Scrum involves working in sprints, or short cycles, to develop a product rapidly. Key roles in scrum include the scrum master along with the product owner, as well as product teams, which create the product by working through the sprint backlog.
In today’s 925 English lesson, we’re going to learn how to agree with ideas in English.
Every day, in life and work, we have to decide whether we agree or disagree with other people’s ideas. It might be in a serious discussion about who to hire or how to cut costs, or in a simple conversation about where to go for lunch. And when you hear an idea that you like, you want to show your support for it, right?
925 English is a new business English course for beginners. 925 English lessons focus on English phrases and expressions that you can use in work and business. Each 925 English lesson features English phrases you can use in different situations and advice on why and how we use them in Business English.
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on discussing strategic change.
The world of business and the economy are constantly changing. And businesses need to respond with their own changes, or risk getting left behind. But change can be difficult both for people and for organizations. As a leader of people in a changing organization, you might face resistance. So you need to be able to manage change well. And that often involves effective discussions with others in the company about strategic change.
Of course, change is easier when the general feeling in a company is positive. And that’s why you might need to gauge morale when you’re talking with others. That will help you figure out how to manage the change. But managing change doesn’t mean promising that it will be easy. Instead, you should carefully warn others about possible difficulties.
Another thing you should do is to be clear about messaging. Change is a lot easier if everyone has the same idea about what’s happening and why. It’s also a lot easier if you can show the benefits of the changes. And that’s why you should talk about change as an opportunity that can help the company, and its people. If you can successfully show people that change is an opportunity, then you should get a positive response when you ask people whether they’re committed to the changes at hand.
In today’s dialog, we’ll hear Cam and David, who work for an American clothing company called Boston Vintage. David is the manager of the company’s Shanghai office. Cam is a production manager who is visiting China to meet with the company’s staff and look at new production facilities. In an earlier conversation, Cam told David that the company has made the strategic decision to focus on Southeast Asia rather than China.
Listening Questions
1. How does Cam gauge morale, or ask about the overall feeling among staff?
2. What is the basic explanation for the change that Cam wants David to communicate?
3. According to Cam, why is this change an opportunity for David?
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on socializing in english with your boss.
If you’re like most people, you might find socializing with your boss a little uncomfortable. It’s not like socializing with your friends or colleagues, which is an opportunity to relax and have fun. With your boss, you might have to be a bit more careful, both with what you say and how you act.
But this doesn’t mean you can’t be yourself or engage your boss on a more personal level. In fact, socializing with your boss is a really great opportunity to get to know each other better. And that can only help your position and career.
One thing you might want to do if your boss is visiting from afar is to point out things that might be interesting, like places of interest or aspects of culture. That can help break the ice. And it’s a good idea not to talk about yourself too much. Show interest in your boss; you can even ask about his or her professional background.
When you do talk about yourself, you might want to bring up your own history if the conversation provides a natural opportunity. But don’t be boastful. Be sure to respond with modesty if your boss praises you. And if you’re lucky, and your boss seems interested, you might even have the chance to bring up some ideas for the company.
In today’s dialog, we’ll hear David and Lily, who work at the Shanghai office of an American clothing company called Boston Vintage. They’re hosting their boss Cam, who is a production planner with the company. He’s been visiting China to talk with his staff about company strategy and to investigate some potential production facilities.
Listening Questions
1. What place of interest does Lily point out to Cam?
2. How does David respond to Cam’s praise of his team’s work?
3. How does Lily introduce the fact that she has some ideas for improving the company?
In today’s 925 English lesson, we’re going to learn how to talk about your ideas in English.
You might be full of great ideas about your company, your products, or how to connect with your customers. But those ideas aren’t very useful if you can’t tell other people about them.
925 English is a new business English course for beginners. 925 English lessons focus on English expressions that you can use in work and business. Each 925 English lesson features English phrases you can use in different situations and advice on why and how we use them in Business English.
