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BEP 244 – Debriefing a Project (Part 2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Collocations, Project Management /

English for Project Management

In this Business English Pod lesson, we look at discussing the outcome of a project.

When you, your team, or your company finish a project, what do you do? Do you rush into the next project and put the last one behind you? Or do you take the time to talk about what you’ve done and try to learn from your mistakes? Let’s think about this another way: do you find that certain problems keep coming up in one project after another? Well, they don’t have to. Not if you take the time to learn, to discuss, and to debrief.

Yes, it’s important to discuss the projects we’ve completed. And in these types of discussions native speakers will use many common and useful expressions. Sometimes we call these useful expressions “collocations.” That’s a fancy way to talk about a natural combination of words. Just think about an expression like “to launch a new product.” We don’t say “start” a new product, or “let out” a new product. The natural collocation is “launch a new product.” As you listen to the dialog, try to pick out some of these expressions and we’ll go through them later in our own debrief.

In the dialog, we’re going to rejoin Dean and Michelle, whose company has just finished a project to expand a manufacturing plant. In our last lesson, they talked about some of the successes and delays in the project. Today, we’ll hear them talk about how to resolve some of the problems they experienced.

Listening Questions

1. What is Dean’s main concern about the problem with City Steel?
2. What was another contributing factor in project delays?
3. What does Dean suggest to Michelle about how to do things better?

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BEP 243 – Debriefing a Project (Part 1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Collocations, Project Management /

Project Management English

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on debriefing a project in English.

Every project has its ups and downs, its successes and its problems. But every company hopes it can get better with each new project, and avoid the problems of previous undertakings. So how can we do that? How can we improve what we can do at the project level?

Well, we talk about it. When a project, an experience, or a venture is complete, we need to discuss what went well and what didn’t go so well. And through this discussion, we learn. We find out why we succeeded in some areas and why we failed in others. Sometimes we call this “debriefing” a project. And the point of this debriefing is to learn how to do a better job the next time around.

In this lesson on discussing the outcome of a project, we’ll learn lots of useful collocations. Collocations can help you sound more natural in English, but what exactly is a collocation? Well, a collocation is a group of words that English speakers often use in combination. Correct collocations sound natural. For example, we say “make a mistake.” But incorrect collocations are sound unnatural. For example, people would find it strange if you said “do a mistake” or “take a mistake.” As you listen to the dialog, try to pick out some of these expressions and we’ll go through them later in our own debrief.

In the dialog, we’re going to hear a conversation between Dean and Michelle. Their company has recently finished a project to expand a production facility, and now they’re talking about how the project went. In other words, they’re debriefing the project.

Listening Questions

1. What were the successes of the project?
2. What were two causes of delays on the project?
3. What does Michelle say she’d like to see in their company?

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VV 35 – English for Sales Management (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Video, Sales /
YouTube video

In this Business English Vocabulary lesson, we’ll look at vocabulary and collocations related to sales management. A sales force is made up of sales reps who try to identify leads with potential customers called prospects. A sales rep must qualify these prospects as they move down the sales funnel. At the end of the funnel, a rep hopes to close a sale, or make a deal.

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BEP 232 – Discussing the Economy (Part 2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Collocations, Finance and Accounting /

In this Business English Pod lesson, we continue our look at vocabulary and collocations for discussing the economy.

In the 21st century, the countries of the world are all closely connected. A company based in the U.S. might employ factory workers in Indonesia to make products they sell to Europeans with the help of a Chinese shipping company. In this global economy, we don’t just talk about what happens within the borders of our own country. We talk about all economies, or “the economy” in general. And we talk about it a lot!

If you’re going to do business, you need to talk about economics. And in English, there are many common expressions we use to describe the economy. Today, we’re going to listen to a dialog and learn some of these expressions.

The expressions we’ll practice today are examples of “collocations.” A collocation is a group of two or more words that we usually use together. For example, maybe you have heard the expression “to have an interview.” We can’t say “do” an interview or “make” an interview. The common expression, or combination of words, is “have an interview.” Learning collocations like these is very important, because they will make you sound more natural. When you hear today’s dialog, listen to how the speakers combine words naturally. Then we’ll explain what they mean and practice using them.

In the dialog, we rejoin David and Gordon, two expats in Southeast Asia talking about the economies in the region. Gordon has recently arrived in the area and done a tour of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Burma, while David has worked in the region for several years.

Listening Questions

1. What does David predict for Burma’s GDP?
2. What advantage does Burma have, according to Gordon?
3. How does David think their company should approach Burma?

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BEP 231 – Discussing the Economy (Part 1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Collocations, Finance and Accounting /

Welcome back to Business English Pod today’s lesson on discussing the economy.

Listen to the news, the politicians, or your coworkers, and what do you hear them talking about? The economy. It’s up or it’s down. It’s good or it’s bad. Conditions are improving or getting worse. And it’s important to us because as the economy goes, so goes our business and careers.

But what do people mean when they say the economy? Is there only one economy? Well, in this global age, the economy often refers to the world economy. But we also say the economy to talk about a specific country, whether it’s our own or another country we’re doing business with. In this lesson, you’ll hear about a few different economies and you’ll learn some common expressions used to discuss economic conditions.

Before we listen, let’s talk a little about collocations. A collocation is a group of words that native speakers often use together. A correct collocation sounds natural, while an incorrect collocation sounds unnatural. For example, in English we say “go online” to talk about using the Internet. But we can’t say “proceed online” or “travel online,” even though “proceed” and “travel” mean “go.” Those simply aren’t natural expressions.

You’ll hear many useful collocations in today’s dialog. As you listen, try to pick out these natural combinations of words. Then we’ll explain what they mean and how to use them in the debrief.

We’re going to hear a conversation between David and Gordon, two expats working in Southeast Asia. David has been around for several years and is familiar with the economic situation. Gordon is new to the region and has recently completed a tour of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Burma.

Listening Questions

1. What does David say the government of Vietnam has done well?
2. What is happening to the labor force in Vietnam?
3. What is one of the problems in Vietnam mentioned by the speakers?

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BEN 23 – The End of the PC?

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, IT and Tech /

BEN 23

Learn Business English vocabulary and collocations for describing trends and technology in this Business English News lesson on the recent decline in PC sales.

It wasn’t long ago that many of us could count on a new computer every three years or so. With both hardware and software upgrades coming in leaps and bounds, consumers and businesses sought to replace obsolete machines for shiny new boxes. However, as Forbes explains, things have changed dramatically: “PC shipments are down 14% year-over-year despite the launch of Windows 8. While Microsoft and its fans might not want to admit it yet, Windows 8 is a flop. The failure to generate new sales is bad; the acceleration of the declining trend in PC shipments is downright awful.”

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BEP 224 – Financial English: Discussing a Budget (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Collocations, Finance and Accounting /

In this Business English Pod lesson, we continue our look at vocabulary and collocations for discussing a budget.

A budget is a plan for spending money. And you’ll often hear the word “budget” used as a noun. But “budget” is also a verb. We can budget carefully or poorly. We can budget not only money but also time. And how we budget can help or harm our business. If we spend too much money, we may decrease profits. But if we don’t spend enough money, the business may not grow or thrive. It’s all about balance.

A typical budget includes a long list of items that we need to spend money on. And in a budget meeting, you’ll hear people talk, or argue, about where to spend more and where to spend less. So, how do we do this? Well, in today’s dialog, we’ll learn some of the common expressions we use when we discuss budgets.

Before we listen, let’s talk a little about English collocations. A collocation is a group of words that native speakers often use together. A correct collocation sounds natural, while an incorrect collocation sounds unnatural. For example, in English we say “budget cuts” to talk about lower spending. But we can’t say “budget slices” or “budget chops,” even though “slice” and “chop” mean “cut.” Those simply aren’t natural expressions.

You’ll hear many useful collocations in today’s dialog. As you listen, try to pick out these natural combinations of words. Then we’ll explain what they mean and how to use them in the debrief.

Today we’ll rejoin Kate, Harry, and Linda as they discuss the budget for their IT department. Kate and Harry are managers, and Linda is their supervisor. Last time, they talked about the past year’s budget. Today, you’ll hear them making a plan for the upcoming year.

Listening Questions

1. What does Kate say the finance department wants to focus on?
2. What is Harry’s concern about replacing the workstations?
3. What does Kate think can be changed to save money?

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BEP 223 – Financial English: Discussing a Budget (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Collocations, Finance and Accounting /

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on financial English vocabulary and discussing a budget.

Budgets aren’t just for accountants. Almost everyone in business has to talk about money and how to spend it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a manager with a million dollar budget or a field tech just tracking your expenses. You’ll be talking about money and budgets.

In fact, talk about budgets is everywhere. Turn on the news and it’s not hard to hear people discussing budget “cuts” or budget “reductions.” You can hear about governments with budget “deficits” and budget “surpluses.” Everyone’s worried about money, and in business, earning more often means spending less. These are the topics you’ll hear about today.

Before we listen, let’s talk a little about collocations. A collocation is a group of words that native speakers often use together. A correct collocation sounds natural, while an incorrect collocation sounds unnatural. For example, in English we say “budget cuts” to talk about lower spending. But we can’t say “budget slices” or “budget chops,” even though “slice” and “chop” mean “cut.” Those simply aren’t natural expressions.

You’ll hear many useful collocations in today’s dialog. As you listen, try to pick out these natural combinations of words. Then we’ll explain what they mean and how to use them in the debrief.

You’re going to hear a conversation between two managers in the IT department of a large company and their boss. Kate and Harry are the managers, and Linda is the boss. They’re discussing the past year’s budget and how they spent their department’s money.

Listening Questions

1. What does Linda want to examine first?
2. What does Harry say about the large one-time cost the department had?
3. According to Linda, what is finance concerned about?

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