Office party planning
Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.
Preparation
Transcript
Ayako: Hello, sales department. This is Ayako speaking. How can I help you?
Sam: Hi, Ayako, this is Sam from Events-4-U. I'm calling about the piano you want at your Christmas party next month.
Ayako: Oh, good. It would be a great surprise to have one there for our boss for the night. He can play and it would be a great addition for the party. Have you been able to source one?
Sam: Well, yes, I have, but …
Ayako: But what?
Sam: Well, we're going to either have an issue with the logistics or the budget, or possibly both.
Ayako: Oh dear.
Sam: Well, we've found a baby grand piano, as you requested, and it's available for the date you want.
Ayako: OK, great. So what's the issue? Is it too expensive?
Sam: No, it's within the budget you gave me, so everything there is OK. But it's too wide for the entrance doorway into the building.
Ayako: Oh, I see. So what are our options? Could we dismantle it outside and reassemble it inside?
Sam: Er, no. Unfortunately, you can't really do that with pianos. But don't worry, I'm sure we can find some inventive solution.
Ayako: Do you have any ideas?
Sam: Well, we could hoist it up to the first-floor balcony. The door there would be large enough to fit it through.
Ayako: Great. That sounds like a good plan.
Sam: That would work, though it would increase the cost considerably as we'd need a crane, an extension on the insurance policy and probably two to three additional people to manage getting it successfully into the building.
Ayako: Oh, I see. Well, we can definitely stretch the budget by about ten per cent, but we shouldn't go over that. If we exceed the budget by more than ten per cent, then other areas of the party budget will have to be cut. And we don't really want that.
Sam: OK, so this idea won't work then. Sorry if I wasn't being clear. The considerable budget increase I was referring to would add a further fifty per cent. You know, cranes are expensive.
Ayako: Oh … um … OK. So what other options do we have?
Sam: Well, how fixed are you on the piano being a baby grand? Would an upright piano be an option?
Ayako: Hmm. I don't know.
Sam: It would fit through the door on the ground floor and cause fewer problems. I've also got the option on a really nice white vintage upright piano, with black design work.
Ayako: OK. That sounds like it might work. Could you send me over some photos of it?
Sam: I'll do it now, together with the rental and delivery information and costs.
Ayako: Great. Thanks, Sam. Let me think about it and I'll call you back later today.
Sam: Sure, no problem. I'll wait for your call.
Hello, my name is Radho Fadillah Syahputra, and I am a third-semester student at the (University of Tanjungpura in Pontianak). Today, I would like to answer the question, “When was the last time you had to discuss a problem on the phone?” The last time I discussed a problem on the phone was a few weeks ago. I called my friend because I was having some problems with a college assignment. We talked about the problem and shared our ideas about how to solve it. After talking with my friend, I understood the assignment better and felt less confused.
Anggel Ruth Maya - Tanjungpura University
The last time I discussed a problem on the phone was when I had a group assignment. We had a group call because we couldn’t meet in person. We talked about what we needed to prepare and what we had to do for the project. We also shared our ideas and kept in touch with each other. I think a group call is a good option when we can’t meet face-to-face. It’s especially helpful when we don’t have much time left because we can quickly discuss the project and work on it together from different places.
I want to ask you guys, do you think having a group call is helpful when you have a group assignment? why?
Hi, my name is Putri Artika, and I'm a student of Universitas Tanjungpura in Pontianak, Indonesia.
I would give my personal opinion about the activities of the audio. After doing this listening activity, I think it was a good practice for my listening skills.
For the preparation, I reckon it is very useful to know first about some unfamiliar vocabularies before we listen to the audio. After we figure out about the vocabularies, it can be easier to understand the audio.
In Task 1, I tried to understand the main topic of the audio and what the speakers were talking about. I think this task was quite easy because I did not have to focus on every detail.
For Task 2, I found it a little more difficult because I needed to listen carefully and find specific information from the conversation. Some words were unfamiliar to me, so sometimes I had to listen to the audio again. However, I think this task was helpful because it trained me to pay more attention to details when listening to English.
The last time I had to discuss a problem on the phone was a few weeks ago. I had a problem with something related to my college assignment, so I called my friend to ask about it. We discussed what we should do and tried to find the best solution. It was quite helpful because we could explain the problem anytime we want to.
I still found some parts of the audio difficult, but I think practicing with activities like this can help me become better at listening to English.
Hello friends!
I think like you Caleb,it´s the best option to claim by Whatsap or email,especially with Movistar or Claro;I´ts awful to do that.I think,we shoul take care our mental health.
Nowadays, discussing a problem on the phone is a terrible challenge. We've lost the ability to communicate this way. More than that, our generation hates talking on the phone. Most people avoid trying to solve an issue this way. And there's someone to blame: telemarketing companies. Over the last decades, they have abused phone calls to sell their products. Now, no one wants to answer a phone call.
I don't make or receive calls anymore. if I need to discuss something I send a text, it could be a Whatsapp or and imessage. Phone calls are antique.
When was the last time you had to discuss a problem on the phone? long time ago. I don´t like to discuss on the phone.
I had to discuss about problem on the phone about three or four days ago. We were talking about spare parts for my auto. Seller didn't want to send it throught marketplace because he would like to get extra money for carrying parts to logistic company.
Few days ago. I had to deal with a problem on phone with my son’s school.
yesterday with my friend