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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 English 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 21R – Telephoning: Opening Calls & Taking Messages

Business English, Intermediate English, Telephone English /

This is a remastered edition of BEP 21 released in commemoration of Clayton Lee, who wrote and hosted this series.

In this is Business English Podcast lesson, we look at essential language for making telephone calls in English. Some of the key language we cover in this lesson include, identifying yourself and the caller, stating the purpose of your call and leaving a message.

In the dialog, we’ll hear a telephone call about a contract between an aircraft manufacture and one of its suppliers, called Airtronics. Nathan Beale from the contracts department of the client is calling to ask about a proposal he is expecting from Airtronics. Time is very short for all the proposals to be received, and so far, the aircraft company hasn’t received anything from this supplier.

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BEP 230 – Presenting in English: Freestyle Q&A (2)

Business English, Communication, Presentation in English /

Presentation English - Question and Answers

In today’s Business English lesson, we continue our look at how to handle questions during your business English presentation.

Have you ever delivered a presentation to a quiet and happy audience that accepts everything you say and applauds at the end? Probably not. It doesn’t matter whether you’re presenting to a possible client, at a staff meeting, to a group of senior executives, or during a professional development event. Your audience will likely ask you questions throughout your presentation.

No matter how well you prepare, you’re going to have to think on your feet. That means you’ll have to step outside what you’ve rehearsed and deal with the questions as they come. You might know the answer, but then again you might not. The question might be about something you planned to talk about, but it might not. Your presentation will succeed or fail not just on how pretty your PowerPoint slides are, but on how well you handle the audience and their questions. And that’s what we’re looking at in this lesson.

The techniques we’ll hear today include clarifying a question, using a question to jump ahead in your presentation, and evading a difficult question. We’ll also learn how to separate multiple questions into parts as well as how to admit we don’t know the answer to a question.

In the dialog, we rejoin the publishing company where Amy is giving a presentation to senior executives, including Brenda and Dennis. Amy is explaining a potential overseas partnership with two Korean companies. Brenda and Dennis are asking her plenty of tough questions.

Listening Questions

1. What exactly is Brenda worried about at the start of the dialog?
2. How does Amy respond to Dennis’s question about licensing rights and terms?
3. Which question does Amy say she doesn’t have enough information to answer?

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BEP 229 – Presenting in English: Freestyle Q&A (1)

Business English, Communication, Presentation in English /

Presenting in English - Question and Answers

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on handling questions during a presentation in English.

So you’ve planned your presentation carefully and you’ve rehearsed it in front of the mirror. You walk into the room, you bring up your first slide, and you begin. But you’ve hardly finished your introduction when someone throws out a question. How do you deal with it?

You’d better be ready for this situation, because you know it’s coming. How often do people actually wait for you to finish before politely raising their hands and asking you questions? It just doesn’t happen. So you need to learn how to respond on the fly. You need to read the situation and react accordingly. Your presentation isn’t ruined if you know the right things to say and do.

Today we’ll look at some of the techniques we can use to handle questions and keep our presentation flowing. These techniques include anticipating questions before they’re asked, using a question to transition to another point, and buying time. We’ll also learn about dismissing a question that you’ve already answered and redirecting a question to the entire group.

In the dialog, we’ll hear part of a meeting in a publishing company. Amy is giving a presentation about a potential overseas partnership. Brenda and Dennis, two senior managers, are asking Amy some tough questions along the way.

Listening Questions

1. What does Amy anticipate that the audience might be wondering about?
2. Which topic does Amy have to ”˜buy time’ for before talking about it?
3. When Brenda asks about priorities, how does Amy deal with the question?

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VV 34 – Financial English Vocabulary: Macroeconomics (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Video, Finance and Accounting /
YouTube video

In this business English vocabulary lesson, we’ll look at some key macroeconomic terms related to consumers and prices. This includes ideas such as the income gap, the cost of living, and the consumer price index (CPI). We will also explore concepts such as inflation and purchasing power, as well as disposable income, household debt, and consumer spending.

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VV 33 – Financial English Vocabulary: Macroeconomics (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Video, Finance and Accounting /
YouTube video

In this business English vocabulary lesson, we’ll look at some key macroeconomic terms, such GDP and GNP. We’ll explore the natural business cycle, which includes periods of expansion, recession and sometimes even depression. We’ll also look at the idea of trade balance between countries, which can be described as either a trade surplus or a trade deficit.

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BEP 228 – Telephoning: Making Sales Calls in English (2)

Business English, Sales English, Telephone English /

Sales Call English

Welcome back to Business English Pod for the second part of our lesson on making sales calls.

Being successful in sales begins with getting your foot in the door. If you can sit down with someone in their workplace and show your product, or talk about your service, you’re more than halfway to making a sale. But if you don’t get the chance to sit down face to face, making the sale will be a lot harder.

There’s lots of advice out there about making cold calls in English. But usually you’ve got more to work with than just a phone number. A good lead might be someone you’ve talked to at an event, or someone you’ve been referred to by another customer or friend. So, you’ve got a name and number and perhaps a previous conversation or mutual acquaintance.

You call the person, you use your best professional greeting, you make a connection and you try to get them to talk about their company and their needs. Now comes the hard part. You need to make the next step and actually ask them to agree to meet with you. Today we’ll learn some great techniques that will help you get to that point. We’ll start with showing the value of your product or company, then we’ll cover asking for a meeting, dealing with a refusal, emphasizing the need to meet, and expressing gratitude.

In the dialog, we will hear the second part of a telephone conversation between Kate and Tina. Kate is a salesperson with a company called Thompson Medical. And Tina works at a dental office. Kate’s company sells machines called “autoclaves,” which are used to sterilize tools in medical clinics.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Kate mention ‘flexibility in the setup’?
2. How does Kate respond when Tina says that it’s hard to schedule a meeting?
3. What does Kate offer to do if Tina agrees to sit down and talk?

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