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BEP 315 – English for Discussing Marketing Activities (Part 1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Collocations, Marketing English / October 28, 2017

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on English collocations for discussing marketing activities.

Great marketing is at the heart of business success. This was just as true 100 years ago as it is today. Of course, the digital age has brought new methods of marketing, but the basic goals of marketing haven’t really changed. I mean, first of all, you want customers to know about your products and services. In the world of marketing, that’s what we call “brand recognition.” But it’s not just about recognition, it’s about making sales, and “capturing market share.”

As you heard, in describing the goals of marketing, I used two expressions that you might be familiar with: “brand recognition” and “to capture market share.” We call these kind of expressions collocations. A collocation is a natural combination of two or more words to talk about a single idea. You might think of collocations as chunks of language. And it’s usually easier, and more natural, to remember these chunks rather than learning individual words.

Every area of business has its own special expressions, or collocations. And learning these collocations will help you not only understand what others are saying, but communicate your own ideas more clearly. In this lesson we’re going to focus on collocations you can use to talk about marketing activities.

In today’s dialog, we’ll listen to a discussion by a marketing team at a home furnishings company. You’ll hear Nathan, who is leading the meeting, as well as Theo and Camille. They are discussing the company’s market research, their goals, and how to measure progress toward those goals. Try to pick out the collocations they use, and we’ll talk about them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. What does Theo say the process of market research has helped them do?
2. What does Camille say the data from research has helped them do?
3. Near the end of the dialog, what does Nathan say they’ve talked about doing?

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Skills 360 – Making your Speech more Powerful with Metaphors (2)

Business English, Business Skills 360, Communication / October 21, 2017

Welcome back to the Skills 360 for today’s lesson on using metaphors in English.

If you tuned in last time, you’ll remember that a metaphor is when you compare something you’re talking about to another idea. A classic example of a metaphor is “time is money.” But, if you really want to use metaphors to take your English to the next level, you’ll need to learn to think outside the box.

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Skills 360 – Making your Speech more Powerful with Metaphors (1)

Business English, Business Skills 360, Communication / October 15, 2017

Welcome back to the Skills 360 for today’s lesson on using metaphors to make your speech more powerful.

Have you ever heard of Alfred Sloan? He was the head of General Motors during the Great Depression. He once gave a speech where he talked about GM at the time as a “great ship in a fierce storm.” From that description, you get a sense of danger, of a big boat getting tossed around in the unpredictable ocean waves. And you can imagine that everyone on that ship has to work hard to get through the storm which, like all storms, would one day end.

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BEP 314 – Project Management 5: Scrum Stand-up Meetings (2)

Business English, English for Meetings, Project Management / October 7, 2017

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on participating in a scrum stand-up meeting.

Most people I know would agree that the best meetings are those that are short and focused. And that’s exactly how a daily scrum meeting is designed. Scrum is an approach to project management, especially in software development. Every day the scrum team has a short meeting where everyone gives an update.

In a good scrum meeting, those updates should only take 15 minutes. The scrum master keeps everyone focused. That may mean he or she sidebars any discussion that doesn’t relate to the three questions everyone should answer. And what are those three questions that you should answer in a scrum stand-up meeting?

Firstly, you should report what you have been working on. That normally means telling everyone what you accomplished the day before. Next, you’ll let everyone know what you’re going to work on next, or on the day of the meeting. Already you can notice that the meeting focuses on a limited time period.

The third question you’ll answer is whether you face any impediments. An impediment is an obstacle or challenge. Removing those impediments is the job of the scrum master, but your fellow team members may also be able to help. For that reason, you might ask for assistance during the meeting. When everyone’s finished their updates, the scrum master will close the meeting. But not before outlining sidebar topics for discussion after the meeting.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin a scrum meeting at a software company. The team is working on a new piece of software for a logistics company. We’ll hear Jill, the scrum master, and Katherine, who’s giving her daily updates. We’ll also hear from Sam, who you might have heard give his own updates in our last lesson.

Listening Questions

1. What does Katherine say she will be working on today?
2. What is the first impediment Katherine reports?
3. What does Katherine want help with?

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BEP 313 – Project Management 4: Scrum Stand-up Meetings (1)

Business English, English for Meetings, Project Management / September 30, 2017

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on conducting a scrum stand-up meeting in English.

Not everyone likes meetings, and for good reason. Many meetings are poorly organized and poorly run. But meetings are a necessary part of work and business, especially in project management. For this reason, it’s important that we find ways to have good meetings.

If you’ve worked in software development, especially agile environments, you’ll know about one excellent kind of meeting called a scrum or stand-up meeting. Scrum is an approach to software development that uses cross-functional teams. Each day, the team has a short stand-up meeting where people update others on progress, plans, and challenges.

Whether or not you work in software development, leading a scrum style meeting is a useful experience. You’ll have to do many things that apply to all good meetings. For example, you’ll need to open the meeting and ask for updates. You may also find the chance to suggest collaboration between team members. And the person running the meeting is also responsible for putting aside, or sidebarring, issues that can be discussed after the meeting. These are all techniques that can help you in any kind of meeting, whether you work with scrum or not.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear Jill, a project manager and scrum master, leading a daily scrum meeting. We’ll also hear two team members, Katherine and Sam. Sam will be first to provide his updates. And, as you’ll hear, Jill will help keep the team focused.

Listening Questions

1. When she opens the meeting, what does Jill suggest they do to stay focused?
2. When Sam says what he is going to do today, what does Jill suggest?
3. What issue does Jill want to “sidebar,” or leave for after the meeting?

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925 English Lesson 15 – How to Talk about your Family

925 English, A2, Business English, English Video, Socializing / September 24, 2017

In today’s 925 English lesson, we’re going to learn how to talk about your family in English.

In business, and in life, everything is about relationships. And to build relationships, we often talk about our background and our personal life. Of course, you can’t get too personal, but family is a topic that everyone loves to discuss. For most people, family is the reason they work so hard in the first place!

925 English is a new series of English lessons for beginners. 925 English lessons focus on English expressions that you can use in work and business. Each 925 English lesson features English phrases and expressions you can use in different situations and tips on why and how we use them in Business English.

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VV 54 – Technical English: Artificial Intelligence

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Video, IT and Tech / September 19, 2017

In this lesson, we’ll look at business English vocabulary related to artificial intelligence or AI.

AI includes machine learning, which may rely on neural nets for deep learning and use complex algorithms. AI also includes autonomous applications and machines such as bots, which use natural language processing for interaction.

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BEP 312 – Business by Phone 2: Discussing Staffing Issues

Business English, Human Resources, Telephone English / September 9, 2017

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson about discussing staffing issues over the phone.

One of a company’s most valuable assets is its staff. A good staff can mean the difference between success and failure. But even with an excellent staff, every manager knows there will be challenges. I don’t mean big problems, just the regular, ongoing challenges of planning, hiring, training, and support.

Everyone knows the importance of communication skills in business, especially when it comes to HR and staffing. But effective communication is even more important on the phone, because everything depends on technique and your choice of words.

Discussing any sort of issue on the phone might start with informing someone, like your boss, of a problem or challenge. And when you do that, you should also be sure to show how you’ve taken ownership of the challenge. Of course, staffing costs money, which means dealing with issues might involve asking for budget approval. And, if you’re discussing turnover of staff, you might also have to outline retention strategies, or ways of keeping good people around. Finally, any time you present an idea, you’ll probably want to want to gauge support for that idea.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear Cam and Annette. Cam is a production manager for Boston Vintage, an American clothing company with an office in China. Annette works in the China office, and she’s calling Cam to discuss some staffing issues. As you’ll hear, she’s dealing with the resignation of an important company employee.

Listening Questions

1. What does Annette say she could have done to avoid the issue?
2. What are Annette’s ideas about retention, or how to keep good people at the company?
3. Why does Annette ask about “head office” near the end of the dialog?

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BEP 311 – Business by Phone 1: Discussing Production Problems

Business English, Telephone English / September 2, 2017

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on discussing production problems on the phone.

In today’s economy, it seems like most of our communication is at a distance. Just think about how much time you spend on your phone or writing emails. Of course, it’s no surprise: everything from bookkeeping to manufacturing can be done remotely.

What this means is that we end up dealing with some pretty tough challenges without being able to look someone in the eye. And if you’re in the business of manufacturing, that might include production problems. So if you’re the one overseeing production and you have to explain a problem over the phone, how can you do that?

The first thing you might have to do is explain the situation, like the results of a test run. And just as with any problem, you want to stay positive, or optimistic about solutions. Of course, what makes you worth your pay check is how you deal with the problem. And that might involve explaining the causes, showing you’ve taken steps to deal with the situation, and describing what you’ll do next. And, although today’s lesson focuses on production problems, you can use these techniques to deal with pretty much any problem over the phone.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear Cam and Dave, who work for a clothing company called Boston Vintage. The company has recently switched overseas factories, and Dave is reporting on the results of the new factory’s test runs. As you’ll hear, things haven’t gone perfectly. And Dave – who’s in China – has to discuss the problems over the phone with Cam, who’s back in the U.S.

Listening Questions

1. What does Dave say to introduce the fact that there were some problems in production?
2. What does Dave say are the root causes of the problems?
3. What are Dave’s next steps in dealing with the problems?

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925 English Lesson 14 – How to Talk about your Career

925 English, A2, Business English, English Video, Job Interview in English / August 27, 2017

In today’s 925 English lesson, we’re going to learn English for talking about your career.

Your education is an important part of your background. And there are lots of situations where you might talk about where you went to school and what you studied. A job interview is an obvious one, but you might also talk about your education in casual conversation.

925 English is a new series of English lessons for beginners. 925 English lessons focus on English phrases and expressions that you can use in work and business. Each 925 English lesson features English expressions you can use in different situations and tips on why and how we use them in Business English.

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