Do you often have a hard time scheduling meetings?
It’s vital to be respectful of your colleagues’ schedules.
Listen to today’s episode to learn vocabulary for scheduling meetings, presentations, or social gatherings at work.
Time at work
Lindsay asks Michelle about all the different time zones for the All Ears English team.
Michelle responds that she is on Eastern time, Lindsay is Mountain time, and Jessica is on Pacific time.
Aubrey lives in Arizona that has its own time zone, so she is on Mountain half the year and Pacific the other half.
They also have a team member in the Central time zone, and some are in Asia.
Working with different time zones can get confusing.
When scheduling a meeting, everyone’s time zone should be considered.
This is common in a lot of workplaces.
In today’s episode, Lindsay and Michelle share how to schedule things at work when your colleagues are in different time zones.
Scheduling
When you are in a workplace that deals with international clients or colleagues, you have to consider time zones.
Lindsay mentions that you should never assume that people know where you are.
When communicating with someone who may be working in a different time zone, always mention the time zone you’re scheduling the meeting for.
If you’re in a position where you’re not sure how to make sure you schedule appropriately, today’s tips will help.
#1: Ask and clarify
If the person you’re talking to hasn’t specified the time or you’re unsure where they are, you can just ask what time zone they will be in.
Example:
“Is that EST or MT?”
#2: Mention your time zone
It can also be good to say what time zone you’re in.
Then they can take that into consideration when choosing the time to book a call with you.
Example:
“I’m in California, so it’s 6 a.m. here”
Respecting time
When making plans or arranging meetings, you have to be mindful of everyone’s time.
It’s good to check in and confirm their time zone and make sure to ask if that is a reasonable time for them for the meeting or presentation.
You have to be respectful of everyone’s time.
Have a general awareness that not everyone will be attending the meeting at a time that is convenient for them.
When setting a meeting, be mindful of the run time of the discussion.
If someone is attending at odd hours, you don’t want to let the meeting go long.
Time zone mistakes
Michelle asks Lindsay if she has ever encountered a time zone mishap.
She shares an experience where she had a call with a friend who was in Chile and she thought she was in Columbia.
After messing up the time, she was at the meeting and her friend didn’t show up.
It’s important to always consider time zones so that you don’t waste effort or don’t show up.
Roleplay
Here is a quick roleplay from Lindsay and Michelle using the tips and vocabulary shared in today’s episode.
This will give you a better understanding of how to use these phrases in an English conversation.
In this scenario, Michelle lives in New York and Lindsay lives in California.
They are both organizing a big project at work.
Michelle: Okay, so maybe we can get started at 9:00 a.m.
Lindsay: Is that EST or PST?
Michelle: Eastern.
Lindsay: I’m 3 hours behind you here in California. So that’s 6:00 a.m. here.
Michelle: Oh so sorry! How about 2:00 p.m.?
Lindsay: In which time zone?
Michelle: Eastern.
Lindsay: Okay, much better thank you!
Michelle: Of course.
Takeaway
If you are in a workplace that has staff all over the world or are dealing with international clients, always consider time zones when scheduling.
Remember that there is no harm in asking or confirming time zones.
This will make everybody’s life a lot easier if you are considerate and respectful of time zones.
Have you worked with people in different time zones?
Share it in the comments below
