PART ONE: INTERVIEW

　　(1) How important is it for a company to have regular meetings?(Why?)

　　定期开会对公司有何重要性?(为什么?)

　　Very important. It is an effective way to collect ideas, let know and ask for suggestions for solutions to problems.

　　(2) What do you think makes a conference interesting?

　　什么能使会议吸引人?

　　Up-to-date technologies can make a conference interesting, such as OHP and PowerPoint to give illustrations.

　　(3) Could some meetings be replaced by other form of communication?(Why?/Why not?)

　　一些会议可否由其他沟通形式替代?(为什么?)

　　Yes. For instance, meetings for brainstorming, data gathering and sharing, planning for specific events and projects, etc. could be done by memos, letters, conference calls and E-mail. These forms can sometimes be more effective.

　　(4) Do you think there will be any need for meetings in the future?(Why?/Why not?)

　　你认为将来还有必要开会吗?(为什么?)

　　Yes. Even in the future when people E everything, people still desire to meet face to face in order to discuss, gather information and do business.

　　PART TWO: MINI-PRESENTATION

　　What is important when…?

　　Planning a meeting 策划召开会议需考虑哪些要点?

　　l Agenda 会议议程

　　l Size 规模

　　Greating an agenda is very important when planning a meeting. Doing so helps participants know what they should be talking about and keeps the conversation focused. All items to be discussed at the meeting should be listed on the agenda and the purpose of each item should be clearly indicated. Make sure copies of the agenda are available before the meeting.

　　The size of a meeting depends on its purpose. A meeting for passing on information to employees can be fairly large, for few questions and comments are expected from the audience. If it’s a meeting where different ideas are contributed and a decision is to be reached, its size should be controlled to save time.

　　A suitable venue is also important. It should be a place convenient to all participants so that everyone can arrive on time.

　　策划召开会议的时候准备一个会议日程非常重要。这样做有助于参加者了解他们应该讨论的重焦点以及保持谈话的重点。所有这些在会上讨论的项目都应列在日程表中而且每个项目的目的也应明确表示。确保日程表的复印件在会前分发给与会者。

　　会议的规模根据其目的决定。如果会议是为了把信息传递给员工，要从员工那里得到问题和评论的反馈的话，可以有相当大的规模。如果是因为不同想法开会来做决定，可以控制规模以节省时间。

　　一个合适的场所也非常重要。这个场所应该方便所有参加者，这样能让每个人按时到达。

　　What is important when…?

　　Preparing for a product launch 筹备产品推介会需考虑哪些要点?

　　l People involved 参加人员

　　l Cost 成本

　　When preparing for a product launch, it’s important to consider people involved. Account executives, sales managers, and critical selling team members should be included. These people know customers as well as the product and can ensure proper communication of selling points to all prospective customers to accelerate their acceptance of the product.

　　Cost is always an important factor to consider, although it is not the most important concern when preparing for a product launch. For a product launch, the purpose is to put across a good image of the product for market success, and that needs money. The money will not be wasted if the launch is well handled and the cost will be justified by subsequent good sales figures.

　　An integrated launch plan is the most important. It is what a successful product launch requires. All elements of the launch process must complement each other, providing consistent messages to achieve the desired goals of attracting the prospective customer.

　　在筹备一个产品推介会的时候，考虑参加人员非常重要。客户经理，销售主管以及重要的销售团队成员都应该参加。这些人了解客户也了解产品且可以确保与所有的潜在客户对卖点进行适当的沟通以促使他们接受产品。

　　成本总是一个需要考虑的因素，虽然在准备发布会时这不是最为重要的问题。关于产品发布，目的是展示产品的良好形象以取得销售上的成功，这是需要经费的。如果发布会成功举办，这些钱就不会被浪费，而且随后良好的销售记录将证明这笔费用是值得的。

　　一个完整的发布计划也是很重要的。这是成功产品发布会必不可少的。发布会的每个过程必须相辅相成，提供统一的信息来完成所期待的目标--吸引潜在客户。

　　What is important when…?

　　Chairing a meeting 主持会议需考虑哪些要点?

　　l Preparation 准备

　　l Keeping to the agenda 按会议议程进行

　　Being a chairman does not just mean opening and ending the meeting. Careful preparation is very important. Before the meeting, a chairman should consult with the secretary regarding the agenda, ensure that all people involved have been notified so that participants have time to prepare.

　　Keeping to the agenda is another thing to be given due consideration. The chair should see that the meeting does not get off-topic so that all items listed on the agenda will be discussed at the meeting to achieve its original purpose. It can also avoid the common problem of repetition.

　　Keeping to times is also important. If the start and end times of the meeting aren’t honored, it will prevent the meeting from reaching its objective and cause participants to feel frustrated.

　　作为一个会议主持者并不只是意味着为会议做开场和结束。细致的准备也很重要。在开会之前，主持者应该与秘书就日程进行确认，确保所有的参加者得到通知因此也有足够的时间做准备。

　　按会议议程进行是另一个需要考虑的因素。主持者应该看到会议没有偏离主题因此所有的项目将被讨论的项目都在日程表中列出，以实现其初衷。这样也能够避免重复同一个问题。

　　保证时间也很重要。如果不遵守开始和结束的时间，将会阻止会议使其达不到预期目标而且会让与会者感到不耐烦。

　　PART THREE: DISCUSSION

　　Organizing Sales Conferences

　　The export sector of your company is expanding, and plans are being discussed for organizing annual conferences for overseas agents. You have been asked to make recommendations for the proposal. Discuss, and decide together:

　　l What would be the benefits of annual conference for participants

　　l What could be the content of the conferences

　　组织销售会议

　　随着你们所在公司海外业务的不断扩大，公司计划为海外销售代理商组织举办年会，并正对此展开讨论。请你们对该计划提出建议。讨论并决定：

　　l 年会能给参加者带来什么好处

　　l 会议应该包含哪些内容

　　A: You see, the export sector of our company is expanding and we have an increasing number of overseas agents.

　　B: Yeah. With more and more agents working for us around the world, how to keep them on track is a problem. It is a good idea to hold annual conferences for them.

　　A: There are many benefits to do so for the participants. To start with, those conferences can work as an information relay station for the purpose of spreading information to keep participants well informed about what’s going on in the company and in the industry.

　　B: That’s what I see it. And also, the conferences offer a platform for them to share valuable experience, exchange views, discuss work and solve problems.

　　A: Yeah. In this way, informal meeting between participants is made possible which can lead to closer contact and is good to the company as a whole.

　　B: You’re right. Although communication can be done by other forms such as newsletter or E-mail, they can never replace personal contact.

　　A: That’s why face-to-face meetings and conferences are still considered the most useful forms for interpersonal communication.

　　B: We should also give thought to content if the conferences are to be successful and not just a formality and a waste of time for everyone.

　　A: In my opinion, there should be a review of what is done in the past year to give the participants an overall picture of overseas sales, including achievements and whatever that needs improvement.

　　B: That means there should be sales reports to let participants know about how their products sell and the market situations in different parts of the world.

　　A: So they have something to learn from and avoid making the same mistakes.

　　B: And of course there have to be plans to set goals and targets for the overseas agents to accomplish in the coming year.

　　A: This can be done by getting the participants to look at the plans and gathering their ideas to reach more informed and workable final decisions.

　　B: And last but not the least, I think an award ceremony should be arranged to award “ Agents of the Year” who have achieved the best sales figures.

　　A: Good idea! I believe this will be an effective way to boost morale and encourage people to work harder in the days to come.

　　A: 你知道，我们公司海外业务正不断扩大，我们在海外的代理商数量也不断增加。

　　B：是的，随着世界各地越来越多的代理商为我们工作，怎样保证他们走上正轨是一个问题。为他们举办年会是一个好主意。

　　A:举办年会对参加者来说有许多好处，首先，那些会议将会作为一个信息中转站来传递信息以保证与会者对公司和行业的发展有所了解。

　　B：那是我所看到的。而且会议也为他们提供了分享有价值的经验、彼此交换观点、讨论工作以及解决问题的一个平台。

　　A：是的，这样的话，与会者之间非正式的会议可以使与会者的关系，总体上会给公司带来好处。

　　B：是的。虽然沟通可以通过其他比如快讯或者邮件形式，但这些不能代替人际交往。

　　A:这就是为什么面对面开会仍然是人际沟通最重要、最有用的形式。

　　B:我们应该考虑会议的内容，如果会议要取得成功且不只是流于形式，浪费大家的时间。

　　A:我的观点是，应该对过去的几年做一个回顾，让与会者对海外销售有一个总体的印象，包括所取得的成绩以及所需要改进的地方。

　　B：那就意味着需要用销售报告来让人们了解产品销售的如何以及世界各地的不同的销售情况。

　　A:可以让他家以此为借鉴避免发生相同的错误。

　　B：当然也需要做一个计划关于海外代理商在未来的一年所要达成的目标。

　　A：与会者通过阅读计划以及集思广益以来做明智可行的决定可以达成目标。

　　B：最后，我认为颁奖典礼上应该设置一个“年度代理商”奖来奖励取得最好的销售业绩的代理商。

　　A：好主意!我相信这将是鼓舞士气一个有效的方法，也会鼓舞人们在未来的日子里更加努力的工作。

　　(1) Do you think meetings a waste of time?(Why?/Why not?)

　　你认为会议是浪费时间吗?(为什么?)

　　I don’t think so. People can benefit a lot from well-planned meetings.

　　(2) Should companies which send overseas agents to conferences be consulted about the content?(Why?/Why not?)

　　举办海外经销商会议，该不该请派代表参加的公司参与协商会议内容?(为什么?)

　　Yes. In this way, better communication can be achieved and the conferences can be more relevant and fruitful.

　　(3) What kinds of data should be provided for agents at this kind of conference?(Why?)

　　这类会议应该为经销商提供什么信息和材料?(为什么?)

　　Some data can be very important, like sales targets and goals to reach, as well as promotion plans including information about the new products to be sold. They should be provided for agents to inform, to share and to implement.

　　(4) How important is networking in the modern business world?(Why?)

　　建立人际关系网在现代商务领域有何重要性?(为什么?)

　　Very important. It can help understand the market, to gain information and even to find business opportunities.

　　(5) Should a company stop sending staff to conferences if it is having financial difficulties?(Why?/Why not?)

　　如果某个公司出现财务困难状况，是否应该不再派员工参加会议?(为什么?)

　　No. it should not stop doing that altogether but can reduce the number of trips and send staff to really good conferences.