Lola goes for a coffee with Cayetano Tolosa, her colleague in the sales department, and is not sure if she can trust him.

There are three useful expressions in this chapter. Can you tell if someone has a HIDDEN AGENDA when they ask you to do something? Have you ever felt like a FISH OUT OF WATER? Do you know anybody who is currently LIVING BEYOND THEIR MEANS?

We spend some time discussing mental health at work, including relevant vocabulary such as MELTDOWN, PANIC ATTACK, NERVOUS BREAKDOWN and STIGMA.

And finally, we define the concept of IRONY. We explain why some people use it and why other people don’t understand it.

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

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Meet Park Jae-bong, one of the world’s most feared and admired cybercriminals, the man behind the recent attack on the Swiss life insurance company.

Let’s focus on the pronunciation of the past simple regular tense and make sure you recognize the difference in pronunciation of the following three words OBSERVED, CRASHED and CONCLUDED.

We also test you on some challenging interrogative structures. Two of the most misunderstood sentences in English are: WHAT DOES HE LOOK LIKE? and WHAT IS HE LIKE?

Finally, we explain the meaning and context of the useful idiom TO PUT YOURSELF IN SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOES.

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

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The Adventures of Lola Badiola is now available as a book.

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It includes complete transcripts, explanations and quizzes.

 So buy it now on Amazon, right here!

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One of Techspania’s most valuable clients, a Swiss life insurance company, is hit by a cyberattack. 

Let’s discuss some every day English expressions. How do you handle your boss when he or she is in a BAD MOOD? How much would you be willing to put ON THE LINE to get a promotion? Do you know your clients INSIDE OUT?

We also cover the most common phrasal verb in business English – TO DEAL WITH - a verb that native speakers use multiple times per day. We also explain the meaning and uses of TO SHUT DOWN and to COME TOGTHER.

Finally, we talk about three interesting business concepts. What are the benefits of BRAINSTORMING? What is a MONOPOLY and how does it negatively impact the consumer? And finally, how can you achieve a WORK-LIFE BALANCE?

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

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Lola starts her first day at JBlock and is asked to make a speech that she’s not prepared for.

In this chapter we talk about public speaking and how intimidating it can be for many people. We discuss what happens when your MIND GOES BLANK.

The chapter is full of useful phrasal verbs such as TO END UP, TO THROW UP and TO DAWN ON. 

And finally, we introduce the concept of INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION and observe how easy it is to misunderstand someone from a different business culture.

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

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Meet the team of international coders behind JBlock’s technology. And find out why they think salespeople, like Lola and Cayetano, are a waste of space. 

We focus on the pronunciation of words within the pharmaceutical sector such as BIOTECHNOLOGY, ANTIBIOTICS, PARACETAMOL and VIRUS.

In the vocabulary section we make a clear distinction between a DEGREE and a CAREER and between FREAKS and GEEKS. We also consider whether a person from the United States should be described as US citizen or an AMERICAN citizen.

Finally we cover a couple of important business concepts. Do you know what a P.O.C. is? Do you know what makes a good corporate SLOGAN?

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

www.gratton.es/club-gratton-info

Bring English into your life! 

And gain the language skills and confidence to succeed in international communication.

The Adventures of Lola Badiola is now available as a book.

It’s the perfect complement for this podcast.

It includes complete transcripts, explanations and quizzes.

 So buy it now on Amazon, right here!

Support the show

JJ Thomson and his associates at JBlock await the arrival of Lola Badiola, their new Commercial Director. But somebody in the company is already spreading rumours about her.

Let’s discuss the term OFFICE POLITICS. Is it something that you have experienced in your workplace? Did it impact you in any way? 

Let’s also discuss the purpose of a company’s MISSION STATEMENT. And let’s look at some examples of effective mission statements. 

And finally, we explain a couple of business expressions. Have you ever found yourself OPERATING IN A VACUUM?  Do you expect your new recruits to HIT THE GROUND RUNNING?

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

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Meet JJ Thomson, the American founder of JBlock, the tech start-up that Lola is going to join as the new Commercial Director. 

Let’s make sure you are familiar with these three common phrasal verbs. Do you always react immediately when your alarm clock GOES OFF? Do you have a Monday morning meeting where you RUN THROUGH the objectives of the week? How many difficult people do you have to DEAL WITH on a daily basis?

We also have a couple of idioms that you might find useful. If you feel like you don’t belong in a certain environment, you might be a ROUND PEG IN A SQAURE HOLE. If you don’t accept the traditional way of doing things, then you are a person that likes to CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO. 

Finally, we discuss the concept of a company’s CORE VALUES. Do you know what this term really means? Do you know your own company’s core values? 

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

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Lola now faces a dilemma. The CEO of her company doesn’t want her to resign. And he is not the kind of man you disagree with.

In this chapter we discuss the sensitive process of RESIGNING from a company, how do you leave on good terms if your colleagues don’t want you to go? We also explain the concept of MONOPOLY POWER, what it means and how companies can abuse their position in the market.

We do a brief review of COUNTABE vs. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS and help you avoid the common mistake with the word ADVICE. 

And finally, we introduce you to an interesting idiom, TO PULL SOME STRINGS, which is often used when referring to power and influence in business life.

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

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Lola’s direct boss is shocked by the news of her resignation, so he takes her to the 51st floor to meet with the CEO. Will they be able to persuade her to stay?

There are a couple of interesting business expressions in this chapter. We explain what a RAINMAKER is and the impact this person can have on a company’s revenues. We also discuss the idiom to BURN YOUR BOATS, its origin and how it can be applied to business situations.

We cover COMPOUND NUMBER ADJECTIVES - for example a “ten-minute meeting” – a grammar point that is often confused by advanced speakers.

And finally, we discuss some fundamental business concepts. Will your department beat their BUDGET this year? Will you hit your STRETCH TARGETS? And most importantly, will you be paid a BONUS?

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

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Meet Lola Badiola! A talented commercial director working in the technology sector who has decided to quit her safe corporate job to join a technology start-up. Has she made the right decision? 

This chapter is full of cool common expressions. We discuss the meaning of A DOG-EAT-DOG WORLD and consider to which industries this description applies. We explain what happens when you BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS and show you how to place yourself HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE THE REST.

Phrasal verbs are one of the biggest challenges for English language students, so we help you create a long-term strategy to dominate this grammar point. We also make sure you never confuse GET ON with GET IN and GET OFF with GET OUT OF when talking about modes of transport.

Finally, we consider an issue that is of vital importance to Human Resources departments - how to you retain your HIPOs (High Potential Employees).

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

www.gratton.es/club-gratton-info

Bring English into your life! 

And gain the language skills and confidence to succeed in international communication.

Support the show