Business English Pod / Intermediate English / Page 13

BEP 66 – Working with Colleagues and Making Requests

Business English, ESL Podcast, Functions, Intermediate English, Travel /

What do you do if you don’t have office space for all your employees or many of them usually spend most of their time traveling or working offsite? In the 90s, some clever manager came up with a solution – hot desking – and the rest is history. Hot desking refers to using temporary work areas that are set up for any staff who needs them.

With the invention of laptop computers and the Internet, we can pretty much work anywhere. Now, in many companies around the world from hi-tech software firms to management consultancies and even increasingly in more traditional industries such as banking and engineering, a certain number of work areas are made into “hot desks.” As long as they are empty, any one can work there. Sit down, plug in your computer, and you are ready to go! In companies where a lot of people are traveling, this is a great way to save money because it reduces unused space to a minimum.

In this Business English Podcast lesson, we’ll be continuing our series on business travel. We’re following Honesto, an Ambient Telecommunications employee from Manila, on a training trip to head office in Michigan, USA. The main language focus of the lesson is on making polite requests. Along the way, we’ll also look at some different ways to express likes and dislikes. Honesto has found himself an unused desk and is working along when all of the sudden he gets a new neighbor, Megan.

Listening Questions

1) What kind of expressions do Honesto and Megan use to make polite requests?
2) What type of training is Honesto taking part in?
3) Where is Megan from?

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BEP 56 – Business Travel 2: Customs and Immigration

A2, Business English, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English, Travel /

Continuing our series on ESL for business travel, we rejoin Alan and Honesto on their business trip to the USA. In BEP 55 – Airport Departures and Take Off, Alan, the main character in our story, and Honesto, his colleague, have left Hong Kong for San Francisco. There they will go through immigration, collect their bags, and change planes to Michigan, which is where their company, Ambient, is headquartered.

Immigration is the process you follow to enter a foreign country. So in today’s ESL lesson, you’ll learn helpful travel vocabulary and phrases you can use when you enter the U.S. or other countries.

Listening Questions

1) What is an I-94 form?
2) How much money can you bring into the U.S.?
3) Where does Alan want to go sightseeing?
4) What does Alan mean by “just pulling your leg?”

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BEP 55 – Business Travel: Airport Departure and Take Off

A2, Business English, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English, Travel /

This Business English Podcast lesson is the first in a series of shows that will follow an employee of a manufacturing company on a training trip to the U.S. Over the series, we’ll practice many situations that will be useful for you on your business trips overseas, including going through immigration, renting a car, checking into a hotel, using wireless internet and so on.

The main character in our story is Alan Chen. He works for a major multinational electronics manufacturer, Ambient, which is headquartered in Michigan in the USA. Having recently received a promotion, Alan is going to America to learn 6 Sigma, which is a system for improving quality.

Today’s episode starts at the beginning of the business trip with “boarding the airplane.”

Listening Questions

1) What row are Alan and Honesto sitting in?
2) What should passengers turn off before the plane takes off?
3) What does Alan mean by “murder a scotch.”

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BEP 52 – Using Vague Language (Part 2)

Business English, ESL Podcast, Functions, Intermediate English /

This is the second in our two-part Business English Pod series on strategically using vague language. Last time we covered being vague to make a polite excuse or to avoid sounding arrogant. We saw how you can use vague language to create flexibility.

Today we’ll work on referring to vague numbers and learn language you can use when you don’t remember the name of someone or something. You’ll also practice some more strategic uses of vague language, such as avoiding socially inappropriate or impolite topics.

Listening Questions

1) Why doesn’t Mike want to come to the party if Tracy is there?
2) When should Mike show up at the party?

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BEP 51 – Using Vague Language (Part 1)

Business English, ESL Podcast, Functions, Intermediate English /

Today is the first in a two-part Business English Podcast lesson on using vague language. “Vague” means not clearly defined. For example, if you ask someone what time it is and they say “About 7 or so,” they are being vague. There are lots of reasons to be vague. Sometimes you need to be vague because you don’t know some information or because the information is not important. And sometimes vague language is just more polite.

In these two episodes, we’ll be looking at how to speak in a vague way, but different situations require different styles. You’ll have to use your knowledge of the culture, the people and the situation that you are dealing with to decide which style is most appropriate. Our goal is to give you the communication tools you need to succeed in different environments. In future episodes, we’ll also be looking at other styles of speaking.

You’ll be listening to Jen and Mike, two employees at Nexus communications. Jen is inviting Mike to a party.

Listening Questions

1) What do you think Jen means by “ulterior motive?”
2) Is Mike a computer expert?

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