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ESL Podcast 924 – Getting Access to Important People
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1
GLOSSARY
gatekeeper – someone who controls access to a person, deciding whether or
not one should be allowed to speak with a busy decision-maker or executive
* Salespeople have many methods of getting around the gatekeepers to speak
with their people who may be customers.
to get access – to be allowed to interact with someone or participate in
something when it is not available to everyone
* How did you get access to backstage during the concert?
to green-light – to approve; to allow something to move forward because one
thinks it is a good idea
* In this family, all the children’s purchases must be green-lighted by Mom and
Dad.
immediate supervisor – the person to whom one directly reports in an
organization; boss; direct manager
* Please remember to ask your immediate supervisor to sign your reimbursement
requests when you return from your business trips.
to take (something) over – to take full control over something from another
person, usually against that person’s wishes, not allowing the other person to
participate; to assume full responsibility for something
* Adele has too much work to do, so she has asked her co-workers to take over
some of her projects.
to nix – to cancel, reject, or deny something so that it cannot proceed; to end a
project
* Kevin wanted to buy a motorcycle, but his wife nixed the idea.
to get the ear of – to get someone’s attention so that he or she listens to what
one is saying
* Sometimes large protests are the only way to get the ear of elected
representatives.
advisor – someone who provides advice, guidance, and counsel to another
person; someone who shares opinions and suggestions with a decision-maker
* The president is seeking a new advisor on economic policy.
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ESL Podcast 924 – Getting Access to Important People
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to do an end-run – to bypass someone; to avoid someone or something that is
normally required in a process
* Is there any way to do an end-run around the security measures to get to the
secret files?
inner circle – a group of the closest advisors and/or friends who have direct
access to an individual and influence over his or her decisions
* Lyle is very secretive around people who aren’t members of his inner circle.
to travel in the same circles – to have the same friends and participate in the
same social and professional activities
* We used to travel in the same circles in college, but we have grown apart over
the past few years.
jump shot – the act of throwing a basketball when one’s body is at the highest
point of one’s jump into the air
* The crowd cheered when they saw saw Jordan’s jump shot.
pick-up – an informal, spontaneous game, not scheduled in advance and not
organized by a team or league
* Do you have time for a pick-up game of soccer before your class?
one-on-one – involving only two people directly interacting with each other,
without the participation of others
* When was the last time you and your wife had a one-on-one conversation
without the kids in the room?
the right place at the right time – a time and place when everything works out
well and one gets what one wants, mostly due to chance and luck
* Sometimes it seems like getting a job is just a matter of being at the right place
at the right time.
to talk business – to discuss what is happening at work, especially away from
the office
* In family-owned businesses, sometimes it’s hard for family members to stop
talking business even when they get together for family events like birthday
parties.
court – the flat, rectangular surface where a basketball, tennis, and other sports
games are played
* How many hours do you spend on the tennis court each week?
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ESL Podcast 924 – Getting Access to Important People
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3
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Who are the gatekeepers?
a) The security guards who control access to the buildings.
b) The people who schedule meetings for the president.
c) The people who decide who should be hired.
2. According to Nathan, what might his supervisor do if she hears his idea?
a) She might sell it to their competitors.
b) She might prevent it from being implemented.
c) She might tell the president it’s a stupid idea.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
to get the ear of
The phrase “to get the ear of,” in this podcast, means to get someone’s attention
so that he or she listens to what one is saying: “Now that you have the ear of the
CEO, you’d better say something interesting.” The phrase “in one ear and out the
other” describes what happens when someone hears something, but does not
pay attention to it and quickly forgets it: “The teacher is frustrated, because it
seems like her lessons go in one ear and out other the other.” The phrase “to
keep (one’s) ears open” means to listen attentively to see if one can hear some
useful information or discover an opportunity: “Please keep your ears open and
let me know if you hear about any new job opportunities.”
court
In this podcast, the word “court” means the flat, rectangular surface where a
basketball, tennis, or other sports game is played: “Number 16 is the best player
on the court.” The phrase “the ball is in (one’s) court” means for something to be
one’s responsibility, or for one to need to take the next action: “We’ve done
everything we can, and now the ball is in his court.” A “court” is also the place
where a legal trial is held: “Mariah has to go to court to testify as a witness in the
murder trial.” Finally, a “food court” is the area in a shopping center where there
are many inexpensive fast food restaurants with a common seating area: “Let’s
meet at the food court for lunch and then see a movie together.”
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ESL Podcast 924 – Getting Access to Important People
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4
CULTURE NOTE
The President’s Inner Circle
The President of the United States has the power to “appoint” (name someone to
fill a position) members of the “Cabinet,” who lead executive departments. The
Cabinet members traditionally serve as some of the President’s closes and most
“trusted” (believed; relied upon) advisors. But not all Cabinet members have
equal access to the President.
In general, the President has an inner circle of Cabinet members whose advice is
“adhered to” (followed) more closely and “carries more weight” (has more power
or importance; is more influential). This inner circle usually “comprises” (is made
up of) the “Secretary of State” (responsible for “foreign’ (international) affairs), the
“Secretary of the Treasury” (concerned with finance, money, and the economy),
the “Secretary of Defense” (responsible for the military), and the “Attorney
General” (responsible for providing legal advice). Together, these four
department “heads” (leaders) are referred to as “The Big 4.” These are the most
influential Cabinet members.
The four members of the president’s inner circle also “correspond to” (are tied or
related to) the four “original” (from the beginning) departments of the federal
government. In other words, these were the four departments that existed under
the country’s first president, George Washington.
Some people are “concerned over” (worried about) the amount of influence that
the members of the inner circle can have over the President’s decisions, since
Cabinet members are not elected by the general public. They argue that their
appointment without “representation” (having been elected) gives them “undue”
(inappropriate and excessive) power in the “federal” (national) government.
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – b
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ESL Podcast 924 – Getting Access to Important People
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5
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 924 – Getting
Access to Important People.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 924. I'm your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Our website, and we do have a website, is ESLPod.com. Go there. Download a
Learning Guide and improve your English faster than ever.
This episode is a dialogue about trying to get in touch with – or make contact with
or communicate with – important people. Let’s get started.
[start of dialogue]
Camile: That is a really good idea.
Nathan: Thanks, but there’s no way I can get past all of the gatekeepers in this
company to get access to the president. He’s the only one who can green-light a
project like this.
Camile: Can’t you present it to your boss first?
Nathan: If I bring the idea to my immediate supervisor, she’ll either take it over or
nix it.
Camile: What you need to do is to get the ear of one of his advisors and do an
end run around the other managers.
Nathan: I’m not sure how I can do that. I don’t know any of the advisors in the
president’s inner circle. We don’t exactly travel in the same circles, you know.
Camile: How’s your jump shot?
Nathan: Why do you ask?
Camile: My cousin works at the same gym where the company president goes to
exercise. Sometimes he likes to play a game of pickup basketball, often one-on-
one. If you got a call from my cousin when he’s there, you might be able to get
there quickly and be in the right place at the right time.
English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 924 – Getting Access to Important People
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of
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6
Nathan: You mean talk business on the courts?
Camile: Sure, isn’t that how real deals get made?
Nathan: You might have an idea there.
Camile: Yes, but one piece of advice: Let him win!
[end of dialogue]
Camile begins our dialogue by saying, “That is a really good idea.” Obviously, we
are coming in in the middle of a conversation that has already started between
Camile and Nathan. Nathan says, “Thanks. But there’s no way I can get past all
of the gatekeepers in this company to get access to the president.” Camile and
Nathan are obviously talking about trying to communicate with the president of
some company.
He says, “There’s no way” – it’s not possible for me – “to get past all of the
gatekeepers.” A “gatekeeper” (gatekeeper) is someone who works for an
important person, typically who controls access to that person, who decides who
is going to get to see that person and who will not get to see that person. We
usually think of presidents of companies or, certainly, presidents of countries who
have people around them who work for them who control access to that person,
who decide who’s going to get to talk to the president and who isn’t. That’s what
a “gatekeeper” is. Nathan is worried he can’t get past the gatekeepers – that is,
he can’t get around them to communicate directly with the president. He talks
about getting “access to the president.” “To get access” is to be allowed to talk to
or communicate with someone.
Nathan says, “The president is the only one” – the only person – “who can green-
light a project like this.” The verb “to green-light” means to say yes to something.
It’s a very common expression in business, to mean to approve an idea, to say
yes to a project. Why “green-light?” Well, of course, in a traffic signal, the green
light indicates that you can go, that you can move forward. A red light would
mean that you should stop. A yellow light, at least in the United States, means
that you need to be careful because the light is going to be changing to red soon.
For most people, this means you need to drive really fast.
Well, Nathan says, “The president is the only one who can green-light a project
like this.” Camile says, “Can’t you present it to your boss first?” That is, “Isn’t it
possible for you to talk to your boss as the first step?” Nathan says, “If I bring the
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ESL Podcast 924 – Getting Access to Important People
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
7
idea” – and we don’t know what that idea is – “to my immediate supervisor, she’ll
either take it over or nix it.” Your “supervisor” is your boss – the person who tells
you what to do at your job. Your “immediate supervisor” is the boss who’s just
one level above you. In most companies, you may have a boss, and then
someone who is their boss, and then someone even higher who’s their boss.
Your “immediate supervisor” is the boss who’s closest to you, if you will – the one
who is just one level above you. The idea is that that boss, that supervisor,
himself has a boss or a supervisor.
Nathan says if he brings the idea he has to his immediate supervisor, “she will
either take it over or nix it.” “To take something over” means to fully control
something, to say, “Okay. I’m going to now do everything related to this project.”
It’s sort of like stealing it, in a way, except that the person who’s taking it over
may have the right to do that – may say, “Okay. Well, I’m going to say this is my
idea, and I’m going to take it over. I’m going to act upon it myself.” Nathan says if
he gives his idea to his immediate supervisor, “she’ll either take it over or nix it.”
“To nix” (nix) means to reject, to cancel, to say no to something.
Camile says, “What you need to do is to get the ear of one of his advisors and do
an end run around the other managers.” “To get the ear of someone” means to
get someone to listen to you, to get someone to pay attention to you. An
“advisor” (advisor) is a person who gives advice and recommendations to a more
important person – a president, or a vice-president, or a boss. Your “advisors”
are the people that you ask recommendations from. You ask their opinion about
something that’s important to you.
“To do an end (end) run” means to go around, or to bypass, or to skip someone
who normally you would have to talk to and get the approval of and, instead, go
to someone at a higher level. So, instead of talking to your immediate supervisor,
you go directly to the president. You go all the way around that person. You do
an end run. You go around the person. That’s what Camile is recommending to
Nathan, that he needs to do an end run around the other managers in order to
get the ear of one of the president’s advisors.
Nathan says, “I’m not sure how I can do that. I don’t know any of the advisors in
the president’s inner circle.” The phrase “inner (inner) circle” refers to the closest
advisors to an important person like a president. The president’s or leader’s inner
circle would be the small group of men and women that he or she gets advice
from – talks to in order to find out what should be done next. That’s the inner
circle.
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ESL Podcast 924 – Getting Access to Important People
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Nathan says, “We don’t exactly travel in the same circles, you know.” The
expression “to travel in the same circles” uses the word “circle” again but in a
different way. It means a group of people who are at the same social level who
are often friends with each other or who have something in common. For
example, here in Los Angeles there are some people who know a lot of movie
writers, and movie directors, and movie producers. I do not travel in those same
circles, meaning none of my friends or people I know are movie directors and
producers. That’s actually not true. My old neighbor is a movie producer.
But anyway, the expression “to travel in the same circles” means to have the
same kinds of friends or to be in the same situation where you would know these
people. That’s what Nathan is saying is not the case for him. He doesn’t travel in
the same circles as the inner circle, the close advisors of the president.
Camile says, “How’s your jump shot?” A “jump (jump) shot” is something you do
in the game of basketball, where you jump up in the air and try to throw the ball
into the round circle called the “basket.” It’s an odd question. So, Nathan says,
“Why do you ask?” – “Why are you asking about how I play basketball?” Camile
says, “My cousin works at the same gym” – the same gymnasium – “where the
company president goes to exercise. Sometimes, he likes to play a game of
pickup basketball.” A “pickup” game of anything is when you just play with the
people who are there. You don’t plan it. You don’t organize your team in
advance. You just go to a place where you think other people will be, for
example, playing basketball, and you make a team right there. You form your
own team. That would be a pickup game of basketball.
Camile says sometimes the president likes to play a pickup game of basketball,
“often one-on-one.” “One-on-one” is when, in basketball, there are just two
people playing – one person versus another person – and you try to get as many
points as you can by throwing the ball through the basketball net. Camile says, “If
you got a call from my cousin when he’s there” – in other words, if Camile’s
cousin called Nathan when the president was at the gym – “you might be able to
get there quickly and be in the right place at the right time. The expression “the
right place at the right time” means to be at a certain place at a certain time,
where you are able to do what you really want to do. It’s almost like having good
luck. “To be at the right place at the right time” means to be somewhere and,
even though you didn’t plan it, something good happens to you.
Nathan says, “You mean talk business on the courts?” “To talk business” means
to discuss what is happening at your workplace. The “courts” here refers to the
basketball court – the place where you would play the game of basketball.
Camile says, “Sure. Isn’t that how real deals get made?” A “deal” is an
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ESL Podcast 924 – Getting Access to Important People
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
9
agreement. Nathan says, “You might have an idea there,” meaning “I think that is
a good idea.” Camile says, “Yes, but one piece of advice.” A “piece of advice” is
a recommendation. “Let him win!” – meaning let the president win, allow the
president to win. Don’t try to beat him in the game that you are playing of
basketball.
Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
[start of dialogue]
Camile: That is a really good idea.
Nathan: Thanks, but there’s no way I can get past all of the gatekeepers in this
company to get access to the president. He’s the only one who can green-light a
project like this.
Camile: Can’t you present it to your boss first?
Nathan: If I bring the idea to my immediate supervisor, she’ll either take it over or
nix it.
Camile: What you need to do is to get the ear of one of his advisors and do an
end run around the other managers.
Nathan: I’m not sure how I can do that. I don’t know any of the advisors in the
president’s inner circle. We don’t exactly travel in the same circles, you know.
Camile: How’s your jump shot?
Nathan: Why do you ask?
Camile: My cousin works at the same gym where the company president goes to
exercise. Sometimes he likes to play a game of pickup basketball, often one-on-
one. If you got a call from my cousin when he’s there, you might be able to get
there quickly and be in the right place at the right time.
Nathan: You mean talk business on the courts?
Camile: Sure, isn’t that how real deals get made?
Nathan: You might have an idea there.
English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 924 – Getting Access to Important People
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
10
Camile: Yes, but one piece of advice: Let him win!
[end of dialogue]
She only green-lights the best scripts for learning English. I speak of our
scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Tse.
From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come
back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast was written and produced by Dr. Lucy
Tse, hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. Copyright 2013 by the Center for Educational
Development.