In meeting
Short of an argument for your enterprise? Perhaps have you need a session of brainstorming to reflect to several around a table...
A meeting of team
Penny: OK everyone, ready to start?... Caroline, could you take the minutes? Thanks. Right, did everyone get the e-mail I sent? Excellent… Let’s get down to business then, shall we? As I said in my e-mail, I’ve called this meeting to brainstorm ideas and promotional activities to make sure that the launch of our new website is a success from the start-
Rob: Sorry to interrupt Penny, but what king of advertising budget are we talking about here?
Penny: Well, we haven’t been given a budget for the moment, I just wanted to have your ideas…
Rob: Great, no budget! The sky’s the limit-
Jenny: How about TV and radio?
Penny: Not specific enough. I think we’d be better off targeting local papers or business journals… Max?
Max: I’ve been looking at a few cheaper solutions in case our budget is limited. I thought we could do some effective online promotion, which is quite cheap - and I can suggest a couple of possible business partnerships, too. What else? Oh yes, I think we should contact Google to see if we can get a bit more visibility for the website. We need people to find us straight away when they’re doing a search.
Penny: Absolutely. Could you look into how much that would cost, Max?
Max: Sure.
Dave: Hi, could I come in at this point? I was thinking that we should sponsor a major sporting event to tie in with the launch-
Claire: Or we could organize a promotional event to get the press talking about us. Something original…
Rob: Good idea. We could do a naked calendar, cover our essentials with laptops or Post-Its… well, Penny, you could-
Penny: Yes, yes, Rob, thank you. Well, I think that’s enough to be getting on with. Let’s call a follow-up meeting in a few week’s time. We should know what our advertising budget is by then…
Conversation
Vocabulary and idioms
take the minutes = rédiger le compte rendu
get down to business = passer aux choses sérieuses
call (a meeting) = convoquer une réunion
launch = lancement
interrupt = interrompre
The sky's the limit. = Tout est possible.
partnerships = partenariat
register = s'inscrire
search engine = moteur de recherche
look into = examiner
I agree = Je suis d'accord.
Could I come in at this point? = Pourrais-je intervenir maintenant?
event = événement
tie in = être lié
laptop = ordinateur portable
How to express its opinion during a meeting
Express its agreement
I entirely agree (with you). = je suis entièrement d'accord (avec vous).
I couldn't agree more. = je ne pourrais être plus d'accord.
I’ll support that. = je suis tout à fait de ce point de vue.
I think we are in agreement on that. = je pense que nous sommes d'accord là-dessus.
Yes,let's do that. = Oui, c'est entendu.
Express a partiel agreement...
I'm not so sure it's a good idea. = je ne suis pas persuadé que ce soit une bonne idée.
I agree up to a point, but I’m not sure about… = je suis d'accord jusqu'à un certain point, mais...
That's true, but you must also agree that… = C'est vrai, mais vous devez convenir que...
Express its opposition
I don't/can't agree. = je ne suis pas d'accord.
I'm sorry, but I can't go along with that. = je suis désolé, mais je ne suis pas de cet avis.
I am opposed to this idea. = je suis contre cette idée.
Express a deep disagreement
I see no point in continuing this discussion. = je ne vois pas l'intérêt de poursuivre cette discussion.
I'm afraid that is impossible. = je crains que ce soit impossible.
Ask more details
Could you be a little more specific? = Pourriez-vous être un peu plus précis?
I'm sorry, but could you explain in a little more detail? = Pardon, pourriez-vous expliquer avec un peu plus de détails?