Business Communication | Arranging to meet

1. When are you free this week? When are you busy?
2. A company has a plan for more staff to work from home. Kasia wants to arrange a meeting with the heads of
department, Bruno, Delores and Chen. She calls Bruno first. Listen to the conversation. Put a cross when Kasia
and Bruno are busy (x)

Thursday Kasia Bruno

0800-0900
0900-1000
1000-1100
1100-1200
1200-1300
1300-1400
1400-1500

3. Listen again and complete these sentences.

1 We need to ________ ________ the plan…
2 ________ we ________ a meeting on Thursday…?
3 ________ two o’çlock OK for you?
4 Sorry, I’m busy ________
5 ________ ________ the morning?
6 What time are you ________?
7 Nine thirty is ________ ________ me.
8 I ________ ________ between eight and ten.
9 ________ you ________ after that?
10 ________ ten fifteen good for you?
11 Yes, a quarter past ten on Thursday is ________.

4. Put 1-11 from 3 into these categories.

a Asking to meet: ___, ___ c Saying when you are free: ___, ___
b Asking about times: ___, ___, ___, ___, ___ d Saying when you are busy: ___, ___

5. Arrange a meeting with Dolores.

Person A you are Kasia. Telephone Dolores about the meeting on Thursday. Person B you are Dolores.
6. Arrange a meeting with Chen.
Person B you are Bruno. Telephone Chen about the meeting.
Person A you are Chen. Here’s your calendar on Thursday.
Thursday
0900-1000 Visit factory
1000-1100 Return at 11.10
1100-1200
1200-1400 12.10-13.10 Lunch with Ania

Asking to meet Asking about times Saying when you are free
Can we arrange a meeting? Is… OK? … is good / fine for me.
We need to meet about… Is… good for you? I’m free on / at…
I’d like to meet… What time are you free? Saying you aren’t free
Are you free on / at…? Sorry, I’m busy then.
Can we meet on / at…? I can’t meet…
Are you busy…?
Working with words | Competition

 Do you work in a competitive industry / business?

 Who are your competitors, locally and globally?
 Where are they?

1. Listen to a manager talking about the company Accor, and complete the fact file

Accorprofile
1 ______________ employees
2 In nearly ______________ countries
3 Over ______________ hotels worldwide
MARKET SEGMENTS AND LOCATION

PRICE HOTEL CHAIN WHERE

4
Budget Motel 6 ______________
5
Ecomony ______________ Asia-Pacific
6
Mid-Range ______________ worldwide
Top-Range Sofitel worldwide

2. Discuss these questions

1 Which of these do you think are more important for hotels to be competitive?
2 When you choose a hotel, which three are most important?
Price __ Delivery time __
Choice and range __ Staff __
Technology __ Quality __
Services __ Something else __
Location __

3. Listen to the manager again and tick the areas she mentions
4. Discuss which categories in 2 are important for you and your competitors. Do you offer something special?
5. Complete these sentences with adjectives from the list. Then listen and check your answers.
low expensive wide up-to-date good high cheap friendly

1 We can offer all our customers a _________ choice.

2 They are _________ price hotels and offer the customer a _________ option.
3 They offer very _________ service with _________ staff
4 The quality at a Novotel hotel is very _________ with modern, _________ business facilities.
5 A Sofitel hotel is _________, but it offers five-star quality.
6. Use the adjectives in A to describe the items in B. You can use some adjectives more than once.
A B
low / high prices
good / bad choice and range
cheap / expensive location
fast / slow technology
up-to-date quality
wide service
delivery time