Business English Pod (9to5English) / ESL Podcast / Page 8

925 English – Lesson 2: Starting a Conversation

925 English, A2, Business English, English Video, ESL Podcast, Socializing /
YouTube video

In today’s 925 English lesson, we’re going to learn all about how to start a conversation in English.

Sometimes we call starting an English conversation “breaking the ice.” You can think of the “ice” as that initial silence between people. It could be between strangers on a plane or coworkers in a lunch room. And when we “break” the ice, we say something friendly to start a conversation. So how do you do that? What do you say? And what topics are best?

925 English will be a new business English podcast for beginner and intermediate learners. 925 English lessons will focus on chunks of language and English expressions that you can use in work and business. Each 925 English lesson will feature English phrases you can use in different situations and advice on why and how we use them in Business English.

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925English – Lesson 1: How to Say Hello in English

925 English, A2, Business English, English Video, ESL Podcast, Functions, Socializing /

925English Lesson 1 - How to Say Hello in English

This is a preview lesson from 925 English, a new series we’ll launch next year. Appropriately enough, we’re kicking off with a 925 English lesson on how to greet and say hello to colleagues and customers in English.

925English a new business English series for beginners (CEFR A1-A2) and lower intermediate (B1) English learners. 925 English lessons focus on chunks of language and English expressions that you can use in work and business. We get straight to the point with lots of examples. We give you phrases you can say in different situations and advice on why and how to use them.

So, it’s pretty easy to greet someone in English, isn’t it? We can say “good morning” or “hello” or just “hi.” And we might add something like “my name is Tim Smith,” or a question like “how’s it going?” But what’s the difference? How do we choose which greeting to use? Well, in business, like in life, it depends on the situation. That includes who we’re talking to and where we’re having the conversation. So let’s go through three situations and practice some appropriate ways of saying hello.

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BEP 213 – Presentation English: Presenting Visuals (2)

Business English, ESL Podcast, Presentations /

Presentation English Visuals PowerPoint Charts and Graphs

In this Business English Pod lesson, we continue our look at brining your visuals to life during a presentation in English.

Have you ever had to stare at a complicated chart and wished the presenter would just give you the main points? Or have you had someone try to explain a chart and tell you exactly what you can already see yourself? There are better ways to handle visual information and that’s what we’re going to look at in this lesson.

Charts and graphs are very useful for presenting information, especially numbers. But you must learn to use them carefully. If you don’t, your presentation might not have the effect you want. That might mean it’s seen as boring, but it could also mean that you fail to convince someone of your idea.

So how can we use visuals successfully? How can we bring them to life? Well, last week we looked at some ways to engage your audience using analogies and rhetorical questions. This week we’re going to introduce some more useful techniques, including using descriptive language and stating the gist of a graph. We’ll also learn how to set up a new visual, interpret a visual, and state the implications of information.

In today’s dialog, we rejoin David, a manager seeking support for his idea to consolidate logistics by building a new facility in China. In our last episode, we heard David introduce his plan to the finance department. Today, David will be presenting more information and visuals to support his plan.

Listening Questions

1. Why does David talk about the cost of warehousing and shipping?
2. What does the cost benefit analysis chart show?
3. What does Alison say about the future of the company?

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BEP 212 – Presentation English: Presenting Visuals (1)

Business English, ESL Podcast, Presentations /

English Presentation Visuals PowerPoint

In this Business English Pod lesson, we look at how to bring your visuals to life in a presentation in English.

We’ve all sat through some pretty boring presentations. And in those presentations, we’ve all seen complex charts and graphs that tell us either way too much or nothing at all. For the most part, visuals aren’t naturally interesting or informative. It’s what we do with them that is important.

You can’t just put a graph on a screen and then explain each point on the graph. And you can’t put up a table of figures and then read out each column and row. What you really need to do is tell the story of the data and to bring the visuals to life. What should people focus on? What is the important number on the screen? What does the graph actually tell us?

Bringing visuals to life is necessary if you want to give effective presentations. We’ll look at how to do this today. In this lesson, we’ll cover several important functions, including using analogy, defining terms, using rhetorical questions, and highlighting key numbers.

You will hear David, an engineer in a manufacturing company. He’s giving a presentation to members of the finance department. His purpose is to explain a new plan that he hopes to get financed.

Listening Questions

1. Why does David ask the listeners about traveling to work?
2. Which important term does David define for the listeners?
3. What is David’s idea for shipping?

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BEP 211 – Business English Idioms: Colors (2)

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Welcome back to Business English Pod for this lesson on English idioms. Today we’re going to be talking about English idioms related to color.

What do I mean by ‘colorful idioms’? I mean expressions that either use the word ‘color’, or mention a specific color. English is full of these expressions. We have color idioms that describe people, moods, situations, activities, and frequency. We even have some that relate specifically to money and finances.

That’s right. Color is important in all parts of life, including business. Just ask your tailor. He might advise you to wear a dark blue suit to show authority, a grey suit to convey security, or a brown suit to show openness. So, just as you should pay attention to color in your clothes, you should be mindful of color in your speech.

In today’s lesson, we’ll continue with a conversation between Mike and Rachel. They’re talking about the possibility of Rachel changing positions, and her interview experience. In their conversation, you will notice that both Mike and Rachel use several business English idioms related to color. Make a note of these idioms, and we’ll go through the conversation again and look at what they mean.

Listening Questions

1. Why was Rachel embarrassed at her interview?
2. What did Rachel accomplish that Mike is impressed by?
3. What does Mike think Rachel should decide about the job offer?

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