Welcome back to Business English Pod. Today’s lesson is the first in a series about making and responding to suggestions in meetings in English. This is part of a broader project to take another look at some of our older lessons.
Solving problems and coming up with ideas in groups is a big part of work. Succeeding in business means participating effectively in these kinds of group meetings. And to do that, you need to know how to make and respond to suggestions. It’s no use having a good idea if you can’t express it!
In this lesson, we’re going to focus on how to make suggestions. We’ll look at several different expressions we use to suggest ideas. Expressions like “one possibility,” and “maybe,” and “how about” are essential when you want to make suggestions in a meeting. And it’s good to have lots of different expressions for different situations.
In today’s dialog, we’ll hear a conversation between four people who work in marketing for a sports shoe company. They are discussing a new ad campaign and coming up with ideas for a “spokesperson,” or a famous person to advertise their new shoes. In their conversation, they use lots of expressions for making suggestions.
Listening Questions
1. What words does Sven use to introduce his suggestion of using a famous business executive?
2. What suggestion does Miguel introduce with the word “perhaps?”
3. How does Charles introduce his suggestion of choosing someone from a sport where it’s normal to be heavy?
Download: Podcast MP3
