In this Business English Podcast we take another look at the language used to suggest and discuss ideas in meetings and teleconferences. We’ll also provide further language for diplomatic disagreement and agreeing action points at the end of the meeting.
The teleconference is run by Jim as a type of meeting called a “Brainstorming” meeting, which is useful for gathering and openly discussing ideas as the format is more relaxed.
This business English news podcast examines the topic of offshoring jobs. ‘Offshoring’ means to move part of a company’s operations (usually supporting functions such as finance or HR) to another country – literally ‘off shore.’ Another commonly used term related to this topic is ‘outsourcing’ – this means to use a different company to handle some supporting tasks. The key difference is that outsourcing doesn’t necessarily mean the work is done in a different country.
The topic of offshoring, or outsourcing work overseas, is certainly a popular one these days, and many people in Western Europe and North America are quite concerned that this practice will lead to less job opportunities in their countries. However, our story details a report from a well know management consultancy that concludes these concerns may be exaggerated or ‘overblown’.
In this Business English Podcast we’re going to listen to a teleconference between the head office management of a US guitar manufacturer and the manager of their new Latin American plant.
Key language structures explained are: diplomatic language and using probing questions. We also introduce some useful English phrases for starting a teleconference meeting, interrupting and clarifying.
In the final episode of our three-part Business English Pod series on supporting your argument or position in meetings, we look at language used to make your statements more persuasive.
Jack is going to summarize his proposal for the move to Costa Rica and hopes to get a final recommendation on the outsourcing project to present to the Board. He must persuade the managers to proceed, and answer the objections raised at the last meeting.
Key language: Persuasive arguments and effective use of language to support your arguments.
This Business English news story looks at the changes in management style taking place around the world.