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BEP 160 – Talking about your Company

Business English, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English, Job Interview in English /

BEP 160 - Describing your Company

This is the second of a two-part Business English Pod series on talking about your job and company.

What can you say about your company? How would you describe it? There are a number of things to consider. There’s the company size, its employees, and its branches. But there’s also company history, culture, reputation, and future plans.

In today’s lesson, we’ll cover language for talking about your company. We’ll start with giving the basic facts and then move on to ways to describe company culture and structure, reputation, and the organization’s future plans and goals.

We’ll listen to Stella, an IT manager, and Ronda, a recruiter who is helping Stella find a new job. In the last episode, Stella told Ronda about her job and her concerns about the company’s old equipment and outdated technology. Today, she’ll tell Ronda more about the company itself.

Listening Questions

1. How many people work at Stella’s company?
2. What does Stella’s company sell?
3. What are two ways the company contributed to the local community?

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BEP 159 – Talking about your Job

Business English, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English, Job Interview in English /

BEP 159 - Describing your Job

This is the first in a two-part Business English lesson on talking about your job and company.

The way you talk about your job gives clues to what you’re like as an employee or colleague. So, it’s important to consider your audience. For example, if you’re talking to a recruiter or future employer, you want to be brief, but still provide enough details to give an accurate description and make a good impression.

In this lesson, we’ll talk about ways to explain the basic aspects of your job and give details about your duties. We’ll also cover ways to talk about any special projects you’ve worked on and how to discuss your job satisfaction.

We’ll be listening to Ronda, a recruiter, and Stella, an IT manager. Ronda is going to help Stella find a new IT position, but first she wants to get some more information about her current job. They are meeting over lunch at a restaurant.

Listening Questions

1. What is the name of Stella’s current employer?
2. What are two of Stella’s responsibilities?
3. Why does Stella feel like she can’t grow at her current job?

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BEP 158 – Dealing with an Angry Caller (Part 2)

Business English, Customer Service, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English, Telephone English /

This is the second of a two-part Business English Pod series on dealing with angry callers on the phone.

We hope that all of our customers are satisfied ones. Indeed, a basic goal in business is to keep customers happy and coming back. But we can’t please all of the people all of the time. Angry callers are often upset because they don’t understand why something happened or disagree with a policy. They might believe that a company has made a mistake. And to get the results they want, they might be rude, yell, or want to speak to someone in authority.

Handling these types of calls is easier when you can respond calmly and clearly. So today we’ll look at how to explain a problem and suggest a solution. We’ll cover ways to handle customers who yell, use crude language, or want to talk to a manager. Finally, we’ll discuss how handle things when your company has made a mistake.

In today’s lesson, we’ll hear more of a conversation between Diana, a Customer Care agent for a credit card company, and Jay Rothschild, an angry customer whose credit card was locked after he made a large purchase. Diana has already gotten Jay’s account information and is ready to start solving the problem.

Listening Questions

1. Why was Jay’s credit card locked?
2. Why does Jay want to speak to a manager?
3. How does Diana resolve the problem?

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BEP 157 – Dealing with an Angry Caller (Part 1)

Business English, Customer Service, Intermediate English, Telephone English /

This is the first of a two-part Business English Pod series on dealing with an angry caller on the phone.

We’ve all dealt with angry people before. But dealing with an angry person on the phone, in a business setting, can be tricky. Sometimes you don’t know the person, so his or her situation may be completely new to you. You can’t see the person, so you can’t read facial expressions or body language. Sometimes the person yells or talks so quickly that you can’t understand exactly what they mean. And sometimes they might be rude, which can make you angry yourself.

Successfully handling an angry caller is an important skill. Often, these callers are customers and you don’t want to lose their business. Satisfied customers will return and recommend your company to others. Angry customers will do the opposite.

So in today’s lesson, we’ll cover ways to calm down angry callers, using a calm tone of voice, and let them know you’re listening. We’ll also look at language for acknowledging an angry customer’s feelings and frustrations by showing empathy. Finally, we’ll talk about ways to clarify problems so you can solve them quickly.

Let’s hear how Diana, a Customer Care agent for a credit card company, handles Jay, an angry customer whose credit card has been locked, or disabled.

Listening Questions

1. What city is Jay visiting?
2. What did Jay buy his wife for her birthday?
3. When was Jay’s credit card locked?

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BEP 156 – English for Socializing: Networking (Part 2)

Business English, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English, Sales English, Socializing /

This is the second of a two-part Business English Pod lesson on business networking.

Networking is all about people and connections. You never know when someone you meet at a conference or trade show may be able to help your business in the future. Likewise, you may be able to help someone else out. So building and maintaining a network of business contacts is essential.

But once you meet a prospective contact, how do you maintain that connection? This is what we’ll focus on today. We’ll talk about ways to steer a conversation toward a lead. We’ll also cover ways to shoot for a meeting and be persistent. And we’ll look at the other side and discuss ways to politely leave a conversation.

Today’s lesson is mainly about sales, but these functions can be easily applied to other situations.

Last time, we met Ian, a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company, and Marissa, a pharmacy manager at Children’s Hospital. They met at a conference and Marissa mentioned her frustration with her current pharmaceutical supplier. Deliveries are often late and are sometimes packaged incorrectly. She’s concerned about getting supplies for her hospital’s vaccine clinics. And that’s where the conversation resumes today.

Listening Questions

1. What supplies does Marissa’s pharmacy need?
2. Why does Ian suggest grabbing a cup of coffee?
3. What is Marissa’s schedule like right now?

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