Advanced Conference English, 2/e

Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was a great English writer, poet, philosopher, and overall intellectual. He was described by George Bernard Shaw as his “friendly enemy,” and a “man of colossal genius.” Chesterton inspired us with this memorable advice:

When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.

Consistent with his well-known nickname as “Prince of Paradox,” Chesterton never clearly indicated which of the two options—taking things for granted or take things with gratitude—he himself would choose.

Regardless of Chesterton’s playful ambiguity, I believe that gratitude should be a vital part of our daily lives. Gratitude connects us to other people and thereby leads us to develop a larger and more expansive view of life. Psychologically, gratitude helps us cultivate feelings of love, appreciation, generosity, and compassion.

With these thoughts about gratitude in mind, I would like to invite readers to join me in paying a tribute to the great French-German humanitarian, philosopher, and physician, Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) who, in 1952, received the Nobel Peace Prize. Conference attendees, when considering the efforts of the conference organizer, moderator and the panelists, should remember what Schweitzer reminded us.

We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.

If you spend time with professional orchestral musicians, you will likely hear them recall this or that performance by referring to the number of encores they enjoyed: “When we played in Kaohsiung last year, we received one encore;” or “in 2010 we had one of our best performances ever…we played three encores, and the audience still was not satisfied.” In other words, the metric of success for the performers is oftentimes the level of satisfaction expressed by the audience.

Once again, conferences and symposiums are similar in some ways to orchestra concerts. Whereas orchestra musicians talk about receiving encores from the audience, panelists and moderators might assess the success of their sessions in terms of an ovation or the degree of engagement: “We received a long standing ovation during our Thursday afternoon session,” or “People were really engaged after our discussion; everybody wanted to jump in; we could have answered questions all night.” In other words, the metric for panel discussions is the degree to which the general participant expresses appreciation.

This means that your response, as a general participant, is monitored carefully. Whether or not you express appreciation, and how you do so, are important gauges to the success of the conference. There are several ways for you to express appreciation. First, you must see yourself as a member of the collective, the entire audience. Your applause adds to the applause from everyone in the hall. A more powerful, challenging method of expression is to raise your hand to express appreciation directly in front of everybody. In this Chapter 3.3, I will study some ways to express appreciation to panelists and moderators.

Before concluding this chapter, I wish to share with you a lesson given by William Arthur (1819-1901), a Wesleyan Methodist minister and author. He elegantly stated this:

Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I may not forget you.

An anonymous quote related to Mr. Arthur’s words, goes like this:

There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.

As a participant in a conference, you will always have plenty for which to be thankful. Thankfulness is not only a virtue, but the act of being thankful for the little things, in fact, can bring us more joy in life.

Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was a great English writer, poet, philosopher, and overall intellectual. He was described by George Bernard Shaw as his “friendly enemy,” and a “man of colossal genius.” Chesterton inspired us with this memorable advice:

When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.

Consistent with his well-known nickname as “Prince of Paradox,” Chesterton never clearly indicated which of the two options—ta...

Table of Contents 目　次
Preface 自序
Prologue 前言

Chapter 1 Preparing to Be a Moderator會議主持人的準備
1.0 Introduction引言
1.1 Housekeeping不宜輕忽的細節
1.2 Formal Introduction of the Panel and of a Keynote Speaker介紹場次及主講或與談人
1.3 Key Points about Being a Good Moderator成功主持人的要素
1.4 Steering the Conversation in the Right Direction正確引導會談方向
1.5 Communication with the Audience與聽眾溝通
1.6 Bringing to Conclusion做好結語

Chapter 2 Refine Your English for Being a Panelist主講或與談人如何精進英文
2.0 Introduction引言
2.1 Expressing Appreciation to the Moderator向主持人致謝
2.2 Expressing Your Opinion暢述意見
2.3 Addressing the Audience向聽眾講話
2.4 Anticipating the Comments from Fellow Panelists回應同場與談人的評論
2.5 Holding Ground in the Face of Disagreement異議時掌握論據
2.6 Answering Questions回答問題

Chapter 3 Being a General Participant at a Conference會議參與者的角色
3.0 Introduction引言
3.1 Understanding Your Role as an Important Contributor認知您的貢獻角色
3.2 Making Your Point Clear and Concise清晰扼要敘述論點
3.3 Expressing Appreciation as a General Participant會議參與者的致謝

Chapter 4 Establishing the Correct Tone for Conferences確立會議的合宜語調
4.0 Introduction引言
4.1 Formulating Main Ideas形成主要理念
4.2 Setting the Level of Urgency設定輕重緩急語調
4.3 Refining Phrases: Being For and Against Something贊成或反對的修辭
4.4 Work with Modal Verbs: Escalation of Tones強化語調的動詞例示
4.5 The Difference between Serious, Playful, and Humorous Language莊重、輕鬆與幽默文句的差異

Chapter 5 Negotiating at the WTO and for the Other Trade Pacts世界貿易組織與其他貿易協定的談判
5.0 Introduction引言
5.1 Delivering a Powerful Introduction如何生動發言
5.2 Multilateral versus Bilateral Negotiations多邊暨雙邊談判

Chapter 6 Preparing for Social Functions準備社交活動
6.0 Introduction引言
6.1 In Wine There Is Culture葡萄酒中有文化
6.2 Presiding over a Dinner Party主持晚宴
6.3 Socializing at a Casual Reception參與酒會
6.4 Being a Welcomed Guest做好受歡迎的客人

Table of Contents 目　次
Preface 自序
Prologue 前言

Chapter 1 Preparing to Be a Moderator會議主持人的準備
1.0 Introduction引言
1.1 Housekeeping不宜輕忽的細節
1.2 Formal Introduction of the Panel and of a Keynote Speaker介紹場次及主講或與談人
1.3 Key Points about Being a Good Moderator成功主持人的要素
1.4 Steering the Conversation in the Right Direction正確引導會談方向
1.5 Communication with the Audience與聽眾溝通
1.6 Bringing to Conclusion做好結語

Chapter 2 Refine Your English for...