Training and away days（在线收听）

　 Training and away daysThis programme was first broadcast in 2001.
　　This is not an accurate word-for-word transcript of the programme.
　　Carmela: This week we’re looking at the language used at training courses and awaydays. And with me is David Evans, our business English expert. Now David itseems to me that training courses are becoming more and more popular, is thatright?
　　David: Yes, I think that more and more big companies and smaller companies as wellare sending their employees on training courses where they will learn new ordifferent sets of skills or on away days, which is simply an opportunity（机会） for staffto talk over work related issues in a different environment to the office or the factory where they usually work.
　　Carmela: Let’s get down to those useful phrases then … The following recording wasmade at a course run by the British charity Cancer Research Campaign.
　　Have a listen to the phrases Sarah, the trainer uses during her introduction.
　　CLIPSarah: Good Morning and welcome. My name’s Sarah Burns, I’m the training officerand I work in the human resources department in the campaign. I’m going tobe taking you through the contribution and development review process overthe next 2 days. Before I go any further just a few housekeeping bits andbobs. In the case of the fire alarm going off, if you could head back towardsreception, out the front door, and just on the right there is the grey building.
　　That’s the assembly point underneath the green canapé. There will be tea breaksand lunch breaks you’ll be pleased to know. We’ll stop for lunch at about 1.30.
　　END OF CLIPCarmela: Quite a typical start there. But before the trainer actually gave details about thecourse David, she alerted the participants to some of the information that theywould need about the building they were in and other information too. How didshe do that?
　　David: Yes, she used a very colloquial expression there. She said she wanted to talkabout housekeeping bits and bobs, which as you say means information about procedures in case of fire, information about the layout of the building, thetimes of the breaks during the day and so on. We also heard her use anotheruseful phrase, I’m going to be taking you through this ….. I’m going to…that “going to” future is the typical way that one would talk about their intentions for the day or indeed their intentions in the shorter term. Setting upan activity for example, I’m going to put you into pairs. ….. I’m going totake questions at the end and so on.
       Carmela: Yes, you’ll hear that phrase I’m going to again so do listen out for it.
　　Now let’s join the introduction at an away day. Now, as you’ve heard that’swhen people from an office get out of the office for usually a day, to talk aboutissues around work and also to talk about plans for the future for the company.
　　Let’s join Sean who is making his introduction.
　　CLIPSean: Hello everyone. Thank you for coming today. As you know we try to havethese away days about once a year. The purpose of today is to get away fromthe office environment and the daily grind and to take a step back so that wecan explore what we really do, what our main strengths are, and where improvements（改善） could be made in our systems. Right, we’ve got a lot to getthrough today - lots of exercises, role plays, and I think it’ll be a challengingday. But I also hope it’ll be fun too.
　　END OF CLIPCarmela: Well, there was a nice friendly start there from Sean and he went on to say thathe hoped it would be a fun day but he clearly meant business as well, didn’t heDavid?
　　David: Yes, he very clearly explained to everyone why they were there using the phraseThe purpose of today is …And he also reminded everybody that they were there to do some work, he toldthem We’ve got a lot to get through today.
　　Carmela: At training courses and away days, it’s quite common to get people to doexercises - things like role plays or getting them into groups and asking them towrite down suggestions on how to improve the company. Let’s go back to theCancer Research Campaign and hear the phrases Sarah uses to organise one ofthese activities.
　　CLIPSarah: The first thing then is to think about why on earth we have a review process inthe campaign. I’m going to split you into two groups again and Alistair andCarolyn, if I could ask you to consider why the Cancer Research Campaignwould want to have a review process, what are the benefits? And John andNicola if I could ask you to think about what could go well from the point ofview of a manager, and also, what can go not so well in a review situation? SoI’ll give you about ten minutes, if you can write down your answers on theflipchart paper and I’ll ask you to then share those with the group.
　　END OF CLIPCarmela: Now you probably heard that phrase I’m going to used at thevery beginning of her talk. She said I’m going to split you into two groups.
　　Now that’s quite direct but a lot of her other language wasn’t so direct, was it?
　　David: That’s right, she uses that “going to” future to give direct instructions but shealso used a lot more indirect language. For example, If I can ask you to dosomething, or if you could do something, I’d like you to do something again which makes her sound a lot more polite.
　　Carmela: And, as well as being polite it also helps you to be very clear in your instructionstoo. This was particularly noticeable when she said how much time the exercisewas going to take, wasn’t it?
　　David: Yes, a time frame is obviously very important for an exercise because people need to be able to plan how long they spend on each stage of it and sheintroduced the time deadline by saying I’ll give you about ten minutes to dothis…Carmela: Let’s go back to Sean now and find out how he introduces an exercise at hisaway day. Listen out for the phrases we’ve just been discussing.
　　CLIPSean: Now what I want you to do is to get into two groups. So let’s just divide the room in two and that’s our two groups. And I’m going to give each groupan area to focus on … Group 1 - I’d like you to think about what we as adepartment do particularly well. So think about what we consider to be our bigstrengths. What do we enjoy most about being in the department, ok? AndGroup 2 - If I can ask you to have a think about areas where we don’t do sowell. Perhaps where you think our systems have failed us ... examples of whenwe haven’t been quite as effective as we might have been. And also where in thepast year we’ve failed to take full advantage of opportunities that havepresented themselves? So is that clear everyone ?
　　END OF CLIPCarmela: So lots of similar language there. David, could you pick some of the phrasesused?
　　David: Well, again we heard lots of examples of if you can do this, if you could dothat. We also heard the manager there using the phrase think about, if youcould think about our good points he asked. He also checks that everybodyunderstood what the task was by asking them is that clear everyone?
　　Carmela: Of course if you set up an exercise, you have to have a feedback session inwhich you discuss how people have done or what ideas they had. Let’s go backto both our scenes (the training course and the away day) and see if you canpick out some similar phrases from each.
　　CLIPSarah: …have you finished? Okay, thank you if I can ask you to volunteer（志愿者） one orthe other of you to read through the list. And I’ll ask the two who looked atwhy the campaign would want to have a review process, a process that reviewsperformance, first. So, what did you come up with?
　　END OF CLIPCLIPSean: OK, are you all nearly finished? Could both groups nominate aspokesperson who can stand up and go through your ideas? So, Group 1What do you think are our biggest strengths as a department?
　　Female: Well first and foremost, we think we are well respected throughout the rest ofthe company. We think they see us generally as adding value to daily business.
　　Sean: Yes, good point. I agree that the company value our input. So what else didyou come up with?
　　bbclearningenglish.comCarmela: David, what were some of the phrases used for the feedbacksessions?
　　David: In both cases because they were coming to the end of the task,first of all the manager or the facilitator checks that the task is finished - areyou all nearly finished ? Have you finished? Then the groups were asked tonominate a spokesperson, in other words, one person from each group shouldrepresent the views of the group as a whole. Then it was very clear that thefeedback session had begun. We heard phrases like let’s start with and alsoideas were invited with an expression like what did you come up with, whatideas did you have?
　　Carmela: Well, today’s programme has certainly come up with a lot of language. It’salmost time for us to go. Thanks to David Evans for talking us through today’sexpressions. I hope you can join us again soon for more Business Language ToGo.（本文在线英语听力室整理编辑）
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