ESLPod 1092 guide Want to be Fluent in English?

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ESL Podcast 1092 – Keeping a Meeting On Track

GLOSSARY
to run short on time – to not have enough time to do something; to be later than
scheduled, with something taking more time than one thought it would
* The nurses are always running short on time and can’t finish their paperwork
each day. Don’t you think it’s time to hire more nurses?
to wrap up – to finish something; to complete the final pieces of something; to
bring something to an end
* We just need a few more figures from the sales department and then we can
wrap up these financial reports.
outside the scope – beyond what is relevant; not related to what is currently
being discussed or considered; irrelevant
* Those topics are outside the scope of this introductory class. I recommend
signing up for our intermediate and advanced classes.
agenda – a written plan of which topics will be discussed during a meeting and
perhaps how much time will be spent on each topic
* If you have things that should be discussed in our next meeting, please let me
know by Wednesday so that I can add them to the agenda.
to get off on a tangent – to become distracted from the main topic and begin
discussing something else that is less important or irrelevant
* The teacher was talking about daily life in ancient Greece, but then he got off
on a tangent and started talking about the spread of democracy.
to get back on track – to return to the main topic; to return to what one should
have been saying or doing after a temporary detour or distraction
* When Shivan lost his job, we had a hard time paying our bills, but now that he
has a new job, we’re back on track and we should be able to start saving again.
unresolved – not yet finished or decided; pending; still needing to be addressed

and dealt with
* They still have a lot of unresolved issues in their marriage, but they’ve decided
to stay together and try to address them with the help of a marriage counselor.
up in the air – unresolved; still unknown; not yet decided
* The dates of our vacation are still up in the air, depending on when Ellie can
take time off from work.

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ESL Podcast 1092 – Keeping a Meeting On Track

moot – debatable; without any real significance or importance because
something is too uncertain; not yet resolved, decided, or finalized
* The selection of paint colors will be moot if we don’t fix that hole in the roof first.
assumption – something that one believes to be true, even though one doesn’t
have proof or evidence; something that one pretends will happen in order to
make predictions or calculations or to draw conclusions
* According to our calculations, opening a new office should be profitable, but if
our assumptions are incorrect, we might actually lose money.
to differ – to have different beliefs or opinions about something; to be different in
some way
* How does life in the big city differ from life in a small, rural town?
to forge ahead – to move forward and proceed, especially with a lot of energy
and determination even if there are many obstacles or challenges

* The contract hasn’t been signed yet, but we’re forging ahead with the project
anyway.
tentative – hesitant; done as a temporary solution, but might change; not fixed
* He asked Marija if she had plans for the weekend as a tentative attempt to find
out if she might want to go on a date with him.
adjustment – a slight change, adaptation, or tweak to something to make it a
better fit or to meet one’s needs
* A slight downward adjustment to the thermostat could save you hundreds of
dollars in heating costs.
to take (something) to a vote – to have a group of people vote on something,
so that each person expresses his or her opinion about whether something
should happen, and the option with the greatest number of supporters is selected
* After hours of discussion, they realized they wouldn’t be able to reach
unanimous agreement, so they decided to take it to a vote.
to insist – to be very persistent and not accept ‘no’ or disagreement from
someone; to demand something very strongly and forcefully
* Let me pay for the meal. I insist.
premature – happening before something should, without sufficient preparation;
too early
* Choosing a wedding date now would be premature. They’ve known each other
for only three weeks.
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ESL Podcast 1092 – Keeping a Meeting On Track

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1.
a)
b)
c)

What does Bruce mean when he says, “Let’s try to get back on track”?
He wants to talk about a train project.
He wants to return to the main topic.
He wants to be the only one who is allowed to talk.

2.
a)
b)
c)

What does Bruce mean when he asks, “Should we take it to a vote?”
He wants it to be on the ballot during the upcoming elections.
He wants the meeting’s participants to vote on Lynda’s idea.
He wants to extend the meeting so they can keep talking about it.

______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
up in the air
The phrase “up in the air,” in this podcast, means unresolved, still unknown, and
not yet decided: “Our ability to buy a home is still up in the air. It depends
whether the bank will give us a mortgage loan.” The phrase “to put on airs” is a
slightly old-fashioned phrase meaning to behave as if one is more important than
one really is: “Ever since Hank got that promotion, he has been putting on airs.”

The phrase “to be walking on air” means to be very happy: “Ever since Brittany
met her new boyfriend, she has been walking on air.” Finally, the phrase “to clear
the air” means to do something to end an argument or unpleasant situation so
that people can think clearly and return to normal: “Let’s tell each other what we
really think and clear the air, so we can move ahead.”
to forge ahead
In this podcast, the phrase “to forge ahead” means to move forward and proceed,
especially with a lot of energy and determination even if there are many
obstacles or challenges: “Shelby is forging ahead with her college applications
and hopes to hear back from the universities within a few months.” The phrase
“to forge a relationship with (someone)” means to develop a stronger, more
formal relationship with a country or entity: “The two nonprofit organizations have
forged a relationship to increase their impact within the community.” Finally, the
verb “to forge” means to criminally falsify a document, especially by signing
someone else’s name: “Who forged my signature on these checks?” Or, “The
students get in trouble if they are caught forging their parent’s signature on their
report cards.”
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ESL Podcast 1092 – Keeping a Meeting On Track

CULTURE NOTE
Town Meetings
A “town meeting” is a “public” (with anyone allowed to attend and participate)

meeting where the “residents” (people who live somewhere) of a small city or
town can “come together” (meet; be present in the same place with the same
purpose) to “discuss” (talk about) issues that affect the community. Town
meetings are an important part of “democracy” (a form of government in which
everyone has an equal voice for decision-making), because they allow people to
share information and opinions while participating in decision-making.
In the early history of the United States, town meetings became common in “New
England” (the northeastern part of the United States) beginning in the 1600s. In
the past, people “convened” (met) in order to vote on important issues and
decide how the community should invest its resources. In modern times, town
meetings are more commonly used simply to discuss issues, with or without
voting on them.
Many “politicians” (people who work in government and are elected to their jobs)
hold town meetings as an opportunity to meet people in a local community. The
people who come to the meetings are allowed to ask questions and learn more
about the “platform” (promises and opinions on the most important issues) of the
“candidate” (a person who wants to be elected to a government office). The
candidates often use photographs of these town meetings in their “campaign”
(the effort to increase name recognition and win votes) materials, showing how
they interact with “the common people” (ordinary people who aren’t famous or
very wealthy).
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – b

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ESL Podcast 1092 – Keeping a Meeting On Track

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,092 – Keeping a
Meeting on Track.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,086. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Go to our website at ESLPod.com. Become a member of ESL Podcast and
download the Learning Guide for this episode.
This episode is a dialogue between Linda and Bruce about being in a business
meeting and making sure you get done what you are supposed to get done. Let’s
get started.
[start of dialogue]
Lynda: Could I say one more thing about that?
Bruce: I’m afraid we’re running short on time. Maybe we could wrap up this
discussion now.
Lynda: Before we leave this topic, though, I really think we should talk about next
year’s plans.
Bruce: That’s outside the scope of this meeting. We can put it on the agenda for
next time.
Lynda: But we won’t meet again for a month. We should spend some time talking
about our plans for next year. I think we should consider closing the Irvine office
and moving it to Franklin. It would save us a lot of money.
Bruce: If we get off on a tangent, we won’t be able to get through our discussion
for today. Let’s try to get back on track and discuss the main focus of today’s
meeting, which is how to end this year without any more problems. I feel like
we’re getting close to making some decisions.

Lynda: We can’t make any decisions when there are still so many unresolved
issues. Things are still up in the air because we don’t know what will happen next
year. Any decisions we make now will be moot if our assumptions are wrong.
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ESL Podcast 1092 – Keeping a Meeting On Track

Bruce: I’m afraid we differ on that. I think we have enough information now to
forge ahead. We can come to some tentative decisions and make any
adjustments later. Should we take it to a vote?
Lynda: If you insist. I still think it’s premature.
Bruce: I’ll take that as a “no” vote.
[end of dialogue]
Our dialogue begins with Linda asking something. She says, “Could I say one
more thing about that?” She wants to say something at this meeting we’re at.
Bruce says, however, “I’m afraid we’re running short on time.” “To run short on
time” means to not have enough time to do something. You are saying that you
don’t have very much time – that you have to stop whatever you are doing very
soon.
Bruce says, “Maybe we could wrap up this discussion now.” “To wrap (wrap) up”
something here means to finish something, to complete something, to bring
something to an end. Bruce doesn’t want to allow Linda to make another
comment. He wants to end the discussion right now. Linda says, however,
“Before we leave this topic,” meaning before we stop talking about this, “I really

think we should talk about next year’s plans.”
Bruce says, however, “That’s outside the scope of this meeting.” When we say
something is “outside the scope” (scope) of something – in this case, a meeting –
we are saying that it is not related to what we are doing right now or discussing
right now. It is irrelevant. It is not relevant. It is not something we should be doing
right now. Bruce says, “We can put it on the agenda for next time.” An “agenda”
(agenda) is a written plan or list of topics that you are going to talk about in a
meeting.
Linda says, “But we won’t meet again for a month.” She’s complaining that this
committee or this group won’t be meeting again for at least a month. She thinks
the group should talk about her topic right now. She says, “We should spend
some time talking about our plans for next year. I think we should consider
closing the Irvine office and moving it to Franklin. It would save us a lot of
money.” So, Linda is making a proposal about closing one of the company’s
offices.
Bruce is not too happy, I think, about Linda’s comment. He says, “If we get off on
a tangent, we won’t be able to get through our discussion for today.” “To get off
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ESL Podcast 1092 – Keeping a Meeting On Track

on a tangent” (tangent), or more commonly “to go off on a tangent,” means to
become distracted from your main topic or your main purpose – to start talking
about something else that isn’t really related to the main thing you’re supposed to

be talking about.
Bruce thinks that Linda’s topic is not relevant to what the group is talking about
right now, that they would go off on a tangent if they started talking about her
topic. He’s worried the group won’t get through their discussion for today. “To get
through” something means to finish it – to accomplish or complete it.
Bruce then says, “Let’s try to get back on track and discuss the main focus of
today’s meeting.” “To get back on track” (track) means to return to what you
should be talking about or to return to what you should be doing after you have
done something that you shouldn’t have been doing. In other words, if you get
distracted and you want to go back to what you are supposed to be doing, you
are getting back on track. That’s what Bruce wants to do. He wants to talk about
how to end this year without any more problems, not talk about next year.
He says, “I feel like we’re getting close to making some decisions.” Linda,
however, is not giving up. She’s not quitting. She says, “We can’t make any
decisions when there are still so many unresolved issues.” If an issue or a
problem is “unresolved” (unresolved), it is not yet finished or not yet decided. It
still needs to be addressed. It still needs to be solved or talked about. The
opposite, of course, would be a “resolved” issue. A resolved issue is something
that you have decided or have made a decision on or a determination about.
Linda says that there are too many unresolved issues to make any decisions.
She continues, “Things are still up in the air because we don’t know what will
happen next year.” If something is “up in the air,” it is unresolved. It is still not
decided or still unknown. If someone asks you where you’re going on vacation
this year and you say, “I don’t know, my plans are still up in the air,” you’re saying
that you have not yet made a decision. You don’t know yet.
Linda says, “Any decisions we make now will be moot if our assumptions are
wrong.” To say something is or will be “moot” (moot) means that it is debatable or
it is too uncertain to be resolved or perhaps really to make any difference at all.
To say something is, for example, a “moot point,” is to say that even if what you
say is true, it’s not really important. It doesn’t have any real significance for what

we’re talking about.
If, for example, you spend all of your time planning on how you’re going to spend
a million dollars that you hope to win from a lottery, really the discussion is “moot”
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ESL Podcast 1092 – Keeping a Meeting On Track

unless you actually win the lottery. It doesn’t have any significance. It has no
practical meaning or practical application. Linda is saying that they can’t make
any decisions now because “the decisions will be moot if our assumptions are
wrong.” Your “assumptions” are your beliefs about something in the future or
about what is true. You don’t necessarily have any evidence or proof, but you
think it’s true.
We often use the verb “to make” with “assumption.” “I’m going to make some
assumptions.” I’m going to think about certain situations and believe them to be
true, or perhaps pretend that they are true in order to make some decision or to
take some action. Linda is saying that if the assumptions of the company are
wrong, if what they think is true is not true, then all of the decisions they make will
be moot. They’ll have no importance because they’ll have to make new decisions
or make new plans in the future.
Bruce says, “I’m afraid we differ on that.” “To differ” (differ) means to have
different beliefs or opinions about something, or simply to be different in some
way from something else. My brother and I differ on which professional baseball
team is the best in California. He thinks it’s the San Francisco Giants. I think it’s

the Los Angeles Dodgers. We differ. Of course, I’m right, but I’m just giving a
possible example there.
Bruce says, “I think we have enough information now to forge ahead.” “To forge
(forge) ahead” means to move forward, to continue on. Bruce says, “We can
come to some tentative decisions and make any adjustments later.” A “tentative”
(tentative) – sometimes pronounced without the second “T,” as “tentative” –
means to be provisional, to be temporary. In this case, it means not final. A
tentative decision is a decision you’re making now, but you might change it in the
future.
Bruce says that they can make some tentative decisions now “and make any
adjustments later.” An “adjustment” is a change or adaptation of something.
Bruce says, “Should we take it to a vote?” meaning “Should we vote on it?”
Should each person say whether they like this idea or not?
Linda says, “If you insist,” meaning if you are demanding very strongly that we do
that. “I still think it’s premature,” she says. When something is “premature”
(premature), it happens before it should, or it happens too early. When we talk
about a premature birth or a premature baby, we’re talking about a baby who is
born earlier than would be expected (and this, of course, can sometimes lead to
health complications in the baby). Linda thinks it’s premature to make a decision.
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ESL Podcast 1092 – Keeping a Meeting On Track

Bruce says, “I’ll take that as a ‘no’ vote.” He means that Linda is saying that she

does not want to vote on the matter right now. She thinks they should continue
talking about it. And if you have ever been in a committee meeting, a meeting of
a group of people trying to make a decision, you know how difficult it can be to
keep the meeting on track, to keep everyone from going off on a tangent.
Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
[start of dialogue]
Lynda: Could I say one more thing about that?
Bruce: I’m afraid we’re running short on time. Maybe we could wrap up this
discussion now.
Lynda: Before we leave this topic, though, I really think we should talk about next
year’s plans.
Bruce: That’s outside the scope of this meeting. We can put it on the agenda for
next time.
Lynda: But we won’t meet again for a month. We should spend some time talking
about our plans for next year. I think we should consider closing the Irvine office
and moving it to Franklin. It would save us a lot of money.
Bruce: If we get off on a tangent, we won’t be able to get through our discussion
for today. Let’s try to get back on track and discuss the main focus of today’s
meeting, which is how to end this year without any more problems. I feel like
we’re getting close to making some decisions.
Lynda: We can’t make any decisions when there are still so many unresolved
issues. Things are still up in the air because we don’t know what will happen next
year. Any decisions we make now will be moot if our assumptions are wrong.
Bruce: I’m afraid we differ on that. I think we have enough information now to
forge ahead. We can come to some tentative decisions and make any
adjustments later. Should we take it to a vote?
Lynda: If you insist. I still think it’s premature.
Bruce: I’ll take that as a “no” vote.
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ESL Podcast 1092 – Keeping a Meeting On Track

[end of dialogue]
We need to wrap this episode up, but before we do, I want to thank our wonderful
scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Tse, for her wonderful scripts.
From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come
back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast was written and produced by Dr. Lucy
Tse, hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. Copyright 2015 by the Center for Educational
Development.

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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2015). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.