Business Lunches

商業午餐People don’t just work in the office by Joan Yu

I like to lunch with co-workers I am close to on a weekly basis, usually on Fridays when we have fewer meetings. We like to try different kinds of food, enjoy each other's company, and have a short getaway from the stressful workplace for an hour. We talk about everything from work to family and weekend plans.

Our team lunch is often held monthly or quarterly at a nice restaurant. The topics range from work issues to what's happened in the company recently as well as personal topics. One of the purposes of a team lunch is to bond and get to know each other better. People share about their life events such as family, kids, sports, buying a house, etc. Our discussions are definitely more formal and serious, however, when the boss is present. A business lunch with a supplier is always about business, with the purpose of developing a better relationship with him or her. We discuss current working issues, relationships and possible future opportunities.

Joan talks with her co-worker Jeff.
Jeff: Hey, Joan, I need your advice.
Joan: Of course. How can I help?
Jeff: I'm hosting my first business lunch next week. Usually I take a co-worker with me, but this time I'm on my own. I want to do everything right.
Joan: I'm happy to give you some pointers.
Jeff: Good. Is there anything in particular I should do - or not do?
Joan: Use good table manners, and don't be late! Where are you having lunch?
Jeff: At Oscar's Seafood.
Joan: That's a good place. The service is excellent, the atmosphere is nice, and it's not too noisy. None of your guests are allergic to seafood are they?
Jeff: I don't know.
Joan: Send them an e-mail to confirm lunch and mention the place and ask if that is all right.
Jeff: OK. And how soon should I get down to business?
Joan: Wait until everyone has looked at the menu and ordered. Spend some time in small talk first. You want to get to know them -and let them get to know you.
Joan: After that, you can bring up what you really want to discuss.

Grammar Tips:
I like to lunch with co-workers I am close to on a weekly basis....
on a weekly basis =a pattern in a schedule. = a schedule pattern that happens weekly.
The company supervisors meet on a monthly basis to talk about sales.
She is working out on a daily basis before her concert tour begins.
My doctor wants me to see him on a regular basis.

Vocabulary Tips:
quarterly -以＂季＂為單位．每季的 quarter-季，四分之一．
*The board members would meet quarterly to review their budget.
*This fashion magazine is published quarterly.
quarterly safety check-up.每季一次的安全檢查．
bond-連結，，關係上的連繫．
*The students formed a strong bond with their teacher within just a weeks.
*The bond between the baby and her nanny is very close.
definitely (adv) 肯定地，明確地，清楚地- definite-絕對的，囘答問題＂表示肯定，絕對的”
*This restaurant is definitely the best in town.
*Dad would definitely get angry if he knew what you did.
pointer-儀器上的指針，此指“忠告”“點子”，“綫索”。用“on ”在什麽事上，用＂for＂在什麽人上面。
*The booklet provides many useful pointers for expecting moms.
*Will you give me some pointers on my resume?
allergic-敏感的，過敏的　對什麽過敏，用“to” allergy (n).過敏
*Ted is allergic to dust. He gets rashes when it is too dusty.
*Cindy is allergic to all kinds of nuts.
get down to business-切入正題，言歸正傳。
business-正題，真正要談的内容或重點。
*Let's stop chatting and get down to business.
*We don't have the whole night. Let's get down to business!

Chat Room:
I like to lunch with co-workers I am close to.

to lunch (v)-吃午餐

to eat lunch (n)-吃午餐。
I'll be lunching at home-我會在家吃午餐。
dinner-晚餐。dinner only can be "noun", never be a "verb"
dine　-吃。
out to lunch ( idiom, it has negative meaning) - from the word is "go out to lunch" but the idiom means, someone is out of mind, not in the real world. -心不在焉，沒頭沒腦，脫綫，晃神。
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I'm hosting my first business lunch next week.
host (n), 主人，主持人(v)-招待。款待。
host/hostess=主人，主持人，host 可男可女／hostess 必需是女性。
hostess with the mostest -超級能幹得過女主人。
host (adj)-數量大量的，很多， big amount in numbers
a host of problems-很多的問題。
a host of friends-眾多的朋友。

Training New Staff

訓練新人Training new people correctly takes time and energy 正確地訓練新人就能節省時間和力氣by Joan Yu

Training someone to do a job can be harder than doing the work yourself. It's hard partially because people vary in their approaches to a task. But mostly it's because people's working paces and styles are very different.

In the last three months, I have trained two new members in my group. I have to say these have been the longest three months I've had at work. my philosophy of training is to teach someone how to fish instead of just giving him or her the fish. But human nature makes people want a shortcut to get a job done. They prefer that (taking shortcut) to (instead) taking the time to understand why things are done in a certain way. Their desire for a shortcut is my biggest frustration in training. I try my best to explain the "whys" of a task so the new people understand how to solve a problem on their own. That way they can it themselves in the future.

When I begin to instruct someone, I first give the big picture of the project and where our group fits into it. Next. I set up daily, weekly and monthly agendas and goals. These help new people understand what we need to accomplish by the end of each training section.

But people can be so impatient with all this step-by-step training. They get the gist of a project and immediately begin to think of ways to make the process better. I tell them that before they do that, they probably should understand why things are done the way they are.

I've learned two important lessons through my experiences in training people. One is that everyone is different; I can't force others to learn things my way. If I do, I will be frustrated all the time. The second is not to micromanage but leave room for the trainees to grow. Who knows- they might come up with newer and better ideas. Isn't that why companies like to hire new blood?

Grammar Tips:
They prefer that to taking the time to understand why things are done in a certain way. "to prefer A to B" - to think A is better than B.
"to prefer A to B" - is to prefer A instead of B. like A more than B.
I prefer taking the bullet train to going by plane. (prefer to take train instead of plane)
Haley prefers the French cafe to the Japanese restaurant. (Haley likes the French cafe better than Japanese restaurant)

Vocabulary Tips:
partially-部分地 partial -部分的
*The house was partially renovated修復，裝修
*Mark admitted that he was partially responsible for the delay.
*The company is partially owned by the government.
philosophy-哲學，理念，人生觀。
*Many young people nowadays adapt the philosophy of "live now, pay later." 承襲先享受，後付出的人生觀。
*The company's philosophy of management is very human-based. 管理理念是相當人性化的。
frustration-挫折，失敗。 frustrate-咀喪， 阻撓。在謀事上感到挫折 用“at ”
*Despite all the frustrations, Simon is determined to get this deal. 不顧所有的挫折。執意。。
*Charles expressed his frustration at not being able to help. 在不能給與幫助上表示他的挫敗感。
instruct-指導，，或訓練。也指“吩咐，指示” struct-有“建造”的意思
*All the students were instructed in the use of the school website.
*My boss instructed me to collect information about our competitors. 吩咐
gist-the gist要點，重點，主旨。always go with "The", add "the" at front of "gist"
*Sarah gives the gist of the new of the day to the boss every morning.
get/catch the gist of something - 掌握重點
*After a while, I think I got the gist of what the speaker wanted to express.
micromanage- 上司對什麽事都要管，連小細節事都要過問。（有負面之意）micro-微小的
*Larry was criticized by his employees for micromanaging. He leaves them no room to express their own thoughts. 被批評
impatient- not have patient.
trainee, employee, payee.

Chat Room:
training new staff-訓練新的職員
staff -(不可數集合名詞)一個組織的全體職員或是所有的工作人員.
staff member -一個員工,不能說是一個" "
on the staff -在職的,屬於一個組織的員工.
She is on the staff of Studio Classroom-
employee-受聘的,受僱的人, (可數名詞),一個員工
faculty (不可數集合名詞）- 指“學校裏的全體教職員。
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give the big picture of the project. 大方向
big picture-大的圖畫，人看大幅的畫，若是站得太近，很難看得清楚整幅的畫，即看不清大局，大方向，大局面。
Look at the big picture-請以大局為重。
big-picture person-以大局為重的人，富顧全大局，專注于大方向，以大局着想，從大方向出發的人。
detail-oriented person- 非常注重細節的人，很仔細，很周全，處處設想周到。。的人
事情要做的好，做的成功，一定要有big-picture person and detail- oriented person 倆种人

Note:
The standard way on the job training in U.S.A. :
1, Demonstrate the task.
2, Review the task.
3, Demonstrate the task again.
4, Let the worker doing the easier part of job.
5, Help the worker perform the entire task.
6, Let the worker doing the job while you watch.
7, Let the worker do the job with no supervision.

Meetings, Meetings, Meetings

職場新鮮人的開會經驗談Managing meetings right can make life easier for everyone 會議處理得當，大家的日子就會更好過by Joan Yu

In a large company, many employees work on cross-functional teams, and getting things done on these teams requires meetings. My day-to-day job consists of many meetings, which sometimes leaves me with little time to do my real work.

The first step in initiating a meeting is finding a time slot that works for everybody that you want to invite. More importantly, you must be sure a meeting room is available at the chosen time. Meeting rooms are booked on a first come, first served basis and fill up quickly. Most of the time, you need to book a room three to five days in advance. Thankfully, not everyone has to be physically present for a meeting. Dial-in numbers are usually provided for those who can't attend in person. After the time of the meeting is set, the one who called the meeting sends out the agenda. Giving out the agenda ahead of time is absolutely essential. It not only prepares the attendees for what to expect, but also encourages them to bring solutions or ideas to the meeting.

I remember attending my very first meeting as a rookie. I was astonished when the meeting chair threw the very fist question at me in front of a room of 30 people. My brain went blank for a good five seconds because I wasn't prepared. But the chair let me off the hook by jumping to the next person. I was so embarrassed not to be able to answer the question. But that taught me to always be prepared for any meeting I would attend from that day on.

Conversation:
Joan: Are you attending the production committee meeting at 2 p.m.?
Jeff: Yes, But I haven't received the agenda yet.
Joan: I haven't either. I think Bruce is chairing the meeting.
Jeff: And he isn't timely when it comes to sending out agendas.
Joan: I know. And it's always difficult to prepare then.
Jeff: Well, at least we know what the projects are. We can make some comments.
Joan: True. But it really helps to know the aspects of the projects Bruce plans to discuss. Otherwise, we're all in the dark.
Jeff: And we look foolish when we don't participate.
Joan: Maybe I'll be proactive and shoot Bruce an e-mail asking for the agenda.
Jeff: Good idea!

Grammar:
My brain went blank for a good five seconds because I wasn't prepared.
"good" - here is not "opposite of bad ",
"good" - here is mean "full", "complete"
The driver was late, and I had to wait for a good ten minutes before he showed up.
How did the young child wander so far in the park? That walk had to be a good mile!

Vocabulary Tips:
initiate-開啓，開始，先動手，先開始
*No one seems to remember who initiated the fight.
*The charity organization initiated a food drive for the hurricane victims. 開啓食物募捐
physically-親自地 physical-身體，身體的
* Even though Wesley can't physically attend the wedding, he will watch the whole ceremony via the Internet.
agenda-會議的議程，提案，議題。
*The meeting's agenda was changed at the last minute.
*Getting funding from the banks is high on our agenda for today's meeting. 最重要的議程。
let somebody off the hook - 逃避懲罰，擺脫困境．避開窘境 hood 鈎，也指＂陷阱,困境＂
Nathan's boss let him off the hook this time, but he won't give Nathan another chance.
be in the dark - in the dark-在黑暗中．毫無頭緒，毫不知情，被蒙在鼓裏
* The whole company is in the dark about why the previous CEO got replaced.
* He was completely in the dark about why he got fired.完全不知道是這麽囘事
proactive -積極主動，主動出擊 first take action pro- 字根有＂向前＂之意．active-活躍的
* The new manager's proactive approach makes working here much more exciting.
* Bob decided to take a more proactive role on the team.
"proactive" is opposite of "reactive"
proactive -take action before.
reactive - when something happen then take action.
Brush teeth every day is proactive... went to doctor to cure the toothache, is reactive.
rookie- very new, a person at the first year in the sport team called "rookie"　菜鳥，新手．
threw-"give to, pass to"　丟出
Chair (n) -here mean chairman, a person leading the meeting or the board. the chairman of the board.
chairing (v) -is "leading the meeting" －主持

Chat Room:
little-很少，幾乎沒有，（不滿足的心態，較負面的），（不可數）
a little-有一些些，（很滿足，較正面的）
few-很少，幾乎沒油。（不滿足的心態，較負面的）（可數）
a few-有一些。(較正面的, 知足的心態）
"little" or "few" , with "a" is a "positive thinking" and without "a" is a "negative thinking"
My day-to-day job leaves me with little time to do my real work.
"little time" not "a little time" -表示“幾乎沒有什麽時間”，而不是“還好，還有一些時間”
I have a little money-握有一些錢，錢雖不多，但很滿足，縂是還有一些。
I have little money-沒什麽錢，有也等於沒有，不滿足，幾乎沒什麽錢。有等於沒有。
A few friends came to see him. 有些朋友來看他，很高興。
Few friends came to see him. 幾乎沒什麽朋友來看他，很負面的感覺。
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My brain went blank for a good five second.-頭腦一片空白長達整整五秒鐘．
five seconds -
good (adj) -is not "opposite of bad ", here is mean "full, complete"
placed "good " in front of "noun" is describing a large amount of something.
a good five seconds -整整五秒鐘，足足五秒鐘時間
a good distance -好長一段距離．好長一段路．
a good cry -痛痛快快的哭一場．好好地哭一場．
have a good night's sleep -祝你有一個好眠．

Employee Wellness

守護員工健康Keeping employees healthy is a priority for my company. 維護員工健康是公司的第一要務。by Joan Yu.

People are the most important asset of my company, so we are well taken care of. Many wellness events held throughout the year help employees maintain a healthy lifestyle because prevention is the best medicine. On campus, many services are available for a reasonable price. These include heart screening, flu shot clinic, on-site dietitian, weight management center, and a massage and fitness center. These on-site services make it convenient for employees to attend to these things instead of postponing or ignoring them.

I personally like the one-site flu shot clinic as it saves me a trip to the hospital. I always prompt my coworkers to get their flu shots on time. I don't want them to get sick because I spend a lot of hours working with them every day.

Other interesting yearly events such as "Bike to Work Day" and "Walk During Lunch Day" invite employees to get a taste of a healthier lifestyle. These events also include prizes as an incentive to encourage everyone to get out of their chairs and participate.

I participated in "walk During Lunch Day" and was astonished to see that hundreds of people showed up at the event. It turned out to be not only an exercise event but also a social event where I encountered many others from different departments. We walked and chatted and had a lot of fun during that lunch hour.

Although I didn't win a prize in the drawing, I was glad I had made the effort to participate. Now I know where to go for a walk around campus during lunch hour and I'm in the habit of doing it.

Joan and her coworker Sara discuss their office's wellness events.
Joan: I wish they'd organize a "Walk During Lunch Day" more often.
Sara: Why? You can walk on your own at lunchtime.
Joan: I do walk on and off, but I need something to motivate me.
Sara: And someone to accompany you?
Joan: Right, Exercise is more fun with friends.
Sara: So find a friend to walk with. There must be someone in your department. Or organize a lunchtime walking group.
Joan: That's a good idea. I'll send an e-mail around this afternoon.

Grammar:
I personally like the on-site flu shot clinic as it saves me a trip to the hospital.
"to save someone a trip" = "to keep from having to make a trip"
"to save someone a trip"-
If you help me turn in this report, it would save me a trip to the teacher's office.
I could have asked you to get something for me from the supermarket and save myself a trip.

Vocabulary Tips:
prevention-預防 pre-預先
*The research is aimed at cancer prevention. 目標在。。預防
*The government spent a lot of its budget on a new crime prevention program, unfortunately, the program didn't have the effect they desired.
on-site=現場，在場，住場，住校 site-地點
*Our school has an on-site nurse in our health center.
*The army set up an on-site medical treatment center right outside the collapsed buildings.
incentive-鼓勵，激勵。
*Tim's boss promised him a big bonus as an incentive to win the case.
*The supervisor offered cash incentives to encourage their staff to work overtime.
*Little kids love incentives like stickers or stamps. 貼紙或印章。
astonish-使大爲吃驚,使驚訝. amaze, surprise.
* It astonished me that many students don't read much outside of the classroom anymore.
*I was astonished that Cathy refused my help to babysit for her.
drawing-抽獎活動
draw(n)-抽獎 (v)-抽獎,畫畫.
*At the end of the party, there was a big drawing for a free trip to Hawaii.
*The winners of the drawing need to fill out a form before collecting their prizes.領獎
on and off- 斷斷續續,不時地,不持續地. "on"-打開,啓動,開啓 "off"-関上,停止.
*Pam works out on and off so she never loses much weight.
*Bobby and Kate wrote email to each other on and off after graduation.
habit-嗜好 create a routine doing work, and enjoy it very much.

Chat Room:
get a taste of a healthier lifestyle.
taste-滋味，經驗。
get a taste= try it out,嘗試
get a taste of something-嘗試去做某件事。
taste= refer to someone's judgement，品味，鑑賞力 such as: expensive taste, great taste.
a man of taste-很有品味的人。
have a bad taste in your mouth-留下不好的囘憶，如同吃了苦的葯，感覺很不好。
bad taste-having a bad experience. or taste badly.不好的經驗或回憶。
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Walk During Lunch Day-
walk-走路
take a walk-散步, 如用命令口氣,則是"出去!, 滾開！”不客氣，不歡迎的叫人“離去，走開”。
walk on eggshells-走在蛋殼上，即“如履薄冰，要非常的小心，謹慎”
walk one's feet off-把腳走斷了，意即“走了很多的路”

The Interview

我就是這樣通過面試How prepared can you really be? by Joan Yu

Working for a Fortune 500 company is a dream for a lot of Chinese people in the U.S., including me. The salary and overall benefits are so much better than what many companies in the U.S. offer. And this kind of work experience looks good on a resume for future career advancement.

A friend who knows me very well referred me to the hiring manager of a Fortune 500 company. There was an immediate opening for a permanent position, and my background seemed to be a good match.

The interview process started with a phone interview with the HR department. One invaluable lesson I earned from a career counselor is to be absolutely honest about your resume. You can exaggerate. But at the interview, good interviewers can easily tell if you know what you are talking about .I got myself ready a couple hours before the phone interview by reviewing my resume and preparing for questions regarding my background. I wanted to make a good first impression and move forward to the second round interview. And I did!

My second interview took place on the company's campus a couple of days later. On the day of the interview, I arrived early, found the right building, and cleared my thoughts before I went in. the interview was an hour long and was more of a behavior interview.

The hiring manager wanted to learn about my personality and working style. We clicked in the second-round interview, and I felt quite confident going into the last interview. My third-round interview lasted half a day and was conducted by five people from the hiring department. I had to answer all kinds of questions, even some that didn't pertain to the job! One person asked me a brainteaser question. Another asked me a math question, and luckily that's one of my strengths. I wasn't sure if I satisfied every interviewer. However, I tried to just be myself and prove that I was the right fit for the position.

I was thrilled to receive the offer letter a couple of weeks later- the job was mine!
and prove that I was the right fit for the position.

Grammar Tips:
I tried to just be myself

"the right fit"-

"fit"-having the right shape or size to cover something in an exact way.

The fit of this jacket isn't right, it's too small.

I think Brent is the right fit for Claire, they have many similar interests and really get along well.

Terrence has trouble working with others, so I don't think he is the right fit for the job as manager.

Greg is the right fit for the assignment because he has had many years of experience.

Vocabulary Tips:
overall-整體的，大體上的
*The department's overall evaluation will be posted next week.
*Overall, it has been a good year for our business.
referred/referring -介紹，后面接“to”
*Molly referred her best friend Julie to her father's company.
*My family doctor referred me to a well-known surgeon.
impression-印象，
*She gave the impression that she didn't want to talk to others.
*David wanted to make a good impression on his future father-in-law so he got a hair cut.
*She gave the impression that she didn't want to talk to others.

click-一見如故,一拍即合.合得來.

*Josh an Samuel totally clicked the first time they met. They became best friends at once.

*Wilma and Tanya didn't click at first, but they slowly realized that they made a good team.

conduct-執行

*The project was conducted by one of the top construction companies in the country.

*The experiment was conducted in the Boston University's science lab.

pertain有關的,相關的-

*The writer's latest article pertains to racism has caused a lot of controversy.

* We'll only be discussing issues that pertain to our topic today.

Chat Room
One invaluable lesson I learned.-無價的
valuable-价值
invaluable-無價的無法用價值去估算的
priceless painting-物價的
invaluable help and support-

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interviewer-主持面試的人

interviewee-被接受面試的人

"or" or "er"- 人

"ee"-接受..的人, 被...的人

interviewee, interview被面試的人

employee, employ-被雇用的人

examinee, examine-被檢查的人, 參加考試的人

trainee, train-被訓練的人

murder, murderer, but not murderee.謀殺,謀殺人的人,但不能說被人謀殺的人爲"murderee"