You're listening to the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Welcome back to Business English pod today's show is the second part of a
two-part series on making rejecting an accepting suggestions. In the first
lesson you practiced making suggestions. In this episode will look at appropriate
ways to reject and accept suggestions. As you remember the listening takes place
in a sport shoe company called stratus. We'll be listening to Karen marketing
manager meet with three members of her team, Charles, Sven and Miguel. They are
choosing a celebrity spokesperson for a new product. Celebrity means the famous
person.
Here, spokesperson is someone who gets paid to be in an advertisement for a product.
Okay, as you listen pay attention to how the speakers accept or reject each other
suggestions.
okay now let's talk about who we want to use as a spokesperson for this product
let's go around the table so we use a sports star or someone else and what do
you think well one possibility would be to use the famous overweight business
executive for CEO someone who is really successful sorry can I come in here
yes go ahead McGill that's a good idea but I'm not sure it would work for one
thing our customers want to be fit not fat
well then what do you suggest perhaps we should just use a famous sports star
what we usually do if it isn't broken don't fix it you know what I mean we
could try getting really good suggestion but I can see one or two problems with
that to be honest first off target markets are in the UK and the USA we
need someone who both Americans and Britons really like secondly a target
customer is kind of special I've got a suggestion
go ahead child is just like did but how about choosing someone from the sport
was normal to be heavy american football for example heavy but agile overweight
but strong and fast you know what I mean right consumer what do others think yes
it might be worth trying
ok but what about the UK really good reviews on this side of the Atlantic let
me think about this show we try to find someone in golf that's popular in the
USA and in the UK and that way we can kill two birds with one stone to that
idea that I think this would try
here's another good idea let's tie the dialogue to learn about accepting and
rejecting suggestions
first we'll talk about rejecting suggestions when rejecting suggestions
it's important to avoid hurting people's feelings let's think back to Karen and
her team and the dialogue during the discussion what language do they used to
reject suggestions they don't like first listen to Miguel reject spends
suggestion sorry can I come in here
yes go ahead McGill that's a good idea but I'm not sure it would work
Miguel interrupts politely can I come in here then he says that's a good idea but
I'm not sure it would work
this is a good and caraway rejecting a suggestion later Karen rejects Miguel
suggestion if it isn't broken don't fix it you know what I mean we could try
getting really suggestion but I can see one or two problems with that to be
honest karen's way of rejecting the girls suggestion follows the same form
first she praises the idea
good suggestion then she politely rejects it but I can see one or two
problems with that to be honest here adding to be honest to the sentence
makes it even more polite you can add to be honest to almost any rejection you
can also use frankly speaking or to be frank the same way let's practice those
together good suggestion but frankly speaking I can see one or two problems
with that
that's a good idea but I'm not sure it would work to be frank
to reject suggestions you can also say
I'm not really sure about that
and
do you think so
so now you learn ways to make suggestions on ways to reject
suggestions
next we'll look at ways to accept suggestions
Karen and Miguel like Charles Justin don't have Charles wants to use a sports
star who is heady but advil Advil means quick and skilful was listen again it's
just like did but how about choosing someone from the sport was normal to be
happy american football for example heavy but agile overweight but strong
and fast you know what i mean consumers you may want to have a think yes it
might be worth trying right I can see what you mean and yes it might be worth
trying
are two ways to accept suggestions what else can you say ok let's do that
not a bad idea
yes
that would work really well
good idea
great idea
ok so today you've learned many ways to reject and accept suggestions now before
we finish today's show let's look at an Indian Karen uses at the end of the
listing let me think about this show we try to find someone in golf that's
popular in the USA and in the UK and that way we can kill two birds with one
stone to kill two birds with one stone is an idiom that means to do or
accomplish two things at one time you can say that way we kill two birds with
one stone or that will let us kill two birds with one stone for example
what if I find one person to do both child and McGill's jobs that will get us
killed two birds with one stone
now let's practice what we learn first let's go over rejecting suggestions
politely you'll hear a series of suggestions
each followed by a beat after each beep use a polite phrase to reject the
suggestion for example if you hear what if we cut the sales training budget you
can say well I can see one or two problems with that idea for well I don't
know are you ready let's give it a try
what if we hold the meeting next week
I think we should buy new computers
tried to hold the training in a pub
how'd you do listen to some examples to check your answers What if we hold the
meeting next week
that's a good idea but I'm not sure that we want it
I think we should buy new computers
do you really think so I'm not so sure about that
let's try to hold the training in a pub
and Sir frankly speaking I can see one or two problems with that idea
now let's practice accepting suggestions after each beep use a phrase to accept
the suggestion like okay let's do that or that's not a bad idea how about we
all go on an outing together next weekend
what if we hold a party to increase morrow
we're wasting a lot of time is there any way we can hold fewer meetings
how did you do listen to some examples to check your answers
how about we all go on an outing together next weekend
and Sir great idea
what if we hold a party to increase morrow
on so yes I think that would work really well
we're wasting a lot of time is there any way we can hold fewer meetings
answer that's not a bad idea
it's always a good idea to go back and practice again this time substitute
different language to build fluency
in this unit we've learned appropriate ways to accept and reject suggestions
we've also reviewed usefully idioms thank you for listening