You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin, and I'll be your host for this episode on getting your ideas across in meetings.
Meetings are an important part of most people's jobs, and doing well in meetings requires very effective communication skills.
You need to make sure you are getting your ideas across clearly, with the right amount of subtlety and tact.
If you do this well, then you will be able to influence people and the direction of the organization you work with.
So, how can you do this well?
How can you get your ideas across with tact and clarity?
That's what we will look at in this lesson.
We'll cover some important ways of giving opinions of different strength, and we'll learn about supporting and contradicting other people's opinions.
In today's dialogue, four managers are meeting to discuss ways of saving money on travel expenses.
The chair of the meeting is Alison.
The other participants are Stuart from sales, Pat from HR, and Nate from marketing.
We'll hear the group express a variety of opinions as they discuss how to cut 15 from the travel budget.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What are three things that Pat mentions could be cut?
2.
What does Pat think they should focus on?
3.
Why does Stuart disagree with Pat?
All right, everyone.
If we could get started here.
As you know, our meeting here is part of a larger overhaul of employee benefits.
We've been tasked with looking at travel and transportation benefits.
And remember, our goal is a 15% reduction.
Quick question, Allison.
We can do this either through direct cuts to the benefits or through policy changes, correct?
Yes, that's right.
So, Pat, do you want to start us off here?
Any initial thoughts on this?
Well, we could go either way with this.
I mean, there's lots to consider.
Per diem rates mileage, transit passes, parking subsidies and also the distance at which employees should be renting a car or flying.
Okay.
I think we can all agree on that.
Anything more specific?
Maybe we should focus on the travel expenses.
The per diem and mileage, those mostly affect the sales department.
The others affect all employees.
And the fewer people we affect, the better.
Do you really think so, Pat?
Travel expenses for the sales guys are an important cost of doing business.
But transit passes and parking subsidies, aren't those perks?
There may be an important difference there.
I don't know, Stuart.
I think Pat's right.
Our mileage rate is, what, 55 cents a mile?
That's above average.
And those sales guys get a pretty generous per diem.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and take a closer look at the language and techniques used by the speakers.
All right, everyone.
If we could get started here.
As you know, our meeting here is part of a larger overhaul of employee benefits.
We've been tasked with looking at travel and transportation benefits.
And remember, our goal is a 15% reduction.
Allison is chairing the meeting, and it's her job to get the discussion going.
She asks for everyone's attention and then goes over the reasons for the meeting.
She starts by reminding everyone of the overall purpose of the company's initiative.
That purpose is an overhaul or total change of employee benefits.
Then she identifies the group's specific aim.
Alison uses the expression, we've been tasked with, to introduce their responsibility.
And she asks the group to remember that the goal is a 15% cost reduction.
Good meetings have a focus, and that's what Alison is giving this one.
Right from the start, she identifies the purpose.
How else can we do this?
This meeting has been called to update everyone on the recent policy changes.
In the next half hour, we need to make a clear list of all priorities.
So, let's review what we need to get done today.
I just need some input on this project and then we can all get back to work.
Now, let's hear as Pat asks for a bit of clarification.
Quick question, Allison.
We can do this either through direct cuts to the benefits or through policy changes, correct?
Yes, that's right.
So, Pat, do you want to start us off here?
Any initial thoughts on this?
Pat wants to make sure he understands how the group must achieve a 15% savings.
Allison confirms that it is through direct cuts and policy changes.
She then asks Pat if he wants to start us off or be the first to express an opinion.
Allison wants Pat's initial thoughts.
Asking someone for an opinion is a good way to get discussion going, so let's practice a few more examples.
What's your take on the changes to the website, Tom?
Could we have your thoughts on the budget cuts, Wendy?
How does Pat respond to Allison's request for an opinion?
Well, we could go either way with this.
I mean, there's lots to consider.
Per diem rates mileage, transit passes, parking subsidies and also the distance at which employees should be renting a car or flying.
Pat doesn't really give a clear opinion.
He says they could go either way, and that there's a lot of things to think about.
In fact, Pat is expressing a neutral opinion, one that doesn't take a clear position.
He may not want to come across too strongly at the beginning of the meeting or he may not yet have a fully formed opinion on the issue.
For these and other reasons, you should be able to express a neutral opinion in a meeting.
Here are a few ways you can do that.
I think both options are pretty good.
Overall, there's some good points to support this approach, but we also have to look at the downsides.
Well, I can see advantages to both choices.
It's a tough choice and there's lots to think about.
Now, back to the dialogue.
Okay, I think we can all agree on that.
Anything more specific?
Maybe we should focus on the travel expenses.
The per diem and mileage, those mostly affect the sales department.
The others affect all employees.
And the fewer people we affect, the better.
Allison clearly wants a more specific opinion about what to do.
And Pat obliges saying they should focus on the benefits that affect the salespeople rather than those that affect all the employees.
But not everyone agrees, as we can hear.
Do you really think so, Pat?
Travel expenses for the sales guys are an important cost of doing business.
But transit passes and parking subsidies, aren't those perks?
There may be an important difference there.
It doesn't sound like Stuart agrees with Pat's opinion, but he doesn't come out and say, I disagree.
Instead, he tries to cast doubt on his ideas.
He starts with, do you really think so, Pat?
Then he tries to show how the salespeople's expenses are an important cost of doing business.
Notice how Stuart is using questions to make it sound like he's inquisitive rather than simply disagreeing.
And when he says there may be an important difference, what he really means is that there is an important difference.
By responding in this way, Stuart is tactfully or carefully casting doubt on Pat's idea.
You can hear this technique, particularly the use of questions in the following examples.
Are you sure about that, Grant?
A lot of people are saying that, but is there any real evidence?
Is that really true in this situation?
Wait a sec.
Aren't we forgetting something?
At the end of this part of the conversation, we can hear that Pat is not alone in his opinion.
I don't know, Stuart.
I think Pat's right.
Our mileage rate is, what, 55 cents a mile?
That's above average.
And those sales guys get a pretty generous per diem.
After Stuart has tried to cast doubt on Pat's opinion, Nate comes right back with some support for it.
He states clearly that he thinks Pat is correct and then gives some specific reasons.
He says the mileage rate is above average and that the per diem or daily expense allowance for salespeople is generous or high.
Here are some more ways you can support someone else's idea in a meeting.
I think there is a lot of support for that idea.
That's how I see things too.
I'm with you 100% on this one, and here's a few reasons why.
That makes a lot of sense to me too.
I've seen plenty of other examples to support the point Jill's making.
The meeting is obviously not finished, but we'll have to wait until the next episodes to hear how the exchange of opinions plays out.
Now, let's practice some of the language we learned for giving a neutral opinion.
You'll hear a question, then you'll hear a prompt.
Use the words in the prompt to give a neutral opinion in response to the question.
For example, if you hear, What do you think of this, Tony?
Go either way this.
You can say, Well, we could go either way on this.
We'll play an example answer after each question.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
What's your opinion, Gail?
Think.
Both choices.
Okay.
Example answer.
Well, I think both choices are okay.
And what are your thoughts about this plan?
Some.
Good points.
Bad points.
Example answer.
I think there's some good points and some bad points.
Do you have an opinion on this, Derek?
C. Advantages.
Both.
Approaches.
Example answer.
I can see advantages to both approaches.
B.
Any ideas about what we should do?
Difficult.
Many things.
Think about.
Example answer.
It's pretty difficult, and there are many things to think about.
Now, let's practice useful vocabulary and idioms.
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, I think the travel is much too high.
You can say, I think the travel subsidy is much too high.
After each response, we'll play the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Today we are with reviewing the budget.
Answer.
Today we are tasked with reviewing the budget.
Google offers many good to its employees.
Answer Google offers many good perks to its employees.
Todd, could you us off with a financial report?
Answer Todd, could you start us off with a financial report?
I think $60 is a great per rate.
Answer I think $60 is a great per diem rate.
We've reached the end of this episode, the first in our three-part series about getting your ideas across in a meeting.
We've learned how to give a neutral opinion, how to ask for an opinion and how to cast doubt on and support an opinion.
We've also heard how to introduce the purpose of a meeting.
Be sure to tune in for the next episode.
We'll hear the group of managers agree and disagree with each other as they try to come to some kind of decision about the changes to employee benefits.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
