{"id":22760,"date":"2026-06-01T02:04:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T02:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/conversation.salamzaban.com\/?post_type=entry&amp;p=22760"},"modified":"2026-06-01T02:04:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T02:04:04","slug":"lesson-4-giving-a-presentation-part-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salamzaban.com\/conversation\/lesson-4-giving-a-presentation-part-a\/","title":{"rendered":"Lesson 4 \u2013 Giving a Presentation: Part A"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>SCRIPTS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>Meeting A &#8211; Formal Meeting<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn:\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>As I mentioned<\/strong>, our market share has been sliding for the past year. Naturally, Vision Corporation is <strong>alarmed <\/strong>by these changes and wants to understand the <strong>underlying <\/strong>reasons. The truth is, we\u2019re not entirely sure why we\u2019re losing market share, but we have identified three factors that may <strong>contribute <\/strong>to the <strong>cause<\/strong>: a growing number of <strong>competitors<\/strong>, our product\u2019s features, and poor <strong>advertising<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">First, the number of competitors in our industry has <strong>doubled <\/strong>in the past year. <strong>To counter <\/strong>this, we must learn <strong>to differentiate <\/strong>Vision Corporation from the other companies. Second, our product <strong>lacks <\/strong>some of the features that customers are <strong>looking for<\/strong>. We need to improve our product and make it the best <strong>market offering<\/strong>. Third, our advertising has been <strong>ineffective <\/strong>in reaching our potential customers. We need <strong>to rethink <\/strong>our <strong>marketing campaigns <\/strong>and make sure that we\u2019re <strong>targeting <\/strong>the right market.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Now I\u2019m going to turn things over to Ms. Graff, who will discuss the <strong>findings <\/strong>of her focus groups.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Meeting B &#8211; Informal Meeting<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn:\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>As I said a moment ago<\/strong>, our market share has taken a <strong>nosedive <\/strong>in the last year. Why? We think it\u2019s a combination of three things: (one) there\u2019s a lot more competition now than there was a year ago, (two) our product isn\u2019t <strong>meeting the needs <\/strong>of the market, and (three) our advertising is speaking to the wrong customers. These are some pretty serious but not <strong>insurmountable <\/strong>problems, so let\u2019s take a look at the <strong>solutions <\/strong>we\u2019ve <strong>come up with<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">First, we\u2019re facing twice as many competitors as we were a year ago, so we need to make sure that customers know that Vision Corp. is the best in the business. Second, we need to make sure that our product has all the <strong>bells and whistles <\/strong>that our customers have come to expect. And third, we have <strong>to revamp <\/strong>our marketing efforts and make sure that our ads appeal to the right group of customers.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hannah, can you please <strong>take over <\/strong>now and tell us what you learned from the focus groups?<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>GLOSSARY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Meeting A &#8211; Formal Meeting<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>As I mentioned&#8230; <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>a phrase used to refer back to something that was said earlier<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*As I mentioned in our meeting last week, our new employee Chantrelle is going<br \/>\nto start working here tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>alarmed <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>surprised in a negative way; shocked; disturbed<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*The police are alarmed by the recent increase in crime in this neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>underlying <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>something that cannot be seen easily, but explains why something is happening<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*The underlying reasons for the decrease in the number of fish in this lake<br \/>\ninclude pollution and warmer than normal temperatures.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>to contribute <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>to add to something; to make something stronger, bigger, or better<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*A good educational system can contribute to a stronger economy.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>cause <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>something that creates a change or results in something else happening<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*One of the causes of global warming is the increase in the number of cars on<br \/>\nthe roads.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>competitor <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>a person or a business that sells a similar product to a similar group of customers as you do<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*Hewlett-Packard and Gateway are competitors in the computer industry.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>advertising <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>the use of television commercials, radio commercials, and printed advertisements to make people want to buy a product or service<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*Television advertising is much more expensive during important football games<br \/>\nthan during regular programs.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>to double <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>to increase by two; to increase by 100%<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*When Penelope changed jobs, her salary doubled from $23,000 to $46,000.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>to counter <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>to work against something; to balance something by working in the opposite direction<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*Daniel ate a lot of food during the holidays, but he countered the extra calories<br \/>\nby running 10 miles each day.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>to differentiate <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>to distinguish; to make two similar things seem different<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*Did you write this letter, or did your husband do it? I can\u2019t differentiate your<br \/>\nhandwriting.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>to lack <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>to not have something; to be missing something<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*Our city lacks a park for children to play in, but we\u2019re going to try to build one<br \/>\nthis year.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>to look for <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>to search for; to seek; to try to find<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*Eugene is looking for his keys. Have you seen them anywhere?<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>market offering <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>a product that is available for sale to customers<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*Microsoft has many software programs among its market offerings.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>ineffective <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>not effective; not able to do what something is supposed to do<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*Medication is ineffective if patients forget to take it when they\u2019re supposed to.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>to rethink <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>to think about something again; to think about another way to do something when the first way doesn\u2019t work well<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*Lana isn\u2019t doing well in her biology classes, so she is rethinking her plan to<br \/>\nbecome a doctor.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>marketing campaign <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>a strategy for letting people know about a product or service and making them want to buy it<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*The new marketing campaign includes a mixture of television and radio<br \/>\ncommercials.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>to target <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>to aim for; to try to reach; to design something for<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*The American Cancer Association tries to target smokers by educating them<br \/>\nand helping them stop smoking.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>findings <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>results of a research project; outcome of an investigation<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*The researchers\u2019 findings showed that exercising 30 minutes each day can help<br \/>\npeople live longer.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Meeting B &#8211; Informal Meeting<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>As I said a moment ago&#8230; <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>a phrase used when repeating something that one said a few minutes ago, usually as a reminder or to stress its importance<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*As I said a moment ago, when you repeat information in a presentation, it is<br \/>\neasier for people to remember it.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>nosedive <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>a quick decrease, fall, or decline; going down a lot and very quickly<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*When the economy took a nosedive, many foreign companies stopped doing<br \/>\nbusiness in that country.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>to meet the needs <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>to provide what someone is looking for; to give people what they require<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*We could meet the needs of our busy customers better if our stores were open<br \/>\nlater each day.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>insurmountable <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>without a solution; unable to overcome; unable to fix<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*Yessinia\u2019s parents got divorced because of insurmountable differences<br \/>\nbetween her mom and dad.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>solution <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>an answer to a problem; a way to handle a difficult situation<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*If you want your sons to fight less, one solution might be to give them their own<br \/>\nbedrooms.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>to come up with <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>to create or invent; to think of something new and creative<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*Olga came up with a way to save her department $100 each week.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>bells and whistles <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>attractive, desirable, and extra features of a product that are not needed for its basic use or operation<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*Today many cell phones are full of bells and whistles, such as cameras, games,<br \/>\nand music players.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>to revamp <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>to improve; to make better<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*The Flores family revamped their home by painting all the walls.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>to take over <\/strong><strong>\u2013<\/strong>to take control of something<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*When Condi took over the business, sales increased very quickly in the first<br \/>\nyear.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cBusiness Meetings&#8221; course: lesson four. I&#8217;m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In the third lesson of \u201cBusiness Meetings,\u201d we learned business vocabulary for beginning a presentation and letting people know what will be discussed in formal and informal business meetings. In this fourth lesson, we&#8217;re going to learn vocabulary for actually giving a presentation.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Let&#8217;s start by listening to Shawn&#8217;s presentation at the formal meeting.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">[start of formal meeting script]<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn:\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>As I mentioned<\/strong>, our market share has been sliding for the past year. Naturally, Vision Corporation is <strong>alarmed <\/strong>by these changes and wants to understand the <strong>underlying <\/strong>reasons. The truth is, we\u2019re not entirely sure why we\u2019re losing market share, but we have identified three factors that may <strong>contribute <\/strong>to the <strong>cause<\/strong>: a growing number of <strong>competitors<\/strong>, our product\u2019s features, and poor <strong>advertising<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">First, the number of competitors in our industry has <strong>doubled <\/strong>in the past year. <strong>To counter <\/strong>this, we must learn <strong>to differentiate <\/strong>Vision Corporation from the other companies. Second, our product <strong>lacks <\/strong>some of the features that customers are <strong>looking for<\/strong>. We need to improve our product and make it the best <strong>market offering<\/strong>. Third, our advertising has been <strong>ineffective <\/strong>in reaching our potential customers. We need <strong>to rethink <\/strong>our <strong>marketing campaigns <\/strong>and make sure that we\u2019re <strong>targeting <\/strong>the right market.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Now I\u2019m going to turn things over to Ms. Graff, who will discuss the <strong>findings <\/strong>of her focus groups.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">[end of formal meeting script]<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn begins by saying, \u201cAs I mentioned, our market share has been sliding.\u201d The phrase \u201cas I mentioned\u201d is used to refer back to something that was said earlier. In this case, Shawn has already said that market share was sliding, or falling, when he began the presentation. He says \u201cas I mentioned\u201d to remind people of this. I could say, \u201cAs I mentioned, this lesson is about making a<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">presentation\u201d\u2013 I already told you that; I\u2019m reminding you that I told you that already \u2013\u201cas I mentioned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn says that Vision Corporation is alarmed by these changes in the market share. To be \u201calarmed\u201d (alarmed) means to be shocked, disturbed, or surprised in a negative way. You might be alarmed to learn that your friend\u2019s car was stolen, for example \u2013 you are shocked; you are surprised; it\u2019s a bad thing. Shawn says that the company wants to understand the underlying reasons for the changes in market share. An \u201cunderlying (underlying) reason\u201d is an explanation that cannot be seen easily \u2013 that you can\u2019t figure out right away \u2013 but it\u2019s an explanation that tells you why something is happening. An underlying reason for the increase in global temperatures \u2013 in global warming \u2013 might be the use of oil (petroleum). That\u2019s an example of an \u201cunderlying reason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn doesn\u2019t know exactly what the underlying reason is for the company losing market share, but he talks about three things that may \u201ccontribute to the cause\u201d. \u201cTo contribute\u201d (contribute) means to add to something or to make something stronger or better. If you give money to an organization, you are contributing to the organization. A \u201ccause\u201d (cause) is something that creates a change or results in something else happening. Bad weather might be the cause of an accident; it\u2019s the reason why the accident happened.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">When Shawn talks about three things that \u201ccontribute to the cause,\u201d he means that he has identified three things that are part of the situation that is making the company lose its market share. Shawn says that the first thing is \u201ca growing number of competitors.\u201d When we say a number is \u201cgrowing,\u201d we mean it is increasing, so there is an increasing number of competitors. A \u201ccompetitor\u201d (competitor) is a person or a business that sells a similar product to a similar group of customers as you do. Toyota is a competitor for Honda for the car market in the United States. They are two companies that sell a similar product \u2013 a similar thing \u2013 to a similar group of people, or to the same group of people.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn says that the second thing \u2013 the second reason why the company may be losing its market share \u2013 is the product\u2019s features, or the characteristics of the product. And he says that the third thing is poor advertising. \u201cAdvertising\u201d (advertising) is the use of television commercials, radio commercials, printed advertisements like in a newspaper, and the Internet to make people want to buy your product or service. Vision Corporation has poor advertising, meaning that it doesn\u2019t do a very good job of making people want to buy its product. We use the word \u201cpoor,\u201d here, to mean bad \u2013 not very good.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Then Shawn says that the number of competitors in the industry has doubled in the past year. \u201cTo double\u201d (double) means to increase two times, or twice as much \u2013 to increase 100%. For example, you might say that sales doubled from $16,000 to $32,000. Shawn says that to counter the large number of competitors, the company must learn to differentiate itself from other companies. \u201cTo counter (counter) something\u201d means to work against something, or to balance something by working in the opposite direction. You might decide to drive less to counter the large amount of money you have to spend on high gasoline prices. \u201cTo differentiate\u201d (differentiate) means to distinguish or to make two similar things seem different.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">When you fly on a plane and you go to get your luggage, you will notice that some people try to differentiate their luggage so that it doesn\u2019t look like everyone else\u2019s luggage. They may put some colored tape on it, for example, so they know that it is their bag \u2013 their piece of luggage. When Shawn says that to counter the falling market share they must learn to differentiate the products of Vision Corporation, he means that the way to increase market share is to make Vision Corporation seem different and better than its competitors \u2013 to make its products seem different.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn then says that the product lacks some of the features, or product characteristics, that customers are looking for. \u201cTo lack\u201d (lack) means not to have something, or to be missing something. Our podcasts have audio, but lack video \u2013 they don\u2019t have video. \u201cTo look for something\u201d means to seek or search for something, or to try to find something.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Lucy and I are always looking for new ideas for our podcasts. When Shawn says that the \u201cproduct lacks some of the features that customers are looking for,\u201d then, he means that the product doesn\u2019t have everything that customers want it to have. Shawn says that the company needs to improve the product and make it a better market offering.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">A \u201cmarket offering\u201d is a product that is available for sale to customers. A farmer\u2019s market offerings might include potatoes, carrots, and lettuce, for example.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn continues, saying that the advertising has been \u201cineffective\u201d in reaching potential customers. The word \u201cineffective\u201d (ineffective) means not effective, or not able to do what something is supposed to do. Vision Corporation has been doing some advertising \u2013 they\u2019ve been advertising \u2013 but it isn\u2019t working the way they want it to \u2013 the way it\u2019s supposed to do, because it isn\u2019t communicating with the right group of people. Shawn says that the company needs to \u201crethink\u201d its \u201cmarketing campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The verb \u201cto rethink\u201d (rethink) means to think about something again, or to think about another way to do something when the first way doesn\u2019t work well.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">A \u201cmarketing campaign\u201d (campaign) is a strategy for letting people know about a product or a service and making them want to buy it.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">To rethink a marketing campaign, then, means to look carefully at the existing marketing campaign \u2013 the one you have right now \u2013 and find ways to make it<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">better. Shawn says that this is the way to target the right market. \u201cTo target\u201d means to aim for something or to try to reach something. Our courses target people who are learning English as a second language. Vision Corporation\u2019s advertising should be targeting the people who are interested in buying the type of product that the company offers.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Finally, Shawn says that he\u2019s \u201cgoing to turn things over to Hannah, who will discuss the findings of her focus groups.\u201d He\u2019s \u201cgoing to turn things over,\u201d meaning he\u2019s going to let Hannah talk to the group.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">She\u2019s going to talk about her findings. \u201cFindings\u201d (findings) are the results of a research project, or the outcome \u2013 the conclusion of an investigation. The findings of Hannah\u2019s focus groups, in this case, are the opinions of the people who were there, who gave their advice and suggestions about the company\u2019s product.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Let\u2019s listen to the formal meeting again, this time at a native rate of speech.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">[start of formal meeting script]<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn:\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>As I mentioned<\/strong>, our market share has been sliding for the past year. Naturally, Vision Corporation is <strong>alarmed <\/strong>by these changes and wants to understand the <strong>underlying <\/strong>reasons. The truth is, we\u2019re not entirely sure why we\u2019re losing market share, but we have identified three factors that may <strong>contribute <\/strong>to the <strong>cause<\/strong>: a growing number of <strong>competitors<\/strong>, our product\u2019s features, and poor <strong>advertising<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">First, the number of competitors in our industry has <strong>doubled <\/strong>in the past year. <strong>To counter <\/strong>this, we must learn <strong>to differentiate <\/strong>Vision Corporation from the other companies. Second, our product <strong>lacks <\/strong>some of the features that customers are <strong>looking for<\/strong>. We need to improve our product and make it the best <strong>market offering<\/strong>. Third, our advertising has been <strong>ineffective <\/strong>in reaching our potential customers. We need <strong>to rethink <\/strong>our <strong>marketing campaigns <\/strong>and make sure that we\u2019re <strong>targeting <\/strong>the right market.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Now I\u2019m going to turn things over to Ms. Graff, who will discuss the <strong>findings <\/strong>of her focus groups.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">[end of formal meeting script]<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Now that you better understand the formal meeting, let\u2019s listen to Shawn make the same presentation at an informal meeting.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">[start of informal meeting script]<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn:\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>As I said a moment ago<\/strong>, our market share has taken a <strong>nosedive <\/strong>in the last year. Why? We think it\u2019s a combination of three things: (one) there\u2019s a lot more competition now than there was a year ago, (two) our product isn\u2019t <strong>meeting the needs <\/strong>of the market, and (three) our advertising is speaking to the wrong customers. These are some pretty serious but not <strong>insurmountable <\/strong>problems, so let\u2019s take a look at the <strong>solutions <\/strong>we\u2019ve <strong>come up with<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">First, we\u2019re facing twice as many competitors as we were a year ago, so we need to make sure that customers know that Vision Corp. is the best in the business. Second, we need to make sure that our product has all the <strong>bells and whistles <\/strong>that our customers have come to expect. And third, we have <strong>to revamp <\/strong>our marketing efforts and make sure that our ads appeal to the right group of customers.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hannah, can you please <strong>take over <\/strong>now and tell us what you learned from the focus groups?<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">[end of informal meeting script]<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Let\u2019s take a closer look at the vocabulary used in the informal meeting. Shawn begins by saying, \u201cAs I said a moment ago.\u201d That phrase is similar to the phrase \u201cas I mentioned,\u201d which was used in the formal meeting. \u201cAs I said a moment ago\u201d is a phrase used when repeating something that one said a few minutes ago, usually as a reminder or to stress its importance.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">As I said a moment ago, we\u2019re going to take a close look at the vocabulary used in the meeting.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn says, \u201cAs I said a moment ago, our market share has taken a nosedive in the last year.\u201d A \u201cnosedive\u201d (nosedive) is a quick or rapid decrease, fall, or decline, where something goes down a lot and very quickly.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">When the population of frogs takes a nosedive, biologists get very worried, because they think, maybe, there\u2019s something wrong with the environment where the frogs are living. So, anything that has a number can take a nosedive. Vision Corporation is worried about the nosedive, or the rapid decrease, in its market share.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">As in the formal meeting, Shawn says that there are three reasons for the falling market share, or the decreasing market share. First, there are more competitors than there were before. Second, the product isn\u2019t meeting the needs of the market. \u201cTo meet the needs of someone\u201d means to give or provide what someone is looking for, or to give people what they require. We hope that we\u2019re meeting your needs in improving your English comprehension.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn wants the product to meet the needs of the consumers, or customers, in the market. Shawn then says that the third reason for falling market share is that the advertising is speaking to the wrong customers. He says that \u201cthese are some pretty serious but not insurmountable problems.\u201d If something is \u201cinsurmountable\u201d (insurmountable) it doesn\u2019t have a solution, and it is unable to be overcome or fixed. But Shawn says that these are <em>not <\/em>insurmountable problems, meaning that he thinks they can be fixed. He suggests taking a look at the solutions the team has come up with.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">A \u201csolution\u201d is an answer to a problem, or a way to handle a difficult situation. \u201cTo come up with something\u201d means to create or invent something, or to think of something new and creative. We work hard to come up with new ideas for our podcasts each week. When Shawn suggests taking a look at the solutions his team has come up with, he means that he wants to review the ideas that his team has about how the company can fix its problems.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn says that the company has twice as many competitors as it did one year ago, so it needs to find ways to let customers know that it\u2019s the best company. Then Shawn says that Vision Corporation needs to make sure that the product has all the \u201cbells and whistles\u201d that customers expect. \u201cBells (bells) and whistles (whistles)\u201d are attractive, desirable, and extra features, or characteristics, of a product that aren\u2019t needed for its basic use and operation.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">A \u201cbell\u201d is, literally, something that rings \u2013 ding, ding, ding, ding, ding \u2013 that would be a bell. A \u201cwhistle\u201d is like (Jeff whistles) \u2013 that would be a whistle. But the expression \u201cbells and whistles,\u201d together, refers to things that you have with a product that aren\u2019t necessary but are nice \u2013 that make you like it more. For example, \u201cbells and whistles\u201d on a car \u2013 on an automobile \u2013 might include a CD player, automatic windows, or a navigation system \u2013 a satellite navigation system.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">You don\u2019t need those things to drive your car, but they are nice extra things; those are the \u201cbells and whistles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn wants the company\u2019s product to have more of these nice things that customers are looking for. Shawn also says that the company needs to revamp its marketing efforts. \u201cTo revamp (revamp) something\u201d means to improve something, or make something better. Revamping the marketing efforts means changing the way that the company does its marketing. Revamping your room might mean painting the walls and buying new furniture \u2013 new chairs, a new desk, and so forth.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">At the end of the meeting, Shawn asks Hannah to \u201ctake over\u201d and talk about what she learned from the focus groups. \u201cTo take over\u201d means to take control of something, to be in charge. In this case, Hannah is going to be in control, or be in charge, of the next section of the meeting.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">That\u2019s all the new vocabulary in the informal meeting. Let\u2019s listen to Shawn again, this time when he\u2019s speaking more quickly.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">[start of informal meeting script]<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shawn:\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>As I said a moment ago<\/strong>, our market share has taken a <strong>nosedive <\/strong>in the last year. Why? We think it\u2019s a combination of three things: (one) there\u2019s a lot more competition now than there was a year ago, (two) our product isn\u2019t <strong>meeting the needs <\/strong>of the market, and (three) our advertising is speaking to the wrong customers. These are some pretty serious but not <strong>insurmountable <\/strong>problems, so let\u2019s take a look at the <strong>solutions <\/strong>we\u2019ve <strong>come up with<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">First, we\u2019re facing twice as many competitors as we were a year ago, so we need to make sure that customers know that Vision Corp. is the best in the business. Second, we need to make sure that our product has all the <strong>bells and whistles <\/strong>that our customers have come to expect. And third, we have <strong>to revamp <\/strong>our marketing efforts and make sure that our ads appeal to the right group of customers.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hannah, can you please <strong>take over <\/strong>now and tell us what you learned from the focus groups?<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">[end of informal meeting script]<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Now you know some of the business vocabulary used to make presentations. In the next lesson, number five, we\u2019re going to continue learning vocabulary for making presentations, but this time we will focus more on the vocabulary for using visuals, the drawings and images that help people understand what they\u2019re presenting.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This course has been a production of the Center for Educational Development, in beautiful Los Angeles, California.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SCRIPTS Meeting A &#8211; Formal Meeting Shawn:\u00a0\u00a0 As I mentioned, our market share has been sliding for the past year. Naturally, Vision Corporation is alarmed by these changes and wants to understand the underlying reasons. The truth is, we\u2019re not entirely sure why we\u2019re losing market share, but we have identified three factors that may&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/salamzaban.com\/conversation\/lesson-4-giving-a-presentation-part-a\/\" rel=\"bookmark\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Lesson 4 \u2013 Giving a Presentation: Part A<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-common-english-expressions"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Lesson 4 \u2013 Giving a Presentation: Part A - \u0628\u0647\u062a\u0631\u06cc\u0646 \u06a9\u0644\u0627\u0633 \u0622\u0646\u0644\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u062e\u0635\u0648\u0635\u06cc \u0645\u06a9\u0627\u0644\u0645\u0647 \u0627\u0646\u06af\u0644\u06cc\u0633\u06cc<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/salamzaban.com\/conversation\/lesson-4-giving-a-presentation-part-a\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fa_IR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lesson 4 \u2013 Giving a Presentation: Part A - \u0628\u0647\u062a\u0631\u06cc\u0646 \u06a9\u0644\u0627\u0633 \u0622\u0646\u0644\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u062e\u0635\u0648\u0635\u06cc \u0645\u06a9\u0627\u0644\u0645\u0647 \u0627\u0646\u06af\u0644\u06cc\u0633\u06cc\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SCRIPTS Meeting A &#8211; Formal Meeting Shawn:\u00a0\u00a0 As I mentioned, our market share has been sliding for the past year. 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