BEP181 Handling a Crisis 3: Gaining Perspective

This is the third in our Business English Pod series on handling a crisis. In the first part of a crisis, there may be a lot of confusion and activity. But if you make it through that part okay, what comes next?

At a certain point after the critical phase, people will come together to re-evaluate the situation. Team work is important. People need to be working together to handle the crisis. If they don’t, if they disagree and try to go in different directions, it won’t be good for the company. Unity¹ is absolutely essential. It takes good leadership to establish that unity early on, but it takes good team work to maintain it.

In our last lesson, we heard Mike the production engineer talking with the VP of Communications in Singapore, Monika. She was getting some information from Mike about an accident and creating a communication plan. That was still the critical phase of the crisis.

In this episode, we’ll hear a teleconference meeting after that critical phase. It’s time to think about what has happened and re-evaluate the situation. We’ll hear Mike and Monika, as well as Frank the American boss, Sandy the plant manager, and a lawyer named Simone. Let’s listen as they try to gain perspective on the crisis and figure out how well they’ve handled the situation so far.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Mike say “sorry” to Simone?
2. What does Monika want to focus on in the discussion?
3. What does Sandy think about Simone’s concerns?

1 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。