Persuasión

Business English lessons on the art of persuasion in English.

BEP 365 – English for Startups 2: Pitching to Investors

BEP 365 LECCIÓN - English for Startups 2: Pitching in English to Investors

Bienvenido de nuevo a Business English Pod para la lección de hoy sobre pitching in English to investors.

The world of tech startups can be extremely exciting and rewarding. But success is certainly not guaranteed. De hecho, 90% of new ventures that don’t attract investors within the first three years will fail. So if your company has made it through the valley of death, and you’re burning through cash but don’t have any revenue, then you’d better make sure you’ve got a great pitch to potential investors.

In just 10 to 20 minutes, you need to convince investors that they should risk their money on you. O, more accurately, why they should risk their money on you instead of on the thousands of other companies they could invest in. It’s hard to think of a higher stakes presentation than a pitch to investors. So what will increase your chances of success?

Bien, you need to talk about the problem that your product solves, and how your product is truly unique. Por supuesto, in the startup world, timing is everything. So you need to be able to show there’s a market for what you’re offering. And a good startup isn’t just about a good idea, it’s about a solid revenue model. So you’ll need to explain that clearly. It’s also smart to sit down and think about what questions investors might have, and answer them before they have to ask them!

En el diálogo de hoy, we’ll listen to a presentation by Quinn, who founded an online payments company called Moolah. En nuestra última lección, we heard Quinn preparing for his pitch with the help of a mentor. Now it’s showtime, as Quinn delivers his pitch in the hopes of attracting investment.

Preguntas de escucha

1. What is the problem that Quinn identifies at the start of his presentation?
2. Who is Moolah’s target audience?
3. What question does Quinn anticipate the investors might have?

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Habilidades 360 – Hacer que tus ideas se mantengan (Parte 2)

Habilidades de inglés comercial 360 Lección - Hacer que tus ideas se mantengan 2

Bienvenido de nuevo a la Habilidades de inglés comercial 360 para la lección de hoy sobre cómo hacer que sus ideas se mantengan.

¿Alguna vez ha estado en una reunión o escuchado una presentación en la que alguien habla sobre su gran idea?? Y entonces, cuarenta diapositivas de PowerPoint después, todavía no estás seguro de qué están hablando, o por qué su idea es tan genial? Bien, puede haber una buena idea detrás de todo, pero por alguna razón no se mantuvo.

En el otro lado, hay ideas que no podrías olvidar si quisieras. Por cualquier razón, la gente los entiende, ellos los recuerdan, y se ponen detrás de ellos.

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Habilidades 360 – Hacer que tus ideas se mantengan (Parte 1)

Habilidades de inglés comercial 360 Lección - Hacer que tus ideas se mantengan 1

Bienvenido de nuevo a la Habilidades de inglés comercial 360 para la lección de hoy sobre cómo hacer que sus ideas se mantengan.

Seamos sinceros: las ideas son un centavo la docena. Y tener una gran idea no significa nada si no puedes hacer que otras personas crean en ella.. Y antes de que puedas hacer que alguien crea en eso, necesitas ayudarlos a recordarlo. Necesitas hacer que se pegue. Así que hoy quiero compartir un par de consejos para ayudar a que sus ideas se mantengan. No importa si estás dando una presentación, proponer algo en una reunión, o lanzar a los inversores. Los secretos de la pegajosidad son los mismos.

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MPA 20c – Presentar un argumento coherente

MPA 20c - Lección de inglés de negocios: Presentar un argumento coherente

Bienvenido de nuevo a Business English Pod para hoy clase de inglés de negocios en presenting a cohesive argument.

You may have lots of great ideas. But those ideas aren’t worth much if you can’t convince other people that they’re great. And that takes more than just excitement and energy. To convince others, you need to present a cohesive argument.

So what is a cohesive argument? Bien, it’s a series of logical reasons to support an idea. A cohesive argument helps you convince others of your position by providing a set of supporting points presented in a logical manner. If you do not provide a cohesive argument, then you’ll have trouble getting other people to support you.

A good argument might start by showing research and giving some context for the issue. Then you can talk about precedents for your idea, which means other times that it has been done successfully. It’s also good to think about what people might be concerned about, and address that before they even have a chance to bring it up. Y finalmente, you can tell people why your idea is necessary. With a cohesive argument like this, you’re sure to have more support for your idea.

En el diálogo de hoy, we’ll hear Jack, who’s presenting a proposal to move his company’s production to Costa Rica. En nuestra última lección, we heard Jack and several others discussing the idea. Jack’s argument was a bit disorganized and drew criticism from the others. He didn’t manage to convince them that moving production overseas was a good idea. In this meeting, the team has to make a decision on the issue. So Jack really needs to present a good argument.

Preguntas de escucha

1. What has Jack done in preparation for the meeting?
2. Why does Jack mention the company Intel?
3. Jack talks about one thing that other people might be concerned, or worried about. Qué es?

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PEC 19c – Argumentar a favor o en contra de una posición

PEC 19c - Argumentar a favor o en contra de una posición

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to argue for a position.

A position could be an opinion, an idea, or a plan. And whether you’re in a meeting, a one-on-one discussion, or a presentation, you’ll often find yourself arguing for your position, or against other people’s positions.

So how can you argue for or against a position effectively? Seguro, you can just state what you think. But there are some more effective techniques you can use to support your position. Por ejemplo, you can use language to make an idea stronger. Instead of just saying “this plan is disorganized,” you can say “this plan is totally disorganized.” That has a greater impact.

You can also work the other way around, y use softening and minimizing idioma. Por ejemplo, instead of saying “we are happy with the new building but there are some problems,” you might say “overall we’re pretty happy with the new building, but there might be a few problems.” And if you want to criticize someone’s ideas, you need to introduce that carefully and balance the criticism with praise. All these techniques will help you present your position.

En el diálogo de hoy, we’ll hear Jack, who’s trying to argue for the idea of moving his company’s production overseas, to Costa Rica. Sin embargo, Angie, Y, and Jim are not convinced that Jack’s plan is a good idea. As they argue for their positions, we’ll cover some useful techniques on both sides of the discussion.

Preguntas de escucha

1. How does Angie introduce her first criticism of Jack’s ideas?
2. What does Jack say about the risks involved in his plan?
3. What positive thing does Angie say about Jack later in the dialog?

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