Business English Pod / Articles by: BEP / Page 2

Skills 360 – Problem-Solving 1: Developing the Right Skills

Business English, Business Skills 360, Management English /

Business English Skills 360 - Problem-Solving Skills 1

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast as we look at solving problems. In this lesson, we’ll focus on the skills you need to solve problems.

Problems are an unavoidable part of life and work, and in business, your ability to solve them is critical. Fortunately, problem-solving skills can be developed.

The first key skill is analytical thinking. Instead of trying to come up with any old solution, take time to thoroughly understand the problem. What caused it? Can it be broken down into parts? Analyzing a problem requires critical thinking, which helps you understand connections, prioritize, and identify patterns.

Next is creativity, which involves looking at the problem from different perspectives and asking open-ended questions. Creativity, paired with analytical skills, leads to innovative solutions, as it helps you break free from conventional thinking. However, trial and error is often part of the process, and that’s where resilience comes in. Resilience is the ability to stay focused and calm when problems get tough. It’s about persevering, even when your first idea doesn’t work.

Collaboration is another crucial skill, as problem-solving often involves working with others. Effective communication and emotional intelligence are vital in navigating complex group dynamics, especially when tensions are high. Finally, decisiveness is essential to avoid getting stuck in “analysis paralysis.” Making decisions, even with limited information, is crucial for moving forward.

Developing these skills – analysis, creativity, resilience, collaboration, and decisiveness – will significantly enhance your problem-solving abilities.

Members: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

Download: Podcast MP3

BEN 57 – Robots: Back to the Future

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, IT and Tech /

Business English News 57 - Robots and Tech

In this Business English News lesson on the resurgence of robots, we look at business English vocabulary related to robotics and technology.

While generative AI has been grabbing the headlines lately, the world of robotics has been developing at a rapid clip. The robot industry has been expanding exponentially, albeit mainly outside the spotlight of the mass media. And, as MSN explains, business is booming:

According to an announcement by the International Federation of Robotics, the stock of operational robots around the world has now reached 3.5 million units, and the value of installations has reached an estimated $16 billion. According to the Federation, robotics now plays a fundamental role in the changing demands of manufacturers around the world.

Of course, talk of robots will immediately call to mind automotive manufacturing, and car-makers were certainly one of the earliest adopters. But it’s not just the automotive industry anymore. Robots are being deployed on smaller scales, alongside humans, outside of assembly-line manufacturing. Robots have found applications throughout the economy, for companies big and small.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

BEP 409 – Quality Control 2: Customer Service

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Customer Service, English Collocations /

BEP 409 LESSON - Quality Control 2: Customer Service

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson, the second in a two-part series on quality control. In this lesson, we’ll focus on quality control for customer service.

For companies that sell products, quality control is critical. Not just for ensuring consistency, safety, and reliability, but for meeting customers’ expectations. When customers buy from your company, they’re thinking about more than just the product itself. They’re thinking about how well you serve them.

Customer service involves a huge range of activities. Pretty much any time a customer interacts with a person or a system in your company, it’s customer service. And you need to think about everything from how easy it is to use the website, to the tone your employees use on the phone.

When we talk about customer service, and the quality of customer service, there are many special expressions we use. Many of these are combinations of words that we call “collocations.” You might often learn individual vocabulary words, but we don’t always think, or speak, in individual words. We speak in chunks of language. These chunks are called collocations. In fact “customer service” itself is a collocation. Those two words go together to create a new idea.

In today’s dialog, we’ll continue a conversation between Emma and Paolo. Emma is a consultant that helps companies with quality control. And Paolo runs a company that makes and services solar panels. As they discuss the work that Emma will do for Paolo’s company, they use many English collocations. We’ll explain those collocations later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. What two goals does Paolo have regarding customer service quality?
2. What does Paolo’s company do after every install or service call?
3. What has Paolo’s company not done yet, in a documented way?

Premium Members: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | PhraseCast | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

BEP 408 – Quality Control 1: Manufacturing

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Collocations /

English Collocations for Quality Control and Manufacturing

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson, the first in a two-part series on quality control. In this lesson, we’ll focus on the manufacturing side of things.

Successful companies understand the importance of quality. At minimum, quality control is about meeting industry standards or regulations. Beyond that, quality is a huge factor in brand reputation and customer satisfaction. And a commitment to strong QC, or quality control, can also lead to significant cost savings.

Given these benefits, no wonder many companies have entire teams or positions dedicated to monitoring quality. And, just like any other area of expertise, quality control comes with its own special language. Much of this language appears in set expressions that we call “collocations.” In fact, I just used one when I mentioned “monitoring quality.” To monitor quality is a common collocation related to quality control.

Collocations are just natural combinations of words. Certain verbs and adjectives always go with certain nouns. And certain nouns often combine to create a special meaning. If you just learn new words individually, you might miss these natural combinations.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear a conversation between Paolo and Emma. Paolo works for a company that manufactures, sells, and services solar panels. Emma is a quality control consultant. Paolo’s company is looking to hire Emma to conduct a quality control audit, or a review of their systems. During their conversation, they use lots of English collocations, which we’ll explain later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. What does Paolo say they did after completing a safety audit?
2. What kind of testing will Emma’s work not include?
3. What is the purpose of “pulling samples” in quality control?

Premium Members: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | PhraseCast | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

Skills 360 – How to Overcome Cognitive Bias

Business English, Business Skills 360, Communication /

Skills 360 - Overcoming Cognitive Bias

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast as we continue learning about cognitive bias. In this lesson, we’ll look at how to deal with the biases that impact our decision-making.

Trusting your gut and making quick decisions might work in some cases. But if you think your decision-making ability is based on perfect reasoning and complete information, well you’re wrong. You’re only human after all. And your decision-making machinery is flawed. In our last lesson, we had a closer look at exactly the kinds of biases that lead to suboptimal decisions. So how can you overcome these biases?

It’s a question that every good manager should be asking themselves. And making better decisions while avoiding biases comes down to a few key things: awareness, curiosity, and evidence. Let’s start with awareness. Now, if you tuned in to our last lesson when we talked about different types of bias, then you’re already on the right track.

Members: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

Download: Podcast MP3