You're listening to Business English Pop, the business English podcast for professionals on the move.
In this episode we're going to look at useful language for handling the practical details of a business visit, like airport pickup and restaurant or hotel booking, and will also practice ways to create and maintain goodwill by demonstrating flexibility and responding politely on the phone.
Viva is a European fashion company.
Viva representatives Marco and Francesca are preparing to attend a fashion expo in Las Vegas with their American distributor, Foxtrot.
A fashion expo or exposition is a kind of trade show or conference in which potential buyers look at manufacturers' goods.
In the dialogue.
Marco is calling his contact Adriana at Foxtrot to discuss the details of the visit.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What information does Adriana get from Marco?
2.
What does Marco need help with?
Three, does Marco have any special requirements for the hotel?
And four, what kind of food does Marco hope to eat?
Hello, Foxtrot Fashion.
This is Adriana.
How can I help you?
Hello, this is Marco speaking from Viva in Italy.
Marco, how are you doing?
Just fine, thanks.
How about you?
Very well.
Good.
I'm just calling about the expo in Las Vegas.
Are you in the middle of anything?
No, that's fine.
This is perfect timing.
That's great.
Okay, we've already booked our flight.
Uh-huh.
When are you getting in?
It's flight UA5918 from Los Angeles.
Oh, wait a sec.
Let me write this down.
UA5918.
That's right.
Arriving at 5.15 p.m. on Saturday, March 8th.
Great.
Got that.
We'll arrange for somebody to pick you up.
Perfect.
And what about a hotel?
Can we help you book something?
Yes, that would be great.
What are you looking for?
Well, we don't need anything special.
Just close to the exhibition center would be great.
I know just the place.
Could you make sure they have internet access and a business center?
Of course.
Don't worry about a thing.
We'll take care of everything.
Great.
And one last thing.
We'd love to take you out on Sunday evening for a good meal.
Sounds lovely.
We're looking forward to finally meeting you.
So are we.
What kind of food were you thinking of?
Italian.
Just kidding.
It doesn't matter.
Whatever you guys prefer.
We're up for anything.
Well, I know a great place.
You'll love it.
Wonderful.
So we look forward to seeing you here on the 8th.
Yes.
Looking forward to it.
Any questions, just send me an email.
Of course.
Say hi to Anna and everybody.
I will.
Give my regards to Francesca and the gang.
I'll do that.
Bye.
Bye.
What do we need to consider when arranging a visit?
Flight arrival information?
Hotel booking?
Social activities?
Let's take a careful look at the language Marco and Adriana use to arrange the details.
After an exchange of greetings, at the beginning of the call, Marco explains his reason for calling a skill that we covered in BEP 69.
Next, he makes sure Francesca is not busy.
I'm just calling about the expo in Las Vegas.
Are you in the middle of anything?
Asking if someone is in the middle of something that is busy doing something is an important part of being polite when you make a business phone call.
Also, checking that someone has time to talk helps make sure you'll receive the attention you deserve.
What are some other ways to ask if someone is busy?
Did I catch you at a good time?
I hope this is a good time to call.
Do you have a couple of minutes to talk?
I just have a quick question.
Do you have a sec?
How does Adriana respond?
No, that's fine.
This is perfect timing.
Other ways to respond include... Yes, now's fine.
Yeah, I've got until 4 o'clock.
What can I do for you?
Uh-huh.
Go ahead.
Shoot is an informal slang way to say, go ahead, ask your question.
What if you don't have time and need to respond in the negative?
Actually, this isn't the greatest time.
Can you call me back a little later?
To tell you the truth, I'm in the middle of something.
Can I call you back in half an hour?
Actually, I've got to take care of an urgent customer request.
I'll get back to you after three.
What happens next in the dialogue?
Marco indicates that he's already booked his ticket.
Adriana asks him for the flight information.
When are you getting in?
To get in means arrive.
Notice how Adriana asks for time while she writes down Marco's information.
It's flight UA5918 from Los Angeles.
Oh, wait a sec.
Let me write this down.
UA5918.
What are some other useful phrases for asking for arrival information and requesting time while you write the information down?
What time is your flight coming in?
Hold on a second.
Let me get a pen.
Can you give me your flight number?
Wait a sec.
Okay, shoot.
Next, Adriana promises to have someone meet Marco and Francesca at the airport.
There are many other important details to think of when arranging an airport pickup.
Sometimes we might need to ask what someone looks like, or we might say we're going to prepare a sign with their name on it.
Listen to example phrases.
We'll be standing in the arrivals hall.
We'll have a sign with your name on it.
How will we recognize you?
Next, Adriana offers to help Marco book a hotel room.
Notice how she is careful to ask him for his exact requirements.
And what about a hotel?
Can we help you book something?
Yes, that would be great.
What are you looking for?
When helping someone make arrangements, It's always good to get a clear idea of their expectations.
What are you looking for is a great phrase for this.
What are some other phrases we could use?
What exactly did you have in mind?
Could you give me an idea of what you're looking for?
Are you particular about location?
To be polite and perhaps to keep the price low.
Marco says we don't need anything special, just close to the exhibition center.
An exhibition center is a building where expos, trade shows, conferences, and so on are held.
Adriana says she knows just the spot, that is, exactly the right place.
Saying, we don't need anything special, is a way of showing that you're flexible to be polite.
We'll cover this skill in more detail a little later on.
Next, Marco comes back with a couple of minor requests.
Could you make sure they have Internet access and a business center?
With regard to the hotel Marco, is particularly concerned about access to the Internet, the ability to get onto the World Wide Web, and about having a business center, a place to send faxes and use the computer.
How does Adriana respond to Marco's requests?
Of course.
Don't worry about a thing.
We'll take care of everything.
When we play host to visitors, it's important to make them feel comfortable.
When they raise concerns, we often assure them that everything is going to be okay.
As Adriana says, don't worry about a thing.
This is called making assurances.
What are some other things she could have said?
No worries.
We've got everything covered.
We've already taken care of it.
Everything is taken care of.
In the next part of the dialogue, Marco and Adriana exchange expressions of goodwill.
They're looking forward to seeing each other and Marco offers to take Adriana and her team out to dinner.
Notice how Adriana again uses language we studied for asking for requirements.
What kind of... to get a better sense of what Marco wants to eat.
And Marco, as he did before, demonstrates flexibility to be polite.
What kind of food were you thinking of?
Italian.
Just kidding.
It doesn't matter.
Whatever you guys prefer.
We're up for anything.
Well, I know a great place.
You'll love it.
Wonderful.
To be up for something means to be willing to do something.
So to be up for anything means, in this case, to be willing to try any kind of restaurant.
What is some other useful language for demonstrating flexibility to be polite?
We're easy.
Either way, it's up to you.
We don't care.
Whatever you guys prefer.
We can eat anything.
You choose.
In the final part of the dialogue, Adriana and Marco again exchange goodwill, with Looking forward to seeing you.
Adriana offers to answer questions by email.
Then, to be polite, Marco asks Adriana to give his regards to her coworkers, mentioning one of them who he has met previously by name.
Of course.
Say hi to Anna and everybody.
I will.
Give my regards to Francesca and the gang.
Adriana returns the favor by asking Marco to give her regards to Francesca and the gang.
Normally, gang refers to a group of criminals or thugs, but informally, in slang usage, it can also refer to any group of people, usually a group of friends.
So Adriana and Marco have ended the call on a good note.
Not only have they taken care of all the visit arrangements, but they have also reinforced their good relations by demonstrating flexibility, goodwill and politeness.
Now, Let's practice some of the useful expressions we've learned today.
Imagine a partner has called you to arrange a visit.
They'll ask you to help with something.
For example, booking a ticket or reserving a room.
After the beep, use the language we learned today to ask for specific requirements.
Then, when they've replied, assure them that you will take care of everything.
Let's give it a try.
Can you help book us a hotel?
Nothing special.
Anything close to the exhibition center would be great.
Perhaps you can help us reserve a restaurant for March the 8th.
We'd love to take you out for a good meal.
It's up to you.
Pick something you like, something nice.
How'd you do?
Let's listen to example answers.
Can you help book us a hotel?
What kind of hotel were you looking for?
Nothing special.
Anything close to the exhibition center would be great.
Don't worry about a thing.
We've got it covered.
Perhaps you can help us reserve a restaurant for March the 8th.
We'd love to take you out for a good meal.
What kind of food were you looking for?
It's up to you.
Pick something you like, something nice.
I know just the spot.
Before we finish, let's review some useful phrases for asking if someone is busy, responding politely and demonstrating flexibility.
You'll hear a series of phrases.
In each phrase, one word is missing, replaced with a beep.
Repeat the whole phrase, including the missing word.
Did I you at a good time?
Did I catch you at a good time?
To tell you the truth, I'm in the of something.
Answer.
To tell you the truth, I'm in the middle of something.
We're for anything.
Answer.
We're up for anything.
That covers this episode on arranging a visit.
We've looked at useful language for handling the practical details like airport pickup and restaurant or hotel booking.
And we've also practiced ways to create and maintain goodwill by demonstrating flexibility and responding politely.
Thanks for listening.
