Using English at Work：18 Attending the Morning Meeting(4)（在线收听）

I'll have to talk to my wife about taking turns!

At my meeting, we're taking turns giving a quick rundown.

A "rundown" is a very short explanation of the most important points of something.

If your boss doesn't have time to read a long report, she might ask you to read it for her and then give her a rundown of what it's about.

It's a brief presentation, a summary.

Our status reports are quick rundowns, quick summaries of what we've done since the last meeting. "Rundown" (rundown) is one word.

Not everyone, however, is paying attention at the meeting.

"To pay attention to something" means to listen carefully and try to understand what someone else is saying.

At the meeting, some people aren't paying attention because they're thinking about their own status reports and what they are going to say when it's their turn - when it's their time to talk.

Sometimes our manger makes some comments or gives us some feedback, but there's usually not very much discussion at the meetings.

"Feedback" is either positive or negative comments that are made in response to what someone has done or, in this case, said.

If you write a story and ask a friend to read it and let you know what he thinks, then you are asking him to give you feedback.

The idea is that feedback will help make it better.

Sometimes people will write a draft of their report, give it to their colleague, and ask for feedback so they can make the report better.

Our meetings always end the same way, meaning it's the same ending every time we meet.

Our manager gives a short summary of how our department is doing.

A "summary" is, as you know, like a rundown; it's a short description of the most important points.

After my manager gives a summary of how our departments are doing, he gives a little pep talk to get us motivated.

A "pep (pep) talk" is a short speech that is supposed to encourage people, helping them to do something better, faster, or with more enthusiasm.