Discussions & Meeting PDF

Discussions & Meeting Week 3 Prepared by, Celine Tan  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Introduction Today’s lecture we will discuss the language for expressing opinions, stating agreement or disagreement, and offering suggestions and solutions. ...

Discussions & Meeting Week 3 Prepared by, Celine Tan  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Introduction Today’s lecture we will discuss the language for expressing opinions, stating agreement or disagreement, and offering suggestions and solutions.  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Meetings In any organisation, meetings are held to enable people to exchange information, discuss ideas and make decisions A variety of language functions and relevant expressions have to be used to communicate ideas clearly. The expressions that are used differ, depending on the stage the meeting or discussion is at.  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Meetings Starting a meeting Well, ladies and gentlemen, I think we should begin... If everyone is here, we can start. Shall we start?  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Meetings Introducing the agenda Today we need to talk about... Let us look at the first item on the agenda...  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Meetings Stating objectives The purpose of this meeting is, firstly, to... and secondly, to.... The main objective of our meeting is...  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Meetings Keeping the meeting moving Can you tell us more about...? Shall we continue?  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Meetings Closing the meeting Does anyone have anything else to add? If that is all, we can stop here.  Activity 1 Study the dialogue, identify the stages of a meeting based on the expressions used Activity 1  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Expressing Opinions An important part of meetings and discussions involves asking and giving opinions. An opinion can be expressed in various ways: (a) A forceful way; (b) A neutral way; or (c)A tentative way (with some hesitation or reservation).  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Expressing Opinions Common phrases used to express opinions.  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Expressing Agreement/ Disagreement In a meeting, You may agree or disagree with the opinions or suggestions given by members of a group during a discussion. Every group member is entitled to express his agreement or disagreement and a discussion gains momentum as each person responds, either positively or negatively.  Activity 2 Look at the statements given below. Choose ONE and rewrite it in different ways so that it has the same meaning but is more diplomatic and indirect. We cannot do that. Your cost estimate is much too low. The project is running late. There will be a delay.  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Making/ Asking Suggestions One may be called upon to make suggestions during a meeting or discussion. suggest ways to overcome a problem; address an important issue; to recommend an initiative based on your past experience in a particular field; encounter difficulty dealing with a situation and need to ask for suggestions.  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Making/ Asking Suggestions  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Other useful expressions  BIK1093 English at the Workplace Other useful expressions  Activity 3 Respond to the following comments, using the reasons given to support your point of view. If there are not enough jobs to go around, the number of university places should be reduced. There is no point in educating people for the unemployment queue. Disagree: more people go for higher education - focus on subjects like engineering and computing.  Activity 3 Respond to the following comments, using the reasons given to support your point of view. Introducing a 35-hour week might be a good idea from the employees point of view but it would be a disaster from the companys point of view. Agree: costs up no increase in productivity.  Activity 3 Respond to the following comments, using the reasons given to support your point of view. If you want to reduce inflation, the only solution is strict control of the money supply. Express reservation: strong wage and price controls also possible. Thank You