Business communication making an appointment

1. Are you busy this week?

2. What are you doing tonight?

3. Where are you having lunch tomorrow?

4. What plans do you have for the next seven days?

5. What is your next appointment?

Ex.1. Read the definitions from Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.

ap‧point‧ment

1 [countable] an arrangement for a meeting at an agreed time and place, for a particular purpose

You can say: have an appointment, make an appointment, an appointment to do something, book an appointment (BrE), schedule an appointment (AmE), cancel an appointment, miss an appointment, doctor’s/dentist’s/dental appointment.

She has an appointment with a client at 10.30.

You should phone his secretary if you want to make an appointment.

I have an appointment to see the doctor.

Please give us two days’ notice if you have to cancel an appointment.

I was already forty-five minutes late for mydental appointment.

keep an appointment (go to an appointment you have arranged): For the third time in a row, she had failed to keep her appointment .

by appointment only (only if you make an appointment in advance): All consultations are by appointment only.

Ex.2. Replace the underlined expressions with appropriate forms of the verbs from Ex.1 above.

1. An appointment with John Smith was organized for 1 February.

2. But not everyone could go to it.

3. Even John Smith could not attend it.

4. So it was decided not to have the appointment at all.

5. It was arranged for 1 March.

6. She arranged an appointment for her son to see the doctor.

7. I've got a dental appointment at 3 o'clock.

8. He failed to go to the appointment he had arranged.

9. Visiting the castle is only at the time that has been arranged in advance.

10. You should phone his secretary if you want toput an appointment in your diary.

Ex.3. Questions for discussion.

1. What are typical problems of business appointments?

2. How can you explain the aim of business appointments?

3. Have you ever forgotten an appointment?

4. How do you remember your appointments?

5. Making an appointment can be complicated if two people are very busy. How do you find time that is convenient for both of you?

6. Imagine you are making a telephone call. This time you are arranging an appointment to see someone. What phrases might you use or hear?

Ex.4. Read a sample telephone conversation.

Michelle:	Mr Hibberd’s office.
Peter:	Hello, can I speak to Brian Hibberd, please?
Michelle:	I’m afraid he’s in a meeting until lunchtime. Can I take a message?
Peter:	Well, I’d like toarrange an appointment to see him, please.   It’s Peter Jefferson here.
Michelle:	Could you hold on for a minute, Mr Jefferson. I’ll just look in the diary. So when’s it convenient for you?
Peter:	Some time next week if possible. I know he’s away the following week.
Michelle:	Yes, that’s right, he’s on holiday for a fortnight.
Peter:	Well, I need to see him before he goes away. So would next Wednesday be okay?
Michelle:	Wednesday. Let me see. He's out of the office all morning. But he's free in the afternoon, after about three.
Peter:	Three o'clock is going to be a little difficult. But I could make it after four.
Michelle:	So shall we say 4.15 next Wednesday, in Mr Hibberd's office?
Peter:	Yes, that sounds fine. Thanks very much.
Michelle:	Okay, then. Bye.

Ex.5. Read and study useful phrases.

• I’d like to make an appointment with you.

• Could we meet to discuss...

• What day will be convenient for you?

• What time would be convenient?

• How about...?

• I’ll look forward to seeing you.

Asking to meet

• Are you available on the 17th?

• Can we meet on the 16th?

• How does the 3rd sound to you?

• Are you free next week?

• Would Friday suit you?

• Is next Tuesday convenient for you?

• What about some time next week?

Responding to an appointment:

Agreeing on a date

• Yes, Thursday is fine.

• Thursday suits me.

• Thursday would be perfect.

• Yes, Monday would be fine.

Suggesting a different date

• I'm afraid I can't on the 3rd. What about the 6th?

• I'm sorry, I won't be able to make it on Monday. Could we meet on Tuesday instead?

• Ah, Wednesday is going to be a little difficult. I'd much prefer Friday, if that's all right with you.

• I really don't think I can make it on the 17th. Can we meet up on the 19th?

Setting a time

• Is 3pm a good time for you?

• If possible, I'd like to meet in the morning.

• How does 2 pm sound to you?

Changing the arrangement

• We were going to meet next Friday but something urgent has come up. I'm very sorry.

• I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to meet you after all. Can we fix another time?

• Something has just come up and I won't be able to meet you this afternoon. Can we make another time?

• Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen business, I will be unable to keep our appointment for tomorrow afternoon. Would it be possible to arrange another time later in the week?

• I’m afraid that I have to cancel our meeting on Wednesday, as something unexpected has come up.

• I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to meet you after all. Can we fix another time?

Ex.6. Read and translate the dialogue.

Ann: Hello.

Serge: Hi, Ann. It’s Serge. I’m calling to make an appointment for LeeAnn. She wants to meet Miles next week sometime.

Ann: Let me take a look at his appointment schedule. Let’s see, can LeeAnn be here on Tuesday at 2 pm?

Serge: No, she’s tied up all Tuesday afternoon, but I could shuffle around some of her commitments to free her up on Tuesday morning, if that helps.

Ann: Unfortunately, Tuesday morning is out. I could bump someone on Wednesday afternoon at 3 pm. Can LeeAnn be here at that time?

Serge: She has an appointment at 2:30 in this office, but it shouldn’t last more than a half hour. She should be able to make it by 3 o’clock if she’s not running late. Better yet, I may be able tochange something, maybe push back that appointment until she gets back to the office. Why don’t you pencil her in for now?

Ann: Okay, I’ll do that, but can you confirm with me by Monday?

Serge: Sure, I’ll give you a heads up no later than noon on Monday if I can’t push back her other appointment.

Ann: Okay, sounds good. Tell me, do you ever feel like we’re spinning our wheels, spending our days making, changing, and canceling appointments?

Serge: Yeah, every single day!

Ex. 7. Role-play the dialogue.

Rachel: Hello, my name is Rachel Jones and I'd like to make an appointment to speak to Mr. Smith.

Secretary: Can I ask you what is the purpose of the appointment?

Rachel: Of course. I met him at a luncheon last week and he asked me to call him to make an appointment to talk about a job.

Secretary: Okay. Mr. Smith has an appointment available on Monday June 10th at 4 pm or Thursday June 13th at 2 pm. Which one would be better for you?

Rachel: Monday at 4pm would be perfect.

Secretary: Excellent. I've got you down for that day and time. Can I have your phone number just in case something comes up and he needs to reschedule?

Rachel: Yes, certainly. It is 085-897-9393.

Secretary: (repeats the phone number to make sure it's correct) 085-897-9393.

Rachel: That's it. Thank you so much. I'll see you on Monday June 10^th at 4 pm.

Secretary: Have a nice day!

Ex.8. Complete the dialogue with the words and word combinations from the box.

A)

are you free, fine, I'll see you, I'm calling about, speaking, visiting

Pam: Hello. Pam Robertson __________ .

Bob: Oh hello, Pam. It's Bob here.

Pam: Hello Bob. How can I help you?

Bob: _______ the new advertising budget meeting. ______ on Tuesday afternoon?

Pam: Let me see. Sorry I'm __________ the new factory all day on Tuesday. How about Wednesday at two p.m.?

Bob: I'm meeting a customer in the morning, but the afternoon is __________ .

Pam: Good. So __________ on Wednesday then. Good bye.

Bob: Good bye.

b)

call me, can I help you, cannot leave, could you come, how about a little later, I’d like to make an appointment, is that OK with you, may not be able to arrive, will be seen, work

A: Good morning. Dr. Brown's office. __________?

A: Good morning. I __________with Dr. Brown.

B: Ok. Just a minute. __________on Monday at 1:00 pm?

A: No. Monday is a busy day for me. I __________until 9:00 pm. I __________the office early.

B: What about Wednesday at 6:00 pm? __________?

A: __________? You know how heavy the traffic is at 6. I __________on time.

B: OK. You __________by Dr. Brown on Wednesday at 7. OK? If you can't come for any reason, please __________and I will try to set another time.

B: OK. Thanks.

Ex.9. Work with a partner.

Your partner wants to arrange a meeting next week. However, you're very busy!

Think of three reasons why you are busy.

1)

2)

3)

Role-play the conversations with your partner:

1. Your partner will suggest a time. Say you are busy, and use one of the above reasons.

2. Your partner will then suggest a different time. Accept the second time.

Ex.10. Work in pairs. Practice making and changing an appointment.You are going to role-play five situations. Refer to Ex. 5 for useful phrases.

1. A. You're a chemical engineer who works in the company's R&D labs. You're attending a conference on a new chemical processing technology. A friend from college (who is now a professor doing research in the same area) will be attending the conference. You want to schedule some time to talk to him and get his perspective on recent developments in the field. But he is hard to reach.

   2. An old friend from college (who is doing research work in the same field as you in the R&D labs of a large corporation) wants to get together and talk. You try to find some time for him in your busy schedule.

2. A. You sell expensive medical equipment. You have to make an appointment to talk with a doctor who is very influential at a hospital where you're trying to close a sale. You want to get him in the right mood so you invite him to play a round of golf at an expensive country club.

B. You're a doctor at an important university hospital. A salesman selling cancer treatment equipment has been hounding you trying to get some time to talk with you. Now he wants to meet over golf which doesn't seem too bad to you. You try to find some time for him in your busy schedule.

3. A. You own 20% of a company and feel that your ideas about where the company should be heading aren't being taken into account by the company's management. You schedule a meeting with the CEO to talk about this.

B. You are the CEO of a company. A major stockholder in the company has called you up repeatedly trying to get some time to talk to you about his vision of the future for the company. His ideas aren't really compatible with yours but you think it judicious to hear him out. You schedule some time for him over lunch.

4. A. Your friend has a job providing tech support to sales reps at a promising software startup. You've heard that there's an opening and you want to talk to your friend about the possibility of you landing the job. You suggest lunch or beer after work.

B. One of your best friends has just arrived back from his adventures in Asia. He's trying to find a job again and thinks you can help him to talk to your boss into giving him a job in customer support. You both decide to meet over lunch.

5. A. You're an investment banker visiting Jakarta to set up some merger and acquisition deals. A reporter wants to interview you.

B. You're a reporter who wants to write an insider story on the corporate reorganizations that are taking place in the wake of the Asian financial crisis. You make an appointment to talk with an investment banker (a friend of a friend) to talk about what's going on.

Ex.11. Imagine and name a company you’d like to work for.

Design your own “business card”.

Fill theblank weekly planner with as many appointments as possible.

Play a role of a business person arranging meetings during work hours.

Agree on when to meet, where to meet, and what to discuss.

You cannot meet the same person twice.

Possible reasons why two people might have a business meeting: buying or selling, cooperating, asking advice, discussing a legal issue, etc.

	9am	2pm	6pm
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Ex.12. Arrange personal meetings with your friends, outside work hours.

You might meet, for example to eat a meal, climb a hill, watch TV, go dancing, go shopping, play sport, etc.

You cannot meet the same person twice.

Sentences appropriate to use with friends:

Do you want to meet some time?

When are you free?

OK, see you then!