商务英语：安排会议

 　　Feifei: Hello, I’m Feifei and this is 6 Minute English.

　　Neil: And I’m Neil.

　　Feifei: How are you Neil and what have you been up to?

　　Neil: I’m very well, thank you. I’ve been listening to the news a lot this week.

　　Feifei: Oh yeah?

　　Neil: Yes, there are all kinds of things going on, lots of important people getting together, discussing important things... and it got me thinking about meetings and what it’s like trying to arrange a time and place to suit everyone.

　　Feifei: Oh it’s such a pain trying to get people together: if it’s only a couple of people it’s not too bad but when you need four or five people there’s always someone who wants a different time or a different place or a different date.

　　Neil: And you’re not the only one who feels that way Feifei - let’s hear from some of our friends and colleagues talking about arranging meetings. How easy is it to find a time and place that everyone’s happy with?

　　Voice 1: In Brazil it’s very easy to arrange a meeting because Brazilian people aren’t very formal, we can have a meeting anywhere: on the corridor¹ or in a room or around a desk, so it’s very easy to arrange a meeting in Brazil.

　　Voice 2: In China if you have a meeting, you would usually call people to say we have a meeting by phone, or if you see them in the office you would say we have a meeting, that’s about it. It’s normally² quite easy to fit in a meeting.

　　Voice 3: In Indonesia the manager would normally arrange a meeting, he or she will have to check if everyone can attend. It’s quite tricky³ to set up a time that suits everyone due to different schedules, so sometimes not everyone can attend.

　　Feifei: Ooh you’re right Neil. I’m not the only one who thinks it’s a pain.

　　Neil: Well, like it or hate it, arranging meetings effectively is a really important business skill.

　　Feifei: I guess so.

　　Neil: I think I feel a role-play coming on…

　　Feifei: We’re going to practise setting⁴ up meetings, aren’t we?

　　Neil: We are! We’re talking on the phone and we need to set up a meeting. And I think I should be the boss this time.

　　Feifei: We don’t need a boss Neil: we can just be colleagues.

　　Neil: Grrrr...

　　Feifei: Are you ready?

　　Neil: I’m ready!

　　Role-play

　　Neil: Feifei, we need to set up a meeting. Are you available this afternoon?

　　Feifei: Er, sorry no... I’m in a meeting all afternoon.

　　Neil: OK, no problem. What about tomorrow morning? Shall we say 10 o’clock?

　　Feifei: Tomorrow morning at 10. Let me check my diary... No, sorry I can’t do 10. How does 2 o’clock suit?

　　Neil: 2 o’clock’s good.

　　Feifei: Do we need to be face to face for this one?

　　Neil: No, I don’t think so. Let’s do this one on the phone.

　　Feifei: Great!

　　Neil: I’ll call you at 2.

　　Feifei: Speak to you soon.

　　Feifei: How did we do?

　　Neil: I think we were pretty good! But we need to hear from the lady who knows all about business language.

　　Neil / FF: It’s Business Betty!!

　　BB: Hello you two!

　　Neil: How are you Betty?

　　BB: Fine, thank you Neil.

　　Neil: So what did you think of our role-play Betty?

　　BB: I thought it was rather good! And here’s why:

　　First, you used lots of direct questions - and in British business culture, when you’re arranging a meeting, it’s OK to ask direct questions about people’s availability. Neil, you asked: Are you available…?

　　Neil: Are you available this afternoon?

　　BB: And you said ‘What about…?’

　　Neil: What about tomorrow morning?

　　BB: Neil, you also said ‘Shall we say…?’

　　Neil: Shall we say 10 o’clock?

　　BB: And finally, Feifei, you said ‘How does 2 o’clock suit?’

　　Feifei: How does 2 o’clock suit?

　　BB: So I liked that a lot: you both used simple, direct questions to agree the time. That was very good. And, as well as agreeing the time, I liked that you discussed and agreed the type of meeting. Feifei, you asked Neil if she wanted to meet in person. You said ‘Do we need to be face to face for this one?’

　　Feifei: Do we need to be face to face for this one?

　　BB: And Neil’s answer was ‘I don’t think so. Let’s do this one on the phone.’

　　Neil: I don’t think so. Let’s do this one on the phone.

　　BB: So, you both asked nice, simple, direct questions, and you agreed the type of meeting. I’d say that was a job well done! Now, I must be off, I’ve got a meeting to go to. Bye!!

　　Neil / FF: Thanks Betty, bye!!

　　Neil: Ahhh, she’s so good that Betty, a real top-notch professional.

　　Feifei: She does know her stuff⁵ - and she really liked our role-play…

　　Neil: She did! I’m feeling quite proud right now.

　　Feifei: Shall we go over it again?

　　Neil: I think we should! Are you ready?

　　Feifei: I am!

　　Role-play

　　Neil: Feifei, we need to set up a meeting. Are you available this afternoon?

　　Feifei: Er, sorry no... I’m in a meeting all afternoon.

　　Neil: OK, no problem. What about tomorrow morning? Shall we say 10 o’clock?

　　Feifei: Tomorrow morning at 10. Let me check my diary... No, sorry I can’t do 10. How does 2 o’clock suit?

　　Neil: 2 o’clock’s good.

　　Feifei: Great! Do we need to be face to face for this one?

　　Neil: No, I don’t think so. Let’s do this one on the phone.

　　Feifei: OK, speak to you later.

　　Neil: I’ll call you at 2.

　　Feifei: Bye.

　　Neil: And that’s the end of today’s role-play… and it’s also the end of today’s programme!

　　Feifei: So it’s goodbye from both of us - and please make sure you arrange to meet us again for another episode⁶ of 6 Minute English!

　　Neil / FF: Bye!!

1 corridor   

n.走廊，回廊，通路

参考例句：

• The corridor opens into Mr.Brown's office.这条走廊通到布朗先生的办公室。
• There was a ring of laughter in the corridor.走廊里传来响亮的笑声。

2 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

3 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

4 setting   

n.背景

参考例句：

• The play has its setting in Vienna.该剧以维也纳为背景。
• Where and when a story takes place is called the setting.故事发生的地点和时间称为故事背景。

5 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

6 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。