Preparations Roleplay

Words & sentences I could use:

Opening the meeting:
- Good morning, everyone
- If we’re all here, lets start the meeting

Welcoming and introducing participants
- Please join me in welcoming ..
- I’d like to introduce ..
- I don’t think you’ve met ..

Stating the principal objectives of a meeting
- We’re here today to talk about..
- I’ve called this meeting in order to

Giving control to the next participant
- I’d like to hand it over to .. , who is going to lead the next point
- …, over to you

Summarizing
- Before we close, let me summarize the main points
- In brief,
- To sum up

Finishing up
- Right, it looks like we’ve covered the main items. Is there any other business?

Thanking participants for attending
- Thank you all for attending
- Thanks for your participation

Closing the meeting
- The meeting closed
- I declare the meeting closed
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Asking for opinions
- …, can we get your input?
- .., how do you feel about ..?
- Do you (really) think that..?

Advising and suggesting
- We should ..
- What about..
- Ì suggest that..
- I recommend that

Requesting information
- I like you to ..
- Would you mind..
- I wonder if you could

 
Asking for clarification
- Could you explain to me how that is going to work?
- Could we have some more information, please?

Asking for verification
- Do you mean that .. ?
- Is it true that .. ?

Asking for contributions for other participants
- What do you think about this proposal?
- Would you like to add anything?
- Has anyone else got anything to contribute?
- Are there any more comments?

Correcting information
- I’m afraid that you don’t quite understand what I am saying
- That’s not quite what I had in mind
- That’s not what I meant
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In the meeting we must decide:

- Why employees still complain about a lack of information within the company
- What could be done to solve the problem
- Whether the magazine is useful in its present form or whether it should be modified or replaced

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My role: The president

Tasks:
- Chair the meeting
- Making sure everyone participates
- Ensure that decisions are made today

Ask for opinions about:
- Communication problems within the company world wide
- Proposed solutions for these problems
- Problems with the magazine
- If continuing the magazine: ways of improving

My point of view:
- Delighted with the magazine and no need to change
- Magazine is glossy, colorful, interested the workforce
- Strong points: my photo onto the front and my editorial on the inside cover

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Other opinions:

Head of Information Technology (IT) : Tanne van der Weide
- Convinced that nobody ever reads the magazine
- Admit there’s a communication problem
- The magazine should be replaced by an intranet site and a weekly page of news by email
- Emails should be send in English and Spanish

Personnel Manager, Frankfurt: Laura Matser
- The content of the magazine is too much head-office centred
- The magazine should be in more languages
- Prefers a less glossy publication, with real news
- Articles in simple language about the everyday lives of ordinary employees
- Photo’s of the president should be removed

Communications Manager: Olaf Nijman
- Doesn’t understand the complaints about communication
- Thinks that modern means of internal communication might be considered
- Way to improve the magazine is by removing the photo of the president and articles about workers inside

Financial Controller: Wendy Sprangers
- Close to retirement and old fashioned idea’s
- Internal communication is a passing fashion and isn’t necessary
- The magazine is too expensive and doesn’t reach its goals
- People don’t need to communicate with other departments
- Might agree with a short, weekly newsletter by email
- People of communications department should be fired: too expensive