Business English Pod

When you think of projects, what comes to mind? You might think of something quite complicated and extensive, like the new office project we’ll be hearing about today. But in fact, most of the tasks we do in business are part of a project. Even something as simple as writing a proposal is a project [...]

At long last, here’s the actual video version of this episode. Since the audio only version seems to be going down well, we’ll keep it online so listeners have a choice.
Video Vocab is a series of short videos explaining the meaning of important business terms related to many of the topics that are part of [...]

Negotiations don’t always go according to plan. Disagreement is part of life. But to build lasting relationships, coping with failure is even more important than celebrating success. So in this show, we’ll examine a deal that does not get completed. We’ll look at making a final offer as well as expressing dissatisfaction and regret. In [...]

In this Business English Pod lesson we’re going to look at how to clarify and evaluate positions during a negotiation.
An important part of any discussion is making our position clear; at the same time, we must make sure we understand the other side’s point of view. Achieving mutual understanding can help us save money by [...]

In this Business English Pod episode, we’ll be completing our discussion of charts and graphs by studying language for making predictions and for supporting your predictions with analysis. We’ll also look at a couple of advanced ways to rhetorically emphasize a point. Rhetorical means using words effectively to get your message across.
Today’s listening continues [...]

In this episode from our e-Book on presenting in English, we’ll look at how to describe the trends show by a chart or graph. To get the background to the presentation and to review language for introducing visuals, you can refer back to BEP 103 - Charts and Trends 1.
A trend is the general direction [...]

Today’s podcast continues our series on business vocabulary, with a special focus on collocations or word partnerships. By focusing on words that are commonly used together you can improve your vocabulary and also your ability to understand your English-speaking colleagues.
When you think of “office administration”, what are the first things that come to mind? They [...]

As part of our series on job interviews, in this Business English Pod episode we’ll be taking a closer look at the process from the HR perspective. Specifically, we’ll be studying the language of reaching a decision about whom to hire.
A Brazilian business unit of fast moving consumer goods company Fun Beverages has recently interviewed [...]

Congratulations! You were successful in your first job round interview, and you have been called back for a second interview. What should you expect? The key word is more - there will be more questions, more pressure - and, of course, more likelihood that you will get the job.
An important function of second-round job [...]

This is part of an ongoing series on negotiations. In this Business English Podcast episode, we’ll study how to open a traditional commercial negotiation between buyer and seller. We’ll focus on creating goodwill, starting off, setting ground rules, suggesting an agenda and exploring possibilities.
We’ll be listening to a telephone conversation between Tony, a supplier [...]

This Business English Podcast episode on relationship building is part of an ongoing series on negotiation skills.
In negotiation, establishing a good relationship based on trust makes it possible to jointly search for creative solutions, to overcome blockage and even to turn conflict into a productive force.
Both Peter and Maxine are owners of local telecommunication services [...]

As we’ve discussed in other episodes on job interviews, one goal of the person conducting the interview is to get you to “let your guard down.” Often, after a series of “warm-up questions,” the interviewer will give you a tough question. This will likely come “out of the blue,” that is, unexpectedly. We call these [...]

You’ve had your first and second interviews, you’ve performed well, and you’ve been selected. You’re one of the lucky few - you’ve succeeded: You’ve got a job offer in hand. But now comes one of the hardest parts of the whole process - negotiating your salary. If you make a mistake here, all of your [...]

This is the second in a two-part advanced business English lesson on negotiation strategy. It is part of a longer series of podcasts on the language and skills of negotiating in English.
In the first episode, management consultant Bryan Fields discussed the basics of making a deal. We learned how to avoid some top common [...]

This is the beginning of a new Business English Podcast series on the skills and language of negotiating in English for ESL. We'll explore the topic of negotiations in a series of podcasts that examine several typical business negotiations and the language used in each stage of the process.

In this Business English Podcast lesson, we'll be studying some phrases and vocabulary that you can use to discuss the economy and economic issues, including voicing and reassuring concerns.

In most parts of the world, having lunch or dinner together is an important part of doing business. In places such as North America, eating meals is a way of building a relationship or celebrating a partnership. And in other cultures, such as China, much of the real work of making deals actually often gets [...]

This is the second in a two-part Business English Podcast lesson on resolving conflict, in which we’ve been focusing on solving everyday disagreements in the office. Ben, a new training specialist at a manufacturing company, feels that he is doing an unfair share (that is, too much) of the work in his department. Gerry, Ben’s [...]

People do not always get along, so dealing with conflict is part of any job. And as often as not, work disagreements get resolved as much as in informal discussions in the hallway, as they do in the conference room. So, in this two-part series on resolving conflict, we’ll be studying useful language for discussing [...]

In this Business English Pod episode, we’ll be focusing on the language of taking an order and discussing standard terms, such as delivery time, payment method, and so on.
The listening takes us back to the Foxtrot showroom in Las Vegas. As you’ll recall, Foxtrot is the American distributor for Viva, an Italian clothing, or [...]