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BEP 81c – Meeting English: Action Points and Wrapping Up

Business English, English for Meetings, Intermediate English /

BEP 81c - Meeting English: Action Points and Wrapping Up

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on finishing a meeting in English. We’ll learn how to summarize action points and wrap up the meeting.

A well-run meeting can be productive and useful. But a poorly run meeting can leave everyone feeling like their time has been wasted. And one of the big differences between good and bad meetings is how they end.

A good meeting doesn’t slowly run out of energy. Instead, there’s a clear ending to it. And people come out of the meeting with a strong sense of purpose and a clear idea of what they need to do. Without a sense of purpose, people might feel like the meeting generated a lot of discussion but nothing more.

Giving a strong finish to a meeting isn’t actually that hard to do. First off, you need to be clear that the meeting is about to end. That gives people a chance to collect their thoughts. Next, you can summarize the action points and assign tasks. You may also want to emphasize how important they are to give some extra motivation. Then you can wrap up the meeting with some closing thoughts.

In today’s dialog, we’ll join a meeting at a bank. The team has been discussing some recent issues and future plans. You will hear Lisa provide a strong finish to the meeting with James, Bryan, Charles, and Cecilia.

Listening Questions

1. What question does Lisa ask the group before stating the action items?
2. What does Lisa emphasize about James planned action?
3. What does Lisa say to officially end the meeting?

Premium Members: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | PhraseCast | Lesson Module

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BEP 68c – English for Meetings: Dealing with Interruptions

Business English, English for Meetings, Human Resources, Intermediate English /

BEP 68c - English Meetings: Dealing with Interruptions

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s English for meetings lesson on how to deal with interruptions during a meeting.

Meetings are a very important part of work life. They are where decisions are made, relationships are built, and work is coordinated. When meetings go smoothly, they can feel very productive. But meetings can easily become messy and unfocused.

In many cases, people compete for time and attention during meetings. They interrupt each other to give new ideas, disagree, or try to get their way. Knowing how to deal with interruptions is a critical skill if you want to participate fully in a meeting.

Interrupting people is easier if you learn some useful phrases. You can also learn language to help you stop an interruption and finish what you were saying. In some cases, you might need to concede someone else’s point, either partly or fully. When we concede a point, we are saying “okay, you’re right.” Sometimes that’s the key to moving on after an interruption.

In today’s dialog, we’ll join a meeting at a manufacturing company. Bill is the production manager and Mei Lin and Sam work in HR. They are discussing staffing and recruiting for a new production line. Bill is keen to hire new staff, but Sam and Mei Lin want to explore alternative approaches so there’s a lot of disagreement and interrupting during the meeting.

Listening Questions

1. What does Bill say is the purpose of the meeting?
2. What is one of the expressions Mei Lin uses to interrupt Bill when he’s speaking?
3. What does Bill say to get back to what he was trying to say after being interrupted?

Premium Members: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | PhraseCast | Lesson Module

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Business English App for iOS – New Version Available

Announcements, Business English, Mobile Learning /

We’re excited to introduce Version 3.0 of our Business English by BEP app for Apple iOS is now available in the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/app/business-english-by-bep/id568878613

This release is our most significant update in years, and it brings a fresh new look, smoother performance, and a better learning experience from the moment you open the app.

Business English App for iOS - New Version 3.0 available

All-new interface and modern design
A cleaner, more intuitive layout makes lessons easier to find, navigate, and manage your learning.

Enhanced lesson screens with new audio player
You’ll now find improved audio controls at both the top and bottom of each lesson page.

Continuous audio playback
Move seamlessly between lesson pages and lists without stopping the audio.

Smarter search + continuous scrolling
The new search and scroll functions help you browse and discover content faster.

Dark Mode support
Reduce eye strain and enjoy a new look with Dark Mode compatibility.

Bug fixes, performance upgrades, and updated code
The app is now more stable, faster, and ready for future improvements.

Watch out for new lesson updates – available in both Android and Apple/iOS.

If you already have the app installed, simply update through the App Store.
If you’re new to BEP, now is the perfect time to start learning.

Download Business English by BEP for iOS
https://apps.apple.com/app/business-english-by-bep/id568878613

Skills 360 – Developing a Persuasive Approach (2)

Business English, Business Skills 360, Communication, Persuasion /

Skills 360 - Developing a Persuasive Approach in Business 2

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast as we continue our look at how to develop a persuasive approach in business.

To be persuasive in business, you need more than facts and logic, and you must also connect emotionally. People make decisions with both their minds and their hearts, so showing warmth and friendliness helps make them more open to your ideas.

You don’t need to be overly social; simply showing empathy and genuine interest in others is enough. Asking questions not only builds rapport but also gives you insight into what motivates people, allowing you to adapt your approach.

Emotions play a key role in persuasion. You can appeal to fear (“sales may drop if we don’t act”), hope (“this plan will give us our weekends back”), or pride (“this will make us leaders in our field”). Another powerful emotion is belonging – people want to feel part of a group or shared vision. You can use this by framing your message around teamwork or industry trends (“the whole industry is moving this way”).

A couple of useful techniques are contrasting and hyperbole. Contrasting means presenting two choices where one clearly supports your message. Adding hyperbole, or deliberate exaggeration, can also make your message more memorable (“this could be the most important decision in our company’s history”).

Persuasion isn’t purely an exercise in logic. It’s not just people’s minds that you need to consider, but also their hearts. That’s why we try to make a connection with them emotionally, or personally. We try to learn about them so we can adapt our approach. We appeal to a broad range of their emotions. And we use techniques like contrast and hyperbole to ramp up the impact of our ideas.

Members: Lesson Module | Quiz & Vocab | PDF Transcript

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