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BEP 405 – English Idioms about Animals (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms /

BEP 405 LESSON - English Idioms about Animals (2)

Welcome back to Business English Pod the second part of our series on English idioms related to animals.

English can be a difficult language to learn. One reason, which you’ve likely discovered, is that there are so many different ways to say something. It’s not just a variety of individual words, but also the variety of idioms. Idioms can be tricky. You might hear someone say “it’s a dog eat dog world” and wonder: why are they talking about dogs?

In fact, a “dog eat dog world” is not about dogs at all. This is an idiom that describes a tough competitive environment. Just like the business world in which you’re trying to learn English so you can compete. English is full of expressions like this. And it turns out that we have dozens of idioms related to animals.

In this lesson, we’ll rejoin a conversation among three colleagues in a large corporation. Ruby, Dylan and Kyle have been discussing the Chief Investment Officer position in their company, as well as the world of investments. In their conversation they use many idioms related to animals. 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 Dylan describe his investment advisor’s work habits?
2. What does Ruby say to communicate to her colleagues that she doesn’t have special information to share?
3. What does Dylan believe the company needs to do to prove they’re serious about IT transformation?

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BEP 404 – English Idioms about Animals (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms /

BEP 404 LESSON - English Idioms about Animals (1)

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on English idioms related to animals.

Like all our lessons, this one is focused on language that you can use at work and in business. When you work like a dog, you can’t waste your time learning expressions you’ll never use. And when it comes to idioms, you should focus on the ones that are commonly used and widely understood. Like the one I just used: “to work like a dog.”

In fact, there’s a ton of idioms in English that mention animals, especially dogs. That’s probably because so many of us keep them as pets. But we’ve got idioms about cats, horses, snakes, fish, cows, bears and countless other animals. And learning these idioms can add to your language toolbox and make you sound more natural. Besides, a well-placed idiom can add a lot of impact to a sentence.

In this lesson, we’ll listen to a conversation between Dylan, Ruby, and Kyle – three colleagues in a large corporation. They’re talking about the Chief Investment Officer position in their company. They discuss the former person in the role, people who applied for the job, and the person who got it. In their conversation they use many idioms related to animals. See if you can spot some of these, and we’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. How does Ruby describe Greg, the person in finance who applied for the Chief Investment Officer job?
2. How does Dylan describe Brett, the former Chief Investment Officer?
3. What expression does Ruby use to describe the current challenging market?

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Business English News 55 – 2024 Global Economic Outlook

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

BEN 55 LESSON - 2024 Global Economic Outlook

In this Business English News lesson on the economic outlook for 2024, we look at business English vocabulary related to the global economy and finance.

At the start of every year, economists love to make predictions. But in such a volatile world, predictions are tough to make accurately. For 2023, many economists forecasted rising inflation and a “hard landing” for the global economy. But that didn’t happen. So, what’s in store for 2024? Will the challenges of 2023 snowball into a recession? Not according to MSN.com:

Although growth is estimated to be even slower in 2024, the worst is perhaps over and headwinds are expected to ease, analysts say. For next year, the IMF expects global gross domestic product to expand by 2.9 per cent, while the World Bank forecasts 2.4 per cent growth. “Looking at 2024, we anticipate uncertainty to persist, with sub-trend growth projected across the world’s economies,” State Street Global Advisor said in its 2024 Outlook report.

All of this amounts to what many people are anticipating as a “soft landing” for the U.S. economy. The fight against inflation isn’t over, and consumers are still taking it on the chin. But turning the inflationary tide didn’t require high unemployment, as is often the case.

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BEP 33c – Presentations: Summarizing and Call to Action

Business English, ESL Podcast, Presentations in English /

BEP 33c - English for Presentations: Summarizing and Call to Action

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to finish a presentation with a summary and a call to action.

An effective presentation is one that you remember. And an effective presenter is one who knows how to get information to stick and how to make a lasting impression on the audience. But for many people, that’s easier said than done. So how can you get your ideas to stick?

Well, there’s a simple structure that you can follow. That structure involves signaling that you’re going to end your presentation. Next, you can provide a summary of what you’ve discussed. Then you can make a call to action. And finally, you can thank your audience and invite questions. With this structure, you can make a strong finish to your presentation and a lasting impression.

Today we’ll listen to a presentation by Nick, a sales director for a steel company. Nick is giving a presentation about ideas for increasing sales, which have been rather disappointing. He uses several techniques to summarize and emphasize his key points. And he provides a strong finish to his presentation.

Listening Questions

1. What does Nick say to introduce the final summary of his main ideas?
2. What does Nick tell people he wants them to do near the end of the presentation?
3. What does Nick do to end his presentation?

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BEP 403 – Recruiting 2: Developing the Job Description

Business English, Human Resources, Job Interview English /

English for HR - BEP 403 - Developing the Job Description

Welcome back to Business English Pod for the second in our two-part series on recruiting. Today we’re going to focus on developing the job description.

In the current business climate, the competition for talent is fierce. People looking for work have an array of choices. And because company loyalty isn’t what it once was, people are apt to change jobs every few years. For these reasons, companies have to stay sharp when it comes to recruiting, not to mention retention.

So how can you find the “right” person for a job? Well, that begins with understanding the job itself. In our last lesson we looked at how to identify needs and changes to a role. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to develop a suitable job description, and progress on to the hiring phase of the recruiting process.

Developing the job description will require you to outline duties and responsibilities as well as key qualifications for the role. You’ll also have to describe the required experience and personality fit. And in the modern workplace, you’ll likely find yourself discussing in-person versus virtual modes of working.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin Steph, an HR manager, and Maya, a recruiter, as they talk with Josh. Josh is a marketing manager who’s looking to hire a new brand manager. They’ve discussed the role’s changing needs, and now they’re putting together a job description.

Listening Questions

1. What are the minimum qualifications for the role as far as education?
2. How many years of management experience is required for a successful candidate?
3. In terms of personality fit, what two characteristics does Josh say are desirable?

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