商务英语播客 第114课:商讨问题(1)

      One of the most common reasons for holding a meeting is to solve a problem. A meeting can be a great place to do this, because it is possible for a variety of people with different experiences and perspectives to work together to identify the problem and come up with possible solutions. 人们开会的原因通常都是有问题要解决。召开会议是一个解决问题的绝佳方式。因为这样的话，每个参与者都具有各种不同的经验和观点。大家在一起可以对问题进行确诊并想出一个解决方案。

      But, while we might have the right people at the meeting, the process is often flawed because one question hasn't clearly been asked and answered: "What is the problem?" So, in today's episode we're going to focus on how to define the problem through discussion and then restate the problem as a challenge. In the second part of this series, we'll look at how to evaluate and eliminate suggestions and then agree on a plan of action. 但即使我们有优秀的参与者，开会过程中还是会出现各种差错，原因就在于问题没有被明确地提出或回答。“问题究竟是什么？”在今天的节目里我们主要来看一看怎样通过讨论确定一个问题，然后再重新面对它。在本系列的第二部分，我们要看一下怎样对大家提出的建议进行评估和筛除，最后确定一个统一的行动方案。

      We'll be listening to Kathryn, the head of Human Resources at a medium-sized company, who is meeting with department heads to discuss a problem they're having with low staff morale across all departments of the company. Morale is a word used to describe a general feeling or mood. 凯瑟琳是一家中型公司的人事部负责人。她正在与各部门的负责人开会，讨论一个全公司各部门都在面临的问题：员工士气低下。我们今天就来听一听他们的谈话。

      Kathryn wants everyone to consider possible hidden reasons for low morale at the company. We'll see how she helps participants focus on breaking down the morale problem. As the dialog starts, Kathryn calls everyone to attention and begins the meeting. 针对员工普遍士气低下的问题，凯瑟琳要求大家每个人都深入考虑一下其中隐藏的原因。我们来看一下她是怎样帮助与会者解决这一问题的。一开始，凯瑟琳就要大家集中精神，然后会议开始。

Listening Questions:

1) What is the surface problem that Kathryn and the others can see?
2) What does the group decide is the true cause of this problem?
3) What is the challenge that the group faces at the end of the dialog?