SCRIPTS
Meeting A - Formal Meeting
Alex: On behalf of Vision Corporation, I’d like to call this meeting to order. This is a meeting of some of the key players in our company: our top managers. Our purpose this morning is to hear a presentation about a new initiative for outreach and marketing, and to discuss this plan with all of you.
This is a presentation that all of us have looked forward to. This initiative marks a new milestone in the evolution of our company. First, it serves as an assessment of where our company is now in terms of communicating its message to its customers domestically and abroad. Furthermore, this plan has the potential to drive our company forward by transforming our corporate outreach and marketing strategies.
We are delighted that all of the major contributors to this initiative are here today. They will use their unique perspectives to talk about the current state of affairs in terms of outreach and marketing, give details about the new proposed initiative, and outline the path for implementation.
Meeting B - Informal Meeting
Alex: Okay, everybody. Please take a seat. Let’s get started. I’ve called this meeting of our top salespeople so that all of you get a chance to hear about the new plan to get our company out there in order to reach more of our potential market. First, we’ll hear a presentation from the team that has been working on this. Then, we’ll discuss it to get your feedback and put our heads together to see if there are any other ideas.
While the team is getting set up, let me say a few words. What does this new plan mean for our company? First, it’s a reality check on where we are right now in terms of getting our message to our customers. Second, this plan has the potential to move the company forward. One of our main challenges, as you all know, is staying relevant in this changing market. Today’s presentation has some really innovative ideas about how we can do this.
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GLOSSARY
Meeting A - Formal Meeting
to call a meeting to order – to officially begin a meeting * Mr. Powell always calls his meetings to order at exactly 8:05 a.m.
key player – important team members; people who are very important in a project or business
*Gavin is a key player in that organization, because he is the only person who understands the software program.
purpose – reason for existing; why one does something
*My purpose in applying for this job is to find interesting work in a national technology company.
initiative – program, idea, or project, usually to improve a situation; to use a new approach to do something
*That organization has an initiative to give free breakfasts to every poor child in the city.
outreach – communication with people outside of an organization or business * The university has an outreach program that teaches farmers to use less water.
marketing – a plan for making other people want to buy a product or service * The bank’s marketing strategy includes giving customers free coffee when they come into the office.
to look forward to (something) – to anticipate something; to be excited about something that will happen in the future; to be eager for something to happen * Saji hasn’t had a vacation in five years, so he’s looking forward to his trip to San Francisco this summer.
to mark – to note when or where something occurs; to record something * Today marks our 10-year wedding anniversary, and I’m glad our friend and family can be here to celebrate it with us.
milestone – a small accomplishment or achievement that is part of a larger project or goal
*Earning a high school diploma and undergraduate degree were major milestones for Larry, who has always wanted to earn a Ph.D.
evolution – development over time, usually of something that begins small or simple and changes to something bigger or more complex
*The evolution of the legal system in the United States has taken centuries.
assessment – evaluation of one’s progress in doing something
*The army’s assessment of soldiers’ health includes their running speed and their strength.
in terms of – regarding; with reference to; related to
*The company has the highest sales in the country, but in terms of the number of employees, it is very small.
furthermore – in addition; also
*Building a new hospital is a good idea because it will bring better health care to the people who live in our city. Furthermore, building costs are very low now.
to drive (something) forward – to help something progress and become better * Communication technology was driven forward by the Internet in the 1990s.
to transform – to change something in a big and important way
*Opening an international airport transformed the city into an important business center.
perspective – point of view; a way of looking at something
*Danitsa grew up in Eastern Europe, so she has a different perspective than we do about politics in that part of the world.
current state of affairs – the way that things are today; the status of something at the moment
*The current state of affairs is that all of our best employees are leaving because they can make more money at other companies.
to outline – to briefly describe the main points of an idea or plan * When people don’t have time to read a report, they sometimes ask their assistants to outline the most important ideas.
Meeting B - Informal Meeting
to take a seat – to sit down
*Please take a seat in the front of the classroom so that you can hear the teacher better.
to get (something) out there – to make something more familiar to the public; to increase something’s public presence
*We need to get our message out there so that people know what great work our organization is doing.
potential market – the group of people who do not buy a product, but would probably be interested in it
*Our toys are used mostly by girls ages 4-6, but we believe that our potential market includes boys ages 5-7, too.
feedback – positive or negative reactions to an idea or to someone’s work * At the end of the course, the teacher will ask us to give our feedback about how to make it better next year.
to put (our/their) heads together – to work as a group to think of new ideas or better solutions
*When Brandon and Antonio put their heads together, they are able to think of some very creative new ideas.
to say a few words – to speak about something for a short period of time * At weddings, the parents of the married couple usually say a few words to wish the couple a happy life together.
reality check – a realistic look at the true situation; an objective and factual analysis; a reminder of the true facts
*Amanda thought that her dog-walking business would be a great success, but learning that there were already 14 other such businesses in her city was a reality check for her.
relevant – important; related to the current situation
*The cost of books is very relevant for college students who don’t have very much money.
innovative – new, creative, and interesting
*The new CD players have an innovative design that is very popular.
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1
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
ESLPod.com presents "Business Meetings," a special 10-episode course to teach you business vocabulary in English. I'm Dr. Jeff McQuillan, from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California, and I'll be the host for this series.
In this course, you'll learn vocabulary for formal and informal business meetings. Each lesson has three parts: first, we will read a story or a dialogue slowly; second, we will give an explanation of what happened in the meeting and the vocabulary used; and third, we’ll repeat the dialogue or story at a normal speed for native speakers. Each lesson will have both a formal and an informal meeting, so you can hear the differences between, for example, a more formal meeting with your boss or the head of the company, and a more informal meeting with your co-workers or fellow employees. The lesson will begin with the formal meeting first, followed by the informal meeting dialogue or story.
Are you ready? Let's begin with lesson one: “Starting a Meeting.”
[start of formal meeting script]
Alex: On behalf of Vision Corporation, I’d like to call this meeting to order. This is a meeting of some of the key players in our company: our top managers. Our purpose this morning is to hear a presentation about a new initiative for outreach and marketing, and to discuss this plan with all of you.
This is a presentation that all of us have looked forward to. This initiative marks a new milestone in the evolution of our company. First, it serves as an assessment of where our company is now in terms of communicating its message to its customers domestically and abroad. Furthermore, this plan has the potential to drive our company forward by transforming our corporate outreach and marketing strategies.
We are delighted that all of the major contributors to this initiative are here today. They will use their unique perspectives to talk about the current state of affairs in terms of outreach and marketing, give details about the new proposed initiative, and outline the path for implementation.
[end of formal meeting script]
Our script begins with Alex of the Vision Corporation “calling the meeting to order.” To “call a meeting to order” (order) means to officially begin the meeting. Alex says that it is a meeting of the “key (key) players,” or the people who have the most important positions or roles. He says that the “purpose” of the meeting, or the reason that everyone is meeting, is to hear a presentation about a new “initiative” (initiative), which is a new idea for a project or program, especially at work. This particular initiative is for “outreach” (outreach), which means communicating with people who aren’t involved with the company, and “marketing” (marketing), which means telling people about the company’s products and trying to increase sales.
He says that everyone has “looked forward to” the presentation. When we say that everyone looks forward to a meeting or presentation, we mean that they have been excited about the presentation for a long time and are eager and happy to hear it today. They want to hear about it. Then Alex says that the initiative “marks” (marks) a new “milestone” (milestone). To “mark” means to note when something happens. “We are going to mark our anniversary by having a party.” To “mark” is to note, to indicate to others. A “milestone” is an important achievement on the way to meeting a bigger goal. It’s one small step in a larger project. A “milestone” for you might be getting a driver’s license, graduating from college, or passing the TOEFL exam. Or, a “milestone” could be different sections of a big project.
Alex says that the presentation serves as an “assessment” (assessment) or measurement of where the company is now “in terms of” communicating its message. The phrase “in terms (terms) of” usually means “with regard to” or “regarding.” For example, Alex could have said “in terms of sales,” or “in terms of our employee’s qualifications” instead of “in terms of communicating its message.” He then says, “Furthermore, this plan has the potential to drive our company forward.” The word “furthermore” (furthermore) is used to present a new idea that builds on whatever was said before. You could say “in addition” here as well. “To drive something forward” means to help something become better or move into the future. When Alex talks about “transforming” corporate outreach and marketing strategies, he means changing the outreach and marketing in a big or important way. To transform means to change, to make different.
Next Alex says he is delighted that the major contributors are at the meeting and says that they will use their unique “perspectives” (perspectives) or “points of view” (opinions, or ideas), to talk about the “current state of affairs.” The “current state of affairs” (affairs) is just a fancy way to say the way things are today or the current status of something. The “current state of affairs” is what is going on
now, at this time. A little later, Alex says that the participants will “outline” (outline) the path for implementation, meaning that they will briefly describe the main points or main ideas about implementation. To “implement” means to carry out, to do something.
Now let’s listen to the beginning of the formal meeting again, this time at a normal speed.
[start of formal meeting script]
Alex: On behalf of Vision Corporation, I’d like to call this meeting to order. This is a meeting of some of the key players in our company: our top managers. Our purpose this morning is to hear a presentation about a new initiative for outreach and marketing, and to discuss this plan with all of you.
This is a presentation that all of us have looked forward to. This initiative marks a new milestone in the evolution of our company. First, it serves as an assessment of where our company is now in terms of communicating its message to its customers domestically and abroad. Furthermore, this plan has the potential to drive our company forward by transforming our corporate outreach and marketing strategies.
We are delighted that all of the major contributors to this initiative are here today. They will use their unique perspectives to talk about the current state of affairs in terms of outreach and marketing, give details about the new proposed initiative, and outline the path for implementation.
[end of formal meeting script]
Hopefully now you have a better understanding of the formal meeting. In the informal meeting, Alex is much more casual and relaxed. Let’s listen.
[start of informal meeting script]
Alex: Okay, everybody. Please take a seat. Let’s get started. I’ve called this meeting of our top salespeople so that all of you get a chance to hear about the new plan to get our company out there in order to reach more of our potential market. First, we’ll hear a presentation from the team that has been working on this. Then, we’ll discuss it to get your feedback and put our heads together to see if there are any other ideas.
While the team is getting set up, let me say a few words. What does this
new plan mean for our company? First, it’s a reality check on where we are right now in terms of getting our message to our customers. Second, this plan has the potential to move the company forward. One of our main challenges, as you all know, is staying relevant in this changing market. Today’s presentation has some really innovative ideas about how we can do this.
[end of informal meeting script]
Alex begins by asking everyone to “take a seat” (seat), which is an informal way of asking people to sit down in their chairs. He calls the meeting to order – he gets it started – by saying that this meeting is to hear about a new plan to “get the company out there.” The phrase “to get something out there” means to make something more familiar to the public. For example, a new website always wants to get its message out there so that people learn about it and begin to visit it. “To get out there” can mean to get noticed by other people. Alex says that doing so will help the company reach more of its “potential market.” Potential (potential) here means possible, so the “potential market” is a group of people who do not buy the product right now, but would probably or possibly be interested in it. You can also use potential as a noun, such as “He’s got great potential,” meaning he has great possibilities; he will do great things in the future.
Alex explains that after the presentation there will be a discussion to get people’s “feedback” (feedback), or positive and negative reactions about what they just heard. Then they will put their heads together to see if there are any other ideas. The phrase “to put our heads together” means to work as a group to think of new ideas about something. For example, Lucy and I always put our heads together to think of ideas for new and interesting ESL Podcasts.
Alex says that he wants “to say a few words” while the team is getting set up or getting ready to give the presentation. This means that he wants to speak about something for a short period of time, maybe a few minutes. Sometimes at a meeting, we ask someone to stand up and say a few words, meaning to talk to the whole group for a few minutes about some topic. Alex says that the new plan means three things for the company. First, it’s a “reality check.” “Reality” (reality) is another word for what is real, what is actually happening. A “check” (check) here means a look at or an examination of something to see how you are doing, how much progress you’ve made. So a “reality check” is a realistic look at the true facts of a situation, something that will tell you how you are doing. In this case, the reality check is about how well the company is communicating with its customers.
Second, he says that the plan can help move the company forward by helping it stay “relevant” (relevant), meaning important or related to the current situation, even though the market is changing. Because the market is changing, the company has to make sure it is doing what their customers want or expect from them. We also use this word “relevant” to mean related to something, related to the current situation. The opposite would be “irrelevant.” If someone says that this is irrelevant, they mean it is not related to or connected to the current situation or idea.
Alex finishes by saying that the presentation has many “innovative” (innovative) ideas. “Innovative,” means new, something that hasn’t been done before, so “innovative ideas” are ideas that are new, creative, and interesting.
Now, let’s listen to the informal meeting again, this time at a native rate of speech.
[start of informal meeting script]
Alex: Okay, everybody. Please take a seat. Let’s get started. I’ve called this meeting of our top salespeople so that all of you get a chance to hear about the new plan to get our company out there in order to reach more of our potential market. First, we’ll hear a presentation from the team that has been working on this. Then, we’ll discuss it to get your feedback and put our heads together to see if there are any other ideas.
While the team is getting set up, let me say a few words. What does this new plan mean for our company? First, it’s a reality check on where we are right now in terms of getting our message to our customers. Second, this plan has the potential to move the company forward. One of our main challenges, as you all know, is staying relevant in this changing market. Today’s presentation has some really innovative ideas about how we can do this.
[end of informal meeting script]
In this lesson, we learned about starting (or calling to order) a business meeting, both a formal meeting and an informal one. In the next lesson, you'll learn about introducing the participants at a meeting.
This course has been a production of the Center for Educational Development, in beautiful Los Angeles, California. Visit our web site at eslpod.com.
This course was produced by Dr. Jeff McQuillan and Dr. Lucy Tse. Copyright 2007.
______
Contributors to this series are Jeff McQuillan, Lucy Tse, and Jessica Brown.
SCRIPTS
Meeting A – Formal Meeting
Alex: Before we begin, I would like to take a moment to introduce the participants who have graciously agreed to share their time with us today. I believe that all of you already know me, Alex Aurora, the CEO of Vision Corporation.
On my immediate right is Ms. Hannah Graff, the account representative from our marketing consulting firm. She has been a visionary leader in coordinating the focus groups and helping us identify our target market.
On my far right, the gentleman in the gray suit is Mr. Chris Banda, who is the Senior Vice President of Product Development. Over the past few months, he has shown great flexibility and willingness to adapt his product features to better meet our customers’ needs.
And last but not least, I’d like to introduce our Senior Vice President of Marketing, Mr. Shawn Edwards. He has been coordinating our marketing efforts for the past seven years, and his hard work is culminating in today’s presentation.
With that, I’ll turn it over to our Senior Vice President of Marketing, Shawn Edwards, who will lead the proceedings today. Thank you to all of you for being here, and welcome.
Meeting B – Informal Meeting
Alex: Before we dive into the presentation, I should probably start by saying that I’m Alex Aurora, the CEO of Vision Corporation, just in case there’s anyone here who hasn’t met me in person before today.
Could I please get our key team members to introduce themselves? Hannah, why don’t we start with you?
Hannah: Sure. I’m Hannah Graff, an account representative from the marketing firm that has been doing the focus groups. Today I’ll be talking about your target market. It’s my pleasure to join all of you today.
Chris: I’m Christopher Hanson, the Senior V.P. of Product Development. I’ve been tweaking our product so that it’s a better fit for what our customers are looking for.
Shawn: Hi, everybody. I’m Shawn Edwards, Senior V.P. of Marketing. I’ve spent the past few months trying to keep up with all the great work that Hannah and Chris have been doing.
Alex: Great, thanks. Now I’m going to turn it over to Shawn who’ll be running the show today.
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GLOSSARY
Meeting A – Formal Meeting
to take a moment – to do something for a short period of time; to pause or interrupt for a short time to do something; to delay the beginning of something briefly to do something
*Even though everyone is very busy with the project, I want to take a moment to thank the workers for everything they are doing.
graciously – generously; kindly; very thoughtfully; politely
*If you want to stay friends with the other players, it’s a good idea to learn to lose games graciously, thanking the other person for the game instead of getting angry when you lose.
CEO – Chief Executive Officer; the person who leads a business, similar to a company president
*The CEO of the hospital said that she wants the hospital to purchase a new office building next year so that the hospital can expand.
immediate – next to; nearest; on the side of
*To get to their house, take an immediate left after the bridge.
visionary – full of new, creative, and intelligent ideas for the future * Her visionary book describes a future where no one is poor. focus group – a small group of people who are asked to give their opinions about a product or a topic
*Last week, Darnell participated in a focus group about cable Internet services.
target market – the group of people that a company wants to sell its product to, usually with the same sex, race, education, and economic status
*The target market for the new car is well educated, married men who earn at least $60,000 per year.
far – distant; not near or next to
*My favorite chair is in the far corner of the living room, away from the front door.
gentleman – a polite term for a man; a man who is polite and well respected * When I was walking in the rain today, an elderly gentleman offered to share his umbrella with me.
flexibility – ability to adapt or adjust quickly to changes or new situations * Vicky wants to work for a company with enough flexibility so that she can work from home a few days each week.
willingness – ready or prepared to do something; agreeing to do something * Thank you very much for your willingness to come to the doctor’s office with me.
feature – characteristic; something that a product has or does
*The new features on this camera include a better battery and a prettier design.
last but not least – a phrase used to introduce the last person or thing in a group, meaning that it is not less important than the other people or things already mentioned
*I’ve already shown you the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms in this new house. Last but not least, this is the garage.
to coordinate – to organize and lead
*Michelle coordinated the invitations, food, and music for the wedding.
to culminate – to reach the highest point in development; to finish with a specific result
*Their research studies culminated in a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
with that – a phrase used to show that one part of something has ended and now it is time to move to the next part
*The director will welcome the new employees, and with that we’ll ask them to read and sign their contracts.
to turn (something) over to (someone) – to put someone in control of something
*When my co-worker left the company, all of his work was turned over to me for a few weeks.
to lead the proceedings – to run or guide a meeting or discussion * Dr. McPherson was asked to lead the proceedings because she is a good speaker and she understands the topic very well.
Meeting B – Informal Meeting
to dive into (something) – to begin something right away
*I don’t like cleaning the house, but let’s dive into it and finish it as quickly as possible.
just in case – if something may happen; if something is possible * Do you think you should take an umbrella just in case it rains?
to meet (someone) in person – to be introduced to someone while being in the same room, so that the two people see each other (not over the phone or email) * Have you ever met a famous actor or singer in person?
why don’t we – let’s; a polite phrase used to suggest doing something * Why don’t we eat dinner at a restaurant tonight instead of cooking at home?
account representative – an employee at a consulting company in charge of a project for a company using the consulting company’s services
*Who is the account representative for the new project with Acme Corporation?
product development – the work of creating and improving the products that a company sells
*Everyone in the product development department is really excited about the new cell phone that plays music, videos, and podcasts.
to tweak – to make small changes to something
*Macarena has been tweaking her art project for hours, trying to make it perfect.
to keep up with (something) – to be familiar with all the latest changes in something; to keep up to date with something
*Have you been keeping up with the news about the storms in Florida?
to run the show – to be in charge of something; to lead a meeting or project * I’ve asked Karen to run the show for today’s conference, and to make sure we stay on schedule.
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2
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to ESLPod.com’s “Business Meetings” course. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
In the first lesson of “Business Meetings,” we learned business vocabulary for starting formal and informal business meetings. In this second lesson, we’re going to learn how to introduce the participants, the people who are at the meeting.
Let’s get started by listening to the formal meeting.
[start of formal meeting script]
Alex: Before we begin, I would like to take a moment to introduce the participants who have graciously agreed to share their time with us today. I believe that all of you already know me, Alex Aurora, the CEO of Vision Corporation.
On my immediate right is Ms. Hannah Graff, the account representative from our marketing consulting firm. She has been a visionary leader in coordinating the focus groups and helping us identify our target market.
On my far right, the gentleman in the gray suit is Mr. Chris Banda, who is the Senior Vice President of Product Development. Over the past few months, he has shown great flexibility and willingness to adapt his product features to better meet our customers’ needs.
And last but not least, I’d like to introduce our Senior Vice President of Marketing, Mr. Shawn Edwards. He has been coordinating our marketing efforts for the past seven years, and his hard work is culminating in today’s presentation.
With that, I’ll turn it over to our Senior Vice President of Marketing, Shawn Edwards, who will lead the proceedings today. Thank you to all of you for being here, and welcome.
[end of formal meeting script]
Alex starts by saying, “Before we begin, I would like to take a moment to introduce the participants.” To “take a moment” means to do something for a short period of time or to pause or interrupt something for a short time. In this case, he is delaying the beginning of the meeting because he wants to introduce the participants first. For example, you might “take a moment” to put on your jacket before you go outside.
Alex says that the participants “have graciously agreed to share their time with us.” The word “graciously” (graciously) means generously, kindly, or very thoughtfully. If someone graciously accepts an invitation, it means that he or she did so very kindly and politely. Then Alex introduces himself as the CEO of Vision Corporation. “CEO” means Chief Executive Officer; this is the person who leads a business, like a president, but more important. Some other titles you may hear related to leaders in a company are “CIO,” which “stands for” (or means) Chief Information Officer, and “CFO,” which is the Chief Financial Officer.
Then Alex begins introducing the other participants. He says that on his
“immediate right” is Ms. Hannah Graff. To say that she is on his “immediate (immediate) right” means that she is right next to him on his right-hand side. And note that Alex uses Hannah’s title, “Ms.,” because this is a formal meeting. “Ms.” is the most common title for a woman, whether she is married or not. You won’t hear “Mrs.” or “Miss” as much anymore in formal business meetings. In the informal meeting you’ll see that people call each other by their first names.
Alex says that Hannah “has been a visionary leader in coordinating the focus groups.” A “visionary (visionary) leader” is someone who has many new, creative, and intelligent ideas. “Visionary” comes from the word “vision,” which means a plan for the future. “Visionaries” usually refer to people who are very creative. “Visionaries” today might be thinking about flying cars or space travel.
A “focus group” is a small group of people who are asked to give their opinions about a product or a topic. Market research companies often ask focus groups for their opinions about new products or advertisements before they start selling or using them. This company is using focus groups to learn why its sales are falling. Alex says that in addition to coordinating the focus groups, Hannah has been helping the company identify its “target market” (target market), which is the group of people that a company wants to sell its product to, usually with the same sex, race, education, and economic status. The target market for dolls is young girls, and the target market for paint might be people who own their homes.
Next, Alex says that on his “far right, the gentleman in the gray suit is Mr. Chris Banda.” Being on the “far right” means that Chris is on Alex’s right-hand side, but further away from him, not right next to him (because that’s where Hannah is). “Far” means distant, not near. That’s why we sometimes say that something is “far away,” meaning it isn’t close to us. Alex calls Chris a “gentleman,” which is a polite and respectful word for a man. You have probably heard speeches that begin with “Ladies and gentlemen…” because that is a polite way to address the audience.
Alex says that Chris “has shown great flexibility and willingness.” “Flexibility” (flexibility) is the ability to adapt or adjust quickly to changes or new situations. Someone who knows that gas prices are going up and decides to use an electric car instead shows a lot of flexibility. “Willingness” (willingness) means that someone is ready or prepared to do something. For example, a person is more likely to get a job in international business if he or she has a willingness to travel a lot. Chris has shown flexibility and willingness to adapt his product features to better meet the customers’ needs. A “feature” is a characteristic. A “product feature” is something that a product has or does. For example, product features for a computer include its memory, screen size (if it’s a laptop), and speed.
Next, Alex says that “last but not least” he’d like to introduce Shawn. “Last but not least” is a phrase used to talk about the last person or thing in a group, meaning that it is not less important, however, than the other people or things that were already mentioned. In this case, Alex has already introduced Hannah and Chris. By saying “last but not least,” he’s telling people that even though Shawn is the third and last person to be introduced, he is not the least important.
Alex says that Shawn has been “coordinating” the marketing efforts. The verb to “coordinate” means to organize and lead something. In other words, Shawn is in charge of the marketing efforts. You might be responsible for “coordinating” a party or a meeting. Finally, Alex says that Shawn’s hard work during the past seven years is “culminating” in today’s presentation. The verb to “culminate” (culminate) means to reach the highest point in the development of something, or to finish something with a specific result. Shawn’s seven years of hard work have led up to this presentation, which is the final result of his work. One might say that years of a runner’s training culminate in winning a race.
Alex ends the introductions by saying, “With that, I’ll turn it over to Shawn.” The phrase “with that” is used to show that one part of something has ended and now it is time to move to the next part. Alex is using the phrase to let people know that the introductions have finished and now it is Shawn’s turn to speak. A student might say, “I’ve just finished two papers and with that, I’m ready for summer vacation!” This means that the student has finished the last two papers for the semester and now the semester has ended and the student can enjoy their vacation.
When Alex says that he’ll “turn it over” to Shawn, he means he’s going to put Shawn in control of something – in this case, Shawn is going to be in control of the next part of the presentation. If someone has too much work to do, he or she might turn a project over to a co-worker, so that someone else can do part of the work. Alex says that Shawn will “lead the proceedings today.” To “lead (lead) the proceedings (proceedings)” means to run a meeting or guide a discussion.
Now that we have reviewed the new vocabulary, let’s listen to the formal meeting again, this time at a normal rate of speech.
[start of formal meeting script]
Alex: Before we begin, I would like to take a moment to introduce the participants who have graciously agreed to share their time with us today. I believe that all of you already know me, Alex Aurora, the CEO of Vision Corporation.
On my immediate right is Ms. Hannah Graff, the account representative from our marketing consulting firm. She has been a visionary leader in coordinating the focus groups and helping us identify our target market.
On my far right, the gentleman in the gray suit is Mr. Chris Banda, who is the Senior Vice President of Product Development. Over the past few months, he has shown great flexibility and willingness to adapt his product features to better meet our customers’ needs.
And last but not least, I’d like to introduce our Senior Vice President of Marketing, Mr. Shawn Edwards. He has been coordinating our marketing efforts for the past seven years, and his hard work is culminating in today’s presentation.
With that, I’ll turn it over to our Senior Vice President of Marketing, Shawn Edwards, who will lead the proceedings today. Thank you to all of you for being here, and welcome.
[end of formal meeting script]
Now that we have a better understanding of the formal meeting, let’s listen to the same introductions at an informal meeting. In the formal meeting, Alex introduced all the other participants. In the informal meeting, you’ll see that everyone is much more relaxed as the participants introduce themselves, using each other’s first names.
[start of informal meeting script]
Alex: Before we dive into the presentation, I should probably start by saying that I’m Alex Aurora, the CEO of Vision Corporation, just in case there’s anyone here who hasn’t met me in person before today.
Could I please get our key team members to introduce themselves? Hannah, why don’t we start with you?
Hannah: Sure. I’m Hannah Graff, an account representative from the marketing firm that has been doing the focus groups. Today I’ll be talking about your target market. It’s my pleasure to join all of you today.
Chris: I’m Christopher Hanson, the Senior V.P. of Product Development. I’ve been tweaking our product so that it’s a better fit for what our customers are looking for.
Shawn: Hi, everybody. I’m Shawn Edwards, Senior V.P. of Marketing. I’ve spent the past few months trying to keep up with all the great work that Hannah and Chris have been doing.
Alex: Great, thanks. Now I’m going to turn it over to Shawn who will be running the show today.
[end of informal meeting script]
Alex starts by saying, “Before we dive into the presentation, I should probably start by saying that I’m Alex Aurora.” To “dive into something” means to begin something right away, so when Alex says “before we dive into the presentation,” he means “before we begin the presentation.” If you are excited about a project, you probably want to dive into it right away. Alex introduces himself as “the CEO (or Chief Executive Officer) of Vision Corporation, just in case there’s anyone here who hasn’t met me in person before today.” The phrase “just in case” means if something may happen, or if something is possible. Someone might decide to buy groceries for the entire week, just in case they don’t have time to go shopping later in the week. Alex believes that most or all of the participants already know him, but just in case there is someone who hasn’t met him in person, he wants to introduce himself. To “meet someone in person” means to be introduced to someone while being in the same room, so that the two people see each other. If you’re introduced to someone over the phone or email, you haven’t met in person. Alex then asks each of the team members to introduce themselves and he says, “Hannah, why don’t we start with you?” The phrase “why don’t we” is a polite phrase that means “let’s – let us do this,” and is used to suggest doing something. For example, “Why don’t we listen to that podcast again?” Or, “Why don’t we go to the movies tonight?” You’re not really asking why we are not going to the movies. Instead, you’re suggesting that we go to the movies.
Hannah introduces herself as an “account representative,” which is an employee at a consulting company in charge of a project for a company using the consulting company’s services. Hannah doesn’t work for Vision Corporation. Vision Corporation hired a consulting company to help them with their market research, and Hannah is the “account representative,” or the person who works for the consulting company and is assigned to the Vision Corporation project. Hannah says that she has been working with the focus groups, the people who give their opinion about Vision Corporation’s product, and that today she’ll be talking about the target market, or the group of people that Vision Corporation is trying to sell its product to: the “target market.”
Next, Chris introduces himself as the Senior V.P., or Vice President, of Product Development. “Product development” is the work of creating and improving the products that a company sells. In the computer industry, for example, “product development” is about making computers smaller and faster. In the clothing industry, “product development” is about making new styles with a lot of fashion.
Chris says that he has been “tweaking” the product so that it’s a better fit for what the customers are looking for. To “tweak” (tweak) means to make small changes to something. We often “tweak” the wording in these courses to try to make the definitions more accurate and easier to understand.
Finally, Shawn introduces himself and says that he has “spent the last few months trying to keep up with all the great work that Hannah and Chris have been doing.” To “keep up with” something means to be familiar with all the latest changes in something or to keep up to date with something. Shawn means that he has been trying to follow all of the work that Hannah and Chris are doing, so that he knows what’s going on. You might try to keep up with the news, or to keep up with changes in technology.
At the end of the meeting, Alex says he’s going to “turn it over to Shawn who’ll be running the show today.” To “run the show” means to be in charge of something or to lead a project or meeting. If you go to a disorganized event and you want to speak with the organizer, you might ask, “Who’s running the show here?” to find out who’s in charge.
We’ve reviewed all the vocabulary in the informal meeting, so now let’s listen to it again, this time at a normal speed.
[start of informal meeting script]
Alex: Before we dive into the presentation, I should probably start by saying that I’m Alex Aurora, the CEO of Vision Corporation, just in case there’s anyone here who hasn’t met me in person before today.
Could I please get our key team members to introduce themselves? Hannah, why don’t we start with you?
Hannah: Sure. I’m Hannah Graff, an account representative from the marketing firm that has been doing the focus groups. Today I’ll be talking about your target market. It’s my pleasure to join all of you today.
Chris: I’m Christopher Hanson, the Senior V.P. of Product Development. I’ve been tweaking our product so that it’s a better fit for what our customers are looking for.
Shawn: Hi, everybody. I’m Shawn Edwards, Senior V.P. of Marketing. I’ve spent the past few months trying to keep up with all the great work that Hannah and Chris have been doing.
Alex: Great, thanks. Now I’m going to turn it over to Shawn who will be running the show today.
[end of informal meeting script]
I hope this has helped you become more familiar with the business vocabulary used to introduce participants at formal and informal business meetings. In our next lesson, we’re going to look at how people begin meetings and how they let people know what’s going to be discussed.
This course has been a production of the Center for Educational Development, in beautiful Los Angeles, California. Visit our web site at eslpod.com.
This course was produced by Dr. Jeff McQuillan and Dr. Lucy Tse. Copyright 2007.
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Contributors to this series are Jeff McQuillan, Lucy Tse, and Jessica Brown.
SCRIPTS
Meeting A - Formal Meeting
Shawn: Thank you, Alex. And thank you to everyone who is here today. As you know, today’s presentation is designed to present our recommendations about how Vision Corporation can increase its market share by reaching more of its potential market.
You should each have a copy of our handouts in front of you that correspond to the slides up here on the screen. This first slide shows our agenda for the day.
First, I will begin with an overview of how our market share has been declining during the past twelve months, and the reasons for that decline. Then, Ms. Graff will present the data that she gathered from the focus groups and her ideas for clarifying our target market. She will be followed by Mr. Hanson, who will discuss adapting our product to meet market needs, and he’ll conclude with our main recommendations.
Since we have limited time today, please hold your questions until the end of the presentation.
Meeting B - Informal Meeting
Shawn: All right, let me start by saying thanks to all of you for your interest in this presentation. Does everyone have the printed handouts? Great. Let’s start by taking a look at what we’re going to cover today.
As you can see in this outline here, we’ll start off by talking about how our market share has been falling over the past year, and the reasons why. After that, Hannah’s going to tell you about the focus groups she conducted and what we can learn from them. She’ll also share her ideas about who our target market really should be. We’ll finish off with Chris talking about how his team has been able to change our product so that it has more appeal to our customers. Then he’ll wrap things up with our team’s recommendations.
Any questions so far? If you have questions later on during the presentation, please feel free to interrupt me at any time.
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GLOSSARY
Meeting A - Formal Meeting
to be designed to – to be made or created for a specific purpose
*The Internet was designed for scientists, but today almost everyone uses it.
recommendation – suggestion; advice, usually about what someone should do; one’s opinion about what another person should do
*The recommendations of the American Heart Association include eating more fruits and vegetables and exercising regularly.
market share – the percentage of sales that a company has in a specific market * The market share of the two largest Japanese car companies is growing in the United States.
handouts – papers that are given to people in the audience during a presentation
*When you make handouts, don’t forget to leave space for people to write their own notes on each page.
to correspond to – to match up with; to be related to
*The colors on the tickets correspond to how much people paid for their tickets.
slide – one page or picture in a visual presentation that is shown on a screen
(flat white surface) so many people in a room can see it
*Your presentation will look more professional if each slide has the same colors and text size.
screen – a large piece of white fabric that hangs on a wall and is used to display pictures and images during a presentation so that many people in a room can see it
*We didn’t have a screen, so we had to show the presentation on the wall.
agenda – a plan; a list of topics for a meeting; a list of things that will be
discussed in a meeting and for how long
*If they follow the agenda, the meeting should last only two hours.
first – before anything else; to begin * To make a cake, first turn on the oven. overview – a summary without very much detail; a broad view of something * The first chapter of the book has an overview of the county’s history, but the rest of the book is about the war.
to decline – to decrease; to become less or smaller; to fall
*The governor reported that the number of crimes is declining in our city.
then – next; later
*To go to their house, take bus number 42 across town and then get off at 122nd Street.
data – information; facts; results from a research project
*The scientists have gathered a lot of data from their experiments over 12 years.
to gather – to collect; to get from many sources or places
*The researchers called 100 homes to gather people’s opinions about the new law.
to clarify – to make something clearer or more understandable
*Could you please clarify what you just said? I don’t think I understood you correctly.
to be followed by – to have as the next event; to finish and to have something else begin
*Their wedding was followed by a large party at a restaurant.
to conclude – to end, usually a presentation or discussion
*Ms. Sanchez concluded the presentation by thanking everyone for having come to hear her speak.
to hold (one’s) questions – to wait to ask questions until the end of a meeting or presentation
*The presenter had to ask everyone to hold their questions. Otherwise, he wasn’t going to have enough time to finish his presentation.
Meeting B - Informal Meeting
to cover – to talk about; to discuss
* This math course covers advanced algebra and basic trigonometry.
to start off – to begin
*The runner started off too quickly and became tired after only a few minutes. after that – next; once that has finished
*We’re going to eat dinner, and after that, we’ll see a movie.
to conduct – to organize and lead something; to arrange and do something * Mr. Rehman conducts workshops to help people start online businesses.
to share (one’s) ideas – to say one’s ideas, thoughts, and opinions in front of other people
*When Penny shares her ideas, everyone listens because she is very creative and intelligent.
to finish off – to end something; to finish doing something * We’ll finish off dinner with chocolate ice cream.
appeal – ability to attract people; pleasantness that other people like * The appeal of a weekend trip to the country is that it helps people relax and forget about work.
to wrap things up – to end a presentation or project; to finish something * At the end of our two-week vacation, we’re going to wrap things up with a trip to Disneyland.
please feel free – please do something; please don’t feel uncomfortable doing something; it is okay to do something
*Please feel free to eat whatever you want to while you’re staying in our home.
to interrupt – to say or do something while another person is talking so that the other person has to stop speaking
*Many parents teach their children to say “excuse me” before they interrupt adults who are talking.
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3
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to ESLPod.com’s “Business Meetings” course: lesson two. I'm your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
In the second lesson of “Business Meetings,” we learned business vocabulary for introducing the participants at formal and informal business meetings. Now, in this third lesson, we're going to learn how to begin a