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BEP 39 – Reporting in English: Project Update

In today’s intermediate Business English Podcast episode you’ll practice reporting on progress. That means informing your boss or colleagues about your current work. This is also called updating someone on the status of a project.

Reporting on progress happens in formal settings, such as at meetings, but often also in informal settings, such as around the water cooler or maybe even over a drink after work.

Today’s listening provides an example of this very common kind of informal project update. It takes place in the offices of AirMech Services, a company that specializes in the maintenance, repair and modification of Passenger Loading Bridges, which are commonly called “jetways”. You’ll hear Rudi, a project manager, update his boss, Wolfgang, on the status of one such project. They meet each other during a break in the coffee room.

As you listen, pay attention to both the vocabulary and the verb tenses Rudi and Wolfgang use to discuss the progress of the project.

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BEP 38 – Describing a Procedure in English

In this Business English Podcast lesson we look at how to explain or describe a procedure. We’ll also look at some common computer vocabulary.

In our jobs, we often have to tell people about procedures and processes – explaining how to do something. This can be more formal – for example giving government visitors a demonstration of a production line – or informal – for example showing a colleague how to use the photocopier.

Today’s dialogue is a common situation where describing a procedure is useful – giving someone help. It takes place at Elektra, a fashion design company. You’ll hear Sandy, an accountant, call Felipe, who works in the IT department. Sandy is having a problem with her computer and Felipe describes to her the procedure for fixing it.

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BEP 37 – Presentations: Question and Answer (2)

Today’s advanced Business English Podcast episode is the second in our a two-part series on question and answer, or Q&A, during a presentation in Englishpresentation in English.

The listening starts where we left off last time. Nick, the new European sales director at Harper-Tolland Steel, is answering questions after his English presentation.

Nick has proposed to retrain key sales staff at Harper-Tolland in order to boost sales after a disappointing new product launch. Where we left off, Cindy, the regional sales manager for Germany, is asking Nick how they will measure the success of the new training program.

As you listen, pay attention to how Nick and Nick’s boss, Max, deal with questions and manage the Q&A session.

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BEP 36 – Presentations: Question and Answer (1)

In this Business English Podcast lesson we’re going to take another look at making presentations in English with the first in a two-part series focused on question and answer – popularly referred to as Q&A.

This listening is from the Q&A session that follows on from our previous episode on closing presentations – BEP 33. It takes place during a meeting of senior sales and marketing staff at Harper-Tolland, a global producer of special purpose steel. As we begin, Nick Fisher, the European sales director, is just finishing his presentation.

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Business News 07 – India’s Economic Growth

Today’s Business English News podcast comes from an article on the recent positive statements by the CEO of Infosys on the future of India’s economy.

India’s economy has long been overshadowed by the rapid rise of China and SE Asia. More recently though, attention has started to turn to India, who’s strong economic growth and skilled workforce have spurred interest. Many economists are now predicting steady growth at 8% per year with India set to become a 1 trillion dollar economy by 2008.

We use this article to look at some of the English words and expressions you can use to talk about economic trends and human resources.

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BEP 35 – Meetings: Clarifying Meaning in English

In BEP 34, we talked about clarifying what was said , for example, “What did you just say? I didn’t catch that.”

In today’s Business English Pod lesson, we’ll look at clarifying what was meant, for example, “What do you mean by that?” or “What I’m trying to say is…” Clarifying the meaning is an important part of all communication because it helps us avoid misunderstanding.

*** This lesson is part of our Business English eBook for meetings: Meeting Essentials. Premium members click here to download the complete eBook.

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BEP 34 – Meetings: Clarifying What Was Said

This is the first in a two-part Business English Podcast series on clarifying. To clarify means to make clear.

Today we’ll look at phrases and skills for clarifying what was said. For example, “I didn’t quite catch that. Could you say that again?” This is useful when you don’t hear clearly or when someone speaks too fast. Then, in the second podcast (BEP 35), we’ll be looking at language for clarifying what was meant, for instance “What exactly do you mean by that?”

The listening today is from a shipping company. You’ll hear Wim Zeldenhuis and Andre De Vries in Rotterdam call their American colleague Benny McClenahan in Boston.

*** This lesson is part of our Business English eBook for meetings: Meeting Essentials. Premium members click here to download the complete eBook.

Members: PDF Transcript | Online Practice | PhraseCast | Lesson Module

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BEP 33 – English Presentations: Closing Down & Summarizing

This lesson has been updated – view the improved lesson here.

In today’s Business English Podcast lesson, we’ll be looking at closing down and summarizing your presentation in English.

As we mentioned a while back in BEP 101 (Click this link to listen to the podcast), a strong introduction is important to give your audience a reason for listening. Similarly, a strong conclusion is very important to leaving your audience with a great impression and giving them a clear message about what action to take.

So what structure should you use to close down an English presentation? We suggest this simple format:

1. Give your audience a clear signal that your are going to finish.
2. Briefly summarize the main points of your presentation.
3. State your recommendation or give your call to action – let your audience know what you want them to do.
4. Finish off by thanking your listeners and inviting questions or discussion.

In today’s listening we’ll be exploring this format. The listening takes place at Harper-Tolland, a major global producer of special purpose steel. Last year Harper-Tolland launched a new product line but the sales results in Europe have been quite disappointing. Nicholas Fischer, the new regional sales director for Harper-Tolland, has been hired to fix the problem. He is just finishing off a presentation in which he has been discussing his proposal.

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VideoVocab 002: Economy 1

YouTube video

This episode of Video Vocab by Business English Pod introduces 10 commonly used English words related to the economy:
Regulate, Currency, Interest Rate, Exchange Rate, Monetary Policy, Central Bank, Fluctuate, Speculate, Inflation & Basis Point.

Video Vocab is a regular videocast featuring useful Business English words and terms. You can use Video Vocab to expand your Business English vocabulary and practice your pronunciation. We have revised the format to include all the words in one video to make it easier to download and use, so let us know what you think.

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BEP 32 – Meetings: Brainstorming & Discussing Ideas

New versions of this lesson are available here:
BEP 32 A – English for Discussing Solutions to a Problem (1)
BEP 32 B – English for Discussing Solutions to a Problem (2)

In this Business English Podcast lesson we take another look at the language used to suggest and discuss ideas in meetings and teleconferences. We’ll also provide further language for diplomatic disagreement and agreeing action points at the end of the meeting.

The teleconference is run by Jim as a type of meeting called a “Brainstorming” meeting, which is useful for gathering and openly discussing ideas as the format is more relaxed.

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