【正文】 Unit Sixteen Appointment Etiquette 約會禮儀 Focal Points 1. How to arrange an appointment. 2. How to cancel an appointment. 3. How to reschedule an appointment. Contents Lead in 1 Reading A 2 Reading B 3 Reading C 4 5 Exercises Test your Appointment Etiquette 1. Receptionist: “Good morning.” You: “Good morning, I39。ve e to _______ Mrs. Twain.” A. visit B. see C. do business with D. hold a talk with 2. Receptionist: “Have you got a(n) _____________?” A. meeting B. arrangement C. date D. appointment 3. Which sounds the most natural? “I39。m afraid she39。s _________ at the moment.” A. with someone B. engaged C. taken D. out of stock Warmingup Test your Appointment Etiquette 4. Which of the following would be the most appropriate to use in a business environment? “Mrs. Smith will be a few minutes, __________.” 5. A. sit down B. please take a seat 6. C. take a pew D. take the weight off your feet 5. On the telephone: “I have an appointment with Richard Jones at , but I39。m afraid ____________.” A. I39。m not at time B. I39。m running a bit late B. C. I39。m on time D. I39。m out of time 6. Which of the following is NOT possible? A. call a meeting B. arrange a meeting B. C. attend a meeting D. appoint a meeting Warmingup How to Schedule Appointments Efficiently An appointmentcrammed schedule can take on a life of its own, gobbling up your workdays like a ravenous beast. Tame your schedule by adopting some of the following simple techniques. The secret to success lies in applying them firmly and consistently. 1 ． Block out time on your schedule for solitary work. Guard this appointment with yourself fiercely. Make it clear you39。ll accept no phone calls or popin visits. If possible, escape to a solitary spot during this time. 2． Deflect excessive requests for your time from coworkers. Ask those who squander your time to submit written proposals, or schedule meeting times with them far enough out so that they might just solve the issues on their own. Reading A How to Schedule Appointments Efficiently 3． Allot blocks of time for making and taking phone calls. Avoid phone tag by suggesting these times to callers. Take a list of calls to make when you have a drive of longer than 10 minutes. 4． Cluster outofoffice meetings geographically. Traveling to and from appointments uses up vast amounts of time. 5． Communicate clearly how much time you have to meet with people, and then enforce the finish times. Schedule appointments in your own office backtoback so the arrival of one person encourages the departure of the other. 6． Keep track of how much of your workweek you devote to appointments. If the amount exceeds 50 percent, evaluate whether other people39。s agendas are overpowering yours. Reading A How to Schedule Appointments Efficiently Tips Warnings Be realistic about travel time to offsite meetings. Many a schedule has been sabotaged because it didn39。t factor in heavy traffic or public transportation delays. Beware of the phrase Let39。s do lunch. Meeting for a restaurant lunch will suck a minimum of 90 minutes from your schedule. Ask yourself whether what you will acplish will be worth the time invested. Sometimes it will. If you39。ve been trying to meet with your boss for weeks, for example, getting him or her out of the office for lunch may provide uninterrupted, focused time. Reading A How to Cancel an Appointment Politely If you have a busy schedule, chances are you are going to have to eventually cancel an appointment. A cancelled appointment equates with changing another’s schedule. When you cancel an appointment you are affecting the day of those with whom you are cancelling. Your reason may be important (you might have an emergency) it may be valid (conflict) or it may be an oversight (doublebooking). It’s possible, however,