082_I Have a Suggestion

082_I Have a Suggestion

Business success always starts with a strong plan. After that we have to communicate our plan to our team. In this episode we will look at ways to introduce our plans to others.

Kevin:

Hello and welcome to Nichibei Kaiwa Gakuin Podcasting episode 82. A great place to review English words and phrases. My name is Kevin Jones. In this podcast we are going to return to the business meeting which started in podcast 81. As you remember, in this situation we heard a business meeting in which a development team is preparing to open a new retail store in Beihai, China. As the meeting continues we hear key phrases for suggesting and for recommending. Let’s listen in as the meeting continues.

CW:

OK, Next on the agenda… lets move on to the question of personnel. Jack. What’s the status of hiring for the Beihai store?

JB:

Our current estimate is that we can operate the store with a minimum of 30 people per shift meaning that we will need a total of about 70 new hires by the time we open. However, since we need staff with retail experience and who are bilingual, hiring could be difficult. We are still considering what is the best way to get these new staff members.

MD:

Why don’t we hire students from the local university? They might have some retail experience and they could work part-time

JB:

We thought of that but we decided we need mostly full time staff. It might prove difficult to find students who are willing to work overtime during the first few months after our opening. We might be better off hiring college graduates or professional retail salespeople.

GR:

Couldn’t we transfer staff from our Hong Kong store? At least temporarily until the store is up and running?

CW:

Uh,Excuse me, but I have a few reservations about transferring any staff from Hong Kong. It would be better to open the store with a Beihai team in place. Having a local team should create more unity. Tom. What can South China Consulting do for us in this situation?

TG:

Quite a lot I think. Have you though about hiring staff through a temporary staffing agency?

JB:

What would be the advantage of that?

TG:

One of our sister companies takes care of such staffing situations. We could take care of all your staffing needs under our current consulting contract. Also you can easily choose those staff members that you want to hire full time. It can remove some of the risk of hiring new staff.

CW:

I really like it. That’s a good idea. Jack, what do you think?

JB:

Sound good to me. We could use the help.

CW:

Great. Then that’s decided. Now to move on to the next item on our agenda for today. We need to review our advertising plans for the Beihai region…

Kevin:

In this conversation we heard several key expressions for suggesting and recommending. Our first target phrase is:

MD:

Why don’t we hire students from the local university? Why don’t we hire students from the local university?

Kevin:

This phrase, why don’t + pronoun + verb, is good for making a soft recommendation. Listen to these variations.

MD:

Why don’t you talk to the boss? Why don’t I invite them to dinner?

Kevin:

The next phrase used for making a recommendation used this pattern, it might prove + adjective… It might prove is the same as saying It might be.

JB:

It might prove difficult to find staff.

Kevin:

Now listen to these variations

JB:

It might prove worthwhile to travel to China It might prove advantageous to delay the opening

Kevin:

The next phrase is made from a pronoun + might be better off + (verb+ing)

JB:

We might be better off hiring college graduates

Kevin:

This is used to show that another choice might be safer or better than what we have thought about previously. Listen to these variations…

JB:

We might be better off with a different supplier. They might be better off using a consultant.

Kevin:

Next the consultant politely makes a suggestion by using the phrase, have you thought about + (verb+ing)

TG:

Have you though about hiring staff through a temporary staffing agency?

Kevin:

A variation of this uses the considered. Have you considered changing the color? Have you considered changing suppliers?

Kevin:

Our last target phrase is…

CW:

I have a few reservations about transferring any staff from Hong Kong. I have a few reservations about transferring any staff from Hong Kong.

Kevin:

This phrase, have a few reservations about + (v+ing) or noun, is used to show you are not sure or have some doubts about something. Listen to these variations.

CW:

I have a few reservations about opening a store in Beihai. I have a few reservations about South China Consulting.
That’s all the time we have for this podcast. In the next podcast, we will learn how to ask and answer questions about problems at work. Until next time, keep studying and remember that you can find a transcript for this podcast and listen to past episodes at www.nichibei.ac.jp . And be sure to come by Nichibei near Yotsuya station and observe a class. We have classes in business, conversation, TOEIC test preparation, and advanced studies. Find out why Nichibei Kaiwa Gakuin is a great place to build you future.
This podcast is a production of Nichibei Kaiwa Gakuin.