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BEP 65 ADV (Transcript & Exercises) – Questioning Techniques (Part 2)

This is the second in a two-part Business English Pod series on questioning techniques. Last time in BEP 64 we looked at making small talk and gathering information with open questions, getting specific information with probing questions and guiding the conversation by showing interest.

This time we’ll learn several more advanced questioning techniques, including direct questions, to get information from someone who is being uncommunicative, reflective questions, to guide the conversation, and hypothetical questions, to suggest possible action. Together these techniques form a series that can be used to drill down to the information you need.

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Study Notes
Phrases & Practice 		BEP 65 ADV Questioning 2 – Quiz

BEP 65 ADV Questioning 2 – Gap-fill

BEP 65 ADV Questioning 2 – Transcript & Vocabulary

BEP 65 ADV Questioning 2 – Language 1

BEP 65 ADV Questioning 2 – Language 2

BEP 65 ADV Questioning 2 – Vocabulary Flashcards


Listening Quiz: BEP 65 ADV – Advanced Questioning Techniques (Part 2)

1) LCD TVs produce a lot of heat. Why is this important to Brad’s sales pitch?

2) What are Andy’s main priorities in selecting conformal coatings to protect the circuit boards Stratos produces?

3) What are the main good points of the coating that Brad wishes to sell to Andy?

BEP 64 ADV (Transcript & Exercises) – Questioning Techniques (Part 1)

Questions are an important part of almost every conversation. So being able to ask good questions is critical to communication. How can we make our questioning more effective and efficient? In this two-part Business English Podcast series we’ll be looking at some answers.

The communication skills we’ll be learning can be used in any situation, but we’ll be focusing in on an area where questioning techniques are particularly important: needs analysis. This refers to analyzing the needs of a customer as part of the sales process. We’ll study a series of questioning techniques that can be used to “drill down to” – that is, get to or uncover – the information you want.

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Study Notes
Phrases & Practice 		BEP 64 ADV Questioning Techniques – Quiz

BEP 64 ADV Questioning Techniques – Gap-fill

BEP 64 ADV – Online Transcript & Vocabulary

BEP 64 ADV Questioning Techniques – Language 1

BEP 64 ADV Questioning Techniques – Language 2

BEP 64 ADV Questioning Techniques – Vocabulary


Listening Quiz: BEP 64 ADV – Advanced Questioning Techniques (Part 1)

1) What does Brad think of the Stratos’ facility?

2) How long has Stratos been located in its current location?

3) How long has Stratos been located in its current location?

BEP 63 PP – Indirect Persuasion in a Social Context

The persuasive process we learned in BEP 59, 60 & 62 is useful not just for formal business situations, but across all sorts of contexts that come up many times every day. You don’t always want to use the indirect approach to persuasion, but it’s often very useful.

Here’s an example of the persuasive process at work in an everyday situation: Julie is persuading her husband, Steve, to try a new vacation spot.

The podcast practice section and online exercises provide further opportunities to brush up your skills and language for the final step of the Monroe Sequence – Asking for Action.

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BEP 63 Study Notes 		BEP 63 PP – Persuasion 3 – Quiz

BEP 63 PP – Persuasion 3 – Gap-fill

BEP 63 PP – Persuasion Review – Language 1

BEP 63 PP – Persuasion Review – Language 2

BEP 63 PP – Persuasion Review – Language 3

BEP 63 PP – Persuasion Review – Vocabulary Flashcards

BEP 62 ADV (Transcript & Activities) – Persuasion 3

In the first two shows (BEP 59 & BEP 60) of this Business English Pod series on persuasion, we saw how getting your audience’s attention and demonstrating a clear need were essential to the persuasive process. We learned that in the indirect method of persuasion you should demonstrate the problem before you offer a solution.

After you have established the need, you then describe the future benefits if your proposal is accepted. This is the visualization step: Talk about how accepting your proposal will have positive future outcomes or maybe how not accepting it will have negative outcomes. Finally, you need to make a concrete, specific call to action – what the audience can do right now to implement your proposal.

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Study Notes
Phrases & Practice 		BEP 62 ADV – Persuasion 3 – Quiz

BEP 62 ADV – Persuasion 3 – Gap-fill

BEP 62 ADV – Persuasion 3 – Language 1

BEP 62 ADV – Persuasion 3 – Language 2

BEP 62 ADV – Persuasion 3 – Language 3

BEP 62 ADV – Persuasion 3 – Vocabulary Flashcards


Listening Quiz: BEP 62 ADV – Persuasion 3

1) How long will it take Swift to get back the investment in air conditioning?

2) How much extra profit can Swift make per year by adopting Nick’s proposal?

3) What specific action does Steve ask his manager’s to take?

BEP 61 PP (Transcript & Actvities): American Sports Idioms in a Business Meeting

This is the first in a series of Business English Practice Pods that review and extend the language that is covered in the regular podcast. Practice pod dialogs will revise key language but in different situations. Also, they give you more opportunities to practice what you’ve learned.

We’ll hear several phrases from Sports Idioms 1 & 2, plus a few new ones, being used in a new context – a business meeting.

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BEP 61 Study Notes 		BEP 61 PP – Sports Idioms in Business – Quiz

BEP 61 PP – Sports Idioms in Business – Gap-fill

BEP 61 PP – Sports Idioms in Business – Language 1

BEP 61 PP – Sports Idioms in Business – Language 2

BEP 61 PP – Sports Idioms in Business – Flashcards