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BEP 29c – Meetings in English: How to Disagree

Business English, English for Meetings, Functions, Intermediate English /

Welcome back to Business English Pod This lesson is the second part of our series on agreeing and disagreeing. Today we’re going to look at how to disagree.

In the board room or the break room, it’s great to be able to support other people’s ideas by agreeing. But you won’t get far in business if you just agree with everything. You need to be able to disagree confidently and politely. Only then can you convince people that you have an even better idea.

In this lesson, we’re going to talk about how to disagree in meetings in English. Sometimes you’ll need formal polite expressions, and sometimes you can use shorter more informal expressions. And to take things to the next level, you can learn how to disagree using the “yes… but” approach. Another effective technique is to use questions to disagree. As you can see, you’ve got lots of options for disagreeing.

In today’s dialog, we’re going to listen again to a conversation between Gene, Louis, and Carina. They work for a pharmaceutical, or drug company, and they’re talking about the tests of a new drug. During their conversation, they use many different expressions for disagreeing

Listening Questions

1. How does Carina start her first statement to show she disagrees?
2. What negative question does Carina use to show disagreement about the test results?
3. How does Gene disagree with Carina’s statement that there may still be issues with the new drug?

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BEP 396 – Strategic Decision-Making (2)

Advanced, Business English, Management English /

BEP 396 LESSON - Strategic Decision-Making 2

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on making strategic decisions. This is the second of a pair of lessons on business strategy.

According to the old saying, good ideas are a dime a dozen. There’s no shortage of possibilities in business. But not all those ideas and possibilities are equal. You have to be able to sort out which ones are the right fit for your business. Given limited time, resources, and capacity, you can’t chase after every shiny new thing that comes along.

This is where strategy comes in. Strategy helps you separate the excellent business opportunities from all the merely good ideas. Strategy allows you to say yes to the right ones, and no to the rest. Without a strategic perspective, companies are doomed to go the way of Blockbuster.

Strategic decision-making involves asking whether your company is the right company to pursue the idea. That means assessing whether it plays to your strengths and fits with your brand. It also means discussing the opportunity costs, or the things you’ll be giving up to pursue the new idea. And any new opportunity has to have long-term potential. It can’t just be a flash in the pan.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin Paolo, Adrian, and Michelle, who work for a solar panel company. The company has traditionally focused on commercial projects. Now they’re discussing whether it’s a good idea – strategically speaking – to get into the residential market.

Listening Questions

1. Why is Adrian concerned about the opinions of residential customers?
2. What does Adrian say is the focus of their company’s brand?
3. What is Michelle’s concern about the idea of providing energy audit services?

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BEP 395 – Strategic Decision-Making (1)

Advanced, Business English, Management English /

BEP 395 LESSON - Making Strategic Decisions 1

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on strategic decision-making. This is the first of a pair of lessons on business strategy.

Every day, business leaders face tough decisions that involve difficult trade-offs. Should we put our time and money into a new opportunity or build capacity in our current operations? Should we partner with company X or company Y? Should we expand east or west?

These decisions are often informed by an overall corporate strategic plan. But that plan can’t account for all possible futures. Big picture plans don’t make the decisions but rather support decision-making. And when the world seems more uncertain, complex, and volatile than ever, the stakes are high for every decision.

There’s lots to consider when making a strategic decision. For starters, we need to think about how the decision aligns with our main goals. For new opportunities, we need to think about growth potential, costs, and profit margins. And we need to be sure we have the right competitive advantage to pursue the opportunity.

In today’s dialog, we’ll listen to a conversation between Paolo, Adrian, and Michelle. They work for a solar panel company that has focused on commercial projects and corporate clients. Now they’re debating the strategic merits of a possible move into the residential market.

Listening Questions

1. After talking about overall goals, what does Paolo get very excited about?
2. What topic does Adrian have many questions about?
3. At the end of the conversation, why does Paolo believe they will be successful in the residential market?

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BEP 28c – Meetings in English: How to Agree

Business English, English for Meetings, Functions, Intermediate English /

BEP 28c - Meetings in English: How to Agree

Welcome back to Business English Pod. Today’s lesson is the first in a series about agreeing and disagreeing in meetings in English. This is part of a broader project to take another look at some of our older lessons.

Success in business can depend on how your opinions align with other people’s ideas. For this reason, agreeing and disagreeing are essential communication skills. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the board room, the meeting room, or the staff room, you need to know how to agree and disagree effectively.

Today, we’re going to focus on agreeing. In fact, there are many ways to agree with someone! Sometimes we want to use a short expression. Sometimes we need something longer and more polite. Sometimes we want to show energy and enthusiasm. And sometimes we want to use an example or repeat someone else’s idea. It really depends on the situation.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear a conversation between three people who work for a pharmaceutical, or drug company. Gene, Louis, and Carina are talking about the results of a new trial for a drug called Zorax. In their conversation, they use many different expressions for agreeing.

Listening Questions

1. How does Louis agree with the idea that the drug will be a “big seller?”
2. What is one word that means “excellent” or “very good” that is used to agree?
3. What idea does Gene repeat with emphasis at the end of the conversation?

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Business English News 52 – ChatGPT

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

Business English News 52 - ChatGPT

In this Business English News lesson we look at business English vocabulary related to artificial intelligence and ChatGPT.

For a while, it seemed like the hype around artificial intelligence had died down. But a recent development in AI has taken the world by storm. It’s called ChatGPT, and unless you live in a cave, you’ve surely heard about it. But what exactly is it? As the Guardian explains:

Trained by AI and machine learning, ChatGPT is designed to provide information and answer questions through a conversational interface. OpenAI said the new AI was created with a focus on ease of use. “The dialog format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.”

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BEP 394 – English Idioms about Body Parts (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, ESL Podcast /

BEP 394 - English Idioms about Body Parts (2)

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on business English idioms based on the human body.

In your time studying English have you ever heard the expression “to learn something by heart?” Maybe you had to learn an English song by heart. Or maybe it was verb conjugations, or a list of vocabulary that your teacher made you learn “by heart.” And maybe you know that learning something by heart means memorizing it, which is kind of strange when you consider our memory is in our brain, not our heart!

But “to learn by heart” is an idiom. And English has thousands and thousands of idioms. It’s one thing that makes English really hard to learn. But you’ll find that English idioms tend to rely on certain themes or metaphors, like body parts. And today we’ll look at some idioms that refer to brains, ears, hearts, hands, lips, fingers, and even heels.

In this lesson, we’ll rejoin a conversation between Maria and Trevor. They are friends and former colleagues who are meeting for coffee to chat about their work situations. In their conversation they use many different idioms related to human body parts. See if you can spot some of these idioms as you listen, and I’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. How does Maria describe her CEO?
2. What does Trevor say when Maria tells him she has a secret?
3. What has Maria seen happen to other companies that makes her afraid of starting her own?

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BEP 393 – English Idioms about Body Parts (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms /

BEP 393 - English Idioms about Body Parts (1)

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on English idioms related to different parts of the body.

Now you probably already know that when I said “head over to” the website, I meant you should go look at the website. Even if you didn’t know that particular expression, you could probably guess the meaning from my sentence. “Head over to” is a kind of idiom, and English has a lot of idioms, as you’ve probably noticed!

In fact, there are many common sources of idioms. And one interesting source is the human body. There are a few body parts in particular that have generated a lot of idioms. English has dozens of idioms just with the words “head” and “hands.” But there are idioms using all different parts of the body, and that’s what we’re going to learn about today.

In this lesson, we’ll listen to a conversation between two friends and former colleagues: Maria and Trevor. They’re meeting for coffee and are eager to catch up after not seeing each other for a while. Maria and Trevor talk about their different work situations. During their conversation, they use many English idioms related to the human body. See if you can spot some of these as we go through the dialog, and we’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. How does Trevor agree with Maria’s assessment of her old boss Roger?
2. How does Maria describe her ten years of working at Trevor’s company?
3. What does Maria say about the attitude of the people she works with?

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Skills 360 – Keeping your Career on Track (2)

Business English, Business Skills 360, Human Resources /

Business English Skills 360 - Keeping your Career on Track 2

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on how to restart your career and keep it on track.

With the current job market being so uncertain, it’s a great opportunity to make a change, whether that means a new job in your current career track or a whole new career.

When considering a change, it’s important to think long and hard about what you really want to do. Be honest with yourself about how well your current job aligns with your ambitions. If you’re feeling unfulfilled, take the time to imagine what a more rewarding career might look like. If you’re not sure what that is, do some research and talk to people you know about what they do. The right job may be out there waiting for you, but you need to be able to recognize it.

When searching for a new job, don’t just focus on interests, skills, and rewards. Think about the kind of workplace you want and what a good work-life balance looks like. It’s also important to consider learning opportunities and advancement potential. Smart companies understand that people are looking for the right culture fit as well as suitable compensation and benefits.

Once you’ve figured out what you want, it’s time to update your resume and prepare for interviews. Make sure to include any new training, skills, and achievements. Remember, the world has changed, and digital literacy, collaboration, and a growth mindset are all important factors to consider. Also, review your online presence and make sure your Facebook privacy settings are tight and your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date.

Overall, this is a great time to think about a job that does more than just pay the bills. Look for a job and culture that aligns with the life you want. With so many openings, it’s a golden opportunity to find the right job for you.

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