Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on making arrangements on the telephone.

Communication can be hard enough with a person who’s right in front of you. It gets even harder when you’re on the telephone and you can’t see the person. And if it’s all in a language other than your native language, well let’s just say things aren’t easy!

When talking on the telephone, clarity is critical. You can see how important it is to be clear when you make arrangements. If you’re talking about times and places and making plans, confusion could lead to missed appointments, missed flights, or missed opportunities.

Some skills are useful in all phone conversations, like asking if someone is busy when you call them. Other skills are especially useful for making arrangements, like interrupting someone to confirm information and asking about preferences. You might also have to reassure people and show flexibility when making arrangements.

In today’s dialog, we’ll join a telephone conversation between Marco and Adriana. Marco works for an Italian fashion company called Viva. Adriana works for Foxtrot, Viva’s distributor in the U.S. Marco is calling to make arrangements for a visit to the U.S. for an expo, or trade show.

Listening Questions

1. What does Marco ask Adriana before he begins discussing their travel arrangements?

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Welcome back to Business English Pod. With the World Cup underway, we’re taking another look at one of our lessons on English idioms related to football.

People have been competing in and watching some form of sports for thousands of years. Sports enduring popularity has helped it grow into a $2.3 trillion a year industry. And it’s expected to just keep on growing.

Among all sports, there’s one that is far and away the most popular, and that’s football, or soccer. Almost half the global population counts themselves as fans of the sport. So it’s no wonder that something this popular has impacted the English language.

Listen to any conversation in a sales meeting, around the water cooler, in the boardroom, or over drinks between colleagues and you’re guaranteed to hear idioms related to football. These idioms are so common that most people don’t think for a second about where they came from. They’re just a natural part of everyday language.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin Marilyn and Karl, two colleagues at a publishing firm. They are talking about Karl’s interest in a job at the company’s Sydney branch. Karl is hoping Marilyn can help him decide whether to apply for the job.

Listening Questions

1. How does Karl’s wife feel about moving to Sydney?

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Welcome back to Business English Pod. With the World Cup about to kick off, we’re taking a fresh look at one of our lessons on business English idioms related to football.

What do you call an activity where groups of people compete strategically against each other as they strive to be the winner? I mean an activity with a clear goal where success requires strong teamwork and a commitment to excellent performance? Some of you might be thinking about sports. Some of you might be thinking about business. Well, you’re both right.

There are so many obvious similarities between sports and business, it’s no wonder that we see the language of sport come into play in the corporate world. And there’s a particular type of language that we’re going to focus on in this lesson, called idioms. Just like the expression “come into play,” which means to be involved or to be a factor in something.

Now when I say “football,” I’m referring to the game with the round ball that players kick into a net past a goalkeeper. It’s what North Americans tend to call “soccer,” to differentiate it from their own game of football, which is a whole different ball game altogether! Internationally, football – or soccer – is the most popular sport in the world. So it’s no wonder it has inspired so many idioms commonly used in business.

In the dialog, we’ll hear Karl and Marilyn, two friends who work at a publishing company. Karl is thinking about applying for a job at the company’s Sydney office. He has some doubts though, so he asks Marilyn what she thinks.

Listening Questions

1. How does Karl describe his approach to his career?

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Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast as we continue our look at strategic planning.

A strong strategic plan begins with a clear vision. A vision statement describes what a company wants to achieve in the future and provides inspiration and direction. It helps employees understand the company’s long-term goals and keeps everyone focused on a shared purpose.

Along with a vision statement, most companies also have a mission statement. The mission explains what the company does, who it serves, and how it operates. A clear mission helps guide decision-making by showing what the company values and what is most important to its success.

Once a company understands its vision and mission, it can decide how to achieve them. Strategic planning is not about creating a long list of possible actions. Instead, it requires making choices about which actions will have the greatest impact. This means setting priorities and accepting that not every opportunity can be pursued.

To improve strategic focus, companies should ask important questions. For example, which investments will create new opportunities? What is the best approach to growth? What new skills or strengths are needed to stay competitive? And how can major challenges or threats be addressed?

Answering these questions helps leaders choose the best strategies and set clear priorities. Strategic thinking involves learning from past experience, understanding changes in the market, and recognizing that resources are limited.

A good strategic plan also includes clear and measurable goals. These goals help employees understand what success looks like and allow the company to track its progress. When goals are measured and rewarded, teams are more likely to focus their efforts on achieving them.

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Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast as we look at strategic planning.

Many people think strategic planning is simply writing a document about business goals for the next few years. However, real strategic planning is much more than that. It is about asking important questions related to a company’s vision, mission, values, and long-term direction.

Strategic planning helps bring people together around a shared purpose. When teams and departments understand the same goals, they can work more effectively and see how their work fits into the bigger picture. This is why understanding the company, its people, its market position, and its business environment is very important.

A key part of strategic planning is gathering the right information. Companies should not only look at their own performance, but also compare it with competitors. Businesses also need to think about future trends and changes in the market.

One common tool used in strategic planning is the SWOT analysis, which stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Instead of simply making long lists, companies should focus on the most important areas and ask deeper questions. For example, businesses should think about which strengths are most valuable and whether those strengths will remain important in the future.

Another useful tool is the PESTLE analysis, which looks at political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors. This approach helps companies understand outside forces that may affect future business decisions.

Strategic planning should not involve only senior leaders. Strong companies include employees, customers, and partners in discussions and analysis. By collecting different ideas and information, businesses can create a clear vision and set better priorities for the future.

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Welcome back to Business English Pod for the third lesson in our series on English for logistics. In this lesson, we’ll focus on duties, tariffs, and other cost factors.

There was a time when logistics was a lot simpler than it is today, when economies were not nearly so interconnected. But in the second half of the 20th century, governments took down barriers to international trade. Soon companies were relying on complex supply chains stretching around the world, as they outsourced production and sold their goods abroad.

With so many moving parts to these modern supply chains, it can be challenging to control costs. You’re likely paying several different companies involved in moving and storing goods across oceans and continents and through the air. Each of those companies is trying to make a buck. And in many cases, you’re also moving things across borders, which means you need to consider duties and tariffs – the taxes governments charge on imported goods.

Talking about costs involves specific terminology used in logistics. But you’ll need to know about more than just tariffs, duties, and other taxes. You’ll also have to speak about regulations and compliance. And any conversation about costs will likely involve the vocabulary of risk, as you try to minimize the chances of something going wrong.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin a conversation between Cam and Anna. Cam is a production manager with a clothing company, while Anna works for a logistics firm. Cam is getting Anna’s support with moving their clothing lines from manufacturers in Eastern Europe to markets in the United States.

Listening Questions

1. What does Anna say are the biggest factors in discussing customs?

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Welcome back to Business English Pod for the second lesson in our series on English for logistics. In this lesson, we’re going to focus on routing and capacity.

Look at the labels of the items on your desk or in your home and you’ll appreciate just how critical international trade is. It’s easy to take it all for granted and forget that the entire system depends on a very complex supply chain. Until, of course, politics gets in the way, and suddenly the whole world is thinking about logistics!

Getting products and materials from point A to point B involves a lot of moving parts and a lot of important decisions. Manufacturers and retailers’ business models depend on optimizing logistics. And central to that work is figuring out routing, or the particular pathway of shipments, as well as storage and capacity.

Talking about routing requires special vocabulary related to transportation. You will also need to talk about how cargo is handled and how it is stored, or warehoused. And in discussing these matters, you’ll find it useful to keep a broad perspective and be able to reject options that aren’t quite right.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin a conversation between a production manager named Cam and a logistics manager named Anna. Cam’s company, Boston Vintage, manufactures clothing in Eastern Europe for distribution in several parts of the world. Boston Vintage is working with Anna’s company, Global Freight Express, to support their complex logistics needs.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Cam reject the regular “carrier loop” as an option for transporting their goods?

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Welcome back to Business English Pod for the first lesson in our new series on English for logistics. In this lesson, we’re going to focus on discussing modes of transport and shipping options.

In international business, products rarely stay in one place for long. They move between suppliers, warehouses, ports, and customers across different countries and time zones. To manage all this successfully, we need to learn the language of logistics.

Discussing logistics effectively starts with understanding and using key logistics vocabulary. This includes terms related to shipping schedules, transport arrangements, documentation, and responsibilities. If we’re comfortable with the language, we can discuss plans clearly and confidently in real business situations.

For starters, there are several basic logistics terms that everyone should know. From there, you can talk about different transport modes and incoterms, which define responsibilities of different players in the movement of goods. And as we plan and negotiate, it’s useful to be able to state your priorities.

In today’s dialog, we’ll join a conversation between Cam and Anna. Cam is a production manager with Boston Vintage, an American clothing company with manufacturing in eastern Europe. Anna is a logistics manager with Global Freight Express. Anna has been hired to help Boston Vintage with its complex logistics needs.

Listening Questions

1. What are the different “modes” of transport that Cam and Anna discuss?

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Learn business English for meetings with our new Meeting Essentials eBook.

We’re pleased to announce the 3rd edition of our Meeting Essentials eBook, with updated lessons and audio.

If you use English in meetings, this eBook will help you communicate more clearly and confidently. Meeting Essentials is an 11-unit audio eBook that teaches the key language you need for a wide range of meeting situations, from informal team discussions to formal business meetings.

You’ll learn how to express opinions, agree and disagree, make suggestions, and clarify ideas. The course also covers how to run meetings effectively, including starting the meeting, managing the discussion, dealing with interruptions, and closing with clear action points.

Each lesson features realistic dialogs, clear explanations, and practical language you can apply immediately in the workplace. The 3rd edition includes updated content, new explanations, and newly produced audio recordings available in PDF and MP3 format.

All eBooks are included with premium membership, or you can purchase the eBook for $15.95.

We’re excited to announce the 3rd edition of our Presentation Essentials eBook, now with updated lessons and new audio.

If you need to present in English, this eBook will help you build the language and skills you need to present with confidence. Presentation Essentials is an 8-unit audio eBook designed to help you communicate clearly, confidently, and effectively in English presentations.

The lessons cover the full presentation process. You’ll learn how to open and structure your business English presentation, use clear signposting language, and guide your audience through your ideas. You’ll also develop language for describing charts and trends, explaining data, and highlighting key trends.

In the final units, we focus on finishing off your presentation and handling questions. You’ll learn how to summarize your message, deliver a clear call to action, and manage the Q&A session.

Each lesson includes realistic dialogs, clear explanations, and practice activities, along with downloadable PDF transcripts and MP3 listening files.

All eBooks are included with premium membership, or you can purchase the eBook for $15.95.