Business (Expert Chapter 1)｜ビジネス会話（上級１章）Lesson2: Suggesting solutions to problems

PART A_1

Let’s learn vocabulary. Listen and repeat the words and the sentences with your tutor.

PART A_2

1.　agenda
	-a list of matters to be discussed at a meeting
	Let us prioritize the first three listed items in the agenda.
2.　negotiate
	-to have formal discussions with someone to reach an agreement with them
	Good day. I would like to negotiate the production plan with you this Thursday.
3.　have we considered ~
	-to suggest an alternative solution
	Have we considered promoting our services via email?
4.　Let me know your thoughts.
	-a way to ask for someone’s reply, opinion, or idea
	This is our proposal. Please let me know your thoughts.
5.　consensus
	-a generally accepted opinion or decision among a group of people
	What was the consensus in yesterday’s meeting?

PART A_3

Let’s make sentences using the vocabulary we’ve just learned.

PART A_4

1.　agenda
Answer:
2.negotiate
Answer:
3.have we considered ~
Answer:
4.Let me know your thoughts.
Answer:
5.consensus
Answer:

PART B_1

Let’s read the dialogue. After that, we’ll switch roles.

以下の会話文を読みましょう。終わったら交代してもう一度読みましょう。

PART B_2

William

Thank you for making it here on time. Please, have a seat.

Anne

What would be our agenda for today?

William

I have contacted our supplier in regards to the shampoo bottles we need. They need at least a month to complete the production of our request. However, all shampoo bottles are needed within three weeks.

Anne

I see. Have we considered switching to a different supplier?

William

Hmm, that is possible. But we have to negotiate for lower prices again.

Anne

Have we considered other solutions or alternatives?

William

What I can suggest is to retain our current supplier and contact another one who can provide us the shampoo bottles within the deadline for the same price. We can then split the production to the two suppliers. Let me know your thoughts.

Anne

That’s a wonderful idea. I have just one concern. This will cost us more.

William

Actually, it’ll cost us more if we stick to one supplier. Having two suppliers is more affordable and productive.

Anne

I understand. I shall contact other potential suppliers right away. Please give me until tomorrow morning.

William

Thank you, please keep me posted so we can reach a consensus as early as possible.

PART B_3

Please summarize the conversation using your own words and expressions.

PART B_4

PART C_1

Let’s do a roleplay. Talk with me according to the situation below, using the expressions you just learned.

PART C_2

The marketing head (your tutor) showed a comparative study of your company’s customer satisfaction (CSAT) rating. The study showed that the CSAT rate decreased this month. Please give ideas on how to improve your CSAT rating using the following flow:

– give a hypothetical suggestion
– provide (an) alternative/s
– preferred solution

PART C_3

PART D_1

Let’s discuss today’s theme. Please answer the questions below.

PART D_2

1.	How do you present office concerns in your department or company?
2.	What must we consider when providing possible solutions to office problems?

REVIEW AND FEEDBACK

Now, let us review the things that you learned in this lesson.

ではこのレッスンで学んだことを振り返りましょう。

(Please give a short feedback on how your student did on your class.)

	Grammar 文法	Pronunciation 発音	Vocabulary 単語	Comprehension 理解
GOOD	文法の誤りはほとんどなく、完全な文章で話すことができる	ほとんどの単語をはっきりと正しく発音することができる	習った表現を適切に使うことができる	文章を理解し、質問に正しく答えることができる
FAIR	文法の誤りはあるが、完全な文章で話すことができる	発音の練習が必要な言葉がいくつかある	たまにミスはあるが、習った表現を適切に使うことができる	文章を完全に理解するのは難しく、質問に正しく答えられないときもある
POOR	文章で話すのは難しく、単語だけで話すことができる	発音の練習が必要である	習った単語と表現を少しだけ使うことができる	文章を理解するのは難しく、質問に答えるのは難しい

TUTOR FEEDBACK

GRAMMAR
Good:	Was able to speak in complete sentences with minimal grammatical errors.
Fair:	Was able to speak in complete sentences with evident grammatical errors.
Poor:	Was able to speak using words only.
PRONUNCIATION
Good:	Was able to pronounce most of the words clearly and correctly.
Fair:	Mispronounced a few words.
Poor:	Mispronounced most of the words.
VOCABULARY
Good:	Used appropriate expressions learned in class.
Fair:	Used appropriate expressions learned in class and made a few errors in word choice.
Poor:	Used only a few words and expressions.
COMPREHENSION
Good:	Was able to understand the passages and answer the questions correctly.
Fair:	Had a little difficulty in understanding passages and answering questions.
Poor:	Had a hard time understanding passages and answering questions.