原汁原味商務英語播客第110課:克服阻礙

In this episode of our ongoing Business English Podcast series on business negotiations in English, we will discuss how to overcome blockage in a negotiation. 在本期的商務英語播客中，我們將學習怎樣克服談判中的阻礙。

Usually we think of blockage in terms of stumbling blocks, or obstacles, to agreement. But blockage can also be any impediment to creating maximum value. In other words, we're not only interested in removing obstacles to a deal but also in removing obstacles to a better deal. Doing this successfully often requires thinking outside the box, that is, thinking creatively. 一談到阻礙，我們通常會聯想到使我們不能達成共識的絆腳石，障礙物。但這裏說的阻礙還指限制我們創造最大價值的因素。換句話說，我們不光是要清除妨礙雙方達成協議的障礙物，更要清除那些妨礙我們做更有利交易的因素。要想做到這一點，我們必須打破傳統，即運用創造性思維。

So in this episode, we'll study overcoming barriers. In particular, we'll focus on identifying stumbling blocks, exploring alternatives, and moving towards agreement. 在本集中，我們將學習怎樣克服障礙，尤其要辨別障礙和探索性的選擇，並且達成一致。

Recall that Peter, owner of Textacular, has been trying to buy Maxine's company, Gamester, as part of his strategy to roll up other small businesses. His ultimate goal is to increase the value of his own operation so he can sell it to a larger company for a handsome profit. In previous episodes, Peter had tried to acquire Maxine's company, but talks reached an impasse when Maxine wouldn't climb down from or reduce her price of 15 million. 大家回想一下，Textacular的老闆皮特打算收購Maxine的公司Gamester。這是他收購其他小企業的策略之一。他的終極目標是增加自己公司的價值並出售給更大的企業以獲得豐厚利潤。在之前的章節裏，皮特試圖獲得Maxine的公司。但是由於Maxine拒絕降低所出的15,000,000美元的價格，談判陷入僵局。

In today's listening, Peter calls Maxine back to restart talks. As you listen, focus on the language they use to remove obstacles to agreement. 在今天的節目裏，皮特打電話給Maxine想恢復談判。大家在聽的時候，要注意他們克服阻礙時運用的語言。

Listening Questions:

1. How does Peter suggest restarting talks with Maxine?
2. What does Peter identifying as the main stumbling block to a deal?
3. What does Peter mean when he says, "It's not a question of growth for us, it's a question of survival."
4. What is Peter's key insight that enables Maxine and him to overcome their blockage?