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 today's lesson on decision-making meetings.
Making a group of people agree on an important business decision can seem like a difficult task.
And it is.
People come to the table with different values, visions, opinions, experiences, and priorities.
But these differences also make decisions stronger.
If we can get groups to agree, to reach consensus, then our decisions are, on the whole, wiser and better.
So how do we bring a group to consensus on a decision?
There are a variety of techniques that we can use.
In this lesson we'll look at eliminating an option, highlighting a final choice and testing for consensus.
We'll also cover expressing reservations and presenting an alternative.
In the dialogue we'll rejoin Scott and David and Kelly, who work at an engineering firm that needs to choose a new tech support company.
With Scott leading the meeting, the group has been discussing four different options.
In our last lesson, the group already eliminated one option.
And at the beginning of this lesson you'll hear them eliminate one more, bringing the options down to two.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
One.
What does Scott say the discussion has focused on?
2.
Why does Kelly suggest they choose Bright Star?
3.
What two advantages does David mention about Alamo?
All right.
It looks like City Tech isn't local enough and everyone agrees that they don't have the right experience.
So let's strike them off the list.
Okay, so what about these guys?
Well, yeah.
If I can just add here, I think a lot of our discussion has focused on the issue of experience.
I mean, The Right Fit is a company that knows AutoCAD, Civils, and RZA at a minimum.
So the way I see things, it boils down to a decision between Alamo and Brightstar.
Yes.
We need someone that can hit the ground running.
I think both Alamo and Brightstar have that capability.
They both do engineering stuff pretty much exclusively.
Look at their client list.
They're obviously not sending guys out just to fix lands and set up workstations.
Yeah, I agree.
So maybe now is when we should talk about cost.
Brightstar's quote comes in slightly under budget.
Alamo is a bit over.
So all things being equal, maybe we should go with Brightstar.
They've been around for a long time.
Good rep, too.
All good points.
So, based on history, cost, and experience, Brightstar seems to have an advantage.
Does everyone agree that Brightstar is the best choice here?
I'm good with that.
Me too.
Well, I'm sorry, guys, but I'm not really sure about this.
Brightstar looks good for sure, but I think Alamo has some important things going for it.
Okay, and what are you thinking about there?
Well, I like that Alamo is a bit smaller.
Brightstar is a really big company, and the downside there is that we might get lost in the shuffle.
I mean, right here in Dallas, they've got AMC, Golders, Tetra Tech, and a bunch of other big names.
You know how this works.
Our calls definitely won't be at the top of their priority list.
Yeah, I see what you mean.
Alamo is a bit more expensive, but maybe also a bit more responsive.
We'd be one of their bigger clients.
And they talked a lot about field support.
You know how it is when something goes sideways on a job site.
If Alamo can help in those situations, then I'd like to suggest that we go with them.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques used in this decision-making meeting.
All right.
It looks like City Tech isn't local enough and everyone agrees that they don't have the right experience.
So let's strike them off the list.
At the end of the previous dialogue in BEP 253, we heard David ask for more information about City Tech's location.
Now in this dialogue, Scott reports that City Tech is too far away and lacks experience.
After mentioning these reasons, Scott uses the word so before eliminating City Tech as an option.
Sometimes making choices is simply a process of elimination, as we say.
Let's practice some more ways of eliminating options.
So let's remove Abbott from the discussion and focus on the other two.
Alright, I think we can get rid of the first option based on cost.
What I'm hearing is that the HP machine is too complex, so let's leave it out.
Okay, so the place on Main Street is out of the question because of the age of the building.
Now let's hear what happens after eliminating CityTank as an option.
Okay, so what about these guys?
Well, yeah.
If I can just add here, I think a lot of our discussion has focused on the issue of experience.
I mean, The Right Fit is a company that knows AutoCAD, Civils, and RZA at a minimum.
So the way I see things, it boils down to a decision between Alamo and Brightstar.
After eliminating CityTech.
Scott points out that a lot of the discussion has focused on the criteria of experience.
To find the right fit or the best match, they need a tech support company with experience in the specific programs that they use.
There are two companies that fit that description, and Scott wants to highlight the final choice before the group goes on to compare them.
He says that it boils down to Alamo and Bright Star.
In other words, after eliminating the other options, Alamo and Bright Star remain the only choices.
What are some other ways of highlighting the final choice in a decision?
Let's try a few more examples.
So now we've got a choice between steel and concrete.
With the first three options eliminated, we need to look at Kincaid Industries and Royal Manufacturing.
Looks like we've boiled it down to either the HP LaserJet or the Canon 5000.
Looks like we've got two options left, Chicago or Cleveland.
Now let's hear the group discuss the final two choices.
Yes, we need someone that can hit the ground running.
I think both Alamo and Brightstar have that capability.
They both do engineering stuff pretty much exclusively.
Look at their client list.
They're obviously not sending guys out just to fix lands and set up workstations.
Anne wants to reinforce Scott's point about experience being important.
As she says, they need a company that can hit the ground running or begin right away without a lot of training.
And in Anne's opinion, both Alamo and Bright Star can do that.
So how can they decide between the two?
Kelly has an idea, as we hear.
Yeah, I agree.
So maybe now is when we should talk about cost.
Bright Star's quote comes in slightly under budget.
Alamo is a bit over.
So all things being equal, maybe we should go with Brightstar.
They've been around for a long time.
Good rep, too.
In our last lesson, we heard Kelly talk about the importance of cost.
She brings this back here, suggesting that if Alamo and Brightstar are both good companies, then maybe they should choose the cheaper one.
Kelly adds that Brightstar is older and has a good reputation.
Does everyone agree that Brightstar is the best option?
It's Scott's job to find out.
All good points.
So, based on history, cost, and experience, Brightstar seems to have an advantage.
Does everyone agree that Brightstar is the best choice here?
Scott begins by summarizing the benefits of Brightstar for everyone.
Then he asks directly if everyone agrees that Bright Star is the best choice.
Scott is testing for consensus.
Someone has suggested a final choice and given good reasons, and if everyone agrees, then the decision has been made.
Let's run through some more ways of testing for consensus.
Okay, do we all agree that we're going to go with the leasing option?
So, does everyone think the 4th Avenue building is the best bet?
Would everyone be okay with the choice of supplier number one?
So, the idea is to lease 12 machines from ProCom.
Is everyone with me on that?
Now, let's get back to the meeting.
I'm good with that.
Me too.
Well, I'm sorry, guys, but I'm not really sure about this.
Anne and Kelly agreed that Brightstar is the right choice, but David does not.
He doesn't come out and say directly that he disagrees.
Instead, he expresses reservations or shows his doubts.
As we will see, David thinks Alamo is a better choice than Brightstar, but for now he needs to set up his ideas by expressing reservations.
Let's practice some more ways to express reservations when we don't fully agree with a decision.
I can see what you're saying, but I'm still not totally sure.
Yes, we could go with Kincade Industries, but aren't they a bit too expensive?
Sorry, but I don't see this exactly the same way you do.
I'm not sure we've considered all the risks here.
Now, let's get back to the dialogue, as David explains why Alamo is a better option than Brightstar.
Brightstar looks good for sure, but I think Alamo has some important things going for it.
Okay, and what are you thinking about there?
Well, I like that Alamo is a bit smaller.
Brightstar is a really big company, and the downside there is that we might get lost in the shuffle.
I mean, right here in Dallas, they've got AMC, Golders, Tetra Tech, and a bunch of other big names.
You know how this works.
Our calls definitely won't be at the top of their priority list.
We can hear that David is being a bit careful.
He points out that Brightstar looks good, so that the others won't feel he's just attacking their ideas.
Then he says generally that Alamo has some good points, but he doesn't fully explain until Scott invites him to.
Then he can lay out his opinion that it might be better to go with the smaller company Alamo, because they might get more attention.
Does David's opinion make sense to the others?
Yeah, I see what you mean.
Alamo is a bit more expensive, but maybe also a bit more responsive.
We'd be one of their bigger clients.
And they talked a lot about field support.
You know how it is when something goes sideways on a job site.
If Alamo can help in those situations, then I'd like to suggest that we go with them.
David's strategy is broad and towards his opinion.
She supports his idea by explaining that Alamo may be more responsive if they're smaller.
With this expression of support, David can go on to give another reason for considering Alamo the fact that they provide field support.
By setting up his opinion slowly and carefully, David is now in a good position to present an alternative, which he does by suggesting the team go with or choose Alamo.
What are some other ways of presenting an alternative to a proposed decision?
Let's try a few more.
So how about this instead?
We share office space for a trial period.
I'm thinking that we might be better off saving some money and going with option A.
If New York is too big, then why don't we consider Philadelphia?
Rather than locking ourselves in for five years, I'd suggest a shorter term.
It sounded like David had convinced Anne that Alamo was the best choice.
But what did the others think?
Will he manage to persuade them as well?
We'll have to wait until our next lesson to find out.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you are part of a meeting that has been called to decide between three possible designers for a new office.
The designers are Alpha, Viva, and Hula.
To start off with.
You'll play the role of the meeting leader and then switch to one of the participants.
I'll give you a cue telling you what you need to do.
Then you'll hear a prompt.
Use the words in the prompt to make an effective statement during the meeting.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and play an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Start off by eliminating the company called Alpha based on cost.
Alpha, expensive, eliminate.
Answer.
Alpha is simply too expensive, so let's eliminate them.
Next, highlight the final choice between Viva and Hula.
Now, choose Viva Hula.
So now we're going to have to choose between Viva and Hula.
Now test for consensus on Viva, which is the cheapest of the designers.
Everyone, Viva, because, cheapest.
Answer.
Is everyone in agreement on Viva because they're the cheapest option?
Now, as a participant, express reservations about Viva.
Sorry.
Still.
Viva.
Answer.
I'm sorry everyone, but I'm still not sure about Viva.
Finally, as the leader, present the alternative of going with Hula.
Rather than Viva Hula. answer.
So maybe rather than viva, we should go with hula.
Now, let's practice some of the vocabulary and collocations we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences where the words replace with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, maybe you hear, I just don't think that the blue design is the right.
You can say After each response we'll play the correct answer.
Let's begin.
The partnership worked great for a year, but then everything went...
Answer.
The partnership worked great for a year, but then everything went sideways.
If we can cut our costs, this project might come in under... Answer.
If we can cut our costs, this project might come in under budget.
When John came on staff, he was ready to hit the ground?
Answer.
When John came on staff, he was ready to hit the ground running.
I think what it boils to is an Apple or an Android device.
I think what it boils down to is an Apple or an Android device.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the second in our series on decision-making meetings.
We've learned how to eliminate an option, highlight a final choice, and test for consensus.
We've also learned how to express reservations and present an alternative.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
