You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today's lesson on doing business by phone.
This is the first of a pair of lessons on routine and spontaneous business phone conversations.
Just head over to www.businessenglishpod.com.
Now what do I mean when I say routine and spontaneous phone conversations?
Routine means something we do often, or something that follows a set pattern.
But spontaneous means suddenly, without any planning.
Having a spontaneous conversation in English is very challenging.
Today we'll start with a more routine weekly check-in, and our next lesson will show you how to handle more unexpected situations.
A weekly check-in is a chance to talk with your supervisor about how your work is going.
That might include reporting your progress or the status of different projects or work.
It might also mean sharing your successes and asking for help or guidance with challenges.
And if you're like most people, there's always lots to talk about.
So you may also have to request time to look at a specific issue.
In today's dialogue we'll join Sonny, a logistics manager for a clothing company called Boston Vintage.
Sonny works in Asia and is talking on the phone with his supervisor, Cam, who works in the US.
Their conversation is a weekly check-in about recent work, challenges, and progress.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What topic does Sonny request time to discuss during the call?
2.
What does Sonny report that he's making some progress on?
3.
What success is Sonny happy to report?
Right.
Okay.
So I'd love to know how things are going overall, how you're settling in.
Then we can look at some specific projects.
How does that sound?
Great.
And if we can, I'd like to save a bit of time to talk through some of the new communications plan.
Just want to make sure what I'm doing is in line with expectations there.
Not a problem.
I'll make sure we've got some time near the end for that.
So, in general, how are things going?
Pretty good, I'd say.
Busy, as you can imagine.
Never ending supply chain mayhem and all that, but we're managing.
Last time, I think, we discussed NetSuite and I've managed to carve out some time to really wrap my head around it.
I've completed the first two training modules and now I'm working on the last one.
Hope to finish that by Monday.
So, starting to get the hang of it.
Still lots to learn though.
Right, of course.
And I'm always curious, when new folks come in, whether they see ways we might use it differently or more effectively.
It's got a ton of functionality we don't actually use, but probably could.
I'll keep that in mind for sure.
Great.
And things on the staffing side are good.
I know you posted for a new coordinator position.
Yes, we're moving ahead as planned with that.
Seeing some good applications coming in.
So I think we should be able to have someone in place in the next couple of weeks.
That's good.
Maybe send some of those CVs my way.
It's been impossible to find good people lately.
In any case, sounds like everything's coming together.
So, let's move on to the spring line.
Yeah.
So, for starters, good news on the Hawkshead jackets.
Past inspection with flying colors.
That revised tech pack definitely helped.
Glad to hear it.
I'll see if I can get Terry to put together some more.
Now, if we can just get everything here in time for spring, we'll be sitting pretty.
Right.
No end in sight to the chaos here, I'm afraid.
We're frantically trying to renegotiate routes, but everything's backed up like crazy.
And yeah, there's one thing here I'd like to get your take on.
See how you'd approach it?
By all means.
Okay, well, we've done a lot of business in the past with TXT.
They've moved our stuff overland to Chinese ports before.
So anyway, I've been talking with them about some ways of reducing loading times.
And so I'd like to hear what you think about maybe moving...
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Sonny used during his check-in.
Right.
Okay.
So, I'd love to know how things are going overall.
How you're settling in?
Then we can look at some specific projects.
How does that sound?
Great.
And if we can, I'd like to save a bit of time to talk through some of the new communications plan.
Just want to make sure what I'm doing is in line with expectations there.
Cam begins the conversation by stating a couple of topics he wants to talk about.
This is typical of regular employee check-ins, where a rough agenda is set at the beginning of the call.
If there's something specific you need to discuss, this is the time to mention it.
As you heard, Sonny asked to save a bit of time to talk about one particular issue.
He wants to make sure he's working in line with or in agreement with the new communication plan.
Let's practice a few more ways to request time to address a specific issue.
Today, I'd like to talk a bit about the performance review, if we can.
I know we need to go over the project schedule, but can we save some time to discuss marketing?
Could we take five minutes at the end to have a look at my timesheet?
Now let's listen as Cam begins by asking how things are going overall or in general.
Not a problem.
I'll make sure we've got some time near the end for that.
So, in general, how are things going?
Pretty good, I'd say.
Busy, as you can imagine.
Never-ending supply chain mayhem and all that, but we're managing.
Last time, I think, we discussed NetSuite and I've managed to carve out some time to really wrap my head around it.
I've completed the first two training modules, and now I'm working on the last one.
Hope to finish that by Monday, so starting to get the hang of it.
Still lots to learn, though.
Sonny starts by mentioning some general concerns like the mayhem or confusion in the supply chain.
He then gives a short update on what he's learned about an important piece of software called NetSuite.
He says he's managed to carve out or schedule some time to understand or wrap his head around the software.
And now he's starting to get the hang of it or becoming more competent in using it.
This is a topic that Sonny says they discussed in their last meeting and that demonstrates how important it is to follow up on things from meeting to meeting.
More specifically, Sonny briefly explains how much training he's completed, how much he has left and when he hopes to finish.
This kind of progress report is helpful to other people in the organization, particularly your supervisor.
Let's try some more ways of reporting progress during a phone check-in.
I have completed the first draft of the proposal.
We have finished the first four sections and now we are working on number five.
Our team hit the first milestone in May and we're halfway to the second one.
We've completed the foundations and are currently working on the first floor.
Let's hear how CAM responds to Sonny's progress report.
Note that Sonny is a fairly recent addition to the staff.
Right, of course.
And I'm always curious, when new folks come in, whether they see ways we might use it differently or more effectively.
It's got a ton of functionality we don't actually use, but probably could.
I'll keep that in mind for sure.
Great.
And things on the staffing side are good.
I know you posted for a new coordinator position.
Yes, we're moving ahead as planned with that, seeing some good applications coming in.
So I think we should be able to have someone in place in the next couple of weeks.
Cam's next question is about a new coordinator position that Sonny posted or advertised.
In this situation, Sonny wants to report on the status of this piece of work.
Reporting on status typically focuses on how well things are going.
It's not as much about how much has been completed like a progress report, but about the current situation.
Sonny's brief status report includes information about applications coming in or what's currently happening, and he includes information about next steps.
Reporting status in a brief but informative manner is an important part of any check-in meeting, so let's run through some more examples.
The whole team is in place and the project is on track.
We've decided to hit pause for now and restart when the weather is better.
The proposal is half done and we aim to finish by Friday.
The three new team members are fully trained up and ready to start.
As you can hear from Cam's response, this kind of check-in conversation includes short updates that don't need long discussion before moving on to the next topic.
That's good.
Maybe send some of those CVs my way.
It's been impossible to find good people lately.
In any case, sounds like everything's coming together.
So, let's move on to the spring line.
Yeah.
So, for starters, good news on the Hawkshead jackets.
Past inspection with flying colors.
That revised tech pack definitely helped.
It can be tempting to focus on challenges or problems during regular meetings, but it's just as important to acknowledge and celebrate what's going well.
When asked about the spring line or group of products, Sonny is happy to report his successes.
He mentions a certain line of jackets exceeded testing standards or passed with flying colors.
Reporting success can include team wins, but it can also include things that you can take credit for yourself, as you can hear in the following examples.
All the customer feedback has been very positive so far.
I managed to negotiate a significant discount with the supplier.
I'm happy to report that we will likely finish the project two weeks early.
Well, one big win was that I signed up three new clients this past month.
Now let's continue.
There's this one more thing that Sonny wants to look at.
Glad to hear it.
I'll see if I can get Terry to put together some more.
Now, if we can just get everything here in time for spring, we'll be sitting pretty.
Right.
No end in sight to the chaos here, I'm afraid.
We're frantically trying to renegotiate routes, but everything's backed up like crazy.
And yeah, there's one thing here I'd like to get your take on.
See how you'd approach it?
Cam mentions getting products to the US in time for spring.
This prompts Sony's comments about supply chain problems or chaos.
As a logistics manager, it's Sonny's job to renegotiate routes or transportation channels within this difficult environment.
A check-in meeting is a great opportunity, not just for reporting, but also for asking for help.
If there's something you need input on, this is the time to ask for it.
Sonny asks for guidance by saying there's something he wants Cam's take on.
Someone's take is their opinion.
What are some other ways we can request guidance during a phone meeting?
Let's try a few more polite ways of asking for help.
I'm wondering if you can give me a bit of advice on the problem I've run into.
Could you give me some tips for time management?
I'm struggling in that area.
I'd really appreciate your help understanding how best to deal with Betty.
I find communication with the ops team challenging.
Any pointers on that?
Now let's finish up the conversation by hearing Sonny explain what it is he wants help with.
By all means.
Okay, well, we've done a lot of business in the past with TXT.
They've moved our stuff overland to Chinese ports before.
So anyway, I've been talking with them about some ways of reducing loading times.
And so I'd like to hear what you think about maybe moving.
As you can hear, Sony is going to explore some ways of dealing with the supply chain mayhem or chaos that they've already discussed.
This conversation has followed a fairly routine format, but next time we'll hear a different kind of conversation, one in which you don't have a regular pattern to follow but have to answer some tough, unexpected questions.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you work for a company that is undergoing an office renovation.
You're doing a regular check-in with your supervisor on the phone.
You'll hear a cue by the supervisor.
Then I'll give you a suggestion for what you can say in response.
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.
Alright, I think the main thing we need to go over is the office renovation.
Start by saying that you would also like to chat about vacation schedules if there's time.
Answer.
Sure, and if there's time, I'd also like to chat about vacation schedules.
Of course, we'll save time for that.
So, for starters, how are things in the office?
Now say that you finished the designs and are now qualifying contractors.
Answer.
Well, we finished the design and now we're qualifying contractors.
Fantastic!
And did you manage to get approval on the final budget?
What's the status on that?
Answer Not yet, but finance has said they'll make a decision on Friday.
Alright, well that's good.
And so, you're happy with how the design turned out?
Now agree, and say you're happy to report feedback has been really positive so far.
Answer.
Yes, and I'm happy to report that feedback has been really positive so far.
Good to hear.
I know some people can have strong opinions on these kinds of things.
Finish off by agreeing and ask if they have any advice on dealing with objections.
Yes, they can.
And I wonder if you have any advice on dealing with objections?
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...
Unfortunately, there's no end in to this weather we're having.
You can say Unfortunately, there's no end in sight to this weather we're having.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Do you think you could Do you think you could carve out some time to help me on the proposal?
It takes new employees a few months to get the of the software.
Answer.
It takes new employees a few months to get the hang of the new software.
If you want to apply for the job, you should send in your CV by Friday.
Answer.
If you want to apply for the job, you should send in your CV by Friday.
I'll have to read this a couple more times to really wrap my around it.
Answer.
I'll have to read this a couple more times to really wrap my head around it.
We've reached the end of this lesson on doing a routine check-in on the phone with your supervisor.
We've learned how to ask for time to discuss a specific issue and how to get progress and status updates.
We've also looked at how to report successes and ask for guidance.
For more practice.
Premium members can access the online quizzes and study notes for this and other lessons on the BEP website.
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Then head over to wwwbusinessenglishpodcom and sign up for a free trial to preview some of the extra resources available to members.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
