The Art of Business English

Hi again, Andrew here and welcome to another episode of the Art of Business English. This week we have a special episode on how to go through an effective decision-making process.

If you are like me, then you have to make a lot of decisions at work and many of these are in the form of problem solving. If you find yourself frustrated by a lack of effective problem solving and decision-making procedures at work, then you won’t want to miss this episode.

As with most things, decision making and problem solving are skills that can be learnt over time. If you have the right process to follow, then you can make your problem solving and decision making much more effective and rewarding.

So, in today’s episode we will be look at the following:

1. The decision-making process
2. Some common decision-making language
3. Final tips on how to implement the decision-making process in your organisation

Let’s kick things off by going over the decision-making process.

Hello and welcome to the Art of Business English. Well for those of us in the northern hemisphere it is August and most of us are heading off on holidays. If you haven’t already checked out our previous episodes on travel then take a look, I will put a link to them in the show notes. In today’s episode I want to share some travel idioms with you, so that you can impress your friends and family with your English knowledge.

Just imagine, you’re on an overseas trip where English is required to communicate and get around, and you bust out some of these expressions and idioms. You can impress your children, friends or family members with your dazzling array of English language skills and then share the translation with them.

So, in today’s episode we will be look at the following:

1. Useful travel idioms for your next trip.
2. Translations and contextual examples.
3. Final tips on how to start using these expressions.

Let’s get started with some useful and interesting travel expressions and idioms.

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Art of Business English. Recently, one of my students was promoted to a new position. He will be required to show guests around the factory and explain the different areas and processes. So, I decided to put together this episode for him and for those of you who may have to do the same thing. Today, we will be covering how to give a guided tour and how to show people around your company.

Remember, if you have an area of business that you would like help with, then don’t hesitate to contact me, I would love to help you out and prepare an episode just for you. Many other people will also benefit from this so keep it in mind.

So, let’s take a look at what we are going to cover in today’s episode.

1. Tips for preparing the tour
2. How to start the tour
3. Useful expressions during the tour
4. How to bring the tour to a close

So, let’s not waste any time and get straight into it.

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Art of Business English. This week we are going to continue with our series on travel, specifically at the airport. This week we are going to look at passing the security check and the type of questions you may be asked as well as what typical expressions and vocabulary you hear when boarding and departing on your trip.

The aim of this lesson is to help you understand all the different questions you are asked and make you feel comfortable with the type of language we hear at the airport. If you are like me then passing security can be very stressful. Personally, I hate the sensation of being profiled at the scanner and then when they pull you aside and want to look in your bag, then it can be very nerve racking.

So, in today’s lesson you will learn the following:

1. Vocabulary and expressions at security and departing
2. Typical questions you are asked and how you can answer them
3. Some final tips for the trip

Right, let’s get started with some vocabulary and expressions.

I hope you're having a great week and it's wonderful to have you back for another episode of The Art of Business English. I have just returned from two amazing weekends away. Last weekend I was in Berlin attending a music festival and the weekend before I was in Paris catching up with old friends. While I was in Paris I managed to interview a fantastic friend of mine Alison Meston, who shared her experience with finding her identity and living abroad.

Alison is Australian, however she is the daughter of Scottish immigrants and today she shares with us her experience growing up in Australia as an immigrant child, her return to Scotland to find her identity and finally her move to Paris where she has lived for the past decade.

She also shares with us her experience leaning a foreign language and offers some tips on how people can improve their English.

So sit back and relax and get ready to enjoy an entertaining and personal interview here at the AOBE.

Hi everyone, welcome back to The Art of Business English. With the holiday season quickly approaching I thought that it would be a good time to help you with your time at the airport. In today’s episode we are going to be looking at vocabulary and expressions to help you check in to a flight when you’re at the airport.

I am sure many of you know that this part of the journey can be a little stressful, lots of people, loads of questions and sometimes you are running late. If you don’t understand things this can make you even more nervous and nobody likes being nervous when they are at the airport.

So, if you have found yourself in a situation where you are being bombarded with questions at check in and don’t understand what you’re being asked then this episode will definitely help you to feel more comfortable and confident.

To make this episode even more useful, I am going to give you some advice on how you can deal with checking in late and what you can say to get to the front of the line.

So, in today’s lesson you will learn the following:

1. Vocabulary and expressions at check in
2. Typical questions you are asked and how you can answer them
3. How to deal with being late

Right, let’s get started with some vocabulary and expressions.

Hi everyone and welcome to another episode of The Art of Business English. In this week’s episode we are going back to some fundamental business skills. This week we are going to be looking at how you can offer advice and make suggestions in business meetings.

If you have ever found yourself in a meeting where you have to give someone some very targeted and relevant advice, then you are definitely going to need to listen to today’s episode. Today I will be going over some very common expressions and structures for giving advice. We will also be covering the relevant grammar that you will need to understand to be able to use the correct structure.

Being clear and confident in meetings is a key skill in business and by giving clear concise advice you are able to sound like an authority.

So, in today’s episode we will be covering the following

1. An overview of the 2nd conditional
2. How to give advice
3. How to make suggestions
4. Examples in context.

So, sit back, make yourself comfortable as we go deep into giving advice and making suggestions.  

A warm welcome to everyone and welcome back to the Art of Business English. This week I have another useful episode for you. We are going to be looking at how we can use the present continuous for future plans as well as the present simple.

You may be wondering how we can use present tenses for future actions, in fact you may be quite confused about how native English speakers use the present continuous for future plans. Haven’t we been taught that the present continuous is for actions that we are currently doing in the present?

If you have every been confused about the present continuous and present simple being used to talk about the future, then don’t worry. In today’s episode we are going to explain in detail the similarities and differences between how we use this in English and how it is used in Spanish.

By the end of this episode we will have covered the following:

1. Grammar overview of present continuous and simple present
2. The difference between how they are used in Spanish and English
3. Some common examples of how we use them for future and some common time expressions
4. Example sentences in context

So, let’s get started.

Welcome back to another episode of the Art of Business English. This week we have a completely different episode for you. In our 30th episode I will be motivating you to improve your English. In this episode, I am going to share with you 10 tips for learning success based on my ten years of teaching experience.

If you have every thought that you are bad at languages then just forget that concept and get it out of your head. Today I reveal some of the things that separate a good student from a bad one.

AOBE is also now on Stitcher. This is a fantastic podcast app that is for both Apple and Android. Make sure you download a copy and add the AOBE to your favourites list.

Currently we are also working on a new project to offer premium content to our members. So, stay tuned for more information over the coming weeks and months.

Well, I hope you guys are loving the content and remember, if you want to ask for an episode on any topic, then just reply to this email and let me know. I love getting your comments and I am more than happy to develop an episode that answers any questions you may have.

Hi there everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Art of Business English. I hope your guys are having a fantastic week of work and fun.

Have you ever wondered what is the difference between Will and Going to? I mean they are both used for talking about the future, right? Well, yes that is correct, however there are some differences in use that can be a bit confusing for non-native speakers.

In this episode I am going to explain how we use future simple and going to. Not only that, I am also going to show you guys how it is similar and different in use in the context of Spanish. Basically, I am going to show you the do’s and don’ts of using the future in English.

So, if you have problems understanding when is the right time to use will or going to, then stay tuned because this episode is going to be super useful for you.

By the end of this episode we will have covered the following:

1. Grammar overview of will and going to
2. The difference between will and going to
3. The similarities between will and going to
4. The do’s and don’ts for its use when compared to Spanish
5. Example sentences in context

We refer to will as the future simple and it has the following structure:

Structure

Contracted form

Example

+

S + will + verb + object

I’ll, You’ll, He’ll, She’ll, We’ll,  They’ll

He’ll probably be late

-

S + will not + verb + object

Won’t

He won’t enjoy the party

?

Will + s + verb + object?

N/A

Will they attend the event?

It is important to note that the contracted form of will is very common and it can be a little difficult for non-native speakers to understand when a native person speaks quickly.

Another important point to note is that the will remains the same for all subjects. It doesn’t change for the 3rd person singular.

Future Simple has the following uses:

• to make predictions, usually based on our opinion or our past experience:

I think it’ll be very hot at that time of year.

• to talk about future events we haven’t arranged:

We’ll probably stay at a hotel near the airport.

• To talk about future events or facts that are not personal:

A bonus will be awarded at the end of the quarter to the team member with the most sales.

• to talk about something we decide to do at the time of speaking:

I’ll call you back in a moment.

• to make offers, promises, threats or suggestions:

Don’t worry, I’ll finished the report by the end of the day.

So how is future simple in English used differently from future simple in Spanish. Let’s quickly take a look. Firstly, we can generally agree, and I usually teach my students this, that the translation for will would be the following:

Iré = I will go

Irás = You will go

Irá = he or she will go

and so on. So, we can see that with Spanish the verb go, has the future added to it at the end of the verb, indicating the tense and the subject. In English, we put the subject first, then will to show the future tense and then the verb.

If we can agree that this is how we translate the future from Spanish to English, then in general we could assume that it is easy to use the future simple. This is true to a certain extent, however there are some differences that we need to be aware of.

Firstly, we can’t use will for things that are definitely planned or we have a strong intention to do. For example, if I ask you, “What are you doing this weekend”, then you can’t say “I will go to the beach”. Why? Well, you have a strong intention or plan to go to the beach. Here we would have to say “I am going to the beach”.

On a positive note, if you use will incorrectly, then a native person will understand you, it will just sound wrong to them.

Secondly, we must use future simple when talking about the immediate future, or something you decide to do at the moment of speaking. Let’s take a look at what I mean. In Spanish you can say, “Ahora te llamo”. This basically means that you will call the person back in the near future. However, you will notice that in Spanish we have used the simple present tense and we have used the word ahora, or now. Get it straight in your mind, now is now in English. It is the very exact moment of the present. Secondly, the present simple is the present simple and you can’t use it to talk about something you plan to do in the future. So, for this expression to be translated correctly, you would have to say, “I will call you right back”. You can’t say, “I call you now”.

So, to summarise, we use will to talk about things we have decided to do at the moment we are speaking or for the immediate future.

These are the two most common mistakes I see with the future simple use in English.

Let’s take a look at going to.

Going to has the following structure:

Structure

Examples

+

S + am/is/are + going to + verb + object

We are going to hire a new marketing manager.

-

S + am/is/are + not + going to + verb + object

We are not going to accept the new conditions.

?

Am/Is/Are + s + going to + verb + object?

Are you going to be at the monthly managers meeting?

A quick thing to note is that going to can often mean the same thing as present continuous for future use and will.

Let’s take a look at a comparative.

• Are you going to be attending the annual general meeting?
• Will you be attending the annual general meeting?
• Are you attending the annual general meeting?

Let’s move on and take a look at the use of going to:

• to talk about events in the future we have already thought about and intend to do:

We’re going to increase our sales team by around 10% (We intend to expand the team but we haven’t hired the new people yet).

• to make predictions based on what we can hear or see (present evidence)

Judging by these sales forecast, we are going to have a strong 3rd quarter. (I am making a prediction based on the information I have now in the present).

So, now that we understand both will and going to, let’s look at how they are similar.

Going to and will can be followed by some of the following words:

• think
• doubt
• expect
• believe
• probably
• certainly
• definitely
• be sure to

The reason why we use these words is because they are all closely related to the speakers opinion about future events. In many cases when we are giving our opinion we commonly use will, however, we can also often use both will and going to. Let’s take a look at a few examples.

• I think it’s going to be a successful product launch, or I think it’ll be a successful product launch.
• I am sure they’ll accept the new contract conditions, or I’m sure they’re going to accept the new contract conditions.
• I doubt they’ll be happy when they hear about the changes, or I doubt they’re going to be happy when they hear about the changes.

Finally, there is often very little difference between predictions using will and going to. It just depends on the speakers opinion.

Take a look at these two examples:

• I’m sure you will enjoy the trade fair. (Prediction based on my opinion)
• We are going to be very busy for the next few days. (Prediction based on previous experience)

Meeting

Presentation

Negotiation

Predictions

I’m sure you will see the value in our products.

We feel that there will be strong growth in the housing sector.

I have no doubt that if you try this service you will love it.

Unarranged future events

We’ll reconvene this meeting in a week.

We’ll probably organise a sales event next month.

I will meet you next week to finalise the contract.

Something we decide at the moment of speaking

I’ll be right back, would anyone like a coffee?

I’ll answer any questions you have at the end of the talk.

We’ll give you a further 10% discount if you sign today.

Promises

I’ll send you a report on this by the end of the week.

I’ll make sure you all receive a free sample.

I’ll give you a free 30 minute coaching call when you purchase any of my courses.

Future events we intend to do

We are going to employ two new sales reps.

I’m going to invite you all to lunch at the end of this talk.

We are going to ensure you receive all of your inventory within 30 days.

Predictions based on present evidence

If we don’t hurry up, we are not going to have enough time to cover all the points.

As you can see, based on these numbers, we are going to need to promote our products further.

At these prices we are going to sell out very soon.

So, to wrap things up, we can see that there are quite a few differences and similarities between will and going to. The best way to appreciate these differences is by understand the use of each future within the correct context. Of course, practice makes perfect. If you stick to the simple rules outlined in this episode then 9 times out of 10 you will use these two future forms correctly.

Just remember, if you do use will and going to incorrectly then you will still be understood by a native person.

As always, please like, share and comment on this episode. If you have any additional questions regarding the differences between will and going to then please contact us on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/theaobe, or leave us a comment over at the AOBE.

Till next time, take care and enjoy improving your business English.