When companies want to buy a product or service they
may request quotes, proposals or tenders from a group
of suppliers. In this podcast, Claire and Andy discuss
the differences between these processes as well as
the interesting idioms that English speakers use when discussing proposals and quotes.

Proposals and Quotes Podcast

Listen to podcasts of native English speakers to improve your understanding of spoken English in the business environment. 

Transcripts of each podcast are available for download.

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Podcast episode 21 is about motivating your team. A common term for this topic in the business world today is employee engagement. Money is an important factor for job satisfaction, but it isn’t the only motivator for employees. In this session we talk about creating opportunities for flexibility and autonomy, participation in professional development, and focusing on employee strengths.
Motivating Your Team.mp3
Download File
If your company is focussing on employee engagement, it is a good idea to become familiar with writing your own SMART objectives and supporting your team to write their own with the help of our Motivating Your Team PDF package.

Motivating Your Team

In podcast episode 20 we look at different situations in the workplace that can cause stress or anxiety for people and the ways that companies can help to manage these transitions. There are different types of change that can affect organizations: individual change, departmental change and company-wide change.

If your company is going through a transition and you need to communicate with employees to help manage the changes, it is a good idea to practice using verb structures for giving advice and recommendations with the help of our Managing Change PDF Package.

Managing Change Podcast

In podcast episode 19 we talk about getting ahead in business. This includes some tips to help you get noticed by your boss. We discuss five main areas to focus on: 
1) training and development; 
2) professionalism and courtesy; 
3) prioritising and delegating; 
4) volunteering and networking;  
5) highlighting your achievements. 
If you want to show your boss or senior management that you've got what it takes to advance in the company, it is a good idea to define your personal objectives for getting ahead. You can also practice giving advice to coworkers with future real conditional with the help of our Getting Ahead PDF Package.

Getting Ahead Podcast

This podcast focuses on office politics you may encounter in your work environment. We talk about some of the different workplace situations and how to diffuse potential conflicts. We also look at the different personality types (such as the bully, whiner, jobsworth & maverick) and suggest strategies for getting along with these coworkers.

If you are facing challenges with difficult colleagues in your workplace you can write down examples of their behaviour and talk about it with a coworker before going to your Manager. Review tenses and aspects as you write about a sample workplace situation with the help of our Workplace Politics PDF package.

Workplace Politics Podcast

In this podcast we talk about job search advice for people immigratring to Canada, United Kingdom and Australia. The advice and information in this podcast is based on our experiences living and working in these countries. A detailed list of helpful Web sites and resources can be found in the worksheet that accompanies this podcast.

If you are thinking of moving to an English speaking country, part of your job search research may include contacting professional or trade organizations to ask for advice. Practice using phrasal verbs to write inquiry emails with the help of our Job Search Abroad PDF package.

Proposals and Quotes Podcast

Download our free app to listen on your phone