Skills 360 – Keeping your Career on Track (1)

Business English Skills 360 - Keeping your Career on Track 1

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on keeping your career on track.

Today’s workplace looks pretty different from the one your parents toiled away in. Walk into an average office and you’ll immediately be struck by the fact that it only seems half full. Remote work – in one form or another – has become the norm. And the people themselves may look different. The baby boomers are retiring, and younger generations are entering the workforce, often with different values and expectations.

So now might be a good time to think about how your expectations have changed. How has your approach to your work and career evolved? Do you see yourself in a position to benefit from the current situation?

With the Great Resignation causing staffing shortages the world over, this is a great time to take stock of your career. You may be able to ask for more, whether that’s in salary, vacation time, benefits, or other intangibles. Competition for talent is stiff, and companies around the world are working hard to retain what they have.

Members: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

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Skills 360 – Adapting your Communication Style (2)

Business English 360.90 - Adapting your Communication Style (2)

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on how to adapt your communication style to different situations.

No doubt you’re aware of different communication styles, but do you think everyone has just one style? More likely your style on a good day looks different from your style on a bad day. Your style during a regular staff meeting might be different from a meeting where you’re going to read the riot act. Indeed, your style in a crisis should be different from your day-to-day communication.

Clearly, different situations require different approaches and different kinds of language. And underlining everything here is the importance of relationships. If you’re a solo entrepreneur working with your own money and with no staff, well, chances are you’re not listening to a podcast about communication styles!

Members: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

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Skills 360 – Adapting your Communication Style (1)

Skills 360 - Adapting your English Communication Style to your Audience (1)

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on adapting your communication style to your audience.

Think about the different conversations you had at work yesterday, with your boss, with colleagues, with clients, and with your direct reports. Think about how those people spoke to you. Guaranteed, you will notice that these different people had different communication styles. One person might have been cheery and chatty while another was brusque and efficient.

Now, think about how you responded to these people. Was your communication style consistent in all situations? Probably not. And it shouldn’t be! The best workplace communicators are adaptable. They change their style to suit the situation and the audience. And that adaptability is critical for success.

Members: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

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Skills 360 – Managing Virtual Teams (2)

Business English Skills 360 - Managing Virtual or Remote Teams (2)

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on managing virtual teams.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a lot of doubts about whether people could be truly productive working from home. Well, guess what we discovered when workplaces went virtual? People are not just as productive while working remotely, many are more productive. With no travel time, back-to-back meetings, and less time at the water cooler, many people get more done working from home.

That doesn’t mean we never have to worry about accountability for remote workers. But measures to ensure accountability have to be counterbalanced by systems that allow workers some autonomy and control over their workflow. Post-pandemic, many workers are simply unwilling to return to a rigid style of management. So we need to find the sweet spot between structure and flexibility. And we need to support that balance with the right technology and systems.

Lesson Resources: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

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Skills 360 – Managing Virtual Teams (1)

Business English Skills 360 - Managing Virtual or Remote Teams (1)

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on managing virtual teams.

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed how and where we work. When the pandemic hit, many white-collar workplaces went virtual, and more people than ever found themselves working from home. Now, as most countries move into the endgame and lift restrictions, companies are faced with the choice about whether, and how, to head back to the office. Many are choosing not to return to in-person operations, or taking a hybrid approach, combining remote and in-person work.

Clearly, remote work in some form is here to stay. And as a manager, you shouldn’t be thinking about the virtual team as purely a stopgap measure. You need to consider ongoing management of virtual teams. And you need to figure out approaches that will ensure not only productivity and effectiveness but also employee wellness and job satisfaction.

Lesson Resources: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

Download: Podcast MP3