There are many different reasons why you might want to influence people. Maybe you’re trying to get their support for your idea, or maybe you want to inspire them, or maybe you want to convince them to do something. Whatever the case may be, I think you’ll find the techniques we’re going to learn today very useful for winning people over.
In this lesson we’ll look at Business English vocabulary related to the manufacturing process. This includes research and development, or R&D, as well as making prototypes. Next we’ll look at different approaches to manufacturing, including lean manufacturing, total quality management, or TQM, and Six Sigma. And most manufacturers follow a set of standards called ISO, especially ISO 9001 and ISO14001. Finally, we’ll look at a variety of manufacturing processes, such as machining, molding and extruding.
In this English Video lesson, we’ll look at business English vocabulary related to manufacturing. Companies manufacture goods in plants, or factories, where they put together raw materials or various parts and components into a final product. We’ll cover ideas such as fabrication, as well as the assembly line, where goods are assembled. Manufacturers rely on quality control, or QC, to ensure the quality of their finished goods.
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on giving directions and getting around a city. This lesson is part of a larger series that looks at the Business English you need for a successful overseas business trip.
Getting from point A to point B in a city isn’t always simple. Even with a map, there are lots of opportunities for confusion. First of all, a map doesn’t include the names of every little shop or house. And even though a map might show you where some major things are, it won’t tell you how to get there. For these reasons, we still rely on people for advice on getting around. And whether you’re traveling and need to understand someone’s directions, or whether someone asks you for directions, you need the right language.
This is what we’ll look at in today’s lesson. We’ll learn language and techniques for describing a location, suggesting the best travel option, and describing distance. We’ll also look at how to give basic directions, how to explain a change of course, and how to ask a stranger for help on the street.
In the dialog, we’ll rejoin Cam and Vanessa, who have traveled to Shanghai on business. They’re talking to the concierge at their hotel, who is explaining to them how to get to a specific coffee shop in the city’s Pudong business district.
Listening Questions
1. What does the concierge recommend as the best travel option?
2. How does the concierge describe the distance to Hengshan Lu Station?
3. When Cam approaches a stranger in the street, what is the first question he asks?
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on taking a taxi. This will be part of a larger series that looks at the Business English you need for a successful overseas business trip.
When you travel to another city for business, what’s the easiest way to get around? Usually by taxi. You don’t have to interpret a subway map or a bus schedule. And you can be delivered directly to your destination with little confusion, though it will cost you more of course.
Yes, I said “with little confusion,” though that’s not always the case. Taxi drivers might not always understand what you want, or what you’re saying. You’ve still got to communicate clearly, directly, and politely with the taxi driver. Your fate is in his – or her – hands, and so you need to make sure you’re understood.
This is exactly what we’ll learn today. We’ll cover some important types of requests during a taxi ride, including asking for a destination, requesting a specific route, and asking for a change of course. We’ll also learn how to ask to be let out and request a receipt.
In this lesson, we’ll hear Cam and Vanessa, who have just arrived in Shanghai on a business trip. They’ve passed through immigration and collected their bags, and now they want to take a taxi to their hotel.
Listening Questions
1. What is the travelers’ destination, and where is it located?
2. Vanessa asks for a change of course to get to a bank. How does she describe how to get there?
3. How does Vanessa ask to be let out of the taxi?
In today’s 925 English lesson, we’re going to learn all about how to start a conversation in English.
Sometimes we call starting an English conversation “breaking the ice.” You can think of the “ice” as that initial silence between people. It could be between strangers on a plane or coworkers in a lunch room. And when we “break” the ice, we say something friendly to start a conversation. So how do you do that? What do you say? And what topics are best?
925 English will be a new business English podcast for beginner and intermediate learners. 925 English lessons will focus on chunks of language and English expressions that you can use in work and business. Each 925 English lesson will feature English phrases you can use in different situations and advice on why and how we use them in Business English.
A job interview is both an opportunity and a challenge. And facing an English interview with confidence requires certain skills and language. In today’s lesson, we’ll hear two interviewees demonstrate some of these skills and language. They’ll use chunks of natural language that we call “collocations” to talk about their abilities.
But what exactly is a “collocation?” Well it’s a combination of words that often go together. Rather than always learning individual words, you can learn these natural chunks of language. Think about the noun “career.” Do you say “follow” a career “at” something? No, we say “pursue a career in something.” That’s a collocation, and you should learn those words together as a natural combination.
As you listen to the two different interviews in this lesson, try to pick out some of these collocations and we’ll discuss them later in the debrief.
In the first interview, we’ll hear Dale interviewing Carla for an accounting job at an insurance company. Dale is asking Carla about her weaknesses and her career plans, two common tough interview questions. In the second interview, we’ll hear Sofia interviewing Joseph for a management job. She asks Joseph to talk about his interpersonal and leadership skills, and his attitude to personal development.
Listening Questions
1. What is Carla’s ultimate goal in the insurance industry?
2. What does Joseph say about his relationship with direct reports?
3. What two qualities does Joseph say help him in leadership roles?
A job interview is one of the most stressful and high-pressure situations you experience in your working life. With such high stakes, you don’t want to leave anything to chance. So you prepare by anticipating what questions you’ll be asked and planning how you might respond.
In this lesson, we’ll hear how a couple of interviewees respond to typical – but challenging – English interview questions. And as they respond, the speakers use some useful expressions that we call “collocations.” Learning collocations is a great way to expand your active vocabulary and sound more natural and confident.
But what exactly is a collocation? Well, a collocation is simply a group of words that we usually use together. It’s like a “chunk” of language that you can plug into a sentence. For example, you might have heard the expression “to take an approach” to something. We always use that verb “take” with the noun “approach,” so you can remember them together. Collocations sound natural, and they make language learning efficient, because you can learn chunks of language rather than individual words.
As you listen to the two different interviews, try to pick out some of these collocations and we’ll discuss them later in the debrief.
In the first interview, we’ll hear Dale interviewing Carla, who is applying for an accounting job at an insurance company. Carla is talking about her experience, knowledge, and accomplishments. In the second interview, we’ll hear Sofia interviewing Joseph. Joseph is applying for a management position at the company where he works. He’ll talk about his approach to work and his problem-solving skills.
Listening Questions
1. How much experience does Carla say she has in the field of insurance?
2. What special accomplishment does Carla mention?
3. How does Joseph say he has decreased stress in his department?
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to take or leave a message on the telephone in English.
You’ve probably experienced this situation before: someone calls your office and wants to talk to someone who isn’t there. So what do you do? You take a message, of course. But how do you take a message?
Well, it starts with asking the caller if they would actually like to leave a message. Then you’ll get some information, like who the person wants to talk to and what they want to talk about. Also, don’t forget to get the caller’s number so the person can call them back. And it’s a good idea to check back with the caller that you’ve got the information correct, because incorrect messages can cause big problems.
But what if you are the caller and you want to leave a message? Well, you can simply ask if you can do just that. And then you’ll give all the important details, like who you want to talk to, what you want to talk to them about, and your phone number. It’s these techniques and language for taking and leaving messages that we’ll learn today.
In the dialog, we’re going to rejoin a conversation between Claire and Nathan. In our last lesson, we heard Claire answer the phone at a company called Airtronics. Nathan is the caller. He works for Cyclops Aircraft and he’s calling to talk to someone named George Kline. But George isn’t there, so Claire is going to have to take a message for him.
Listening Questions
1. Why is Nathan trying to get in touch with George Kline?
2. What part of the message does Claire repeat back to Nathan?
3. Near the end of the call, what does Claire say she will try to do immediately?
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to start a telephone call in English.
On the telephone, you can’t use your smile or body language to communicate feelings or ideas. You’ve only got your voice! So it’s really important that you know what to say and how to say it at each step of the call. This is especially true of the start of the call. Whether you’re the caller or the receiver, you need to cover the basic information right away so you can move on and deal with the matter at hand.
So, what are those basic things you need to cover at the start of a call? Well, that’s what we’ll learn about in this lesson. If you’re the receiver, you’re going to have to answer the call with a greeting and something to identify yourself and company. On a very simple level, that might sound like “Good morning. This is Jane at City Contractors.” If you’re the caller, you’re also going to have to identify yourself before you ask to speak to someone. Once you’ve identified yourself, what happens next? Well, as the receiver, next you will want to connect the caller with the right person. But before you do that, or before you take a message if the person is not available, you want to find out why the person is calling. So you’ll ask about the purpose of the call.
In today’s dialog, we will learn how the call works from both sides. We’ll hear Claire, who works at a company called Airtronics. She’s answering the call. We’ll also hear Nathan, the caller, who works for Cyclops aircraft. Nathan is calling to talk to someone named George Kline in the contracts department.
Listening Questions
1. What are the different parts of Claire’s first statement when she answers the phone?
2. How does Nathan ask to speak to George Kline?
3. How does Claire ask about the purpose of the call?
