A WIN-WIN GAME.- Communicative activities.
Situation
Do you remember the meeting Ryan attended? During that meeting they were discussing sales improvement in rural market areas. The Secretary, Tom Robbins, took the minutes and this is what he wrote. It is crucial to be accurate when writing the minutes since they are the legal record of the proceedings and action of the organization.
Minutes of Rural Market Research Organization.
Meeting date: February 17th.
Call to order: a regular meeting was held in Birmingham on February 17th 2012. The meeting convened at 9 a.m.,President Daniel Reed presiding, and Tom Robbins, secretary.
Approval of minutes: the minutes of the previous meeting held on held on January 20th were approved by all the attendees.
Jack Peterson's report: Jack Peterson, Southwest Area Sales Vice President, gave a report on sales improvement in rural market areas. He started by asking opinions and John Ruting mentioned to develop an advertising campaign to focus on rural customers' needs. Alice Linnes asked to provide rural sales teams with customer information and Jennifer Miles agreed with her. After this Jack Peterson presented the new methods being developed to reach out to rural customers.
Announcements: the next meeting will be held on March 2nd.
Adjournment: the meeting was adjourned at 10.30 a.m.
Tom Robbins.
Secretary.
Think about it
A step ahead
If you want to know more about how to write meeting minutes, click on the following links:
1.- Reading Activity.
Now it's your turn
Read the text and fill in the gaps using the words given below. Do not change the words given.
Negotiation Process.
It's time to negotiate! Here are a few golden rules to successful negotiations:
- Always try to negotiate for at 15 minutes. Any less than that and it is unlikely that either has had enough time to fairly consider the other side. Generally, the size or seriousness of the negotiation determines the amount of time needed to negotiate it. Setting a time is a good idea. Approximately 90% of negotiations get settled in the last 10% of the .
- Always offer to let the other party first. This is especially important if you are the one making a request for something such as a . The other party may have overestimated what you are going to ask for and may actually offer more than what you were going to .
- Always respect and listen to what your has to say. This is important even if he or she does not extend the same courtesy to you. Do your best to remain calm and pleasant even if the other party is displaying frustration or . Remember some people will do anything to you.
- Acknowledge what the other party says. Everyone likes to know that what they say is important. If the other party first, uses it to your advantage, by paraphrasing what you have heard. Repeat their important ideas before you introduce your own stronger ones.
- Pay attention to your own and your counterpartner's language. It is important to know how to interpret body language during the negotiations. Make sure that you aren't conveying any negative body language.
Adapted from: http://www.englishclub.com/business-english/negotiations-process.htm
2.- Listening Activity.
Have a look at these two extracts from The Fifth Element. This film by the well-known French director Luc Besson is mostly set during the twenty-third century. The film's central plot involves the survival of humanity which becomes the duty of a taxicab driver (and former special forces Major) named Korben Dallas and played by Bruce Willis.
You should know
Watch the first extract where Dallas is fighting the Mangalores aboard a luxury cruise on space where he travels undercover as a radio contest winner.
Watch the second extract where Dallas is mugged in his own house but he doesn’t seem to be taken by surprise.
Think about it
What are the main characteristics of a good negotiator?
How would you describe Korben Dallas' negotiation style?
Could negotiation become an important part of your working routine in the future?
3.- Writing Activity.
Write a text of about 200 words answering the following question: Which is the main key to a successful negotiation?
4.- Speaking Activity.
Look for a partner in the forum to exchange your ideas on the following statements related to negotiation. Don't forget to use the suitable language to show understanding or objection on your partner's ideas.
- In any negotiation, the stronger party is always the one to win.
- When you are offered a job, there's nothing to negotiate. Say yes as soon as possible.
- A face-to face negotiation will produce better results than laying out your case in a detailed e-mail.
- A good negotiator should ask for more than he/she wants.
Appendix.- Licenses of resources.
| Resource (1) | Resource information (1) | Resource (2) | Resource information (2) |
|---|---|---|---|
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By: TonZ. License: CC by-nc-sa. From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonz/299967133/sizes/m/in/photostream/ |
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By: MyTudut. License: CC by-nc-sa. From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytudut/5188623575/sizes/m/in/photostream/ |
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By: Matti Mattila. License: CC by. From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattimattila/6000569509/sizes/m/in/photostream/ |
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By: aloshbennett. License: CC by. From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aloshbennett/619307160/sizes/m/in/photostream/ |
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By: Marco F. License: CC by-nc-sa. From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/_marco_/3257348357/sizes/m/in/photostream/ |