ÍîâîñòèÀíãëèéñêèéÑîëî íà êëàâèàòóðåÊëàðíåòÂåëîñèïåä×èòàëüíÿ

Meetings: a formal aspect
Ïîëèëîã â äåëîâîì îáùåíèè
Meeting as business interaction
Äåëîâîå îáùåíèå
Ðå÷åâûå ôóíêöèè ó÷àñòíèêîâ äåëîâîãî ñîâåùàíèÿ
Family Business: åñëè âðåìåíè ìàëî, à íàäî ïðèíèìàòü ó÷àñòèå â ñîâåùàíèè
Simon Winetroube about business meetings

Âñòóïèòåëüíîå ñëîâî

Òå, êòî êîãäà-íèáóäü ñòàëêèâàëèñü ñ íåîáõîäèìîñòüþ îáó÷åíèÿ íàâûêó ó÷àñòèÿ â äåëîâîì ñîâåùàíèè, çíàþò, ÷òî òàêîå õîðîøèé îáó÷àþùèé òåêñò. Ýòî - ðåäêîñòü. Ïðåäñòàâüòå ñåáå íå ïðîñòî õîðîøèé òåêñò, íî åùå è íàïèñàííûé ñ þìîðîì, íà áåçóïðå÷íîì ÿçûêå, ïîêðûâàþùèé ïðàêòè÷åñêè âñå ýòàïû è ðå÷åâûå ôóíêöèè ïðåäñåäàòåëÿ è ó÷àñòíèêîâ, îçâó÷åííûé íå ïðîñòî íîñèòåëÿìè ÿçûêà, íî è áëåñòÿùèìè àêòåðàìè. ß ïîéìó ëþäåé, ó êîòîðûõ çàãîðåëèñü ãëàçà.

Âìåñòî ÷åòûðåõ ãëàâ äîñòîïî÷òèìîãî è ëþáèìîãî ìíîé Simon Sweeney, âìåñòî õàîòè÷åñêèõ ðå÷åâûõ ôîðìóë David Cotton èëè Graham Tullis âñåãî ëèøü îäèí òåêñò, ðàçáîð êîòîðîãî âìåñòå ñî ñòóäåíòàìè äîñòàâèò âàì è èì íåïîääåëüíîå óäîâîëüñòâèå, äàæå åñëè âû íå áóäåòå èñïîëüçîâàòü âèäåîçàïèñü. Äà è âèäåîçàïèñü ìîæíî ñäåëàòü ñ ïîìîùüþ òåõ æå ñòóäåíòîâ. Ïîâåðüòå, ýòî ãîðàçäî âåñåëåå!

Family Business

(adapted from "Creating Opportunities" Oxford University Press)

Granddad (walking around a collection of ancient clocks): It is the first clock my father made. She is very old and she still keeps perfect time. I love good time-keeper. Look at that wood...

Michael: It’s seven o’clock, Granddad.

Granddad: Yes, I know it is.

Jane: We start at seven.

Granddad: Oh, OK.

Dad: What does it mean we start at seven? If I want to talk with my family I’ll do it whenever I like.

Michael: We have an agreement, Dad. I think we should observe...

Dad: Did I ask for your opinion?

Mum: Can we bring the meeting to order, please?

Dad: Sorry, love. (After a pause) Sorry, madam Chairperson.

Mum: Right then. Let’s begin. Michael, you have the apologies.

Michael: Yes. Martin Harris is sorry, he wasn’t able to attend, he’s in Manchester opening a new factory, and Charlotte Harris is in her room doing her homework.

Mum: Thank you. And can we read the minutes of the last meeting?

Michael: Certainly. Everybody agreed that a formal meeting is a good way to deal with family business. It was decided that we’d meet once a month. Jane volunteered to cook Christmas lunch and Granddad will draw up a list of  TV programs we’ll watch on Christmas Day.

Mum: Has action been taken on that?

Granddad: Yes, but I’m afraid there is nothing good on TV. Not now… The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II – that was good.

Mum: Could we discuss that at another time?

Granddad: Sorry.

Mum: Are there any other matters arising from the previous meeting?

Dad: Yes. How about price limit on Christmas presents?

Jane: I second that. It’s terrible when you buy cheap presents when you are given expensive ones. Not that I do of course.

Mum: 20 pounds?15? 10?

Dad: That seems reasonable.

Jane and Michael exchange dissatisfied glances.

Jane: Fine

Mum: Ten it is. Let’s move on. The purpose of today’s meeting is to discuss Jane’s wedding. I’d like to finish by eight as there’s chicken in the oven. Item one on the agenda is the budget. Dad, this is your department.

Granddad: I want to give her a good start in her married life, so I propose 5 000.

Dad: That’s very generous.

Mum: Let’s go to item two, the date. Michael, I believe you looked into this.

Michael: Yes, I have. I don’t think we should settle fixed deadlines, there’s a lot going on in the next few months. Jane’s starting her new job in January, and I am moving house in March. In my opinion, it’s not feasible till August of next year.

Dad: August? She’ll be an old woman till August…

Jane: Dad?

Mum: Let’s please lower the temperature. Jack, do you have a suggestion regarding the date?

Dad: Could we go for an earlier date? How about May?

Mum: Michael, you have the diary.

Michael: Saturday, 15th of May?

Mum: Does that meet with everyone’s approval? Good. Moving along, item three. The church. Jane?

Jane: I’d like to suggest St.Luke’s. you and dad were married there. And Michael and I were christened there.

Mum: Any reaction to that?

Granddad: I don’t know whether it is relevant, but I intend to be buried there. So, we are giving them a lot of business.

Dad: In that case may I suggest we ask the vicar for a discount?

Mum: That’s an excellent idea! Finance department?

Granddad: I’ll look into it and get back to you.

Mum: Good. Let’s turn to item four. We need to decide where to hold the reception. Ideas, please.

Michael: I like the idea of a boat reception, sailing down the river Thames. It’s so English.

Dad: It’ll be very English sailing in May. We’ll be freezing.

Mum: I’d rather had a Shiny Hall. It’s big enough to hold 300 guests.

Granddad: Yes. It’s a public place, made for speeches and dancing, 300 guests, an orchestra.

Dad: Young ones do not want an orchestra, they want a rock band.

Michael: Young ones will have to put up with it.

Mum: I’d like to bring Jane in here. How do you feel about it?

Jane: I’d prefer my flat.

Michael: Your flat? Wedding is a public occasion, and the place should be public.

Jane: Why? I want to be in my own place with people I like.

Michael: That’s not in the least realistic. We can’t invite 300 guests into your flat.

Jane: I don’t want 300 people. I think we could have just 100.

Michael: But wedding is always 300 people. It’s traditional.

Granddad: I agree. Wedding is meant to be big, Jane.

Jane: Your grandfather thought clocks were meant to be big. Look at them now.

Dad: Can I raise a point here?

Mum: Go ahead.

Dad: Can we justify spending 5 000 pounds on a party of 100 people?

Mum: What do you think, Jane?

Jane: I take your point.

Mum: What about spending half of the budget on the reception and putting the other towards a bigger place for Jane? She will need a bigger place, with a husband, who knows, a baby. What’s the feeling of the meeting?

Granddad: Good idea. That might be the answer.

Mum: Excellent! We have the consensus. Shall we move on? We come now to the question of caterers.

(after a few minutes of discussion)

Is there any other business? No? Then we’ll draw the meeting to a close.

Dad: Hold on. There is something else. We’ve talked about the sandwiches, the Limousine, where we’ll put our coats, but we haven’t discussed one thing that really matters.

Mum: Oh, forgive me. I meant to say that the next meeting will be here on the first of December. And at that we’ll …choose the husband.

(Dad winks at Jane)

Come and help me with the chicken.