Real Talking at Wotk- ABE Volume 1 . Program 5

We finished Case Study 1, and now we’re concentrating on Case Study 2. In our last lesson, we met Jan Strensland, Project Manager for Seafirst Design. Let’s continue the interview with her. We’ll take turns. I’ll talk to her first, and then you do the interviewing. Here we go.

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JAN: Are these accent colors, then, on the walls?
DESIGNER: Yes.
JAN: Or are these alternate colors?
DESIGNER: Yes.
JAN: Right.
DESIGNER: We’re going to be using this as an accent, and then that as an accent, too, with the lighter as our overall color to be reflective and put enough light in the space for people to work with.
JAN: This comes out a lot stronger; the color did, than…
DESIGNER: Yeah, look at this. Look at this. I don’t think they really translated it quite right.
JAN: This is a lot more subtler. This really…
DESIGNER: Um-hmm
JAN: This is a bit strong…
DESIGNER: Yes, yes.
JAN: … stronger that what I was thinking of.
DESIGNER: And the green…. The green is really quite a bit different, I think.
JAN: Yeah – ‘cause this comes out as really purple…
DESIGNER: Um-hmm. Yeah. Yeah.
JAN: … and I wanted it a lot more subtle – more of a grey…
DESIGNER: I think that when we get to a point where we’re making an approval…
JAN: Yeah…
DESIGNER: … as long as everyone likes the pattern, and likes the concept and the direction we’re going….
JAN: Um-hmm…
DESIGNER: … we won’t – we wouldn’t approve this.
JAN: Yeah. I…. It’s…
DESIGNER: We’d say “OK, we want the next batch to come in, and we want everything…
JAN: Much more muted.
DESIGNER: … more subtle.” Right.
JAN: When we get the background sample, that’ll really help us too…
DESIGNER: Right. Right.
JAN: … because then you can see how it’ll go with the other half of the floor, and you’ll have, of course, more context.
DESIGNER: Right. Right. We talked with them…. When? We talked to them today, talked to them Friday, and …. It’ll be here…. Honest! It’s in the mail!
JAN: OK. Yeah – just like the check! OK. Thanks.

HOST: How did you do? That’s a good practice, isn’t it? Now let’s see how Jan does her job. First we’ll listen as Jan discusses final decision with a designer. Then we’ll listen in as an architect outlines a proposal. Are you ready?

YOU: This is the proposal for the move to the Fab Building.
YOU: We have a cover letter indicating our terrific services.
YOU: On the second sheet, we have the contract document…. It shows our hourly cost, and also the total cost for the project. In the third section, we have Designated Services. Those indicate the elements within each phase. The final is your Request for Proposal.

Now pretend you are Paul. Speak to Jan. Use the following dialogue:

HOST: Paul’s an interior designer. He has submitted a contract proposal for Jan. let’s talk to him for a few minutes and find out about his work. We’ll take turns talking to him. I’ll interview him first, and then you do the interviewing. Here we go.

PAUL: There is a jargon to any industry, and learning basic English is a requirement, and then learning the specific jargon for the industry is necessary. The interior design, architecture, construction industries have a similar jargon, and I think learning those fifty to one hundred words would greatly assist both in the individual’s understanding of… of English, but also the response of English-speaking people to the interior designer’s knowledge of… of English, and of the… the working process in the United States.

HOST: Well, it’s time to go. I hope you enjoyed today’s lesson. We’ll complete Case Study 2 in our next program. Until then, bye now.

What's your advice for students of English?

Today's topics:

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HOST: HI, Paul?
PAUL: Good morning! How are you?
HOST: Fine, thanks. And how are you doing today?
PAUL: I’m doing very fine – a little wet from the weather, but very fine.
HOST: Good. Tell me a little bit about what you do.
PAUL: I’m an interior design consultant, and I’m a partner with J.P Jones. We specialize in commercial properties and banking – doing the interiors and planning, and working with the owners to develop the best possible interior and best function for them.
HOST: What do you mean? Tell me a little about “functions” for a bank building.
PAUL: The bank buildings vary greatly. There are buildings that are very efficient and building that are not. In Seattle, they vary from about an 85% efficiency to – in some cases, a newer building – at about a 65 to 70% efficiency.
HOST: How do you measure “efficiency”?
PAUL:  It’s measured on the number of people and functions that you can put within a building, and how well the people can move around in the space, and how efficiently a tenant can use the space economically – so they can put the most people in and get the most work done for the lowest possible cost.

Now pretend you are the Host. Speak to Paul. Use the following dialogue.

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HOST: When you begin a project, do you make a lot of phone calls? Solicit bids? Draft proposals? Or what?
JAN: All of the above. We start off with an initial meeting, I will get the requests in, I’ll meet with the user, find out just what the details of the project are, hire the appropriate designer – unless, of course, we have design services that are on a contract basis by building with different design firms. And we do that because the different design firms know those buildings inside and out. Doing projects is much cost-effective that way.
HOST: I see.
JAN: After I meet with the user, I bring in the designer, and the designer and the user and I sit down and get into more details on the project. We also bring in the corporate buyer, and the buyer helps us with the furniture and equipment needs, and layouts and moving.
HOST: It sounds quite involved. Your specification lists must be pretty extensive.
JAN: Some of them are: we have a corporate standard, so it’s a lot easier – we’re not always out looking for different kinds of furniture. We have a set desk type, depending on the position of the person.

Listen as the Host interviews Jan.

Now it’s your turn. You do the interviewing. Unfortunately, Jan is pre-recorded, not live in person, se she won’t wait for you to speak. That means you can’t hesitate very much; you have to speak right away. Are you ready? Remember - you have to start the conversation.

Listen as Jan and a designer discuss samples.

Paul outlines his proposal.

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PAUL: This is the proposal.
JAN: OK.
PAUL: … and the plans for the 15th and 16th floors.
PAUL: This is the Proposal for Services for the move of the Trading Room to the Fab Building. And we have a cover letter, which is the indication of our terrific services, and also a reminder of our meeting that we had. And we developed some of … some of our proposal based on the assumptions from that meeting.
JAN: OK.
PAUL: On the second sheet, we have the contract document, which indicates our hourly cost, and also the total cost for the project.
JAN: Good.
DESIGNER: And in the third section, we have Designated Services – and those, of course, indicate the elements within each phase that forms the total cost for the project. And the final sheet is … your Request for Proposal.

HOST: Now it’s your turn. You do the interviewing. Remember - Paul is pre-recorded: he won’t wait for you to speak. That means you have to speak right away. Are you ready? Remember - you have to start the conversation.

HOST: how did you do? Did you speak at the right time? It’s almost time to end our lesson, but before we do, let’s see what advice Paul has for learning English.

YOU: HI, Paul?
YOU: Fine, thanks. And how are you doing today?
YOU: Good. Tell me a little bit about what you do.
YOU: What do you mean? Tell me a little about “functions” for a bank building.
YOU: How do you measure “efficiency”?
YOU: That’s interesting.

YOU: When you begin a project, do you make a lot of phone calls? Solicit bids? Draft proposals? Or what?
YOU: I see.
YOU: It sounds quite involved. Your specification lists must be pretty extensive.

Now pretend you are the Host.Use the following dialogue:

Outlining a proposal (1)

Outlining a proposal (2)

Outlining a proposal (3)

- Outlining a Proposal 1 (Interview)
- Outlining a Proposal 2 (Interact)
- Outlining a Proposal 3 (Interact)
- Conversation