner: Yes, I think that would work really well.
Cue 3: We’re wasting a lot of time. Is there any way we can hold less meetings?
Learner: That’s not a bad idea.
B. Rejecting Suggestions
Part 1:
1) Okay, let’s do that.
2) That’s not a bad idea.
3) Yes, I think that would work really well.
Part 2:
Cue 1: What if we hold the meeting next week?
Learner: That’s a good idea, but I’m not sure it would work…
Cue 2: I think we should buy new computers.
Learner: Do you really think so? I’m not so sure about that.
Cue 3: Let’s try to hold the training in a pub.
Learner: Frankly speaking, I can see one or two problems with that idea.
Online Practice
The listening today is from a shipping company. You’ll hear Wim Zeldenhuis and
Andre De Vries in Rotterdam call their American colleague Benny McClenahan in
Boston. First the receptionist in Benny’s office picks up the phone...
Vocabulary
Dialog
Receptionist: Good afternoon, De Groot and Smit, this is Anna, how can I help you?
Wim: Yes, this is Wim Zeldenhuis in the Rotterdam office. I’m here with Andre DeVries.
Receptionist: Uh huh.
Wim: We have a conference scheduled with Benny McClenahan. Could you put us
through?
Receptionist: Yes, of course. Sorry, I didn’t quite catch your name. Mr. ...?
Wim: Zeldenhuis
Receptionist: Z-E-L...?
Benny: Z-E-L-D-E-N-H-U-I-S
Receptionist: Z-E-L-D-E-N
Receptionist: Hi Benny. This is Anna. I’ve got a Mr. Zeldenhuis on the line from
Rotterdam.
Benny: Wow, it’s great to hear you two! How have you been holding up?
Benny: No problem. I said how have you two been doing? I hear it’s cold there!
Benny: Oh my goodness!
Benny: No, it’s not. We haven’t seen weather like this for years. So... is ice slowing
down shipping on the river any? Hello? Wim? Andre? Maybe your phone is on mute?
Benny: Yeah, no worries. I said, is the weather affecting shipping on the river?
Wim: [laughs] Well, I think Andre can tell you about that.
Andre: You wouldn’t believe it! Of course, it doesn’t affect the seagoing vessels. But
on the river, we’re seeing partial blockage of the...
Debrief
Remember, it’s very important to ask when you don’t understand. That way the
communication can keep going forward. Let’s start at the beginning.
At first the receptionist, Anna, doesn’t hear Wim’s name clearly, does she? She
says, “Sorry, I didn’t quite catch your name.” Here, “catch” means “hear” or
“understand.”
Wim repeats his surname, but she still doesn’t catch it—perhaps because it’s an
unfamiliar foreign name for her.
So what does she do? She doesn’t ask him to repeat again, which might irritate
him. Instead, she signals to Wim to spell his surname by starting to spell it
herself.
Receptionist: Z-E-L...
Wim: Z-E-L-D-E-N-H-U-I-S
Receptionist: Z-E-L-D-E-N
Wim: ...H-U-I-S. Zeldenhuis
Asking someone to spell his name is a great skill for dealing with difficult words or
names. She could have also asked:
Then, when Benny answers the phone, he doesn’t catch Wim’s surname either.
How does he clarify it?
Receptionist: Hi Benny. This is Anna. I’ve got a Mr. Zeldenhuis on the line from
Rotterdam.
Benny: Sorry, who did you say?
Benny says, “Sorry, who did you say?” You can use the same kind of sentence
form (or pattern) with all of the “5 Ws”—Where, when, why, what and how,
including “how much,” “how many,” and “how long.”
Okay, let’s get back to the dialog. To greet Wim and Andre, Benny uses an
idiomatic expression. He says, “How have you been holding up?” This means
“How have you been doing?” It’s informal and familiar. It’s usually used to ask
someone how they are doing during a difficult situation. For example,
A: I heard it’s been a hard week. How are you holding up?
B: Fine, I guess. Yeah, it’s really tough. But we’ll survive.
Remember, Wim doesn’t hear clearly or doesn’t understand. Let’s listen again.
Benny: Wow, it’s great to hear you two! How have you been holding up?
Wim: Sorry, Benny, I missed that. Could you say that again?
“I missed that” is a useful expression for when you didn’t hear clearly. You can also
say:
Pardon?
Come again?
What was that?
Say again?
Now, here’s a question that many students ask: When do you use “it” and when
do you use “that”?
A: My name is Karamasov.
B: Sorry, what was that?
A: My name is Karamasov.
B: Sorry, I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name. Could you repeat it?
As you can see, “that” usually refers to what the other person said. “It” refers to
what I just said.
Okay, let’s look back at another part of the listening. It is a special case of not
being able to hear.
What is happening here? Andre and Benny’s phone is “on mute.” “Mute” means
“makes no sound.” Benny could also say:
Finally, let’s look back at the end of the dialog. Wim says sorry for not hearing
what Benny said. How does Benny respond? Listen again:
When someone asks you to repeat something, you can say “no worries.” This is
a good informal spoken English expression. It is used for small things to say “It
doesn’t matter.”
Benny says, “Sorry, who did you say?” You can use the same kind of sentence
form (or pattern) with all of the “5 Ws”—Where, when, why, what and how,
including “how much,” “how many,” and “how long.”
Now, it’s your turn to practice. We’re going to study clarifying with the 5 Ws –
what, where, when, why and how. Let’s review how that’s done. Listen to this
short dialog.
You can use the same way to clarify with any of the 5 Ws and with “how much”
and “how many.” Just ask, Where did you say? or How much did you say? and
so on.
Now you give it a try. First, you’ll hear a statement. After the beep, ask a
clarifying question about the statement and wait for the answer. If you like,
when you hear the answer you can add a personal reaction like, “Oh dear! Is
that right” or “Oh I see. That’s what I thought you said.”
Practice Dialog 2
Prompt: We’re going to relocate the factory to China?
Learner:
Prompt: To China.
Reaction:
Practice Dialog 3
Prompt: We’ve got sixty new employees joining the company.
Learner:
Prompt: Sixty.
Reaction:
Practice Dialog 4
Prompt: We’ve got to cut costs because of falling sales.
Learner:
Prompt: Because of falling sales.
Reaction:
How did you do? Listen to the answers to check. You’ll notice that we’ve added
personal reactions to the end of each dialog.
Clarifying with the five Ws is a very useful skill for meetings. Go back and
practice again, this time adding a personal reaction to each dialog. If you’ve
already tried adding personal reactions, substitute different language to develop
fluency.
Well, that’s about it for today’s show. Today we’ve studied several different ways
to clarify what was said. We’ve also learned some useful tips and idiomatic
expressions. Remember – if you don’t understand something, it’s very important
to ask for clarification so that the communication can go forward.
In the next chapter, we’ll be taking a close look at clarifying what was meant,
which is another important skill in meetings and discussions.
Sorry, how many was that? May I ask how that’s spelled?
Sorry I missed that, who did say? When did you say?
4. I met Frank from Cemex at the conference and he said they expect strong
demand in the second quarter from Chinese customers.
Study Strategy
Have a friend read a text to you aloud. Every time they comes across a detail
(number, figure, time, name, place, etc.) they should “mumble” the words, that
is, they should read them softly and incomprehensibly. Then it’s your job to
clarify with the five Ws as we practiced in this episode. For example, “What did
you say? Who did you say? When did you say? Oh, I thought that’s what you
said. As much as that!” After you’ve finished, switch roles.
Answers
Listening Comprehension:
1) Shipping
2) De Groot and Smit
3) It’s very cold in both cities
4) Their phone is on mute
Language Review:
A.
1) When did you say?
2) Sorry, how many was that?
3) May I ask how that’s spelled?
4) Sorry I missed that, who did say?
B.
1) How do you spell that?
2) Would you mind telling me how that’s spelled?
3) May I ask how that’s spelled?
4) Could you spell that for me, please?
5) I’m sorry, could you repeat that, please?
6) Sorry, what did you say?
7) I’m afraid I didn’t catch that.
8) Could you say that again?
9) Sorry, I’m afraid I didn’t quite hear what you just said.
10) Would you mind saying it again?
Online Practice
In today’s show, we’ll look at clarifying what was meant, for example, “What do
you mean by that?” or “What I’m trying to say is...” Clarifying the meaning is an
important part of all communication because it helps us avoid misunderstanding.
While you listen, pay attention to the language they use to clarify meaning.
Dialog
Michael: The news isn’t great I’m afraid. I know all of us had very high expectations
for the launch, but we’re going to have come to grips with the situation.
Rachel: Sorry, but I don’t quite see what you mean. What are you getting at?
Michael: Well, Rachel, what I’m saying is... we’ve had a closer look at the numbers,
and it isn’t pretty.
Ryan: I see. So in other words, you’re saying it’s been a complete failure? Is that
right?
Michael: That would be one way of looking at it. I prefer to see it as a challenge. But
to salvage this situation, we really have our work cut out for us.
Rachel: What exactly do you mean by “salvage?” Do you think we are going to have
to scrap the whole product line?
Michael: I’m afraid so. Actually, I’m thinking about how to salvage the company. It’s
going to take everything we have just to keep this company afloat.
Ryan: Is it really that bad? I mean, we do have strong investor support don’t we?
Michael: Let me make sure I understand what you mean. You’re asking if our
investors will stay with us through this, is that right?
Ryan: Yeah, that’s right. I mean, they’ve been very enthusiastic from the beginning.
There’s always going to be a few problems along the way.
Michael: Well, unfortunately, it’s not that simple. They want to know who is going to
take responsibility for this mess. They want to see some major adjustments, you see.
Rachel: Wait a second. What do you mean by “adjustment”? We’re not talking about
redundancies here, are we?
Michael: Actually, it’s funny you should mention that, Rachel. You know, no one has
contributed more to this project than you have. And we all really appreciate that...
Vocabulary
Let’s go through the dialogue together and look at the language that the three
colleagues use to clarify what they say.
Also, along the way, we’ll take a look at some of the idioms they use.
Michael: The news isn’t great I’m afraid. I know all of us had very high
expectations for the launch, but we’re going to have come to grips with the
situation.
What does it mean “to come to grips with the situation?” “To grip” something is
to hold something tightly in your hand. “To come to grips with” is an idiom that
means to fully understand or accept a difficult a situation. So Michael is
preparing everyone for bad news.
But Michael’s statement a little unclear, is it? Another way to say unclear is
“vague”—it’s open to interpretation. To understand better, Rachel asks for
clarification.
Rachel: Sorry, but I don’t quite see what you mean. What are you getting at?
“What exactly are you getting at?” is a useful expression to clarify meaning
when something is vague. You could also say:
Okay, let’s get back to the dialogue. Remember, Rachel has just asked for
clarification. How does Michael respond?
Michael: Well, Rachel, what I’m saying is... we’ve had a closer look at the
numbers, and it isn’t pretty.
Michael uses the phrase “what I’m saying is...” to clarify his meaning. He doesn’t
need to say this, but perhaps it gives him a little time to think. There are many
other expressions he could use, for example,
Now, when Michael says “the numbers aren’t pretty,” he’s still being very vague,
isn’t he? Ryan decides to use his own words to check.
Ryan: I see. So in other words, you’re saying it’s been a complete failure? Is
that right?
A: I just think it’s been really hard. And, well, you know. It’s not the best way to
do things.
B: Uh huh. Let me make sure I understand what you mean. You’re saying that
this is just not going to work, right?
A: Well, let’s see. I think it’s just time to try something different.
B: Okay. Let me get this straight. What you mean is that we’ve got to invent a
new strategy. Have I got that right?
Acknowledging, checking back and confirming is a useful skill. It can be used for
simple things, like checking a phone number, as well as more complex things,
like making sure you understand a vague customer demand.
Now, Ryan has just asked Michael if he thinks the project was a complete failure,
right? So how does Michael reply?
“Salvage” means to save. “To have your work cut out for you” means that you
have a lot of work to do. So Michael thinks the project can be saved, but it’s
going to take hard work.
Isn’t it interesting how Michael is negotiating with his colleagues about how to
look at the situation? When Ryan asks if the project is a failure, Michael says
“That would be one way of looking at it. I prefer to see it as a challenge.”
While clarifying, we’re not always just trying to make something clear.
Sometimes we’re also trying to get people to see things our way, aren’t we? This
is negotiating the meaning. Listen to another example:
So back in our dialogue, Michael has just said that it’s going to take a lot of hard
work to salvage the situation. How does Rachel respond?
Rachel: What exactly do you mean by “salvage”? Do you think we are going to
have to scrap the whole product line?
Let’s get back to the dialogue again. Remember, Rachel has just asked Michael
what he means by “salvage”. Does he mean that the product will need to be
scrapped?
Michael: I’m afraid so. Actually, I’m thinking about how to salvage the
company. It’s going to take everything we have just to keep this company
afloat.
Michael says it’s going to take everything they have—all of their effort—just to
keep the company afloat. Afloat means floating, like a boat. It’s going to take a
lot of hard work to keep the company from sinking or going out of business.
A: So what you’re getting at is that we need to get a new computer system right
away?
B: Sorry, that’s not exactly what I’m saying. Actually, I think we can use the
current system a little while longer.
Great. Before we finish the program today, let’s listen again to the end of the
dialogue. Michael has just said that there needs to be some adjustments—some
changes—in the way they do things.
Rachel: Wait a second. What do you mean by “adjustment”? We’re not talking
about redundancies here, are we?
What does Rachel mean by “redundancies”? This is a nice way to talk about
laying off or dismissing employees. “Redundant” means repeated or extra. To
make people redundant means to dismiss them because their job no longer
exists. So redundancies refers to dismissals from work.
When Rachel asks whether there are going to be redundancies, she is asking
whether anyone is going to get fired. How does Michael reply?
Michael: (sigh) Actually, it’s funny you should mention that, Rachel. You know,
no one has contributed more to this project than you have.
“It’s funny you should mention that....” is a way of directing the conversation.
Here “funny” means coincidental—something that happens by chance. This
phrase refers to what someone just said in order to change or build on the topic.
Listen to another example.
A: I just ran into in the elevator after he met with the boss. He looked a little
nervous.
B: Really? It’s funny you should mention that. I mean, I saw his manager just
now, and he was looking pretty angry. I wonder what’s going on?
So in our dialogue, it sounds like Michael is using the chance that Rachel gives
him to bring up the subject of firing someone. Who do you think it’s going to be?
If I were Rachel, I’d be pretty nervous.
Now, it’s your turn to talk. We’re going to practice clarifying a vague statement
and acknowledging, checking back, and confirming.
First, you’ll hear a vague statement. After the beep, ask for clarification. For
example, if you hear, “We had a hard year last year,” you can clarify by asking,
“What exactly do you mean by hard?” Then, acknowledge, check back, and
confirm the reply. For example, if you the reply is, “I mean, sales dropped 30%,”
you can say, “I see. So you’re saying sales fell 30%, is that right?”
Practice 1
Prompt: We’ve got a lot of work to do.
Learner:
Prompt: I mean, we’ve got to finish all these reports by Friday.
Learner:
Practice 2
Prompt: I’m afraid if performance doesn’t improve, there’s going to have to be
some changes around here.
Learner:
Prompt: I mean, we may have to lay some people off.
Learner:
Practice 3
Prompt: Katy is a nice person, but she’s not exactly the best worker.
Learner:
Prompt: Well, she’s always coming late to work, and she always leaves 20
minutes early.
Learner:
How did you do? Now listen to the example answers to check your work.
Practice 1 Answer
Prompt: We’ve got a lot of work to do.
Answer: What exactly do you mean by that?
Prompt: I mean, we’ve got to finish all these reports by Friday.
Answer: Okay. You mean we have to get all these reports done by Friday,
right?
Practice 2 Answer
Prompt: I’m afraid if performance doesn’t improve, there’s going to have to be
some changes around here.
Answer: Sorry, I’m not with you. Could you explain what you mean?
Prompt: I mean, we may have to lay some people off.
Answer: I understand. So you mean that there’s going to be layoffs if
performance doesn’t improve, right?
Practice 3 Answer
Prompt: Katy is a nice person, but she’s not exactly the best worker.
Answer: I don’t quite see what you mean. Could you be a little more specific?
Prompt: Well, she’s always coming late to work, and she always leaves 20
minutes early.
Answer: Okay. So what you’re saying is that she always comes late and always
leaves early. Is that right?
Well, that’s it for today’s show. We’ve looked at a variety of ways to clarify what
we mean, including asking for clarification, acknowledging, checking back and
confirming, and negotiating the meaning. We’ve also looked at a wide range of
useful idioms.
For further practice, be sure to check out the online exercises that accompany
the e-book. There you’ll find extra listening and language development
exercises.
Study Strategy
Acknowledging, checking back, and confirming is a key skill for making sure you
have understood. With a friend, play the “vague game.” Pick a “sensitive” topic,
for example, a coworker neither of you like, or a love affair someone has had.
Then, take turns making “vague” statements about the topic. The other person
uses the language we have studied in this episode to clarify what was meant.
After you’ve finished, switch roles.
Language Review
A. Key Phrases
Complete the sentences below using the words from the box.
A: I just think it’s been really hard. And, well, you know. It’s not the best way to
do things.
B: Uh huh. Let me make sure I ______________ what you mean. You’re
______________ that this is just not going to work, ______________?
A: Well, let’s see. I think it’s just time to try something different.
B: Okay. Let me get this ______________. What you ______________ is that
we’ve got to invent a new strategy. Have I ______________ that right?
Language Review
A. Key Phrases
1. scrap
2. come to grips
3. challenge
4. investor
5. redundancies
A: Well, let’s see. I think it’s just time to try something different.
B: Okay. Let me get this straight. What you mean is that we’ve got to invent a
new strategy. Have I got that right?
Online Practice
This episode is the first in a two-part series on opening and managing meetings.
In this part you will study how to open a meeting. In the second part you will
learn how to manage the discussion.
Vocabulary
Agenda: The list of items that you plan to cover in a meeting. We can “run
through the agenda,” or “receive a copy of the agenda.” Also, you can “stick to
the agenda,” which means to follow it. “I think this is a bit of a side track. Can
we please stick to the agenda?”
Server: A computer that delivers information or software to other computers on
a network. A server can “be down,” which means to malfunction, or “be up”
which means to be running normally. “I haven’t been able to send e-mails all
day. Maybe there is something wrong with the mail server.”
Gym memberships: A gym, short for gymnasium, is a place to do exercise in
order to keep fit. A gym membership is a monthly or yearly card that let’s you
visit the gym without paying by the time. “For New Year’s, we gave ourselves
gym memberships – trying to lose weight and get fit. Wish us luck!”
(To be) demotivated: To lack morale or to feel that you have lost motivation.
“After our top manager criticized the project, we all felt totally demotivated. No
one wanted to continue with the project any more.”
Potential: (Adjective) Possible. A high-potential employee is someone who has
great possibilities. In the dialogue, potential cuts are possible areas where the
Daneline team can cut the budget. “I think there are many potential areas for
improvement in our work.”
Outsourcing: This refers to another company, usually called a vendor, that
performs some service for you in exchange for money. By finding a vendor that
can perform the service for less money than they themselves could do it,
companies save money. “With industrialized countries outsourcing
manufacturing to industrializing countries, the balance of the world economy
shifted in the late twentieth century.”
Shortfall: A sum or amount that is less than expected. “We’re going to have to
make up for shortfalls in our supply if we have any hope of meeting our
production schedule.”
To tighten one’s belt: Idiom. To cut costs. “We’ve got way too much fat in this
program – it’s time to tighten our belts and save some money.”
To kick off: To begin. “I’d like to kick off by saying Welcome to everybody.
Sandra: Oh, come on Martin. You know I’m never late. I think our server is
down or something.
Martin: Good. Okay. As you know, the main objective of this meeting is to
agree on ways to make up the budget shortfall of $154,000 we’re facing. I hate
to say it, but it’s belt tightening time.
Sam: Speaking of belt tightening, whatever we do we can’t cut the free gym
memberships. That would be totally demotivating, don’t you think?
Martin: Let’s get to that in a moment, Sam. Let me first go through the agenda.
As you can see, we have a lot to cover. From the agenda, there are 10 areas
we’ve identified for potential cuts. We’ll run through them in order. Any
questions before we start?
Sandra: No.
Martin: We’ll break for lunch at 11:30, if that’s okay with you guys.
Martin: Good. Okay, let’s move straight to the first point on the agenda:
Outsourcing cleaning. Sandra, could you please kick off?
Debrief
There are many ways to open a meeting. It depends, obviously, on the type of
meeting and the situation. But there are six key points that you will always need
to consider when starting a meeting:
First, getting attention. What does Martin say at the very beginning of the
meeting?
Martin: All right. Is everybody here? Great. I think we can get started. Well,
good morning everyone.
This language attracts everyone’s attention and lets them know the meeting is
starting. What else could Martin say?
The last example—“We need to get the show on the road”—is an informal idiom
that means we need to start.
Martin: Well, good morning everyone. I’m sorry I had to call this meeting at
such short notice. Did you all get a copy of the agenda?
Well, good afternoon everybody. It’s good to see you all here. Did everyone
get the agenda?
Great! Thank you all for coming.
Hello everyone! I’m glad to see you all here. I know it’s a long way for some
of you to come. I really appreciate your being on time and ready to work.
What is the reason that Sandra doesn’t have a copy of the agenda? She’s having
some email problems. She says “I think our server is down or something.” A
server is a computer that delivers information or software to other computers on
a network. But by saying “or something,” Sandra shows that she doesn’t really
First of all, I’d like to introduce George from the Hong Kong office. Would you
like to say a few words about yourself, George?
Everybody say hello to Kerumi. She’s visiting us from the Japan office.
In this case, however, there is no one new to introduce, so Martin just moves on
to the next thing, explaining the objectives of the meeting.
Martin: As you know, the main objective of this meeting is to agree on ways to
make up the budget shortfall of $154,000 shortfall we’re facing. I hate to say it,
but it’s belt tightening time.
“To tighten one’s belt” is an idiom that means to reduce waste or expenditures.
Expenditures means spending. So when Martin says “It’s belt tightening time,”
he means it’s time to cut spending.
How does he explain the objective of the meeting? He says, “As you know, the
main objective of this meeting is to....” That is a good way to tell everybody the
purpose of your meeting. What are some other ways?
The reason we’re meeting today is to work out ways to deal with the
marketing challenges that we’re facing.
The primary purpose of this meeting will be to start a discussion on ways to
cope with the huge increase in demand that we’re seeing.
The main problem that we’re facing is how to manage our growth.
The main thing I’d like to accomplish today is defining the key problem areas
that we see with our current plan.
Now what happens? Sam, the operations manager, changes the subject, doesn’t
he? He says, “Speaking of belt tightening, whatever we do we can’t cut the free
gym memberships. That would be totally demotivating, don’t you think?”
When Sam changes the topic, Martin says “Let’s get back to that in a moment
Sam.” This is a good expression for controlling the meeting. We’ll be looking at
ways of leaving and returning to the main topic in more detail during the second
episode.
So far Martin has got everybody’s attention, welcomed and thanked everybody,
and explained the objectives. He still needs to look at the agenda, doesn’t he?
How does he do that?
Martin: Let me first go over the agenda. As you can see, we have a lot to cover.
As you can see from the agenda, there are 10 areas we’ve identified for potential
cuts. We’ll run through them in order. Any questions before we start?
Potential means possible. Martin plans to “run through them in order,” in other
words, to deal with them one by one. Again, pay attention to the collocations
and useful language in this example. “Go over the agenda,” “have a lot to
cover,” “potential areas for cuts,” and “run through something in order” are all
useful expressions. Now, let’s take a look at some other ways to look at the
agenda.
Let’s take a quick look at the agenda. As you can see, it’s broken down into
five main parts.
I’ve divided up the meeting today into three parts.
I’ve prepared some figures to help us compare the two options. I’ll distribute
them now.
Next Martin talks about lunchtime plans. When you open a meeting, introducing
the agenda is obviously a good place to talk about any other important rules or
housekeeping details, such as when you will take a break, how long the meeting
will last, what people should do if they have to take a phone call and so on.
After confirming when they’ll break for lunch, the final thing Martin needs to do
is to ask someone to start. He says
Martin: Good. Okay, let’s move straight to the first point on the agenda:
Outsourcing cleaning. Sandra, would you please kick off?
As you may recall from Business News 06, outsourcing means to have another
company, usually called a vendor, perform some service for you. So outsourcing
cleaning means that instead of having their own cleaning staff, Daneline will hire
a cleaning company to do it for them.
“Please kick off” simply means “Please start.” This is a common business idiom
that comes from football, where “kick off” means to start the game. Later we will
do a whole podcast just on sports idioms.
What are some other ways to kick off the first item on the agenda?
Great. Well, we have a lot to cover, so let’s get down to business. George,
could you start by explaining the background on the first item?
All right then. Let’s start then, shall we? Katy, why don’t you tell us what
you’ve been thinking on the advertising issue.
Right. Susanne, would you be so kind as to begin?
1. First get everybody’s attention. For example, you can say, “Okay. Let’s
get down to business.”
2. Next, be sure to welcome everyone and thank them for coming. “Well,
good afternoon everybody. It’s good to see you all here. Did everyone get
the agenda?”
3. The third part is to introduce any new colleagues, but let’s say everyone
knows each other, so this step is not necessary for the practice.
4. Fourth, explain the objectives of the meeting. For example, “The main
problem that we’re facing is how deal with the budget shortfall.”
5. Next, look at the agenda. To keep it simple, you can say the agenda is
divided up into two parts – discussing the problems and brainstorming.
Brainstorming means thinking of solutions.
6. Finally, don’t forget to ask someone to start. For example, “All right then.
Let’s start then, shall we? Katy, why don’t kick it off.”
Now you’ll hear a series of cues for each part. After each beep, use an
appropriate phrase. Are you ready? Let’s give it a try.
.
Cue 5: Asking someone to start
Learner:
How did you do? Listen to an example answer with all the steps together.
Example answer: All right then. Can we get started? Well, good morning
everyone. I’m sorry I had to call this meeting at such short notice. Did you all
get a copy of the agenda? The reason we’re meeting today is to work out ways
to deal with the budget shortfall that we’re facing. Let’s take a quick look at the
agenda. As you can see, it’s broken down into two parts. First we’ll discuss the
problem, and then brainstorm solutions. Great. Well, we have a lot to cover, so
let’s get down to business. George, could you start?
Remember to try the practice again; this time, substitute new language to build
up fluency.
All right. So that covers this episode on opening a meeting. You’ve learned the
six parts of opening a meeting: Getting attention, welcoming and thanking,
introducing new colleagues, looking at the agenda and asking someone to start.
You’ve also reviewed some common idioms, vocabulary and collocations for
meetings and budget discussions.
Be sure to check out the online exercises for this and the other chapters. There
you’ll find extensive language, listening and vocabulary practice.
In the next chapters, we’ll be learning ways to manage the discussion and keep
everybody on track. Thanks for listening!
Exercise A
Exercise B
Match the tasks above with the language below and fill in the blanks. The first
one has been done for you.
3. Everybody say hello to Kerumi. She’s _______ us from the Japan office.
6. Well, good afternoon everybody. It’s _______ to see you all here.
Study Strategy
Write down and practice an introduction for a meeting that you chair or you’ve
attended. In addition to the six tasks above, you may wish to consider any
housekeeping points you need to cover (how long the meeting will last, whether
you will be taking a break). Also consider any special points that need to be
dealt with at meetings in your company (unfinished business from the last
meeting, special announcements, etc.).
Answers
Listening Comprehension
1) $154,000
2) She has some IT problems and didn’t receive her email. She thinks the email
server might be down.
3) areas have been identified for potential cuts.
4) Outsourcing cleaning of the office.
Language Review
Exercise A
1) Getting everybody’s attention; 2) Welcoming and thanking everybody; 3)
Introducing new colleagues; 4) Explaining the objectives of the meeting; 5)
Looking at the agenda; 6) Asking somebody to start.
Exercise B
2) c, purpose, objective; 3)e, visiting us, coming to us from; 4) d, down; 5) b,
divided; 6) a, great, good.
Online Practice
Martin, the GM of Daneline Singapore, is discussing with his staff how to make
up a budget shortfall. He has just asked Sandra to kick off the first item on the
agenda – outsourcing the cleaning.
Vocabulary
No-brainer: Something that is so obvious that
you don’t even have to think about it to know
that it’s true. “That’s a no-brainer if you ask
me.”
It’s a little harsh: Harsh means unkind or
strong. You see it for example in the
expressions harsh treatment or harsh realities.
For example, “If you’re going to succeed in this
world you have to face the harsh realities of
life.”
To let people go: Euphemism (a nice way) for
saying to fire someone or to lay someone off.
“Our costs are running too high – I think we’re
going to need to let some people go.”
To prioritize something: To make something a priority, i.e., give it high
importance. You usually deal with first the things that you prioritize. “We need to
prioritize sales – without revenue, our business will fail.”
Vendor: Another company that performs a service for your company or sells
something to your company. “We have a variety of vendors to supply us with all
the parts we need for manufacturing.”
To cut fat: Similar to “to tighten one’s belt,” this is an idiom that describes
measures taken to cut extra costs, which are conceived of as “fat.” “All right –
this operation is not running very efficiently, and we need to save money.
There’s a lot of fat we can cut.”
Side-track: Can be used as a noun or verb. A discussion not related to the
agenda or main topic. “Don’t you think this is a bit of a side-track? We’ve got a
lot to cover – let’s stick to the main topic of discussion.”
Bread and butter: The core business area; the main way someone makes their
money. “For over 100 years, selling medicines has been the bread and butter of
our business. I don’t see any reason to change now.”
Dialog
Sandra: Well, this is a great way to cut a lot of fat. My figures show that we can
save almost $50,000 dollars with this one.
Sam: Can I just come in here? That reminds me, we really can’t have pizza for
lunch again. It’s unhealthy.
Martin: Sorry, Sam, but I think this is a bit of a side-track. Let’s try to keep to
the agenda, ok? I want to get everyone out of here on time.
Sam: Of course.
Sandra: So as I was saying, outsourcing the cleaning can really save a lot of
money. It’s a no-brainer if you ask me.
Dave: Well, frankly, I think it’s a little harsh just to let go people; after all,
we’ve been working with them side by side for years. And we have to think
about how it will affect morale.
Martin: Right, we seem to have dealt with the outsourcing issue. Now, let’s
move on to the brochures. We’ve budgeted $68,500 to redesign and reprint all
the sales and marketing brochures. Dave, this is your area of expertise. What do
you think?
Dave: Well, obviously, for facing a shortfall, we need to make cuts. And this cut
would be less painful than many of the others. But we really have to prioritize
sales, because this is the bread and butter of our business. Perhaps we can
consider a limited redesign?
Sam: I agree.
Sandra: I do too. You know, Dave, speaking of the brochure, you should really
consider using a different vendor for the brochures this time. I didn’t think they
did a good job on the last ones at all.
Martin: You may have a point there Sandra, but let’s leave that for the regular
team meeting on Thursday. We still have a lot to cover.
Sandra: Okay.
Martin: All right, can we go around the table to make sure everyone agrees? All
those in favor of a limited redesign of the brochure? All those against?
This first person to try to change the topic is Sam. Remember, Sandra is talking
about how much money they can save by outsourcing cleaning.
Sandra: Well, this is a great way to cut a lot of fat. My figures show that we can
save almost $50,000 dollars with this one.
Sandra says that outsourcing is a great way “to cut a lot of fat.” Similar to the
phrase “to tighten one’s belt,” which we learned last time, “to cut a lot of fat”
means to save a lot of money. This makes Sam think of food:
Sam: Can I just come in here? That reminds me, we really can’t have pizza for
lunch again. It’s unhealthy.
It sounds as though Sam’s stomach is more important to him than the budget
discussions, doesn’t it? Notice how Sam uses “that reminds me.” This useful
phrase links to what was just said to change the topic of discussion: What you
said reminds me of something else.
So Sam has attempted to change the topic. How does Martin get him back on
track?
Martin: Sorry, Sam, but I think this is a bit of a side-track. Let’s try to keep to
the agenda, ok? I want to get everyone out of here on time.
Martin uses the phrase “I think this is a bit of a side-track” to show that he feels
the group has gone off the main topic on to an unimportant side issue. He is
careful to emphasize the benefit to the group of keeping to the agenda by saying
“I want to get everyone out of here on time,” that is he wants everyone to be
able to leave on time. Martin’s skillful action guides the discussion back on track.
Returning to the topic gives Sandra a chance to finish what she was saying:
Sandra: So as I was saying, outsourcing the cleaning can really save a lot of
money. It’s no-brainer if you ask me.
“So as I was saying,” lets Sandra continue from where she was interrupted. How
does she feel about outsourcing? She strongly supports it, saying that it’s a “no-
brainer.” That means it’s so obvious that you don’t need a brain to figure it out.
Later on in the discussion, Sandra also tries to change the topic. Remember,
Dave has proposed a limited or partial redesign of the brochure: He is against
totally abandoning the brochure project because sales should be prioritized,
meaning that
this should be given high importance. He says sales are the “bread and butter”
of the business. This is an idiom that means something is very important to the
business’ profit. Dave’s proposal reminds Sandra of a point she’d like to make.
Let’s listen.
Sam: I agree.
Sandra: I do too. You know, Dave, speaking of the brochure, you should really
should consider using a different vendor for the brochures this time.
Similar to Sam’s “That reminds me...,” Sandra uses “Speaking of the brochure”
to change the topic. This kind of expression is particularly useful in informal
discussions or when socializing and making small talk. We’ll be looking in more
detail at ways to change the topic during later episodes on social English.
Now, let’s listen to how Martin gets the discussion back on track this time.
Martin: You may have a point there Sandra, but let’s leave that for the regular
team meeting on Thursday. We still have a lot to cover.
With the journey metaphor in mind, let’s review the language for keeping the
discussion on track:
I can see what you’re saying, but let’s try to keep to the agenda.
To save time, we need to stay on track. Let’s try not to get too far off topic.
Let’s get back to that later. For now, I really want to stick to the agenda.
That’s an interesting point, but let’s talk about that when we come to it. Can
we get back to the main point?
We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so I suggest do our best to stay on track.
So far you’ve covered language for changing the topic and sticking to the
agenda. Now let’s look at some language for widening the discussion to make
sure you’ve heard different points of view. Remember earlier when Sandra says
that outsourcing cleaning is a no-brainer? What does Martin say to bring other
people into the discussion?
What other approaches are there to this problem? Does anybody have any
ideas?
Great. We’ve covered changing the topic, sticking to the agenda and widening
the discussion. Now let’s study how Martin moves from one point to the next in
the meeting. What does he say after the team has finished talking about
outsourcing?
Martin: Right, we seem to have dealt with the outsourcing issue. Now, let’s
move on to the brochures.
Similar to making a transition in a presentation, Martin signals that the last part
has finished and the new part is beginning. Let’s listen to some more language
for doing just that.
Good. I’d say that’s about all for that topic. Now, let’s turn to the issue of
sales.
Well, we’ve just about covered the San Francisco office. Let’s continue by
discussing Buenos Aires.
Time is pressing. Let’s leave that there and move on to the next point on the
agenda, okay?
Take note of the professional way Martin asks Dave about his opinion on the
next topic: He says, “Dave, this is your area of expertise. What do you think?”
For a more complete review of other ways to ask for and give opinions, you can
go back to BEP27. In addition, agreeing and disagreeing are covered in BEP28
and 29.
Great. There is one last topic to cover in today’s episode: Checking everyone
agrees in order to reach a decision. Listen to what Martin says at the end of the
dialogue.
Martin: All right, can we go around the table to make sure everyone agrees? All
those in favor of a limited redesign of the brochure? All those against?
“To go around the table” means to take a vote. You can either run through the
participants one by one or, as Martin does, have them respond as a group by
asking “All those in favor?” and “All those against?”
Now it’s your turn to practice. We’re going to study keeping the discussion on
track and including other people in the discussion.
Practice 1
First, imagine you are chairing a meeting a Daneline about how to deal with a
budget shortfall. You are talking about the first item on the agenda, outsourcing
the cleaning, but members of your team Pat and Brooks keep changing the
topic. After each beep, use a phrase we’ve studied to keep the discussion on
track.
For example:
• “I can see what you’re saying, but let’s try to keep to the agenda.”
• or “To save time, we need to stay on track. Let’s try not to get too far off
topic.”
Cue 1 - Pat: That reminds me – can we go out for lunch today? I’d love to try
the new Chinese restaurant.
Learner:
Cue 2 - Brooks: Can I come in here? Actually, I really think canceling the
Christmas party is the best way to save money.
Learner:
Cue 3 - Pat: Can I ask a question? Who is going to handle the new employee
training?
Learner:
Answer 1
Cue 1 Pat: That reminds me – can we go out for lunch today? I’d love to try the
new Chinese restaurant.
Answer: Can we talk about that later? We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.
Answer 2
Cue 2 Brooks: Can I come in here? Actually, I really think canceling the
Christmas party is the best way to save money.
Answer: That’s an interesting point, but let’s talk about that when we come to
it.
Answer 3
Cue 3 Pat: Can I ask a question? Who is going to handle the new employee
training?
Answer: To save time, we need to stay focused. Let’s stick to the agenda.
Let’s turn now to including more people in the discussion. In a moment, you’ll
hear Pat and Brooks state their opinions. After each beep, use a phrase to widen
the discussion, such as “What do others think?” or “Let’s go around the table to
get comments.” Are you ready? Give it a try.
Cue 3: Another way to save money would be to cancel the Christmas party.
Learner:
Cue 3: Another way to save money would be to cancel the Christmas party.
Answer: Hmmmm. Let’s go around the table and get reactions to that idea.
Who would like to begin?
That’s about it for today’s episode on controlling the discussion. You’ve learned
how to return to the main point, change the topic, move on to the next point in
the agenda, widen the discussion and check if everyone agrees. In addition,
we’ve covered several useful idioms and we’ve looked at how the ‘discussion-is-
a-journey’ metaphor plays an important role in the language that we use to
manage meetings.
Online Practice
Language Review
A. Metaphor
As you’re learning English, thinking about metaphor can help your memory and
contribute to your fluency, especially with idioms. For example, in the two
episodes on opening and managing meetings, we have learned “to tighten one’s
belt” and “to cut the fat”: In both these idioms “fat” refers to money that can be
saved. In fact, language is full of metaphors. It seems we understand almost
everything in terms of something else. Can you think of more? How about time
is money—“We need to save time”—business is war—“They attacked our market
position”—and so on. Are these the same in your native language? Many of
them probably are, but you might find some that are not. This can be an
interesting way to understand differences between cultures.
Allan: That reminds me – can we go out for lunch today? I’d love to try the new
Chinese restaurant.
Bill: 1) can that we about talk later 2) got we’ve a lot to ground cover of
Can_____________________ ____________________________
Allan: Can I come in here? Actually, I really think canceling the Christmas party
is the best way to save money.
Bill: That’s an interesting point, 3) let’s talk but that when we to come about it
___________________________________
Allan: Can I ask a question? Who is going to handle the new employee training?
Bill: To save time, 4) need we to focused stay 5) ’s stick let agenda to the
_________________ ___________________
Answers
Language Review
A. Metaphor
2) C 3) B 4) A 5) B 6) D 7) C 8) D.
B. General Review
Allan: Can I come in here? Actually, I really think canceling the Christmas party
is the best way to save money.
Bill: That’s an interesting point, 3) but let’s talk about that when we come to it.
Allan: Can I ask a question? Who is going to handle the new employee training?
Bill: To save time, 4) we need to stay focused. Let’s stick to the agenda.
Online Practice
We’ll hear Strand’s HR director Mei Lin and recruitment manager Sam talking to
Bill, the production manager at Donguan, a city just over the border in Mainland
China where Strand does most of its manufacturing. Strand is just starting to
make a new kind of product, and Bill needs to recruit, or hire, engineers that
understand the technology. He made a request for extra “heads,” that is
employees, one week earlier, but he didn’t hear back from HR, so he decided to
call this meeting.
In this internal meeting, all three participants know each other well. As you
listen, pay attention to how they use assertive language to interrupt each other
in order to keep the meeting on track and arrive at positive result more quickly.
Vocabulary
(To be) assertive: Strong, confident: “She’s very assertive in meetings; she
always takes control.”
Recruitment: The process of finding new employs. “Every spring right before
college graduation is our most important recruitment time.”
Bottleneck: The thin part of a bottle; the part of a process that slows everything
down. “Road construction on the way out of town has reduced a six-lane
highway to just two-lanes; it’s a real bottleneck. Traffic is backed up for an
hour.”
Kinks: Literally, bends in a hose that cause the water not to flow through. To
work out the kinks means to solve problems. “Our new production process is
great, but there’s still a few minor problems. As soon as we’ve worked out the
kinks, we’re going to be in business.”
Stamped aluminum: Here to stamp means to cut like a cookie cuter, in one
piece. “A lot of iPods are made from stamped aluminum.”
On the fly: As you go, to improvise. “We don’t have any plans, so we’ll just have
to thinking of something on the fly.”
Short-staffed: Describes having fewer staff than needed. “Right now we’re
totally short-staffed – I don’t know if we have enough people to get the job
done.”
Debrief
Let’s look at how Bill, Sam and Mei Lin interrupt and resist interruption. How
does the meeting start?
Bill: The main bottleneck we’re facing now in Dongguan is lack of qualified
engineers.
Mei Lin: Uh huh.
A bottleneck is the narrow part of the bottle under the mouth. Idiomatically, it
means something that slows everything down. Bill believes a lack of qualified
engineers is slowing down his production.
Bill: So the reason I called this meeting is to work out any…shall we say “kinks”
in the approval process so that we can get recruitment started immediately.
Bill says “The reason I called this meeting is to work out the kinks in the
approval process…” What does “kinks” mean? Imagine you have a water hose. If
the hose is bent sharply, the water can’t get through. The bend is called a
“kink.” “To work out the kinks” means to straighten the hose so that the water
can flow. It’s a way of saying “to work out the problems.” Bill wants to know why
Mei Lin and Sam have not approved his request for more engineers and he
wants to solve the problem.
In addition to “the reason I called this meeting is to…,” what are some other
ways to declare the purpose of a meeting?
I called this meeting today to work out ways to deal with the marketing
challenges that we’re facing.
The primary purpose of this meeting will be to brainstorm ways to cope with
the huge increase in demand we’re seeing.
The main problem we’re facing is how to manage our growth.
The main thing I’d like to accomplish today is defining the key problem areas
that we see with our current plan.
How does the dialog continue? Remember, Bill is talking about why he urgently
needs to recruit new engineers.
Bill: … As you know, we’ve been working very closely with Trilogy on their new
MP3 player launch, and this new product…
Mei Lin: Sorry, Bill, excuse me for interrupting you there, but we’ve been
looking at your headcount request…
Mei Lin: And it didn’t really clarify for us exactly why you need more heads.
Sam: Yeah, don’t you have engineers that you could transfer from other
production lines?
To interrupt, May first say’s Bill’s name: “Sorry, Bill.” Using someone’s name is a
great way to interrupt, because it really gets their attention. Next, she says,
“excuse me for interrupting you there, but…” When interrupting, it actually helps
to memorize some long phrases because sometimes you have to say a few
words before you can get your conversation partner to acknowledge your
interruption and stop talking. What are some other useful interruption phrases?
Now that we’ve covered some language for interruption, let’s get back to the
dialog to see what happens next. Mei Lin has just interrupted Bill to clarify what
the real reason for the recruitment request is.
Bill: Well, as I was saying, Trilogy’s new product is absolutely critical to our
business.
How does the dialog continue? Bill is telling Mei Lin and Sam that one of Stratos’
main customers, Trilogy, has just given them a very important order.
Bill: …They are a key customer – you could say the key customer.
Mei Lin: We know that. But it still doesn’t tell us why…
Bill: Just a moment. I haven’t finished what I was saying. I’m pretty busy, and
maybe we weren’t totally clear in the original request. Look, this is a completely
different technology.
Mei Lin still feels as though Bill is missing the point, so she interrupts him again.
But this time Bill fights back. He resists or counters the interruption, that is, he
finds a way to stop Mei Lin from interrupting him. He says, “Just a moment. I
haven’t finished what I was saying.” To do this, you have to interrupt the
interrupter. Not an easy thing to do. What is some useful language we can use?
Getting back to the dialog, as Bill says, Trilogy’s product requires an entirely new
technology. Sam jumps in to clarify.
In the past, Stratos has only produced MP3 and 4 players with plastic cases. But
Trilogy now wants them to use stamped aluminum. Aluminum is a light metal.
Aluminum (a•lu•mi•num) is pronounced al•u•min•i•um in British English.
Stamped means cut in one piece, like a cookie. To use stamped aluminum, Bill
needs people with a different “skill set,” that is a whole different group of skills.
Mei Lin: You can’t just have them learn what they need to know on the fly?
You’ve got a lot of smart people.
Mei Lin wonders why Bill’s people can’t just learn “on the fly,” that is, as they go.
Now Bill is using some pretty strong language. He says that if he doesn’t have
qualified engineers, the production process and the result are going to “come off
half-assed.” “Come off” means to result in. And “half-assed” is slang that
describes something that was not done well. We can translate it into normal
business talk as “unprofessional.” It’s pretty strong slang, and has a certain
amount of shock value; maybe it helps to convince Mei Lin, because listen to
what she says next.
Mei Lin: Just a moment Bill. Let me just come in here for a second. That’s all
well and good; I think Sam and I can both appreciate now that there is a real
business need here. But there’s still the question of who commits the resources
to find the engineers you need.
“That’s all well and good” shows that Mei Lin is partly conceding a point. “To
concede a point” means to accept that something you earlier disagreed with may
actually be true. This particular expression, however, only partly concedes a
point. When we hear “That’s all well and good,” we know that the person talking
to us still has reservations, that is, still has areas of disagreement that have not
been resolved. In a heated discussion or negotiation, partly conceding a point is
a very useful skill. What are some other ways to do this?
Back to the dialog, how does it end? Mei Lin has suggested that there is an open
question about who will commit the resources to find the “heads” that Bill needs,
that is, which department will spend the time and money to find qualified
engineers.
HR is overworked and understaffed (that is, they don’t have enough people)
because of the fall recruitment drive. This means the activity of recruiting new
graduates at the end of the University year. In another meaning of the word
“drive,” Mei Lin suggests that it would help if Bill’s department would “drive” the
recruitment process, that is, take an active role. We assume she means provide
staff, leadership, and so on.
Before we finish today, let’s give you a chance to practice. We’ll practice
resisting interruption. In a moment you will hear a series of cues. Each cue
consists of a topic that you should say something about, for example, “Hiring
internally is better than hiring externally.” After the beep, begin talking about
this topic. In a few seconds, you will be interrupted. Use phrases we’ve learned
today to resist interruption. For example, you can say, “John, if you will allow me
to continue, I’ll get to that point a little later” or ” I haven’t finished what I was
saying yet.” After each exercise, you’ll hear an example answer. Are you ready?
Example answer 1
Example Answer 2
How did you do? Practice again and try substituting different language.
Clayton: Err, just a sec Peter, I haven’t quite finished what I was about to say.
Fill in the gaps with the language from the box. Then write the function of the
phrase next to each expression (i.e. conceding a point, resisting interruption,
etc.). The first one has been done for you.
1. Excuse me for interrupting, but can I just add a few words on that topic.
_________Interrupting_________
2. The main problem that we’re facing is how to ___________ our growth.
___________________________
5. That’s all well and _________, but think of this: How are we going to
maintain profits?
___________________________
8. The main thing I’d like to ___________ today is defining the key problem
areas that we see with our current plan.
____________________________
Andy and Betty are having a conversation in which they need to interrupt each
other and to resist interruption. However, they keep getting their words mixed
up. Help them by putting their words in order to form sentences.
Dialog 1
Andy: In my opinion, reducing costs is necessary to our business success.
Betty: 1) I if just could you wonder interrupt I there
Sorry, _______________________________________________ Don’t you
think innovating new products is also very important?
Andy: 2) will allow me to continue I’ll get to that point later on
If you…_______________________________________________________
Dialog 2
Betty: Maintaining a proper work-life balance is so important to career success.
If you don’t get enough rest…
Andy: 3) just say I something can here ____________________________
Betty: 4) haven’t I finished what saying yet I was
_Sorry,_____________________________________ 5) back come your to
point me later. _Let_______________________________________________
Study Strategy
Choosing a topic and just speaking freely off of the top of your mind – as you did
in the practice for this episode – is a great way to practice your English. Better
yet, record yourself and play it back to raise awareness and give yourself
feedback Try to speak for one minute – you’ll find one minute is a long time!
Here are some possible topics for your speech: 1) What is more important –
money or fun? 2) Everything you learned in school is a waste of time – agree or
disagree? 3) You can tell almost everything about a person by how he/she
dresses and presents him/herself. 4) Your own?
Dialog 1
Andy: In my opinion, reducing costs is necessary to our business success.
Betty: 1) Sorry, I wonder if I could just interrupt you there. Don’t you think
innovating new products is also very important?
Andy: 2) If you will allow me to continue, I’ll get to that point later on.
Dialog 2
Betty: Maintaining a proper work-life balance is so important to career success.
If you don’t get enough rest…
Andy: 3) Can just I say something here?
Betty: 4) Sorry, I haven’t finished what I was saying yet. 5) Let me come back
to your point later.
Online Practice
Kathryn wants everyone to consider possible hidden reasons for low morale at
the company. We’ll see how she helps participants focus on breaking down the
morale problem. As the dialog starts, Kathryn calls everyone to attention and
begins the meeting.
Listening Questions
1) What is the surface problem that Kathryn and the others can see?
2) What does the group decide is the true cause of this problem?
3) What is the challenge that the group faces at the end of the dealing?
Vocabulary
To get to grips with sth: to deal with a problem. Also “to come to grips with sth”.
“I can’t come to grips with why we went over budget.”
To come back to bite sb: to cause problems at a later time. “Being rude to your
staff can come back to bite you someday.”
Root cause/underlying cause: the hidden reason for something. “It may take a
long time to find the root cause of a conflict on the factory floor.”
To bump into sb: to meet somebody you know by chance. “I bumped into one of
our suppliers at the annual convention.”
To hear sb out: to listen to every detail. “Hear me out: I can tell you exactly why
the program failed.”
To pinpoint sth: to locate or identify with precision. “We can’t pinpoint the source
of the error, but it’s probably in the original product design.”
Sth you can sink your teeth into: something that you can be enthusiastic about
doing. Also “something to sink your teeth into”. “He’ll be much more motivated
now that he’s got something to sink his teeth into.”
To throw out ideas: to freely propose ideas. “There’s no way I’m going to throw
out ideas when they’re just waiting to criticize my input.”
To tackle sth: to start or to deal with something. “He’ll tackle the audit as soon
as he gets the files.”
A fortune: a lot of money. “The new assembly line cost a fortune.” “We spent a
fortune on consultants’ fees last year.”
Dialog
Kathryn: Okay everybody, let’s get started. (pause) I think we’ve all noticed
that staff morale is extremely low.
All: Murmurs of agreement.
Kathryn: We’ve got to get to grips with this before it comes back to bite us.
To start with, what exactly is the problem? Is it budget cuts, the economy, or
are we missing something? Let’s have some input.
Neil: Well, look at the economy. Who wouldn’t be depressed?
Natalie: I’m not sure I follow. Could you explain?
Paul: I think he means that people are nervous. We’ve had budget cuts and lay-
offs and everyone’s… (fade out)
(fade in)… economy affects everybody, BUT morale is worse here than other
places and I, for one, would like to know the root cause.
Bill: Actually, it seems obvious to me – lack of personal contact. Neil’s on
Bleaker Street, Torben is who-knows-where – I have to take a cab just to file
expenses! I bumped into Sarah the other day and she said “Howdy, stranger!”
Neil: You know, I don’t see what... (you’re getting at.)
Kathryn: Hang on, let’s hear Bill out.
Bill: Well, two years ago, when we were expanding, we rented offices in other
locations and we all got spread out.
Paul: Yeah, I remember that. I used to see Neil’s team every day, but we email
now.
Neil: Absolutely. My department moved and I only see you folks at meetings.
Kathryn: I think we’re onto something here. We’ve pinpointed the
underlying cause of low morale. Let’s define it as due to a lack of face-to-face
contact.
All: (Murmurs of agreement)
Natalie: So, let’s state it as a challenge. How can we improve morale, without
spending a fortune?
Bill: Exactly. (Murmurs of agreement)
Kathryn: Good, we’ve got something we can really sink our teeth into. Time
for some brainstorming. To start off with, I’d like everyone to just throw out
some ideas. Okay?
Neil: Here’s one, how about if we... (fade out)
Let’s look in detail at some of the language and expressions that focus the
problem-solving process in this meeting.
Notice how Kathryn gets straight to the point right at the beginning. Any “small
talk” among the participants has already taken place and she immediately
directs their attention to the problem at hand.
Kathryn: Okay everybody, let’s get started. (pause) I think we’ve all noticed
that staff morale is extremely low.
All: Murmurs of agreement.
Staff morale refers to the mood of the staff, or the way they are feeling in
general. Kathryn says “I think…” to start off, because it is a soft way of
introducing an unpleasant or negative idea. She includes the meeting
participants in her opening statement by saying “we’ve all noticed this
problem.”. By using “we”, she is including everyone and saying “We’re all in this
together.”
Now listen to the way Kathryn focuses the discussion. She states how serious
the problem is and starts to break the problem down.
Kathryn: We’ve got to get to grips with this before it comes back to bite us.
To start with, what exactly is the problem? Is it budget cuts, the economy, or
are we missing something? Let’s have some input.
Kathryn emphasizes how serious the problem is by saying they must get to grips
with the problem, meaning deal with the problem. She is worried morale could
get worse in future, so she says the problem may come back to bite us. She
asks a direct question about the problem, makes some suggestions for possible
underlying reasons and asks everyone to participate by giving input, or
suggestions.
What else can we say to focus discussion on a problem? Let’s practice a few
more expressions. Notice that many of them are questions.
Neil’s contribution isn’t very clear, is it? He hasn’t shown a direct relationship
between the economy and low staff morale. Natalie politely asks for clarification,
saying that she can’t follow – that she doesn’t understand his statement. Notice
how she uses could to make the question less direct and less challenging. For
more expressions used to clarify what someone else has said, please look at BEP
30 and 31.
After much discussion, Bill brings up an idea that he thinks is obvious, but others
haven’t mentioned yet:
Kathryn sees that Bill’s idea may have a relationship to the problem of low
morale and she wants to hear more. She interrupts Neil by asking him to hang
on and let Bill finish what he has to say. To make sure a meeting stays on track
and achieves its aims, we need to avoid too many interruptions. Here are other
ways of minimizing interruptions and letting someone finish their point.
So, Bill is given a chance to speak, and both Paula and Neil agree with him. They
support his position like this:
Paul: Yeah, I remember that. I used to see Neil’s team every day, but we email
now.
Neil: Absolutely. My department moved and I only see you folks at meetings.
At this point, Kathryn steps in to confirm that they are heading in the right
direction. She uses “we” and “let’s” to highlight the fact that they have come to
these conclusions as a group.
Kathryn makes it clear that the group is well on its way to finding the true cause
of the low morale problem. She encourages them to think of themselves as a
team and builds consensus within the team. What other language can we use to
highlight and encourage teamwork?
Once the group has agreed on the root cause of low morale, Natalie restates
their problem as a challenge, by making it into a “how” question.
Natalie: So, let’s state it as a challenge. How can we improve morale without
spending a fortune?
Bill: Exactly. (Murmurs of agreement)
A fortune means “a lot of money”. Can you see how the company’s challenge is
to solve the morale problem without using a lot of money? This type of question
asks how people can achieve a goal without giving up something important.
Listen to these problems stated as challenges:
The group has agreed on the underlying cause of low staff morale, and has
restated the problem as a challenge. Kathryn indicates that they’ve finally
answered the question, “What is the problem?”. They have something solid they
can work on, or something they can sink their teeth into.
Kathryn: Good, we’ve got something we can really sink our teeth into. Time
for some brainstorming. To start off with, I’d like everyone to just throw out
some ideas. Okay?
Neil: Here’s one, how about if we...
Now, it’s your turn to practice some of the techniques we’ve looked at today.
First, let’s review the language of stating a problem as a challenge. Imagine you
are in a problem-solving meeting. You will hear a comment made on a problem
issue. You should re-state the problem as a challenge, by using the same
information in a question that begins with “How”.
Cue 1: Logistics is terrible, but we’re locked into a contract with this supplier.
Learner 1:
Cue 3: We need to reduce office space, but we’re too busy to lay anyone off.
Learner 3:
Cue 4: We must tackle this problem immediately. We don’t want to involve the
union.
Learner 4:
Cue 1: Logistics is terrible, but we’re locked into a contract with this supplier.
Answer 1: How can we improve logistics without changing suppliers?
Cue 3: We need to reduce office space, but we’re too busy to lay anyone off.
Answer 3: How can we reduce office space without laying anyone off?
Cue 4: We must tackle this problem immediately. We don’t want to involve the
union.
Answer 4: How can we tackle this problem without involving the union?
After each response, we’ll play the correct answer. Let’s begin.
Cue 1: I’m afraid this issue will come back to <beep> us in future.
Learner 1:
Cue 3: John could be <beep> something when he says the problem is poor
communication.
Learner 3:
Cue 5: This project is something you can really <beep> your teeth into.
Learner 5:
Answer 1: I’m afraid this issue will come back to bite us in future.
Answer 3: John could be onto something when he says the problem is poor
communication.
Answer 5: This project is something you can really sink your teeth into.
That’s all for this episode on problem-solving meetings. We’ve studied language
and expressions for introducing a problem, breaking it down, building consensus
and stating the problem as a challenge.
Language Review
A. Introducing a problem
Put the jumbled sentences in order to practice useful phrases for introducing a
problem.
B. Supporting a point
To review useful language for supporting a point, fill in the blanks in the phrases
below with words from the box.
Study Strategy
Think about the company you work in. Can you see any obvious problems that
are not being dealt with? Have you been with the company long enough to have
experienced problems and seen how they were resolved by management? Have
you ever participated in a meeting that was held to discuss a problem the
company was facing? See if you can make a list of a few problems that you have
seen or see at work. Next, with a colleague or a friend, try the following role
play: Introduce one of the problems on the list and discuss what is really causing
the problem. When you have identified the root cause of the surface problem,
state the problem as a challenge. Try to use the language and strategies we
have practiced in this episode. Alternatively, if you don’t know anyone to try this
with, write it out as a dialog.
Listening Questions
1. Kathryn and her team can see that there is low staff morale throughout the
company.
2. The group decides that the true cause of low staff morale is because staff are
separated into three different locations and have lost touch with each other. This
physical separation occurred 2 years previously, when the company was
expanding.
3. The challenge the group faces at the end of this episode is to find a way to
improve staff morale without spending too much money, that is, without
spending “a fortune”.
Language Review
A. Introducing a Problem
B. Supporting a Point
Online Practice
Listening Questions
1) How many ideas does the group come up with for solving the staff morale
problem?
2) Which idea does the group agree is the best one to try?
3) Name one of the action points suggested near the end of the meeting.
Dialog
Kathryn: Great, thanks. Let’s look at each of these, keeping in mind our
definition of the root cause of low morale - the separation of staff into 3
locations.
Neil: Well there’s no way that social activities will do any good. Nobody will
show up, even if the company pays. It’s hard enough for us to make it to the
Christmas party.
Paul: I agree that social activities are a poor choice. Also, given that we have
virtually no money to spend on this, I can’t see us hiring a consultant to do
team-building exercises.
Bill: Then there’s social-networking. Interesting idea, but there’s no way old
guys like me are gonna go for that. Maybe the twenty-somethings…
Neil: Plus, if we contract it out, we’ll spend money. We can’t build a site in-
house, because the IT department is stripped to the bare bones now as it is.
Kathryn: Then it seems to me that moving everyone back to this location is the
way to go. What’s our first step if we want to implement this?
Paul: Well, the idea was that this solution would actually save us money, so
we’d better check that out first with a cost-benefit analysis.
Natalie: We have the same landlord for all locations, so let’s look at those
empty offices below us here, and see if we can get out of the existing leases for
the other locations.
Kathryn: Okay, it sounds like we’re already putting together an action plan.
Maybe we can assign some tasks… (fade out)
First of all, how does Kathryn indicate that the brainstorming session is finished?
She doesn’t want it to go on for too long and some good ideas have been put
forth. Listen to how she thanks everybody and then compliments the team on
their work.
Saying “thank you” is a good way to stop a discussion because it is a polite way
for someone in a leadership position to say that they have heard enough. When
Kathryn says “we’ve outdone ourselves”, she compliments the group on their
good work, by saying that the group has performed better than ever before.
Then she asks Natalie, who has been taking notes during brainstorming, to
remind them of the main ideas discussed.
What else can you say to close a discussion in a positive way? Here are a few
more examples.
Now listen to how Kathryn encourages the team to evaluate and critique the
results of the brainstorming session:
Kathryn: Let’s look at each of these, keeping in mind our definition of the root
cause of low morale - the separation of staff into 3 locations.
When you critique something, you analyze it and then express your views.
Kathryn wants everybody to evaluate the suggestions, but she wants their
analysis to have a clear relation to the exact problem they defined in the earlier
part of the meeting. She wants them to remember what the problem is, so that
the solution will directly address the real problem.
Let’s listen to some alternative ways to encourage discussion and evaluation,
while focusing on the defined problem:
I’d like to hear your comments on this issue, taking into account our previous
discussion.
I’m open to feedback on these points, keeping in mind how we’ve defined the
problem.
Can we consider each point, bearing in mind how little time we have?
Let’s take a look at the solutions one by one, considering what our objective
is.
When you’re asked to critique ideas, it’s wise to support your evaluation with
evidence of why you believe something is a good idea or a bad idea. Notice how
Paul gives a contrasting reason for why they cannot hire a consultant. He states
that they have virtually no money, meaning almost no money or very little
money. This is obviously in contrast to the fact that consultants are expensive.
Paul: … a poor choice. Also, given that we have virtually no money to spend
on this, I can’t see us hiring a consultant to do team-building exercises.
When Paul says that he “can’t see them hiring a consultant”, he means that he
cannot imagine that this is possible. His statement has two parts; a part which
says what cannot be done and a part which tells why it cannot be done. He uses
“given that” to introduce the reason why something cannot be done.
This is a really useful structure for expressing negative opinions, so let’s practice
a few more examples:
It’s impossible to see how hiring another person will have an effect, seeing as
productivity is the problem.
I can’t see him agreeing to that, given his resistance to change.
I just can’t visualize three desks in each office, since it’s so cramped with just
two.
Asking the warehouse staff to do that is not an option, keeping in mind that
it’s against union rules.
Adding more tasks is out of the question, considering that they’re already
working overtime.
As the meeting leader, Kathryn needs to keep everyone focused and ensure that
the meeting is effective. When she hears that there is a good reason why an
idea is not practical, she tries to eliminate the idea from their list as quickly as
possible.
Two people have given reasons against two of the ideas and the contributors
explained very clearly what is wrong with the ideas. Kathryn wants to eliminate
these ideas, but she checks with the team first to make sure that everyone
agrees. However, it is clear that she has the final decision on eliminating
suggestions.
Notice how some of these examples restate the reason an idea is being
eliminated, but that in every case the speaker remains polite:
We’ll have to discard this idea, as there’s no way to implement it right now.
Is everyone agreed that we can reject the second suggestion?
This contribution will have to be dropped for the moment, but we can keep it
in mind for next year.
While this is a great idea, we’ll have to exclude it under the circumstances.
I’m afraid that we have to rule out this suggestion due to its unpredictability.
After impractical ideas are eliminated, there may be one or two ideas left to be
evaluated. In our example, the team manages to eliminate three of the four
Kathryn: Then it seems to me that moving all staff back to this location is the
way to go. What’s our…
Kathryn says that the solution they have chosen is the “way to go”, meaning the
best choice. It is a solution that she thinks they should implement. It is clear
that Kathryn is the final decision-maker in the group, but anyone can use this
kind of language to support a point they feel strongly about.
Here are some examples of other expressions to use when you want to confirm
the best course of action:
There’s no doubt that eliminating the most unprofitable division is the best
course of action.
It’s clear that expanding the R & D department is the best option.
Relocating the staff room during the renovation is the obvious choice.
Clearly, closing that office is our best move at this point.
Now that the best solution has been confirmed, it’s time for the team to take
action! Both Paul and Natalie have ideas about what the first steps should be in
pursuing the chosen solution.
Paul: Well, the idea was that this solution would actually save us money, so
we’d better check that out first with a cost-benefit analysis.
Natalie: We have the same landlord for all locations, so let’s look at those
empty offices below us here, and see if we can get out of the existing leases for
the other locations.
Notice how Paul and Natalie use expressions that show the relationship between
the background information they have and an action to be taken. Paul says that
the idea, or the intention, is for the solution to save them money. This is the
background to the suggestion, and he says that the action they must take is to
confirm that the company would, in reality, save money. Natalie also gives some
background knowledge, that there is one landlord for all three offices, and
suggests a related action.
Listen to these points for action, along with the background information that
makes them necessary or appropriate:
Now, it’s your turn to practice some of the techniques we’ve looked at today.
First, let’s review the language of critiquing a point with a contrasting reason.
Imagine you are in a problem-solving meeting. You will hear a comment made
on a problem issue. You should critique the suggestion being made, by using the
reason given.
For example, if you hear…
Example cue: Why don’t we just buy more desks and find space for them on
the 4th floor?
Reason: already too crowded
Cue 2: We could consider moving the entire facility to that new industrial park
outside the city.
Reason: our customers are all right here
Learner 2:
After each response, we’ll play the correct answer. Let’s begin.
Cue 1: Well, team, you’ve really <beep> yourselves this time. These are
excellent sales results.
Learner 1:
Cue 2: What they have to keep in <beep> is that we must launch next month
and no later.
Learner 2:
Cue 3: Setting up a stand at the market requires <beep> no money, but could
really give us some exposure with the locals.
Learner 3:
Cue 4: If we strip one branch office to the <beep> bones, we can keep both of
them operating for now.
Learner 4:
Answer 1: Well, team, you’ve really outdone yourselves this time. These are
excellent sales results.
Answer 2: What they have to keep in mind is that we must launch next month
and no later.
Answer 3: Setting up a stand at the market requires virtually no money, but
could really give us some exposure with the locals.
Answer 4: If we strip one branch office to the bare bones, we can keep both of
them operating for now.
Answer 5: Selling inferior goods is definitely not the way to go if we want to
keep our high profile.
That’s all for this second episode on problem-solving meetings. We’ve studied
language and expressions for closing a discussion, critiquing ideas, eliminating
impractical suggestions, confirming a solution and suggesting action points.
Language Review
The buyers are leaving in 2 days, we can cancel our standing orders.
The team can’t work longer hours, so/but we have to arrange to do a needs
analysis.
Nobody knows exactly what’s we need to show them our products
necessary, tomorrow.
We’ll have to keep the old if we offer them extra staff, they can
inventory, meet the deadline.
1. _____________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________________________
Study Strategy
Think about the company you work in. Can you see any obvious problems that
are not being dealt with? Did you make a list of problems you’ve seen at work
for BEP126? If you did, take that list out again. If you didn’t, make a list of 2 or
3 problems that you have noticed at work. Next, with a colleague or a friend, try
the following role play: Introduce one of the problems on the list and brainstorm
ideas for solving the problem. Try to think creatively and express any of the
ideas that come into your head. When you have made a short list of 4 possible
solutions, try critiquing them, especially by using a contrasting reason. Then use
the language and strategies we have practiced in this episode to eliminate ideas,
confirm the best solution and identify points for action. Alternatively, if you don’t
know anyone to try this with, write it out as a dialog.
Language Review
1. The buyers are leaving in 2 days, so we need to show them our products
tomorrow.
2. The team can’t work longer hours, but if we offer them extra staff, they
can meet the deadline.
3. Nobody knows exactly what’s necessary, so we have to arrange to do a
needs analysis.
4. We’ll have to keep the old inventory, but we can cancel our standing
orders.
Online Practice
Vocabulary
To get to the bottom of something: To find the root cause. “To get to the bottom
of employee turnover, we conducted an extensive investigation.”
To knock someone dead: To impress someone with your performance. “We knocked
them dead with our presentation – they signed the contract right away.”
Any other business: Anything not on the agenda; typically the last point of
discussion. “Before we finish up today, is there any other business?”
Action points: Actions to be taken. “Now let’s just run through the action points
– I want to be clear about who is doing what.”
Risk analysis: The analysis of risk (danger). “It is important to perform good
analysis of the types of risk that your company may encounter.”
Revolving credit: Short-term loans, like credit cards. “We need to conduct a risk
assessment of our revolving credit products.”
Non-performing loans: Financial obligations (loans) that are not being met.
“Non-performing loans led to a major financial crisis last year.”
Short-term loans: Loans given to someone over a short period of time, often for
consumers to buy products that they want. “Short-term loans of under one year
is a major growth area for our credit department.”
To get to the bottom of something: To find the root cause or fundamental reason
for something. “We need to get to the bottom of this problem or we will never
understand what really happened.”
To wrap something up: To finish something – typically a meeting or discussion.
“Okay, I think we’ve said enough for the day. Let’s wrap it all up.”
Dialog
James: Thanks.
Lisa: Sure. Okay. Bryan, your team is going to conduct a risk analysis our new
revolving credit products, and send me a report by next Friday.
Bryan: Yep.
Lisa: Great. Cecilia and Charles, you’re meeting with Telos next week to discuss
the possibilities for cooperation.
Charles: Right.
Lisa: Good. Finally, James – you’re team is going to look into the issue of non-
performing short-term loans.
James: Uh huh.
James: I understand.
Lisa: Good. We’ll I think that just about wraps it up. Any final questions? No?
Great. That’s all for today. Everyone get busy. We’ve got the best team in the
country here. So let’s show management what we can do.
Debrief
The dialog starts with Lisa signaling the end of the meeting, then dealing with
any unfinished business.
Lisa: All right, I think that just about covers everything we wanted to get to
today. Is there any other business? No?
That’s about everything we wanted to get through today. Are there any loose
ends left to wrap up? No?
Well, I think that’s just about all for our meeting today. If there aren’t any
more questions, let’s just wrap it up here.
As you can see, “to wrap it up” is a common idiom that means “to finish.”
Lisa: …All right. Let’s just go through the action points to finish off.
James: Quick question: When exactly is our next round of meetings going to
be?
What are some other ways you ask a quick question at the end of the meeting?
How does Lisa respond to James’s question about when the next meetings will be?
Lisa: Let’s see how things go; I expect we’ll be ready to look at the results by
the middle of next month.
“Let’s see how things go” is a way of “playing it by ear.” To play something by
ear means to improvise, that is, to make it up as you go along, like jazz
musicians. Here are some more expressions you can use.
Lisa: Sure. Okay. Bryan, your team is going to conduct a risk analysis on our
new revolving credit products, and send me a report by next Friday.
Bryan: Yep.
Lisa uses “going to” to remind Bryan of what he needs to do. “Going to” is used
for future plans, things that we have already decided to do. It’s often more polite
to assign duties with the language of plans than with the language of a direct
order. Lisa can use “going to” like this because, as the boss, she has the power
to make plans. Here are some more examples of discussing action points with
going to.
Style 1: Going to
Heather and Mick are going to check up on the buyer, and I’m going to look
through our database.
Bill, you’re going to investigate this issue and get back to me in a couple
weeks.
Lisa: Great. Cecilia and Charles, you’re meeting with Telos week to discuss the
possibilities for cooperation.
Charles: Right.
This time she uses a different style. She says “you’re meeting with Telos next
week.” This is the present continuous tense, “is doing,” with a future meaning.
When talking about the future, the present continuous is used to discuss things
that we have both planned and arranged.
What’s the difference between “going to” and present continuous with a future
meaning? “Going to” emphasizes the decision whereas the present continuous
emphasizes the arrangement. Listen to some examples.
The difference between “going to” and the present continuous is often just a
difference in emphasis: “I’m going to go to Paris” emphasizes that I’ve made up
my mind while “I’m going to Paris” emphasizes that I have arranged everything.
The present continuous with a future meaning is especially common with action
verbs, such as “to have lunch,” “to meet with someone,” “to go somewhere,” “to
travel somewhere,” “to play a game,” and so on. Here are some more examples
of action points with the present continuous.
Going back to our dialog now, remember that Lisa has just told Cecilia and
Charles that they will be meeting with a client, Telos, next week. Then he has
one more thing to add.
“You’ll be writing” is a third style of giving action points. This is another tense,
the future continuous, “will be doing.” The future continuous is a simple
description of future events, and it is often used in the same way as the present
continuous to discuss arrangements. But it is often more polite to use the future
continuous than the present continuous to ask people about their plans – So,
“Will you be coming to the party?” may sound more polite than “Are you coming
to the party?”
In the same way, it may be more polite to use “will be doing” to assign work to
people, especially work they don’t want to do, like writing reports or working an
extra shift.
What’s the final action point that Lisa covers in his meeting?
Lisa: Good. Finally, James – you’re team is going to look into the issue of non-
performing short-term loans.
James: Uh huh.
James: I understand.
A “non-performing” loan is a bad loan, one for which the lenders are not paying.
Lisa uses the first style, “gong to,” to give James this task. Then she emphasizes
Lisa: Good. We’ll I think that just about wraps it up. Any final questions? No?
Great. That’s all for today.
Lisa: …Everyone get busy. We’ve got the best team in the country here. So let’s
show management what we can do.
Can you think of any more motivating phrases? You might try these:
The last, “to knock someone dead,” means to impress someone with your
performance.
Before we wrap it up today, let’s practice. You’ll hear a series of three action
points – someone’s name and what they are supposed to do. Use “going to,” the
present continuous or the future continuous to assign your staff their duties. For
example, if you hear “George, write a report about this case,” you can say,
“George, you’ll be writing a report about this case.” Are you ready?
Prompt 3) Future Continuous - Ray - reply to all inquiries while we are out of
town.
Learner:
Prompt 3) Future Continuous - Ray – reply to all inquiries while we are out of
town.
Answer 3: Ray, you’ll be replying to all inquiries while we are out of town.
That’s all for this episode on finishing up a meeting. We’ve covered important
phrases for wrapping it up as well as three styles of language for discussing
action points. Along the way, we’ve reviewed talking about future plans with
“going to,” the present continuous and the future continuous.
A. Action Points
Fill in the gaps with the words in the box to review collocations and language for
action points.
B. Language Functions
Review important language functions for finishing up a meeting by putting the
jumbled sentences into order. Then, identify the function of each sentence. The
first one has been done for you.
Answers
Listening Questions
1) Lisa isn’t sure exactly – he wants to play it by ear, that is, improvise. He’ll
wait to analyze the results as they come in, then plan the next meetings.
2) Bryan’s team is going to conduct risk analysis on the new revolving credit
products. Cecilia and Charles are meeting with Telos to discuss
possibilities for cooperation. And James’s team is going to look into the
issue of non-performing loans.
Language Review
A. Action Points
1. Heather and Mick are going to check up on the buyer, and I’m going to
look through our database.
2. Bill, you’re going to investigate this issue and get back to me in a couple
weeks. Sally, you’re meeting with an important potential client next
week.
3. Frank, you’re traveling to Hong Kong in November to oversee the office’s
implementation of the new security procedure.
4. And Charles, you’ll be working the morning shift in October and
November while Cecilia is on holiday.
5. Sven, you’ll be going through our database carefully page by page to
look for errors.
B. Language Functions
2. Let’s just go over what everyone needs to do. Starting action points
3. Just a quick one here. Quick question
4. Let’s wait and see. Playing it by ear
5. I can’t stress enough how important it is to succeed with this.
Emphasizing the importance
6. That’s it for today. Wrapping it up
7. I know you’re going to succeed. Motivating the team
Online Practice
Strong agreement
A: I hate working in the evening.
B: So do I.
Rejecting a suggestion
Good suggestion. But frankly speaking I can see one or two problems with that.
That’s a good idea, but I’m not sure it would work, to be frank.
I’m not really sure about that...
Do you think so?
Accepting a suggestion
Okay, let’s do that.
That’s not a bad idea.
Yes, I think that would work really well.
Good idea!
Great idea!
(More informal)
Pardon?
Come again?
What was that?
Say again?
A: My name is Karamasov.
B: Sorry, I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name. Could you repeat it?
Providing clarification
I think what I’m getting at is that...
What I mean to say is that...
To make a long story short...
A: Well, let’s see. I think it’s just time to try something different.
B: Okay. Let me get this straight. What you mean is that we’ve got to invent a
new strategy. Have I got that right?
Changing topics
Good. I’d say that’s about all for that topic. Now, let’s turn to the issue of
sales.
Well, we’ve just about covered the San Francisco office. Let’s continue by
discussing Buenos Aires.
Time is pressing. Let’s leave that there and move on to the next point on the
agenda, okay?
Consensus-building
I think we’re on the right track.
We’re definitely on the same wave-length.
I can tell we’re all on the same page.
We’ve covered a lot of ground together.
Motivating phrases
I know you’re going to succeed.
I have great faith in you.
Get out there and do your best. Let’s knock ‘em dead.