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Skills 360 – Teleconferences (Part 2)

Business English, Business Skills 360, English for Meetings, Teleconference English / March 8, 2015

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Welcome back to the Skills 360 for today’s lesson on leading and managing a teleconference meeting.

Leading a meeting is rarely easy. You’ve got to manage time, an agenda, and – most importantly – a diverse group of people. Now, what about if the meeting happens by phone, with each person or small group calling in from a different location? Nobody can see each other, and there may be a variety of distractions that you, as the leader, can’t shut out simply by closing the door. Sure, teleconferencing is a marvel of modern technology, but it can be challenging.

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Skills 360 – Teleconferences (Part 1)

Business English, Business Skills 360, English for Meetings, Teleconference English / March 1, 2015

*** Get all the Skills 360 lessons in our free Business English App for iPhone & iPad:
Download from the App Store

Welcome back to the Skills 360 for today’s lesson on how to participate in a teleconference.

With modern technology, you don’t have to be in the same room to have a meeting with other people. Teleconferencing tools allow us to connect by phone, VOIP, or video from across the country, or around the world. You can even join a meeting from home, your car or on plane at 30,000 feet in the air. Sure, it’s amazing, but teleconferencing brings special challenges, and we have to be mindful of things that real-life meetings don’t require.

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BEP 265 – Idioms for Beginnings and Endings (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms / February 22, 2015

In this Business English Pod lesson we continue our look at English idioms related to beginnings and endings.

A new year, a new job, a new office, a new project, a new team – all these new things mean exciting beginnings. And beginning something new usually means finishing something else. Every day at work, at home, and at the coffee shop we talk about these changes.

In English, we have lots of useful idioms for talking about the beginnings and endings that make up the changes in work and life. Today, we’ll look at some of these expressions and talk about how to use them.

In the dialog, we will rejoin Henry and Darren, two old colleagues who are sitting down for coffee and talking about life and work. In our last lesson, they focused on family. In today’s dialog, we’ll hear about their work and careers, and they’ll use lots of great idioms about beginnings and endings.

Listening Questions

1. What big career decision has Henry made?
2. Why did Darren leave his former job?
3. What did Darren decide to do after leaving his job?

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BEP 264 – Idioms for Beginnings and Endings (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms / February 15, 2015

Welcome back to Business English Pod today’s lesson on English idioms related to beginnings and endings.

When someone asks you about your life or work, what do you talk about? Well, chances are that you talk about changes. You talk about the beginning of new things and the end of old things. That means a new job, a new project, or a new house. Or it means quitting your old job, finishing a big project, or selling the home you’ve lived in for 20 years.

Yes, these changes are what make life and work interesting. And in English we have lots of great idioms related to beginnings and endings. Some expressions are used for daily beginnings and endings, some for huge life changes. Today we’ll look at some of these idioms and how to use them.

You will hear a conversation between two friends, Henry and Darren, who used to work together. Now Darren is on a business trip to Henry’s city and has decided to pay Henry a visit. We’ll hear them talk about life and work, and you’ll hear many idioms related to beginnings and endings in their conversation.

Listening Questions

1. What bad news does Darren talk about?
2. What is Darren’s good news?
3. What does Darren think about Henry’s daughter’s current activities?

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VV 42 – Financial English Vocabulary: Corporate Taxes (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Video, Finance and Accounting / February 9, 2015

In this Business English vocabulary lesson, we’ll look at taxes, particularly corporate income tax. We will learn about audits done to ensure compliance with tax laws. And we will also explore exemptions and tax credits, as well as tax breaks and tax shelters. Ultimately, companies try to gain a higher tax rebate or pay less tax overall.

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VV 41 – Financial English Vocabulary: Corporate Taxes (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Video, Finance and Accounting / February 3, 2015

In this Video Vocab lesson, we look at financial English vocabulary for taxes, particularly corporate income tax, which US businesses pay to the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS. Companies must file a return with the IRS every fiscal year. On their returns, companies declare revenue and capital gains and pay a certain tax rate based on those earnings.

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BEP 26c – Travel English: Dealing with Problems

A2, Business English, Travel / January 25, 2015

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to deal with problems you might experience when traveling by air.

This Business English lesson is part of our new series of fresh takes on some of our older lessons. We’ve kept the same dialog but have new explanations and practice for our lower level learners.

When you are traveling for business, have you ever had problems that seem beyond your control? Like when you show up at the airport and your flight is cancelled. Or when your flight is late and you can’t get to your destination on time? These situations can be frustrating and difficult to deal with. But there are some language techniques that you can learn to help you solve your problems.

In this lesson, we’ll look at some of these techniques, such as getting someone’s attention, using negative questions for requests, and agreeing reluctantly. We’ll also cover making polite refusals, correcting yourself, and asking about payment. These are all things you might have to do or understand as you solve a travel problem.

In the dialog you’re going to hear a traveler called Robert. If you heard our last lesson, you might remember that Robert was traveling to Nice but stopping in Paris first. In this lesson, you’ll hear Robert in the Paris airport. He has missed his connecting flight to Nice and now he’s trying to find a way to get to his destination in time for a meeting the next day.

Listening Questions

1. When is the next available flight to Nice?
2. Why is the next available flight not acceptable to Robert?
3. What does Robert want instead of the next available flight to Nice?
4. What type of seat does the agent say is the only type available?

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BEP 25c – Travel English: Checking in for a Flight

A2, Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Travel / January 18, 2015

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on checking in for a flight at the airport.

This Business English lesson is part of our new series of fresh takes on some of our older lessons. We’ve kept the same dialog but have new explanations and practice for our lower level learners.

So, imagine you arrive at the airport on the day of your flight. You walk up to the ticket counter to “check in.” What do you say? Well, you need to start by telling the agent you want to check in and give some information about your flight, such as where you are going. You also need to check your “baggage,” or your bags, and perhaps make a polite request for the kind of seat you want.

In fact, it’s important to be polite throughout this conversation, and it’s this polite language and vocabulary that we’ll learn today. And you may find the expressions we learn quite useful in many different travel situations.

In the dialog you’re going to hear a traveler called Robert. Robert is talking to a ticket agent because he wants to check in for his flight. Listen carefully and you will hear Robert and the ticket agent talk about Robert’s destination, his bags, seat, and ticket.

Listening Questions

1. What is Robert’s final destination?
2. How many suitcases does Robert want to check?
3. After checking his bags, what does Robert ask the ticket agent?
4. Where does Robert want to sit on the airplane?

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Business English News 31 – Crowdfunding

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, Finance and Accounting / January 4, 2015

In today’s Business English News lesson, we look at new methods of raising capital for startups.

Crowdfunding, the idea of gathering lots of small contributions from individuals to finance a company or a project, is one of the latest buzzwords to hit the business world. Born as a result of the economic crisis where access to financing from traditional sources is increasingly difficult, crowdfunding is another avenue to secure funds for entrepreneurial ventures; as This is Money explains:

Until recently, financing a business involved asking a few people for big sums of money. Crowdfunding is turning this idea on its head, using the Internet to help entrepreneurs talk to thousands – if not millions – of potential funders who each contribute a small amount.

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BEP 263 – Socializing at an Office Party 2

Business English, Socializing / December 6, 2014

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on socializing at an office party.

Office parties can be fun, but have you ever stood there with a colleague and felt like you don’t know what to say? Maybe you’ve got a great working relationship, but outside the office it feels like a different game? In fact, good working relationships are supported by good personal relationships. The more we know our co-workers, the better our work can be. And the office party can be a great chance to get to know them better and build that relationship.

So, how do we do that? What are some techniques for socializing at office parties? In today’s lesson, we’ll look at paying, or giving, someone a compliment, declining a drink, and gossiping. We’ll also learn how to change the topic and introduce two people who haven’t met before.

In the dialog, we will hear Amber, who works for a pharmaceutical company. At a company Christmas party she runs into one of her colleagues Max. Max and Amber chat for a while before Finn, a new colleague of Amber’s, shows up on the scene.

Listening Questions

1. What compliment does Amber give to Max?
2. What reason does Amber give for not wanting a drink?
3. Max and Amber are talking about work colleagues when Amber changes the topic. What topic does she ask about?

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