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BEP 20c – Presenting a Cohesive Argument

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s business English lesson on presenting a cohesive argument.

You may have lots of great ideas. But those ideas aren’t worth much if you can’t convince other people that they’re great. And that takes more than just excitement and energy. To convince others, you need to present a cohesive argument.

So what is a cohesive argument? Well, it’s a series of logical reasons to support an idea. A cohesive argument helps you convince others of your position by providing a set of supporting points presented in a logical manner. If you do not provide a cohesive argument, then you’ll have trouble getting other people to support you.

A good argument might start by showing research and giving some context for the issue. Then you can talk about precedents for your idea, which means other times that it has been done successfully. It’s also good to think about what people might be concerned about, and address that before they even have a chance to bring it up. And finally, you can tell people why your idea is necessary. With a cohesive argument like this, you’re sure to have more support for your idea.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear Jack, who’s presenting a proposal to move his company’s production to Costa Rica. In our last lesson, we heard Jack and several others discussing the idea. Jack’s argument was a bit disorganized and drew criticism from the others. He didn’t manage to convince them that moving production overseas was a good idea. In this meeting, the team has to make a decision on the issue. So Jack really needs to present a good argument.

Listening Questions

1. What has Jack done in preparation for the meeting?
2. Why does Jack mention the company Intel?
3. Jack talks about one thing that other people might be concerned, or worried about. What is it?

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BEP 19c – Arguing For or Against a Position

Business English, English for Meetings, Persuasion / September 3, 2016

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to argue for a position.

A position could be an opinion, an idea, or a plan. And whether you’re in a meeting, a one-on-one discussion, or a presentation, you’ll often find yourself arguing for your position, or against other people’s positions.

So how can you argue for or against a position effectively? Sure, you can just state what you think. But there are some more effective techniques you can use to support your position. For example, you can use language to make an idea stronger. Instead of just saying “this plan is disorganized,” you can say “this plan is totally disorganized.” That has a greater impact.

You can also work the other way around, and use softening and minimizing language. For example, instead of saying “we are happy with the new building but there are some problems,” you might say “overall we’re pretty happy with the new building, but there might be a few problems.” And if you want to criticize someone’s ideas, you need to introduce that carefully and balance the criticism with praise. All these techniques will help you present your position.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear Jack, who’s trying to argue for the idea of moving his company’s production overseas, to Costa Rica. However, Angie, Dan, and Jim are not convinced that Jack’s plan is a good idea. As they argue for their positions, we’ll cover some useful techniques on both sides of the discussion.

Listening Questions

1. How does Angie introduce her first criticism of Jack’s ideas?
2. What does Jack say about the risks involved in his plan?
3. What positive thing does Angie say about Jack later in the dialog?

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Business English News 37 – Brexit

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, English Collocations / August 27, 2016

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that the people of the UK woke up on June 24 to learn that they had voted in favour of leaving the European Union, otherwise know as Brexit. After an emotional campaign, 33.5 million votes were cast in the referendum with 17.4 million voting for Leave, and 16.1 million for Remain. Months of warnings from both camps focused on both the political and economic ramifications and rewards.

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925 English – Lesson 4: Talking about your Job in English

925 English, A2, Business English, English Video, ESL Podcast, Popular Lessons / August 14, 2016

In today’s 925 English lesson, we’re going to learn how to talk about your job.

There are lots of situations where you meet someone new and you want to tell them about your job. Maybe they ask you about it, or you just want to introduce yourself. So how do you do that? Do you just say “I am a salesman” and that’s it? No, you need to say a bit more than that.

925 English is a new business English podcast for beginners. 925 English lessons focus on chunks of language and 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.

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New Business English Pod Mobile App

Announcements, Business English, Mobile Learning / August 7, 2016

The all new Business English App is now available in the Apple App Store. We’ve completely redesigned and rebuilt the app and added a login for BEP premium members to access to all the lesson.

Android Version

We have also started work on an Android version of the app which will include the same features as the iOS app (including the member login). The developer has committed to finishing the Android version by early September and I feel fairly confident that they will be able to deliver.