In today’s Business English Pod lesson, we’ll look at clarifying what was meant, for example, “What do you mean by that?” or “What I’m trying to say is…” Clarifying the meaning is an important part of all communication because it helps us avoid misunderstanding.
This is the first in a two-part Business English Podcast series on clarifying. To clarify means to make clear.
Today we’ll look at phrases and skills for clarifying what was said. For example, “I didn’t quite catch that. Could you say that again?” This is useful when you don’t hear clearly or when someone speaks too fast. Then, in the second podcast (BEP 35), we’ll be looking at language for clarifying what was meant, for instance “What exactly do you mean by that?”
The listening today is from a shipping company. You’ll hear Wim Zeldenhuis and Andre De Vries in Rotterdam call their American colleague Benny McClenahan in Boston.
In today’s Business English Podcast lesson, we’ll be looking at closing down and summarizing your presentation in English.
As we mentioned a while back in BEP 101 (Click this link to listen to the podcast), a strong introduction is important to give your audience a reason for listening. Similarly, a strong conclusion is very important to leaving your audience with a great impression and giving them a clear message about what action to take.
So what structure should you use to close down an English presentation? We suggest this simple format:
1. Give your audience a clear signal that your are going to finish.
2. Briefly summarize the main points of your presentation.
3. State your recommendation or give your call to action – let your audience know what you want them to do.
4. Finish off by thanking your listeners and inviting questions or discussion.
In today’s listening we’ll be exploring this format. The listening takes place at Harper-Tolland, a major global producer of special purpose steel. Last year Harper-Tolland launched a new product line but the sales results in Europe have been quite disappointing. Nicholas Fischer, the new regional sales director for Harper-Tolland, has been hired to fix the problem. He is just finishing off a presentation in which he has been discussing his proposal.
This episode of Video Vocab by Business English Pod introduces 10 commonly used English words related to the economy:
Regulate, Currency, Interest Rate, Exchange Rate, Monetary Policy, Central Bank, Fluctuate, Speculate, Inflation & Basis Point.
Video Vocab is a regular videocast featuring useful Business English words and terms. You can use Video Vocab to expand your Business English vocabulary and practice your pronunciation. We have revised the format to include all the words in one video to make it easier to download and use, so let us know what you think.
In this Business English Podcast lesson we take another look at the language used to suggest and discuss ideas in meetings and teleconferences. We’ll also provide further language for diplomatic disagreement and agreeing action points at the end of the meeting.
The teleconference is run by Jim as a type of meeting called a “Brainstorming” meeting, which is useful for gathering and openly discussing ideas as the format is more relaxed.
