欢迎回到 技能专长 360for today’s lesson on leading and managing a电话会议.
Leading a meeting is rarely easy. You’ve got to manage time, an agenda, 和 – most importantly – a diverse group of people. 现在, what about if the meeting happens by phone, with each person or small group calling in from a different location? Nobody can see each other, and there may be a variety of distractions that you, as the leader, can’t shut out simply by closing the door. 当然, teleconferencing is a marvel of modern technology, but it can be challenging.
This is the first in a series of Business English lessons on handling a crisis.
Imagine this: it’s four o’clock in the morning and you’re sound asleep. 电话响了. It’s one of your managers. There’s been a terrible accident! 你是做什么? 你说什么?
At some point in your career, you will have to deal with a major crisis. It could be a labor strike or an environmental disaster. And there are minor crises, like missing an important delivery or running out of paper, that can happen every day. These events can certainly do damage, but how much? That depends on how you deal with them.
Good crisis management is the key. Your success and reputation depend on it. So in this lesson, we’ll look at what happens when a crisis breaks, or begins. This is all about “Taking Control in a Crisis.” We’ll cover some useful techniques and language to deal effectively with that early morning phone call about an accident.
We’ll hear Sandy and Mike, who work at a factory in China that has just had an accident. Sandy is the plant manager, while Mike is the lead production engineer. A pipe has burst, releasing gas and injuring two workers. Now Sandy and Mike are calling their boss, Frank Menzies, in the U.S. Let’s listen as Sandy and Mike deliver the bad news and Frank takes control of the crisis.
听力问题
1. Why isn’t Mike on the call at the beginning? 2. What information about the incident does Frank want to know? 3. What does Frank instruct Mike to do at the end?
电话会议使来自不同位置的人们可以通过电话开会. 虽然方便, 电话会议确实要记住一些问题, 例如跟踪谁在说话. 有时两个人同时讲话或讲话太快. 因为参与者看不见, it’s helpful to use “signposts” or short statements that prepare others for what’s about to be said. 安排议程和安排时间等其他问题也有影响.
