USEFUL EXPRESSIONS : POINT

There are a number of useful expressions in which the word 'point' is used :

1 The following expression may be used as a diplomatic way of expressing disagreement : "I take your point, but...."

2 If you feel that interlocutor is taking too long to explain himself/herself or is presenting an argument in a long-winded way, you can say :
"Please get to the point."

3 If you wish to indicate to your interlocutor that you are taking his/her arguments seriously, you may say :
"Point taken!" or "Good point!"

4 Should you wish to question the necessity of an action this expression may be employed :
"What's the point ?"

5 Equally, the following expression, similar in meaning to "It's not worth it", can be employed to express the futility of an action :
"There's no point meeting the client at this stage."

6 If you feel that a particular fact needs highlighting, you may say :
"I would like to point out that..."

7 In order to indicate that you will express yourself without too much preamble, particularly if the information that you wish to convey is of a serious nature, you can employ the following expression :
"I'll get straight to the point."

8 In order to return to the key arguments or facts during a discussion in which the participants may be deviating from the subject, you may intervene by saying :
"The point is...."

9 Equally, to remind the participants of the purpose of a meeting you can say :
"The whole point of this discussion is to come up with new ideas".

10 You may indicate that you agree with an opinion to a certain extent, i.e not 100% by employing the expression :
"I agree up to a point." or "He's right, but only up to a point."

REGULATING BANKS

Watch this interview. What does the interviewee say about regulating banks ? What recommendations does he make ? What does he say about the rating agencies ? How does he feel about regulating compensation ?

Check the meanings of the following words and expressions:

mighty
to pick themselves up off their knees
What would she/he make of this ?
(to be)concerned about
to keep a lid on that
to prevent (that) from happening again
incentive systems
to steer and guide
to lessen
the key driver
to subsidise
decrying
households
cooking up
to have a stake (in)
focused on
to shape
to figure out
betting on
in turn
to be driven by
capital gains
endorsement
deeply worrying
to shrink
the top bracket
the same holds true
to be sued for negligence
to lead to
injecting more competition into
...that has been developed over decades
overnight
to be stuck with
for the foreseeable future
to put too much of the blame on...
to let (someone) off the hook
It comes back to the fact that
(to be)worthwhile
to drill down
an outcome
within a framework
If you will (si on peut le dire)
to circumvent the rules
going forward
(to) undermine
to rely more on...
far-sighted
No matter how much...
to head off a crisis
(to) express great concern
to be empowered
I would differ with that
to fall victim to
to keep up with
to tame

MEETINGS : GETTING STARTED

If you find opening meetings intimidating, have a look at the following model :

'Okay, everone - let's get down to business.
Everyone seems to be here, except Mike, who sends his apologies.
Did everyone get a copy of the agenda ? Good.
As you know, the purpose of this meeting is to come up with some ways of streamlining the recruitment process.

You'll see that there are 3 points on the agenda. Firstly, we'll review the current recruitment process and try to identify the main problems. Then, we'll hear from Sarah, who's been speaking to our consultants about some streamlining solutions. And finally, we'll discuss which solution would be the most appropriate for the group.

Okay, at this point, I'd like to hand over to Jack, who's going to outline the current recruitment process.'

WRITING FORMAL LETTERS

Look at the following example of a formal letter of complaint. Key words and expressions are highlighted in bold.

Dear Sirs,

I am writing to complain about a package holiday in Dubai that I booked with your company and from which I have just returned. Such was my disappointment with the holiday that I am demanding a full reimbursement of the £700 that I paid via your website on 17 May 2009. I am convinced that you will consider my demand to be totally justified when you read the following facts, which would put any reputable travel company to shame.

The outgoing flight from Heathrow Airport on 2 June, was delayed by some three hours and no effort whatsover was made by your representatives to keep us informed of the expected take-off time, nor was any explanation given for the delay. Moreover, in spite of the length of the delay, when we finally boarded the plane, which seemed to be old and poorly maintained, we were treated somewhat rudely by the cabin staff. To make matters worse, there was no in-flight entertainment and the in-flight meals were neither tasty nor fresh.

However, the most disappointing aspect of the holiday was the Beach View hotel, which your website described as a "luxurious palace with stunning sea-views, a private beach, superior comfort and haute cuisine". Firstly, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the Beach View has neither a beach nor a view, unless your consider a series of office blocks to be a desirable view. Secondly, your description of the hotel as being "luxurious" is outrageous since the hotel offers rather basic three-star accommodation and is clearly designed for low-budget travellers such as students and junior sales reps. As for your description of the hotel restaurant as "haute cuisine", this is a downright lie which merits the attention of the Serious Fraud Office, as does your dishonest claim that the hotel has a private beach.

Given the serious nature of the facts that I have outlined above, I should be grateful if you would reimburse me the full cost of this disasterous holiday within seven days. Should you require any further information about my unpleasant experiences, both on the outgoing flight and in the hotel, do not hesitate to contact me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

John Spears

UBS, THE IRS AND SWISS BANKING

Watch this video and listen out for the following lexical structures:

To hand over
To be blacklisted
to shun
to stress
a crackdown
to look into
to be turned over
a whole bunch of
to pick up
on the heels of
to come clean
to come forward
a high stakes game