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 teleconferences and running online meetings.
With today's technology, people don't have to be in the same room to have a meeting.
We can connect with people around the world by phone or video chat apps like Skype.
Amazing, isn't it?
Until it suddenly isn't amazing, because people don't know who's saying what, others are having technical difficulties and people are leaving and joining the meeting without anyone knowing.
A good teleconference requires a good facilitator, someone to make sure everyone knows who's in the meeting and gives everyone the chance to speak.
That means facilitating introductions at the start of the meeting and encouraging quiet people to share their ideas.
After all, it's pretty easy to hide or be ignored during an online meeting.
Sometimes there are technical problems that can get the meeting off track.
At those times it's best to ask someone else to try to solve the problem, so you can continue running the meeting.
And, just like any meeting, the facilitator should be encouraging input from everyone, including those who join late.
It's your job to integrate those latecomers into the meeting so they can participate too.
In today's dialogue, we'll hear a teleconference led by Gabby.
People from across the U.S. are joining the call to plan their company's upcoming sales conference.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What does Gabby ask people to include in their short self-introduction?
2.
What problem does Gabby ask someone to help solve?
3.
What does Gabby do when someone joins the meeting late?
Okay guys, I know we don't have New Orleans on the line yet, and a couple of others, but I'd like to get started.
I trust everyone got the agenda I emailed?
Yep, got it.
Anyone not get it?
Great, so let's just start with a quick round of introductions.
Name and office will suffice.
Maybe we can move west to east.
Seattle?
Seattle?
Hi, everyone.
Heather in Seattle here.
Thanks, Heather.
I'm Gabby, as you know, in Denver.
Manuel here, coming to you from Kansas City.
Okay, then.
Next would be New Orleans.
But, like I said, they may join a bit later, as Ivan has already emailed to say he's still with clients.
Any other questions on the theme for the conference?
Kansas City, we haven't heard from you guys yet on this.
Yeah, sure, Gabby.
So I think all our people like the idea of focusing on new approaches, especially given what's happening in the industry.
But, yeah, we'd just like to see this theme guide some of the conference planning as well.
You know, let's think outside the box a bit on how we do this.
That's great, Manuel.
I like it.
Let's keep that in mind for sure.
Oh, looks like we've lost Toronto.
Manuel, could you text Wendy in Toronto and see what's up?
Sure thing, Gabby.
Thanks.
Okay, back to the theme.
Anyone else want to weigh in?
Sure.
Heather here.
I just want to second Manuel's idea.
I think some fresh thinking on the format and activities would be a good move.
We need to mix it up a bit.
Last year was great, but I think we need some more structured ways to get new people involved.
Know what I mean?
I do, yes, thanks.
Duly noted.
Okay, it looks like we've got New Orleans on the line now.
New Orleans, could you let us know who's all there?
Just Ivan in New Orleans today, flying solo here for the afternoon.
Great.
Welcome, Ivan.
We were just finishing up talking about the overall vision and the theme for the conference.
So if I can just recap a bit here before we move on.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Gabby uses to run the teleconference.
She starts by making sure everyone has the agenda or the list of what they'll discuss during the meeting.
Okay, guys.
I know we don't have New Orleans on the line yet, and a couple of others, but I'd like to get started.
I trust everyone got the agenda I emailed?
Yep, got it.
Anyone not get it?
If you ask whether everyone has the agenda, not everyone is going to give a response.
During an in-person meeting, they might nod or shake their heads to respond, but during a teleconference, nobody can see each other.
That's why negative questions like, did anyone not get the agenda, work well.
So what does Gabby do after confirming everyone has the agenda?
Great.
So let's just start with a quick round of introductions.
Name and office will suffice.
Maybe we can move west to east.
Seattle?
When people are joining a meeting from different places, you want to make sure everyone knows who's on the call.
You don't need long backstories.
As Gabby says, just the name and office or location will suffice or be enough.
During an in-person meeting, you move in a circle around the table for introductions, but that's not possible in a teleconference.
So you can either let people introduce themselves randomly or ask people to go in order based on something like geographic location, as Gabby did.
What are some other ways we can coordinate introductions at the start of an online meeting?
Let's practice a few more examples.
Can we start by getting everyone's name and location?
Let's start with New York.
Could I get everyone to briefly introduce themselves, Jen?
All right, Brian.
Could you start us off in a round of introductions?
Okay, everyone.
Let's start by finding out who's on the line today.
Madrid, could you begin?
Now let's hear some of the introductions.
Hi, everyone.
Heather in Seattle here.
Thanks, Heather.
I'm Gabby, as you know, in Denver.
Manuel here, coming to you from Kansas City.
Okay, then.
Next would be New Orleans.
But, like I said, they may join a bit later, as Ivan has already emailed to say he's still with clients.
You'll notice that Gabby wants everyone to know who's on the call, but also who's not on the call.
She points out that the New Orleans office will join later.
This will help prevent confusion.
Now let's jump ahead in the conversation, as they are discussing the theme of the conference, which is like the central idea or topic the conference will be based on.
Any other questions on the theme for the conference?
Kansas City, we haven't heard from you guys yet on this.
As I mentioned earlier, it's easy to hide during a teleconference.
If you don't say anything, people can completely forget that you're part of the meeting.
As the person running the meeting, it's your job to make sure everyone has a say.
And if someone isn't participating, you should encourage them to do so.
That might mean asking them directly for input on a question or topic, as Gabby has done.
Let's run through some more examples of encouraging participation from specific people or locations.
So, any thoughts from the folks out west on the budget?
Gail, are you still with us?
I think you've got some ideas on this, no?
Right.
And what's the feeling in the Mexico office about this?
Carlos?
We haven't heard from Angela in San Diego yet.
Angela, what's your take on this?
Now let's hear what Manuel in Kansas City thinks about the conference theme.
Yeah, sure, Gabby.
So I think all our people like the idea of focusing on new approaches, especially given what's happening in the industry.
But yeah, we'd just like to see this theme guide some of the conference planning as well.
You know, let's think outside the box a bit on how we do this.
That's great, Manuel.
I like it.
Let's keep that in mind for sure.
Manuel suggests that they think outside the box as they plan the conference.
That's a common expression.
That means thinking in new ways or coming up with new and interesting ideas.
You'll notice that Gabby responds very positively.
That's important if you want those quiet or remote people to participate in the meeting.
Now, it seems pretty rare for an online meeting to not have any technical problems.
In this case, the office in Toronto suddenly loses their connection.
What does Gabby do when she notices this?
Oh, looks like we've lost Toronto.
Manuel, could you text Wendy in Toronto and see what's up?
When the Toronto office loses its connection, Gabby doesn't hesitate for a second.
She immediately asked Manuel to investigate the problem by texting Wendy in the Toronto office.
As a meeting facilitator, you can't solve every technical problem yourself.
If you stop every time someone has a connection problem, the meeting will lose focus.
It's much better to delegate the task to someone else so you can continue running the meeting.
What are some other ways of delegating problem solving?
Let's try a few more examples.
Olivia, could you get in touch with IT so we can get this video connection working?
Looks like some folks haven't received the agenda.
Jessica, could you take care of that?
Franco, do you mind running and getting us a new mic, please?
Logan, if you could call Tracy and see if she'll be joining us, that'd be great.
After delegating the problem to Manuel, Gabby can return quickly to the discussion.
Sure thing, Gabby.
Thanks.
Okay, back to the theme.
Anyone else want to weigh in?
Gabby doesn't let the technical problem distract everyone.
She gets right back to the topic or theme and asks if anyone else wants to weigh in or give their opinion.
Whether you're running an online or an in-person meeting, your job is to make sure everyone has a chance to give input.
And if conversation on a topic is interrupted, you may need to return to it and ask for additional input.
Let's practice some more ways of asking for additional input in a teleconference.
Does anybody have any recommendations on this hiring issue?
Alright, this is great.
Let's just get a few more ideas here.
Anyone?
Okay, any others want to chime in on this problem?
Now how about the design?
How does everyone feel about that side of things?
As we hear next, Heather wants to second, or support, Manuel's idea.
Sure.
Heather here.
I just want to second Manuel's idea.
I think some fresh thinking on the format and activities would be a good move.
We need to mix it up a bit.
Last year was great, but I think we need some more structured ways to get new people involved.
Know what I mean?
Heather wants to see some fresh thinking and to mix it up in the conference planning.
These are just other ways of saying think outside the box.
Remember, Gabby mentioned that the New Orleans office would be joining late.
Let's hear how she handles this.
I do, yes, thanks.
Duly noted.
Okay, it looks like we've got New Orleans on the line now.
New Orleans, could you let us know who's all there?
When you know that someone has just joined the conversation late, it's a good idea to pause and help integrate them into the discussion.
You can introduce them to the whole group, or better yet, you can have them introduce themselves.
Let's run through some more ways of integrating a newcomer to an online meeting.
Sounds like someone's just logged in.
Who do we have on the line there?
I think Dee has just joined.
Dee, could you just give us a short intro?
Let's pause a moment here and let some of the latecomers introduce themselves.
We've got someone new joining us.
Name and location, please, folks.
Now let's hear how Gabby continues the conversation after the New Orleans office joins the call.
Just diving in New Orleans today, flying solo here for the afternoon.
Great.
Welcome, Ivan.
We were just finishing up talking about the overall vision and the theme for the conference.
So if I can just recap a bit here before we move on.
After Ivan introduces himself, Gabby quickly welcomes him and lets him know what they've been talking about.
Integrating a newcomer doesn't have to take long, but it's a good idea if you want to run a productive online meeting, as Gabby has shown us.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you work as a financial manager for a large company.
You're running a teleconference with people from across the country.
You'll hear a cue from a participant.
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.
Begin by coordinating introductions and asking the East Coast to go first.
Answer.
Okay.
Let's start with introductions.
Can the East Coast go first?
Sure thing.
James here and Ryan will join us a bit later as he's in a meeting.
Later in the call, you want to encourage participation by asking for ideas from the LA team.
Answer.
Okay.
Any more ideas on the budget from the LA team?
Sorry, but we're having some problems with the video feed.
Now ask your colleague Sam to see if he can take a look and fix the video problem.
Answer.
Okay.
Sam, can you take a look and see if you can fix that?
Sure thing.
Okay, LA.
Let me just take you offline for a sec.
Next, ask if anyone else has comments on the budget.
Answer.
All right.
While Sam sorts that out, does anyone else have any comments on the budget?
Um, yeah, I do have a couple points, but first I think we've got someone new on the line.
Now integrate a latecomer called Fran by asking her to give a quick introduction.
Answer Yes, looks like Fran just joined.
Fran, could you give us a quick introduction?
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... We've decided to go with a beach... for our staff party.
You can say, We've decided to go with a beach theme for our staff party.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Does anyone else want to in on the topic of sales forecasts?
Answer Does anyone else want to weigh in on the topic of sales forecasts?
We're looking for a new marketing expert who can think outside the Answer.
We're looking for a new marketing expert who can think outside the box.
When you plan the launch, please keep in... the budget we discussed.
Answer.
When you plan the launch, please keep in mind the budget we discussed.
Alright everyone, we also have Judy on the... from Shanghai today.
Answer.
Alright everyone, we also have Judy on the line from Shanghai today.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the first in our series on teleconferences.
We've learned how to coordinate introductions, get ideas from remote people and ask others to help solve a technical problem.
We've also looked at how to ask for more input and integrate a latecomer to a meeting.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
