Business English News is a new show on Business English Pod about current events, especially things happening in the business news.
As a company built and run on Mac computers, and with an audience that mainly uses Apple products to listen to our podcasts, it’s only fitting that we (re)launch this show with a tribute to Steve Jobs, who passed away on Wednesday 5th October.
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This is the second of our two-part Business English Pod lesson on English small talk, or casual conversation, in business meetings.
Imagine you’re sitting in a room with several co-workers. You’re waiting for a meeting to start. Does silence feel comfortable? Probably not. You should be talking. But about what?
Well, this is where the art of small talk comes in handy. And it’s not only something we do before a meeting. We use small talk in the airport lounge, on the train, or standing in line for a movie. We use it with colleagues, clients, and acquaintances. And it’s something that takes practice to do well and feel at ease with.
Previously we looked at some common conversation topics and techniques, including how to handle topics you don’t know much about. In this lesson we’ll look at a couple more very common topics: talking about the weather and talking about current events. We’ll also cover strategies for changing the topic and steering the conversation towards business.
In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin Liz, Coby, and Shawn as they get ready for another meeting. As you might have guessed, their colleague Gordon has yet to arrive so they chat amongst themselves while they wait for him to show up.
Listening Questions
1. What does Shawn think about the summer weather?
2. Why does Coby seem upset or shocked?
3. How does Liz steer the conversation toward business?
Download: Podcast MP3
Welcome back to Business English Pod for the first in our two-part series on English small talk before a meeting in English.
This is a situation you’ve probably experienced countless times: you arrive for a meeting 10 minutes early. There are several people already there. You say hello and then what do you talk about? What do you say? In this situation, you need to be able to make small talk. Small talk is informal conversation. We use the term “small talk” because it is not about exchanging information or making decisions or having serious discussion. It’s a way to avoid uncomfortable silences and build stronger relationships.
Small talk might seem to be about nothing important, but small talk itself is important. Being able to make small talk will allow you to make yourself part of a group. It will set the stage for more serious types of communication. In this lesson, we’ll look at a few different ways to initiate and respond to small talk.
We’ll join three colleagues, Coby, Liz, and Shawn, who have arrived for a meeting and are waiting for a fourth person to join. As they wait, the colleagues engage in the type of casual conversation you’ll often hear in an English-speaking office.
Listening Questions
1. Why is Gordon going to be late for the meeting?
2. What did Shawn do on the weekend?
3. What sport is Coby talking about?
Download: Podcast MP3
Welcome back to the Skills 360 podcast.
The Skills 360 Podcast is now available in iTunes:
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In this lesson, we’re going to look at some more tips and ideas for making the most of your personal learning. Last week, we looked at setting yourself up with a system of personal learning. Today, we’re going to look at how to maintain your momentum and stay on track.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you have a regular schedule for studying English?
2. How can you know whether you’re improving your English skills?
3. What are your greatest personal motivators for studying English?
Download: Podcast MP3
Welcome back to the Skills 360 podcast.
The Skills 360 Podcast is now available in iTunes:
Free iTunes Subscription
We’ve got a great lesson today on making the most of personal learning. We’ll start by looking at setting SMART goals and personalizing your studies with a personal learning plan. We’ll also look at how you can vary your input by using a variety of sources and study what is interesting and relevant to both you and your job.
Discussion Questions
1. What are the different things you do to study or practice English?
2. What aspect of English would you most like to improve?
3. What do you find are the best online resources for studying English?
Download: Podcast MP3
Our Business Skills 360 Podcast is now available in iTunes: Free iTunes Subscription
Business Skills 360 lessons provide essential tips and language for communicating in English. Free transcripts, quizzes and PDF downloads are available on the myBEonline website.
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This is the second of our two-part Business English Pod series on idioms related to time.
Time is a very precious resource. And for this reason, time management is a very important issue at work and in business. We’re always thinking about how to better manage our time, get our work done, juggle deadlines, arrange schedules, and follow timelines. Time, like money, is something that we can measure, budget, save, and even waste.
English is rich in idioms related to time. These idioms are very useful in business considering time is such a constant concern. In our last episode, we covered many common and useful expressions related to time in general. Today, we’ll look at a few more, particularly ones related to a lack of time and expressing a sense of urgency.
We’ll rejoin Jeff and Claire, two managers who are overseeing the development of a mobile phone app and a new website. Previously, we heard them talking about the design and development of the app. Today, they’re going to focus their discussion on the new website.
Listening Questions
1. Why is the website behind schedule?
2. Which part of the team usually waits to do their work?
3. When do they hope to assemble the website?
Download: Podcast MP3
Welcome back to Business English Pod. In this lesson, we’re going to take a look at business English idioms related to time.
At work and in business, time is always a concern. We rush to get to the office “on time,” we work hard to finish projects “in time” and we sometimes have to work “overtime” to get it all done. If you’re like most people, you watch the clock and the calendar constantly. It’s hard not to with such busy schedules and tight timelines.
In English, time idioms focus on a few key ideas. We hear the word “time” a lot, as well as the words “clock” and “hour”. Many of the idioms are related to speed, duration, regularity, and how late or early something happens or is finished. We also see a lot of idioms related to time pressure.
In this lesson, we’ll hear a conversation between Jeff and Claire, two project managers who are overseeing the development of a mobile phone application and a new website. We will hear them discuss timelines on different parts of the project and different project teams.
Listening Questions
1. What does Claire say about the designers?
2. What does Jeff say about the writers?
3. Which part of the project is behind schedule?
Download: Podcast MP3
This is the third and final part of our Business English Pod series on getting your ideas across in meetings.
Meetings in English are a great opportunity to get your ideas across and influence other people. But doing that is no easy task. You need the right combination of tact, frankness, confidence, and humility. And you need some effective language techniques to manage that combination.
In today’s lesson, we’re going to look at several advanced techniques for expressing your ideas and commenting on other people’s opinions. These include leading into opinions, highlighting consequences, and redirecting a discussion. A lot of these techniques revolve around agreeing and disagreeing. We’ve looked at many of these in the first two parts, and today we’ll continue by learning about strongly agreeing and disagreeing with negative questions.
We’ve been listening to a dialog among four managers who have to find ways of reducing travel and transportation benefits by 15%. They are continuing their debate on how best to achieve this goal. Let’s listen as the chairperson Alison leads the discussion with Stewart, Pat, and Nate.
Listening Questions
1. What idea does Pat believe is easier to sell to employees?
2. What is Stewart’s concern about Pat’s idea?
3. What does Alison suggest doing?
Download: Podcast MP3
This Business English Pod lesson is the second of our three-part series on expressing your ideas clearly and tactfully in meetings.
Meetings are a great opportunity to present your ideas and become engaged in the decision-making process. Meetings often involve open-ended discussion among different types of people. For this reason, there is no easy formula that will guarantee success. Instead, you need to develop a range of skills and techniques that will help you express your ideas clearly and tactfully.
In our last episode, we looked at giving, supporting, and contradicting opinions. In today’s lesson, we’ll cover more techniques of agreeing and disagreeing. We’ll also learn how to change the scope of a meeting, which is an especially important skill for the chairperson.
Last time, we heard four managers – Alison, Stewart, Pat, and Nate – discussing how to reduce travel and transportation benefits. Today we will continue that dialog. The situation becomes a little more heated as the participants express their ideas with more force.
Listening Questions
1. What does the CEO of the company want to focus on?
2. How does Alison respond to Stewart’s ideas?
3. What does Nate think about Stewart’s ideas?
Download: Podcast MP3
