Unit 12. Listen and Practice. Exercise 2. (CD2:12)

Unit 12 Audioscripts

Unit 12. Listen and practice. Exercise 2. (CD2:12)

Michael: Come in Amy. Sit down over there.

Amy: Thank you.

Michael: OK, this is part of your annual performancereview. We’ll talk about your work over the last yearand then we’ll talk about your goals for next yearand your career development plans. OK?

Amy: That sounds fine.

Michael: Good, so how do you feel about the year?Have you enjoyed working here?

Amy: Yes, very much. I feel good about the year. I’velearned a lot and I really like the people here. I thinkI …

Michael: OK, for job knowledge I’ve rated you aboveexpectations.

Amy: Good, thank you.

Michael: And I’ve written here “Has worked hard tounderstand her job”.

Amy: Thank you.

Michael: You’ve done a good job learning about ourproducts and our customers, and I’ve been pleasedwith …

Michael: For the next category, I’ve also rated youabove expectations, and I’ve written “Pays attentionto details (but needs to ask more questions).”

Amy: I’m sorry, I don’t understand. What do you meanby that?

Michael: Well, I mean that it’s important to make sureyou understand the …

Amy: OK, that’s true. Thank you for the feedback.

Michael: You’re welcome. OK, let’s go on to planningand organizational skills. Here I’ve marked you as“Meets expectations.”

Amy: I see.

Michael: And I’ve written in the comments section“Needs to make sure she meets all deadlines.”

Amy: I’m sorry, can you explain that a little more?

Michael: Well, sometimes I think you are too carefuland you worry too much about details. This meansthat you miss the deadline for reports or other work.

Amy: Oh, I see. Well, can you give me an example?

Michael: OK, well you remember the conferencereport we …

Michael: And finally interpersonal skills, here you’vebeen outstanding. I’ve been really pleased to haveyou as a team member.

Amy: Thank you! I appreciate that!

Michael: I mean it. And I’ve written here “Greatattitude! Always positive and cheerful.” Now, howdo you think you could improve your organizationalskills?

Unit 12. Listen and practice. Exercise 4. (CD2:13)

Amy: Well, I know I need to improve this. SometimesI put too much information into the reports andthat takes me a long time. Maybe I can take sometraining courses in time management and writing, orsomething like that.

Michael: OK, that’s a good idea. Is there anything elseyou can do?

Amy: Um, well, I’m not sure. Do you have anysuggestions?

Michael: Well, maybe you could ask other people tohelp you with this.

Amy: Yes, that’s a good suggestion. I know Sonya isreally good at writing. Maybe I’ll ask her to check …

Unit 12. Responding to feedback; asking forclarification. Exercise 1. (CD2:14)

Amy: OK, that’s true. Thank you for the feedback.

Amy: Thank you! I appreciate that!

Unit 12. Responding to feedback; asking forclarification. Exercise 3. (CD2:15)

Amy: I’m sorry, I don’t understand. What do you meanby that?

Amy: I’m sorry, can you explain that a little more?

Amy: Can you give me an example?

Unit 12. Checking understanding. Exercise 1.(CD2:16)

A: Sales are going down so we need to increase ourbudget so that we can hire more sales people. If wehire more sales people, we can sell more productsand we can spend more money on advertising.

B: OK, let me check that I understand what you’resaying. You think that we have to increase ourbudget and hire more sales people. Then we canspend more on advertising. Is that right?

A: Yes, that’s right. If we have more sales peoplethen …

A: So these are the problems we have in our Brazilianfactories. Can I get your agreement to make thesechanges?

B: Let me confirm our next steps before we decide. Youwill talk to the managers in the factories ...

A: We need to make a decision quickly so that we canstart interviewing new people for the position. Afterthat we can decide on training and salary, etc.

B: Can I confirm what you said? The line is not verygood.

A: Sure, go ahead Taki.

B: You said we need to start interviewing quickly, isthat right?

A: Well, not really, no. I said we need to decide quickly,so that …

Unit 12. What happens next? Exercise 1. (CD2:17)

Michael: OK, I think that’s about everything. Do weagree on this then?

Amy: Yes, I think so. Thank you so much for yourfeedback! This has been really helpful for me.

Michael: You’re welcome. Let me confirm that Ithink you’ve done a great job this year. I’ve beenreally pleased with your work and I hope you haveenjoyed working with us.

Amy: Yes, I have. As I said before, I think I’ve learned alot here and I really like my job. I will try to improvemy time management next year, I promise.

Michael: Excellent! One more thing, I want you tocontinue working here for the next six months, butafter that I am planning to send you overseas for sixmonths so you can get more experience of sales. I’mnot sure where at the moment, perhaps the U.S., or perhaps one of our offices in Europe or Asia.

Amy: Really! That would be great! That’s so exciting!

Unit 12. Viewpoints. Exercise 2. (CD2:18)

Speaker A: I don’t like saying to people that theyhave done a good job or a bad job. People knowwhen they have done a good job, when everyonehas worked hard and got a good result – I don’tthink I need to tell them directly. Also if someonehas made a mistake or done something wrong,then usually they know and they will work hard toimprove themselves. I don’t think it’s a good idea topraise or to criticize one person, unless it’s a reallyserious problem. People need to work well togetheras a team and have a good relationship with theirmanager and their co-workers. If someone is praisedtoo much or criticized too much, then other peoplewill feel uncomfortable and they will not work welltogether. You have to think about people’s feelings.My staff know when I am pleased or when I amangry. I don’t need to say it to them.

Speaker B: To be a great manager, giving feedbackis really important. People needs lots of feedback,positive and negative. Positive feedback providesmotivation and negative feedback lets people knowhow they can improve. People need to be told whenthey’re doing a great job and when they’ve donesomething wrong. When you give feedback, it’simportant to be clear, focused, and direct. You need to be specific and to give details and examples ofthe good or bad behaviour. It shouldn’t be personal,however – you need to focus on the behaviour orthe problem, not the person. After you have givenfeedback to someone, it’s important to confirm withthem that they understand what you are saying.Then you can focus on what the next steps are, andwhat changes they need to make.