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BEP 276 – English Presentation Skills 3: Wrapping Up

Advanced, Business English, Presentations in English /

BEP 276 - English Presentation Skills 3

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on wrapping up a presentation in English.

Some people say that the start of a presentation is the most important part. That’s where you grab people’s attention and give them a reason to listen. But the end of your presentation is just as important. If you do a great job of engaging your audience but then have a weak finish, they’ll walk away with a bad last impression. And you want to avoid that at all costs.

So what exactly is involved in a good conclusion to a presentation? What do you need to do to make sure people walk away feeling that they learned something, they want to buy something, or they agree with you?

Today, we’ll learn some great ways to do just that. We’ll look at a variety of English presentation techniques such as summarizing key ideas, closing inspirationally, and opening up for questions. We’ll also learn how to connect your ideas with the big picture and wrap up at the end of the presentation.

In this lesson, we’ll hear how two different speakers finish their presentations. The first speaker is Nick, a recruiter for a medical supplies company. He’s been trying to convince potential recruits that his company is great to work for. In the second dialog we’ll hear Diane, who’s finishing up a report about her company’s third quarter financial statements.

Listening Questions

1. In his summary, Nick mentions several topics that he covered. What are they?
2. To inspire his listeners, what does Nick ask them to think about?
3. What does Diane say is the company’s larger vision?

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BEP 275 – English Presentation Skills 2: Engaging your Audience

Advanced, Business English, Presentations in English /

BEP 275 - English Presentation Skills 2

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on delivering an engaging and organized presentation.

Getting up in front of a room full of people to give a presentation in English can be a difficult task. Whether you’re reporting information or trying to convince people to buy something, you need to catch their attention. Then you need to keep it. And at the end of it all, you want them to walk away feeling like they learned something, or they agree with you, or they want to buy what you’re trying to sell them.

Sure, it might seem difficult, but there are skills you can learn to make it much easier. Several techniques in both presentation and delivery can help ensure an engaging English presentation that will wow your listeners.

In today’s lesson, we’ll take a closer look at some of these techniques, including asking people to imagine a situation in order to persuade them, and focusing on the “why” behind your ideas rather than the “what.” We’ll also learn how you can use a single thread throughout your presentation and how you can transition between ideas. And finally we’ll cover how to check in with your listeners and add emphasis.

Today we’ll hear two short dialogs from different presentations. In the first, we’ll rejoin a recruiter called Nick who is presenting to some potential recruits for a medical supplies company. In the second, we’ll hear finance manager Diane continue with a report about her company’s quarterly financial results.

Listening Questions

1. What does Nick ask his listeners to imagine?
2. What is the key idea that Nick keeps coming back to?
3. After talking about fuel savings, what does Diane do before moving on to her next idea?

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BEP 274 – English Presentation Skills 1: Getting Started

Advanced, Business English, Popular Lessons, Presentations in English /

BEP 274 - Business English Presentation Skills 1

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on getting your English presentation off to a good start.

We all know a skilled presenter when we see one. It’s a person who catches our interest right away and connects with the audience. He gives us the information we need without droning on and putting us to sleep. He’s clear about his purpose, he’s organized, and he answers our questions.

But most skilled presenters weren’t born with those skills. They learned to be good presenters. And you can learn the same skills in order to inform, persuade, or motivate any audience. In today’s English presentation lesson, we’ll take a closer look at some great techniques you can use at the start of a presentation. We’ll learn how to get started, build rapport with the audience, and introduce a single key idea that can run throughout your presentation. We’ll also cover how to state your purpose and headline your key ideas.

Of course, your approach to a presentation might be different depending on your audience. So today we will hear two short dialogs from the start of two different presentations in English. In the first, we’ll hear a recruiter named Nick, who works for a medical supplies company. He’s giving a presentation to a group of potential recruits at a university. In the second dialog, we’ll hear a finance manager named Diane giving an internal presentation about her company’s third quarter financial statements.

Listening Questions

1. What question does Nick ask his audience at the start of his presentation?
2. What is the key idea that Nick says his company is all about?
3. What does Diane say is the purpose of her presentation?

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BEP 268 – Strategic Negotiations 5: Recovering from Setbacks

Advanced, Business English, Negotiating /

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to overcome a setback during a strategic negotiation.

In a negotiation, things don’t always work out the way we hope. Sometimes we face obstacles that just can’t be overcome. In this situation, you’re faced with a choice – do you walk away, or do you think outside the box and try to save the relationship? After all in a strategic negotiation, it’s the relationship you build between the parties that is really important.

In this back and forth of overcoming obstacles, there are several techniques you can use. We’ll learn how to present a problem and how to introduce a different opportunity. We’ll also look at giving evidence for a proposition and narrowing the focus of the proposition. And finally we’ll cover how to request more time to think about things.

In the dialog, we will hear Mike, who works for an auto parts company called Sigma. Mike is talking with Lisa, the lead negotiator for NVP, a Japanese distributor. Sigma and NVP were trying to negotiate a partnership to distribute Sigma’s products in east Asia. The key to that deal was Sigma getting out of an existing arrangement with a Chinese distributor called Wuhan Auto. Today we’ll hear Mike and Lisa try to overcome that obstacle.

Listening Questions

1. What new opportunity does Mike present to Lisa?
2. What evidence from the World Bank does Mike use to back up his idea?
3. Mike narrows the focus of his idea. What product market does he propose partnering in?

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BEP 205 – English Job Interviews: Switching Careers (2)

Advanced, Business English, Job Interview English, Management English /

BEP 205 - English job interview

This is the second of a two-part Business English Pod lesson on job interviews for when you’re changing jobs or switching careers.

You can’t do the same thing for your entire life. That’s why you’ve chosen to make a change, to take your skills and experience and apply them to something new. But this comes with a challenge. How can you convince an interviewer that you’ve got what it takes to make the switch?

This is especially true for those of us who are more “mature.” There’s an old saying: “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Well, your task in the interview is to show why this saying is wrong. And you need to demonstrate why an “old dog” brings a lot more to the table than a younger dog.

In today’s lesson, we’ll rejoin Patrick, an accountant who’s interviewing for a position with an advisory firm. Frank and Nina are conducting the interview. We’ll hear Patrick demonstrate some key interview skills; he’s going to answer hypothetical questions, highlight transferable skills, and demonstrate research. He’s also going to make polite suggestions and ask good questions.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Patrick talk about his work developing junior accountants?
2. What is Patrick’s suggestion about training and development?
3. What does Patrick want to know about the position?

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