BEP 255 – English for Meetings: Decision-Making Meetings (2)

Business English Meetings - Making Decisions 3

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on decision-making meetings in English.

In business, groups need to be able to come together to make good decisions. And with the right group of people who have the right information and the opportunity to discuss it, there’s a good chance that a decision is going to lead to success. There’s a lot riding on every decision-making meeting, and when that decision is made, it’s important that the team move forward together.

Fortunately, there are skills and techniques that we can learn to make group decision-making work well. In today’s lesson, we’ll look at asking for dissenting opinions, agreeing with reservations, and asking for buy-in. We’ll also look at identifying action items and delegating responsibilities stemming from a decision.

In the dialog, we’ll rejoin a group of people at an engineering company that has been deciding on a new vendor for tech support. Scott has been leading the meeting, while Anne, David, and Kelly have all been contributing their opinions. The group is about to settle on their final choice.

Listening Questions

1. What does Kelly not like about Alamo?
2. What is one of the actions that Scott mentions must be taken after the meeting?
3. What does Scott ask Kelly to do following the meeting?

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BEP 254 – English for Meetings: Decision-Making Meetings (2)

Business English Meetings - Making Decisions 2

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on decision-making meetings in English.

Making a group of people agree on an important business decision can seem like a difficult task. And it is. People come to the table with different values, visions, opinions, experiences, and priorities. But these differences also make decisions stronger. If we can get groups to agree, to reach consensus, then our decisions are, on the whole, wiser and better.

So how do we bring a group to consensus on a decision? There are a variety of techniques that we can use. In this lesson we’ll look at eliminating an option, highlighting a final choice, and testing for consensus. We’ll also cover expressing reservations and presenting an alternative.

In the dialog, we’ll rejoin Scott, Anne, David, and Kelly, who work at an engineering firm that needs to choose a new tech support company. With Scott leading the meeting, the group has been discussing four different options. In our last lesson, the group already eliminated one option, and at the beginning of this lesson, you’ll hear them eliminate one more, bringing the options down to two.

Listening Questions

1. What does Scott say the discussion has focused on?
2. Why does Kelly suggest they choose Brightstar?
3. What two advantages does David mention about Alamo?

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BEP 253 – English for Meetings: Decision-Making Meetings (1)

Business English Meetings - Making Decisions 1

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on decision-making in English meetings.

Success in business depends on making good decisions. But making good decisions is not just an individual skill. It’s a group skill. Several people come together to discuss an issue, explore options, and decide which path to follow. With good information, a good decision-making process, and good meeting skills, the participants should be able to make the best decision possible.

So what kind of skills might be useful in decision-making meetings? Today we’ll explore techniques such as framing a decision, inviting discussion, and referencing criteria. We’ll also cover raising concerns and requesting more information.

In the dialog, we’ll hear a group of people at an engineering firm trying to decide on a tech support company to hire. Scott, as senior partner, is leading the meeting, while Anne and David and Kelly are participating. The group discusses their options in order to figure out the best company to hire.

Listening Questions

1. What does Scott say is the basic question they have to answer?
2. What consideration does Kelly bring up in the discussion?
3. What piece of information about City Tech does David want to know?

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Business English News 28 – Eurozone Recovery

Eurozone-Flag

In today’s Business English News lesson, we look at the situation in Europe as the Eurozone begins to recover. Since emerging from its longest-ever recession last summer, the Eurozone recovery has been muted at best. While recent reports show some positive signs, the region still has a long way to go in addressing some of its imbalances.

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BEP 252 – English Idioms of Choice (Part 2)

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on idioms related to choices and their consequences.

Every day in work and business we are faced with tough choices. Do we choose vendor A or vendor B? Employee A or employee B? Location A or location B? Or maybe even location C? Making the right choice typically involves evaluating all the options and discussing them with others. So how do we discuss the choices we face? How do we talk about the options we’re presented with so that we can make the right choice? Well, luckily, English has lots of great idioms for these types of discussions. So whether you’re talking with colleagues, bosses, or friends, you can use the expressions we’ll learn in today’s lesson.

Today we will rejoin a conversation between three friends: Harry, Wendy, and Thomas. They’ve been discussing a difficult situation, and decision, that Harry faces. Harry hired a company to build out his new store, but the company hasn’t finished the job and now Harry is trying to figure out what to do. In their conversation, you’ll hear many idioms related to choices and their consequences.

Listening Questions

1. What did Harry’s partner want to do at first?
2. What does Thomas seem to think about Harry’s chances in court against the construction company?
3. After considering all the options, Wendy says Harry must decide between two things. What are they?

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