Valerie: Oh really? So… you're saying that there were some problems with the wiring, or with the… electrical system in the café?

Mira: Yeah, right, right. The electrician came to the café building site and, well, she discovered problems with the wiring in the walls. That was… unexpected.

Valerie: Hmmm. What happened?

Mira: Initially, things were going really well. I got the contractor, Giovanni, to cut out the arches, and he created the high ceilings that I wanted, and everything looked really good. But. Well. I asked him to let me know when the electrician was coming, and he didn’t. So I assumed everything was fine. I guess Giovanni did too. And the mosaics were almost done by the time she showed up, and, then, we discovered that the electrical work… the wiring… was just a big mess.

Mira: Hello?

Giovanni: Hi, Mira. I’m afraid I have some… bad news for you. Steph, the electrician that I usually work with, she came to the building site today. I had her take a look at the wiring and, well… it doesn’t look good.

Mira: Oh no. What? What is it?

Giovanni: Umm, well, I thought all of the wiring was in good condition, but she says that some of it needs to be replaced. That means we’ll have to open up some of the walls… even in a couple of places where the mosaics have already been installed. I’m afraid this will delay construction by a month or so at least. And… umm… we might have to look at the budget again.

Mira: Wait what??? Delay by a month?? Are there any alternatives? Maybe we can access the wiring another way.

Giovanni: Erm, yeah, there aren’t really any other possibilities.

Mira: It’s just- there is so much at stake here. I need to get the café open this summer. And I can’t afford to delay construction, or to have the mosaics reinstalled…

Conor: Welcome back, dear listener, to Talking on the Job. I’m Conor, your host and English language mentor, here to help you navigate the world of English in business and at work. Today’s episode is called Working it Out, because that’s what Mira and Giovanni are going to have to do: Work it out. Or, come to an agreement. And they’re going to work it out by using their negotiation skills. Actually, Mira has already used some top negotiation vocabulary. Did you notice? She asked if there are any "alternatives", or "other possibilities". And she told Giovanni that "there is so much at stake", meaning she’s got a lot to lose if the café doesn’t open on time. Let’s go back to Mira and Giovanni’s conversation. See if you can pick up on any other words or phrases they use for this negotiation.

Giovanni: I understand where you’re coming from, but there really aren’t any alternatives.

Mira: But delaying construction by a whole month is out of the question. So is reinstalling all the mosaics. I can’t afford it.

Giovanni: Well, my primary concern is safety. We can’t leave the wiring the way that it is.

Mira: Ok, mm-hmm, ok. We have to figure something out.

Conor: Did you catch all that? Both Mira and Giovanni used a lot of phrases there that are handy for negotiations. Let’s go over them one by one.

Conor: First, Giovanni said:

Giovanni: I understand where you’re coming from, but there really aren’t any alternatives.

Conor: If you say you "understand where someone is coming from", it doesn’t mean you know they just came from the bus stop.
It’s a way to tell someone that you understand their point of view, or the way that they are feeling. And in a negotiation, it’s useful for showing empathy. And do you remember Mira’s response? It was -

Mira: But delaying construction by a whole month is out of the question.

Conor: Saying something is "out of the question" is a way to tell someone that you strongly disagree with their suggestion. And as Mira said, she can't afford to delay construction by a whole month. Giovanni’s reply was:

Giovanni: Well, my primary concern is safety. We can’t leave the wiring the way it is.

Conor: A "primary concern" is something that you are most worried about. Giovanni’s primary concern is safety. What do you think Mira’s primary concern is? Let’s listen in on their conversation and find out.

Mira: I understand that your primary concern is safety, of course. Mine is too, for everyone who works here and for my customers. But I also care about the budget, obviously, and about getting this café open on time. Delaying construction by a whole month… that’s not going to work for me. Can we, somehow, cut that time down to… two weeks?

Giovanni: Well… hmmm… let me discuss this with Steph and get back to you. If she can fix the electrical wiring in two weeks, and we can proceed with the construction right after that… Maybe the delay won’t be too bad. You might still have to get the mosaics reinstalled, though, or replace them with something else.

Mira: To be honest, I wasn’t completely happy with them anyway. So I guess this could be a win-win situation: The café will have a safe electrical system, and the mosaics will be even better than they are now. I’ll just have to find the money somewhere, or rework the budget somehow. But ok. Let’s do it.

Giovanni: Sounds good. I’ll talk to you later, then?

Mira: Yes, Giovanni, thank you! I’ll talk to you later. Goodbye!

Giovanni: Ok. Bye!

Conor: Did you catch that? Mira said that delaying construction by a month was not going to work for her. Saying something "isn’t going to work for you" is a way to reject someone’s suggestion. It’s not quite as strong as saying something is out of the question… But it’s still effective. And, after finally reaching an agreement, Mira said that this could be a "win-win situation", meaning a situation that can benefit everyone. But, was it really a win-win situation after all? And was Mira able to, as she said, “find the money somewhere”? Let’s go back to the grand opening…

Valerie: Wow, ok, so I guess you did mention that there were some problems along the way. I mean, there always are when starting a new business, right? But, at least, it sounds like you were able to negotiate a solution with the contractor…

Mira: Mmm, true, yes we did.

Valierie: So my next question has to be: Was the construction delayed by only two weeks? And, how did you find the money that you needed?

Mira: Well, as you said, there are always problems when starting a new business. It was so important to get the café open in time for the summer season, because that’s when businesses like mine usually make the most money. But I had to face some tough decisions, and it wasn’t easy trying to manage the timeline, the budget -

Conor: So, dear listener, next time you have to negotiate with someone, or find a solution to a problem at work, try using some of the phrases you heard today and you’ll be sure to find yourself in a win-win situation. I’ve added a summary of these phrases, and some more resources, to the transcript for today’s episode. The link is in the episode description. And feel free to let me know how this podcast is working out for you! Send me an email at podcasting@babbel.com. Don’t forget to write Talking on the Job in the subject line.

If you want even more useful language for negotiation, check out our negotiation course in the Babbel app! And don’t miss the next episode, where Mira will have to find a way to keep the construction of her café on time and on budget. All in English!

Bye for now!
 
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 Key vocabulary:

- alternative: other possibilities
- to be at stake: to have the possibility of a bad result
- to be out of the question: not possible
- win-win situation: a situation with a good result for everyone


Useful phrases for negotiation:

- To show empathy and understanding:
I understand where you’re coming from

- To express what matters to you the most:
my primary concern is