Welcome to the breakout business English podcast, where I help you to communicate better at work in English.
Hi, everyone. My name is Chris, and I am a business English coach, and sometimes also tutor.
Thank you so much for listening and today's topic is agreeing on times and rescheduling.
So scheduling and rescheduling.
One thing that is always important from the first day of any job at any level in any company is definitely the ability to talk about time.
Not only correctly communicating the time of events, but also agreeing and changing the time that scheduled events will happen.
With that being said it's kind of a wonder how it's taken me almost 30 episodes of this podcast to actually discuss this, but definitely something that I'm glad we have gotten around to.
Let's start by talking about moving events or rescheduling?
i don't know about you but although i try not to inconvenience people by asking them to move meetings and appointments around sometimes it's just unavoidable.
so let's listen to some examples of how we can ask people to reschedule in the most polite and native sounding ways possible.
Would it be possible to push our meeting back by a couple of hours, please?
Would it be possible to push our meeting back by a couple of hours, please?
Is there any chance we can move up our next appointment by a day or two?
Is there any chance we can move up our next appointment by a day or two?
Something's come up and I was wondering if you'd mind postponing our next session until next month.
Something's come up, and I was wondering if you'd mind postponing our next session until next month.
Those examples, as always, contained a mix of formal and informal language.
So let's get started with two informal phrases that actually mean the opposite of each other and these are to move up and to push back, to move up and to push back.
In our examples we heard would it be possible to push our meeting back, to we move up our next appointment?
Is there any chance we can move up our next appointment?
So, can you guess which of these means to move an event to an earlier time and which means to move an event to a later time?
Personally I think that the clearest one here is to push back.
to push back. To push back means to move an event to a later date or time.
Therefore the opposite to move up means to move an event to an earlier date or time.
You can also use move forward to mean the same thing if that's a little clearer for you to bring it closer and set an earlier date or time is to move an event forward however even if you don't use the phrase to move up it's still a really useful one to know if you're working with native english speakers.
in the final example there we heard the word postpone, postpone.
in the example this was i was wondering if you'd mind postponing our next session.
i was wondering if you'd mind postponing our next session?" this is a word that comes to english from latin from the ancient language of latin it's a combination of the latin words for to place or to put something somewhere and post meaning after maybe you've heard the word post used in things like a postgraduate course meaning a course of study taken after you've graduated we use this to talk about things like master's degrees and PhDs so postponing something to something literally means to place it at a later date or time.
To postpone. We also had a couple of great slightly formal but very polite ways to ask a question.
Starting in our first example with would it be possible to?
Would it be second example.
Is there any chance?
Is there any chance?
Both of these are really polite ways to ask something for a favor.
For instance rescheduling or changing a date or time.
However starting with would it be possible is usually the polite way to do this.
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OK let's briefly have a conversation about pronunciation.
You may have noticed that I often say the word schedule with a hard K sound like candy or kite.
I say schedule a lot.
instead of the other pronunciation which is, schedule, schedule.
I must admit that my accent has changed a lot over the past five years but is generally still recognizable as a British accent.
Some people have guessed that I'm from Canada which is definitely wrong.
I've visited Canada before, it's a lovely country but I am not from there.
A few people have guessed Australia that is also wrong although again I also really like Australia.
One person once guessed Ireland but I can only assume that this person had never actually been to Ireland because I definitely don't sound Irish.
Again a beautiful country but I'm definitely not from there.
So back to the word schedule.
The harder pronunciation, schedule, schedule with that hard K is technically US English, American English.
And the softer schedule, schedule, is British English.
However you will definitely hear both in the UK and around the world.
This is an example of one way that language is changing.
There are words where the pronunciation is a little more predictable.
Famously Americans say tomato, whereas in the UK we say tomato.
I don't see this one ever changing, but for a lot of words like data and data status and status for instance you'll often hear both pronunciations all over the world.
I guess what I'm saying is please don't worry too much about this pronunciation point.
A lot of people ask me which they should be using, which is better, which is more common. The fact is that both will be around the world and it really makes very little difference to your ability to communicate.
Next, we're going to talk about periods of time for instance from 1 p .m. to 2 p .m. That's a one hour period of time from 1 p .m. to 2 p .m. There are some interesting pieces of vocabulary that we can use to talk about this idea.
With that said, let's take a look at some of them now.
I have a window tomorrow between 11 and one.
I have a window tomorrow between 11 and one.
I have a gap this afternoon from two to three, would that work for you?
I have a gap this afternoon from two to three, would that work for you?
Do you have any slots on Monday morning?
Do you have any slots on Monday morning?
The first thing I want to talk about here is the word window, window.
You probably know this one already, albeit in a very different context.
A window of course is a space in a wall, usually covered by glass that lets light into a room.
Hopefully you can also open the windows in your office.
I once worked in an office where the windows didn't open, which was awful in the summer.
Having said that, I've also worked in an office with no windows at all and I'm really not sure which one I preferred.
Anyway, when we're talking about times and scheduling, a window is an amount of time with a beginning and an end during which something is possible.
In fact we often say window of time instead of just window but both are fine and will both be understood.
Maybe you ask me what time you can call me.
I might say that I have a meeting finishing at 2 p .m. then I'm driving to another meeting that starts at 4 p .m. So I have a window of time of around 2 hours where I could take a call from you.
So just like a window is an opening in your wall, it can also be an opening in your schedule.
You know these days I work from home and the window who's in my office or the window in my office is very old so there's just one part of it that opens right in the top corner and I've only lived here since when did I move in October?
yeah October last year so this is my first summer in this office I'm a little bit scared of what this office is going to be like when it gets really hot outside but we shall see I hope that I survive And in the third example we heard the word slots as a plural slots or a slot as a singular as in, do you have any slots on Monday morning?
In the example we heard, do you have any slots on Monday morning?
We often use time slots that's slo t and then the plural s to talk about scheduling with people who regularly open and make available different periods of time on their schedule for booking.
For instance my schedule is open for people to book, you can book a slot of time or a time slot on my schedule for us to meet and work on your communication skills.
However this vocabulary has come to be used much more generally just to mean an available amount of time, often on a busy schedule.
Another way to use this is as the phrasal verb to slot in.
If you can slot something in, then you mean that you have a window or period time that would accommodate or fit a particular event.
So if you ask me if I have any slots on Monday morning then I might say I can slot you in at 11 a .m. I can slot you in at 11 a .m. Or maybe I'd say I can slot in a quick meeting at 11 am I can slot in a 30 minute meeting maybe at 11 am.
Let's now talk about how to ask someone about a time, or offer a time to someone.
Maybe you're not always in control of your own calendar and schedule, but for those times that you are, we're going to make sure that you have some great natural and native ways to set up those appointments and meetings.
Let's take a listen and see what we've got here.
I can make it on Monday morning if you're around.
I can make it on Monday morning if you're around.
Can you squeeze something in just after lunch tomorrow?
What's your availability like on Thursday?
I can meet at 1pm if that works for you.
AMP now. What's your availability like on Thursday?
I could meet at 1pm if that works for you.
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Make money from the heart gracefully stress -free and with your unique success blueprint Let's start with that first phrase to make it to make it in The first example we heard I can make it on Monday.
I can make it on Monday This is an informal way to say that I am available and it's possible for me to be at a particular event.
We often use this phrase to say that someone has achieved something that was unlikely or difficult.
We often hear it said that a celebrity has made it once they become famous.
They've made it. Or maybe if someone is badly injured and it might look like they're not going to make it.
But with the help of great doctors and medical professionals, it's okay.
They make it. So what does this mean when we apply it to time and scheduling?
Well if you arrive at an event and I didn't think you'd have time to attend then I might say, hey you made it, hey I'm so glad that you could make it.
So when I put this into a question I'm asking if you have time available?
I know it might be difficult for you to attend at this time but do you think it's possible?
If you can make it that's great, however if you can't make it then maybe we can choose another time because it would be great if you could make it.
Another idea that we heard in the first example is to be around.
To be around. In the example we heard, I can make it on Monday if you're around.
If you are around. If someone is around, this means that they are in a specific area or place.
You might tell a friend that you're visiting their city next week and ask if they are around?
In this context you're asking if they're in the city or if you tell your boss that you'll be around until 8 pm this evening then you're telling them that you'll be in the office until 8 pm or maybe at your desk until 8 pm if you're from home.
We sometimes hear people make this a little longer with the phrase around and about, around and about.
For instance, I'll be around and about all day if you need help with anything.
I'll be around and about all day if you need help with anything.
This has essentially the meaning but is even more informal.
Okay let's talk about the phrase to squeeze in.
To squeeze in. In the second example we heard can you squeeze something in just after lunch tomorrow.
Can you squeeze something in.
Let's start with That verb, squeeze.
What does this mean on its own?
Well, to squeeze is to push or press something hard with your fingers to make it smaller.
You might squeeze a plastic bottle in the kitchen to get the last sauce out of it.
Or maybe you might squeeze a tube of toothpaste in the bathroom.
Another reason to squeeze is to try and get something into a smaller space.
I've definitely tried to squeeze into trousers or jeans that I'm sure fit me a couple of years ago and I really should start going to the gym again.
So if I ask you if you can squeeze in a meeting appointment or event then I'm saying that I know that your schedule is very busy, but is it possible to find this amount of time in there?
I know you might have no time before it and no time after it and you might be running between meetings and have to finish strictly on time but I'd really appreciate it if you could squeeze this in.
I should say that the phrase to fit in has the same meaning and is a little less informal still casual still informal but also professional but to squeeze in sounds quite informal.
So if you want to sound a little more professional maybe you can go with can you fit this meeting in can you fit this meeting in or maybe can you fit in this meeting but if you're chatting with close colleagues who you work with every day then squeeze is fine.
Business or professional English doesn't always have to be formal it always depends on the situation and the people you are talking to.
And we also heard the noun availability availability in the third example we heard what's your availability like on Thursday what's your availability like on Thursday I should say there the word like is optional what's your availability on Thursday is an equally good sentence availability is simply the noun form the adjective available.
So you might be used to asking are you available, are you available.
Now you can also ask can you tell me about your availability or even just can you tell me your availability.
Which maybe sounds a little more professional and formal.
Don't forget that between episodes of the podcast you get videos every couple of days on instagram tiktok and youtube just search for breakout business english also if there's a topic that you'd like to hear me talk about on the podcast then i'd be excited to hear your ideas leave me a message or a comment on one of my youtube videos and i look forward to hearing from you once again if you would like to book some of my time to work on whatever communications challenges you have, either preparing for job interviews, preparing for presentations, understanding your colleagues better or developing
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I'd love to meet you and get to work.
You can do that at BreakoutBusinessEnglish .com.
That's the title of the podcast, BreakoutBusinessEnglish .com.
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