原汁原味商務英語播客第114課:商討問題(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. 人們開會的原因通常都是有問題要解決。召開會議是一個解決問題的絕佳方式。因爲這樣的話，每個參與者都具有各種不同的經驗和觀點。大家在一起可以對問題進行確診並想出一個解決方案。

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. 但即使我們有優秀的參與者，開會過程中還是會出現各種差錯，原因就在於問題沒有被明確地提出或回答。“問題究竟是什麼？”在今天的節目裏我們主要來看一看怎樣通過討論確定一個問題，然後再重新面對它。在本系列的第二部分，我們要看一下怎樣對大家提出的建議進行評估和篩除，最後確定一個統一的行動方案。

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. 凱瑟琳是一家中型公司的人事部負責人。她正在與各部門的負責人開會，討論一個全公司各部門都在面臨的問題：員工士氣低下。我們今天就來聽一聽他們的談話。

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. 針對員工普遍士氣低下的問題，凱瑟琳要求大家每個人都深入考慮一下其中隱藏的原因。我們來看一下她是怎樣幫助與會者解決這一問題的。一開始，凱瑟琳就要大家集中精神，然後會議開始。

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?