Unit 4. Postponing and cancelling a meeting

Cancelling meetings is part of modern day life.  When you do need to reschedule a meeting make sure to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Here is how you cancel a meeting:

1. If you need to reschedule a few days in advance - Whether you do your own scheduling or whether you have an assistant, a polite email to reschedule a meeting with a few days notice is usually acceptable.  

2. The day of the meeting- It better be a great freakin’ reason like travel problems, you’re sick or there’s some burning issue you can’t avoid.  And obviously it is far worse if you were the person who had scheduled the meeting.  In this case it warrants a personal email (or better yet a phone call) from you and a Herculean effort to reschedule the meeting.

4. Within an hour of the meeting – The sky better be falling.  You better be eating humble pie.  You better not be the person who was asking for the meeting.  You should grovel.  You should call personally to state your sincerest apologies.  If the meeting is first thing in the morning (e.g. hard to get a hold of the person) don’t even think of it.  They’ve clearly planned their morning around your meeting.

5. If it’s the third reschedule - If you’ve rescheduled once, obviously it’s best to try and not reschedule a second time.  If done in advance it’s manageable.  But the third time it starts to get pretty annoying for the recipient.  At a minimum you owe them lunch or do something surprising like sending cupcakes to their offices with an apology note.

6. If multiple people are in the meeting – Do your best not to reschedule when meetings involve multiple people.  I’m not talking about two people from the same company (like co-founders) or two partners at a VC firm.  But when you have a board meeting that has 5 people there or when you’ve scheduled a meeting with 3 or 4 companies.  Board meetings do get rescheduled but when they do it’s best to do it as far in advance as possible.  Last minute changes with multiple people involved just exacerbates the inconveniences to others.

ACTIVE VOCABULARY

Dialogue

Changing an appointment

With a rather cross bank manager!

T. Broke: Mr. Money, this is Tim Broke. I’m afraid that I’ll have to cancel our  appointment on Thursday lunchtime, my partner will be out of the office that day. Would it be possible to set up another meeting for the week after?

M. Money: Well, it’s not very convenient. I am a very busy man and my diary is very full for that week already.

T. Broke: Would you like to suggest another date that suits you?

M. Money: Let’s see. I could make Wednesday in a fortnight. Or we would have to postpone until the Friday after that.

T. Broke: Could you bring forward our appointment? For example, at the end of this week or before Thursday next week?

M. Money: The only possibility I can see is a breakfast meeting on Monday.

I shall have to juggle with one or two other appointments, though.

Otherwise I have no other free moments.

T. Broke: That should be fine. What time would you like me to arrive?

M. Money: 7.30 sharp. I can give you an hour and a half.

T. Broke: Thank you. I’ll be at your bank at 7.30, then. Please accept my apologies for this inconvenience.

M. Money: Yes. Good bye, Mr. Broke.

Exercise 1. Answer the questions.

1) Why did Tim Broke cancel his appointment with Mr. Money on Thursday?

 2) Mr. Money had a lot of free time, didn’t he?

 3) Did they decide to meet on Wednesday? If no – why?

 4) What day did they decide to meet?

 5) Was Mr. Money completely free on Monday?

Exercise 2. Сomplete the sentences with the following words.

Give-bring forward- pity- make- time- stood me up- convenient- going to- afraid- postpone- cancel- get back- mind- sharp- set up.

 a) What ………. does the conference start?

b) We’ll have to ………. the launch date, we’re not ready.

c) I’d like to ………. a meeting.

d) I can ………. you 20 minutes.

e) That’s a ……….. Never ………..

 f) Can you believe it, he ……….!

g) Can we ………. the meeting this week, instead of next week?

h) I was ………., but I changed my mind.

i) I’m ……….I’ll be late because my car has broken down.

j) I’m very sorry, but I have to ……….the appointment because …

k) Would 5.30 be ……….?

l) 10.30 ………. means at exactly.

m) I’ll have a look at my diary, and ………. to you.

n) Please ………. me an appointment with him.

Exercise 3. Divide the line into ten phrases.

Woulditbepossibletomakeanotherappointmentitisnotveryconvenientbringforwardanappointmentletusseepleaseacceptmyapologiesforthisinconvenienceicouldmakemondaytopostponeameetingwouldyouliketosuggestanotherdatethatsuitsyousixthirtysharpabreakfastmeeting.

Exercise 4. Translate the Russian words and phrases in italics into English.

Dialogue

Перенос встречи.

С несколько раздраженным директором банка!                        

T. Broke: Mr. Money, this is Tim Broke. К сожалению, я должен отменить нашу встречу on Thursday lunchtime, my partner не будет в офисе that day. Можно ее перенести на следующую неделю?

M. Money: Well, it’s not very convenient. I am a very busy man and  мое расписание встреч на эту неделю очень насыщенно.

T.Broke: Немогли бы вы назвать другую дату, которая вам подошла бы?

M. Money: Let’s see. Я мог бы встретиться в среду через две недели. Оr we would have  to postpone until the Friday after that.

T. Broke:  А вы не смогли бы ускорить нашу встречу? For example, at the end of this week or before Thursday next week?

M. Money: The only possibility I can see is a breakfast meeting on Monday. Я должен буду решить вопрос еще с одной или двумя встречами, though. Otherwise I have no other free moments.

T. Broke: That should be fine. В котором часу мне прийти?

M. Money: ровно в 7.30. I can give you an hour and a half.

T.Broke: Thank you. I’ll be at your bank at 7.30, then. Я прошу извинить меня за доставленное неудобство.

M.Money: Yes. Goodbye, Mr. Broke.

Exercise 5. Match the phrases with their translation.

a)    until the middle of the week

b)    until the weekend

c)    by this time next week

d)    within a week

e)    until past midnight

f)     the day after

g)    this afternoon

h)    in the evening

i)      this evening

j)      that evening

k)    tonight

l)      Thursday night

m)  every hour on the hour

n)    twice a day

o)   from one day to the next

p)    from Monday to Friday

q)    in a week to the day

r)     each and every day

s)     all day

t)      every evening

u)   all evening

v)    night and day

w) the previous evening

x)    one year ago to the day

y)    by Thursday

z)    the evening of the next following day

1) максимум через неделю

2) сегодня днем

3) сегодня вечером, сегодня ночью (которая наступит)

4) точно в назначенный час

5) с понедельника по пятницу

6) ровно год назад

7) два раза в год

8) весь вечер

9) каждый день/все дни

10) до середины недели

11) круглосуточно

12) в этот вечер

13) на следующий вечер

14) до следующей недели

15) ровно через неделю

16) накануне вечером

17) по вечерам

18) в четверг самое позднее

19) до прошлой полуночи

20) в четверг вечером

21) сегодня вечером

22)  весь день

23) до выходных (включительно)

24) со дня на день

25) на следующий день

26) каждыйвечер

Exercise 6. Say these dates.

1.The first of May OR May the first

1. 1 May                       4. 22 October                     7. 3 January

2. 16 November            5. 30 March                       8. 10 December

3. 13 April                     6. 4 July                             9. 31 February

Exercise 7. Say if the phrases appropriate or inappropriate.

1.    To a friend: I’m afraid i have to cancel our appointment.

2.    To a friend: It’s not very convenient

3.    To a business contact: Any chance of meeting up this evening?

4.    To a business contact: Can we fix a rendez-vous?

5.    To a business contact: Would it be possible to set up another meeting?

6.    To a business contact: Would you like to suggest another date which suits you?

7.    To a colleague: The CEO stood me up!

8.    To a colleague: We’ll have to scrap the project.

9.    To anyone!: Can we put back the delivery date?

10.To anyone!: Delivery in a week to the day.

T.5.1 Exercise 8. Listen and complete the dialogue. Use in, on, at.

Receptionist: Hello. Abby Dental Practise

Caller: Hello. I’ve got an appointment …. 1 June, but I’m afraid I can’t make that now.                         

Receptionist: I see. What time is your appointment?

Caller: It’s …… 12.45.       

Receptionist: Ah, Yes. Mrs. Henderson?

Caller: Yes, that’s right.     

Receptionist: Would you like to make a new appointment?

Caller: Yes, please.

Receptionist:Can you come …. 16 June …. the morning?

Caller: What day is that?

Receptionist: It’s a Tuesday

Caller: Yes, that’s fine. What time?

Receptionist: Well, can you come …. half past ten or …..quarter past eleven?

Caller: Oh, er, quarter past eleven, please.

Receptionist: Fine. So your new appointment is …. 11.15 ….. Tuesday 16 June.

Caller: Thank you very much. Good bye.

Receptionist: Good bye.

Exercise 9. Complete the expressions.

1.What time … your appointment?

2. I’m afraid I … make that now.

3. Would you like to … an appointment?

4. Can you … on 16 June?

5. What day … that?

T.5.2. Exercise 10 a) Listen and complete the table.

a)   Work with a partner. Use the table above. Make the conversations.

Exercise 11. Read, translate and practise this dialogue.

The Sales Manager finds himself in an embarrassing situation. He arranged a date and  forgot to enter it in his appointment book.

Sales Manager: (to the secretary) Tom, get Mr. Graham from Klondike Electronics on the telephone for me, please.

Secretary: Right. (He dials). Hello. Michal Winston is calling Mr. Graham, please. (To the Sales manager) He’s on the phone. (He hands him the telephone.)

Sales Manager: Mr. Graham, Michael Winston.

Mr. Graham: Hello, Mr. Winston.

Sales Manager: I find myself in an embarrassing situation. I made another date for today at three o’clock and forgot to enter it in my appointment book. Can you and I meet tomorrow? I’d really appreciate it.

Mr. Graham: Well, let me see. I’m afraid I’m busy tomorrow. Perhaps, the day after tomorrow? Say, ten o’clock? Will that suit you?

Sales Manager: Yes, that’ll be fine.

Mr. Graham:That’s settled then. See you.

Sales Manager: Good-bye.

Exercise 12. Skim the dialogue in ex.10 and say why the Sales Manager called to Mr. Graham.

Exercise 13. Make up dialogues on the following situations.

1. You have an appointment with the bank manager for tomorrow at 3 o’clock but you have fallen ill and have to postpone your meeting. You call the manager, apologize and ask for another day to meet.

2. You have an appointment with your business partner at nine o’clock this morning.  You had a party yesterday and overslept. You are late for the meeting as it is already 8.30. You call to him, apologize and ask for another day to meet.

3. You have a lunch meeting at 12:00 pm with a customer, but you have a very bad toothache and are going to see the dentist at 11:30 am. You need to call your customer and ask him to move the meeting to a different time. What would you say? Practice saying it.