Using English at Work：41 Scheduling a Meeting(6)

"Back and forth¹" is a conversation where two people alternate² in speaking, first I speak, then you speak, and so on and so on.

We usually use this expression when there is a long conversation or we need to negotiate³ something.

In this case, we're trying to find the best time that will be good for both of us, so we go back and forth.

I say something, she says a date, I say, "No, how about that date?" she says, "No, how about this date?" and so forth.

Andrea and I have been going back and forth looking at our calendars, trying to find a time when we can both meet.

Finally we have a meeting set for next week.

That's a good example of how meetings are scheduled at work in the U.S.

Now that we've talked about this part of my workday, let's listen again as I describe how we scheduled the meeting, this time when I'm speaking at a normal pace.

At 3 p.m., I get a call from one of our vendors⁴ who wants to set up a meeting for the following week.

Since I was away from my desk at the time, she left a voicemail message.

When I get back to my desk, I retrieve⁵ the message and listen to it, and then return her call.

I call her twice, but she isn't there, so I leave a voicemail message for her.

We're playing phone tag.

Finally, at 4 p.m., she calls again and since I am at my desk, we can talk at last.

Andrea asks me if it is possible for us to meet early in the week next week.

I check my calendar and I tell her that I'm tied up Monday and Tuesday, but that I'm free Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.

She says that Wednesday afternoon suits her and asks what time would be good for me.

I tell her the earlier the better, since I will be entertaining clients that night and need to leave work a little early that day.

She suggests 1 p.m. I check my scheduled again to confirm that 1 p.m. Wednesday is free and clear and it is.

She says that she will send me an email Wednesday morning as a reminder⁶ and I thank her.

After all of that back and forth, we finally have a meeting set for next week.

I hope that listening to me schedule a meeting with Andrea has taught you some new vocabulary that you can use in your own job the next time you need to set up a meeting.

In our next lesson, lesson eight, I'm going to talk about a meeting with my boss.

This course has been a production of the Center for Educational Development, in beautiful Los Angeles, California. Visit our website at eslpod.com.

This course was produced by Dr. Jeff McQuillan and Dr. Lucy Tse. Copyright 2008.

1 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

2 alternate   

adj.交替的，间隔的；v.（使）轮流　　

参考例句：

• He and I clean our room on alternate days.我和他隔日轮流打扫我们的房间。
• That was a week of alternate rain and sunshine.那是晴雨天交替的一周。

3 negotiate   

v.洽谈，协商，谈判，顺利通过，成功越过

参考例句：

• I'll negotiate with their coach on the date of the match.我将与他们的教练磋商比赛的日期问题。
• I managed to negotiate successfully with the authorities.我设法同当局进行了成功的协商。

4 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

6 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。