᭿ Task 6 Match the expressions1–16tothetasks a) – j) that an effective chairperson/ facilitator would do. There may be more than one expression for a task. Write the letter of the task in the box. The first one has been done for you. Expressions Tasks 1. So, Alice agreed to , can we have your response by next week? j 2. What do you think of ? 3. Will a coffee break at 11 be OK? 4. I’d like to thank everyone for coming and 5. Can I just summarise the main points/views/problems? 6. Can we come to your point later, please? 7. May I suggest we begin by ? 8. Great, could you outline the problem as you see it? 9. So, what you’re saying is 10. OK, I suggest we finish. We’ve achieved our main objectives. 11. Can we all agree on this? Good, well let’s move on 12. Now, as you probably know 13. Right, as we’ve agreed in principle to the only thing left is to 14. Mrs XYZ will take notes you’ll all get a copy later 15. Just a minute Corinna, let Martina finish what she’s saying 16. If I understand you correctly, you mean Tasks a) Getting people’s attention and opening the meeting b) Giving the background to the meeting c) Agreeing the general process d) Suggesting procedures e) Assigning roles f) Ensuring clarity from the participants for the benefit of everyone g) Keeping the discussion moving forward h) Keeping control i) Securing agreement j) Closing the meeting/summing up/next steps 70 Meetings Participating in a meeting Very often, of course, we don’t chair a meeting, we are participants and have to express ourselves in a way that doesn’t offend anyone but yet allows us to convey our message clearly. ᭿ Task 7 Underline and number the expressions in the following dialogue that: 1. express agreement 2. express disagreement 3. make suggestions 4. interrupt 5. deal with interruptions Christine: I think the move is a bad idea because if sales and marketing are in a different place, Helene: No hang on a minute you know we’re really overcrowded here and Christine: Let me finish what I’m saying please what I wanted to say is that it’ll take longer to get, say, a particular piece of information if we’re physically in different buildings and if Helene: I don’t think so we’ll just use the phone and email more and it’ll save time Christine: Yeah, OK I guess you’re right there but what about face-to-face meetings – those’ll just get harder and Helene: Yes but why don’t we schedule them in? It’ll be more time-effective than just seeing each other on an ad-hoc basis. Expressions for agreeing/disagreeing and giving opinions Here are some other expressions you can use to express agreement/disagreement, depending on how strongly you feel. Agreement – strong I completely agree/I’m in total agreement Agreement – neutral I agree/I think I can accept your position on that Agreement – partial I agree in principle but /I I take your point but have you thought about Disagreement – strong You’re completely mistaken/Under no circumstances could I agree to that Participating in a meeting 71 Disagreement – neutral I disagree/I can’t go along with that Softening disagreement I’m sorry but /I respect your point of view, however Giving opinions Another thing we usually have to do in meetings is to express our opinions and/or ask others for theirs. Here are some expressions you can use to do this: Giving opinions – strong I’m absolutely convinced that /There’s no doubt in my mind that Giving opinions – neutral As far as I’m concerned/From my point of view Giving opinions – tentative It seems to me that /I would say that Asking for opinions – to one person What’s your position on this, Ms X?/I’d be interested to hear your views on this, Mr Y Asking for opinions – to a group What’s the general feeling about this?/Does any- one have any comments to make? ᭿ Task 8 Your entire building is going to be non-smoking. You have been asked for your opinion on the proposed change at a meeting – express your opinion backed up by your reasons. Minutes Generally, after each meeting minutes are distributed to the participants and forwarded to those who were unable to attend. Minutes should be written up and distributed as soon as possible after the meeting to reduce errors of memory. They should be concise and to the point and should not be a transcript of the entire meeting. 72 Meetings ᭿ Task 9 What should be included in the minutes of a meeting? For example: ᭤ date, time, and venue ᭤ ᭤ ᭤ ᭤ Minutes 73 Sample Minutes The regular weekly meeting of the marketing department was held on Friday, August 10, 20XX at 11 a.m. All department members were present. The minutes of the previous month’s meeting were read and approved. The reports from the marketing research institutes have been received and placed on file. The new marketing strategy was discussed and consensus reached that we should proceed with market research. All participants present agreed that we would go ahead with the X Market Research Institute as they seem to be the most appropriate for our new product. They will carry out a consumer survey on our behalf to determine acceptance of our new product, establish what competitors are currently pricing similar products at, and will come back with recommendations to us on pricing and positioning. Ms R has agreed to be the contact person for the research institute and will report back on their progress at our next marketing meeting. The next meeting will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday August 17, 20XX. 8 Writing promotional copy This unit merges all the skills required to produce good promotional copy. Copywriters need a flair for writing this kind of text as well as editing and proofreading skills. Editing is what you begin doing as soon as you finish your first draft. You scrutinise the content. Moreover, you want to reread it to see, for example, if the text is well-organised, and if the transitions (for example, linking words) between sentences and/ or paragraphs are smooth. Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process, focusing on surface errors such as misspellings and mistakes in grammar and punctuation. You should proofread only after you have finished all of your other editing revisions. What’s the purpose of the text you’re writing? This may seem a simplistic question but it’s one that’s easy to ignore when there’s the buzz of an advertising drive running through the company. The question should be made more specific: is the aim to advertise your brand or to get a direct response (a purchase or a request for a brochure)? Two types of advertising Brand advertising is used by big companies to build and increase awareness of their brand. This type of advertising can consume huge amounts of money and is rarely appropriate for smaller companies. Direct response advertising is used when you want to get a clear response: a sale or an enquiry. Understanding the distinction between these two types of advertising will have a huge influence on how you write your copy. However, one thing is always certain; you have to have a catchy headline. The headline is either the heading that goes at the top of the ad or if there’s no heading, it’s the first words of the ad. If you’re on the radio, it’s the first thing people hear. If it’s TV, it’s the first thing they see and hear. The headline needs to grab people’s attention. . face-to-face meetings – those’ll just get harder and Helene: Yes but why don’t we schedule them in? It’ll be more time-effective than just seeing each other on an ad-hoc basis. Expressions for. from the participants for the benefit of everyone g) Keeping the discussion moving forward h) Keeping control i) Securing agreement j) Closing the meeting/summing up/next steps 70 Meetings Participating. the general feeling about this?/Does any- one have any comments to make? ᭿ Task 8 Your entire building is going to be non-smoking. You have been asked for your opinion on the proposed change