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Welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Jennifer and I'll be your host for this episode on making a verbal progress report.
All managers need written progress reports from their staff, but it is often necessary to make a verbal progress report during a meeting.
A verbal report can be thought of as a combination of a presentation and a question and answer session.
When making a progress report, you'll need to start with the overall status of the project and then go on to explain how much of the work has been completed, at what stage the work is now, what remains to be done and, of course, what problems might have arisen.
Because the format is live, people may interrupt to ask questions or make comments, and you should be sure of your facts when you go into the meeting.
We'll be listening to Angela, who works in the operations department of her company, Blaine & Co.
They plan to move to a new head office, and the renovation or preparation of their space is currently under way.
As the dialogue starts, she is called upon to give a verbal report on the progress of the renovation.
As you listen, see if you can answer the following questions.
2.
Will Blaine and co. be able to move as scheduled?
3.
Where will Blaine & Co. get money to cover the extra costs?
Okay, Angela.
You're reporting on the progress at our new office, right?
That's right.
I dropped by the new headquarters the day before yesterday to have a look at how the renovation is coming along.
Good news or bad news?
Well, the long and short of it is, we'll have to push back our planned moving date.
What are we talking about here?
A week?
A month?
Two months?
Bear with me a moment.
The two main issues were delays in shipping, the marble for the reception area and poor oversight of the subcontractors.
Well, we've got no control over the marble shipment.
But what about the coordination problem?
I brought this up with the contractor, and the construction manager will be replaced with someone more experienced.
Does anyone mind if I make an observation here?
I don't see why we are getting bent out of shape over this.
This sort of project always gets delayed and goes over budget.
Well, that's not always the case, but yes, it is rather common.
And of course, a contingency was allocated within the original budget, right?
Absolutely.
There was a 10% contingency, and yesterday we hammered out a deal to get back on track.
All subcontractors are willing to work overtime, but the project will go slightly over budget and we're not going to be able to make up all the delay.
Could you be a bit more precise?
Well, the bottom line is that we'll be able to move in one month later than expected if we go 5 over the original budget.
Good work, Angela.
I think we can handle that.
Now, how about if we talk a little bit more about the new move-in schedule?
Angela clearly has experience giving progress reports at her company.
She's prepared her information so that it's concise and clear, plus she knows how to handle questions.
Let's look in detail at some of the language and expressions that she and the others used in this meeting.
As soon as she's been introduced, Angela starts her report by stating when she was able to check on the progress of the project in question.
That's right.
I dropped by the new headquarters the day before yesterday to have a look at how the renovation is coming along.
Angela dropped by or visited the site two days ago, which she refers to as the day before yesterday.
She was checking to see how the work was coming along, how it was progressing, which sets the scene for the rest of her report.
Here are some other phrases that help to set the scene when you introduce your progress report.
To begin with, I spent a day going over all the figures for last quarter.
I went to check on the installation of the new security system yesterday.
I spent some time with every trainer in the department this week.
Notice how Angela summarises her findings right after her introduction.
It's a good idea to begin with a summary of the key findings of the report to let your audience know what to expect.
Let's listen to how Angela states the impact her findings will have on Blaine & Co.
Well, the long and short of it is we'll have to push back our planned moving date.
Angela uses an idiomatic phrase, the long and short of it, to point out the main point or most crucial information.
The office move will have to be delayed or pushed back.
There are many idiomatic phrases that highlight the fact that you are summarizing or giving a main point, as you can hear in these examples.
In the final analysis, we're well on the way to meeting all our targets.
What it boils down to is two locations will have to close.
Well, to keep it short and sweet, the launch will go ahead as planned.
To cut to the chase, we need more time to do a proper analysis.
As soon as Angela relays the overall status, Terry wants to know the details.
While questions are normal during a progress report, Angela needs to maintain control of the reporting process, so she asks Terry to be patient by asking him to bear with her.
Bear with me a moment.
The two main issues were delays in shipping, the marble for the reception area and poor oversight of the subcontractors.
Now Angela has come to the point where she must outline the issues that have caused the delay.
There are two issues, and one is quite serious, because the workers responsible for various areas of work, the subcontractors, are not being supervised and monitored properly or, as Angela says, oversight is poor.
If you are outlining the issues in a progress report, what kind of expressions help focus on the issues?
Listen to how the main point is highlighted in each of the following statements.
The key aspect is poor training.
The crucial factors are the weather and a lack of skilled workers.
The central issue is the lack of data.
The main consideration is the lack of training.
At this point, Bill speaks up to mention that delays are a normal part of the construction process and there's no need to panic or worry too much.
He phrases his interruption in a particular way.
Does anyone mind if I make an observation here?
I don't see why we are getting bent out of shape over this.
This sort of project always gets delayed and goes over budget.
While Bill feels that he must interrupt at this point, he does so politely by asking if they mind if he makes an observation or comment.
He's using this phrase as a buffer or cushion, both to show respect and to signal that he wants to make a comment.
What else could you say to politely interrupt a speaker when you want to contribute your own opinion?
May I say something?
Can I just add my own two cents worth here?
I'd like to add a word or two, if you don't mind.
Perhaps I can jump in here.
At this point, Angela steps in to clarify Bill's statement, as he's made a generalization that is not always true.
Well, that's not always the case, but yes, it is rather common.
Often you may need to clarify or counter comments made while you're giving your report.
So let's practice a few more expressions.
I see what you're saying, but that's not the situation here.
I get your drift, but there's no reason to be pessimistic.
I see your point.
However, we have foreseen this possibility.
While that's a valid point, in reality we won't be affected.
Angela goes on to explain how the problem is being resolved.
In some progress reports you may have to explain several possible solutions so the group can decide which approach is best.
In others, such as this one, Angela had the responsibility of making a decision about what to do.
Absolutely.
There was a 10% contingency, and yesterday we hammered out a deal to get back on track.
All subcontractors are willing to work overtime, but the project will go slightly over budget and we're not going to be able to make up all the delay.
Angela decided that overtime work was necessary to ensure that the renovations were not finished too late.
To get back on track.
However, she had to negotiate to do this and hammer out a deal.
She explains that the result of this overtime work is that the project will cost more than originally planned.
Whether you're explaining a possible solution or recommendation, it's useful to mention the action and relate it to an outcome or result.
We've changed suppliers, so this should never happen again.
We need to reword the standard contract in order to avoid this in the future.
The new components are better, but input costs will increase.
All machines are being replaced, which means we're facing lengthy delays.
Once you have given the main part of your report, plus your recommendations and or a solution, you should supply a projected outcome.
This will often be related to time or money.
In Angela's case, it's related to both.
Well, the bottom line is that we'll be able to move in one month later than expected if we go 5 over the original budget.
The bottom line or final result involves the project being finished a little late, as well as costing more than planned.
This is a good time to tie up the whole discussion and clearly state what you believe to be the outcome.
How else can we highlight a projected outcome?
By changing the design, we'll cut costs by 5%.
Opening a week later won't have an impact on the launch.
Barring further delays, the campaign will be ready by March.
Most retailers won't be upset by one or two late deliveries, as long as the main part of the order is on time.
We can clear accounts receivable more quickly by using this system.
Now it's your turn to practice some of the language we've looked at today.
First, let's review the language of outlining the issues.
Imagine you are in the middle of your progress report in a meeting.
You want to explain the main issues to the participants.
You'll hear the information you'd like to give and an expression to use.
You should restate the information in one sentence.
For example, if you hear... Prompt.
Key issue.
You can say, The key issue is poor staff training.
Are you ready?
Let's give it a try.
We can get this done if we plan carefully.
Prompt Critical Element The lower quality of the product.
Main consideration.
If we can avoid layoffs, they'll agree to the plan.
Crucial factor.
The conflict between departments is very serious.
Now let's listen to some example answers.
We can get this done if we plan carefully.
Answer.
The critical element is careful planning.
The main consideration is the low quality of the product.
If we can avoid layoffs, they'll agree to the plan.
The conflict between departments is very serious.
Answer.
Next we'll review some of the idioms that we looked at for summarising the status of a project.
You'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat the whole sentence saying the missing word.
For example, if you hear... the delivery will be late.
You can say... In a nutshell, the delivery will be late.
After each response, we'll play the correct answer.
Let's begin.
To cut to the... We'll have to do a second analysis.
Answer.
To cut to the chase, we'll have to do a second analysis.
In the final, this plan is completely unworkable.
Answer.
In the final analysis, this plan is completely unworkable.
To keep it short and everything is on track.
Answer.
To keep it short and sweet, everything is on track.
What it down to is that we can't meet our targets.
Answer.
What it boils down to is that we can't meet our targets.
The long and of it is that we'll push back the launch date.
Answer.
The long and short of it is that we'll push back the launch date.
That's all for this episode on making a progress report.
We've studied language and expressions for the different stages, such as introducing the report, summarising your findings, explaining your recommendation and supplying a projected outcome.
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Premium members can access detailed study notes and the new phrase cast to practice all the useful language we featured today.
