Addressing Issues During an Event
Handling unexpected problems that arise during a live charity event, such as a volunteer not showing up, a technical malfunction, or a participant complaint.
Dialogue
Listen and follow along with the conversation
Vocabulary
Essential words and phrases from the dialogue
issue
A problem or difficulty that needs to be solved. In events, it's used to politely describe unexpected problems, like 'We have an issue with the setup.'
registration
The process of signing up or enrolling for an event. Common in events: 'Complete your registration online before the event.'
participant
A person who takes part in an activity or event. Useful for organizing: 'We have 50 participants registered.'
upset
Feeling angry or unhappy about something. In service situations: 'The customer is upset because of the delay.'
glitch
A small technical problem or fault. Often used casually: 'The app has a glitch; it keeps crashing.'
agitated
Feeling anxious or irritated, often showing it. In conflicts: 'The passenger became agitated when the flight was delayed.'
smooth things over
To fix a problem or calm a situation politely. Idiom for handling complaints: 'I'll smooth things over with the team.'
hiccup
A minor problem or temporary interruption. Informal for small issues: 'There was a hiccup with the payment, but it's fixed now.'
Key Sentences
Important phrases to remember and practice
Can you come over here for a sec?
This is a casual way to ask someone to approach quickly. 'For a sec' means 'for a second.' Useful for urgent but informal requests in team settings, like during events.
What's up?
A common informal question meaning 'What's the problem?' or 'What's happening?' It's a quick way to ask for details in conversations, especially in work or social situations.
One of our participants is quite upset.
This sentence describes someone's emotional state politely. 'Quite' softens the intensity. Useful for reporting issues professionally without blaming, in customer service or events.
Did they bring their confirmation email?
A yes/no question to check if someone has proof. 'Did they' uses past tense for recent actions. Practical for verifying information in administrative situations like registrations.
The participant is getting quite agitated.
Uses present continuous 'is getting' to show a changing state. 'Agitated' means increasingly upset. Helpful for describing escalating problems in real-time during events.
I'll go over there and smooth things over.
This expresses a plan to resolve an issue calmly. 'Smooth things over' is an idiom for fixing awkward situations. Use it when offering to handle complaints in team coordination.
That sounds like a plan.
An idiomatic way to agree with a suggestion, meaning 'That seems like a good idea.' Informal and positive, useful in collaborative discussions to show support.
It's just a hiccup, nothing we can't handle.
Downplays a problem as minor. 'Hiccup' is a metaphor for a small issue. Reassuring expression to calm others, common in problem-solving scenarios like events.