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BEP 35c – Meetings: Clarifying What Was Meant

Business English, English for Meetings, ESL Podcast, Functions /

BEP 35c LESSON - English Meetings: Clarifying Meaning

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on clarifying in English meetings. Previously we looked at how to clarify what was said when you didn’t hear properly. Today we’re going to look at how to clarify what someone means in order to avoid misunderstandings.

Life would be simple if everyone said what they meant clearly and directly. But that’s not the way things work. People often speak indirectly or use words that are a bit confusing. For this reason, we often need to clarify what people mean.

There are several ways to do this. You can tell someone you don’t understand. Or you might confirm an idea or restate what someone says if you think you might understand. And it may take some time to work out the general meaning or the meaning of a specific word.

Today we’ll listen to a meeting between Michael, Rachel, and Ryan. Michael is leading the meeting and talking about the disappointing launch of a new product. During the conversation, it’s not always clear what people mean. For this reason, they use several different expressions for clarifying what was meant.

Listening Questions

1. What expression does Michael use about the “numbers” that Ryan tries to clarify?
2. What does Ryan ask about that Michael wants to clarify?
3. What word does Michael use that Rachel asks about near the end of the conversation?

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BEP 34c – Clarifying and Confirming What Was Said

Business English, ESL Podcast, Functions, Intermediate English /

Business English - BEP 34c - Clarifying What Was Said

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to clarify what was said during a conversation.

Communication is rarely easy. There’s so much that can go wrong in a conversation, especially on the phone. We might not hear someone well, we might hear them incorrectly, and we might not understand words or expressions in the same way. For that reason, we need to be able to clarify what was said.

There are a few basic ways to clarify that are extremely useful. We can use “WH” questions, like who, what, where, when, and why. We can ask people to repeat what they said and repeat things for people when they haven’t understood us. And we can use tag questions to confirm that we’ve heard correctly.

Today we’ll listen to a telephone conversation between three colleagues: Benny, Wim, and Andre. They are speaking on the phone for the first time in a while. During their conversation, they use several expressions to clarify what was said.

Listening Questions

1. What does the receptionist say that Benny doesn’t understand right away?
2. What question does Benny ask that Wim needs repeated?
3. What question does Benny restate about the river in Rotterdam?

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BEP 33c – English Presentations: Summarizing and Call to Action

Business English, ESL Podcast, Presentation in English /

BEP 33c - English for Presentations: Summarizing and Call to Action

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to finish a English presentation with a summary and a call to action.

An effective presentation in english is one that you remember. And an effective presenter is one who knows how to get information to stick and how to make a lasting impression on the audience. But for many people, that’s easier said than done. So how can you get your ideas to stick?

Well, there’s a simple structure that you can follow. That structure involves signaling that you’re going to end your presentation. Next, you can provide a summary of what you’ve discussed. Then you can make a call to action. And finally, you can thank your audience and invite questions. With this structure, you can make a strong finish to your presentation and a lasting impression.

Today we’ll listen to a presentation by Nick, a sales director for a steel company. Nick is giving a presentation about ideas for increasing sales, which have been rather disappointing. He uses several techniques to summarize and emphasize his key points. And he provides a strong finish to his presentation.

Listening Questions

1. What does Nick say to introduce the final summary of his main ideas?
2. What does Nick tell people he wants them to do near the end of the presentation?
3. What does Nick do to end his presentation?

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BEP 31c – English for Meetings: Responding to Suggestions

Business English, English for Meetings, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English /

BEP 31 LESSON - English for Meetings: Responding to Suggestions

Welcome back to Business English Pod. Today’s lesson is the second in a series about handling suggestions in English meetings. Last time we looked at how to make suggestions. And this time we’re going to look at how to respond to suggestions.

Business is a team sport. And behind every successful team is a healthy internal dialog and debate. If you want to succeed in business and be a good team player, you need opinions and the skills to express them effectively. But that doesn’t only mean making your own suggestions. It also means responding to other people’s suggestions.

So in this lesson, we’ll learn different ways of responding to suggestions. That includes responding positively, by accepting or praising the idea. It also includes rejecting ideas or casting doubt on them.

In today’s dialog, we’ll listen to a marketing team meeting at a sports shoe company. The four colleagues are talking about a new ad campaign. They are making suggestions for a “spokesperson,” or recognizable figure to promote their shoes. During the discussion they use a variety of techniques and language to respond to suggestions.

Listening Questions

1. What does Miguel think of Sven’s idea to hire an overweight business executive as a spokesperson?
2. How does Karen react to Miguel’s suggestion of hiring a famous sports star?
3. What is the group’s response to Karen’s final suggestion of hiring a golfer?

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BEP 394 – English Idioms about Body Parts (2)

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

BEP 394 - English Idioms about Body Parts (2)

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on business English idioms based on the human body.

In your time studying English have you ever heard the expression “to learn something by heart?” Maybe you had to learn an English song by heart. Or maybe it was verb conjugations, or a list of vocabulary that your teacher made you learn “by heart.” And maybe you know that learning something by heart means memorizing it, which is kind of strange when you consider our memory is in our brain, not our heart!

But “to learn by heart” is an idiom. And English has thousands and thousands of idioms. It’s one thing that makes English really hard to learn. But you’ll find that English idioms tend to rely on certain themes or metaphors, like body parts. And today we’ll look at some idioms that refer to brains, ears, hearts, hands, lips, fingers, and even heels.

In this lesson, we’ll rejoin a conversation between Maria and Trevor. They are friends and former colleagues who are meeting for coffee to chat about their work situations. In their conversation they use many different idioms related to human body parts. See if you can spot some of these idioms as you listen, and I’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. How does Maria describe her CEO?
2. What does Trevor say when Maria tells him she has a secret?
3. What has Maria seen happen to other companies that makes her afraid of starting her own?

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