A: Our supervisor, Sally, called a meeting yesterday to talk about communication problems in our group. She got the ball rolling by asking us to talk about the problems we were seeing. She asked us not to name names.
B: So did anybody step up to the plate?
A: Not at first. She had to encourage us. She said that we had to identify the problems before we could find the solutions because they go hand in hand. Maria spoke up first. She said she didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes, but she thought the workload needed to be divided more evenly. Sally said that was a good start and that we were on the right track. We needed to get everything out in the open. She reminded us that no topic was out of bounds.
B: I thought Maria brought the same problem up the last time, but Sally just gave her the runaround then. Sally said she would check with the vice president and get back to her, but she never did.
A: You’re right. I think Sally has been getting the same comment from the other people, so she’s finally ready to listen. Jerry said he was feeling out of the loop because he doesn’t get included in the planning phases. Steven got angry about that. He said that if Jerry always says he’s too busy to come to the planning meetings, then how can he expect to be in the loop?
B: Wow. It sounds like Steven really screwed up when he lost his temper.
A: Yes, I agree. It was very unprofessional. Sally drew the line and reminded everyone that the purpose of the meeting was not to get personal and lay the blame but try to improve the communication channels. She told Steven to sit down and knock it off. She said she wanted to discuss his behavior later outside of the group. They agreed to take it off-line.
B: That’s funny. I thought Sally was the one who usually got angry in the meetings.
A: You’re right. She doesn’t exactly walk the talk. I think she needs to set a better example.
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Get the ball rolling 開始做一件事,而且讓它很順暢地運作
He always gets the ball rolling in meetings by asking important questions.
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Step up to the plate 開始行動
You can count on her. She always step up to the plate if it’s her responsibility.
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Go hand in hand 密切相關的
I want to work hand in hand with them to get the job done. Our two departments must share information and help each other if we’re going to finish it on time.
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Step on someone’s toes 冒犯,得罪某人
I don’t want to step on your toes, so let me know if this is okay.
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Be on the right track 方向是正確的
If he says it’s a software problem, I agree. I think he’s on the right track.
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Out of bounds 出界的
This topic is out of bound during the meeting. We will discuss it later, off-line.
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Give someone the runaround 敷衍搪塞
Whenever they ask the political candidate a direct question, he gives them the runaround.
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Be in the loop/ Be out of the loop 保持在狀況內/ 狀況外
I haven’t received any information on this project. I am out of loop on this.
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Screw up 搞砸了
We don’t want to screw up again. It’s expensive to start over.
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Draw the line 劃界線加以限制
We have to draw the line with Black Bear Graphics. They’re demanding too much. Tell them we won’t make any more design changes.
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Knock it off 停止, 停下來
He has an annoying habit of tapping his fingers on the table, so she asked him to knock it off.
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Take it off-line 私下講
We need to take this conversation off-line because it’s about the new technology for our company, and that isn’t a public knowledge yet.
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Walk the talk 說到做到
She always speaks about the importance of listening, but she doesn’t walk the talk because she doesn’t listen very well herself.
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