Thank You and Congratulations

Thank You and Congratulations

The end of the meeting is also the time to thank anyone who has not been thanked at the beginning of the meeting, or anyone who deserves a second thank you. Congratulations or Good-luck can also be offered here to someone who has experienced something new, such as receiving a promotion, getting married, or having a baby.

Before I let you go let's all give a big thank you (everyone claps) to Thomas for baking these delicious cookies.

Again, I want to thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here today.

Most of you probably already know this, but Nolan's wife just gave birth to a baby boy.

As you leave today, don't forget to wish Stella luck on the weekend.The next time you see her she will be happily married.

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Reminders

There is almost always one last thing to say, even after the closing remarks. A chairperson might close the meeting and then make a last-minute reminder. Instructions for tidying up the room may also be mentioned.

Oh, before you leave, please make sure to sign the attendance sheet.

I almost forgot to mention that we're planning a staff banquet next month.

Don't forget to put your ballot in the box on your way out.

If I didn't already say this, please remember to introduce yourself to the new trainees.

Could I have your attention again? I neglected to mention that anyone who wants to take home some of this leftover food is welcome to.

If you could all return your chair to Room 7 that would be appreciated.

Please take all of your papers with you and throw out any garbage on your way out.

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Closing a Meeting

Wrapping Up

There are different reasons why a meeting comes to an end. Time may run out, or all of the items in the agenda may be checked off. Some meetings will end earlier than expected and others will run late. The odd time, a meeting may be cut short due to an unexpected problem or circumstance. Here are a variety of ways to adjourn a meeting:

It looks like we've run out of time, so I guess we'll finish here.

I think we've covered everything on the list.

I guess that will be all for today.

Well, look at that...we've finished ahead of schedule for once.

If no one has anything else to add, then I think we'll wrap this up.

I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this meeting short. I've just been informed of a problem that needs my immediate attention.

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Comments and Feedback

During the meeting, participants will comment, provide feedback, or ask questions. Here are some ways to do so politely:

If I could just come in here...

I'm afraid I'd have to disagree about that.

Could I just say one thing?

I'm really glad you brought that up, Kana.

I couldn't agree with you more. (I agree)

Jane, could you please speak up. We can't hear you at the back.

If I could have the floor (chance to speak) for a moment...

We don't seem to be getting anywhere with this.

Perhaps we should come back to this at another time?

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Voting

When issues cannot be resolved or decisions cannot be easily made, they are often put to a vote. Most votes occur during meetings. Votes can be open, where people raise their hands in favour or in opposition of the issue. In an open vote, the results are evident immediately. Other votes, such as who should be elected to take on a certain role, are private or closed. During private votes, attendees fill out ballots and place them in a box to be counted. The results may not be counted until after the meeting. Here are some specific expressions used during open voting:

All in favour?

(Those who agree raise their hands or say "Aye".)

All opposed?

Motion to hire more tour guides, moved by Thomas.

(Suggestions or ideas that are put to a vote are called motions. When a person makes a suggestion, the term to use both during the meeting and in the minutes is moved.)

Motion to hire more tour guides seconded by Nolan.

(When another person agrees with the motion, it is seconded.)

When a motion is voted and agreed upon it is carried. When it is voted and disagreed upon it is failed. Most often votes are put to a majority. If there is a tie vote, the chairperson will often cast the deciding vote.

Sample Voting Session:

Pierre: Okay, now that we've covered most of the business, it's time to vote on the staff picnic. Jane and I have come up with two different ideas. I'll give Jane the floor now, and she'll outline these two options. After that we'll vote. I don't think there is any reason to have a private vote, so I'll just ask to see a show of hands. Jane, would you do the honours?

Jane: Thanks Pierre. Okay, so, as you all probably assumed, we are going to wait until most of the tours have passed through before we have the staff picnic. That way most of you should be able to attend. So we've chosen the last Sunday of September. I hope that works out for all of you. Now, the first option is to have a BBQ at Mariposa Beach. We would do this on the last Sunday of September. The second option is to have a potluck dinner/pool party in Pierre's backyard. The only problem with this is if it rains, there isn't much in the way of shelter there. I don't think Pierre and his wife will want all of us dashing inside in a thunderstorm.

Pierre: Well, if we had to we could probably squeeze everyone in the basement. Anyhow, those are the options, so let's put it to a vote. All in favour of option number one? Raise your hands please...okay, one vote. And, all in favour of option number two? That's four. Okay, so it looks like a pool party at my house.

Jane: Great. I'll put up a sign up sheet and everyone can write down what they plan to bring.

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Regaining Focus

It is easy to get off topic when you get a number of people in the same room. It is the chairperson's responsiblity to keep the discussion focused. Here are some expressions to keep the meeting centred on the items as they appear on the agenda.

Let's stick to the task at hand, shall we?

I think we're steering off topic a bit with this.

I'm afraid we've strayed from the matter at hand.

You can discuss this among yourselves at another time.

We've lost sight of the point here.

This matter is not on today's agenda.

Let's save this for another meeting.

Getting back to item number 5...

Now where were we? Oh yes, let's vote.

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Watching the Time

One of the most difficult things about holding an effective meeting is staying within the time limits. A good agenda will outline how long each item should take. A good chairperson will do his or her best to stay within the limits. Here are some expressions that can be used to keep the meeting flowing at the appropriate pace.
I think we've spent enough time on this topic.
We're running short on time, so let's move on.

We're running behind schedule, so we'll have to skip the next item.

We only have fifteen minutes remaining and there's a lot left to cover.

If we don't move on, we'll run right into lunch.

We've spent too long on this issue, so we'll leave it for now.

We'll have to come back to this at a later time.

We could spend all day discussing this, but we have to get to the next item.

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Following the Agenda

Taking the Minutes

Anyone, including you, may be assigned to take the minutes at a meeting. Often someone who is not participating in the meeting will be called upon to be the minute-taker. Before a meeting the minute-taker should review the following:

The minutes from previous meeting

All of the names of the attendees (if possible)

The items on the agenda

It also helps to create an outline before going to the meeting. An outline should include the following:

A title for the meeting
The location of the meeting
A blank spot to write the time the meeting started and ended
The name of the chairperson
A list of attendees that can be checked off(or a blank list for attendees to sign)
A blank spot for any attendees who arrive late or leave early

Sample Minutes Outline:

Supervisor's Meeting

Friday, May 5

Room 3

Start: ________

Finish: ________

Chair: Pierre

Attendees:

1._________

2._________

3._________

4._________

5._________

Late to arrive:_________

Early to depart:________

The minute-taker can use a pen and paper or a laptop computer and does not need to include every word that is spoken. It is necessary to include important points and any votes and results. Indicating who said what is also necessary, which is why the minute-taker should make sure to know the names of the attendees. If you cannot remember someone's name, take a brief note of their seating position and find out their name after the meeting. A minute-taker should type out the minutes immediately after the meeting so that nothing is forgotten.

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Preparing for a Meeting

Calling a Meeting

There are a number of ways that you may call or be called to a meeting. Some meetings are announced by e-mail, and others are posted on bulletin boards. If a meeting is announced at the end of another meeting, it is important to issue a reminder. A reminder can also come in the form of an e-mail or notice. Verbal announcements or reminders should always be backed up by documented ones. The date, location, time, length, and purpose of the meeting should be included. It is also important to indicate exactly who is expected to attend, and who is not. If you are planning on allocating someone to take on a certain role, make personal contact with that person to inform them of his or her duty.

Sample E-mail:

To: jane@paristours.com

cc: kana@paristours.com; thomas@paristours.com; nolan@paristours.com

From: pierre@paristours.com

Subject: Meeting

Hi Everyone,

We will be having a meeting next Friday from 2:00 PM-4:00 PM in Room 3.All supervisors are expected to attend. The purpose of the meeting is todiscuss the upcoming tourist season. As you probably have heard, thiscould be our busiest season to date. There are already twenty bus toursbooked from Japan, and fifteen walking tours booked from North America.We are also expecting Korean and Australian tours in late summer. Pleasemake arrangements to have other staff members cover your duties duringthe meeting.

Thank you,

Pierre

Sample Notice:

MEETING LOCATION: Room 3

DATE: Friday, May 5th

TIME: 2:00 PM-4:00 P.M.

FOR: Supervisors only

SUBJECT: Tourist Season

ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY

Writing an Agenda

In order to keep the meeting on task and within the set amount of time, it is important to have an agenda. The agenda should indicate the order of items and an estimated amount of time for each item. If more than one person is going to speak during the meeting, the agenda should indicate whose turn it is to "have the floor". In some cases, it may be useful to forward the agenda to attendees before the meeting. People will be more likely to participate in a meeting, by asking questions or offering feedback, if they know what is going to be covered.

Sample Agenda:

1 - Welcome, Introduction: Pierre and Stella (5 minutes)
2 - Minutes from previous meeting: Jane (10 minutes)
3 - Japan Tours: Pierre (15 minutes)
4 - N.A. Tours: Pierre (15 minutes)
5 - Korean Tours: Pierre (15 minutes)
6 - Australian Tours: Pierre (if time allows 10 minutes)
7 - Feedback from last year: Everyone (15 minutes)
8 - Vote on staff picnic: Everyone (15 minutes)
9 - Questions/Closing remarks/Reminders: Everyone (5 minutes)

Allocating roles

The person in charge of calling and holding a meeting may decide to allocate certain roles to other staff members. Someone may be called upon to take the minutes, someone may be asked to do roll call, and someone may be asked to speak on a certain subject. This should be done either in person, or in an e-mail.

Sample Personal Request:

Pierre: Hi Jane, did you get the e-mail about next week's meeting?

Jane: Yes, I'll be there.

Pierre: Great. I'd like to put you in charge of reviewing the minutes from last meeting for us.

Jane: Sure, I can do that. I think there is a copy of the minutes in my file.

Pierre: Thanks, you'll have ten minutes to remind us of what we discussed last meeting. This will be good for Stella to hear. Stella will be our new private tours coordinator.

Sample E-mail:

To: jane@paristours.com

From: pierre@paristours.com

Subject: Minutes

Hi Jane,

I just wanted to make sure that you would be availableto review last month's minutes and present them at Friday'smeeting. We have a new staff member joining us, so I'd liketo give her a chance to see where things have been goingsince the last meeting.

If you have any concerns about this, let me know.

Thanks,
Pierre

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Successful negotiations in English

There will be many occasions in which you might find yourself having to negotiate with an English-speaking person in business: to ask for a pay rise or promotion, to get the best possible deal from your suppliers, or even to make social arrangements with your colleagues.

Ideally, in any negotiation, you can give the other party what they want, and they can also give you what you want. But in some situations, one person has to compromise and will probably try to negotiate something in return. The important thing is that both parties feel happy with the final outcome: a "win-win" situation.

Although some negotiations are more "important" than others, there are some useful phrases you can use at different stages of the negotiation to make your position clear and to make sure that the other party are in agreement with you.

Preparation for the negotiation

It goes without saying that the better prepared you are, the more likely you are to get what you want. Think about your goals - as well as those of the opposing party - to make sure you are clear about what you want. What can you trade with the other party? Do you have any alternatives that are acceptable to you? If you can also work out possible solutions, then it is easier to find an acceptable outcome. Finally, you should be clear about your "bottom line": the point at which you can offer no more. In rare cases you may even have to be prepared to walk away from the negotiation if you reach a stalemate: a position from which it is impossible to negotiate any more.

Starting and outlining your position

I'd like to begin by saying…

I'd like to outline our aims and objectives.

There are two main areas that we'd like to concentrate on / discuss.

Agreeing

We agree.

This is a fair suggestion.

You have a good point.

I can't see any problem with that.

Provided / As long as you….. we will….

Disagreeing

I'm afraid that's not acceptable to us.

I'm afraid we can't agree with you there.

Can I just pick you up on a point you made earlier.

I understand where you're coming from / your position, but…

We're prepared to compromise, but…

If you look at it from our point of view,…

As we see it…

That's not exactly as we see it.

Is that your best offer?

Clarifying

Does anything I have suggested / proposed seem unclear to you?

I'd like to clarify our position.

What do you mean exactly when you say….

Could you clarify your last point for me?

Summarising

Can we summarise what we've agreed so far?

Let's look at the points we agree on.

So the next step is…

Language points

During a negotiation, you're likely to hear "if" sentences, as the negotiation moves from the stage of exploring issues to the stage of making a deal.
If you increased the order size, we could / would reduce the price. (2nd conditional - exploring the issue) So, we'll reduce the price by 5% if you increase the order by 5%. (1st conditional - making a deal)

You might also hear "unless" (=if not), "as long as" and "provided (that)" instead of if:

As long as you increase your order, we can give you a greater discount.

Unless you increase your order, we won't be able to give you a bigger discount.

Provided you increase your order, we can give you a bigger discount.


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English presentation skills - vocabulary

Overviews

After you give your opening statement, you should give a brief overview of your presentation. This includes what your presentation is about, how long you will take and how you are going to handle questions.

For example, a presentation to sales staff could start like this:"Welcome / "Hello everyone."

Opening statement

"As you all know, this company is losing its market share. But we are being asked to increasesales by 20 – 25%. How can we possibly increase sales in a shrinking market?"

Overview

"Today I am going to talk to you about how we can do this. My presentation will be in three parts. Firstly I am going to look at the market and the background. Then I am going to talk to you about our new products and how they fit in. Finally, I'm going to examine some selling strategies that will help us increase our sales by 20%. The presentation will probably take around 20 minutes. There will be time for questions at the end of my talk."

Useful language for overviews

"My presentation is in three parts."

"My presentation is divided into three main sections."

"Firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally…"

"I'm going to…take a look at…talk about…examine…tell you something about the background…give you some facts and figures…fill you in on the history of…concentrate on…limit myself to the question of…
"Please feel free to interrupt me if you have questions."

"There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation."

"I'd be grateful if you could ask your questions after the presentation."

The main body of the presentation

During your presentation, it’s a good idea to remind your audience occasionally of the benefit of what you are saying.

"As I said at the beginning…"

"This, of course, will help you (to achieve the 20% increase)."

"As you remember, we are concerned with…"

"This ties in with my original statement…"

"This relates directly to the question I put to you before…"

Keeping your audience with you

Remember that what you are saying is new to your audience. You are clear about the structure of your talk, but let your audience know when you are moving on to a new point. You can do this by saying something like "right", or "OK". You can also use some of the following expressions:

"I'd now like to move on to…"

"I'd like to turn to…"

"That's all I have to say about…"

"Now I'd like to look at…"

"This leads me to my next point…"

If you are using index cards (see the previous article), putting the link on the cards will help you remember to keep the audience with you. In addition, by glancing at your index cards you will be pausing - this will also help your audience to realise that you are moving on to something new.

Language for using visuals

It's important to introduce your visual to the audience. You can use the following phrases:

"This graph shows you…"

"Take a look at this…"

"If you look at this, you will see…"

"I'd like you to look at this…"

"This chart illustrates the figures…"

"This graph gives you a break down of…"

Give your audience enough time to absorb the information on the visual. Pause to allow them to look at the information and then explain why the visual is important:

"As you can see…"

"This clearly shows …"

"From this, we can understand how / why…"

"This area of the chart is interesting…"

Summarising

At the end of your presentation, you should summarise your talk and remind the audience of what you have told them:

"That brings me to the end of my presentation. I've talked about…"

"Well, that's about it for now. We've covered…"

"So, that was our marketing strategy. In brief, we…"

"To summarise, I…"

Relate the end of your presentation to your opening statement:

"So I hope that you're a little clearer on how we can achieve sales growth of 20%."

"To return to the original question, we can achieve…"

"So just to round the talk off, I want to go back to the beginning when I asked you…"

"I hope that my presentation today will help you with what I said at the beginning…"

Handling questions

Thank the audience for their attention and invite questions.

"Thank you for listening - and now if there are any questions, I would be pleased to answer them."

"That brings me to the end of my presentation. Thank you for your attention. I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have."

It’s useful to re-word the question, as you can check that you have understood the question and you can give yourself some time to think of an answer. By asking the question again you also make sure that other people in the audience understand the question.

"Thank you. So you would like further clarification on our strategy?"

"That's an interesting question. How are we going to get voluntary redundancy?"

"Thank you for asking. What is our plan for next year?"

After you have answered your question, check that the person who asked you is happy with the answer.

"Does this answer your question?"

"Do you follow what I am saying?"

"I hope this explains the situation for you."

"I hope this was what you wanted to hear!"

If you don't know the answer to a question, say you don't know. It's better to admit to not knowing something than to guess and maybe get it wrong. You can say something like:

"That's an interesting question. I don't actually know off the top of my head, but I'll try to get back to you later with an answer."

"I'm afraid I'm unable to answer that at the moment. Perhaps I can get back to you later."

"Good question. I really don't know! What do you think?"

"That's a very good question. However, we don't have any figures on that, so I can't give you an accurate answer."

"Unfortunately, I'm not the best person to answer that."

What can you say if things go wrong?

You think you've lost your audience? Rephrase what you have said:

"Let me just say that in another way."

"Perhaps I can rephrase that."

"Put another way, this means…"

"What I mean to say is…"

Can't remember the word?

If it's a difficult word for you - one that you often forget, or one that you have difficulty pronouncing - you should write it on your index card. Pause briefly, look down at your index card and say the word.

Using your voice

Don't speak in a flat monotone - this will bore your audience. By varying your speed and tone, you will be able to keep your audience's attention. Practise emphasising key words and pause in the right places - usually in between ideas in a sentence. For example "The first strategy involves getting to know our market (pause) and finding out what they want. (pause) Customer surveys (pause) as well as staff training (pause) will help us do this."

Don't forget - if you speak too fast you will lose your audience!

Avoid the top ten presentation mistakes.


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English presentation skills

At some time or other, most of us will have to give a presentation. The idea of speaking in public can be frightening enough if you're a native English speaker, but it's even more so if English is your second language.

In this first article on presentation skills, we show you how to take the stress out of giving presentations with eight tips to help you plan a perfect presentation.

1. Know your audience
To give an effective presentation, you need to know something about your audience. How good is their English? How much do they know about the subject of your talk? Why will they be interested in listening to you? It’s a good idea to find out who is attending your presentation so that you can make the information relevant and interesting to them. For example, a presentation on your company’s financial results to financial analysts will focus on results, reasons and analysis. A presentation on new auditing software will focus on the benefits and features of the software.

Also ask yourself what you want to achieve from your presentation. Sales presentations are different from information-giving presentations, for example. It’s always a good idea to work out what you want your audience to think or do at the end of your talk, as this will help you focus on the language and content of your presentation.

2. Use a strong opening statement or question to interest your audience
The first minute of your presentation is crucial. In this time you should interest your audience and give them a reason to listen to you. What you say in the first minute depends on your audience and their interests, but it must mean something important to them. Perhaps it is a problem that you know how to solve, or a fact or statistic that they need to know.

3. Don’t forget the physical details
You’ll need to make sure the room is big enough for the number of people attending, and that you have all the equipment you need. Find out when you are giving your presentation – your audience may be less attentive if it’s right before lunch or at the end of the week and you’ll need to make especially sure that the presentation is interesting if it’s at a difficult time.

4. Plan the content of your presentation
Planning helps you focus on your presentation goals, and minimises the chances of anything going wrong.

If you know who you are talking to and why you are talking to them, you can put yourself in your audience's position. You can decide what information to include and how to order it.

Aim to speak for no longer than 30 minutes, and leave time for questions and answers at the end. Remember that it’s difficult to absorb lots of new information, so don’t aim to include too much.

Many presentations are divided into five areas:

a) The introduction (Get someone else to introduce you to the audience. This gives you credibility as a speaker and means that you don't have to waste time telling people who you are and why you are there)

b) The overview

c) The main body of the presentation

d) Your summary

e) A question and answer session

Make brief notes about all the points you want to make in your presentation and make a plan. Organise your presentation into main points and supporting evidence.
During the presentation, remember that it is a good idea to refer back to your opening statement and remind your audience why they are listening to you.

5. Use index cards
Put your points on individual index cards to help you during the presentation. If you put the key words onto cards (1 card for 1 key word or point) you can refer to them at any time if you forget where you are in the presentation.

Use your index cards for any words that you might find difficult to remember, or words that are difficult to pronounce.

You can also use the index cards to write the links between points, such as:“this brings me to…”“now I’d like to move on to..”“Right…”

6. Keep visuals simple
Don't put too much information in visuals and only use them to illustrate information that would otherwise take too long to explain.

Simple graphic visuals such as pie charts and bar graphs work better than visuals with lots of labelling or words. Use colour and different fonts to help information stand out.

7. Practice makes perfect!
Practise your presentation as often as you can using your index cards. By practising, you will know how long it will take, and where the difficult areas are in your talk. The more you practise, the more confident you will feel!

8. Prepare questions and answers
You're likely to have questions at the end of your presentation, so try to think of some in advance, as well as possible answers. The more you prepare these, the better you'll feel able to deal with them.


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Making telephone calls

Making and receiving telephone calls is one of the hardest skills in English. As we can't see the person we're speaking to, we can't use the usual non-linguistic signs (gestures, facial expressions etc) to help us understand the other person.

However, we often use standard phrases during a phone call, and learning these will help you not only understand what the other person is saying, but also direct the telephone conversation so that you can communicate your message successfully and concisely.

Here is a list of useful telephoning phrases. As a suggestion, print them out and keep them by the phone for handy reference.

Introducing yourself

Good morning / Hello.
This is (name) from (company).
My name is…

Asking to speak to someone

Could I speak to X please?

I'd like to speak to X please.

Could you put me through to X please?

When you answer the phone

Good morning / Hello.

Sarah Jones speaking.
If the caller has asked for you by name, say "Speaking!"

Asking for caller identification
May I say who's calling?
Could I have your name please?
Who's calling please?

Saying why you are calling
I'm calling to… / about ….
I'm phoning about….

Saying that someone is not available

I'm sorry, but (name)…… isn't here at the moment… is out of the office… away from his/her desk…. is in a meeting.
I'm sorry, but the line is engaged / X is on another call.

Offering to take a message

Would you like to leave a message?
Can I take a message?
Can I take your name and number?

Leaving a message
Could you ask X to call me back please?
Can I leave a message for X?

Promising action
I'll give X your message as soon as he / she comes back.
I'll pass your message on.

Saying goodbye
Thank you for calling.

If you don't understand what the other person is saying
Sorry? / Pardon?
Could you repeat that please?
Sorry, I can't hear you.
Can you spell that please?


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