Welcome back to the Skills 360 for today’s lesson on how to sound credible, or believable.
It’s election year in the USA, and you’ve probably been hearing some pretty big talk from the candidates. One of the most glaring problems with so much of these candidates’ statements is that of credibility.
Sounding credible means that people can trust you, and trust what you say. And not just because you tell them to. Sounding credible also means people will respect you and believe you have the competence to get the job done. So, how do you make people believe that? What exactly should you say to sound credible?
Welcome back to the Skills 360 for today’s lesson on more great tips for improving your business English skills.
You’ve probably heard that one of the traits of a great business leader is the ability to communicate. So, what does it mean to be a good communicator? What does a good communicator actually do? Well, there are a few things that every good communicator does. In our last lesson I covered a few of these special techniques, and today I want to add to that list.
Welcome back to the Skills 360 for today’s lesson on some quick and easy hacks you can use to improve your business English.
Business is all about relationships, and relationships are founded on good communication. And while English may seem like a difficult language, being a great communicator and connecting with people isn’t rocket science. You can learn just a few techniques that will take your business English skills to the next level. And I’m not talking about learning a thousand new words or some obscure rules of grammar. The tips I want to give you are fully within your grasp right now.
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on running an effective brainstorming session.
The basic idea of brainstorming is quite simple: you have a problem to solve and you bring together a group of people to generate ideas. You don’t evaluate those ideas immediately, you just want to generate as many ideas as possible. And with the right focus, a good facilitator, and respect for the process, brainstorming can bring out some great ideas.
Today we’ll look at some useful language and techniques for group brainstorming sessions. For facilitators, we’ll look at encouraging more ideas and resisting evaluation. For participants, we’ll cover qualifying your own ideas, introducing an unusual idea, and praising other people’s suggestions.
In the dialog, we’ll rejoin Sally, Melissa, Noah, and Eric, who work for a coffee shop faced with increasing competition. The group is trying to come up with ways of attracting more customers to the shop. Sally is the store manager, and she’s facilitating the session.
Listening Questions
1. Melissa introduces an idea that she says might be “a small thing.” What is it?
2. Noah questions Eric’s suggestion about being more creative with product names. How does Sally deal with Noah’s reaction?
3. How does Noah respond to Melissa’s idea about a delivery service?
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on running a brainstorming meeting.
Brainstorming sessions can be a great way to generate new ideas, whether you’re naming a new product, thinking of ways to cut costs, or figuring out ways of solving tricky business problems. But running – and participating in – a brainstorming session can be a challenge. Groups need to feel comfortable and open, but still maintain focus. And everyone involved needs be diplomatic about how they suggest and respond to ideas.
Fortunately, there are techniques and language that you can use to make brainstorming more effective. Today we’ll look at some of this language. We’ll cover language the facilitator can use to invite new ideas, ask for clarification, and qualify ideas. And we’ll also look at useful techniques for participating, such as building on someone else’s idea and introducing new ones.
In the dialog, we’ll hear several people who work at a coffee shop in a busy commercial area. The shop is facing increased competition and they want to brainstorm ways of attracting new customers and keeping their current customers coming back. The brainstorming session is being led by Sally, who’s the manager of the shop. We’ll also hear Melissa, Noah, and Eric, who are employees.
Listening Questions
1. Noah mentions an loyalty program. Melissa uses this idea to introduce another one. What is it?
2. What new idea does Eric introduce that relates to “relationships and such?”
3. How does Sally respond to Eric’s new idea?
