BEP 266 – Presenting Numbers in English (Part 1)

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on presenting numbers in English.

In business, numbers are everywhere. Whether you work in sales, marketing, finance, or management, you deal with them all the time. You’ve got data, metrics, projections, and results, all expressed in numbers. We read about numbers, we discuss numbers, and we often have to stand up in front of our colleagues, our clients, or our bosses and present numbers.

Giving a presentation in English about anything can be challenging. Giving a presentation about numbers and data can be especially difficult. You have to describe those numbers, to interpret them, and to connect them to ideas and decisions. In today’s lesson, we’ll begin looking at some techniques for this situation. We’ll learn how to approximate and how to describe change. We’ll also learn how to talk about increases and decreases, as well as how to compare and contrast numbers.

In the dialog, we will hear Toni, who works in marketing for a large grocery chain called Foresters. Toni is giving a presentation about the outcomes of a new promotional campaign targeting the young singles market. We’ll also hear Ellen and William, two executives with Foresters.

Listening Questions

1. What does Toni say has improved as a result of the company’s national campaign?
2. What decreased as a result of the national campaign?
3. What two things does Toni say increased at the test stores?

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Skills 360 – Teleconferences (Part 2)

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Skills 360 - English for Teleconference 1

Welcome back to the Skills 360 for today’s lesson on leading and managing a teleconference meeting.

Leading a meeting is rarely easy. You’ve got to manage time, an agenda, and – most importantly – a diverse group of people. Now, what about if the meeting happens by phone, with each person or small group calling in from a different location? Nobody can see each other, and there may be a variety of distractions that you, as the leader, can’t shut out simply by closing the door. Sure, teleconferencing is a marvel of modern technology, but it can be challenging.

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Skills 360 – Teleconferences (Part 1)

*** Get all the Skills 360 lessons in our free Business English App for iPhone & iPad:
Download from the App Store

Skills 360 - English for Teleconferences 2

Welcome back to the Skills 360 for today’s lesson on how to participate in a teleconference.

With modern technology, you don’t have to be in the same room to have a meeting with other people. Teleconferencing tools allow us to connect by phone, VOIP, or video from across the country, or around the world. You can even join a meeting from home, your car or on plane at 30,000 feet in the air. Sure, it’s amazing, but teleconferencing brings special challenges, and we have to be mindful of things that real-life meetings don’t require.

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BEP 265 – Idioms for Beginnings and Endings (2)

In this Business English Pod lesson we continue our look at English idioms related to beginnings and endings.

A new year, a new job, a new office, a new project, a new team – all these new things mean exciting beginnings. And beginning something new usually means finishing something else. Every day at work, at home, and at the coffee shop we talk about these changes.

In English, we have lots of useful idioms for talking about the beginnings and endings that make up the changes in work and life. Today, we’ll look at some of these expressions and talk about how to use them.

In the dialog, we will rejoin Henry and Darren, two old colleagues who are sitting down for coffee and talking about life and work. In our last lesson, they focused on family. In today’s dialog, we’ll hear about their work and careers, and they’ll use lots of great idioms about beginnings and endings.

Listening Questions

1. What big career decision has Henry made?
2. Why did Darren leave his former job?
3. What did Darren decide to do after leaving his job?

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