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 conducting a Scrum stand-up meeting.
Not everyone likes meetings, and for good reason.
Many meetings are poorly organized and poorly run.
But meetings are a necessary part of work and business, especially in project management.
For this reason, it's important that we find ways to have good meetings.
If you've worked in software development, especially agile environments, you'll know about one excellent kind of meeting called a scrum or stand-up meeting.
Scrum is an approach to software development that uses cross-functional teams.
Each day, the team has a short stand-up meeting where people update others on progress, plans and challenges.
Whether or not you work in software development, leading a Scrum-style meeting is a useful experience.
You'll have to do many things that apply to all good meetings.
For example, you'll need to open the meeting and ask for updates.
You may also find the chance to suggest collaboration between team members, and the person running the meeting is also responsible for putting aside or side-barring issues that can be discussed after the meeting.
These are all techniques that can help you in any kind of meeting, whether you work with Scrum or not.
In today's dialogue we'll hear Jill, a project manager and Scrum Master, leading a daily Scrum meeting.
We'll also hear two team members, Catherine and Sam.
Sam will be the first to provide his updates.
And as you'll hear, Jill will keep the team focused.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
One, when she opens a meeting, what does Jill suggest they do to stay focused?
Two, when Sam says what he is going to do today, what does Jill suggest?
Three, what issue does Jill want to sidebar or leave for after the meeting?
All right, my phone says nine, so let's get started.
Remember, doing, done, and any impediments.
And let's sidebar anything that might hold us up.
Right, but I notice Dave's not here.
No matter, Cath.
Gotta start on time.
Right.
So how about we go around clockwise?
Sam, you're up first.
How did it go yesterday?
Yeah, okay.
So yesterday I worked with Dave laying out the new database schema for the route optimization side of things.
We've double-checked everything and we're pretty happy with how it looks, so I'll just move that over to complete.
Great.
And for today, I'm going to start digging into the APIs for the legacy system.
Alright, you might want to team up with Anne on that.
Those APIs are a real mess, so I think she'll be good to have on board for that.
Yeah, that would help.
So Anne, can we chat about that later?
I'm not sure I have everything I need from their devs just yet.
Still?
That's been dragging on for a while, hasn't it?
Yeah, seems to be the way things go over there.
I'm not sure about you, but I've found Liam to be really, uh, unresponsive.
Perhaps we need to take a different approach there.
I know what you're saying, but I think we should sidebar that for now.
Fair enough.
Let's talk later.
Right.
So, does that take care of impediments?
Anything else?
No, I think that's it.
Great.
So, looks like you're up next, Ali.
How did everything go today with your meeting with Jen?
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Jill used to lead the meeting.
And just so you know, in a Scrum meeting, each team member is supposed to report on what they did yesterday, what they will do today and any impediments or obstacles to their work.
All right, my phone says 9, so let's get started.
Remember, doing, done, and any impediments.
And let's sidebar anything that might hold us up.
As you can hear, Jill starts the meeting right on time.
This is especially important in a scrum stand-up because the meeting should only be 15 minutes long.
And, besides saying let's get started, which is a simple and effective way to open a meeting, she reminds people of their purpose.
She also mentions that she wants to sidebar anything that causes delays.
If you sidebar an issue, you'll leave it for after the meeting rather than discussing it with everybody during the meeting.
Everything Jill does helps to set the right tone for a productive and focused meeting.
What are some other good ways you can open a Scrum meeting?
Let's run through a few more examples.
Okay, we've got 15 minutes, so let's get started.
Alright, it's time to begin, and maybe I can just start with what I did yesterday.
Let's go around the circle with what you did, what you're going to do, and any impediments.
Time is short, so let's get going.
Remember, everyone has two minutes to speak, so please sidebar anything that might hold us up.
Starting a meeting on time is important, even if not everyone is there, as you can hear.
Right.
But I notice Dave's not here.
No matter, Kath.
Gotta start on time.
Right.
So how about we go around clockwise?
Sam, you're up first.
How did it go yesterday?
Jill doesn't waste any time getting into the business of the meeting.
In a Scrum stand-up, team members go around in a circle giving their updates.
As Jill says, she wants to go around clockwise telling Sam he is up first, meaning it's his turn to speak first.
Remember, a Scrum meeting is about sharing brief updates, so Jill asks Sam for the first part of his update, which is what he did the day before.
When you ask for updates, it's good to be clear about whose turn it is.
And as Jill shows, you can ask specifically for the information you want.
Let's practice some more ways of asking for updates.
Let's start with you, Charlie.
What did you do yesterday?
Erin, you're next.
Let's hear how things are going.
Sounds good.
And do you have any impediments to report?
Norm, looks like it's your turn.
I think you've got updates on the database.
So, let's hear Sam's update.
Yeah, okay.
So yesterday I worked with Dave laying out the new database schema for the route optimization side of things.
We've double-checked everything and we're pretty happy with how it looks, so I'll just move that over to complete.
Great.
And for today, I'm going to start digging into the APIs for the legacy system.
Sam started with what he did yesterday, as is usual in a Scrum update.
He's happy to report that he's finished the new database, schema, or structure.
And because that's complete, he can move on to something different today.
As he says, he'll dig into or start working on the APIs for the legacy system.
In non-technical terms.
He'll be working on how the new software will communicate with the old software.
What does Jill think of Sam's plan to dig into the APIs?
All right.
You might want to team up with Anne on that.
Those APIs are a real mess, so I think she'll be good to have on board for that.
Remember, Jill is a scrum master.
Part of her job is to help organize the work of the project, and that might mean putting the right people together.
Jill is suggesting that Sam team up with or collaborate with Anne on the APIs.
When you make suggestions, you should be careful with your language.
In most cases, you don't want to be too forceful.
As you heard, Jill said, you might want to team up with Anne.
Other ways of making gentle suggestions include, I would suggest.
Why don't you?
And it might be a good idea.
Let's try some more language for suggesting collaboration.
If you need some help, I'd suggest reaching out to Frank.
Why don't you work with Ray and Dana on the design?
It might be a good idea to get some input from the marketing team on that.
I think you should talk to Sarah about working together on the website.
So how does Sam respond to Jill's suggestion?
Yeah, that would help.
So Anne, can we chat about that later?
I'm not sure I have everything I need from their devs just yet.
Still?
That's been dragging on for a while, hasn't it?
Yeah, seems to be the way things go over there.
I'm not sure about you, but I've found Liam to be really, uh, unresponsive?
Perhaps we need to take a different approach there.
Sam has just brought up what we call an impediment, or something that stops or slows down progress.
The problem is that he doesn't have everything from the client's devs or developers and he wonders if they need to take a different approach with the client.
But is this a problem that Jill thinks needs to be discussed right now?
I know what you're saying, but I think we should sidebar that for now.
Getting information from a client is an important issue, but it doesn't involve everyone on the team and the meeting is only 15 minutes.
So Jill decides to sidebar the issue or discuss it after the meeting.
Notice that she uses a yes-but structure to sidebar the issue.
She says she understands, or I know what you're saying, before saying they should leave the issue for later.
Once again, Jill is avoiding being too direct or aggressive.
She's using careful or soft language to direct the meeting.
You'll hear more of this careful language as we run through some more examples of sidebarring an issue.
I think it's best to leave that issue for after the meeting.
The timeline is important, but let's sidebar that for now and focus on updates.
Maybe you can discuss those issues with Anne after our meeting.
I'd like to leave those kinds of problems aside for now.
Let's listen as Sam's turn in the meeting comes to an end.
Fair enough.
Let's talk later.
Right.
So, does that take care of impediments?
Anything else?
No, I think that's it.
Great.
So, looks like you're up next, Ali.
How did everything go today with your meeting with Jens?
When Sam says he has no more impediments to report, Jill doesn't hesitate to move on to the next person in the circle.
And, as you've heard in the dialogue, she's opened and led the meeting with the right focus and respect for the team members.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you are working as a scrum master on a software project.
You are running a daily Scrum meeting.
You'll start by opening the meeting, then asking one of the team members for updates.
After opening the meeting, you'll hear a cue from a team member, and 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.
First, open the meeting by saying good morning and telling everyone you'd like to get started.
Answer.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Can we get started now?
Sounds like a great idea.
Next, ask the team member named Jamie to start with his updates.
Answer.
Okay, Jamie, let's start with your updates first, please.
Well, yesterday I worked on the design, and today I'll continue with that.
Now, suggest that Jamie work together with Anne on the design.
Answer.
Okay, and you might want to work together with Anne on the design.
Alright, but first I'd love some feedback on what I've done so far.
Now say you'd like to sidebar any feedback until after the meeting.
Answer.
Let's sidebar that for now and discuss it after the meeting.
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... Okay, Carla.
Looks like you're up. as we go around the circle?
You can say, Okay, Carla.
Looks like you're up first as we go around the circle.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Ian, could you read my report just to double?
I haven't missed anything?
Answer.
Ian, could you read my report, just to double check I haven't missed anything?
Alright everyone, I'm really glad to have you all on... for this project.
Answer.
Alright everyone, I'm really glad to have you all on board for this project.
We'll need to make sure this software works with their legacy.
We'll need to make sure this software works with their legacy system.
Sorry Bob, but I think we should... That issue until after the meeting.
Sorry, Bob, but I think we should sidebar that issue until after the meeting.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the fourth in our series on project management and the first of two on Scrum stand-up meetings.
We've learned how to open a meeting and ask for updates.
We've also covered how to suggest collaboration and how to sidebar an issue for after the meeting.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
