Keeping Up

Our old friend Dr English was in a meeting discussing details recently. What did he notice? Morning Doc.

Morning. I began to notice how little detail there was in the actual discussion. Here are some genuine snippets of conversation from a two hour meeting:

So I mean what if we decide to then we...

Do you mean the...

The Fire officer will have something to say if that...

But I was talking about the...

Yes I know this is a bit iffy but...

So can we get some of this withheld...

We can ask them to look at it.

.................................................

If we go to page four then...

I was talking about the utilities but you went on to the next page and the...

OK, let's go back and do it step by step again and...

Page three has a schedule which shall we look at it I mean...

We could save £9,000 if we...

Do we really want people doing that?

I don't know how these things work...

...........................................................

Anyway, that's a, I mean we...

Well a company that has its own ideas can get by if they...

And can we negotiate that?

Who does the negotiation, is it...

We all can if we...

I like an argument but I may not have the...

............................................................

Some of the fees can...

Two and a half thousand of these are; so that's twenty.

Plus...

It's plus VAT which we estimate at...

We don't know what that figure was going to be but...

We could knock 7k off.

Then what that have the total VAT total?

At least half of that.

And the fees?

And the fees.

Ten on the basic costs.

You're probably talking about...

It would be prudent to put it.

20k VAT.

....................................

And an agreed decision was reached. So it is fascinating that, having a detailed document in front of them, an almost nonsensical level of conversation skill worked perfectly adequately. But we do this all the time. Try and take a transcript of a conversation today and see if it makes any sense when written down. We don't write when we talk.

Thanks Doc. See you again soon.

Dr English

Dr English pops in to update us all, post-Skate competition, on the language of the day. 'How's it hanging Dr Man?'

'Well old bean, as far as I can recall, these are the words you need in order to conduct a lively commentary on a few people on wheels trying to kill themselves:

Sick = good
Rude = good
Bad = good
Well = very
Wicked = good
Home = good
Pants = bad
Awesome = awesome
Dubtastic = good
Unreal = unbelievably good
Tidy = pleasant or good
Savage = good and possibly difficult
Relentless = good for a long time
Mental = good and risky
Book = cool
Grats = congratulations
Rents = parents
Dude = someone else
Unlucky = rubbish
Stoked = happy
Made up = happy

'I'm still working on one or two others,' says Dr E, but we're sure he'll be back.