2/2014 http://www.business-spotlight.de 51Getting permission
Jenny:Mark, do you have a minute?I’d
like to show you something.
Mark:Sure.
Jenny:It’s a brochurefrom the confe-
rence organizers we saw on Monday.
Mark:And you said there was some-
thing you were interested in.
Jenny:Yes, a two-day conference called
“The Executive Assistantin the Mod-
ern Workplace”. It looks really good.
Mark:I’m sure it is, but why would it be
useful for you?
Jenny:You know we talked about me
taking more responsibility for internal
projects. Well, there’s a half day on
project management and another
sessionon social media and working
cross-culturally.
Mark:It does sound good. When is it,
and how much does it cost?
Jenny:In three weeks. And it’s £800
plus travel expenses.Mark:I’ll check with HR, but as far as
I’m concerned, it’s fine.At the reception
Reception:Good morning. Welcome to
“The Executive Assistant in the Mod-
ern Workplace”. May I have your
name, please?
Jenny:Jenny Price, from Smithsons.
Reception:I see you stayed in the ho-
tel last night. Was everything OK?
Jenny:Yes, everything was fine.
Reception:Glad to hear it. So, here’s
your name tagand conference mate-
rials. Coffee is served in the lounge
and the conference starts at ten.
Jenny:Thank you. I noticed the name
of a former colleague on the partici-
pant list, Lisa Green. Could you tell
me if she’s arrived yet?
Reception:I’ll check. Yes, I think she’s
in the lounge having coffee.
Jenny:Great, thanks. I’ll go join her.Introductions
Jenny:I’m really looking forward to
these two days.
Lisa:Me, too. And I was glad to see a
familiar face. I always feel a bit ner-
vous in situations like this.
Jenny:So do I. Oh, I think she’s about
to start.
Margaret:The role of the executive as-
sistant is continually changing and
the goalof these two days together
is to acquire some useful tools for
the modern workplace. My name is
Margaret Stevens and I will be your
facilitatorfor this conference.
Jenny:[whispering] I wish I looked as
confidentwhen I speak in public!ENGLISH ON THE MOVE LANGUAGEYou can do an exercise on this topic
on Business Spotlight AudioMargaret: In a moment, we’ll go
through the timetable for the two
days. But first, let’s say hello to each
other. Just tell us who you are, who
you work for, what you do and add
something personal about yourself.
Lisa:My name is Lisa Green and I’m
the PA to the CFOof Morgan’s, an
electronics company in Sutton Cold-
field, near Birmingham...Reporting back
Mark:OK. Now it’s time for a short re-
port from Jenny on the conference
she went to last week.
Jenny:It was a very full two-day pro-
gramme. The three key things I
learned from the conference were,
firstly, how to set up and manage a
project so that it meets its goals and
is completed on time. Secondly, I be-
came aware of some dos and don’ts
when using social media in the work-
place. And, finally, I learned how to
make short presentations like this
without feeling too nervous!Nehmen Sie mit KENTAYLORan einer Konferenz teil, die hier der
beruflichen Information und Weiterbildung dient.Attending a conference
mediumbrochure [(brEUSE] Broschüre
CFO (chief financial Leiter(in) der
officer) [)si: ef (EU] Finanzabteilung
confident[(kQnfIdEnt] selbstbewusst
consultant[kEn(sVltEnt]Berater(in)
Do you have a minute? Hast du/haben Sie
[)du: ju (hÄv E )mInIt] einen Moment Zeit?
executive assistant Assistent(in) der
[Ig)zekjUtIv E(sIstEnt] Geschäftsleitung
facilitator [fE(sIlEteItE] Moderator(in)
goal [gEUl] Ziel(setzung)
HR (human resources) Personalabteilung
[)eItS (A:]
look forward to sth. sich auf etw.
[)lUk (fO:wEd tu] freuen
lounge [laUndZ] Hotelhalle, Foyer
name tag [(neIm tÄg] Namensschild
on time [)Qn (taIm] termingerecht,
rechtzeitig
session [(seS&n] (Tagungs-)Abschnitt
timetable [(taIm)teIb&l] Zeitplan
travel expenses Reisekosten
[(trÄv&l Ik)spensIz]Sign here, please: arriving at a conferencePhotodisc■BS
Ken Tayloris a communication con-
sultantand author of 50 Ways to Im-
prove Your Business English (Summer-
town). Contact: [email protected]51 EOM_A 2_14 14.01.14 13:49 Seite 51