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BEP 177 – English Presentations: Making an Impact (1)

Advanced, Business English, Persuasion, Presentation in English /

Presenting in English>

This is the first in a two-part Business English Pod series about adding impact to your business English presentations.

We’ve all sat through boring presentations before. And we’ve all worried during our own presentations that others might be feeling that way. So what can we do to prevent this?

A presentation needs impact. It needs to make the audience feel something, understand something, or believe something. And it needs to make them want to do something. Fortunately, there are some simple techniques and language that you can learn that will add impact to your presentations. And then people will look at you, and not out the window.

In this lesson, we’ll hear part of a presentation delivered by Ben. Ben is going to talk to his colleagues and managers about cloud computing. But first he is going to identify a problem and then show that there needs to be a solution to that problem. Only then can he help them understand what cloud computing is and what benefits it might bring to the company.

Listening Questions

1. What happened to Ben on Monday morning?
2. Where is Ben’s stuff stored?
3. What does Ben say about the number of documents in their department?

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Skills 360 – Tips for Successful Presentations 2

Advanced, Business English, Business Skills 360, Presentation in English /

Welcome back Business Skills 360 – the podcast that looks at the other side of Business English.

This is the second part of our series on effective English presentations. Last week, we talked about keeping it short, simple, engaging, and real. Much of that happens in the preparation. Today, we’re going to talk about what happens when you stand up in front of that audience and have to start speaking.

Your first goal should be to make a connection with each and every listener. That connection is the pathway along which your message travels. If you have a good connection, there’s a good chance your message will sink in. To make this connection, you have to do two things: you need to control the audience’s attention and you need to engage their minds. And to do these two things, you have three tools: your voice, your props such as PowerPoint – and your body or movement.

Discussion Questions

1. What is the most difficult part of speaking in front of a group of people?
2. What different types of visual aids are commonly used in presentations?
3. When you give a presentation, do you usually stand in one place or move around?

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Skills 360 – Tips for Successful Presentations 1

Business English, Business Skills 360, Presentation in English /

Welcome back Business Skills 360. We’re going to kick off the New Year with some tips for making your English presentations more effective and relevant.

A good presentation in English is one that connects to your audience with a clear, organized message that can be easily understood. So, what can we do to make an impact? How can we connect our message to the audience? What do we need to think about when preparing our presentation? And how do we work to our strengths and minimize the challenges of presenting in English? Tim’s got some ideas, so let’s hear what he has to say.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think PowerPoint is used effectively?
2. How long can you keep an audience focused during a presentation?
3. Think about the good presentations you’ve seen. What qualities did the speaker have?

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BEP 176 – English Idioms: Gambling Idioms (Part 2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, ESL Podcast /

Welcome back to Business English Pod for the second episode of our two-part series on English gambling idioms.

Any time we take a risk with money, we’re gambling. Whether it’s a card game, a horse race, or a game of dice, we bet money in the hopes of winning more. Business also involves taking risks with money, and for this reason gambling idioms have become very common in business. They are especially common in the world of investing. If you think about it, betting money on cards is a lot like making a high-risk investment.

For today’s lesson, we’ll continue our look at gambling idioms and explore how they are used in business discussions. As you listen to the dialog, you might hear some phrases that are new to you. Keep a note of these expressions and we’ll go over them in the debrief and explain what they mean and how they can be used.

In our last episode, we heard Kevin and Dan talking about investing their money. Kevin likes to invest in stocks, but Dan normally prefers safer methods. However, Kevin tells Dan that he has just found out about an investment opportunity that might be very profitable. Today, we’ll hear Kevin try to convince Dan to accept some risk and take the opportunity.

Listening Questions

1. Why is Kevin excited about the company called Golem Mining?
2. What does Kevin say about the amount Dan would have to invest?
3. What does Dan finally decide to do about the investment opportunity?

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BEP 175 – English Idioms: Gambling Idioms (Part 1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, ESL Podcast /

This is the first in a two-part Business English Pod series on idioms related to gambling.

As gambling involves money and risk, it’s not surprising that we use gambling idioms in business. The verb “gamble” itself is very common. We often talk about “gambling” money on an idea or “taking a gamble” to mean taking a risk. Another very common one is “bet,” both as a verb and a noun. When we gamble, we “bet” money in the hopes of winning and getting more money back. In a way, business is one big bet.

In English, gambling idioms come from a few common types of gambling. Card games, especially poker, and horse racing give us the most idiomatic expressions, but we also get some from games such as dice and marbles.

In this lesson, we’ll hear a conversation between Kevin and Dan, two colleagues who are talking about investing. Kevin actively invests in the stock market, while Dan is more cautious and usually avoids risk.

Listening Questions

1. Which person thinks that luck is important in investing?
2. What did Kevin do when the stock market crashed?
3. What does Kevin want to tell Dan about at the end of the conversation?

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Business English for Telephoning eBook

Announcements, Business English e-Books, Telephone English /

Business English for Telephoning eBook This is a preview of our new e-Book for working on the telephone in English:
Business English for Telephoning

Business English Pod e-Books enable you to learn on the go with MP3 audio lessons and the detailed PDF study guides, including a full transcript of each lesson. As with all our e-Books, Business English for Telephoning includes over 100 online quizzes, exercises and flashcards designed to help you practice and learn all the language covered in the course.

Click the launch button below to start the online quizzes for Unit 501 – Answering a Call

All BEP e-Books are free for Premium Members or you can purchase the e-book separately by clicking the button below:

BEP 69 B – Telephoning: Taking a Message

A2, Business English, Customer Service, Intermediate English, Telephone English /

Welcome back to Business English Pod. This is the second part of our look at answering the phone and taking a message. In this lesson, we’ll focus on taking a message.

Today’s lesson is also featured in our new eBook: Business English for Telephoning. This eBook covers essential language for many different types of business calls, including dealing with customers and complaints, making arrangements and checking on orders.

In our last lesson (BEP 69 A – Answering a Call), we looked at answering a call effectively. We heard an example of poor telephone skills and started in on a dialog that demonstrated good telephone skills. Today, we’re going to continue with that dialog and look at how to take a message. Have you ever missed a telephone message? Or have you received a message that didn’t contain the necessary information? If so, then you understand how important it is not just to take a message, but to do it right.

We’ll look at ways to ask someone to leave a message, information that should be included in a message, and how to offer help. You will also learn how to acknowledge, check back and confirm information that a caller gives you.

Now, let’s rejoin Mark, who works for a company called Trivesco. He is calling a shipping company, Daneline, hoping to speak with someone named Sylvie Petersen. Sylvie is not there, so Mark has to leave a message with Amy, the receptionist.

Listening Questions

1. How does the tone of Amy’s voice sound?
2. What information does Mark include in his message?
3. How does Amy make sure she has Mark’s phone number correct?

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BEP 69 A – Telephoning: Answering a Call

A2, Business English, Customer Service, Intermediate English, Telephone English /

In this Business English Pod episode, we’re going to take another look at one of our most popular and important podcasts. Today we’re talking about using the telephone in English. This is something we all do, but we don’t all do well.

Today’s lesson is also featured in our new eBook: Business English for Telephoning. This eBook covers essential language for many different types of business calls, including dealing with customers and complaints, making arrangements and checking on orders.

Talking on the telephone has become an extremely important part of business. You need to be able to answer a call professionally and create a good image of yourself and your company with only your voice. Having effective telephone skills leaves a good impression on your customers, clients, and colleagues. People are busy, so you want to be very clear, polite and organized.

In this lesson, we’ll begin by looking at a bad example of answering a call and taking message. We’ll discuss why it’s a bad example, and then we’ll go into a good example of answering a call. I’m sure you’ll see a clear difference.

For our bad example, we’ll listen as Justin, an employee with Trivesco, calls a shipping company called Daneline. Justin is hoping to speak with Sylvie Petersen, but it is a receptionist named Amy who answers the phone.

Listening Questions – Bad Example
1. How would you describe Amy’s attitude?
2. Does Justin seem prepared?

Listening Questions – Good Example
1. What information does Amy include in her first sentence?
2. How does Mark Rand introduce himself?

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BEP 174 – Meetings: Considering a Proposal 2

Business English, English for Meetings, Negotiating, Persuasion /

This is the second in a two-part Business English Pod series about an internal meeting to consider a proposal.

As we saw in the last episode, this type of meeting can be similar to a negotiation. People with different opinions sit around the table and try to convince each other that their idea is the best. So in this situation, you need to be very persuasive and provide good reasons for your recommendations.

In this lesson, we’ll look at how to express doubt, admit risk, confirm support, and speculate about possible future situations or scenarios. We’ll also cover language that you can use to highlight any concessions you might have won in a previous negotiation.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin Steve and his managers as they discuss a proposal for language training. Steve is recommending a blended training model that would combine classroom sessions with online training.

Listening Questions

1. Which advantage of online training does Steve focus on?
2. What is the main concern of the two female managers?
3. If the blended approach doesn’t work, what do they have the option of doing?

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BEP 173 – Meetings: Considering a Proposal 1

Business English, English for Meetings, Negotiating, Persuasion /

This is the first of a two-part Business English Pod series on an internal meeting to consider a proposal. This lesson follows on from our recent three-part series on meeting with an external vendor (BEP 170 – 172).

Meeting to discuss a proposal is like an internal negotiation. The people at the table may have different opinions about the best option or course of action. These people need to support their ideas with strong reasons and try to convince others of their position. In the end, only one option or proposal will be chosen, so it’s important to come prepared.

In this lesson, we’ll focus on defining options and outlining both advantages and disadvantages of a proposal. We’ll also see how we can show that we’ve fully examined a potential vendor’s background and how we can support our ideas with solid reasons.

In today’s dialog, we’ll listen to Steve meeting with his HR and Line managers. Steve has found an external vendor, called Lexis, to conduct language training. Steve is trying to convince the managers to choose the blended delivery model proposed by Lexis.

Listening Questions

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of online training?
2. How does the male manager seem to feel about online training?
3. What does Steve say about Lexis Training Solution’s reputation?

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