【正文】 thers. what you are expected to contribute ? In meetings, everyone will probably have something to say. When you are being assessed, it’s very important that you do say something in order to pass the assessment! Your assessment task will make it clear what you are expected to do – you will be expected to have prepared an agenda item for discussion. Also, you will be expected to respond to the contributions of others – by asking and answering questions, providing extra information, elaborating on points and so on. your research （ information） ? When you are preparing your input for the meeting, you will probably need to do some research in advance. The research you undertake will depend upon what your contribution is. For example, if you’re going to be talking about a new product line that your pany is going to introduce, you will need to find out what the product is, what its price will be, who it’s going to be marketed at, what it will cost to produce it and so on. your contribution ? Planning your contribution requires a bit more than good research. You must also plan the order in which you’re going to present your information. Think about how your contribution fits into the whole meeting. Many topics will overlap with others – and you need to be ready on the day of the meeting to change your input slightly, according to what has been said before. Notes If you are attending a meeting, then you will know in advance what the subjects for discussion are. You should prepare, by considering what you want to say on the subject. THE FUNCTIONS OF NOTES ? Many people feel that they can just turn up, and voice their opinions spontaneously(自然地 ). This works for some people, but some meetings go off at tangents, and it’s easy for points to be missed out. If you’ve prepared notes, then it’s easy for you to help to bring the discussion back to the issues. ? Notes also help you to remember what you want to say. Sometimes a meeting can bee noisy and heated, and it’s easy in such circumstances （ 境況 ） to fet what you wanted to say. Your input shouldn’t be read directly from your notes, but rather you should try to use your notes to jog（ 喚起 ， 提醒 ） your memory. Use your notes to list the key words and phrases that you want to say. EXAMPLE ? Some notes prepared by someone preparing to attend a meeting in which she was going to explain new shift times. The notes don’t fully make sense as they are, but you can see how there would be enough information here for the speaker to get her message over. notes during a meeting ? You can also take notes during meetings and discussions. This is really useful when someone says something that you feel you must respond to. By writing down what was said, you can easily refer back to it when it’s your turn to talk. ? In addition, you will be asked to write minutes of the meeting after it has finished. Your notes will help you with this task. ? 1. Using your own words, explain what a formal business meeting is. ? 2. What two pieces of paperwork do you prepare before a meeting? ? 3. What piece of paperwork do you prepare after a meeting? ? 4. Why is it important that you know what the meeting is about before you attend the meeting? ? 5. Why are notes useful in a meeting? Suggested solution ? A formal business meeting is an anised and planned gathering of several people who are called together to discuss topics known in advance. It allows for an exchange of views or for the sharing of ideas. ? A Notice of Meeting and an Agenda should be circul