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Michael 02/24/2007I've been using this podcast with my students for quite a while now and it keeps getting better and better.
The format is simple and easy to follow and there is a good variety of accents in ...
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Episodes
- BEP 112 ADV - Negotiations: Getting Started
(18mb)
Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:02:19 +0000
This is part of an ongoing series on negotiations. In this Business English Podcast episode, we’ll study how to open a traditional commercial negotiation between buyer and seller. We’ll focus on creating goodwill, starting off, setting ground rules, suggesting an agenda and exploring possibilities. We’ll be listening to a telephone conversation between Tony, a supplier [...] - BEP 111 ADV - Negotiations: Relationship Building (17mb)
Sun, 13 Jul 2008 05:22:23 +0000
This Business English Podcast episode on relationship building is part of an ongoing series on negotiation skills. In negotiation, establishing a good relationship based on trust makes it possible to jointly search for creative solutions, to overcome blockage and even to turn conflict into a productive force. Both Peter and Maxine are owners of local telecommunication services [...] - Job Interviews e-Book for ESL Now Available (1mb)
Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:54:54 +0000
This is a preview of our new Business English e-book on job interviews: Successful Job Interviews for ESL. Successful Interviews takes you through each stage of the interview process: from discussing your previous experience and accomplishments, to handling tougher questions on your weaknesses and on to the second round interview and salary negotiations. In each lesson [...] - BEP 110 ADV - Job Interviews: Stress Questions (17mb)
Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:56:32 +0000
As we’ve discussed in other episodes on job interviews, one goal of the person conducting the interview is to get you to “let your guard down.” Often, after a series of “warm-up questions,” the interviewer will give you a tough question. This will likely come “out of the blue,” that is, unexpectedly. We call these [...] - BEP 100 ADV - Job Interviews: Salary Negotiation (19mb)
Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:58:28 +0000
You’ve had your first and second interviews, you’ve performed well, and you’ve been selected. You’re one of the lucky few - you?ve succeeded: You’ve got a job offer in hand. But now comes one of the hardest parts of the whole process - negotiating your salary. If you make a mistake here, all of your [...] - BEP 99 ADV - Negotiating: Negotiation Strategy (Part 2) (17mb)
Sun, 15 Jun 2008 05:02:32 +0000
This is the second in a two-part advanced business English lesson on negotiation strategy. It is part of a longer series of podcasts on the language and skills of negotiating in English. In the first episode, management consultant Bryan Fields discussed the basics of making a deal. We learned how to avoid some top common [...] - BEP 98 ADV - Negotiating: Negotiation Strategy (Part 1) (17mb)
Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:59:53 +0000
This is the beginning of a new Business English Podcast series on the skills and language of negotiating in English for ESL. We'll explore the topic of negotiations in a series of podcasts that examine several typical business negotiations and the language used in each stage of the process. - Email Tune-up 02 - ESL Business Writing Video (15mb)
Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:56:49 +0000
This is the second episode of our new ESL video podcast series: Email Tune-up. In today's video we examine a very common type of email - a request for feedback on a document. Each video lesson features a review of a real-life email from one of our members. After reviewing the background and contents of the email, we'll then see what improvements we can make by analyzing the writing according to 3 main criteria: mechanics, style and tone. - BEP 97 ADV - Talking about the Economy (19mb)
Sun, 25 May 2008 05:50:23 +0000
In this Business English Podcast lesson, we'll be studying some phrases and vocabulary that you can use to discuss the economy and economic issues, including voicing and reassuring concerns. - BEP 96 INT - Socializing: Business Meals & Dining Out (17mb)
Sun, 18 May 2008 06:51:46 +0000
In most parts of the world, having lunch or dinner together is an important part of doing business. In places such as North America, eating meals is a way of building a relationship or celebrating a partnership. And in other cultures, such as China, much of the real work of making deals actually often gets [...] - BEP 95 ADV - Communication: Resolving Conflict (Part 2) (13mb)
Sun, 11 May 2008 06:48:53 +0000
This is the second in a two-part Business English Podcast lesson on resolving conflict, in which we?ve been focusing on solving everyday disagreements in the office. Ben, a new training specialist at a manufacturing company, feels that he is doing an unfair share (that is, too much) of the work in his department. Gerry, Ben’s [...] - BEP 94 ADV - Communication: Resolving Conflict (Part 1) (18mb)
Sun, 04 May 2008 10:14:06 +0000
People do not always get along, so dealing with conflict is part of any job. And as often as not, work disagreements get resolved as much as in informal discussions in the hallway, as they do in the conference room. So, in this two-part series on resolving conflict, we?ll be studying useful language for discussing [...] - Email Tune-up 01 - ESL Business Writing Video Podcast (16mb)
Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:47:53 +0000
Today, we’re launching a new video podcast series: Email Tune-up Each video will feature a review of a real-life email from one of our members. After reviewing the background and contents of the email, we’ll then see what improvements we can make by analyzing the writing according to 3 main criteria: 1. Mechanics - the grammar, punctuation, [...] - BEP 93 INT - Sales: Taking an Order (16mb)
Sun, 20 Apr 2008 07:57:26 +0000
In this Business English Pod episode, we’ll be focusing on the language of taking an order and discussing standard terms, such as delivery time, payment method, and so on. The listening takes us back to the Foxtrot showroom in Las Vegas. As you’ll recall, Foxtrot is the American distributor for Viva, an Italian clothing, or [...] - BEP 92 INT - Sales: Features, Advantages, Benefits (or FAB Presentation) (16mb)
Sun, 13 Apr 2008 05:54:36 +0000
In this Business English Podcast lesson, we're going to look at the "classic sales" approach to selling products and services using the FAB technique. FAB stands for features, attributes and benefits and is a commonly used approach to presenting and selling tangible objects such as clothes and household items. The FAB presentation technique is especially useful for people working in the manufacturing and retail trade - anyone who has to present products to potential customers. In the lesson, we'll look at how this approach can be applied in the Merchandizing business. Merchandizing is the trade name for businesses involved in the design and manufacture of clothing and household items. - BEP 91 ADV - Job Interviews: Asking the Interviewer Questions (15mb)
Sun, 06 Apr 2008 06:18:31 +0000
There is one question that you will definitely be asked in any job interview, a question for which you should always prepare a response. That is: “Do you have any questions for me?” In this Business English Podcast lesson, we will focus on how to deal with this question. We’ll talk about what interviewers expect from [...] - BEP 90 ADV - Job Interviews: Talking about Your Greatest Weakness (17mb)
Sun, 30 Mar 2008 07:35:42 +0000
Continuing our Business English Podcast series on job interviews, we look at another very common question you?ll likely be asked when interviewing for jobs in English: What is your greatest weakness? Talking about your weaknesses tests a unique skill: It investigates your ability to present a drawback as an advantage. Thus, the theme of this episode is be positive, and that?s the main point that we?ll be focusing on. - BVP 02: Human Resources - Training Manager (14mb)
Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:40:08 +0000
In the second part of our new ESL podcast series on business vocabulary, we continue with the topic of human resources (HR) by looking at useful language and collocations to describe the role and responsibilities of a training manager. In this fast-changing global world, everything is moving. To make a successful business, it’s not enough just [...] - Business Vocabulary BVP 01 - Human Resources: HR Manager (16mb)
Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:11:22 +0000
In this new series of podcasts, we're going to look at useful vocabulary for describing different jobs and industries. In the first business vocabulary podcast we are going to listen to Greg, an HR manager, describe his role as a human resources manager. In particular, we'll practice a number of common collocations associated with HR and human resources. Collocations, or word partnerships, are words that are commonly used together. - BEP 89 INT - Telephoning: Arranging a Visit (15mb)
Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:01:52 +0000
In this Business ESL Podcast lesson we're going to look at useful language for making arrangements by telephone. In particular, we'll practice language for handling the practical details of a business visit, such as airport pickup and restaurant or hotel booking. And we'll also practice ways to create and maintain goodwill by demonstrating flexibility and responding politely on the phone. - BEP 88 INT - Telephoning: Booking a Travel Ticket (13mb)
Sun, 09 Mar 2008 06:35:18 +0000
In this intermediate ESL Business English Podcast, we will practice useful vocabulary and language for making airplane and hotel arrangements on the telephone. - BEP 87 ADV - Job Interviews: Talking about Accomplishments (Part 2) (17mb)
Sun, 02 Mar 2008 07:04:26 +0000
In this Business English Podcast episode, we examine another good response to the question about previous experience and describing your accomplishments in job interviews. We'll be looking at someone with a little more work experience: Yala Santos is an HR specialist who is working in a manufacturing company. She now has an opportunity to interview for an HR manager position in a business unit of a fast moving consumer goods company, Fun Beverages International. Let's listen to how Yala deals with talking about her greatest achievement. - BEP 86 ADV - Job Interviews: Talking about Accomplishments (Part 1) (18mb)
Sun, 24 Feb 2008 06:09:20 +0000
In this Business English Podcast episode, we'll be listening to a bad and good version of a recent graduate discussing his greatest accomplishment. We?ll focus on language for providing examples of the positive personal characteristics that our previous success demonstrates. As you're very likely to be asked this question in an interview, you should be ready with a reply. Interviewers want to hear about something important that you handled. Choose an achievement that is significant to you and that is rich in detail. These two qualities will make it easy to provide examples, which is the main theme of this series. - BEP 85 INT - Sales: Informal Product Presentation (17mb)
Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:17:32 +0000
In today's Business English Podcast, we explore the language of presenting your products and services to potential customers in informal situations. In many countries, informal occasions - such as a friendly meal or a game of a golf - are more important to the sales process than a formal presentation. So in this podcast, we'll be studying language for presenting our products in such informal situations. In particular, we'll see how you can sell your products in relation to your customers' needs with a few soft-sell techniques. - BEP 84 INT - Sales: Site Visit (18mb)
Sun, 10 Feb 2008 09:20:27 +0000
There are many different kinds of sites. We often speak of construction sites, a site where something is being built - such as buildings, roads, bridges, airports, and so on. But a site can also be a completed structure, like a factory or even sometimes an office. In a site visit, visitors come on site [...] - BEP 83 ADV - Job Interviews: Previous Experience (Part 2) (17mb)
Sun, 03 Feb 2008 06:48:52 +0000
This is the second in a two-part Business English Podcast series on discussing previous experience in workplace English job interviews. It is one of an ongoing sequence of ESL podcasts that covers the whole job interview process. In Part 2 today, we listen to a better interview performance by someone who has prepared to talk about their previous experience more effectively. In this good example, Sherry Shen, from Hong Kong, is interviewing with a multinational accounting company for her first job after graduating with a Master?s in finance. - BEP 82 ADV - Job Interviews: Previous Experience (Part 1) (16mb)
Sun, 27 Jan 2008 08:12:38 +0000
This is the first in a two-part series on talking about your previous experience in a job interview for ESL. It is one of a longer sequence of podcasts that will focus on the complete job interview process. In this Business English Podcast episode, we'll be examining a bad example of what not to do. Since previous experience usually comes up at the beginning of an interview, we'll also look at the casual discussion that takes place when an interview starts. Then, in the next episode, we?ll hear a good example, and we'll focus more closely on further language for describing your experience. - Meeting Essentials e-Book for Business ESL - Free Samples (1mb)
Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:55:04 +0000
Meeting Essentials is the Business ESL study guide to the language and skills you need to participate effectively and confidently in business meetings in English. Learn on the go with MP3 audio lessons, review key language and techniques with the detailed PDF study guide, including a full transcript of each lesson, and practice useful [...] - BEP 81 INT - Meetings: Finishing Up and Action Points (15mb)
Sun, 20 Jan 2008 07:12:14 +0000
It's the end of a meeting, and everyone wants to go, but wait! We have one last thing to do: Action points. That means: Tell everyone who is going to do what, and when. Having no clear action points is a number one reason meetings are unproductive. So in this episode, we'll study language we can use to assign work to people, and also some phrases to finish off the meeting. As you listen, pay attention to how the boss, Lisa, gives action points to her team, that is, reminds them of what they need to do. - BEP 80 INT - Travel: Checking In to a Hotel (16mb)
Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:54:14 +0000
Checking in to hotels is another important part of travel, whether it's for business or for pleasure. This episode follows on from BEP 79 Travel: Reserving a Hotel Room, in which Sarah Johnson called to reserve a room at the Majestic Hotel in New York. Sarah has now arrived, and she is ready to begin her stay. In this Business English Podcast lesson, we will focus on phrases and vocabulary - both for checking in and for enquiring about hotel services whilst checking in. - BEP 79 INT - Travel: Making a Hotel Reservation (17mb)
Sun, 06 Jan 2008 13:23:01 +0000
Today's Business English Podcast lesson is on making a hotel reservation. It's something all of us need to do: Whether it's for a company business trip, or for personal travel - we all need to, at some time or another, call a hotel to reserve a room. Of course, making reservations is not only useful for hotels but also for all sorts of situations - conferences, restaurants, airplane travel, and any other type of event that requires us to book in advance. That is the skill that we will be practicing in this episode - making reservations. Along the way, we'll also be learning vocabulary for staying in hotels. - BEP 78 INT - Socializing: Discussing Politics (15mb)
Sun, 30 Dec 2007 06:07:07 +0000
They say there's one rule of conversation that you should always follow in business - don't talk about politics, sex or religion. Actually, however, it seems like 90% of casual conversations are about just those things - politics, sex and religion. So in this episode, we'll be focusing on one of these topics ? politics. We?ll be learning some language that will help you cope with this difficult topic. - BEP 106e (Free Sample Study Guide & Online Exercises) - Presenting for Success: Using your Voice (1mb)
Tue, 25 Dec 2007 08:23:57 +0000
These are the study notes and online language review exercises for BEP 106e: Using your Voice. Presenting for Success is the first in a series of audio /e-books covering essential language and phrases for key business English skills for the workplace. - BEP 106e - Presenting for Success: Using your Voice and Emphasizing Key Language (18mb)
Sun, 23 Dec 2007 08:00:49 +0000
In this Business English Podcast lesson we'll be studying how to speak naturally and how to emphasize, or highlight, key language and ideas. In addition, we'll be looking at a few expressions and phrases you can use to add extra emphasis to your presentation. - BEP 77 INT - Happy Hour: After-Work Socializing (14mb)
Sun, 16 Dec 2007 09:17:21 +0000
This Business English Podcast lesson looks at the language of socialising with your work colleagues. Whether you drink alcohol or not, in many places around the world you will likely be invited to the bar or pub with colleagues. It?s important to know how to offer to buy drinks for others and how to make polite excuses when you?ve had enough or when it?s time to go. The same skills are also useful for other types of after-work social activities. - ????????Business English Pod???????? (China RSS Feed)
Sat, 15 Dec 2007 04:02:02 +0000
Business English Pod provides free weekly MP3 podcast ESL lessons for intermediate and advanced business English learners. Each Business English podcast lesson is focused on a particular skill (meetings, presentations, telephoning, negotiating, socializing, travel, conversation etc.) and language function (clarifying, disagreeing, questioning, expressing opinions, persuasion etc.). Business English Pod is suitable for English as a Second Language learners who are looking to improve their business English speaking, vocabulary and listening skills in order to be able to communicate clearly and successfully in business. Visit the Learning Center to sign up for our online study tools for Workplace English Training. This announcement is for listeners in Mainland China only. - BEP 76 ADV - Performance Appraisals: Setting Goals (Part 2) (18mb)
Sun, 09 Dec 2007 05:04:01 +0000
This is the second in a two-part Business English Pod lesson on job performance appraisals. In the first lesson, we covered giving feedback. In this podcast, we will discuss setting goals. - BEP 75 ADV - Performance Appraisals: Giving Feedback (Part 1) (17mb)
Sun, 02 Dec 2007 08:53:53 +0000
Performance appraisals - sometimes called job performance evaluations or reviews - are a powerful way to develop staff's potential. These skills are important not just for HR (Human Resources) professionals, but for any manager or supervisor who has responsibilities over other staff. So this is the first in a two-part Business English Podcast lesson that focuses on structure, skill and diplomacy in performance appraisals. In this podcast, we will deal with giving feedback. In the second, we will handle setting goals. - BEP 74 ADV - Idioms: Business is War (Part 2) (15mb)
Sun, 25 Nov 2007 05:57:50 +0000
This is the second in a two-part Business English Pod series on war idioms. Everywhere you look in business, you will find the language of war: We often think ? and talk ? about business competition in terms of attacking and defending, gaining and losing ground. - BEP 73 ADV - Idioms: Business is War (Part 1) (15mb)
Sun, 18 Nov 2007 03:12:44 +0000
Business and war. War and business. It?s no accident that many business strategies and management techniques were first developed in the military. Actually, it?s quite natural that we think about business competition in terms of war. Companies fight each other for market share. We strategize about how to win the battle. You try to attack my market position, and I defend it. Business is full of such war idioms. Though it?s not the only way we think about business, it is certainly the main way we talk about it. Therefore, to communicate effectively in a business environment, we need to learn these war idioms. That?s what we?ll be doing in this two-part Business English Podcast lesson. - BEP 72 INT - Telephoning: Leaving a Voicemail Message (11mb)
Sun, 11 Nov 2007 07:54:52 +0000
Have you ever started to leave a message on someone?s voicemail, then when you heard the ?beep? sound, you didn?t know what to say? When you?re speaking a foreign language, talking without preparation can be challenging, especially when you cannot see or hear the person you?re talking to. But with a little practice, you?ll be a voicemail pro. That?s what we?ll be studying in this Business English lesson ? standard phrases and language for voicemail messages, so that next time you here that ?beep? you?ll know exactly what to say. - BEP 71 ADV - Mergers: Office Gossip and Reported Speech (13mb)
Sun, 04 Nov 2007 08:05:18 +0000
This is the second in a two-part Business English Podcast lesson that follows some of the internal discussions that take place in a company going through a merger. Today?s episode focuses on casual office conversation and gossip. Office gossip is a type of informal conversation in which we tell secrets or rumors about other people or other departments. Gossip is often called water cooler chitchat, since the water cooler is where colleagues meet by chance and discuss things that are happening in the office. You might also want to review some of our previous shows on socializing for more language to use in these types of conversations. - BEP 70 ADV - Mergers: Breaking Bad News (17mb)
Sun, 28 Oct 2007 05:01:33 +0000
This is the first in a three-part Business English Pod lesson that explores the use of many different language techniques in the context of a merger. Today?s lesson focuses on vague, diplomatic language and probing questions. Vague and diplomatic language was introduced in podcasts BEP 24 and BEP 32. - BEP 69 INT - Telephoning: Leaving a Message (13mb)
Sun, 21 Oct 2007 08:50:52 +0000
In this Business English Podcast lesson we look at the language you can use to leave a telephone answering machine message. People are busy. When you telephone people, they often aren?t there to take your call, so you need to leave a message. And almost everyone has to answer the telephone and take a message sometimes. Doing so professionally leaves a good impression on your customers, colleagues and boss. Today we will hear a bad example and a good example of taking and leaving a telephone message. - BEP 68 INT - Meetings: Interrupting and Resisting Interruption (17mb)
Sun, 14 Oct 2007 06:23:55 +0000
As a non-native speaker of English, you might often find yourself in situations like this: You?re sitting in a meeting or a teleconference, and some of the participants are native English speakers. They are speaking with one another very rapidly, and they are using some idiomatic or difficult-to-understand expressions. Someone says something you don?t understand, or perhaps something that is not true or that you disagree strongly with. You should interrupt to ask what they mean, to clarify, to correct ? but you just can?t bring yourself to open your mouth. How do you start? How do you interrupt? That?s the focus of today?s business English podcast lesson. We?ll be studying useful language and expressions for interrupting and for resisting or stopping interruption. - BEP 103e - Presenting for Success: Describing Charts and Trends (Part 1) (18mb)
Sun, 07 Oct 2007 10:31:45 +0000
This is the first of three Business English Pod episodes on charts and trends from our new eBook - Presenting for Success. Over these three shows, we?ll be learning language for dealing with visuals, describing trends, analyzing and comparing data, and making predictions. ?Visuals? refers to any visual element of your presentation - charts, graphs, pictures and so on. A trend is the general direction - upward or downward - of some metric, that is measurement, such as price or revenue. For example, when we say, ?The price of oil has risen 30% in the last three months,? that?s a trend. - BEP 101e - Presenting for Success: Making your Introduction (12mb)
Sun, 30 Sep 2007 08:23:42 +0000
Making your Introduction is a preview of our upcoming audio / ebook on presentations skills and language. In this first chapter we take a look at how to make a good start as well as at the overall structure of a presentation. This recording is a re-edited and extended version of one of our earliest podcasts - BEP 101. The ebook will have nine units, including four never released lessons on describing charts and trends, using your voice and emphasizing your message. - BEP 67 INT - Travel: Morning Greeting and Chat (17mb)
Sun, 23 Sep 2007 02:24:17 +0000
This is the fourth in a series of intermediate business ESL podcasts that focus on business travel. In this series we?re following a group of trainees who work for the telecommunications company Ambient as they visit their head office in Michigan in the U.S. How do you make friendly chat with your colleagues? What kinds of topics can you talk about? We?ll be looking at some answers. In particular, we?ll cover informal greetings and how to chat about movies. As almost everyone loves to go to the cinema, movies are usually a good topic for small talk. - BEP 66 INT - Travel: Hot Desking and Making Requests (16mb)
Sun, 16 Sep 2007 06:22:14 +0000
In this Business English Podcast lesson, we?ll be continuing our series on Business Travel. We?re following Honesto, an Ambient Telecommunications employee from Manila, on a training trip to head office in Michigan, USA. The main language focus of the lesson is on making polite requests. Along the way, we?ll also look at some different ways to express likes and dislikes. Honesto has found himself an unused desk and is working along when all of the sudden he gets a new neighbor, Megan. - BEP 65 ADV - Questioning Techniques (Part 2) (19mb)
Sun, 09 Sep 2007 05:15:31 +0000
This is the second in a two-part Business English Pod series on questioning techniques. Last time in BEP 64 we looked at making small talk and gathering information with open questions, getting specific information with probing questions and guiding the conversation by showing interest. This time we?ll learn several more advanced questioning techniques, including direct questions, to get information from someone who is being uncommunicative, reflective questions, to guide the conversation, and hypothetical questions, to suggest possible action. Together these techniques form a series that can be used to drill down to the information you need.
