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 communicating effectively in external meetings.
Everyone talks about the importance of good communication skills in business.
And one situation that clearly demonstrates this importance is external meetings.
An external meeting is one where you meet with people or groups outside your own company.
That might mean another firm or organization that you're collaborating with, or it might mean the government or other regulatory agencies.
In external meetings, there's a lot of push and pull.
Everyone at the table might have a different agenda or different goals, and these goals might be in competition.
If I get more of what I want, it might mean you get less of what you want.
Being successful in external meetings might involve steering the topic of conversation.
To do that, you need good ways of introducing new topics or issues.
And when others steer the conversation, you might not like where it goes.
For that reason, you might have to stall, if you need more time to respond or if you don't want to commit to something.
You might also want to avoid answering a question altogether.
So if everyone's trying to steer the conversation, how does anything get done in an external meeting?
Well, in some cases you just have to be insistent.
I mean, you have to say, listen, this is the way it has to be.
Coming to agreement might also require you to give in to pressure, since you can't always get everything you want, so you might need some good ways to back off a position or opinion that you were arguing for.
In today's dialogue, we'll rejoin a conversation about the development of a new shopping mall.
We'll hear Nikki, the project manager, and Jennifer and Carlos, the architect and engineer, who are working for the developer.
They are meeting with Frank, who represents the local government.
In this situation, there's a lot of push and pull between the developer's side and the city government side.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What issue does Jennifer interject with before the group discusses timelines?
2.
What does Frank say to avoid answering Jennifer's question about parking spaces?
3.
When Frank backs off his previous stance, what does he say to show hesitation or reluctance?
Well, I think we've made some good progress.
Still a couple of outstanding issues, but I'm thinking we should move on to look at the timeline.
Um, Nikki, I just have one thing before we get into the timeline.
Okay, and what's that?
It's about parking.
I just want to confirm something here.
Given the setback and the turn lanes, we're looking at quite a reduction in the gross floor area.
True, and I think I know where you're going with this.
You're thinking there should be a corresponding decrease in parking spaces.
Precisely.
So, Frank, could you confirm that for me?
Well, a decrease in parking spaces.
I hadn't thought of that.
Just a question here.
What is the actual reduction in GFA?
It's about 1,800 square feet, according to my numbers.
And that's eight fewer parking spaces as per the city regs.
Isn't that right, Frank?
Well Jennifer, I think what's important is making sure there are enough spaces so that people aren't parking on side streets.
We need to ensure local residents aren't impacted.
Of course we need to be mindful of that.
Don't dispute that.
But...
Listen, Jennifer, I'd like a word with you privately.
If you could just pardon us for a few minutes, we'll be back in just a couple of secs, okay guys?
So, are we ready to get back into this?
Yes, certainly.
So, listen Frank, I really feel like we've given up a lot today.
I'm going to have to insist on this parking issue.
We need eight fewer spots.
I'm with Jennifer on this.
Yeah well, I'm not crazy about this, but if the GFA is 1800 square feet, less then eight fewer parking spots.
Okay.
Great.
And so, can we move on now to the timeline?
There's two key points I think we really need to discuss here.
First, we need to look at the overall schedule.
And then we can talk about individual deadlines for everybody.
And we can maybe talk through some of the details.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques the group used in their conversation.
Well, I think we've made some good progress.
Still a couple of outstanding issues, but I'm thinking we should move on to look at the timeline.
Um, Nikki, I just have one thing before we get into the timeline.
Nikki is the chair of the meeting, and she wants to talk about the timeline next.
But Jennifer isn't quite ready for that topic.
She has another issue that she wants to deal with first.
So she tells the group she has one thing to discuss before they talk about the timeline.
People expect some structure to meetings.
There's often an agenda and a chairperson who steers the discussion in a logical order.
So if you have something you need to talk about that interrupts this order, you need to interrupt politely.
And that involves stating clearly that you have something to discuss.
What are some other ways we can interrupt in a meeting?
Let's run through some examples.
Before we move on, there's just one thing I want to bring up.
Could I just add something to the agenda here?
Now that Jennifer has interrupted, she can go on to talk about the issue itself.
Okay, and what's that?
It's about parking.
I just want to confirm something here.
Given the setback and the turn lanes, we're looking at quite a reduction in the gross floor area.
True, and I think I know where you're going with this.
You're thinking there should be a corresponding decrease in parking spaces.
In the type of development they are discussing, there are usually rules and regulations about parking.
More specifically, the number of parking spaces developers have to build depends on the size or gross floor area of the building.
Now, in the previous lesson we heard the group negotiating several issues that affected the size of the building project.
So, as Carlos guesses, Jennifer thinks they should have to build fewer parking spaces.
Let's hear how the group deals with this issue.
Precisely.
So, Frank, could you confirm that for me?
Well, a decrease in parking spaces...
I hadn't thought of that.
Jennifer asks Frank directly to confirm that fewer parking spaces are required.
But Frank doesn't want to answer immediately.
If you listened to our last lesson, you'll know that Frank is a pretty stubborn negotiator.
He doesn't give in very easily, and in this situation, he tries to stall for more time.
Rather than answering the question, he just repeats the issue and says he hadn't thought of that.
So he hasn't really said anything at all.
Rather, he just creates more time to think about it.
Let's practice some other ways of stalling for time when you don't want to answer a question.
Oh, you think the budget is too tight?
Hmm, let's have a look.
Well, that's an interesting idea, isn't it?
Certainly something to think about.
Ah, yeah, the issue of start dates.
Let's think about that for a sec.
What have we done in the past?
Well, that's a good question.
Now let's get back to the dialogue as Jennifer continues to push the issue.
Just a question here.
What is the actual reduction in GFA?
It's about 1800 square feet according to my numbers, and that's eight fewer parking spaces, as per the city regs.
Isn't that right, Frank?
Well Jennifer, I think what's important is making sure there are enough spaces so that people aren't parking on side streets.
We need to ensure local residents aren't impacted.
Jennifer knows exactly how much smaller the building will be and exactly how many fewer parking spaces they should need according to the city regs or regulations, and she asked Frank to confirm that information.
But does he?
No.
Actually, Frank once again manages to avoid the question.
This time, he simply talks about the importance of having enough parking, but he never actually agrees to fewer spaces.
There are several ways to avoid a question.
You can just make a statement related to the issue without actually giving an answer, just as Frank did.
You can also say that you don't have an answer, or you can respond with your own question.
Let's practice these different ways of avoiding a question.
I'm not sure I'm the right person to answer that.
Hmm, I'm curious.
Why exactly do you want to know?
You know, I might have to get back to you on that.
Well, let me throw that back to you and ask what do you think of it all?
Now let's hear from Carlos, as he's going to take a different approach to the problem.
Of course we need to be mindful of that.
Don't dispute that.
But...
Listen, Jennifer, I'd like a word with you privately.
If you could just pardon us for a few minutes, we'll be back in just a couple of secs, okay guys?
Carlos agrees with Frank, even though Frank didn't answer Jennifer's question.
In this way, he's trying not to let the conversation get sidetracked, and he wants a word with Jennifer privately, which means he'd like to speak with her outside the meeting for a few minutes.
So what happens when Carlos and Jennifer return?
So, are we ready to get back into this?
Yes, certainly.
So, listen, Frank.
I really feel like we've given up a lot today.
I'm going to have to insist on this parking issue.
We need eight fewer spots.
External meetings involve a lot of diplomatic negotiation, but sometimes you need to drop this careful performance and just insist on your point of view.
Jennifer feels they can do this because they've given up a lot already.
She thinks Frank should give in on this issue, and so she says directly that she is insisting.
Let's try some more ways of insisting on a certain point very directly and clearly.
I'm afraid we just can't budge on this point.
Actually, we're not willing to negotiate on this.
This is one issue that we're going to have to insist on.
I see what you're saying, but for us, it's 30 days or not at all.
Does Frank manage to avoid the issue again?
Or does he finally give in?
Let's listen.
I'm with Jennifer on this.
Yeah, well, I'm not crazy about this.
But if the GFA is 1,800 square feet less, then eight fewer parking spots.
Okay.
At this point, it seems that Frank doesn't have much choice.
The city regulations support Jennifer and Carlos' position, and they are now insisting on it.
So it makes sense for Frank to back off his previous stance or give in to their demands.
However, when you back off a previous stance, you shouldn't make it sound too easy.
Instead, you should sound hesitant, using expressions like I suppose, or I guess, or OK, to show reluctant agreement.
Let's practice some of these ways of backing off a stance in a meeting.
Well, I suppose if it's the only way we can agree to that.
All right, then.
I guess I see your point.
We'll have it ready in three weeks.
Okay, we're willing to give a little ground on this.
If it's just not possible at that price, then I guess we can come down a bit.
Now let's hear the end of this discussion.
Great.
And so, can we move on now to the timeline?
There's two key points I think we really need to discuss here.
First we need to look at the overall schedule, and then we can talk about individual deadlines for everybody.
Well, the group is now going to move on to talk about the timeline, which is the point Nikki introduced at the beginning, before Jennifer interjected with another issue.
And although Frank tried his best to avoid the question about parking spaces, Jennifer finally managed to get her way.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you work for a company that is partnering with another organization on a big project.
You're in a meeting with the other organization working out some details.
You'll play two different roles within your company as you talk to other people.
You'll hear a cue by someone from the other organization.
Then I'll give you a suggestion for what you can say.
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.
Should we move on now to talk about how the design will look?
Start by interrupting and say that you think they need to talk about how many people will be assigned to the project.
Answer.
Before we do, I think we need to talk about how many people will assign to the project.
Okay, and what exactly do you have in mind?
Now insist that you won't be able to commit more than two people to the project.
Answer.
Well, I'm afraid we just can't commit any more than two people.
Now let's jump ahead in the meeting to discuss the timeline.
Alright then, we really need to talk about when we can start this project.
Now stall for time by saying the start date is a tough issue.
Answer.
Yeah, the start date.
That's a tough issue, isn't it?
It is.
And so, can you guys commit to starting by November 1st instead of December?
Now avoid answering the question by saying you might have to get back to them.
Answer Well, I might have to get back to you on that one.
But we really need to come out of this meeting with a clear timeline.
Now back off a stance by agreeing to start by November 1st.
Answer.
Okay then.
If it's the only way, then we can start by November 1st.
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... You can say...
Hi, Sarah.
I'm just calling to confirm our meeting tomorrow at 2.30.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
I'm sorry to say, but I'm not really too... about this scheduling change.
Answer.
I'm sorry to say, but I'm not really too crazy about this scheduling change.
Hi, Wayne.
Could I just have a... with you before the meeting?
Answer.
Hi, Wayne.
Could I just have a word with you before the meeting?
I'm afraid a lot of our staff are going to be by these budget cuts.
I'm afraid a lot of our staff are going to be impacted by these budget cuts.
So we just need to talk about a few Issues before we finish up Answer.
So we just need to talk about a few outstanding issues before we finish up.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the second in our series on taking part in an external meeting.
Today we've looked at how to interrupt with a new issue, how to stall for time and how to avoid a question.
We've also covered how to insist on a position and how to back off a previous stance.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
