Today we have a Business English News story on a company that’s been in the news quite a bit recently – YouTube. In particular, we refresh and discuss some of the key vocabulary we covered in our Video Vocab series on the law and legal vocabulary:
Video Vocab 04 – Basic Legal Terms
Video Vocab 05 – Court Cases
Video Vocab 06 – Commercial Law
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This is the second in a two-part Business English Podcast lesson on softening negative replies. Last time you worked on softening negative replies in conversation to keep the atmosphere friendly and cooperative. Also, you practiced refusing an offer of help and letting someone down gently.
Today, we’ll be looking at refusing and disagreeing politely.
All these skills form part of a soft or gentle speaking style, which should form part of your communicative repertoire or toolbox.
Listening Questions
1) Why is the GM of Avitek unable to meet with Nick on Thursday.
2) How is the weather in Kiev?
Download: Podcast MP3
This is the first in a two-part Business English Podcast lesson on softening negative replies – saying “no” politely.
“No” is one of the strongest words in any language. Because it carries so much force, “no” is hard to say politely. Yet giving a negative reply, disagreeing or refusing a request are all things we have to do on a daily basis. So it’s important to learn how to say “no” in a way that enables you to maintain good relationships. In many cases this requires you to take a softer and more indirect approach. So today we’ll work on ways to soften negative replies in a variety of everyday situations.
In the dialog we meet up again with Nicholas Fisher, the European sales director for Harper-Tolland from BEP 35 and 36. He is flying into Kiev to support local sales staff by meeting with a large potential customer, Avitek. This is a Ukrainian company that manufactures cargo and firefighting aircraft. In our dialog, Nick is being met at the airport by Harper-Tolland’s sales manager in the Ukraine, Oksana Ivanchuk.
Listening Questions
1) Has Nick been to the Ukraine before?
2) What day of the week is it?
Download: Podcast MP3
This video podcast introduces definitions and collocations related to commercial law, including: contract law; copyright; intellectual property rights, arbitration, lawsuit; to sue; to litigate; plaintiff; defendant; damages; settlement; injunction & to appeal.
Premium Members: PDF TranscriptDownload: Podcast Video
This is the last in our three-part Business English Podcast series on cold calling. In today’s lesson, you’ll learn how to deal with several typical kinds of objections that a potential customer might raise.
When Steve first asked for an appointment, Linda didn’t agree right away, did she? As you know, it’s normal for even a good prospect to give you one or two negative responses, so it’s important to be ready to deal with these and “turn them around” skillfully.
Today we’ll be listening to the last part of the cold calling dialogue between Linda and Steve. As you listen, pay attention to how Steve turns around Linda’s objections.
Listening Questions
1. When Steve asks for an appointment, what is Linda’s first response?
2. What is Linda’s second objection?
3. How does Steve deal with Linda’s objections?
Download: Podcast MP3
This is the second in our three-part Business English Podcast lesson on a useful telephone and sales skill: cold calling.
You can always make yourself more persuasive by asking well-considered questions and really listening to the answers. This principle is true whether you are selling a product or an idea. So in part two we are going to look at some key selling skills: strategically clarifying and summarizing your prospect’s concerns and incorporating them into your pitch to make it more persuasive.
Where we left off last time, Steve had just introduced his company’s services and asked Linda a needs analysis question. Now lets listen as he clarifies her needs and makes his pitch.
Listening Questions
1. What’s the main issue or problem that Linda sees with her current system?
2. What does Steve mean by a “one-stop” service?
3. What does Linda suggest instead of meeting with Steve?
Download: Podcast MP3
Today’s lesson is the first in a three-part Business English Pod series on cold calling, the skill of making unsolicited telephone sales calls. Unsolicited means “not asked for.” So cold calling is the skill of making a sales call to someone who is not expecting you.
Cold calling skills are very useful in many parts of business life. To cold call successfully, you need to be persuasive. And persuasion is fundamental to business success, whether you are trying to convince a customer to buy something or your boss or colleagues to accept your point of view.
In today’s listening you’ll here two examples, one bad one good. We’ll listen to the bad one first. Josh Knight of Nexus Communications International is cold calling Linda Darling, who works for the law firm Drucker and Smythe. So Linda is Josh’s prospect, or potential customer.
Listening Questions
1. Identify four things that Josh does wrong.
2. What is Josh selling?
Download: Podcast MP3
This is the second in our 3-part Video Vocab series on the law. Today we focus on the vocabulary used to describe the actions and people involved in a court case.
Key Vocabulary:
Court case, trial, judge, jury, witness, defendant, innocent, guilty, plea, testify, deliberate, verdict, convict, sentence, fine & prison sentence.
Download: Podcast Video
In this episode of Video Vocab we’re going to look at basic vocabulary related to the law. This is the first in a three-part series: part 1 covers basic legal terms, part 2 will look at words related to a court case and part 3 will look at the vocabulary related to commercial law.
Key Vocabulary:
1. Law (civil, criminal, contract, property, trust, tort, constitutional, administrative & international)
2. Lawyer (AmE = Attorney, BrE = Solicitor)
3. Defense
4. Prosecution
5. Case
Download: Podcast Video
This is the second in a two-part intermediate Business English Pod lesson on the basics of socializing and networking. Last time you learned ways to start and finish a conversation appropriately. Today you’ll be studying how to keep a conversation going by maintaining interest.
The listening continues on from dialogue 1 from last time: As you’ll remember, it takes place at the Asia-Pacific HR conference for Multi-Fresh, a global producer of health beverages. Penny””an HR officer from Kuala Lumpur””has struck up a conversation with George””the regional learning and development manager. Where we left off last time, Penny had just used a tag question”-Interesting speech, wasn’t it?” – to help get the conversation started.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions. The answers will be posted in a few days on the Listening Quiz page.
1) Near the beginning of the dialogue, Penny changes the subject. What was the old subject and what is the new subject?
2) Where has Penny seen George before?
3) What is George’s hobby?
4) What does George mean when he says “It’s not really such a big deal.”
5) Is Penny going to join George in next year’s event?
Download: Podcast MP3
