Using English at Work

Lesson 7 - Scheduling a Meeting

to confirm - to verify; to say that something is correct or true after checking to make sure

* We'll call to confirm your appointment with Dr. Litchman in one week.

free and clear - open; without appointments; available for a meeting

* This week is very busy, but next week is free and clear.

reminder - something that is said or written so that one does not forget about something important

* Sometimes people tie a piece of string around their finger as a reminder to do something.

back and forth - a conversation where two people alternate in speaking; a conversation where first one person speaks, then the second, then the first again, and then the second again, especially when exchanging information

* It was interesting to hear the children's back and forth as they tried to explain their math homework to each other.

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Using English at Work

Lesson 7 - Scheduling a Meeting

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

You're listening to ESLPod.com's "Using English at Work" lesson seven. I'm Dr. Jeff McQuillan, from the Center for Educational Development, your host for this course.

In the sixth lesson of "Using English at Work," we learned vocabulary that is used when we're having computer problems. In lesson seven, we're going to learn how to schedule a work-related meeting in English.

We'll get started by listening to our story at a slow speed.

[start of script]

At 3 p.m., I get a call from one of our vendors who wants to set up a meeting for the following week. Since I was away from my desk at the time, she left a voicemail message. When I get back to my desk, I retrieve the message and listen to it, and then return her call. I call her twice, but she isn't there, so I leave a voicemail message for her. We're playing phone tag. Finally, at 4 p.m., she calls again and since I am at my desk, we can talk at last.

Andrea asks me if it is possible for us to meet early in the week next week. I check my calendar and I tell her that I'm tied up Monday and Tuesday, but that I'm free Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning. She says that Wednesday afternoon suits her and asks what time would be good for me. I tell her the earlier the better, since I will be entertaining clients that night and need to leave work a little early that day. She suggests 1 p.m. I check my scheduled again to confirm that 1 p.m. Wednesday is free and clear and it is. She says that she will send me an email Wednesday morning as a reminder and I thank her. After all of that back and forth, we finally have a meeting set for next week.

[end of script]

When this part of my day begins, it is 3 p.m. and I get a call from one of our vendors. A "vendor" is a company that sells a specific type of product to other companies. Most companies have vendors for computer products, office supplies, maybe photocopy machines, and many other things - whatever that company needs to buy from another business. The vendor who calls me wants to set up a meeting for the following week. "To set up a meeting" means to schedule or arrange a meeting, or to find a time when two or more people are available to meet. You might set up a time to have lunch with a friend, or meet

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