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 having a confidential discussion during a business trip.
If you've got colleagues or clients in other parts of the world, you probably rely a lot on email and the phone.
But meeting in person continues to be important for building relationships and trust and for discussing important issues.
That's one reason, of course, why the overseas business trip remains important.
And there's one type of discussion that can be especially difficult discussing a confidential matter.
Perhaps you need to deliver bad news or share sensitive information or tell someone about an important change.
Meeting face to face in these types of situations is often the best way to break the news.
So, what's the best way to go about this?
Well, to begin, it's important to set a positive tone to put the other person at ease.
Next, you might want to ask him or her how things are going.
That can help break the ice and the other person might actually mention the topic you want to discuss.
Once you've started this way, you can introduce the sensitive information you want to deliver.
And because the information is sensitive, you need to ask for discretion.
Depending on the nature of the discussion, you might also have to provide reassurances.
After all, after we hear important information, we might wonder how it will impact us.
In today's dialogue, we'll hear Cam, who works for an American clothing company.
He's visiting the head of the company's Chinese office, David.
The company manufactures some of its clothing in China and has been considering how to expand their retail activities in Asia.
Cam needs to have a confidential discussion with David to share some important news.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
One, how does Cam ask for David's perspective on the current situation?
2.
Cam needs to tell David about a decision regarding retail in China.
What point does Cam mention to introduce this decision?
3.
How does Cam reassure David near the end of the conversation?
Nice place.
Yeah, it's our regular spot.
Pretty chill environment.
Sure is.
And a great place for a sit-down with you.
I think the last time was in San Diego, wasn't it?
Yeah, I think you're right.
Probably a year ago now.
Wow, time flies.
But I guess a lot has happened since then.
Sure has.
And so, how's it all going? curious about your take on things.
Well, things are pretty good all round, I think.
I'll feel better once we get this factory stuff sorted.
The place we've got now, they've been so tough to deal with.
It's like pulling teeth getting anything out of them.
Right.
But sounds like we've got a couple of other decent options lined up.
Yeah, they look good on paper, but we'll see later.
And then, there's the whole retail thing.
Very exciting.
But a pretty massive undertaking.
Massive is right, and that's been causing a bit of discussion back in San Diego.
Really?
How so?
Well, we've been taking a pretty hard look at the whole idea and the feeling is that it's well just a bit too massive.
Not everyone knows this yet, but I don't think we're going to green light retail in China.
Whoa, seriously?
Yeah, seriously.
The outlay is, well, it's huge, like you said.
And financing back home is really tight right now.
It just doesn't look feasible, Dave.
Wow, I don't know what to say.
It's a huge opportunity.
And we've done so much of the groundwork.
For sure.
I get that, but we'd be overextending.
And listen, Dave, please just keep this whole thing under your hat for now.
We haven't let marketing know yet.
It's really just been decided, and I wanted to bring you in on this right away.
Yeah, right.
I appreciate that.
But I gotta ask what does this mean for everyone on the ground here?
Well, first off, let me assure you you've got nothing to worry about.
I don't want you to think for a second that this is going to undermine your position.
In fact, we're talking about a shift in geography and scale and a bigger role for you.
Actually a bigger role, yeah.
Bigger portfolio, bigger range.
I know it's a lot to take in right now Dave, so let's get another drink.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Cam used during the discussion.
Nice place.
Yeah, it's our regular spot.
Pretty chill environment.
Sure is.
And a great place for a sit-down with you.
I think the last time was in San Diego, wasn't it?
Cam starts out by complimenting David's choice of a bar as a great place for a sit-down or an informal conversation with David.
Sometimes it's a good idea to move confidential discussions out of the office and into a more informal setting.
And, of course, you can't just start right into the heart of the matter.
Before you get into serious discussion, it's a good idea to set a positive tone by talking about the setting or engaging in a bit of small talk.
Small talk might include commenting on the setting or personal events.
Let's practice some more ways of setting a positive tone at the beginning of a discussion.
You're looking good, Jim, and doing well from what I hear.
Really nice place you have here.
Thanks so much for having me over.
Now, we heard Cam mention that the last time they had a chance to sit down was in San Diego.
Let's listen as David responds.
Yeah, I think you're right.
Probably a year ago now.
Wow, time flies.
But I guess a lot has happened since then.
Sure has.
And so, how's it all going?
Curious about your take on things.
Cam mentions that a lot has happened as a way of moving the conversation toward business.
And before he starts into what he wants to discuss, he asks David how things are going.
As he says, he's curious about David's take on things.
Someone's take means their opinion or perspective on something, and it's a good idea to ask about someone's take on a situation before you give your own perspective.
By asking how things are going, you can get a sense of whether the person knows about or can sense what you might have to say, and you can listen for ideas that might help you transition into the topic that you want to discuss.
What are some other ways of checking in or asking for someone's take on a situation?
Let's run through a few more examples.
Tell me, Sam, how's everything been going in the office?
So, what's the news in your department?
I'm curious how things are for you guys in California.
So, what's been happening on your end?
Things going alright?
Now let's listen to David's take on things.
Well, things are pretty good all round, I think.
I'll feel better once we get this factory stuff sorted.
The place we've got now, they've been so tough to deal with.
It's like pulling teeth getting anything out of them.
Right.
But sounds like we've got a couple of other decent options lined up.
Yeah, they look good on paper, but we'll see later.
And then, there's the whole retail thing.
Very exciting.
What a pretty massive undertaking.
Massive is right.
And that's been causing a bit of discussion back in San Diego.
As you can hear, David feels pretty good, all round, or overall.
But he's anxious to sort out the factory situation.
This is one reason for Cam's visit.
The company is looking to switch to another manufacturer, and so they're going to tour some of the options they've got lined up or arranged.
Then David mentions the whole retail thing, which is the other reason for the visit.
The company has been planning to sell their products in China.
As a head of their China office, David is excited but thinks it's a massive undertaking or a huge project.
It's this massive undertaking that Cam really wants to discuss.
So now that David has brought it up, Cam has a natural opening to discuss the topic.
He mentions that it's the size of this undertaking that has been causing concern at the company's headquarters in San Diego.
Let's hear how David responds.
Really?
How so?
Well, we've been taking a pretty hard look at the whole idea.
And the feeling is that it's, well, just a bit too massive.
Not everyone knows this yet, but I don't think we're going to green light retail in China.
Cam needs to tell David that the company is not going to pursue retail in China or, as he says, they won't green-light the idea.
This is what you might call insider information, since not everyone knows about it.
To give insider information, you need to introduce it gently.
You can't just make a big announcement without preparing your listener for it.
This is why Cam says they've been taking a hard look at the idea.
Whether the information you're giving is positive or negative, it's a good idea to give it an introduction.
That way your listener knows that he's about to hear something important.
Let's try some more ways of giving insider information.
Listen, I need to let you in on something that's happened recently.
So, I've got a bit of news about the whole Ashton Mine project.
I've just learned something that I think will interest you.
There's been some interesting developments that I think you should know about.
Of course, listeners often need some explanation when we give them big news or insider information.
Whoa, seriously?
Yeah, seriously.
The outlay is, well, it's huge, like you said.
And financing back home is really tight right now.
It just doesn't look feasible, Dave.
Wow, I don't know what to say.
It's a huge opportunity.
And we've done so much of the groundwork.
For sure.
I get that.
But we'd be overextending.
Cam wants to explain some of the company's reasons for their decision.
He mentions that the outlay or initial costs are huge.
And notice that he refers to the fact that David has already mentioned this.
In this way, he's helping explain the decision with David's own ideas.
And when David continues to express surprise, Cam shows understanding.
He says for sure, and I get that before emphasizing that the company would be overextending or spending too much money.
Once he's explained some of the reasons for the decision, what does Cam do next?
And listen, Dave, please just keep this whole thing under your hat for now.
We haven't let marketing know yet.
It's really just been decided, and I wanted to bring you in on this right away.
At this point, Cam wants to emphasize that the matter is confidential.
In other words, it's not widely known yet.
When Cam asks David to keep it under his hat, he's asking for discretion.
He doesn't want David to tell anyone this news, since not everyone knows.
You shouldn't assume that someone will keep information to themselves.
Instead, you need to remind them.
What are some other ways we can ask someone for discretion during a confidential discussion?
Let's practice a few more examples.
This thing isn't public knowledge yet, so I need you to keep mum.
I'm going to have to ask you to stay quiet on this for now.
This hasn't been announced yet, so it's important that you keep this to yourself.
At this point, nobody really knows, so let's keep it that way.
Now let's get back to the dialogue.
Yeah, right.
I appreciate that.
But I gotta ask, what does this mean for everyone on the ground here?
When you deliver confidential information, especially about a major company decision, of course people might get worried.
They will want to know how they and their team will be impacted.
In a situation like this, it's important to reassure people.
That is, we need to reassure them about the changes.
Let's listen to how Cam does this.
Well, first off, let me assure you, you've got nothing to worry about.
I don't want you to think for a second that this is going to undermine your position.
Cam starts off by reassuring David that he has nothing to worry about.
Cam also says he doesn't want David to think for a second that his position will be affected.
That's a strong way of saying, don't worry about your own situation.
Cam is repeating his reassurances to make sure David doesn't get too concerned.
Let's practice some more ways of providing reassurances.
You'll notice we use strong words like promise and absolutely and in any way.
I promise you, Janet, this won't affect our plans moving forward.
You've got absolutely nothing to be concerned about.
I don't want you thinking that this will affect your situation in any way.
There's really no need to worry about the project overall.
Now, Cam's news isn't all bad.
As we can hear, the company's decision might actually mean greater opportunities for David.
In fact, we're talking about a shift in geography and scale, and a bigger role for you, actually.
A bigger role?
Yeah, bigger portfolio, bigger range.
I know it's a lot to take in right now, Dave, so let's get another drink.
The company isn't going to proceed with retail in China but, as Cam mentions, they're talking about a shift or change in geography and scale.
In other words, they're looking at establishing a larger retail operation in a different area, and that means a bigger role for David.
Cam's obviously got a lot more to tell David about this bigger role, but the change in topic is a good time to get another drink.
As we've seen, he has led into the confidential discussion carefully and delivered important news to David effectively using the techniques we've discussed.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you work for a software company and you are talking to a marketing manager.
You're meeting him for coffee and a confidential discussion about the fact that a project leader has resigned.
You'll hear a comment by the manager, then I'll give you a suggestion for how you can respond.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Thanks so much for the coffee.
Start by saying, you're welcome, and then say you're happy to have the chance to talk.
Answer, you're welcome, and I'm so glad we have this chance to talk.
Yes, for sure.
Always a pleasure.
Now ask the manager about how everything has been going.
Answer.
So, how's everything been going with you guys?
Pretty good.
Everyone's real excited about this whole mapping project.
Next, agree and tell the manager that you need to let him know that the project lead is quitting the company.
Answer.
Yes, it's very exciting.
But listen, I need to let you know that the project lead has decided to quit the company.
What?
But we're just a couple of months away from launch.
Now, reassure the manager that the company already has a great replacement.
Answer.
There's no need to worry.
We've already got a great replacement lined up.
Well, I sure hope it all works out.
This is a big project.
Finally, tell the manager it will work out and ask him to keep this to himself for now.
Answer.
Yes, it'll work out.
And please, just keep this to yourself for now.
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear... I think the building on Fifth Avenue is a really great...
You can say, After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
After a lot of research on this idea, I just don't think it's Answer.
After a lot of research on this idea, I just don't think it's feasible.
Nobody knows about my plan yet, so please keep it under your... Answer.
Nobody knows about my plan yet, so please keep it under your hat.
Answer.
Yeah, sure.
The candidate looks good on... but we need to interview him.
Yeah, sure, the candidate looks good on paper, but we need to interview him.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the third in our series on taking an overseas business trip.
Today we've focused on having a confidential discussion.
We've learned how to set a positive tone and ask how things are going.
We've also looked at delivering confidential information, asking for discretion and providing assurances.
Be sure to tune in for our next lesson when we'll hear Cam and David touring a factory.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
