Learn how to express your opinion in a business meeting
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Becky: Expressing Your Opinion in English. Becky here. |
| John: Hi, I'm John. |
| Becky: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to express your opinion in a business meeting. The conversation takes place in a meeting room. |
| John: It's between Linda and Thomas Gray. |
| Becky: The speakers are co-workers, therefore, they will speak formal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Linda: Our sales figures are down this month. Does anyone have any ideas for how we can increase them? |
| Thomas Gray: It seems to me that we lost sales because our competitor had a sale. |
| Linda: You may be right. |
| Thomas Gray: In my opinion, we should have a sale this month, and I think our sales will increase again. |
| Linda: Good idea. Let's try that this month. |
| Becky: Listen to the conversation one more time, more slowly. |
| Linda: Our sales figures are down this month. Does anyone have any ideas for how we can increase them? |
| Thomas Gray: It seems to me that we lost sales because our competitor had a sale. |
| Linda: You may be right. |
| Thomas Gray: In my opinion, we should have a sale this month, and I think our sales will increase again. |
| Linda: Good idea. Let's try that this month. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Becky: In that conversation, we heard Thomas give his opinion in a meeting. |
| John: Yeah, Linda was pretty accepting of his thoughts. |
| Becky: Is it common to give opinions in an American company? |
| John: Yes, employees are often asked for their opinions. |
| Becky: How should we give our opinions? |
| John: Be polite and respectful of others, even if their opinion is different to yours. |
| Becky: When are opinions usually given? |
| John: They’re especially encouraged in meetings. If you’re asked your opinion, give it! |
| Becky: What if you’re not asked your opinion? |
| John: That can differ from company to company and from situation to situation. |
| Becky: So sometimes it’s welcomed... |
| John: ..and sometimes it isn’t! |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Becky: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| John: sales [natural native speed] |
| Becky: in the plural form, the activity or business of selling products |
| John: sales [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: sales [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, we have... |
| John: figures [natural native speed] |
| Becky: numbers, especially relating to amounts |
| John: figures [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: figures [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next up is... |
| John: down [natural native speed] |
| Becky: decrease, low |
| John: down [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: down [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, there’s... |
| John: month [natural native speed] |
| Becky: each of the twelve named periods into which a year is divided |
| John: month [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: month [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, we have... |
| John: to increase [natural native speed] |
| Becky: to go up in number or value |
| John: to increase [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: to increase [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, there’s... |
| John: competitor [natural native speed] |
| Becky: opposition, rival |
| John: competitor [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: competitor [natural native speed] |
| Becky: And lastly... |
| John: sale [natural native speed] |
| Becky: temporary reduction in price |
| John: sale [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: sale [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is... |
| John: sales figures |
| Becky: ...meaning "the amount sold." |
| John: The first word is “sales,” this means “items sold.” |
| Becky: The second word is “figures,” and this means “numbers.” |
| John: So together, they mean “the number of things sold.” |
| Becky: You’ll hear this frequently in business. |
| John: That’s right. |
| Becky: Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| John: Sure. For example, you can say “The sales figures look promising for this month.” |
| Becky: ..which is like saying "The amount sold looks good for this month." |
| Becky: Okay, what's the next word? |
| John: competitor |
| Becky: ...meaning "an organization that is in competition with others." |
| John: This is a noun that can be used to talk about a rival person, company, or organization. |
| Becky: It’s related to the verb “to compete” and the noun “competition.” |
| John: You’ll often hear this in business. |
| Becky: It can also be used in other circumstances, such as when talking about sports events. |
| John: Or any kind of contest. |
| Becky: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| John: Sure. For example, you can say “Our new co-worker used to work for our main competitor.” |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Becky: In this lesson, you'll learn about how to express your opinion in a business meeting. Giving an opinion can be very important in business, and it will help improve your English skills. |
| John: We can give both positive and negative opinions. |
| Becky: What is the easiest way to give our opinions? |
| John: By using the phrase “I think…” |
| Becky: It shows that what we’re saying is our opinion, and not a fact. Can you give us some sentence examples, please? |
| John: Sure. “I think that’s a good idea.” “I think the new product will be a success.” |
| Becky: You can also make this sentence negative. |
| John: Yes, just add “don’t.” “I don’t think…” |
| Becky: Again, some examples please! |
| John: “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” “I don’t think the new product will be a success.” |
| Becky: There are also patterns we can use other than “I think…” |
| John: Yes, we can also use “It seems to me…” and “In my opinion…” |
| Becky: “It seems to me…” can be used to introduce an opinion that we know others might not agree with. |
| John: “In my opinion…” is a good, strong phrase to introduce your opinion. |
| Becky: Time for some examples! |
| John: “It seems to me that he’s always late.” “In my opinion, that’s a bad idea.” |
| Becky: If someone else gives their opinion first and you think it’s good, then you can agree with it. Here are some phrases you can use to agree. |
| John: “Yes, I agree.” “Yes, I think so too.” |
| Becky: “That’s a good idea.” “I think that Mr. Campbell is correct.” |
| John: Sometimes though, other people have opinions that you don’t agree with. |
| Becky: I think that happens all of the time! Disagreeing with someone can be difficult, but remember to stay polite. |
| John: It’s good to acknowledge their opinion first with a phrase like “You have a point, but…” |
| Becky: The “but” shows that we’re going to disagree with them, even if it sounds like we agree. |
| John: An example of that is “What you’re saying is right, but…” |
| Becky: As soon as the other person hears that “but,” they know you’re going to disagree. |
Outro |
| Becky: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| John: See you! |
6 Comments
HideLet's practice together in the comments!
Hi there Marlon,
Thanks so much for your positive feedback! I hope you are getting a lot out of our lessons.
Don’t hesitate to write to us if you ever need help!
Chat soon!
Eva
Team EnglishClass101.com
This lesson is very useful because during meeting you need speak, to say opinion or to ask opiniom from others regarding a specific point or key facts.
Hello @Vigneshj and @Hiko,
Thank you both for your messages.😄
I'm pleased you got alot from this lesson.
Please let me know if you ever have any questions.
Cheers,
Eva
Team EnglishClass101.com
This lessons most important and expression our own opinion
Today's lesson is very instructive for me.
I'm trying to practice listening to this formal business dialogue again and again.