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BEP 166 – English for Administrative Assistants (2)

This is the second in a two-part Business English Pod series on administrative assistants, their jobs, and related vocabulary and collocations.

Collocations are a challenge for anyone learning English. There aren’t any specific rules to follow. You just have to listen for what sounds right. Still, they’re essential for English communication and important to keep in mind when you learn new vocabulary – don’t just think about the new word, think about what other words it might be used with. We’ll point out some useful collocations related to daily office work as we go through this lesson.

Administrative assistants are important to any business organization. For example, they make sure data is handled responsibly and records are maintained properly. It might seem like they work in the background, but their jobs are critical to the smooth running of a company.

In the last episode we met Christina, the Head Administrative Assistant in the Human Resources department at LaFarge Automotive. In an interview, Christina told us about some of her usual job duties. Today, she’ll talk about why her work is so important to the company.

Listening Questions

1. What is one way Christina manages information for her company?
2. What is one way she mobilizes resources?
3. Does Christina like her job? Why or why not?

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BEP 165 – English for Administrative Assistants (1)

This is the first in a two-part Business English Pod series on the work of administrative assistants. We’ll be looking at vocabulary and collocations related to office duties and daily routines.

Before we start, let’s talk a bit about English collocations. Collocations are groups of words that are commonly used together. Native speakers are so used to using them, they know what sounds “right” and what sounds “wrong.” For example, in English the phrase “go online” is a natural way to refer to using the internet. But it wouldn’t be natural to say something like “proceed online” or “travel online”, even though “proceed” and “travel” are other ways to express “go.” You’ll hear lots of collocations related to office life in today’s dialog. Listen out for them and we’ll explain what they mean and how to use them in the debrief.

Now, on to the role of an administrative assistant. The job title of “administrative assistant”, or “admin assistant” for short, can cover quite a broad range of responsibilities. Admin assistants typically spend a lot of time handling data – whether it’s timesheets recording the working hours of other employees, or rosters used for scheduling meeting rooms. Much of what they do involves making sure that other employees are working as efficiently as possible.

In this episode we’ll talk with Christina, who works as an admin assistant in the human resources department of an auto parts manufacturer. Christina’s going to tell us about some of the responsibilities of her position.

Listening Questions

1. What is Christina’s first task every day?
2. How many employees are on the sales team?
3. When is the deadline for personal leave day requests?

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BEP 164 – Football and Soccer Idioms (Part 2)

This is the second in a two-part Business English Pod lesson on football and soccer idioms.

The World Cup kicks off in just a few days. That gives us some time to look at some more idioms related to football.

Since sports and business are so similar, it’s easy to see how there could be so many related idioms. Companies are like teams; employees are like players. Ideas are like balls that get kicked around. Success is like scoring a goal. And there’s always plenty of competition.

In the last lesson, Marilyn and Karl, two colleagues at a publishing firm, discussed Karl’s interest in a manager’s job at the firm’s Sydney branch. Karl isn’t completely sure it’s the right move for him and has asked for Marilyn’s feedback. Today, we’ll hear more of their conversation, as Karl explains his hesitation about applying.

Listening Questions

1. How does Karl’s wife feel about moving to Sydney?
2. Why does Karl feel like he’s cheating on his own company?
3. What advice does Marilyn give at the end of their conversation?

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BEP 163 – Football and Soccer Idioms (Part 1)

This Business English Pod lesson is the first in a two-part series on idioms that come from football, or soccer.

It’s almost time for the World Cup! And as we wait for the games to kick off, here’s a question for you: Have you ever stopped to think about how many similarities there are between business and sports?

Groups of employees work together as teams. Teams, or companies, compete against each other, trying to win recognition, profits, or new clients. Given these similarities, it’s not surprising that language would be similar when we talk about business and sports. And a number of different sports have contributed idioms to the English language.

Today, our focus will be on football idioms. As you listen to the dialog, you might hear some phrases that are new to you. Remembering the relationship between business and sports may help you out. Of course, we’ll go over all of them in the debrief and you’ll have a chance to practice them, too.

We’ll be listening to Karl and Marilyn, two friends that work at a publishing firm. Karl is thinking about applying for a manager’s job at the company’s Sydney location. He’s not sure about it, though, so he asks Marilyn what she thinks.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Karl want to leave his current job?
2. What are two things Marilyn knows about the Sydney branch?
3. What has Karl heard about the Sydney branch?

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BEP 162 – Dealing with Customers on the Phone 2

This Business English Pod lesson is the second of a two-part series on telephone skills and dealing with customers on the phone.

When you’re helping a caller on the phone, unexpected things can happen. You might need to get some additional information from another source or have the caller to speak to someone else. Or, there may be some interference with the telephone connection that makes it hard to hear someone. It’s good to be prepared so that you can handle the call efficiently, without irritating the customer.

In this lesson, we’ll look at some of these unexpected situations. We’ll discuss ways to tell a caller what’s happening during the call and how to politely question and clarify if you don’t hear or understand something. We’ll cover language for signaling that a call is about to end, and how to politely finish the call.

In the last episode, we met Leroy and Paul. Leroy is a customer care agent for a credit card company. Paul is a customer whose card is about to expire. He hasn’t received a replacement card yet and Leroy is helping him.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Leroy need a minute to pull up Paul’s records?
2. What is Paul’s correct street address?
3. Why didn’t Paul receive his replacement card?

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BEP 161 – Dealing with Customers on the Phone 1

This is the first in a two-part Business English lesson on dealing with telephone inquiries.

It’s natural to feel a little nervous when answering questions on the phone, especially when you’re using a different language. You can’t see the other person, so you can’t interpret facial expressions and body language. You also need to listen more carefully, so you can help the caller quickly and efficiently.

Today, we’ll look at some common strategies that can make handling telephone inquiries a little easier. We’ll start with ways to answer the phone and identify yourself. We’ll also explain language you can use to verify a caller’s name, confirm something a caller says, and clarify the inquiry by restating it.

Now, let’s listen to a conversation between Leroy, a customer service rep at a credit card company, and Paul, a customer. Paul has some concerns about his account and Leroy is helping him.

Listening Questions

1. What is Paul’s main concern?
2. How is Paul’s last name spelled?
3. What are the last 3 digits, or numbers, of Paul’s bank ID number?

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BEP 160 – Talking about your Company

BEP 160 - Describing your Company

This is the second of a two-part Business English Pod series on talking about your job and company.

What can you say about your company? How would you describe it? There are a number of things to consider. There’s the company size, its employees, and its branches. But there’s also company history, culture, reputation, and future plans.

In today’s lesson, we’ll cover language for talking about your company. We’ll start with giving the basic facts and then move on to ways to describe company culture and structure, reputation, and the organization’s future plans and goals.

We’ll listen to Stella, an IT manager, and Ronda, a recruiter who is helping Stella find a new job. In the last episode, Stella told Ronda about her job and her concerns about the company’s old equipment and outdated technology. Today, she’ll tell Ronda more about the company itself.

Listening Questions

1. How many people work at Stella’s company?
2. What does Stella’s company sell?
3. What are two ways the company contributed to the local community?

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BEP 159 – Talking about your Job

BEP 159 - Describing your Job

This is the first in a two-part Business English lesson on talking about your job and company.

The way you talk about your job gives clues to what you’re like as an employee or colleague. So, it’s important to consider your audience. For example, if you’re talking to a recruiter or future employer, you want to be brief, but still provide enough details to give an accurate description and make a good impression.

In this lesson, we’ll talk about ways to explain the basic aspects of your job and give details about your duties. We’ll also cover ways to talk about any special projects you’ve worked on and how to discuss your job satisfaction.

We’ll be listening to Ronda, a recruiter, and Stella, an IT manager. Ronda is going to help Stella find a new IT position, but first she wants to get some more information about her current job. They are meeting over lunch at a restaurant.

Listening Questions

1. What is the name of Stella’s current employer?
2. What are two of Stella’s responsibilities?
3. Why does Stella feel like she can’t grow at her current job?

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BEP 101e – Presentations: Introducing your Presentation

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

Making your Introduction is a preview of our upcoming audio / ebook on presentations skills and language. In this first chapter we take a look at how to make a good start as well as at the overall structure of a presentation. This recording is a re-edited and extended version of one of our earliest podcasts – BEP 101. The ebook will have nine units, including four never released lessons on describing charts and trends, using your voice and emphasizing your message.

Is giving presentations important to you career? For most of us, the answer is yes. Presenting our products, success stories, challenges and solutions – this is the heart of business communication, where money is often made or lost. And, in today’s globalizing business environment, we are increasingly called to give presentations in English.

Presenting for Success is a comprehensive study guide to the language and skills you need to give presentations in English more fluently, more confidently and more successfully. Learn on the go with over 3-hours of audio lessons, review key language with the detailed 120-page study guide, including full transcripts of each lesson, and practice useful phrases with the over 100 online quizzes.

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BEP 158 – Dealing with an Angry Caller (Part 2)

This is the second of a two-part Business English Pod series on dealing with angry callers on the phone.

We hope that all of our customers are satisfied ones. Indeed, a basic goal in business is to keep customers happy and coming back. But we can’t please all of the people all of the time. Angry callers are often upset because they don’t understand why something happened or disagree with a policy. They might believe that a company has made a mistake. And to get the results they want, they might be rude, yell, or want to speak to someone in authority.

Handling these types of calls is easier when you can respond calmly and clearly. So today we’ll look at how to explain a problem and suggest a solution. We’ll cover ways to handle customers who yell, use crude language, or want to talk to a manager. Finally, we’ll discuss how handle things when your company has made a mistake.

In today’s lesson, we’ll hear more of a conversation between Diana, a Customer Care agent for a credit card company, and Jay Rothschild, an angry customer whose credit card was locked after he made a large purchase. Diana has already gotten Jay’s account information and is ready to start solving the problem.

Listening Questions

1. Why was Jay’s credit card locked?
2. Why does Jay want to speak to a manager?
3. How does Diana resolve the problem?

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