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BEP 164 – Football and Soccer Idioms (Part 2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, ESL Podcast /

This is the second in a two-part Business English Pod lesson on football and soccer idioms.

The World Cup kicks off in just a few days. That gives us some time to look at some more idioms related to football.

Since sports and business are so similar, it’s easy to see how there could be so many related idioms. Companies are like teams; employees are like players. Ideas are like balls that get kicked around. Success is like scoring a goal. And there’s always plenty of competition.

In the last lesson, Marilyn and Karl, two colleagues at a publishing firm, discussed Karl’s interest in a manager’s job at the firm’s Sydney branch. Karl isn’t completely sure it’s the right move for him and has asked for Marilyn’s feedback. Today, we’ll hear more of their conversation, as Karl explains his hesitation about applying.

Listening Questions

1. How does Karl’s wife feel about moving to Sydney?
2. Why does Karl feel like he’s cheating on his own company?
3. What advice does Marilyn give at the end of their conversation?

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BEP 163 – Football and Soccer Idioms (Part 1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, ESL Podcast /

This Business English Pod lesson is the first in a two-part series on idioms that come from football, or soccer.

It’s almost time for the World Cup! And as we wait for the games to kick off, here’s a question for you: Have you ever stopped to think about how many similarities there are between business and sports?

Groups of employees work together as teams. Teams, or companies, compete against each other, trying to win recognition, profits, or new clients. Given these similarities, it’s not surprising that language would be similar when we talk about business and sports. And a number of different sports have contributed idioms to the English language.

Today, our focus will be on football idioms. As you listen to the dialog, you might hear some phrases that are new to you. Remembering the relationship between business and sports may help you out. Of course, we’ll go over all of them in the debrief and you’ll have a chance to practice them, too.

We’ll be listening to Karl and Marilyn, two friends that work at a publishing firm. Karl is thinking about applying for a manager’s job at the company’s Sydney location. He’s not sure about it, though, so he asks Marilyn what she thinks.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Karl want to leave his current job?
2. What are two things Marilyn knows about the Sydney branch?
3. What has Karl heard about the Sydney branch?

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BEP 162 – Dealing with Customers on the Phone 2

Business English, Customer Service, Intermediate English, Telephone English /

This Business English Pod lesson is the second of a two-part series on telephone skills and dealing with customers on the phone.

When you’re helping a caller on the phone, unexpected things can happen. You might need to get some additional information from another source or have the caller to speak to someone else. Or, there may be some interference with the telephone connection that makes it hard to hear someone. It’s good to be prepared so that you can handle the call efficiently, without irritating the customer.

In this lesson, we’ll look at some of these unexpected situations. We’ll discuss ways to tell a caller what’s happening during the call and how to politely question and clarify if you don’t hear or understand something. We’ll cover language for signaling that a call is about to end, and how to politely finish the call.

In the last episode, we met Leroy and Paul. Leroy is a customer care agent for a credit card company. Paul is a customer whose card is about to expire. He hasn’t received a replacement card yet and Leroy is helping him.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Leroy need a minute to pull up Paul’s records?
2. What is Paul’s correct street address?
3. Why didn’t Paul receive his replacement card?

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BEP 161 – Dealing with Customers on the Phone 1

Business English, Customer Service, Intermediate English, Telephone English /

This is the first in a two-part Business English lesson on dealing with telephone inquiries.

It’s natural to feel a little nervous when answering questions on the phone, especially when you’re using a different language. You can’t see the other person, so you can’t interpret facial expressions and body language. You also need to listen more carefully, so you can help the caller quickly and efficiently.

Today, we’ll look at some common strategies that can make handling telephone inquiries a little easier. We’ll start with ways to answer the phone and identify yourself. We’ll also explain language you can use to verify a caller’s name, confirm something a caller says, and clarify the inquiry by restating it.

Now, let’s listen to a conversation between Leroy, a customer service rep at a credit card company, and Paul, a customer. Paul has some concerns about his account and Leroy is helping him.

Listening Questions

1. What is Paul’s main concern?
2. How is Paul’s last name spelled?
3. What are the last 3 digits, or numbers, of Paul’s bank ID number?

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BEP 160 – Talking about your Company

Business English, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English, Job Interview in English /

BEP 160 - Describing your Company

This is the second of a two-part Business English Pod series on talking about your job and company.

What can you say about your company? How would you describe it? There are a number of things to consider. There’s the company size, its employees, and its branches. But there’s also company history, culture, reputation, and future plans.

In today’s lesson, we’ll cover language for talking about your company. We’ll start with giving the basic facts and then move on to ways to describe company culture and structure, reputation, and the organization’s future plans and goals.

We’ll listen to Stella, an IT manager, and Ronda, a recruiter who is helping Stella find a new job. In the last episode, Stella told Ronda about her job and her concerns about the company’s old equipment and outdated technology. Today, she’ll tell Ronda more about the company itself.

Listening Questions

1. How many people work at Stella’s company?
2. What does Stella’s company sell?
3. What are two ways the company contributed to the local community?

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