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Presenting for Success A complete study program in the language and skills of presenting in English.

Written by James Moss, Clayton Lee & Alex Schmidt Audio produced & recorded by Paul Meredith Online activities by James Moss & Chris Wacker

Copyright 2010 Business English Pod Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. 2nd Edition Published 2010

© 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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Table of Contents (Click a unit title to jump to the start of that unit)

1.

Introduction

pg 4-6

2.

Unit 101 – Making your Introduction

pg 7-14

3.

Unit 102 – Signposting your Presentation

pg 15-22

4.

Unit 103 – Describing Charts and Trends (Part 1)

pg 23-32

5.

Unit 104 – Describing Charts and Trends (Part 2)

pg 33-44

6.

Unit 105 – Describing Charts and Trends (Part 3)

pg 45-56

7.

Unit 106 – Voice Technique and Emphasis

pg 57-65

8.

Unit 107 – Closing Down and Summarizing

pg 66-74

9.

Unit 108 – Question and Answer (Part 1)

pg 75-85

10.

Unit 109 – Question and Answer (Part 2)

pg 86-96

11.

Unit 110 – Presenting a SWOT Analysis (Part 1)

pg 97-107

12.

Unit 111 – Presenting a SWOT Analysis (Part 2)

pg 108-118

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Introduction This is an e-book brought to you by Business English Pod, the leading provider of on-demand audio and study tools for business English communication skills at www.businessenglishpod.com. My name is Clayton and I’ll be your host for this series. Is giving presentations important to you career? For most of us, the answer is yes. Presenting our products, success stories, challenges and solutions – this is the heart of business communication, where money is often made or lost. And, in today’s globalizing business environment, we are increasingly called to give presentations in English. In this nine-chapter series, we will be looking in detail at the fundamentals of giving presentations in English. The goal is for you to create a basic repertoire or toolbox of phrases, structures and strategies so that you can give presentations in English more fluently, more confidently and more successfully. In the first chapter, titled, “Introducing your Presentation,” we’ll look at how to make a good start as well as at the overall structure of a presentation. Then, in “Signposting and Signaling,” we’ll be learning strategies for making the organization of your talk strong and clear. In the next three chapters on Charts and Graphs, we’ll be studying in more detail language you can use to organize your thoughts, highlight key points, and relate your ideas to each other. We’ll also focus on a key area of presentations, how to deal with visuals, charts and graphs and how to describe trends and change. Next, in chapter 6, “Voice and emphasis,” we’ll take a look at how to deliver your presentations more fluently and clearly so that your words have greater impact. Finally, in the last three chapters of the book—“Closing Down” and “Q&A 1 and 2”—we’ll study how to finish presentations effectively in order to leave the audience with a strong impression. In addition to summarizing your talk, we’ll be practicing a series of specific strategies for successfully dealing with questions.

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In all, this e-book has over two hours of information-packed audio lessons. Together with our phrasecasts – recordings of key phrases and expressions for study on the go – there’s over 180 minutes of skills development and listening practice. In addition, the accompanying study notes contain a complete transcript of each chapter, vocabulary definitions, extra practice questions and study strategies. And by upgrading to the online version of this e-book, you can get access to a variety of additional language development exercises on the Web. In each chapter, I introduce the topic, then play a listening that demonstrates the key concepts. Afterwards, in the “debrief” section, I take you through the main points and explain important vocabulary and idioms. For each skill, we practice a variety of example phrases that you can use. Finally, in the practice section of each debrief, you have an opportunity to use some of the language you just learned. Learners often ask me how to study more efficiently and effectively. I have some suggestions. Listen to each chapter multiple times. Rewind and practice the example phrases many times. Make a note of anything you don’t understand. First listen to the chapter without the transcript; then, when you have time, go back and listen again with the transcript. Underline and look up words you don’t understand. It’s important to study words in context, paying attention to collocations, or word partnerships, and words in whole sentences, with their accompanying prepositions and other grammatical characteristics. For example, it’s not enough to know the word “presentation”; to use this word, you also have to know the verbs, adjectives and prepositions that go with it – for example, “to deliver” or “to give” an “effective” presentation “to” someone. Another important study strategy is to do the practice section of each debrief – where you actually get to practice what you’ve learned by speaking out loud. Try rewinding and substituting different language the second time your practice. Substitution helps you increase your fluency, that is, your ability to say the same thing in many ways. Also, after you’re finished, you can write out examples using your own presentations and record yourself speaking. Work together with a learning partner so that you can get feedback from a friend. These and many more study strategies are covered in the study notes for each chapter. Last don’t forget to review the vocabulary and do the practice exercises in the study notes.

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And you can check the website for additional online activities to give you extra targeted practice of key language and strategies. If you have not already upgraded to the online version of the e-book, the online exercises are available for purchase at www.businessenglishpod.com. Presenting for Success is targeted for learners at or above Common European Framework (CEF) level B2, “upper-intermediate.” This corresponds to a BULATS score higher than 3 or IELTS higher than 5. The materials are designed to be useful to students at a variety of levels: Intermediate learners will focus initially on language development whereas advanced learners can zoom in on skills development, high-level vocabulary, fluency, confidence and enhancement of overall professionalism. All right, now it’s on with the show! That means, let’s get started. I am confident that the skills and language you will learn over the next nine chapters will help you greatly improve your fluency, confidence and effectiveness in the delivery of presentations. On behalf of all of us here at www.businessenglishpod.com, I wish you great success with your studies! Presenting for Success is an official publication of Business English Pod Ltd., copyright 2010, all rights reserved.

What’s Included? All Business English Pod e-books come with a variety of study resources to provide learners with maximum flexibility and value. You can access and download all the materials for this e-book on this webpage: http://www.businessenglishpod.com/learningcenter2/ebooks/presenting-for-success/

Each e-book includes the following resources:

Podcasts

Study Notes

MP3 lessons you can listen to on your computer, MP3 player or mobile phone.

PDF lesson transcripts with extra vocabulary and language exercises.

PhraseCasts

Online Activities

Compact MP3’s of just the dialog, phrases and speaking practice.

Interactive quizzes, listening and language review exercises.

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Unit 101 – Introducing Your Presentation Today we look at some of the language used during internal presentations. To start off this episode, I’ve asked some of my colleagues what tips they might have for making a good introduction. Following that, we have the main dialog and then the debrief. So here’s me putting my colleagues right on the spot… Clayton: Okay, we’re talking about presentations, and in particular introductions to presentations. Jeff, do you have any guidelines you use when you’re writing, preparing or actually doing an introduction? Is there something you always keep in mind, and say, “Well this is what I always do and must do?” Jeff: Well, in English we talk about something called an “elevator pitch” – which is like a summary of a proposal or idea, which takes maybe no more than 10 to 15 seconds to explain. The idea is that it should be short enough that you can actually give it to someone in an elevator, just in that very brief period of time that you have their attention. Now I think when you’re beginning a presentation, in some ways you’re in the same situation: You may be planning to give a very long speech – it could last 30 or 45 minutes – but you’ve only got that first minute or so to convince people that they ought to be listening to what you’re going to say. So you’ve got to give them some good reasons to listen to everything else that is coming up – give them an idea of what you’re going to say and why they should be listening. Clayton: Do you have a formula Peter? I do. If you don’t… Peter: Er, well, please tell me! Let me get my pen! Clayton: Well I got this formula from a certain school a long time ago. It’s pretty good. It has all the elements I think should be in every presentation – whether it’s formal or informal. Peter: Well tell us! Clayton: Your name - well first of all a greeting – you have to say … Peter: I think you should always start with a Thank you! Clayton: Or Welcome or Hello. Peter: I think Thank you. Jeff: Or Hello. Peter: Thank you and welcome. Clayton: Well why don’t we put them all together, “Hello, thank you and welcome to what-do-you-call-it.” Jeff: You can put them all together. © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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Presenting for Success Clayton: Put them all together – one package. And then a name – I think it’s kind of rude not to tell people exactly who you are and your title, what your job is and why you are qualified to speak on the subject. Peter: And that’s a good point – you know a lot of internal presentations these days are done over telephone conference or video conference and you’ve got people from different international locations. They might’ve heard your name but they might not know your face. And so when you get up to speak, even within your company and even maybe your division or your department – it is, as you say good manners, but it is also important (to identify yourself). Clayton: Yeah, I think a lot of listeners to these podcasts – they themselves are very accomplished speakers in their own language – and so I’m sure they know how to make a speech, or presentation, and hopefully though, this podcast will give these speakers, and others, the ideas of how…the types of language we use in presentations, and in particular introductions in this particular podcast.

Vocabulary elevator pitch: In this context, a pitch means a short speech used to sell something. An elevator pitch is a pitch so short that you could give it to someone, for example a senior manager, just in that 10 to 15 seconds you have his or her attention in an elevator ride. “Last week I saw our marketing VP in the coffee room and I gave him an elevator pitch about my new sales strategy.” accomplished speakers: Accomplished is an adjective that means skilled or expert. So accomplished speakers are people who are very good at giving talks, presentations, etc. “Even if you’re not an accomplished speaker, there are a few tips you can follow to give a professional presentation.” signposting: Signposting (or a signpost) is language that helps us follow the structure of a talk, such as “First…, second…, third…,” or “Now I’m going to talk about…” They’re called signposts because they show the way, just like a road sign. It also can be used as a verb. “It’s important to signpost your talk well so people can follow what you’re saying.” videoconference: A conference held through a video connection so that people at distant locations can see each other on the monitor. “We had a videoconference with Shanghai last week.” consumer products: Products whose end customer are normal people instead of companies. Consumer products include food, soap, clothing, etc. – anything that people use. “We have been looking for ways to expand from purely consumer product-oriented approaches to more B2B – or business to business – oriented approaches.” visual aids: Visual aids are anything people can look at to understand your presentation better, such as charts, graphs, pictures, models, handouts, etc. ready when you are: This phrase is used to signal that you’re ready to start something whenever the other participants are. For example, if you’re about to travel with a colleague, you might say, “It’s almost time to leave for the airport. I’m ready when you are.” © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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loud and clear: You can say this phrase to show you can hear something loudly and clearly. Sometimes, it’s used to signal that you understand a point someone else has made. “I hear you loud and clear, Barbara. The deadline is tomorrow.” …..leading off: …starting something. “Laura will be leading off the seminar with a presentation on interview skills.” product lines: Groups of products that share some similarities, such as physical qualities, distribution channels, or marketing plans. “Apple’s product line includes notebook and desktop computers, iPods, and cell phones.” sector: A division of something larger, such as a society, economy, or company. “Our commercial lending sector is our most successful overall.” analyst: A person who analyzes, or studies and explains, an aspect of a business. “Hal has been a real estate analyst for over 20 years. He’s seen everything.” trends: In business, “trends” refers to how something – sales, for example – progresses or moves. There are many terms used to describe trends and they’ll be covered in later chapters of this e-book. In general, though, trends can go up or down, stay the same, or fluctuate (go up and down in an unpredictable way). “The latest trend shows that our sales are going up among teenagers in Asia and South America.” forecast: A “forecast” is made when analysts take current information and predict the direction of future trends. “The forecast doesn’t look good for our SUV division. People are concerned about gas prices and the environment.” (sales) strategies: Specific plans to achieve a goal. In the case of sales, this would mean plans to use certain sales methods and marketing plans. “As part of our sales strategy, we’re going to focus on growth markets in SE Asia.” kickoff meeting: Kickoff (from sports) means to start; so a kickoff meeting is the first in a series of meetings or the first event at a conference, etc. “At our annual sales meeting, Jenny chaired the kickoff meeting this year.” prepared remarks: Often at a presentation, a speaker will give “prepared remarks.” In other words, he or she will give a talk which has been planned beforehand. “I have my prepared remarks written on cards so I can review them before I speak.” handout: “Handouts” are written copies of material related to a presentation, which are distributed to the audience. Handouts might be copies of PowerPoint slides, notes, or resources. Note that the phrasal verb “hand out” also means “to distribute.” “Phil included a list of helpful websites with his handouts.” tie in to / tie in with: To be related to, or connect with, a topic or product. “LEGO produces a variety of toy building sets to tie in with popular movies such as ‘Star Wars.’”

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Presenting for Success Dialog Perry: Okay, everybody, let’s all take a seat and get things started. We have a long day ahead of us, and we need to keep to the schedule… So let’s see how our videoconference line is working. Hello Sydney and New York! Can both of you hear us and see us ok? Sydney: Yes, Perry, we have our whole sales group here. Everything is working ok, and we’re ready when you are. New York: Loud and clear here in New York too, Perry. Perry: OK then…..leading off this morning is Claude Dautry from consumer products division, and he’ll be presenting some of the latest sales figures and trends for our product lines in this very key sector. Claude…if you’re ready……please take it away. Claude: Thank you, Perry…. And good morning everybody. A warm welcome from our Paris office, whether you are here in person – or here via video from Sydney or New York. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Claude Dautry, senior sales analyst from our Consumer Products Division, and I’ll be presenting our analysis of recent sales data. We will then examine some important trends and conclusions we can make about the growth of our product lines. After that, we plan to look at some forecasts and proposed sales strategies to adjust to the trends we see developing. During this kickoff meeting, we hope to arrive at some recommendations to forward to senior management, before their next shareholder meeting. And finally, we will open it up to any questions you might have about sales in general, whether it concerns the EU, the Americas or the Asia-Pacific region. I estimate my prepared remarks will cover about 30 minutes, and the next 30 minutes will be dedicated to answering your questions. Hopefully, you’ve all received the handout material I sent, but I’ll also be showing the charts in PowerPoint, in case you don’t have your handouts with you. So, let’s take a look at our first topic, which– uh yes, you have a question? Questioner: Yes, sorry to interrupt…I was wondering if you planned to talk about global marketing efforts and how they tie in to regional sales promotions. (fade out)

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Debrief Building up a spirit of teamwork in an internal meeting is very important, especially during the introduction stage of a presentation. Personality plays a part, but some simple language patterns do help. Use pronouns such as we, all, us, our, ours, and everybody as much as possible. For example, when starting a meeting, we can say:    

Well, why don’t we all get started? Let’s all take our seats, if we could. Is everybody ready to start? Ok, let’s kick this meeting off.

The introduction phase sets the tone and expectations of a meeting or presentation. Although very often the presenter will introduce him or herself to the audience, sometimes another person may introduce the speaker, as in our example where the presenter was introduced by the chairperson of the teleconference. A complete introduction for a presentation includes the following parts: a greeting ↓ a name and position ↓ the title and subject ↓ the objective or goal of the presentation ↓ the main parts of the talk ↓ a mention of the visual aids that will be used ↓ the time it will take ↓ when questions should be asked ↓ a reference to the audience ↓ and a link to the first section of the presentation Not all presentation introductions will have every one of these elements, and not all will follow this sequence. However, most proper introductions will use a majority of these elements in some form, and in this general sequence. Let’s start with some greetings:    

Good morning, everybody. Good afternoon, and welcome to the North American division. Welcome, all of you, to the Smith Center. I thank you all for coming this evening, to our first employee benefits review.

The name and position of the presenter usually follows. If the presenter is well known amongst the audience, he may not even mention his own name. If most of the people know the presenter, then they may precede their self-introduction © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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Presenting for Success with “For those of you who don’t know me…”. However, when presenting in front of large or widely separated departments, it is customary to introduce yourself with not only your own full name, but your title and area of responsibility. This tells audience members who you are, what your position is, and what sort of knowledge or duties you have concerning the presentation subject. Let’s try some names and titles:  

My name is _______, and I’m a HR manager for our UK operation. I’m ___________, and I’m a test engineer for the QC Department.

(Repeated with example names)  My name is Alison Wright, and I’m the HR manager for our UK operation.  I’m Chuck Yeager, and I’m a test engineer with Quality Department. When introducing one’s duties, or areas of knowledge, we usually use the words “I am responsible for…”. Or, “I am in charge of…”. Let’s try some of these:    

I’m responsible for new employee training… I’m in charge of test data collection… I’m responsible for designing new electrical switches… I manage regional sales promotions in South America…

Try combining the above phrases into complete introductory statements that include name, title and area of responsibility: After the beep, introduce yourself and state your responsibilities at your company. Then listen to an example answer to compare. Of course, the details of everyone’s answer will be a little different: Learner:

Example answer: Good morning everybody, my name is Alison Wright. I’m the HR manager for our London division, and I’m responsible for new employee training. After the presenter introduces himself and his position, the subject of the presentation is then usually stated, along with the purpose of the presentation. A well-designed presentation will then include a guide to the rest of the talk. The presenter will tell the audience what is to come, and what parts of the presentation will be presented in which order. This is called signposting, like the signs on street corners that tell a traveler where he is, and where he is going. Signposting helps to focus the audience’s attention. We’ll cover signposting in the next podcast.

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Language Review A. Put the parts of the introduction of a presentation into a likely order. Note that in some cases, more than one order is possible. 1) 2)

the objective of the presentation

your name and position

3)

and a link to the first section of your presentation

4)

A greeting

5)

the title and subject

6)

the main parts of your talk

7)

when you would like questions

8)

a mention of the visual aids that you will use

9)

the time you will take

10)

a reference to the audience

B. Match the following phrases with the language functions above. The first one has been done for you. a. Hello, my name is Ravi Chatterjee and I am in charge of the IT team here in Chicago. 2. Name and position b. The main purpose of my talk today is to outline the implementation of our new security policies over the last quarter. c. My presentation is entitled “Titanium Bridge: Sharing Information Securely with our Customers.” d. I’ve divided my talk up into three parts. First, I’ll give you some background on the new policy. Second, I’ll tell you about the implementation. And finally, we’ll look at the performance of the new system. e. I know you are all busy, so I want to respect your time. The whole presentation should take about 15 minutes. f. Okay? Are you with me? Many of you look like you’ve heard this all before; don’t worry, I’ll be focusing more on the results end, which should be new to you. g. All right, that covers the introduction to my presentation. Now, let’s start with the first topic, background on the new policy. h. Because I’d like to keep this short, please hold your questions until the end. Then we can discuss whatever aspects of the project are of particular interest to you. i. And I’ll be using PowerPoint. j. Good morning. Is everybody here? Can we get started?

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Presenting for Success Study Strategy Using the structure and the phrases highlighted above, build an introduction to your own presentation, either one you have actually given or one that you heard someone else give. Make some notes about what you want to say, but don’t write everything down. Then, record yourself speaking. Afterwards, play it back to see if you missed anything. How do you sound? Get some feedback from a friend. Then try it again. Practice makes perfect.

Language Review Answers Language Review A and B Note that especially for numbers 6 through 10, the order may vary from presentation to presentation. 1) A greeting j. 2) your name and position a. 3) the title and subject c. 4) the objective of the presentation b. 5) the main parts of your talk d. 6) a mention of the visual aids that you will use i. 7) the time you will take e. 8) when you would like questions h. 9) a reference to the audience f. 10) and a link to the first section of your presentation g.

Online Practice Click the “Launch” button to open the online practice:

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Unit 102 – Signposting Your Presentation Today we are looking at signposting during presentations. Signposting is language such as, “My presentation is divided into three parts,” or “That’s all for point 1, let’s move on to point 2,” or, “Moving back to what I was saying earlier,” or even, “That concludes the main part of my presentation.” These phrases help your audience keep engaged and interested by showing them the structure of your presentation. Because they show the way, we call them “signposting” or “signaling” phrases: They are the signs along the road of your talk that signal the audience where we are, what we are doing, and why this is important. They can also help you remind yourself of the structure of your presentation so that you don’t get lost. Let’s listen to a short excerpt or part from the middle of a presentation about sales performance. As you, listen focus on the phrases the presenter uses to signpost the structure of his talk.

Vocabulary To wrap something up: To presentation in time for lunch.”

conclude

something.

“We

wrapped

up

the

Market segment/sector: This term describes a set of businesses that are buying and selling such similar goods and services that they are in direct competition with each other. “There is a lot of competition in the sports car market sector.” Sales trends: Sales trends show movement or example, if sales numbers go up (increase) in a trend. “Casey will talk about sales trends at the our numbers are going up, going down, or staying

progress of sales data. For certain market, that’s a sales meeting. I’m curious to see if the same.”

Market niche: A small market with highly specialized products. “In order to survive in the steel business, we were forced to focus on a niche market where the competition wasn’t so extreme.” To come of age: To grow up, reach maturity. “Our business really came of age in the 1990s during the period of fast growth in the high-tech sector.” Theme: The subject, topic or general feeling of your presentation. “The theme of my talk was that we have to increase sales to survive.” Handy: Useful. “Let me give you a few handy tips for finding a job.” Overburdened: A burden is a weight that you carry. It is usually something heavy that slows you down. To be overburdened is to have too much weight to carry. “During the project launch, staff were overburdened – they had to work overtime every day, and morale decreased.” Absorb: To take in or suck in fluid, as a towel takes in water. To absorb information is to learn. “There was too much information to absorb in my presentation, so I think the audience started to fall asleep.” © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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Presenting for Success Dialog … and that about wraps it up for the detailed sales figures. …… Now, let’s see what we can conclude from the sales data. I’ve divided this section of the presentation into three parts. First, we’re going to review historical sales in this market segment. Next, we will discuss developing sales trends, and finally we will compare our performance with our chief competitors. So, let’s talk about some of the history of our particular market niche. Our whole industry came of age in ... … ok, that covers the history of sales in the marketplace. Now, let’s move on to some of the trends in recent sales that we have observed. First, I’ll give a detailed analysis of industry sales trends by region. Then, we’re going to examine our own sales in these same regions. And we’ll finish this section by going over our sales trends for new products. Everybody with me? Well, then… let’s turn our attention to this first chart, which shows overall sales trends worldwide …

Debrief Any presentation requires a clear strategy or plan to help you reach your objectives. The aim is not to pass away twenty minutes talking non-stop and showing a lot of nice pictures. It is to deliver a message that is worth hearing to an audience that wants to hear it. However, how many speakers really hold an audience's attention? What is the secret for those who do?  First, find out about the audience and what they need to know.  Plan what you're going to say  And say it clearly and concisely.  And make sure to signpost throughout the presentation. What is signposting? The term “signposting” comes from signs posted on street corners, which tell travelers where they are and where they are going. In presentations, signposting is informing the listener as to what things are going to be talked about, and when sections have been completed and new sections are opened. This helps to focus the audience’s attention. Once the audience knows what subjects and sections are to come, they can listen to the information from the right perspective, and know how to “file” this information away in the proper © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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places in their minds. One does not want the audience wondering what subjects you are talking about, or how the information currently being presented fits into the larger theme of the presentation. Make it simple for the listener. Lead the listener through the presentation with signposting. How does one signpost? A good speaker uses various signposting signals to help hold the audience's attention and make the parts of the presentation very clear – he does this as he introduces the subjects, and as he moves through them. One type of signal is to introduce a list. This could begin with a phrase like I’ve divided this section of the presentation into three parts. The speaker then says what the three things are and talks about each one at the required level of detail. For example: 'There are three types of price that we have to think about - economic price, market price and psychological price. Let's look at each of these in more detail. First, economic price. This is based on production costs and the need to make a profit ... (and the speaker goes on to describe this type of price in more detail.) After that, he goes on to talk about the market price and so on. Another signaling technique is to give a link between parts of the presentation. Tell the listeners where one part of the talk finishes and another part starts. For example, a well-organized presentation usually contains different parts and a progression from one part to the next part, with clear phrases like:  That's all I want to say about the development of the product.  Now let's turn to the actual marketing plan.  Let’s now take a look at sales results This technique is very helpful to the audience, including those who are mainly interested in one part only. Another type of signaling is sequencing of information. This usually follows a logical order, usually based on time. So a project may be described in terms of the past, the present and the future. Key words in sequencing information are: first, then, next, after that, later, at the end, finally, etc. Still another technique, which helps to emphasize key points, is careful repetition of what has been talked about.

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Presenting for Success Examples are: As I've already said, there is no alternative but to increase production by 100 per cent. or I'd like to re-emphasize the main benefit of the new design – it achieves twice as much power with half as much fuel. Here are some other examples of emphasizing points which have already been talked about:  As we saw in part 2…  As we covered during our discussion of weight savings…  Recalling our look at sales projections for the next decade… And here are some useful signposting phrases that should be used to guide listeners. To move on which means to go to the next subject: Let’s move on to the situation in our overseas markets. To expand on which means give more information on: Could you expand on the issue of pricing? To digress which means to change to another subject: If I can digress for just a moment, what about our plans for the new office? To go back which means to go to a point earlier in the presentation: Let’s go back to the first item on the agenda. To recap which is to repeat a previous part of the presentation: So, to recap, our sales for the third quarter have been strong in all regions. To conclude which is to bring to an end: I’d like to conclude by discussing the future of our company. To summarize which means give the main points: Next, Peter is going to summarize our marketing strategy. To turn to which means to move on: I’d like to turn to the question of hiring new staff. To elaborate on which means to give detailed information on: The next presentation will elaborate on our sales plans for next year. Although many phrases can be used to indicate the end of a section and the beginning of another, there is one single word that can be used in almost all cases to signal ends and beginnings. This word is “so,” most often followed by a pause. We encourage our podcast listeners to use other phrases to make your presentations more interesting, but when one cannot think of a signposting phrase quick enough, the word “so” is a very handy replacement.

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Listen and practice these examples, and pay special attention to the pauses:     

So, So, So, So, So,

what can we conclude from this data? let’s move on to our market for air conditioners. lets take a look at this chart. what can we expect from the future? what can the past teach us?

Great, now it’s your turn to practice some of the phrases and skills we’ve learned today. Imagine you are giving a presentation about your company to a group of visitors. What would you like to include in your introduction? Think of three points: Perhaps you want to mention the history, the products or maybe the people. Or perhaps there are other points you want to make. Then, after you hear the beep, begin by signposting your three main points. You can say, “There are three main points I’d like to introduce…” or “I’ve divided my introduction into three points: First….; second….; third….” Afterwards, signal that you’re starting the first part by saying something like, “Great, let’s first take a look at the history…” or “Let’s turn to the history.” Are you ready? First take a few seconds to think. Example Points: 1. Company history 2. Products 3. People) Learner:

How did you do? Now, let’s listen to an example answer. But remember, there are many possible correct answers. Example answer: I’ve divided my introduction into three parts. First I’ll say something about the 100-year history of our company. Second, I’ll talk about what makes our products so special. And finally, I’ll tell you a little bit about the people that make it all possible. Okay? Let’s start on the first point, the history. It’s always a good idea to rewind and try the practice again. Try substituting different language this time. Remember that this language can be used inside your presentation to signpost points within points, as well as during the overall introduction. Also, there are a lot of phrases covered in this episode today that we didn’t get to practice. Remember to listen to the phrasecast of this and other episodes for focused practice of all the expressions that we look at. © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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Presenting for Success A final point concerns signposting and structuring of information. Psychologists have suggested that concentration is reduced after about thirty minutes without a break or a change in activity. Furthermore, audiences should not be overburdened with technical details or given too many facts to remember. It is claimed that to ask people to remember more than three things in a fiveminute talk is too much. Some say that seven is the maximum number of any length of presentation. Any such calculations are probably not very reliable, but every speaker needs to think about exactly how much information of a particular type a specific audience is likely to absorb and to plan accordingly. And, in keeping with our own advice, we are going to conclude this podcast well inside of thirty minutes, just to make sure you absorb all of what we’ve just covered. And our final signpost is “Thanks for listening…!”

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Language Review A. Useful language Match the language functions on the left with the language on the right. The first one has been done for you. 1)

to give information on

2)

A.

I’d like to turn to the question of hiring new staff.

to move on

B.

So, to recap, our sales for the third quarter have been strong in all regions.

3)

to review the main points

C.

I’d like to conclude by discussing the future of our company.

4)

to go to the next subject

D.

Let’s go back to the first part of the agenda.

5)

to change subject

E.

Could you expand on the issue of pricing?

6)

to bring to an end

F.

Next, Peter is going to summarize marketing strategy.

7)

to repeat/summarize an previous part of the presentation

G.

The next presentation will elaborate on our sales plans for next year.

8)

to go to a point earlier in the presentation

H.

If I can digress for just a moment, what about the plans for our new office?

9)

to give more information on a point

I.

Let’s move on to the overseas markets.

to

detailed

another

G

situation in

our

our

B. Signposting strategies To review some key signposting language, match the first half of each phrase on the left with the second half on the right. The first one has been done for you. 1)

I’ve divided this section of

2)

B

A.

our discussion of weight savings…

Let's look at

B.

the presentation into three parts.

3)

That's all I want to say

C.

about sales projections for next year…

4)

As we covered during

D.

each of these in more detail.

5)

Recalling our look

E.

at the development of the product.

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Presenting for Success Language Review Answers A. 2)A. 3)F. 4)I. 5)H. 6)C. 7)F. 8)D. 9)E. B. 2)D. 3)C. 4)A. 5)E.

Online Practice Click the “Launch” button to open the online practice:

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Unit 103 – Describing Charts and Trends 1 Clayton: This is the first of three episodes on charts and trends. 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. Peter: Clayton, just before we get going, can you tell us why dealing with charts and trends is so important for presentations? Clayton: Well, every presentation contains a visual element, whether it is a few words written with a marker on the board or a high-tech PowerPoint presentation with movies and animations. As the old saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” So pictures – charts and graphs – they can do the talking for you. But you need to be able to highlight the main points clearly, effectively and logically. That way, your carefully prepared visuals are going to have the maximum impact on your audience. Now, in today’s episode we’re focusing on the basics of how to deal with visuals in your presentation: That is, how to attract attention to them, how to emphasize the key parts, and how to relate points about different visuals as you move through your slides. A slide is just one picture in your PowerPoint presentation for example. By the way, you’ll see that a lot of the language we cover continues on our discussion of signposting during the last episode. Peter: Great, now tell us about the listening today. Clayton: Okay, the listening comes from a presentation at the Central European head office of Ambient, an American mobile phone manufacturer. Ambient has regained market share after a couple of bad years and has now taken over the number two place behind market leader Sirus and just ahead of the third player, CallTell. You’ll hear Pat, the new finance director in the Central Europe region, in the middle of a presentation to the sales team. As we join them, he is bringing up a slide on revenue trends among the top three players in the business. As you listen, pay attention to the language that Pat uses to call attention to his points and to relate them to each other.

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Presenting for Success Vocabulary Visual – Any visual element such as a picture, chart, graph (see below), movie, etc. that is used to communicate information in your presentation. Graphic – An image or a picture, usually part of a visual. Distinguish from “graph” below. Chart – This is any visual that contains information: There are pie charts (charts that are round and represent numbers in terms of “slices” of the pie), organizational charts (the “family tree” of your organization), flow charts (show a process, such as a production process) and so on. Graphs (see below) may also be counted as a kind of chart, but chart usually refers to the above basic types. Metric – This refers to any number – such as customer satisfaction, productivity, revenue per unit, etc. – that a company uses to measure success. Trend – The general direction of some metric – upward or downward. For example, “Oil prices have risen steadily over the last year” is a trend. Graph – A chart with x and y or horizontal and vertical axes that shows one or more trend lines, usually a metric changing over time. Bar graphs are a specific kind of chart where each data point – each number – is represented by a bar, that is a long rectangle. (Bar graphs look like a row of buildings.) Quarter – Refers to a period of three months. There are four quarters in a year. You can also call them by number: Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4. To make a play for – An idiom that means to try to acquire or to control. Low-end: This term describes products that are more affordable for consumers. These products might be made from lower-quality materials and/or might not have advanced features. “This car model’s low-end version does not have heated seats or a GPS.” Reaped: Harvested, obtained. “Soon, we’ll reap the benefits of all our hard work.” Price points: A price point is the retail price of a product, often considered with other prices. “What price points do you have in mind?” No love lost: When people say they have “no love lost” for something, it means they have no kind feelings toward it. We can use this expression to describe relationships with people, too. “There’s no love lost between Stan and the new boss. The tension is unbearable.” Plateau: A plateau is a long, flat piece of land with no hills or mountains. In a business sense, the word describes data that has stayed the same for awhile. “It appears that mortgage rates have reached a plateau. They haven’t increased or decreased in several months.”

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3G – Short for “third generation,” this refers to the newest mobile phone networks that support much higher rates of data transfer, measured in megabytes per second (mbps), for applications other than voice, i.e., video telephony, download of movies and so on. Rollout – Similar to product launch, this usually refers to the bringing on to market of manufactured items. It can also be used as a verb, such as, “We rolled out our new 3G (see above) phones in 2005”. Also, sometimes processes or policies can be rolled out, in which case this word means something like “implement” or “implementation.” For example, “We rolled out the new customer data management system in March.” Accounts for: To account for something means to provide an explanation or justification for something. “Illness accounted for 60% of our absenteeism last year.” Year-on-year: This term is used to compare data from the current year to that of the previous year. “I’m surprised that we’re showing a 20% year-on-year decline in revenue.”

Dialog Pat: Everybody ready? Okay, I’ll lead into our discussion today with a quick look at sales over the last five quarters. I’m going to bring up our competitors one by one so we can have a look at how they’ve been doing in contrast to our own performance. Okay, well first there’s CallTell. As I’m sure you all know, they’ve been making a play for the low-end market since they sold off their network division. We can see the boost in sales they reaped in Q4 of 2006 when they brought out their new budget price points. But, that’s only part of the story, as we’ll see a little later. Next we have everyone’s favorite - Sirus [boos] - okay, no love lost there but let me just draw your attention to the plateau in sales they’re facing at the moment with their disastrous 3G rollout. As you can see, it’s really put their revenue under pressure in the last two quarters. And that brings us to Ambient. As I said at the beginning, it’s been a great couple of quarters – and I’m sure you’ll be pleased to hear Central Europe now accounts for over 25% of our European sales – that’s a 34% year-on-year increase. Fantastic. But we’re actually projecting a fairly flat second half as we focus on the higher value product lines – something we’ll look at in more detail later.

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Presenting for Success Debrief Pat has clearly signposted all of his points and used some very effective language for highlighting key trends. Let’s take a closer look at how he does that. Listen again to the beginning. I’m going to bring up our competitors one by one so we can have a look at how they’ve been doing in contrast to our own performance. This is Pat’s introduction to his slide. He is giving us the background on what he plans to say so that we can follow him and keep everything in context: He says, “I’ll lead into our discussion today with….” From this, we can tell this is the first, or “lead,” slide in his discussion. Now, let’s look at some of the vocabulary. A “quarter” refers to a period of three months. There are four quarters in a year. You can also refer to them by number: Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4. When Pat says he is going to “bring up” their competitors one by one, he doesn’t just mean “mention” them. He means he is going to shows us a graph where each competitor’s revenue figures are “brought up” onto the picture one at time, building up until we have three trend lines to compare. You can refer to the study notes for this episode to see the actual graph Pat is using. This is called a bar graph because it is composed of a series of “bars” or thick vertical lines that look like chocolate bars standing on end. Okay, let’s practice some more language we can use to introduce a point.    

We’ll kick off the discussion today with an analysis of our revenue figures over the last three years. First, we’ll be focusing on return on investment in the real estate area. I’d like to begin by going over some of the key concerns that the marketing department has voiced on this plan. Let’s start off with a quick look at our sales.

Now, what does Pat do next? He calls attention to the first trend he brings up on his graph: “Okay, well first here’s CallTell.” What is some other language he could use to call attention to a visual?   

Have a look at this. As you can see … Take a look at this, … Well first here are our total profits in 2006.

Alright, what happens next? Remember, Pat is talking about one of Ambient’s competitors, CallTell. As I’m sure you all know they’ve been making a play for the low-end market since they sold off their network division.

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As we’ll see again and again, competition between companies is often described in terms of war or sports metaphors. “To make a play for” is an idiom that means to try to acquire or to control. Pat’s sentence literally means that CallTell is trying to improve their sales in the low-end, that is low-price, market. Now here’s an important point: Remember that Pat is what we call “the new kid on the block.” That means he has not been working for Ambient very long, whereas many people in his audience will have been with the company for years. At this stage in his presentation, Pat is making some fairly simple points because they provide important background for his later analysis, but everyone already knows what he is talking about. So, especially as a newcomer to Ambient, it’s important for him to show respect for his audience. “As I’m sure you all know…” is a great way to do this. Let’s learn some other ways to respect your audience’s knowledge.   

As you are all aware, we are facing some difficult choices over the next six months. The past year has obviously seen some tough challenges from our competitors. Most of you are familiar with our productivity figures, but for the benefit of those who aren’t, let me briefly bring them up on screen.

All right, now let’s take a look at how Pat highlights a key point. He is still talking about CallTell. We can see the boost in sales they reaped in Q4 of 2006 when they brought out their new budget price points. “Budget price points” refers to inexpensive, low-end products, in this case mobile phones. “We can see” is a way of drawing attention to the point you want to make. Pat probably has a laser pointer, and he is pointing at the part of the graph he wants everyone to focus on. Later, he highlights another point by saying, “Let me just draw your attention to…" What other kinds of phrases can he use for this?    

One thing you’ll immediately notice is a marked increase in Q4. I’d particularly like to draw your attention to the sharp fall in investments here in Q2 of 2007. I’d also like to point out the strong growth in the luxury sector. And perhaps I should mention the slight drop in customer satisfaction reported in Western Europe.

Since highlighting is such an important part of getting your message across, why don’t we practice this skill? Are you ready? It’s your turn to give it a try. In a moment, you’ll hear a series of points, such as “fall in sales, Q1.” After each point, you’ll hear a beep. That means it’s your turn to start talking: Use the phrases we just practiced to draw attention to each point. For example, if you hear “fall in sales, Q1,” you can say something like, “One thing you’ll immediately notice is that sales fell dramatically in Q1.” Are you ready? Let’s begin.

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Presenting for Success Prompt: sharp increase in revenue, 2006 Learner:

Prompt: Strong profit performance, Q1 2007 Learner:

How did that go? Listen to some example answers. Example answers  

I’d particularly like to draw your attention to the sharp increase in revenue in 2006. One thing you’ll immediately notice is the strong profit performance in Q1 of 2007.

After telling us that CallTell has improved revenue by selling more low-end phones, Pat does something very interesting: He foreshadows a point to come. “Foreshadow” means anticipate or give a hint about something. But that’s only part of the story, as we’ll see a little later. Pat is essentially giving us a hint about a key point he is going to make later in his presentation, which we will see in the third episode of this series. Foreshadowing is a great way of keeping the audience interested, and also of relating the structure of your presentation internally, so that audience members will be able to think back clearly to a point that you made earlier when it becomes important for your analysis later. Are there any other examples of foreshadowing in today’s listening? Yes, this is something Pat does again at the end when he says “But we’re actually projecting a fairly flat second half as we focus on the higher value product lines – something we’ll look at in more detail later.” By the way, “project” means to predict and “flat” refers to little growth – a flat trend line. All right, how else can you foreshadow a point?   

… And that indicates reasonable growth in this sector, which we’ll come back to in a moment. As I’ll point out later, we’ve only seen limited success with this strategy. For now, let’s keep talking about marketing channels. This is a key issue, which we’ll be dealing with a little later in the presentation when I go over departmental structure.

What happens next? Pat brings up the trend for the second competitor onto the chart. Let’s listen:

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Next we have everyone’s favorite – Sirus [boos] – okay, okay no love lost there but let me just draw your attention to the plateau in sales they’re facing at the moment with their disastrous 3G rollout. It doesn’t sound like Sirus is very popular, does it? As the idiom goes, it’s the company that “everyone loves to hate.” That’s what Pat means by “there’s no love lost there,” which is another great idiom to add to your vocabulary. As we looked at earlier when we reviewed highlighting, Pat says “Let me just draw your attention to…” in order to draw attention to the following point: That is, after the disastrous rollout (or launch) of their 3G technology (which means third generation advanced cell phone technology) Sirus is facing a plateau in sales. A plateau is simply a mountain with a flat top. So to “face a plateau” means to remain level – no movement, a flat trend line. This kind of language for actually describing trends we’ll be looking at in greater detail in the next episode in this series, Charts and Trends 2. Now, before Pat is able to highlight this point about Sirus, he has to signpost that he is moving on to another part of his slide. He says, “next we have everyone’s favorite – Sirus,” then he puts the trend line for Sirus on the screen so that his audience can compare it to CallTell’s. And then again after he finishes talking about Sirus, Pat has to signpost the last point as he brings Ambient’s figures up on to the screen: He says “And that brings us to Ambient.” What is some more language we can use to signpost the next graphic or next slide? Well, you can use some of the ways we learned earlier for introducing a point. In addition, here are some phrases that are specifically designed for moving between points:    

That’s all for sales growth, now let’s have a look at profit margins. And that brings us to the next point I’d like to make. Great, that’s all for 2006. Let’s now turn to the figures for 2007. That concludes the first slide. Let’s bring up the next. Now here we see the current state of the market.

Okay, there’s just one more point to cover in today’s episode. We’ve practiced introducing a point, moving between points, highlighting a point, foreshadowing or anticipating a future point. And the only thing left is how to refer to a previous point. Listen to Pat talking about Ambient during the last section of today’s listening. As I said at the beginning, it’s been a great couple of quarters – and I’m sure you’ll be pleased to hear Central Europe now accounts for over 25% of our European sales – that’s a 34% year-on-year increase. “As I said at the beginning” is a way of calling back to mind a previous point, perhaps something that you foreshadowed earlier. In this case, Pat is giving more evidence to one of his main comments, which is that the Central Europe region is doing quite well: By a “34% year-on-year increase,” Pat means a 34% rise compared with last year.

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Presenting for Success Now, what are some more ways to refer to a previous point?   

As I mentioned earlier, we really need to keep coming back to our defect rate as a key quality indicator. Returning to what I said earlier, this is definitely an area of concern for us in the future. To go back to what I was saying about our overall growth, I don’t really think we have much reason to be worried.

And, that does it for today’s episode. You’ve practiced a variety of signposting language for emphasizing or highlighting important messages and relating the points of your presentation to each other. These are very important skills to have. Practicing this language will help you prove the old saying true by making each of your pictures truly worth a thousand words. Now, just a little foreshadowing here, in the next episode we’ll be dealing in detail with describing trends. We’ll be learning a variety of lively and vivid language and structures for concisely describing the main trend lines in your charts and graphs.

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Language Review A) Fill in the gaps in the following phrases with the words in the box. dealing

bring up

benefit

look

mention

kick off

earlier

attention

1. I’d particularly like to draw your __________ to the sharp fall in investment here in Q2 of 2007. 2. We’ll ________ the analysis today with an look at our revenue figures over the past three years. 3. This is a key issue, which we’ll be ________ with a little later in the presentation when I go over departmental structure. 4. Returning to what I said _______, this is definitely a key area of concern for us in the future. 5. Most of you are familiar with our productivity figures, but for the _______ of those who aren’t, let me briefly bring them up on screen. 6. Take a _______ at this chart. 7. That concludes the first slide. Let’s ________ the next. Now here we see the current state of the market. 8. And perhaps I should ________ the slight drop in customer satisfaction reported in Western Europe.

B) Now, match each of the phrases above with the functions in the box below. Write the number of the phrase next to the matching function.

Highlighting a point

Foreshadowing

Returning to a previous point

Calling attention to a slide/graphic

Introducing a point

Respecting your audience

Moving to the next slide/ graphic

Highlighting a point

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Presenting for Success Study Strategy A great way to practice the language we learned in this episode is to work with some charts, graphs or visuals from your own company or one of your own presentations. Practice introducing each visual, and using the phrases we learned in this show to highlight key points and relate them to each other. Remember to clearly signpost each main message because that helps your audience (and also you!) follow and understand exactly where you are in your series of ideas. Here’s a great tip: Record yourself speaking – with video if it’s available or with a MP3 or tape recorder. Then go back and listen to how you sound. What kind of impression do you make? How fluent is your language? What are the strong points? Can you catch any mistakes or areas for improvement? With regular practice such as this, you’ll be fast on your way to an English presentation expert.

Language Review Answers A) 1. attention; 2. kick off; 3. dealing; 4. earlier; 5. benefit; 6. look; 7. bring up; 8. mention B) 1= 2= 3= 4= 5= 6= 7= 8=

Highlighting a point Introducing a point Foreshadowing Returning to a previous point Respecting your audience Calling attention to a slide/graphic Moving to the next slide/graphic Highlighting a point

Online Practice Click the “Launch” button to open the online practice:

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Unit 104 – Describing Charts and Trends 2 In the last episode, we learned how to present your visuals clearly and logically by signposting your points and highlighting key areas. Now that you’ve gotten these basics, you need to get into the details and deal with the numbers. So in this episode, we’ll be focusing on describing trends. Remember a trend is the general direction or tendency of a metric or measurement – upward, downward, flat, fluctuating, peaking, bottoming out, and so on. So, you’ll be learning how to use these and many more terms for describing your charts and graphs in fluent, vivid sentences so that you can present your data with maximum impact. Today’s listening continues on from last time. Pat, Ambient’s new Central European finance director, has just finished talking about sales revenue and is now moving on to discuss market share, which he often just refers to as “share.” The visual he will be talking about is a line graph that compares the trends in market share over the last six quarters from Q1 2006 to Q2 2007. His discussion centers on the top three players in the mobile phone business – his own company, Ambient, and their two top competitors, CallTell and Sirus. You’ll find the graph that Pat is actually referring to in the study notes for this episode. As you listen, pay attention to the trend language that Pat uses to describe the recent changes in the market.

Vocabulary Market share: A portion of the sales in a particular market. “We’ve grown steadily over the last three years and now have nearly 30% market share.” Horizontal axis: The horizontal or X-axis on a graph, which often shows time. Slice of the pie: The idiom “slice of the pie” comes from “pie charts,” round graphs that are traditionally used to represent market share as slices of the circle or “pie.” Capacity is also conveniently represented by pie graphs. “Microsoft, of course, have the biggest slice of the pie.” Fluctuation: This refers to up and down movement, like a wave. The verb is “to fluctuate.” Budget models: Budget models of products are priced lower and more affordable to a wider group of consumers. These consumers may be “on a budget” or have limited money to spend. “In our line of MP3 players, the budget models are doing quite well in lower-income markets.” © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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Presenting for Success To bring something online: This is similar to “to roll something out” (see the vocabulary explanations for Charts and Graphs 1). It can refer to products, but often also it refers to production capacity or policies: “Last month we brought two more assembly machines online, boosting our capacity by 25%.” That said: At the beginning of a sentence in oral English, this means “Despite this fact.” For example, “I like sweets a lot. That said, I don’t eat a lot of them because I care a lot about my health.” To hold one’s ground: This is an idiom that is based on a war metaphor: In competition, opposing companies are like enemies on the battleground. “To hold one’s ground” means you do not retreat. So we can say, “We held our ground in market share despite repeated attacks from Company B.” To take a hit on (something): If a company takes a hit on something, it is negatively affected by it. For example, a seasonal business might take a hit on poor weather. Or, we could say, “Toyota really took a hit on the recent recalls.” Rollout: We use the word “rollout” as a noun or verb when we talk about bringing manufactured items to market or implementing an idea or policy. “Last August, we rolled out our new line of notebook computers in the U.S., before students returned to universities.” At someone’s expense: If a trend goes up “at someone’s expense,” it means the increase corresponds to subtraction in their share of the pie (see above.) For example, “Our market share increased 5% at Company B’s expense,” means that our share went up 5% while Company B’s went down by the same amount. Position: Situation or status. “If we acquire Bates Distributing, we’ll be in an excellent position for future growth.” Consolidate // consolidated our position: In a business sense, “consolidate” means to strengthen. If a company consolidates its position, it strengthens its status or ranking among other companies. “Our competitors are strong. We need to make consolidating our position a priority.” To fend off competition: This is another idiom based on an underlying war metaphor (see ‘hold one’s ground’). “To fend off” means to fight off. “We need to fend of the competition before we start talking about expanding.” Bottom end // bottom end of the market: If something is at the bottom end, it’s considered to be lower quality or have lower prestige. “These DVD players are at the bottom end of the product line. So, they’re priced lower than other products.” The bottom end of the market means a low position. “I think we should stop focusing the bottom end of the market and start targeting the premium market.” Prime: Most important or most valuable. “Our office is in the financial district, a prime location.”

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Segment: A division of a market. “Retail is one segment of commercial real estate.” Players: Participants, contenders, companies with similar interests. “Apple and Dell are major players in the computer manufacturing industry.” Underlying: We use this adjective to describe something that is present, but not obvious. (Think of a pen beneath a piece of paper. You can’t see it, but you know it’s there.) “Poor sales performance caused many problems in our company, but the underlying cause was weak management.”

Dialog Pat: All right, let’s leave sales there and move on to market share. Now this graph shows us the trend in market share starting in the first quarter of 2006 moving up to the present. The vertical axis represents billions of U.S. dollars. Looking at the figures for 2006, Sirus had the biggest slice of the pie. After remaining unchanged at around 30% for the first half, their share started fluctuating in Q3 and 4. Meanwhile, we were struggling to catch CallTell as their budget models came online. That said, we were still able to hold our ground thanks to some hard work on your part. Things get interesting when we compare the latest IDG figures for Spring 2007. Recently, as you know, Sirus has taken a hit on the release of their problematic G3 rollout. Actually, their share has slipped back a couple of points to about 27%. Meanwhile, CallTell has grown largely at their expense. Our own position has been further consolidated this year as we successfully fended off competition from CallTell on the bottom end and gained on Sirus in the prime multimedia segment. And let me just draw your attention here to the effects of new Asian players entering our market, as we see their growth reflected in the 5% increase of the combined ‘others’ group, which now accounts for over a quarter of the entire European market. All things considered, the exec team is fairly pleased with the overall picture on market share and the underlying trends for 2007…

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Presenting for Success Debrief In very few words, Pat has called attention to all the key trends in his visual. He hasn’t gone into great detail – after all, the graphs are right there in front of his audience for everyone to see – rather, he has used some strong, vivid language to briefly draw attention to the main points in his analysis. The first thing he does, which you’ll recognize from last time, is signpost the change from his first slide, revenue, to his second slide, market share. All right, let’s leave sales there and move on to market share. Next, he needs to tell us what we’re looking at. This is introducing the theme or main idea of a chart. Now this graph shows us the trend in market share starting in the first quarter of 2006 moving up to the present. The vertical axis represents billions of US$. “Vertical axis” of course means the Y axis in the graph. Pat doesn’t say so, because it is so obvious, but the X axis is called “horizontal” and shows time, in this case starting in Q1 of 2006 and “moving up to the present,” which is Q2 of 2007. “Starting in” and “moving up to” are useful for talking about a range of time. Now, let’s study some more ways we can introduce the basic theme of a chart.   

This graph presents a general picture of recent developments in the highstrength steel market during the last five years. This chart gives you a general overview of the organizational structure in our department. Here we see a chart analyzing the relationship between investment and profitability.

Great. Now that you’ve practiced those, let’s move on to how Pat next focuses in on a specific part of the graph everyone is looking at. Looking at the figures for 2006 Sirus had the biggest slice of the pie. The idiom “slice of the pie” comes from “pie charts,” which are round graphs that are traditionally used to represent market share as slices of the circle or “pie.” In this case, however, Pat is using a line graph because he is looking at change in market share over time, but he can still refer idiomatically to Sirus having the biggest slice of the pie. “Looking at the figures for 2006,” draws our attention specifically to one part of the graph. What are some other ways that we can use to do this?   

Examining the developments at the beginning of the year, we can see an interesting trend. Let’s focus in on Q2. As we break down the numbers in the automobile sector, a startling trend emerges.

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

Notice the strong relationship between price per unit and revenue.

So after Pat focuses our attention in on one part of the graph – Sirus’ share in 2006 – what is the first trend he describes? Let’s listen again. After remaining unchanged at around 30% for the first half, their share started fluctuating in Q3 and 4. There are actually two trends here, aren’t there? First, Sirus’ share “remains unchanged” for the first half – the first two quarters – of 2006. What are some other ways to say “remain unchanged”?    

Our growth essentially remained steady throughout 2003. You can see that the stock price really flattened out in April and May. The price of oil has stayed level for the past two weeks. Trading volume stagnated near the end of the day.

To “stagnate” means to show no movement. The adjective, “stagnant” describes water that has been still for too long. You’ll also remember from last time we learned two other ways to describe “remaining unchanged” – “flat,” as in “a fairly flat second half of the year” and “plateau,” as in “facing a plateau in sales.” Around “remain unchanged,” three more trend verbs are important: “Level off,” “drop off,” and “pick up.” The first, “level off” means a trend goes flat after rising. The second, “drop off” (or sometimes “fall off”) means a trend goes down after being flat. The third, “pick up,” means a trend increases again after a period of falling or being stagnate. Let’s listen to an example of some of this language: After a steady increase throughout 2003 and 4, demand for new houses leveled off in 2005, plateaued for a while, then dropped off in 2006 before picking up again in 2007. Did you catch all that? Let’s review. Think of a kind of N shape (“N” as in Nancy): First the trend increased, next it leveled off (the top of the N is flat), then it dropped off or fell, and finally it picked up again or rose. Note how plateau is actually used as a verb here. All right, after remaining unchanged at around 30%, Pat says that Sirus’ share “started seeing some fluctuations in Q3 and 4”. This is another trend, in effect kind of opposite to remaining unchanged: To fluctuate means to move up and down, like a wave. The noun is fluctuation. Listen to some more ways to describe fluctuation.    

The year 2000 was a period of intense fluctuation. This is a period of flux. Hits on our webpage have fluctuated a lot in March. Over the last few weeks, our share price has been going up and down.

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Presenting for Success 

New orders have experienced serious fluctuations in the last few months, with the results ranging from a low of 15 in February to a high of 27 in June.

What happens next? Pat talks about Ambient’s performance in 2006. Meanwhile, we were struggling to catch CallTell as their budget models came online. That said, we were still able to hold our ground thanks to some hard work on your part. “Bring online” is similar to “roll out,” which we covered last time: It is another way to say “launch” or “release” on to the market. “Budget models” refers to those “new budget price points” Pat mentioned last time: Low-end, inexpensive products. Now, let’s take a look for a moment at the language Pat uses here. As is very common in business, he describes competition between companies with sports and war metaphors: “We were struggling,” or fighting, “to catch CallTell,” as in a race. “That said,” or “despite this fact,” we were able to “hold our ground,” as in a war. We should study these war and sports metaphors to make our description of trends more vivid: Note that Pat doesn’t mention a single number here, but he manages to paint a very colorful picture and tell an interesting story in just a couple of sentences thanks to these great metaphors. Okay, let’s move on to the next trend in Pat’s description of this slide. Things get interesting when we compare the latest IDG figures for Spring 2007. Recently, as you know, Sirus has taken a hit on the release of their problematic G3 rollout. Actually, their share has slipped back a couple of points to about 27%. “Things get interesting,” is another way to highlight a point, which is something we looked at in the first episode of this series. “To take a hit” continues the war metaphor: Sirus is like a ship that got hit by a rocket or a missile, which causes their share to sink or “slip back a couple of points.” To slip literally means to fall down when you step on something slick or wet. So “to slip back” vividly describes the trend of falling or going down. Now, let’s study more phrases we can use to describe a downward trend.       

Turnover went down slightly in August. Overall, prices have decreased sharply over the last year. Activity fell off dramatically in May from 3 000 hits per day to 1 900 hits per day by the end of the month. After 2000, stock prices plummeted by 30%. Calls per day have plunged recently. Production capacity has contracted by 30%, hitting a low of one million units in March. Share has shrunk 5.5% in the last six months, bottoming out in May at 18.5%

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Pay attention to how you can use the prepositions “from” and “to” to describe a range, for example “Activity fell off dramatically in May from 3 000 hits per day to 1 900 hits.” “Plunge” and “plummet” mean to fall rapidly. “A low” just describes one low point, whereas “bottom out” refers to the lowest point. Also, take note of the following structure: “Production capacity has contracted,” (that means shrunk) “hitting a low of one million units in March.” “Hitting a low,” is a participial phrase. This use of participial phrases is a great way to liven up and add variety to your trend descriptions. By the way, “shrink” and “contract” are used specifically to describe capacity or share, anything that you would use a pie chart for. Now that we’ve dealt with shrinkage or falling, we need to study growth or rising. Listen to Pat again. Remember, he has just talked about how Sirus’ share “slipped back a couple points” in the second half of 2006. Meanwhile CallTell has grown largely at their expense. “At their expense” means in a way that Sirus has paid for CallTell’s growth. In other words, the couple of points that Sirus has “slipped” CallTell has picked up. What are some other ways to talk about increase or growth? Let’s go through several examples.      

Then turnover went up a little in September. Activity has increased dramatically in the last 30 days. Sales posted strong growth throughout 2005, rising from 30 million in Q1 to 45 million in Q4. Stock prices soared to a new high of $157 per share on news of the merger. Customer satisfaction is on the increase. Consumer confidence took off in 2005 on the news that lending rates would be lowered, reaching a peak of 69% in June.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the vocabulary that was just used: “Stock prices soared” means that they flew high, like a bird. Continuing the flying metaphor, “Consumer confidence took off” means that it launched like an airplane. Before we go on, let’s also take a moment to review some of the common adverbs we can use in trend descriptions: “Sharply” or “dramatically” are often used to show rapid change, whereas “slightly” or “moderately” are used for slow change. Now it’s your turn to practice describing trends. In a moment, you’ll hear a series of hints or cues. Based on these hints, make sentences. For example, if you hear, “Price of oil, go up, 2002 to 2005,” you can say, “Starting in 2002 and moving on to 2005, the price of oil soared,” or “The price of oil rose dramatically from 2002 to 2005.” Make up any details you like, but remember to put the verb into the correct tense. Do your best to use a variety of language and structures. Are you ready? Let’s give it a try.

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Presenting for Success Cue 1: Revenue / remain unchanged / in Q1 and Q2 of 2006 Learner:

Cue 2: Our competitor’s stock price / go up and down / recently Learner:

Cue 3: Customer satisfaction / go up 15% / May to June this year Learner:

Cue 4: Costs / go down 4% in 2006 / rise 3% so far in 2007 Learner:

Now listen to some example phrases. Remember, there are many possible correct answers for each question. Answer 1: Revenue essentially remained steady through Q1 and 2 of 2006. Answer 2: Recently our competitor’s stock price has been fluctuating. Answer 3: Starting in May and going to June, customer satisfaction really took off, rising by 15% in just two months. Answer 4: After dropping 4% in 2006, costs have picked up again. So far in 2007 they have risen 3%. So, how did you do? It’s a good idea to go back and try the practice again, substituting different language and structures each time to exercise your fluency. Also, you can listen to the phrasecast for this and the other episodes for focused practice on all the new phrases and expressions we’ve learned. All right. We’ve covered all the basic types of trends – flat and fluctuating, upward and downward. Now let’s turn to something Pat does at the end of today’s listening. Moving on to talk about his own company, Ambient, Pat says that their position has “consolidated,” that is stabilized, after “fending off,” or fighting away, competition from CallTell on the bottom end and Sirus on the “prime” or high end. Then he goes on to make a final point about this slide:

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And let me just draw your attention here to the effects of the new Asian players entering our market as we see their growth reflected in the 5% increase of the combined ‘others’ group, which now accounts for over a quarter of the entire European market. The “combined others group” that Pat is talking about refers to all other players in the market outside the three main competitors, which are CallTell, Sirus and Ambient. Pat makes the point that this group now accounts for “over a quarter” of the entire European market. “Over a quarter” is a way of using vague or unspecific language to maximize a point: Pat chooses to emphasize the large size of the “others” group, but he could also have minimized its significance by saying something like, “only just over a third,” or “well under a half.” Let’s study more ways to use vague language in order to maximize or minimize a point.     

This could mean as much as a 20% drop in sales. Layoffs will result in no more than about a 20% drop in productivity. I’m afraid that the new policy could result in employee turnover as high as 12% if we don’t act now. We’re probably only looking at a 2 or 3% drop at the most, if not a lot less. I’d expect at least a 20% increase in price or something in that neighborhood.

Great, well, that about covers today’s show. We’ve studied introducing the main point of a graph and we’ve learned all the basic language for describing trends – flat and fluctuating, upward and downward. In addition, we’ve seen how using vivid metaphors borrowed from sports and war gives your trend descriptions impact. Finally, we’ve practiced a variety of language for maximizing or minimizing the significance of the data you are using so you can skillfully control its impact on the audience. During the last episode in this three-part series on charts and trends, we’ll turn to another important aspect of describing change – that is talking about future trend lines and predicting change.

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Presenting for Success Language Review A) Under each mini graph, write several expressions that can be used to describe the trend. Where appropriate, add adverbs such as “dramatically,” “sharply,” or “steadily.”

1.

4.

7.

2.

3.

5.

6.

8.

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B) For each of the cues below, write a sentence describing a trend. The first one has been done for you. Practice using a variety of structures and vocabulary. 1. Consumer confidence, go up by 5%, 1998 to 2000

From 1998 to 2000, consumer confidence increased by 5%. 2. Price of wheat, go down $3, Q2 and Q3 2006; go up $2, Q4 2006.

3. BioClone’s stock price, remain unchanged, Q1 2007; go up by 50%, Q2 2007.

4. Employee turnover, go down by 3%, 2004; go up by 5% 2005; go up by 10% in 2007, reach peak in 2007.

5. Revenue, go up 3m, Q4 2005; level off, Q1 2006; fluctuate, the rest of the year.

Study Strategy What kind of trends do you use or come across in your work? Taking a few examples, sketch out some trend graphs on a piece of paper or on your computer. Then, make some cues for yourself like the ones above in Review Exercise B that outline the key points you want to make. Practice using the language we learned in last episode for calling attention to and highlighting your points, then, based on your cues, briefly describe the key points you want to get across with each graph. After you’ve practiced a couple times, you can make the presentation into a small PowerPoint presentation. Try giving it to a friend or recording it, then ask your friend for feedback.

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Presenting for Success Language Review Answers A) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

go up, rise, increase; steadily, slowly. take off, soar; rise quickly, sharply, dramatically. remain unchanged, remain steady, stay the same. go down, fall, decrease; steadily, slowly. plummet, plunge, crash; fall sharply. level off. hit bottom; pick up. reach a peak, to peak; then fall off. fluctuate, go up and down.

B) 2. After falling by $3 in the period between Q2 and Q3 of 2006, the price of wheat rose again by 2$ in Q4. 3. Throughout the first quarter of 2007, BioClone’s stock price remained basically unchanged; however, in Q2 of 2007 it saw a sharp increase, soaring by over 50%. 4. In 2004 employee turnover dropped off by 3%, but rose again by 5% in 2005; Then, with the news of the merger, it reached an all time high, gaining 10% in 2007. 5. In Q4 of 2006 revenue went up by $3 million, then leveled off in Q1 of 2006 before experiencing minor fluctuations until the end of the year.

Online Practice Click the “Launch” button to open the online practice:

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Unit 105 – Describing Charts and Trends 3 Over the last two episodes, we’ve studied phrases for introducing, signposting and highlighting visuals and we’ve learned language for describing trends. We’ve looked at both how to present your points clearly and persuasively and how to deliver your data with maximum impact. In this show, we’ll be completing our discussion of charts and graphs by studying language for making predictions and for supporting your predictions with analysis. We’ll also look at a couple of advanced ways to rhetorically emphasize a point. “Rhetorical” means using words effectively to get your message across. This listening continues Pat’s presentation of the market trends for Ambient and its competitors. This time Pat is coming to the “real story” – the main point – of his presentation. As you listen, see if you can catch what it is.

Vocabulary Performance indicator – An indicator is a measurement or metric. For example, your cell phone probably has an indicator to tell you how much battery power you have left, and in your car there is an indicator showing the speed and how much petrol you have left. Similarly, a performance indicator is a metric that indicates or measures the performance of a company. Rhetoric – The study of using language effectively. The adjective is “rhetorical.” It often collocates with “techniques.” For example, in the episode, Pat uses some rhetorical techniques, such as comparison and contrast. Revenue per unit – Total sales revenue divided by the amount of units sold. In today’s episode, this is a key performance indicator (see above) for Ambient. Real story: When we talk about the “real story,” we’re talking about the speaker’s main point, which might not be as obvious as it seems. “We know what the press is reporting, but here’s the real story.” Headline sales: Large, newsworthy sales. Think of newspapers for a moment. Important stories get big headlines and everyone knows about them. Headline sales are big sales that everyone in an industry knows about. “We’ve made some headlines sales this year and that’s great. But taking care of our customers is very important, too.” Market average: When we consider data, we often make comparisons to other organizations in our market. A market average is an average figure compiled from all those organizations’ data. “Using the market average helps us compare our performance to our industry overall.”

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Presenting for Success Break out of (a trend): Perform differently than before. “The trend for salary increases remained at 3% for quite some time, until the InfoShare Corp. started giving its employees a minimum of 6%.” Mass market: Appealing to a wide range and large number of customers. Mass market items are products most people use (like shampoo or soap) and are sold in larger venues like department stores. “Mass market items probably wouldn’t do well in small, specialty shops.” WAP - Refers to Wireless Application Protocol. A protocol is a language. Wireless means a device without wires or land lines, a cell phone or mobile phone as they are called in the UK. WAP is basically a way for cell phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants or small computers) to go online to websites and surf the internet. To hit the stores/market – To enter the market or become available in stores. Holiday season: The “holiday season” typically refers to the end of the year, when many people purchase gifts and other items to celebrate holidays like Thanksgiving (in the U.S.), Christmas, Hanukkah, and the New Year. “Wine sales often increase during the holiday season.” Momentum – The term “momentum” comes from physics, the study of energy and matter. “Momentum” is technically defined as weight (or mass) multiplied by speed (or velocity). To “pick up momentum” means to increase or add momentum. In business, this is frequently used to describe a growing tendency, such as increasing support for a proposal or a strengthening trend, either upward or downward. Mid-range of the market – In contrast to the luxury segment, the “high range,” and the budget segment, the “low range,” mid-range just refers to the middle part of the market – not too expensive and not too cheap. Developing markets: Business markets found in less-industrialized countries. These areas generally have poorer economies. “We plan to target developing markets in Africa next year.” To reach saturation – “To reach saturation” means that a market cannot accept anymore new products, like when you keep adding salt to a glass of water, it starts building up on the bottom of the glass: The water can’t dissolve it any more. This is saturation. A “saturated market” is one where sales drop off because most potential consumers have already bought products. Sales channels – This is just the way a product is sold to the consumer. Sales channels include such things as department stores, internet, etc. High-end products: The opposite of low-end products (See Unit 3). High-end products are usually made with higher quality materials, have higher prices, and/or are more desirable. “The high-end rooms of this hotel have ocean views and cost $200 more per night.”

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Core (part of our) strategy: “Core” in this sense means the most important, most essential part. “Our core marketing strategy involves exceptional customer service. It’s part of everything we do.” On track: When we’re “on track” toward a goal, we’re making successful progress and implementing our expected plan. “In spite of the rising cost of fuel, we’ve managed to stay on track with our delivery budget.” Bodes well: Predicted to have a positive outcome. Usually some kind of sign makes us think that something will bode well. “The closing of the competing Italian restaurant really bodes well for our business.” As a whole: Thinking about something “as a whole” means thinking about all of its aspects or parts. “A few of our divisions aren’t doing as well as last year, but as a whole, I think we’ll see increased revenue in 2010.” To watch out for // to watch for: To be careful of // to look for. “Watching out for” something means to consider it with a certain degree of caution. “We need to watch out for LaserTech. They could take away a lot of our business.” “To watch for” has a less threatening, more neutral meaning. “I suggest we watch for changes in buying habits among professional women. Then we can adjust our advertising if we need to.” Fundamental to: Essential to. “Good leadership is fundamental to successful management.” PDA – Short for “personal digital assistant” (see above), a small computer that you carry with you. To surf the internet – To go online and look around websites. “To surf” is originally a sport in which you ride waves on a board. Profitability – A measurement of a company’s success, good profitability is the ability to generate revenues in excess of the costs created in producing those revenues.

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Presenting for Success Dialog Pat: … But the real story I want to share with you today is not about headline sales or market share. No, what I’m here with you today for is to share our success in meeting – indeed exceeding this last quarter – our targets for a key profit indicator – revenue per unit or RPU. Now to do that I’m going to compare our own unit revenue with that of Sirus and the market average provided by IDG Statistics. First, here’s the market average – as we can see, it remained fairly flat from 2002 to 2005 and then started to break out of the trend lines as the first mass market WAP phones hit the stores in the 2005 holiday season. The momentum that this trend picked up in 2006 looks likely to continue on in 2007 and 8. Now, as you all know, the latest research indicates that growth in the mid-range, even in developing markets, is reaching saturation and, as I’m sure your channels are telling you, demand for high-end products is not just limited to Western Europe anymore. Now, obviously, it’s been a core part of our strategy to increase RPU by 10% per year from 2006 to 2011. We have met this target for 2006. And we are on track to continue strong growth this year. But, the best news is that following Sirus’ disastrous G3 launch and our hard work in Q1 and 2, we have now actually overtaken them in this key metric. This really bodes well for our profitability in 2007 as a whole. CallTell is something for us to watch out for, however, because you know they aren’t going to be satisfied with the low end for very long. So what we need to do now is to keep working closely together to exceed our quarterly RPU targets. This is fundamental to our continuing success and of course, you don’t need me to tell you, that it’s good for your bonuses. Okay, now let’s take a closer look at those RPU targets…

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Debrief First of all, what kind of slide are they looking at? Basically, Pat is talking about revenue per unit – the average revenue created by each cell phone. He is comparing the market average with Ambient and Sirus’ figures. Having already discussed current trends in the industry during Charts and Graphs 1 and 2, Pat spends more time in this episode analyzing data to predict future developments. In addition, because Pat is coming to the most important part of his presentation, he makes use of advanced rhetorical techniques to get his point across effectively. Let’s start with Pat’s rhetoric. Remember, rhetoric is the study of how to use language effectively. The adjective is “rhetorical.” Listen again to the beginning of Pat’s presentation. He uses a couple of great rhetorical techniques. What are they? But the real story I want to share with you today is not about headline sales or market share. No, what I’m here with you today for is to share our success in meeting – indeed exceeding this last quarter – our targets for a key profit indicator – revenue per unit or RPU. By “the real story,” Pat means the real point of his presentation. “Headline sales” refers to great sales – a story that could make the headlines of the newspapers. But here is where the rhetoric comes in: Pat says the real story is not about headline sales or market share, though Ambient is doing well in those areas. No, the real story is Ambient’s meeting, even exceeding, a key performance indicator. “Indicator” means measurement or metric – of something that indicates success. The rhetorical structure that Pat uses here is comparison and contrast: Not only have we accomplished A, but, moreover, we have accomplished B. In addition to this structure, Pat makes use of repetition of words with similar meanings to build up positive weight: Ambient is meeting and indeed exceeding targets. Both comparison and contrast and also repetition are great techniques for adding impact to your ideas. Let’s listen to a couple more examples of the comparison and contrast rhetorical structure. 



What I’d like everyone to see here is that not only are we increasing our sales – yes, that’s important, but it’s not everything. In addition, by following this plan, we are reducing, even eliminating, some of our major costs. As you all know, success in this market is not only about who has a larger sales force or more outlets. No, in fact, it’s not even the most important factor, far from it. Success in this market comes down to this: Who has better information and who acts on it first.

In both examples there is strong use of repetition of such words as “important” and “success”; in addition, in both examples the compare and contrast structure is very effective, isn’t it? Now, let’s get back to the listening. © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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Presenting for Success So Pat has said that the key message of his presentation is improvement not in market share or revenue, but in revenue per unit or RPU. To highlight Ambient’s success in this area, Pat says he is going to compare their RPU with the market’s average RPU (provided by a company called “IDG statistics”) and with Sirus’ RPU. Let’s listen to him do that. First, here’s the market average – as we can see, it remained fairly flat from 2002 to 2005 and then started to break out of the trend lines as the first mass market WAP phones hit the stores in the 2005 holiday season. This section is basically a trend description, much as we studied last time. “To break out of the trend lines,” means to change tendency: The tendency, or trend line, is like a jail or a cage that the trend “breaks out” of. WAP refers to Wireless Application Protocol. A protocol is a language. Wireless means a device without wires, a cell phone (or mobile phone as they are often called in the UK). So WAP is basically a way for cell phones and PDAs (which are personal digital assistants or small portable computers) to go online to websites and surf the internet, without a wire or a “land line,” as they’re called. Mass means “large”, so mass market refers to the general market, not just people with a lot of money but the general consumer. To “hit” the market means to enter the market. So now you should be able to understand what Pat means by “the first mass market WAP phones hit the market in the 2005 holiday season.” This just means that the first affordable internet phones entered the market in 2005, around Christmas and New Year, which is the “holiday season” in Europe and America. So, basically, Pat has told us the that the market average RPU started increasing at the end of 2005 as higher and higher tech phones came out. Now he goes on to talk about the current and future direction of this tendency: The momentum that this trend picked up in 2006 looks likely to continue on in 2007 and 8. The term “momentum” comes from physics, the study of energy and matter. “Momentum” is technically defined as weight (or mass) multiplied by speed (or velocity). To “pick up momentum” means to increase or add momentum. In business, this is frequently used to describe a growing tendency, such as increasing support for a proposal or a strengthening trend, either upward or downward. “Momentum” is a really useful expression, so let’s look at a couple more examples. After Sarah got most of the workers to agree, support for her proposal really picked up momentum among the management team.  In the 80s, momentum gathered behind the upward trend in CEO salaries until in the 90s they reached truly spectacular levels.  After the merger we had sudden access to much better IT resources, so the proposal to conduct a new round of IT training really lost momentum. Remember, Pat says that the market momentum towards increased RPU “looks likely to continue” in 2007 or 2008. “Looks likely to” is a way of referring to a 

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likely future trend. Later in his discussion, Pat also talks about the likelihood of future growth in Ambient’s RPU: He says “And now we are on track to continue strong growth in 2007.” Now, listen to some more examples of ways to talk about likely future developments:     

Share prices are almost certain to continue rising rapidly - at least to the end of the year. There is great likelihood of more mergers in the auto business. As you can see, we are very probably going to see a continued expansion of production capacity as demand increases. We can certainly expect this tendency to continue in the future. This trend is almost sure to change.

Sometimes you want to highlight that a future trend is unlikely. How do you do that? Well, obviously, you can just negate, that is add “not” to any of the phrases you just heard, but here are a couple more examples to complete your list.    

It’s quite unlikely that we will see this kind of growth continue into 2009. The fall in the price of gold will not last long. I don’t believe we can count on any more increases in the price of real estate. Nine times out of ten, when we see this kind of trend, we know that it is going to be short-lived.

In the last example, “nine times out of ten” is just an idiomatic way of saying something is very likely, while “short-lived” means its life is very short – it won’t last long. So how does Pat’s analysis continue? Keep listening. As you all know the latest research indicates that growth in the mid-range, even in developing markets, is reaching saturation. You’ll remember that “as you know” is a way of showing respect to the audience that we studied in the first episode in this series. “Growth in the mid-range” refers to the middle part or range of the market, not too expensive and not too cheap. “Developing markets” means markets whose size is still growing – places where not everyone has cell phones or where wealth is increasing rapidly – for example, in Central Europe, where Pat is finance director, or in South America, where cell phones are not as common as they are in Europe. “To reach saturation” means that a market cannot accept anymore new products, just as when you keep adding salt to a glass of water, it starts building up on the bottom of the glass: The water just can’t dissolve it anymore. This is saturation. So Pat means that even in growing markets, the demand for midrange cell phones is not really growing. What is the next point he makes? …and, as I’m sure your channels are telling you, demand for high-end products is not just limited to Western Europe any more.

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Presenting for Success “Channels” means sales channels, such as department stores, cell phone shops and so on – any way you deliver the product to the customer. So what’s Pat’s main point here about RPU and the cell phone market? Can you say it in your own words? To practice analyzing trends in English, why don’t you give it a try. After you hear the beep, take a few seconds to sum up what Pat has told us about the main trends in developing markets and Western Europe. After you’ve finished, compare your answer with ours. You can start your answer by saying, “Well, the main point is that…” Learner:

Example answer: Well, the main point is that even in developing markets such as central Europe the market for mid-range phones is saturated. Meanwhile, phone retailers are telling Ambient that demand for high-end products, such as WAP phones, is picking up, even in developing markets like Central Europe. How did you do? A great way to practice is to rewind and try again. Try substituting and mixing language from the example answer and Pat’s original statement. Now let’s finish going through the listening. How does Pat’s discussion of RPU end? Pat reminds his audience that it’s been a “core” or main part of Ambient’s strategy to increase RPU by 10% per year. Having met this goal in 2006, Ambient is already “on track” to do it again in 2007. (Remember, we talked about this use of “on track” a little earlier when we learned of ways to talk about the likelihood of future developments.) Now, what does Pat say the best news is? The best news is that following Sirus’ disastrous 3G launch and our hard work in Q1 and 2, we have now actually overtaken them in this key metric. You’ll remember that in previous episodes we heard a little about Sirus’ “disastrous,” or terrible, 3G launch. “We have now overtaken them in this key metric” is a way of comparing two trends: One overtakes, or passes, the other. Let’s study some more ways to compare trends: 

  

Actually, when you compare the sales orders of these two companies, you’ll see that those of Company A far exceed Company B, even though Company B has high revenue. Once again, ScienceTech’s profits fell far short of the industry average. Demand has not caught up with supply all year. Really, we are neck and neck with our main competitor going into 2008.

As you can see, in addition to standard comparisons like “more” and “most,” or “better” and “best,” you can also use verbs such as “exceed” or “overtake” © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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(which mean to do better than) or “fall short of” (which means to do worse than). To be “neck and neck” means to be tied or to be even. All these expressions for comparing performance are based on the sports metaphor that is so common in business: Competing companies are racing against each other. As we saw last time, you can also use a war metaphor: Company A lost to Company B in market share, for example. All right, after comparing Sirus’ and Ambient’s RPUs, Pat makes a general prediction about the future based on Ambients’ strong growth in this key performance indicator: This really bodes well for our profitability in 2007 as a whole. “To bode well for something” means to be a good sign for something: The fact that Ambient’s RPU is growing means it is likely that profitability, the company’s ability to increase profits, will also grow. What are some other ways of making general predictions? Of course you can say, “will” or “going to,” for example “profits are going to increase,” but there are many other expressions you can use. Let’s listen to a few:    

We predict steady increases throughout 2008. All signs point towards a large drop in consumer confidence. The fall in demand does not augur well for the market. Experts forecast a healthy economic climate in the high-tech area.

Back to our listening, after making an optimistic prediction, Pat leaves us on a note of caution: CallTell is something for us to watch out for, however, because you know they aren’t going to be satisfied with the low-end for very long. “CallTell is something to watch out for” means we should observe (watch) CallTell carefully. This is a way of reminding everybody to look out for future developments. Let’s study some more language for this.    

We definitely need to keep our eyes peeled for more activity in this sector. Raw materials are going to continue to be an area of strong growth, so looking forward, it’s something that we can’t afford to ignore. I advise everyone to stay on guard against hostile takeovers. In our price negotiations, we need to keep an eye towards other areas where we can get more value, such as delivery time.

What’s the last thing Pat does before moving on to the next slide? He uses this moment as an opportunity to encourage cooperation as well as to give the sales team a friendly reminder that their bonuses – the extra money they make at the end of the year – are tied to or connected with RPU: So what we need to do now is to keep working closely together to exceed our quarterly RPU targets. This is fundamental to our continuing success and of course you don’t need me to tell you that it’s good for your bonus too.

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Presenting for Success Note the strong collocation or word partnership here: “fundamental to our continuing success.” Fundamental means basic or important, so Pat means that meeting RPU targets is extremely important to Ambient’s continuing success in Central Europe. Using strong collocations is another effective rhetorical technique for adding impact to your presentation, so you should make the study of words in groups and phrases a regular part of your practice. You can go back through the transcript of this and other episodes making note of good word partnerships. Here are some more good collocations for saying something is very important:    

It’s essential to our success to reach our earnings targets. It’s absolutely fundamental to our continuing viability that we keep reducing costs. I can’t emphasize enough how critical innovation is to our business growth. The crux of the matter is that we have to keep expanding our search for new markets.

OK, that’s about it for this episode. Also, this concludes our three-part series on charts and graphs. Over this series you’ve learned language for introducing and highlighting points, describing trends, and analyzing data. In this show we focused on rhetorical techniques for drawing attention to your main point and emphasizing the importance of something and we learned a range of language for talking about future trends and making predictions.

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Language Review A) Using the cues below, rewrite the sentences using the rhetorical techniques of “comparison and contrast” and “repetition.” The first one has been done for you. Refer back to today’s episode for more ideas. In number 4 below, you have an opportunity to make your own example. 1.

Increasing sales, reducing costs What I’d like everyone to see here is that not only are we increasing our sales – yes, that’s important, but it’s not everything. In addition , by following this plan, we are reducing, even sometimes eliminating, our major costs.

2. Greater demand, better revenue per unit

3. More employees, better training

4. Your own example

B) Using the words in the box, fill in the blanks. neck momentum

augur tendency

eye peeled

1. After Sarah got most of the workers to agree, support for her proposal really picked up _________among the management team. 2. The fall in demand does not ________ well for the market. 3. In our price negotiations, we need to keep an ___________ towards other areas where we can get more value, such as delivery time. 4. We need definitely need to keep our eyes ___________ for more activity in this sector. 5. We can certainly ____________ this tendency to continue in the future. 6. Really, we are ___________ and neck with our main competitor going into 2008.

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Presenting for Success Study Strategy In the industry you work in, what predictions do you have for the tendencies and trends over the next six months? One year? Five years? Ten years? Think of two or three important metrics in your industry, for example, in the computer industry, you might take processor speed. Then plot out a graph of the future trends for these metrics based on your personal prediction. Next, use the language we have learned in this episode to analyze the data, making predictions and talking about the likelihood of future developments. You should also try to use the rhetorical strategy of comparison and contrast to add impact to your presentation. You can record your speech or present it to a friend. Listen back and give yourself feedback.

Language Review Answers A) Note: These answers are only provided as examples and further study. Of course there are many possible good answers. 2. What I’d like to leave you with today is that our success is not only due to a greater demand for our product. Of course, that helps, but our increasing profitability rests on much more than that. What really matters – the real crucial factor – is the better revenue per unit we are achieving: We are selling each piece for more money. 3. What I’d like to emphasize is that having more employees is not the only thing that counts. No, in fact, it’s not even the most important thing. The most important thing is that each trainee gets better training. B) 1. momentum; 2. augur; 3. eye; 4. peeled; 5. expect; 6. neck

Online Practice Click the “Launch” button to open the online practice:

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Unit 106 – Voice and Emphasis When I say “using your voice to give a good presentation,” what comes to mind? Perhaps the first thing you think of is speaking fluently and clearly. Another important question is how to emphasize your ideas. In this episode we’ll be studying these points – how to speak naturally and how to highlight ideas. In addition, we’ll be looking at a few expressions and phrases you can use to add extra emphasis to your presentation. This listening takes place at PharmaTek, a major international pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Switzerland. In this episode a group of European journalists are taking a tour of PharmaTek’s new high-potency production center in Beijing, which is scheduled to start making PharmaTek’s new blockbuster medication, Zorax, in the fall of 2007. “Blockbuster” means hugely successful. “High-potency production” refers to using highly potent or very strong chemicals. This is a manufacturing technique that requires state-of-the-art or very advanced technology. We’ll be hearing PharmaTek employees introduce the new plant. Let’s start with a couple very bad examples, where the voice needs a lot of work. Listen to Gunter Schmidt, the manager of Pharmatek’s corporate affairs division. As you listen, focus on his voice. What does he do wrong?

Vocabulary Blockbuster: Adjective that describes something that is hugely successful. “There weren’t that many blockbuster movies this year, but Rush Hour 3 was definitely one of them – it had spectacular profits!” To be devoted to something or somebody: To be committed. “We are devoted to serving your needs.” quality of life: Satisfaction with life; ability to perform and/or enjoy the usual activities of life. This term is often part of medical discussions. For example, a person who is considering serious surgery might ask, “How will this procedure affect my quality of life? Will I still be able to work? Will I be able to walk? Will I need to use a wheelchair?” High-potency production: This refers to using highly potent or very strong chemicals. This is a manufacturing technique that requires very advanced technology. State-of-the-art: Adjective; describes the most advanced technology currently available. “The best possible protection for the environment comes from using state-of-the-art pollution filtration technology.” green technology To embody: To embody means to represent or symbolize. “Our employees’ willingness to donate blood embodies our company’s civic spirit.” Sustainable development: Refers to development that can be sustained or maintained over the long term. It usually has an environmental meaning: “To protect the environment, it’s important to pursue sustainable development of business and resources.”

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Presenting for Success Gunter’s bad version: Here at PharmaTek not only are we devoted to improving patients’ quality of life. Simultaneously, we are committed to protecting the environment. That’s why the high-potency production center has adopted state-of-the-art “green” technology and advanced international production techniques. What do you think? It sounds like Gunter had maybe too much coffee or forgotten to take out his chewing gum, doesn’t it? So what are the main problems with Gunter’s speech? First of all, he doesn’t clearly enunciate or pronounce his words, does he? All of us can relate to Gunter’s problem: When you’re speaking a foreign language, you should actually slow your speech down and do your best to speak clearly. But it’s tempting to speed up and blend words together so that you can hide any problems you might have with your pronunciation. However, doing this makes your speech hard to understand. Gunter’s bad version: Here at PharmaTek not only are we devoted to improving patients’ quality of lives. It’s almost impossible to clearly make out “not only are we,” isn’t it? After a little coaching, Gunter does a much better job. Let’s listen to his improved version. Here at PharmaTek, // not only are we completely devoted // to improving patients’ quality of life ... The words are much more clearly enunciated, aren’t they? Now, let’s go back to Gunter’s bad example again. What other problems were there with his speech? Gunter’s bad version: That’s why the high-potency production center has adopted state-of-the-art “green” technology and advanced international production techniques. In addition to poor enunciation, Gunter is speaking too fast, isn’t he? Contrary to popular belief, it’s actually quite hard to change the speed at which you speak. The rate at which you actually produce syllables or parts of words is called “articulation rate.” For most speakers it is fixed, that is, it doesn’t change very much, even if they try. So what does it mean when it sounds like someone is speaking too fast? Well, what it actually means is that they are making fewer pauses. Making more pauses can be very good for your speech. When you listen to a politician or to a trained speaker, you find that they pause more frequently. Also, © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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the length of the pauses is longer than normal. This gives the impression that the speech is much slower, and lends an air of strength or authority to the speaker. Let’s listen to a better example, where Gunter makes more frequent and longer pauses. Gunter’s good version: That’s why the high-potency production center // has adopted state-of-the-art “green” technology // and advanced production techniques. In this example, Gunter sounds like he has more authority and seems more professional, doesn’t he? Speaking more slowly – that is adding more frequent and longer pauses to your speech – will add power to your presentation. Also, breaking the words down into smaller groups makes them easier to say, which will help your speech become clear and more fluent. Now, let’s listen to another bad example. This time, we’ll hear Tanya Witherspoon-Chen, who is corporate communications manager for PharmaTek China, the company’s joint venture in China. She is trying to give the same speech that Gunter just did. Tanya’s bad version: Here at PharmaTek not only are we devoted to improving patients’ quality of lives. Simultaneously, we are committed to protecting the environment. That’s why the high-potency production center has adopted state-of-the-art “green” technology and advanced international production techniques. It’s painful to listen to, isn’t it? What’s the problem? Well, she has enough pauses, but they are not in the right places. This sounds not fluent or “choppy.” “Choppy” means she stops in all the wrong places. Tanya needs a little coaching: She needs to divide her words into grammatically logical groups. To help herself speak more fluently, she needs to use longer and more frequent pauses. Let’s listen to Tanya giving the same presentation, but this time she has received some coaching and she does a much better job. Also, she has added a few words to give special emphasis to her talk. Tanya’s good version: Here at PharmaTek, // not only are we completely devoted // to improving patients’ quality of life. // At the same time, // we are totally committed // to protecting the environment. // That’s why the high-potency production center// has adopted state-of-the-art “green” technology // and advanced international production techniques. // Thus we achieve a high level of protection // for the environment and for workers. // Also // this serves as a model of excellence for other production lines. // And above all // it embodies PharmaTek’s commitment // to sustainable development. // So, please come this way // and I’ll be glad to show you the production line …. This time, Tanya did a much better job, didn’t she? She sounds confident, fluent and strong. Let’s take a look at how she achieves these effects.

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Presenting for Success We’ve already talked about pausing. Tanya has arranged her words into grammatically logical groups, such as adverbial phrases, subjects, predicates, and so on. Listen again: Here at PharmaTek, // not only are we completely devoted // to improving patients’ quality of life. // At the same time, // we are totally committed // to protecting the environment. There are clear pauses after “PharmaTek,” “devoted” “life,” “time,” and “committed.” These pauses break the speech down into logical groups. Note that Tanya could have even added more pauses if she wanted to. For example, she could have said, “not only // are we completely devoted // to improving // patient’s quality of lives.” Even with more pauses, as long as Tanya divides her speech into grammatically logical groups, she will sound fluent. To sum up, “not fluent” or choppy speech comes from improper pausing, not from pausing too much. Now, there is another level that we need to pay attention to when we talk about voice. That is “intonation” or the rise and fall in pitch. For example, in English, as you know, most “yes/no” questions have a rising intonation:  

Are you free for dinner? Have you finished the report?

On the other hand, the Wh-questions (where, when, who, etc.) have a falling intonation:  

What are you doing later? How is the report coming along?

Going back to Tanya’s speech, when do you hear rising intonation and when do you hear falling intonation? Here at PharmaTek, // not only are we completely devoted // to improving patients’ quality of life. // At the same time, // we are totally committed // to protecting the environment. // The pitch goes up at the end of the first sentence after “quality of lives” and down at the end of the second sentence after “protecting the environment.” Why is that? Well, in English, basically, intonation goes down at the end of an idea: “Not only A” (rising intonation) “but also B” (falling intonation). Listen to another example. // That’s why the high-potency production center// has adopted state-of-the-art “green” technology // and advanced international production techniques. // The intonation rises after “production center” and “’green’ technology” and finishes at the end of her idea (and of her sentence) which is after “techniques.” Listen to a few more sentences with rising and falling intonations.

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  

Our products range from high-end industrial printers // to low-end consumer models. Success in business requires four things: Hard work, vision, luck, and good relationships. This is not a matter of cutting costs, // but of increasing profit.

Good, so far we’ve covered two major parts of making your voice smooth and fluent – pausing and intonation. Now, we’re going to look at the third important element in using your voice to give a good presentation: stress and emphasis. Going back to Tanya’s speech, did you notice anything different about the content compared to the bad example? To emphasize her points, she has made use of some intensifying or strengthening adverbs, such as “completely” or “totally.” not only are we completely devoted // to improving patients’ quality of life. // At the same time, // we are totally committed // to protecting the environment. This type of adverb is sometimes called an intensifier. Listen to some more examples of their use.      

There is absolutely no room for compromise on this issue. This is a terribly important problem to tackle. As far as I can see, we have completely failed in implementing this marketing plan. In the past six months, we have totally succeeded in meeting our targets. We really need to reinvent our whole branding strategy. This market is highly competitive.

One thing you might have noted from these examples is that we frequently use our voice to add extra emphasis to intensifying adverbs. That is, instead of just saying, “We are totally committed,” we can say “We are totally committed.” Let’s call this extra emphasis “stressing a word.” Using your voice to stress key words is another important strategy that good presenters use. Let’s take a look at a couple more examples from Tanya’s speech. Which words are emphasized? // That’s why the high-potency production center// has adopted state-of-the-art “green” technology // and advanced international production techniques. Did you hear the stress on “state-of-the-art” and “advanced”? These are key points, things that differentiate PharmaTek from the competitors, so Tanya wants to give them special emphasis. // Thus we achieve a high level of protection // for the environment and for workers. In this case, Tanya stresses the word “and” to highlight the point that protection for workers is important. It’s important to be conscious of how stress can change meaning. Listen to these two examples.

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Presenting for Success 1. Our sales have improved in Western Europe. 2. Our sales have improved in Western Europe. What’s the difference in meaning between these two sentences? By stressing Western, the second sentence makes it sound like our sales have improved in Western Europe, but not elsewhere in Europe – perhaps not in Central or Eastern Europe. So far today we’ve already studied pausing, intonation and stress. Now, let’s finish off by looking at a couple words and expressions that Tanya uses to add emphasis to her speech. // Also this serves as a model of excellence for other production lines. // And above all // it embodies PharmaTek’s commitment // to sustainable development. “Sustainable development” refers to development that can be sustained or maintained over the long term. It usually has an environmental meaning: To protect the environment, it’s important to pursue sustainable development of business and resources. “To embody a commitment” is a good collocation or word partnership that you should learn. “Embody” means to represent or symbolize. So PharmaTek’s hightech, green production lines embody—that is represent or serve as symbol of— its commitment to long-term, sustainable growth. Now, compared to the bad example we examined at the beginning, what words has Tanya added to make her ideas clearer and to give emphasis to key points? She has added “And above all” to the last sentence to give special weight to PharmaTek’s commitment to sustainable development. What are some other phrases you can use to add special emphasis to your key ideas? Let’s look at some examples:     

In particular, improving quality is very important. Above all, we need to think of more ways to improve sales. Without a doubt, opening up new markets is our greatest challenge. I’d like to emphasize our complete dedication to this project. What’s especially important is that we consider this challenge from all angles and take into account different perspectives.

Good, now let’s practice what we have just learnt. Imagine you are giving a speech to introduce your new factory to some journalists. You have to make three key points: Your new production center uses advanced technology, protects the environment and workers, and embodies your commitment to sustainable development. In a moment, you’ll hear a cue or hint reminding you of these three points. Then, you’ll have a few seconds to think. After the beep, make a sentence that includes all three key ideas. Be careful to put your words into logical grammatical groups to sound smooth and fluent. Also, think about intonation: For example, the pitch should fall when you are at the end of your idea. Finally, you should try using your voice or some

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emphasizing words to add special stress to a key point or two. Are you ready? Let’s give it a try: Cue: Uses advanced technology / protects the environment and workers / embodies our commitment to sustainable development. Learner:

How did that go? Listen to an example answer. Example Answer: Our new production center // uses advanced technology // completely protects the environment // and workers // and // above all // embodies our commitment // to sustainable development. Keep in mind that there are many possible correct answers. Rewind and try it again. Try stressing different words and using different intensifiers and emphasizing expressions. What happens when you put the words in a different order? Experiment. Now that you’ve finished that, you’re probably thinking of more ways to practice. One good way to build fluency is to record yourself reading aloud. Work on the strategies we’ve learned today: First, before you read, mark pauses on the paper with a pencil. You can also use arrows to mark intonation, either up or down, and you can underline words you wish to stress. You should practice “anticipating,” that is reading ahead. While you’re making a pause, look at the next group of words. Focus on putting the words into grammatically logical groups. Don’t be afraid to pause frequently and to make longer pauses. You can always practice speeding up later if you want. And that’s about all for this episode on using your voice to give a good presentation. We’ve covered pausing, intonation and stress. We’ve learned how to combine these elements to make your voice sound confident, fluent and strong. Thank you for listening! Our next episode will focus on questions and answers.

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Presenting for Success Language Review A. Review of useful language and vocabulary To review useful language covered in this episode, fill in the blanks in the sentences below. Review how we use intensifiers such as “totally,” “terribly,” “highly,” etc. to add emphasis to a sentence. After you’ve finished, try saying the sentence with different stress and intonation. Using the techniques we’ve practiced, strive for fluency and impact. 1.



Our products range from consumer models.



Success in business requires four things: Hard work, good relationships.



This is not a matter of



There is

6.

a________ly no room for



This is a

8.

t_______bly important problem to tackle.



As far as I can see, we have marketing plan.



In the past six months, we have targets.



We really need to



This market is

13.

12.

4.

h___h-end industrial printers to

c________g costs, but of

9.

7.

5.

l___-end

vi___on, luck, and

in______g profit.

c__________se on this issue.

c_________y failed in 11.

3.

2.

10.

im________g this

t________y succeeded in meeting our

rein______nt our whole branding strategy.

h_______y

14.

c__________ve.

B. Emphasis Phrases The words in following sentences have been jumbled. Put them in order to make complete sentences. Then underline the phrase that is used to add emphasis in each sentence. 1. improving particular is quality very in important 2. all we need to of above more improve ways to sales think 3. doubt opening greatest new markets without is our up a challenge 4. like to complete our to dedication project this emphasize I’d 5. account angles important is especially we consider this that and challenge from all into take perspectives different what’s

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Study Strategy Improving your voice takes a lot of practice. Here’s a great way to do it: Choose a text you like. It could be anything – something from a novel, or from work; a poem or the lyrics to a song; it could even be an email that you have written or, especially, part of one of your presentations that you write down. (Normally, you probably shouldn’t write down too much of a presentation – it’s better to speak naturally. But a great way to get over your stage fright at the beginning of a talk is to write down and memorize the first 2-3 minutes of your presentation.) After you have chosen your text, use the strategies and techniques we have learned in this episode to mark pausing, stress and intonation: First mark pauses. Use two slashes (//) every place you think you should briefly stop. At the same time, underline words that you wish to stress. Note that it is usual to pause after stressed words. Finally, mark intonation with up and down arrows. Remember that the intonation usually goes down at the end of an idea. After you’ve finished marking your text, practice it a few times. Then record yourself speaking it. Work on fluency. Try pausing and stressing in different places to see how these differences affect the meaning. By practicing a text this way at least once a week, you will quickly improve your voice skills.

Language Review Answers A. 1. high; 2. low; 3. vision; 4. cutting; 5. increasing; 6. absolutely; 7. compromise; 8. terribly; 9. completely; 10. implementing; 11. totally; 12. reinvent; 13. highly; 14. competitive. B. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

In particular, improving quality is very important. Above all, we need to think of more ways to improve sales. Without a doubt, opening up new markets is our greatest challenge. I’d like to emphasize our complete dedication to this project. What’s especially important is that we consider this challenge from all angles and take into account different perspectives.

Online Practice Click the “Launch” button to open the online practice:

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Presenting for Success Unit 107 – Closing Down and Summarizing Welcome back to Business English Pod! In today’s episode, we’ll be looking at closing down and summarizing your presentation. As we mentioned a while back, a strong introduction is very important to giving your audience a reason for listening. Similarly, a strong conclusion is very important to leave your audience with a great impression and give them a clear message about what action to take. So what structure should you use to close down a presentation? Well, I’m sure some of you have your own methods, but this simple format has always worked for me and covers all the main points: 1. Give your audience a clear signal that your are going to finish, 2. Briefly summarize the main points of your presentation, 3. State your recommendation or give your call to action—let your audience know what you want them to do, 4. Finish off by thanking your listeners and inviting questions or discussion. In today’s listening we’ll be exploring this format. The presentation takes place at Harper-Tolland, a major global producer of special purpose steel. Last year Harper-Tolland launched a new product line – ColorMax – which is a kind of brightly colored steel used in building and manufacturing. Unfortunately, the sales results in Europe for the first year have been quite disappointing. Nicholas Fischer, the new regional sales director for Harper-Tolland, has been hired to fix the problem. He is just finishing off a presentation in which he has been discussing his proposal. As you listen, pay attention to the language and structure Nick uses to give his presentation a strong finish.

Vocabulary Crux of the matter: The most important part. “There are many problems with this marketing plan, but the crux of the matter is that we are just not getting our message to the people who really make the decisions.” First-class: “First class” is an adjective that means “excellent.” A first-class item is among the best of its group. “We like working with Solutions Plus because they have first class customer service.” CRM strategy: CRM stands for customer relationship management. In other words, it refers to the way a company relates to, or services, its customers. A CRM strategy is a plan. “As part of our CRM strategy, our agents are required to return phone calls within 24 hours.” © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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Worth the paper they’re written on: This phrase describes something’s value. Usually, we say something is not worth the paper it’s written on. Think of it this way: A sheet of paper, on its own, is not worth very much. The printed material on the paper, such as a contract or sales agreement, is what matters. “That contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. It’s so confusing and doesn’t seem to benefit anyone.” To push something through: Proceed, usually with something difficult or through a barrier; implement a procedure in spite of obstacles. “This policy might not be popular with shareholders, but we need to push it through. Our survival depends on it.” To recap: To review. “Let’s recap the decisions made at the last meeting.” To open it up for questions: Speakers use this verb phrase to signal that questions will now be accepted from audience members. “Now that I’ve covered all the major points, let’s open it up for questions.” To sum up: This phrasal verb means “to summarize” and comes at the end of a presentation when the speaker is reviewing his or her main points. It often introduces a summary: “To sum up, we need to update our technology in order to stay competitive.” Brand recognition: This term refers to customers’ knowledge of a brand, especially when they’re asked specific questions about it. “We need to improve our brand recognition. Many consumers have never heard of our company.” Surge: We sometimes use the word “surge” to describe rising waves in the ocean. In business, something surges when it suddenly rises or increases. “When fuel prices surged, so did the price of fresh fruits and vegetables. Food distributors had to charge more because it cost more to transport their products.” Mediocre: Just average. Not very good. “We were expecting something exciting, something different, but the product they actually delivered to us was pretty mediocre.” Initiative: The quality of personality that enables one to do something on his or her own, independently. “To take the initiative” means to do something first or to do something without being asked to do it. “To have initiative” means to be the kind of person who takes the initiative, i.e., the kind of person who does things first without the boss asking. “George has a lot of initiative – he is always out in front of the team, starting new products, taking the initiative, calling customers, and generally performing very well.” Inconsistent: Not consistent. Irregular. “Sometimes he does a good job, sometimes he doesn’t; he’s a very inconsistent worker.” Follow-up: The action of checking on something to make sure it has been done well or to make sure that it has the desired effect. Can also be a verb, “to follow up.” “It’s easy to make money once, but to keep making money is hard – That’s why follow-up is the most important part of the sales process. We have to make sure the customer is satisfied, even weeks or years after the sale.” Taskforce: A temporary team created to accomplish a specific task. “To find out how the money went missing, the CEO created a special, secret taskforce.” Deficiencies: Problems, areas that are not up to standard. The adjective is “deficient.” “As I see it, the reason that this department is inefficient and slow is not the heavy workload but the many deficiencies in work planning.”

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Presenting for Success Recovery plan: A plan for how to recover from (survive) a crisis or a problem. “It’s important that we develop a good recovery plan for what to do if any of our bottled water products are found to contain bacteria or poison.” Commitment: 1. A promise. “He made a commitment to get the work done by the end of the month.” 2. Dedication, i.e., the quality of being very reliable. “He has a lot of a commitment, so I wouldn’t worry about whether or not he will get the work done.” (Training) shortfall: A shortfall is a shortage or deficiency. “We thought we’d make more from this venture, but we ended up with a €7,000 shortfall.” A training shortfall would refer to deficient, or inadequate, training among staff. To crack the champagne: To open a champagne bottle. This usually means to celebrate. “After months of hard work, it was time to crack the champagne.”

Dialog Nick: Product and industry knowledge are important. But the crux of the matter is that we simply aren’t aggressive enough in our approach to selling. To sell you simply have to push – and push hard. So as we can see, a first-class CRM strategy and a great marketing plan aren’t worth the paper they’re written on if we don’t have qualified staff to push them through. Okay, that’s all I have to say on this topic for the moment. Now, I’d like to recap the main points of my presentation before I open it up for questions. To sum up: First, I analyzed the sales results for 2006. I talked about how our drive to increase brand recognition through a surge in advertising has failed because of mediocre initiative and inconsistent follow-up from our sales people. Second, I explained how our special taskforce found major deficiencies in our sales training system and in our staff’s basic sales skills. Finally, I proposed a recovery plan for 2007. I stressed that the most important thing at this stage is not advertising or technology but the way that we train our salespeople. Let me leave you with one thought. What I’d like to stress is—and I can’t emphasize this enough—that it is absolutely essential to have an effective sales team. And effective salespeople must have effective training. So, what I’m asking from you today is a commitment to increase the training budget by 25% so that we can address this training shortfall. Then, by this next time year, instead of scratching our heads, we’ll be cracking the champagne. Many thanks for your attention. And now I’m very interested in hearing your comments.

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Debrief When the dialog begins, Nick is summarizing the main points in the last section of his presentation. As we said in BEP102, it is vital that you have an easily recognizable structure throughout your presentation. Maintaining a clear structure helps keep your audience focused and interested. So at the end of each section you should usually summarize your main point and signal that you are moving on to a new section. How does Nick summarize his last main point? So as we can see, a first-class CRM strategy and a great marketing plan are not worth the paper they’re written on if we don’t have qualified staff to push them through. “So as we can see” is our signal that a summary is about to begin. The single word “so” is often used to introduce a summary or to change the topic. What is Nick’s main point in this section? Unless we have qualified staff to push them through—that is, to make them work—a CRM or customer relationship management system and a marketing plan have no value—that is, they are not worth the paper they are written on. Then Nick signals that the last part of his presentation is over. Okay, that’s all I have to say on this topic for the moment. He could also say  

Right, that ends the last section of my talk. That's all I want to say for now on the third part of my presentation.

Having clearly indicated that the last section of his talk is over, Nick signals a summary of his main points. Now I’d like to recap the main points of my presentation before I open it up for questions. “Recap” is short for recapitulate, which means to summarize briefly. There is a lot more language that Nick could have used to introduce his summary. For example,      

To conclude, ... In conclusion, ... Now, to sum up ... So let me summarize what I've said. Finally, may I remind you of some of the main points we've considered. During my talk today, I’ve described the results of our investigation.

During his summary, Nick uses sequencing words (first, second, finally). These are used to give a clear and concise summary of his main points. Also, notice the use of strong collocations. Collocation means word partnerships—words that

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Presenting for Success naturally go together. Nick’s collocations include “analyzed the sales results,” “find major deficiencies,” and “propose a recovery plan.” Using such word partnerships makes your English dynamic and fluent. So when you’re learning vocabulary, be sure to study words in groups or whole phrases. So, Nick has finished his summary, but his presentation is not finished yet. Actually, one of the most important parts of his presentation is yet to come. As you know, the last thing you say is probably what your audience will remember best. This is called the take-home message—the idea that the audience will take home with them. It’s important to be decisive and clear. Also, try not to be too complex. The conclusion should consist of a simple major statement, with no more than two or three connotations, if these are absolutely essential. (A connotation is an association) This is also where you should give recommendations or make a call to action. Your audience wants to know what to do next. Don’t forget to tell them. How does Nick finish up his talk? Let’s listen again. Let me leave you with one thought. What I’d like to stress is—and I can’t emphasize this enough—that it is absolutely essential to have an effective sales team. And effective salespeople must have effective training. Now, what I’m asking from you today is a commitment to increase the training budget by 25% … Nick shows that he is making his final comments by saying “Let me leave you with one thought.” Then, throughout his next few sentences, he uses a number of rhetorical techniques to add emphasis to his main point. Rhetorical techniques are ways to persuade your audience. He says “What I’d like to stress is...” and “I can’t emphasize this enough...” Notice how he lowers his voice and slows down. Longer pauses and a stronger voice add additional emphasis to his final message, which is a clear call to action: He says “Now, what I’m asking from you today is a commitment....” This is a particularly strong call to action. There are many other ways, however, to make a concluding recommendation. Let’s listen to some more examples of phrases we can use.        

In conclusion, my recommendations are... I therefore propose the following strategy. I'd like to finish with...some observations based on what I've said. There are two conclusions to be made from this, namely, ... I think we have to... I think we have seen that we should... What we need to do is... So, let me get straight to the point. We need action and we need it now.

Returning to our listening, it’s worth noting that Nick ends with a positive visual image for the future that they will have by following his plan. Then, by this next time year, instead of scratching our heads we’ll be cracking © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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the champagne. So, instead of scratching our heads in confusion, we will be cracking—that means opening—the champagne to celebrate. Finally, how do you end the presentation? You should close your talk by thanking your audience and by opening the question and answer session. (This is also know as Q&A.) Many thanks for your attention. So now I’m very interested in hearing your comments. You can hear the smile in Nick’s voice, can’t you? Don’t forget to leave your audience with a great impression by finishing off with a smile. There is of course plenty of other language Nick could have used to finish off his presentation. Let’s listen to a few more examples.   

 

Thank you for your attention. And now if you have any questions, I’d be glad to answer them. Thank you for listening. Now, I’d be glad to try and answer any questions. I thank you all for being such an attentive audience and now I’m sure you must have some questions, so I’ll be happy to try and answer them…. Yes, Simon ... So, let’s throw it open to questions. Any questions?

Now, it’s your turn to practice making a concluding recommendation and opening it up for questions. Imagine that you have just given a presentation on improving sales. Think of two recommendations you have, using your own company as an example. Do you want to retrain the sales department? Or perhaps increase the advertising budget by 25%? Do you want to expand your market? Or perhaps target a different market, such as older people or younger people, bigger or smaller companies? After you hear the beep, practice giving your concluding recommendation. Remember to make a clear call to action. Use the language we practiced earlier, such as “We need action and we need it now,” or “In conclusion, my recommendations are” or “What we need to do is….” Then, remember to thank everyone for their attention and open it up to questions, using the phrases we just learned. Are you ready? First take a few seconds to think, then begin talking after the beep. Learner:

How did you do? Let’s listen to an example answer.

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Presenting for Success Example answer: So, let me get straight to the point. We need action and we need it now. What we need to do is this: First, increase the advertising budget by 25%. Second, target a new market, mid- and small-sized companies. Thank you for listening. Now, I’d be glad to try and answer any questions. Remember, going back and trying it again is a great way to practice. Substitute different language. Use your pause button if necessary. Practice several times, using different examples, until you feel comfortable with a wide variety of phrases. Well that’s about all for today’s Business English Pod episode on Closing Down and Summarizing. Today, you’ve learned language for finishing off the last part of your talk, summarizing, making a call to action, and opening up the Q&A session. Remember, it’s important not just to summarize your talk, but also to leave your audience with a key message and a call to action.

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Language Review A. Summarizing and Calling to Action It’s important both to provide your audience with a concise summary of what you have said and a call to action. Many inexperienced presenters especially tend to forget the latter. To get the most out of your presentation, make sure to tell your audience what you want them to do. To review summarizing and calling to action, fill in the blanks with language from the box. The first one has been done for you. conclude

recommendations

therefore

with

straight

need

remind

sum

described

conclusion

think

should

summarize

1)

To conclude ,...

2)

In __________,...

3)

Now, to _________ up...

4)

So let me __________ what I've said.

5)

Finally, may I ________ you of some of the main points we've considered.

6)

During my talk investigation.

7)

In conclusion, my ______________ are...

8)

I ____________ propose the following strategy:

9)

I'd like to finish _________ some observations based on what I've said.

today,

I’ve

______________

the

results

of

our

10) There are two conclusions to be made from this, namely,... 11) I ___________ we have to... 12) I think we have seen that we____________ ... 13) What we ___________ to do is... 14) So, let me get ____________ to the point. We need action and we need it now. B. Finishing Off Review some common ways to finish off by filling in the blanks. The first one has been done for you. 1) Thank you for your 1. attention . And now if you have any questions, I’d be glad to 2. a________ them. 2) Thank you for

3.

l_______. Now, I’d be glad to try and answer any questions.

3) I thank you all for being such an attentive 4. a_________ and now I’m sure you must have some questions, so I’ll be 5. h_________ to try and answer them…. Yes, Simon .. 4) So, let’s 5) Any

7.

6.

t_____w it open to questions.

__________s?

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Presenting for Success Study Strategy A great way to practice closing down your presentation is with a partner. Or, if you don’t have a partner handy, use a tape recorder or a video camera. Using the language we learned in this unit, prepare the last five minutes of a presentation including summary and call to action. It could be for one of your own presentations or for a presentation that you have heard someone else give. Make sure to give a strong call to action. Then either listen to how you did or have your partner give you feedback.

Language Review Answers A. Summarizing and Calling to Action 2) In conclusion,... 3) Now, to sum up... 4) So let me summarize what I've said. 5) Finally, may I remind you of some of the main points we've considered. 6) During my talk today, I’ve described the results of our investigation. 7) In conclusion, my recommendations are... 8) I therefore propose the following strategy: 9) I'd like to finish with some observations based on what I've said. 10) There are two conclusions to be made from this, namely, ... 11) I think we have to... 12) I think we have seen that we should... 13) What we need to do is... 14) So, let me get straight to the point. We need action and we need it now. B. Finishing Off 2) answer 3) listening 4) audience 5) happy 6) throw 7) questions

Online Practice Click the “Launch” button to open the online practice:

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Unit 108 - Question and Answer 1 Today we are going to take another look at making presentations in English with the first in a two-part series focused on question and answer, popularly referred to as Q&A. This listening takes place during a meeting of senior sales and marketing staff at HarperTolland, a global producer of special purpose steel. As we begin, Nick Fisher, the European sales director, is just finishing his presentation. Let’s listen. Pay attention to how Nick and Nick’s boss, Max, handle questions from Bryan, the European marketing director and Cindy, the regional sales manager for Germany.

Vocabulary Value proposition: The basic value to the customer that differentiates (distinguishes) one’s product from the competitors’ products. “It’s very important to have a clear value proposition, otherwise no one is going to buy your product.” To differentiate: To distinguish. “We need to differentiate our products from our competitors’ products.” Ranking: “To rank” means to arrange items in an order based on a particular trait. For example, the Nile River ranks #1 on lists of the longest rivers in the world. The trait under consideration is length. This can apply to business as well. “In July 2009, Forbes magazine ranked the world’s largest corporations. Royal Dutch Shell ranked #1. Toyota Motor ranked #10.” The trait being considered is size. The proof is in the pudding: Idiom. It means that the true quality or value of something can only be judged when it’s tried and tested. “Enough talking – let’s just see how it works; the proof is in the pudding.” Lend credence to: Believe; consider valid or true. “I don’t lend any credence to the press reports. The reporters aren’t giving all the facts.” (The word “credence” has the same root as the word “credible” which means “believable.”) To make a sweeping indictment of something: A broad accusation, usually made without fully understanding the situation. “Now, let’s not start making any sweeping indictments until we know exactly what is going on.”

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Presenting for Success To paint with figures/numbers: To use statistics or data to make the situation look the way you want it to look. “Before the merger, they did a lot of painting with numbers to make their company look like it was worth more than it was.” The facts on the ground: The real situation. Reality, not theory. “The facts on the ground in China were different from anything we read about in the travel guides and culture books.” Lag time: “To lag” means to move more slowly than expected. “Lag time” refers to a delay or time spent waiting for something to happen. “There’s too much lag time between production and shipping. We need to coordinate these areas more efficiently.” Hold your horses: This idiom means “Wait!” or “Hold on!” You can say it when someone is moving too quickly or making a conclusion before considering all the facts. It comes from a time when people traveled by horse; if they wanted to stay in one place, they’d have to hold their horses, keeping them still. Here’s an example of how the phrase can be used in business: “You expect a promotion already? Hold your horses! You need more experience!” To butt heads (over something): To have a disagreement about something. “I think it’s unnecessary to butt heads over such small issues; instead, let’s talk about how to solve the problem.” Sound out: Discuss something to learn more about another person’s ideas or opinions. “We should sound out Bill’s budget plan.” Phase: A specific part of development or progress. “In phase 1 of this project, we’ll collect the data. In phase 2, we’ll start analyzing it.” What you’re getting at: What you mean and/or intend. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t understand what you’re getting at. You’ll have to explain it again.” Implementation: When you “implement” something, you carry it out and make it happen. “Implementation” is the noun form for this process. “We need successful implementation of this critical procedure. We can’t make any mistakes.”

Dialog Nick: Many thanks for your attention. So now I’m very interested in hearing your comments. Bryan: Well, thank you very much. I’m sure we all agree that it’s an interesting proposal. Nick: Thank you. Bryan: Now, going back to what you were saying about our product lacking clear value proposition. Nick: Uh huh.

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Bryan: You’re saying that our sales people are not successfully differentiating our product from the competitors’. Nick: Yes, that’s right. They’re not communicating to the customer the experience of using ColorMax—not just facts and figures, but what makes ColorMax different, in terms the customer can relate to. Bryan: Then why would you say that our market surveys are ranking us 30% ahead of the competition in the key values that we are promoting? Nick: That’s a fair question, Bryan. I know your team has worked very hard on the launch, and I’ve studied the latest survey results. But the proof is in the pudding. We have to ask ourselves, why aren’t we selling more steel? Bryan: So you just don’t lend any credence to the survey? Nick: That’s not what I’m saying... Bryan: With such positive results, has it occurred to you that it might be just a little bit too early to make such a sweeping indictment of our training? Nick: Look, Bryan, I didn’t say the survey’s not important. But all of us can read the numbers differently—it’s a little like painting with figures sometimes. But the facts on the ground tell a different story. Why isn’t our order volume going up? Bryan: Nonsense! I think you have to take into consideration the fact that we have a lag time.... Max: Nick, Bryan, hold your horses. I can see we’re butting heads a little bit, and it’s not productive. Let’s use the time we have left to sound out Nick’s proposal. Cindy: Can I come in here? Max: Go ahead Cindy. Cindy: If we retrain all the sales people... Nick: Sorry, hold on a sec Cindy, perhaps that wasn’t totally clear. Cindy: Oh? Nick: In the first phase, I’m just proposing we retrain the project engineers and key account managers, not the whole sales force. Just the people with the greatest customer contact. Cindy: All right, but it’s still a lot of people. Nick: Right, I can see what you’re getting at. However, I expect that with proper implementation, we can get the job done in a month. Cindy: But how do we measure success? Nick: You mean, how can we tell if it’s working? Bryan: Yes, that’s right. Nick: That’s a good question. I would expect to see a 5% increase...

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Presenting for Success Debrief Let’s go through the dialogue piece by piece to analyze how Nick and Nick’s boss, Max deal with questions. Of course, often the presenter is also the chairperson of the Q&A session. In this case, Nick and Max are sharing this duty, so we can learn from both of them. First of all, how does Nick open the Q & A session? Nick: Many thanks for your attention. So now I’m very interested in hearing your comments. Of course, there are other phrases to open a Q & A session. (And you can check BEP 33 for more examples.) But let’s get back to the Q & A. What’s the first question Nick is asked? Bryan, the European marketing director, is skeptical about Nick’s proposal, but he is careful to start out gently by offering some polite praise. This is always a good idea as it shows respect for the presenter. Bryan: Well, thank you very much. I’m sure we all agree that it’s an interesting proposal. Nick: Thank you. Bryan: Now, going back to what you were saying about our product lacking a clear value proposition. Nick: Uh huh. What does Bryan mean by “value proposition”? In marketing, a value proposition is how one intends to differentiate one's product from the offerings of competitors. Do you remember how Bryan begins his question? He says, “Now, going back to what you were saying...” This is a useful way to refer to an earlier point. Nick himself could use this way to bring up something he had mentioned earlier simply by changing “you” to “I.” For example, “Going back to what I was saying about establishing a clear value proposition.” There are more ways to refer to earlier points. Listen.   

What exactly did you mean when you were talking about market forces? I was interested in your comments about timing. Could you say a little more about that? Could I just go back to the point you made about branding? Well, in my experience....

So, Bryan has just referred back to the earlier point about establishing a clear value proposition. What happens next? Bryan: You’re saying that our sales people are not successfully differentiating our product from the competitors’. © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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Bryan clarifies Nick’s earlier point to make sure he understood correctly and, perhaps, to state the situation to his advantage. He uses “You’re saying...” to paraphrase Nick. To paraphrase means to restate something using different words. This is a useful skill in clarifying—we often paraphrase what we understood to check that it’s correct. Then, notice how Nick paraphrases himself, partially to further clarify the point and perhaps to further restate the situation in a way that is advantageous to him. Nick: Yes, that’s right. They’re not communicating to the customer the experience of using ColorMax—not just facts and figures, but what makes ColorMax different, in terms the customer can relate to. It’s interesting to note that in clarifying, we are not always just checking understanding, but also strategically restating the situation to our advantage. Later on in the dialogue there is another example of clarifying. Cindy: But how do we measure success? Nick: You mean, how can we tell if it’s working? Bryan: Yes, that’s right. Cindy asks Nick, “How do we measure success?” Then Nick, to make sure he understands, says “You mean, how can we tell it’s working?” “You’re saying” and “you mean” are both ways to introduce a paraphrase for the purpose of clarification. Let’s listen to some other ways to clarify.   

Let me check I understand. Are you asking why our market share has increased? Well, it all depends on what you mean by “in the near future.” Are you talking about next week? Or are we talking about the next 2-4 months? Could you be a little more specific?

Let’s go back again to the earlier part of the dialogue to examine how to deal with another kind of Q&A situation, what to do when you receive a hostile or aggressive question. Nick has just restated his belief that the poor sales are due to unclear communication to customers of value proposition. How does Bryan respond? Bryan: Then why would you say that our market surveys are ranking us 30% ahead of the competition in the key values that we are promoting? Nick: That’s a fair question, Bryan. I know your team has worked very hard on the launch, and I’ve studied the latest survey results.

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Presenting for Success Bryan is on the attack here. He cites a market survey that seems to contradict Nick’s belief that the value proposition is not being communicated to customers. Nick responds by saying, “That’s a good question, Bryan. I know your team has worked very hard...” This is a kind of buffer—sometimes also called a softener, or cushion. He uses this language to soften the disagreement that he expresses next. Using a buffer is one effective strategy for dealing with hostile questions. As a buffer, Nick could also say:      

Thank you for your question. That’s a very interesting question. I’m glad you asked that. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to comment on that. Thank you for raising this point. You know, I really appreciate all your hard work. Very good question.

Now that he has softened it with a buffer, how does Nick express his disagreement with Bryan? He uses an idiom to describe his attitude to the marketing survey. Nick: ...But the proof is in the pudding. We have to ask ourselves, why aren’t we selling more steel? “The proof is in the pudding” is a shortened version of “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Nowadays, people usually just say “The proof is in the pudding.” It means that the true quality or value of something can only be judged when it’s tried and tested. The meaning can be summed up as, “Results are what counts.” So Nick is saying that good market survey results are useless unless they translate into something real—profits. Understandably, Bryan, as the marketing director, is not so happy about Nick’s attacking the value of his market survey. Bryan: Nonsense! I think you have to take into consideration the fact that we have a lag time... Max: Nick, Bryan, hold your horses. I can see we’re butting heads a little bit, and it’s not productive. Let’s use the time we have left to sound out Nick’s proposal. Max, who is the boss, gives us another good example of dealing with a hostile situation. He uses a couple of idiomatic expressions to calm everyone down. The informality of these idioms probably helps relax the situation. “Hold your horses” is used to ask someone to slow down. It usually implies that someone is moving too fast, or assuming too much. “Butting heads” literally refers to two or more people or animals hitting each other with their heads, like deer. Max employs the softener “a little” to make the situation seem less serious and he uses the inclusive “we” to remind everyone that we’re a team—“I can see that we’re butting heads here a little.” The image is humorous, which probably also works to smooth the situation.

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Now, Cindy has a question, but it seems as though she might not have been paying attention. What does she ask? Cindy: Can I come in here? Max: Go ahead Cindy. Cindy: If we retrain all the sales people... Nick: Sorry, hold on a sec Cindy, perhaps that wasn’t totally clear. Cindy: Oh? Nick: In the first phase, I’m just proposing we retrain the project engineers and key account managers, not the whole sales force. Nick says “Sorry, hold on a sec Cindy, perhaps that wasn’t totally clear" to clear up a misunderstanding. A “Sec” is an informal abbreviation for a “second.” It signals a relaxed tone. Also, earlier when Bryan says Nick doesn’t believe the market survey, do you remember how Nick replies? Bryan: So you just don’t lend any credence to the survey? Nick: That’s not what I’m saying... “That’s not what I’m saying...” is another way to clear up a misunderstanding. Here is some other language you could use.   

Actually, let’s go back to that point for a second. From what you’re saying, I’m not sure that I made myself totally clear. Oops, hold on a moment. I think there might be a slight misunderstanding about the scope of this project. Sorry, but that’s not quite right. Instead of 70 - seven-zero, I meant 17 - one-seven.

Since clearing up misunderstandings is such an important part in dealing with questions, let’s practice that. First you’ll hear a cue or hint telling you where the misunderstanding is, for example, “40, not 30.” Then you’ll hear someone making a comment, for example, “So what you’re saying is our revenue has gone up 30%?” Next, after the beep, correct the misunderstanding using the language we have just learned. In this example, you could say, “Oops, hold on a bit. I think there might be a little misunderstanding. Instead of 30%, it should be 40%.” Note that it’s often a good idea to put the correct information last because that’s what will stay in the listener’s mind. All right, let’s give it a try.

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Presenting for Success Cue 1: 15, not 50 Prompt 1: When you’re talking about adding sales staff, don’t you think 50 is an awful lot? Learner 1:

Cue 1: New orders, not market share. Prompt 2: Frankly, I just don’t see how we’re going to be able to increase market share by 5% over six months. Learner 2:

Cue 3: Retrain existing staff, not hire new staff. Prompt 3: From what you’re proposing, I see a major problem being finding enough heads. How are you going to get 300 new staff? Learner 3:

And, how did you do? Let’s listen to some example answers. But remember, there are many possible correct ways to answer each question. Prompt 1: When you’re talking about adding sales staff, don’t you think 50 is an awful lot? Answer 1: Oops, hold on a little bit. I think there might be a slight misunderstanding about the number I’m proposing. Instead of 50, I said 15, one- five. Prompt 2: Frankly, I just don’t see how we’re going to be able to increase market share by 5% over six months. Answer 2: Sorry, I’m not sure I made myself totally clear. I meant increase new orders by five percent, not market share. Prompt 3: From what you’re proposing, I see a major problem being finding enough heads. How are you going to get 300 new staff? Answer 3: Actually, let’s go back to that point for a second. From what you’re saying, I’m not sure that I made myself totally clear. Instead of hiring new staff, I’m proposing retraining existing staff.

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After you’ve listened to the example exercises, it’s always a good idea to go back and practice again for fluency. Try substituting new language for each example. Before we finish today’s show, let’s go back to the dialogue to examine one last point. Listen to Cindy and Nick continue their discussion. Nick has just said that he only wants to retrain project engineers and key account managers, not the whole sales force. Cindy: All right, but it’s still a lot of people. Nick: Right, I can see what you’re getting at. However, I expect that with proper implementation, we can get the job done in a month. “Right, I can see what you’re getting at...” is a way to concede a point. That is, to admit that someone may be right. It’s a kind of agreement, and can also be used as a buffer (or softener) before you disagree. There are many more ways to concede a point. Let’s look at a few.    

Right, I can see what you’re saying. Mhmmm. You may have a point there. Yes, there’s something to that. Uh huh, that makes sense.

All right. That’s all for today’s episode. Today, we’ve looked at a lot of effective skills and language for dealing with and asking questions. We’ve looked at opening a Q&A session, clarifying, referring back, dealing with hostility and conceding a point. You’ve also studied some great business idioms. Thanks for listening and, oh, and hold your horses, we’ll be back soon with the second in this two-part series on dealing with questions. See you then!

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Presenting for Success Language Review A. Rearrange the jumbled sentences to make useful phrases for Q&A. Identify the function of each phrase (i.e., buffer, clearing up a misunderstanding, etc.). 1. Misunderstanding slight think I might there been have a

(Function) .

_________

2. Giving that comment to opportunity you me thank for the on .

_________

.

_________

.

_________

.

_________

3. Right sorry that’s but quite not 4. That to there’s yes something 5. That asked glad you I’m

B. Key Language To review key language for presentations, fill in the blanks. Decide whether each sentence is an example of opening the Q&A session, clarifying or referring to earlier points. 1)

Right, that ________ the formal part of my presentation. Now, I’d like to invite your comments.

2)

And now, if you have any________, I’ll be happy to answer them.

3)

Now we have half an hour for questions and ___________.

4)

Right, now _______questions or comments?

5)

So, now I’d be very _________to hear your comments.

6)

Great, now I’d like to open it up for_______. Does anyone have any questions?

7)

Let me check I ___________. Are you asking why our market share has increased?

8)

Well, it all __________ on what you mean by “in the near future.” Are you talking about next week? Or are we talking about the next 2-4 months?

9)

Could you be a little more ___________ ?

10) What exactly did you _________ when you were talking about a “price increase?” 11) I was interested in your comments about timing. Could you say a little more __________ that? 12) Could I just go __________ to the point you made about branding. Well, in my experience....

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Study Strategy A great way to practice Q&A sessions is by role playing with your friends. It can be a good party game. First, each person should think of a problem that you have been having at work or an issue of interest in current affairs. Write down the problem on a piece of paper. Next, each person in the game should select a piece of paper at random. He or she is now “in charge of” that problem and should prepare to answer any questions that the group might have. Next, each person gives a short presentation on his or her problem. He or she should use the language we have covered in the episode today to open up the Q&A session. Finally, the “audience” takes turns asking the presenter questions.

Language Review Answers A. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

I think there might have been a slight misunderstanding. Buffer Sorry, but that’s not quite right. Clearing up a misunderstanding Yes, there’s something to that. Conceding a point Could you be a little more specific? Clearing up a misunderstanding I’m glad you asked that. Buffer

B. Opening the Q&A session (1-6), clarifying (7-9) or referring to earlier points (10-12). 1. concludes 2. questions 3. discussion 4. any 5. interested 6. Q&A 7. understand 8. depends 9. specific 10. mean 11. about 12. back

Online Practice Click the “Launch” button to open the online practice:

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Presenting for Success Unit 109 – Question and Answer 2 Welcome back to Business English Pod! Today’s episode is the second in our twopart series on question and answer, or Q&A. The listening starts where we left off last time. Nick, the new European sales director at Harper-Tolland Steel, is answering questions after his presentation. As you listen, pay attention to how Nick and Nick’s boss, Max, deal with questions and manage the Q & A session.

Vocabulary order volume: The word “volume” can refer to quantity. Order volume refers to the amount of orders taken during a specific period of time. “There hasn’t been much new construction in the last 6 months. Our order volume on plumbing products has decreased by 8%.” Criterion: Standard for judging something. Plural form is “criteria.” “One of the most important criteria in hiring new account managers is highly developed interpersonal skills.” New blood: New personnel or new ideas that rejuvenate a company. “We need to inject some new blood into this department to get some more creative ideas.” To see the writing is on the wall: The phrase “to see the writing on the wall” (or sometimes “handwriting on the wall”) is an expression that suggests future doom or misfortune, visible to almost anyone. “He saw the handwriting on the wall and left the company before it collapsed.” The “writing is on the wall” similarly means that one expects misfortune. Potential redundancies: Potential means possible. Redundancies means lay offs. “We had a lot of redundancies last year because we had to cut costs.” Morale: Staff spirit. “The recent round of lay offs had a negative impact on staff morale.” To be on the line: To be at risk. “Because of poor sales, our bonuses are on the line.” Back on track: As we saw in Unit 5, to be “on track” means to make successful progress toward a goal. If we have some difficulties, we might be “off track.” Getting “back on track” means dealing with these difficulties and returning to our successful path. “We’ve taken too much time with the research. We need to get back on track.”

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Getting through to: When we “get through to” someone, we reach them, influence them, or get them to understand what we’re doing. “We need to change our marketing approach. We’re not getting through to our target customers.” (Fully) up to speed with something: To be fully informed about something. Usually used in the negative. “I wasn’t fully up to speed with the new project plans, so Sally sent me an email detailing everything.” To flat out contradict: To completely contradict (go against). “The facts flat out contradict your optimistic representation of the situation.” Market survey: A statistical analysis of the market that is used to sell products better. “We conducted an extensive survey of the market and found that young single women actually spent the most money on travel.” Running on a tight schedule: To have a limited amount of time. “We are really running on a tight schedule, so we need to get as much done today as possible.” A go: We use this phrase to show that something is ready to start or has been given authorization to start. “The promotional campaign is a go. Let’s make a list of media contacts.” Value proposition: Businesses use value propositions to convince customers to use their products or services instead of those offered by competitors. This statement should explain how and why these products or services bring value to the customer. “Our value proposition tells customers how much time they’ll save by using our service.” Timeframe: The time during which something gets done. “We have to look hard at the timeframe for the product launch, and decide whether or not we can commit to such a tight schedule.” Rollout: Implementation. Can also be used as a verb. “When are we going to roll out the new product line?”

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Presenting for Success Dialog Cindy: But how do we measure success? Nick: You mean, how can we tell if it’s working? Bryan: Yes, that’s right. Nick: That’s a very good question. I would expect to see a 5% increase in order volume three months after the roll out, 10% within six months. That’s the main criterion. Does that answer your question? Cindy: Yes, thanks. But I guess another general point I’d like to raise is about staffing. Nick: Uh huh. Cindy: With so much new blood coming into the company, a lot of sales staff feel that the writing’s on the wall. And I think it’s creating a bad atmosphere. Nick: Let me check I understand. Are you redundancies and how they might affect morale?

asking

about

potential

Cindy: In a word, yes. Nick: Well, everyone’s job is on the line here. The most important thing is that we are fully committed to getting sales back on track. Max: I think that raises a different issue. We can address staff changes and morale in another meeting. Time’s running short. Let’s stay focused. Nick: Okay, well, I think we only have a few minutes left. Is there one last question? John:

Yes, if I can just come in for a second.

Nick: Yes John. John: Well, from what we’re seeing on the UK side, the sales people just don’t feel our promotional materials are getting through to our most important customers. I’m talking about the decision makers—project managers, architects, etc. How do you think we can adjust? Nick: That’s a very interesting issue. But I’m not fully up to speed on the marketing situation in the UK. Bryan, would you like to comment on that? Bryan: We can go into more detail about that in this afternoon’s marketing meeting. But I would just like to point out that what you’re saying just flat out contradicts the results from our market survey. Nick: Uhm, so, right, I’m afraid that’s just about all we have time for. Max: Yes, thank you Nick. We really are running on a tight schedule today, as I think everyone can appreciate. Now, Nick’s proposal is definitely a go, and needs our full support. Bryan, I want your team to work with Nick’s on the value proposition for the new training material, and get back to me next Tuesday with a timeframe for rollout. I’d like to have country managers retrained during next month’s sales meeting. And we need to work fast. Okay folks?

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Debrief Bryan isn’t going to be very happy about this, is he? Max is the boss and he’s made a decision – Nick’s proposal is a go. That means he’s going to adopt the proposal. You can also say, “Let’s go with the proposal.” Well now, let’s go back through the dialog to examine how Nick and Max deal with questions from Cindy and Bryan and John. We’ll start with the exchange between Cindy, Nick and Bryan at the beginning of today’s listening. Cindy: But how do we measure success? Nick: You mean, how can we tell if it’s working? Bryan: Yes, that’s right. Nick: That’s a good question. I would expect to see a 5% increase in order volume three months after the rollout, 10% within six months. That’s the main criterion. Does that answer your question? First, Nick uses “you mean” to clarify Cindy’s question about how to measure success. We covered this kind of clarifying in the first episode in this series, BEP36. In response to Cindy’s question, Nick says he expects a 5% increase in sales volume within three months after “rollout” or implementation of the new training. Then Nick checks to make sure his answer is sufficient—“Does that answer your question?” This is a good way to make sure your audience is following you and to encourage discussion. There are other ways to check whether your answer is sufficient.       

Is that okay? Does that make sense? Do you see what I mean? Do you know what I mean? Are you with me? Does that cover what you want to know? Have I answered your question?

In today’s listening, what comes next is another good example of clarifying. Cindy is talking about staff changes. Let’s listen. Cindy: With so much new blood coming into the company, a lot of sales staff feel that the writing’s on the wall. And I think it’s creating a bad atmosphere. Nick: Let me check I understand. Are you asking about potential redundancies and how they might affect morale? Cindy: In a word, yes.

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Presenting for Success As we learned in BEP36, “Let me check I understand. Are you asking...?” is another way to clarify someone’s question. The reason Cindy’s statement is vague and needs clarification is because she uses two idioms here, probably to give her tough question a casual tone in order to maintain a relaxed mood. “New blood” refers to new staff coming into the company. For example, we can “inject new blood” into a company, that is, bring in new people with fresh ideas. “To see the writing on the wall” suggests future doom or misfortune. You can refer to the study notes for a complete explanation of these idioms. So “With so much new blood coming into the company, a lot of sales staff feel that the writing’s on the wall...”. This means that with so many new people coming into the company, a lot of staff are worried about their jobs. Now, let’s go back to the dialog. Remember, Cindy is asking about how staff changes are affecting morale. What does Nick say? Nick: Well, everyone’s job is on the line here. The most important thing is that we are fully committed to getting sales back on track. Nick doesn’t really answer Cindy’s question, does he? This is a great example of tactfully (or skillfully) avoiding an answer by making a general statement: Nick says “everyone’s job is on the line.” This means “everyone’s job is in danger.” Max, their boss, then jumps into the discussion, remember? Max: I think that raises a different issue. We can address staff changes and morale in another meeting. Time’s running short. Let’s stay focused. Max is giving us examples of two useful skills here. The first is how to deal with an irrelevant question. The second is managing the time. Let’s take them one by one. First, dealing with an irrelevant question. “I think that raises a different issue” is another way to avoid answering a question. It’s particularly suitable for irrelevant questions when your goal is to keep the discussion on track, that is, to keep the conversation focused. Listen to some other ways to deal with an irrelevant question:   

I’m afraid I don’t see the connection. To be honest, I think that brings up another point, and I’d rather not cover that for now. I’m afraid that’s outside the scope of my discussion.

If the point is relevant, but you simply can’t or don’t wish to answer, you might also consider saying something like:   

I’m afraid I’m not in a position to comment on that. I don’t know that off the top of my head. Can I get back to you on that?

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If the question is something you think you already covered earlier, you can then say:    

I think I answered that earlier. Well, as I said... Well, as I mentioned earlier... I think I addressed that point earlier on, but I’d be happy to discuss this with you after the meeting.

But, what do you do if the question is relevant, but you want to answer it later? Listen to what Bryan says later on in the dialogue when Nick asks him about the marketing situation in the UK. Nick: ... Bryan, would you like to comment on that? You could also say:   

I’ll be happy to answer that later when we talk about product awareness. Can we come back to that issue in a bit when we go through the targets for 2007? Let’s put off that topic for now. I’d like to deal with that in more detail during the sales meeting tomorrow when the whole team is present.

So, we’ve covered how to avoid answering unwanted questions. Now, let’s review how Max controls the timing. He says, “Time’s running short. Let’s stay focused.” When time is running short, that means time is running out, just like when your car is running out of fuel, the fuel in the tank gets lower and lower. There are several more great examples of controlling the timing in today’s listening. Nick says: Nick: Okay, well, I think we only have a few minutes left. Is there one last question? And near the end of the session, Nick and Max both use useful expressions for controlling the timing. Nick says, “I’m afraid that’s just about all we have time for. Is there one last question?” Max says, “We really are running on a tight schedule today, as I think everyone can appreciate.” These are both great expressions. There are also other phrases you can use to control the timing:   

Let’s try to keep the discussion on track. Can we get back to the main point? As we’re short of time, I’ll have to come to that later, perhaps during the break. I’m afraid that’s all we have time for. Thank you very much for your attention.

So, now we have just one more skill to cover today—redirecting a question. This means giving a question to someone else to answer. Nick does this with John’s question about whether Harper-Tolland’s promotional materials are getting through to the key customers in their UK market. He says:

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Presenting for Success Nick: That’s a very interesting issue. But I’m not fully up to speed on the marketing situation in the UK. Bryan, would you like to comment on that? “To be not fully up to speed on something” means not to be fully informed about it. Marketing is Bryan’s area of expertise, and because Nick is not fully informed about it (or perhaps wants to put some pressure on Bryan), he redirects the question to Bryan by saying, “Bryan, would you like to comment on that?” This is redirecting the question to another person. Let’s listen to some more examples.   

That’s a good question, but I’m afraid it’s not really my field. Ms. Smith, can you help to answer that? George, I think you know more about this. What do you think? Great question. It’s a little outside of my job scope, though. Maybe Simon— do you want to answer that?

In addition to redirecting to another person, there are also other ways to redirect a question. You can redirect to the whole group. This is a great way to encourage discussion. Here are some examples:    

Would anyone like to comment on that? Has anyone else had a similar problem? Great question. What do others think? That’s a good question. Let’s go around the table and get some other views on this.

Finally, there’s one last way to redirect a question. You can turn back the question to the questioner and let him answer it. This is called redirecting to the questioner. It’s particularly useful when it’s obvious that someone doesn’t really want to ask a question, but rather wants to express an opinion. To redirect to the questioner, you can say:   

I think that’s a very interesting question. I’d be really interested to hear what you have to say on that issue. You must have thought quite a lot about this. What do you think? That’s a very interesting question. Could I ask you what your own view is?

You might try that one next time in a job interview when someone asks you a tough question. Just kidding. Actually, that would probably not be a good idea. Let’s look at a situation where redirecting to the questioner is useful. A: I’ve been thinking a lot about this market survey. Don’t you think we have a great chance to boost our sales in Vietnam? B: That’s an interesting question. You must have thought quite a lot about this. What’s your view? A: Well, there is a quickly growing middle class segment with elderly parents that have strong purchasing power. That means... Now, let’s practice. You’ll hear a series of questions. After each beep, respond to the question appropriately by redirecting, either to the questioner, the group or someone else on your team. Bryan is in charge of marketing, so he can answer questions about that. © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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Are you ready? Let’s give it a try. Question 1: Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about your proposal. Don’t you think this is a good opportunity for us to move into new markets? Learner 1:

Question 2: Don’t you think there is some way we can get the training done faster? Surely someone must have some ideas. Learner 2:

Question 3: What I’d really like to know more about is the marketing situation in Central Europe. Learner 3:

Well how did it go? Let’s listen to some example answers for you can compare. Question 1: Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about your proposal. Don’t you think this is a good opportunity for us to move into new markets? Learner 1: That’s an interesting question. You must have thought quite a lot about this. What’s your own view on that? Question 2: Don’t you think there is some way we can get the training done faster? Surely someone must have some ideas. Learner 2: That’s a good question. Let’s go around the table and get some other views on this. Question 3: What I’d really like to know more about is the marketing situation in Central Europe. Learner 3: That’s a good question, but I’m afraid it’s not really my field. Bryan, can you help to answer that? For further practice, it’s always a good idea to go back and try again. Substitute different expressions to build fluency. Great! That just about brings us to the end of today’s episode. This was the second in a two-part series on dealing with questions. Today we’ve covered several important skills for Q&A—avoiding answering, dealing with irrelevant questions, and redirecting. We’ve also learned several useful idioms.

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Presenting for Success This unit also concludes our discussion of the skills and language of presentations. We have covered a lot of material over these nine units. Let’s briefly review what we’ve learned: 1) How to introduce your presentation and get your audience’s attention. 2) Important signposting language that will make the structure of your talk very clear. 3) Dealing with visuals. 4) Describing charts and graphs and emphasizing key points. 5) Analyzing data and making predictions. 6) How to use your voice effectively in a presentation. 7) Great strategies for how to deal with questions. Let’s end with some general practice tips: A great way to review is by using the skills we’ve studied in your own presentations – you may wish to videotape or record your practice sessions, and get feedback from a friend. Finally, on a personal note from me, Clayton Lee, let me wish you all good luck in your studies and your careers. Keep reviewing and practicing. Armed with the strategies and language we’ve covered in these lessons, we’ll all be presenting for success! Thanks for listening, and take care!

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Language Review A. Review of key language functions Rearrange the jumbled sentences to make useful phrases for Q&A. Identify the function of each phrase (i.e., checking your answer is sufficient, redirecting to another person, etc.). 1. Know that want cover does to what

(Function) .

_________

.

_________

.

_________

.

_________

.

_________

2. Lot a must you have thought quite this about 3. Around go let’s views some the this on other table get and 4. Keep try on let’s track the discussion the 5. Smith answer that you try can Ms.

B. Redirecting questions Fill in the blanks to form useful phrases for redirecting questions during a Q&A session. As you go, decide whether each sentence is useful for redirecting to the questioner, to another person, or to the whole group. 1) 2) 3) 4)

Anyone like to c________ on that? Has anyone else had a s________ problem? Great question. What do o____s think? That’s a good question. Let’s go a_____d the table and get some other views on this. 5) I think that’s a very interesting question. I’d be really interested to hear what you have to say on that i_____e. 6) You must have t_____t quite a lot about this. What do you think? 7) That’s an interesting question. Could I ask you what your own v____ is? 8) That’s a good question, but I’m afraid it’s not really my f___d. Ms. Smith, can you help to answer that? 9) George, I think you know m____e about this. What do you think? 10) Great question. It’s a little outside of my job s___e, though. Maybe Simon—do you want to answer that?

Study Strategy With your friends, you can play the “redirecting game.” First, tear up some scrap paper into little slips. Then everyone writes the name of a famous person whom they’d like to interview. Afterwards, redistribute the slips randomly: Each person gets one slip. Next, take turns role-playing. Pretend you are the person on the slip. Take questions from the audience, but try to avoid answering questions directly; instead, use the language we practiced in this episode to redirect the questions as appropriate. You can redirect to the questioner, the audience, or to imaginary people, such as your agent or your lawyer. Have fun!

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Presenting for Success Language Review Answers A. 1. Does that cover what you want to know? Checking your answer is sufficient 2. You must have thought quite a lot about this. Redirecting to the questioner 3. Let’s go around the table and get some other views on this. Redirecting to the group 4. Let’s try to keep the discussion on track. Control the timing 5. I’m afraid I’m not in a position to comment on that. Avoiding comment 6. Ms. Smith, can you help to answer that? Redirecting to another person B. 1-4 are redirecting to the whole group; 5-7 redirecting to the questioner; and 810 redirecting to another person 1) comment; 2) similar; 3) others; 4) around; 5) issue; 6) thought; 7) view; 8) field; 9) more; 10) scope.

Online Practice Click the “Launch” button to open the online practice:

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Unit 110 – Presenting a SWOT Analysis (Part 1) Welcome back to Business English Pod. My name’s Edwin and I’ll be your host for the first in a two-part series on presenting a SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis is a simple but powerful framework for analyzing your company's strengths and weaknesses – these are internal to the company – as well as the opportunities and threats you face outside the company. This analysis helps you focus on your strengths, minimize threats, and take the greatest possible advantage of opportunities available to you. In today’s lesson, we’ll focus on the first two stages of a SWOT: strengths and weaknesses. We’ll practice language for providing an overview, introducing your main strength, maximizing positive aspects, and acknowledging and introducing a weakness. We’ll be listening to Terry, a partner at a growing firm of accountants, talking to Susan, the company’s newly hired marketing manager. Terry needs to brief Susan about the company and SWOT is a quick and easy-to-understand framework for giving a quick overview of a company and its position. While you listen, try to answer the following questions. 1) What is the main source of business for the company? 2) What is the main strength identified by Terry? 3) What weaknesses does Terry mention?

Vocabulary won’t bore you: won’t speak too much about something. “We won’t bore you with all the details, as you can read the brochure later.” client base: potential customers for businesses that provide services rather than retail products. “Now that they have an online portal, their client base is worldwide, rather than national.” SME: small to medium size enterprise. “SMEs provide 60 to 80% of employment in countries with developed economies.” straw poll: a small unofficial survey to find out what people think about an issue. “We couldn’t decide where to hold the Christmas party, so we took a straw poll and most people wanted to go to a restaurant.” hands down: clearly or easily. “Hands down he’s the best designer in the company.” personal touch: friendly way of doing business. “We like working with them because they do everything with a personal touch that makes us feel welcome.” bedrock: foundation. “The bedrock of this operation is our quick turnaround time, which is 25% faster than our competitors.”

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Presenting for Success prominent: important or noticeable. “Our CEO is a prominent figure in the business community and many people ask him for advice.” formidable: powerful. “They’re a formidable competitor because their marketing is top-notch.” deciding factor: most important issue. “Their ability to attract the best applicants was the deciding factor when we were choosing an HR consultant.” to scale up: to make bigger or stronger. “We have to scale up the advertising campaign, as too few people are aware of our presence.” next level: the next important step or increase in size. “If we want to take it to the next level in this industry, we’ll have to take on more researchers.” word of mouth: a form of promotion in which happy customers tell other people about a product or service. “Customers don’t trust TV advertising as much as word of mouth.” strategic marketing (plan): marketing objectives and methods for achieving them. “We’ve developed a strategic marketing plan that leverages our unique market position to increase revenue next year.” competitive advantage: an advantage over competitors gained by offering customers better value. “If we can develop our competitive advantage, we’ll be able to gain market share rapidly.” market presence: how noticeable a company is to customers in a market. “We’ve increased our market presence through advertising and 50% of people shopping for furniture recognize our brand.” cash flow: the cycle of money moving into and out of a business. “Unless you start collecting on these invoices, you’ll have a cash flow problem and won’t be able to pay your creditors.” niche market: a small, specialized section of a market. For example, hand-made chocolates are a niche market in the bigger confectionary market. “Although media servers are a niche market, we see it as a good way to develop a strong client base before expanding.” economies of scale: cost advantages gained through expansion. “Expanding the clothing line to include menswear would create economies of scale and reduce overall costs per unit.” bottom line: final figure showing profits or losses. “Our bottom line has improved greatly over last quarter’s losses.” top-notch: first-rate or high quality. “She’s a top-notch project manager and always meets deadlines.” back-end systems: computer systems that use data input earlier into another system. “Our back-end system is due to be replaced because it can’t handle the amount of data coming from our newer front-end system.” on somebody’s radar: aware of something. “As marketing director, all of our competitors’ new product launches need to be on your radar, so we know exactly where we stand.” Achilles heel: weak point. “Staffing has always been our Achilles heel, as the work is extremely repetitive and stressful.” to poach (staff/someone): to lure an employee to another company. “We spend a significant amount on training and then our competitors poach the new trainees with the promise of higher salaries.” © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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Dialog Terry: … Now, I won’t bore you with too much detail on our history, except to say that we’ve grown steadily over the last two years and now have four senior partners billing over 5 million a year. Our core client base is the SME market. The big accounting firms generally ignore smaller companies in favor of more well-established clients… Susan: So, you see the SMEs as the key opportunity? Terry: Definitely. But let me come back to that a little later. Susan: Yes, sorry, go on. Terry: I took a straw poll with some of our clients and hands down the top reason they gave for using our services was the strong personal touch we’re famous for. The bedrock of our reputation, of course, lies with Jacki, our founder… and obviously that could also be a weakness. But, with last year’s reorganization, Francine, John and Toby have all had a chance to take on more prominent roles and build their own reputations. Together, they make quite a formidable team. Susan: Yes, and that was the deciding factor for me too. I think it would be a challenge to scale up the business if it was just Jacki dealing with clients. Terry: Exactly. We’re conscious of our reliance on Jacki’s reputation and we realize that bringing in new partners is key to our growth. Now, our other main weakness is where you come in, actually. We’re ready to take it to the next level, but word of mouth just isn’t bringing in enough clients. Susan: As I know all too well, a growing company like this one needs to develop a strategic marketing plan and highlight competitive advantage. Terry: The new client I was telling you about earlier said they only heard about us by chance; we just don’t have much market presence. Balancing cash flow with growth is also a challenge, but this is an issue for any growing business. Susan: And who better to tackle it than a firm of accountants? So, do you have any thoughts on dealing with these issues? (fade out)

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Presenting for Success Debrief What makes SWOT such a powerful tool is that, with a little thought, it can help you uncover opportunities that that you can exploit to your advantage. And by understanding the weaknesses of your business, you can manage and eliminate threats that could otherwise cause problems. More than this, by looking at yourself and your competitors using the SWOT framework, you can start to create a strategy that helps you distinguish yourself from your competitors, so that you can compete successfully in your market. So what language does Terry use to discuss the accounting firm’s current position, its strengths, and its weaknesses? Let’s take a closer look. Terry starts off with an overview of the company and it’s position in the market. Terry: Now, I won’t bore you with too much detail on our history, except to say that we’ve grown steadily over the last two years and now have four senior partners billing over 5 million a year. When Terry says he “won’t bore” Susan with details on history, he doesn’t mean he’s concerned it’s an uninteresting topic. Rather, he just wants to give a brief overview of the firm’s current position so that Susan has a starting point when thinking about new marketing strategies. Terry: … billing over 5 million a year. Our core client base is the SME market. The big accounting firms generally ignore smaller companies in favor of more well-established clients… Notice how he clearly identifies their ‘core client base’ – who their main clients are - and gives a general picture of their sector. Terry identifies SME’s, or small to medium sized enterprises, as their main market and explains why competition for this market is somewhat limited. Each industry is structured differently and you’ll need to explain how your company is situated in its market. Being able to give a clear but brief overview is a worthwhile skill to have, so let’s practice a few more examples:    

We focus on an extremely demanding niche market. We’re the market leader and have been for the last 2 years. We’re one of many competitors in a global industry. It’s a highly competitive industry with few barriers to entry.

The first part of presenting a SWOT analysis is discussing a company’s strengths. Terry points out that his firm’s main strength is its ability to connect with its clients and make them feel important using their famed “personal touch”. Terry: I took a straw poll with some of our clients and hands down the top reason they gave for using our services was the strong personal touch we’re famous for…

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A straw poll is an informal survey. In this case, Terry asked some of the firm’s clients why they do business with the company. “Hands down” or the most common answer was that clients valued the extra attention his firm’s partners gave to their clients. How else might we describe the main strength of our company?    

We operate with significant economies of scale. Our customers are extremely loyal and willing to pay a premium. We’re well-known for our innovative approach. What gives us an edge is our years of experience in the field.

After you've introduced your company's main strength, it's a good idea to support this by indicating other strengths and focusing on the positive aspects. Terry: …The bedrock of our reputation, of course, lies with Jacki, our founder… and obviously that could also be a weakness. But, with last year’s reorganization, Francine, John and Toby have all had a chance to take on more prominent roles and build their own reputations. Together, they make quite a formidable team. Here, Terry expands on why his firm is successful. Its founder, Jacki, has established a solid reputation in the industry. This is the “bedrock” or foundation that the firm can build from to maximize its potential. With the company reorganization, other employees have been able to shine, enhancing their reputations and that of the firm. So part of the firm’s success lies with this “formidable”, or strong, team. Let’s practice a few more ways to maximize positive aspects.    

The changes have had a tremendous impact on our bottom line. In any case, we have managed to reduce our liabilities. Nevertheless, our market share is solid. That said, our customer service is top-notch.

Another part of a SWOT analysis, however, is noting a company’s weaknesses. Doing so helps employees figure out what needs to change and how. Terry brought up a weakness earlier when he mentioned the firm’s founder, Jacki, and her reputation. But why might Jacki’s reputation be seen as a weakness as well as a strength? Let’s listen. Susan: … for me too. I think it would be a challenge to scale up the business if it was just Jacki dealing with clients. Terry: Exactly. We’re conscious of our reliance on Jacki’s reputation and we realize that bringing in new partners is key to our growth. Susan and Terry know how important Jacki’s reputation is. But Susan points out that relying solely on Jacki could limit opportunities for “scaling up” or growing business. Terry notes that the company has brought in “new partners” to help overcome this weakness.

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Presenting for Success When you acknowledge a weakness, you show that you’ve already considered the problem and its effect on your business. Notice how Terry says, “ We’re conscious of our reliance on Jacki’s reputation.” He shows that this weakness has been identified and carefully thought through. How else might we acknowledge a weakness, showing that we’ve given it some thought?     

We’re aware of the negative effect on our reputation. It’s true that we have little experience in this area. We acknowledge a need for proper back-end systems. This lack of critical R&D funding is definitely on our radar. We realize that our product development cycle is too long

Next, Terry wants to discuss a new weakness, something that Susan, as the new marketing manager, can help with. Terry: Now, our other main weakness is where you come in, actually. We’re ready to take it to the next level, but word of mouth just isn’t bringing in enough clients. The new client I was telling you about earlier said they only heard about us by chance; we just don’t have much market presence. Taking it to the “next level” means growing the company from the relatively small firm it is today, into a more established and well-know company. Here, Terry means that they’re ready to increase their marketing efforts and promote their strengths. “Word of mouth” – or promotion that happens when satisfied customers talk to each other – hasn’t been strong enough to expand business, so Susan’s marketing expertise is needed to increase their “market presence”. What are some other ways we can introduce a weakness?    

Our downfall has always been high staff turnover. Inability to calculate risk more precisely makes us vulnerable. Lack of proper logistics planning is our main flaw. Our Achilles heel is the volatility in commodity prices.

Next, Terry explains a concern about cash flow – how funds move into and out of a business - and its effect on company growth. Terry: Balancing cash flow with growth is also a challenge, but this is an issue for any growing business. Here, Terry is trying to minimize a weakness. Cash flow may be a problem for his company, but he mentions it in a wider context by presenting it as something that is common to many growing businesses. As lots of businesses have issues with cash flow, his company’s problems may not be so significant. Notice how the following examples minimize negative aspects by considering a wider context: 

This is not easy to accomplish in any economy.

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  

No other company has been able to resolve this issue. We’re not alone in facing the problem of staff being poached. We’re one of many consultancies that has had to cut back.

Remember that many of the factors that affect your business negatively may be the same for others in your industry and you can minimize these negative aspects by pointing this out. Now, it’s your turn to practice some of the language we’ve looked at today. Practice 1 Let’s start by reviewing the language of acknowledging a weakness. Imagine that someone is pointing out particular weaknesses at your company to you. Use the language given to acknowledge your company’s awareness of these weaknesses. For example, if you hear: Example cue: I think your company lacks experience. Prompt: conscious You can say: Example answer: We’re conscious of our lack of experience. Are you ready? Let’s give it a try. Use “we” and “our” for this exercise. We’ll play some examples answers after the practice. Cue 1: Why do you have such an outdated information system? Prompt: acknowledge Learner 1: Cue 2: The scandal had a bad effect on your reputation. Prompt: aware Learner 2: Cue 3: The big problem at your company is that staff turnover is so high. Prompt: radar Learner 3: Cue 4: I heard that other agencies win more awards. Prompt: true Learner 4: Cue 5: Don’t you think that you need to hire more technical staff? Prompt: realize Learner 5:

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Presenting for Success How did you do? Compare your answers with these examples: Cue 1: Why do you have such an outdated information system? Example answer: We acknowledge that our information system is outdated. Cue 2: The scandal had a bad effect on your reputation. Example answer: We’re aware of how the scandal affected our reputation. Cue 3: The big problem at your company is that staff turnover is so high. Example answer: The staff turnover problem is on our radar. Cue 4: I heard that other agencies win more awards. Example answer: It’s true that we win fewer awards than other agencies. Cue 5: There seems to be a lack of technical staff at your company. Example answer: We realize that we lack technical staff. It’s worth practicing this language until you are comfortable using it, as acknowledging facts before discussing them further is a good technique for building and maintaining good communication. Practice 2 Today’s lesson ends with some practice of useful vocabulary and idioms from this episode. You’ll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep. Repeat the whole sentence, saying the missing word. For example, if you hear: Example cue: I won’t you by repeating this information, as I’m sure you’ve heard it before. You can say: Example answer: I won’t bore you by repeating this information, as I’m sure you’ve heard it before. After each response, we’ll play the correct answer. Let’s begin. Cue 1: In the end, the factor was the high rent, and we had to close the office. Cue 2: He’s hands the worst planner I’ve ever seen, but his research is excellent. Cue 3: Actually, word of provides us with plenty of business and we’ve never advertised. Cue 4: We took a quick poll to see if the brand was well known. Cue 5: They’ve got terrific market and everyone surveyed had heard of them.

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Answer 1: In the end, the deciding factor was the high rent and we had to close the office. Answer 2: He’s hands down the worst planner I’ve ever seen, but his research is excellent. Answer 3: Actually, word of mouth provides us with plenty of business and we’ve never advertised. Answer 4: We took a quick straw poll to see if the brand was well known. Answer 5: They’ve got terrific market presence and everyone surveyed had heard of them. That’s all for the first episode on presenting a SWOT analysis. We’ve studied language and expressions for providing an overview, introducing your main strength, and acknowledging and introducing a weakness. See you next time, and thanks for listening!

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Presenting for Success Language Review A. Providing an overview of a company Put the jumbled sentences in order so they make sentences that provide an overview of your position in an industry. 1. The customer franchise’s middle-income core base people with is children. 2. We a a a million focus year on demanding market worth half niche dollars. 3. We’ve the sales leader in been new for condominium market two years. 4. Our 50 industry is competitors mining firm one in of the global. B. Introducing the main strength and maximizing positive aspects To review useful language for introducing the main strength and maximizing positive aspects, fill in the blanks in the phrases below with words from the box. operate

impact

liability

willing

solid

well-known

give

customer

1. Customers are __________ to pay a premium for our personal touch. 2. We’re __________ for innovation and the ability to move quickly. 3. Our years of experience in the field really __________ us an edge. 4. We __________ with significant economies of scale due to our size. 5. This technology has had a tremendous __________ on data security issues. 6. Despite the problems, our market share is __________. 7. Our reputation for top-notch __________ service has led to many awards. 8. What looked like a __________ has actually turned to our advantage. Study Strategy Try to look at your company objectively and then do a SWOT quadrant diagram with at least two of each of the following included: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. You can look on the Internet for templates for your SWOT diagram and ideas for typical aspects in various industries. Then, think about how you would present each of these aspects to a new employee of your company. Find a colleague or a friend and practice a role play where you present the strengths and weaknesses without using the SWOT diagram. Try to use the language and strategies we have practiced in this episode. If you don’t know anyone to try this with, write it out as a dialog.

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Answers Listening Questions 1. This consultancy works for small to medium sized enterprises, or SMEs. 2. Terry says that their main strength is the personal touch, or personal attention, they give clients. 3. Some of the weaknesses Terry mentions are: reliance on the reputation of the founder, Jacki; poor market presence; and the challenge of balancing cash flow and growth.

Language Review A. Providing an overview of a company 1. 2. 3. 4.

The franchise’s core customer base is middle-income people with children. We focus on a demanding niche market worth half a million dollars a year. We’ve been the market leader in new condominium sales for two years. Our firm is one of 50 competitors in the global mining industry.

B. Introducing a Topic 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Customers are willing to pay a premium for our personal touch. We’re well-known for innovation and the ability to more quickly. Our years of experience in the field really give us an edge. We operate with significant economies of scale due to our size. This technology has had a tremendous impact on data security issues. Despite our problems, our market share is solid. Our reputation for top-notch customer service has led to many awards. What looked like a liability has actually turned to our advantage.

Online Practice Click the “Launch” button to open the online practice:

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Presenting for Success Unit 111 – Presenting a SWOT Analysis (Part 2) Welcome back to Business English Pod. My name’s Edwin and I’ll be your host for this episode, which is the second in a two-part series on presenting a SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis is a tool that helps companies understand their strengths and weaknesses, while keeping in mind the opportunities and threats they face. In this way, companies can take a look at both the internal and external factors that can impact their success. This information can be used in a variety of ways, such as project planning, crisis management, and competitive analysis. In the last episode, Terry, who works at a growing accountancy firm, began a presentation for Susan, the newly hired marketing manager. Terry presented his SWOT Analysis quite casually, as a one-to-one discussion with Susan. He introduced some of the company’s strengths and weaknesses, internal factors that affect the firm’s growth. In this episode, Terry will introduce the opportunities and threats faced by the firm. These are external forces that need to be considered before developing a new marketing strategy. As the dialog starts, Susan responds to Terry’s presentation of the company’s strengths and weaknesses, as Terry moves on to begin discussing opportunities. While you listen, try to answer the following questions.

Listening Questions 1) What has the local government done in response to the current economic situation? 2) Who is in charge of the tax advisory division of the firm? 3) What does Terry think is important for Susan’s marketing campaign?

Vocabulary to fill somebody in: to give someone information or an update. “When Kim returns from vacation, be sure to fill her in on the new travel policy.” keep your nose to the grindstone: work very hard, without stopping. “We’ll need to keep our noses to the grindstone if we’re going to meet this deadline.” to keep an eye on something: to watch something or someone closely. “Please keep an eye on the new receptionist. I’ve heard she can be rather impolite.” to be hit hard (by something): to be strongly influenced in a negative way. “Employee morale was hit hard by the recent layoffs.” © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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downturn: decline. “Because of the economic downturn, we are not buying any more equipment this year.” to pump money into something: increase funding for. “I don’t know why we continue to pump money into that project. It’s going nowhere.” science park: an area that includes science-oriented companies. science park is in a strategic location, close to the university.” to drive something: to move something forward. drive our chocolate sales.” arm (of a business): specific division of a business. our company has really helped our position.”

“The new

“The holidays substantially “The international arm of

tax breaks: tax incentives, often proposed by a government to spur business activity. “We can take advantage of tax breaks if we add to our warehouse space.” start-up: a business in its early stages. “Normally we don’t deal with start-ups, but this one shows a lot of promise.” navigate: to steer through a course. current healthcare system.”

“We need to learn how to navigate the

knock-on effect: a secondary, incidental effect. “The law firm has seen an increase in bankruptcy cases, a knock-on effect of all the home foreclosures.” Big Four: group of the four largest public accounting firms: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young, and KPMG. “His goal was to find a job with one of the Big Four.” to diversify: to spread business among a variety of areas. “To stay competitive, we need to diversify our target audience.” to counter: to act in response. “We offered to settle the deal with $500,000. They countered by offering $450,000.” identifiable: recognizable. “Our apparel line is easily identifiable in that market.” to get around a hurdle/hurdles: to move around an obstacle. “We’ll need to get around those hurdles if we’re going to make any progress.” to pull something off: achieve, accomplish. “Lila needs to be in two meetings at 10:00 tomorrow. I don’t know how she’ll pull that off.” tariff: a tax on goods brought into a country. “It’ll be interesting to see how changes in tariffs will affect us.” volatility: ability to change or fluctuate. making investors cautious.” consolidation: combination, merger. consolidation?”

“The volatility in the stock market is

“Will many be jobs be lost with this

IP (intellectual property): products based from one’s ideas that have business value, such as literature, art, patents, methods, etc. “We need an attorney who specializes in IP cases.” price war: competition between retailers that drop their prices dramatically. “A price war might help us gain more customers.”

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Presenting for Success Dialog Susan: (fade in) So, do you have any thoughts on dealing with these issues? Terry: We do... and Francine will fill you in on the details. But I’d just like to say I feel really confident that we can overcome these challenges if we keep our noses to the grindstone and an eye on expenses. Susan: What about the business environment? How’s the economy affecting your client base? Terry: Well, actually it’s turning out to be quite an opportunity. Initially, some of our clients were hit hard by the downturn, but the local government has been pumping money into a new science park and that’s starting to bring in quite a few new clients. Susan: Sound like an excellent opportunity. Terry: Indeed, but what’s really driving interest is our tax advisory arm headed up by Toby. You see, the government is offering a range of tax breaks to new start-ups but the rules can be a little difficult to navigate. Susan: Yes, I can see how that could have a positive knock-on effect. Terry: However, if one of the Big Four decides to change focus, our market position could be threatened. Susan: How do you mean? Terry: Well, as I said, the Big Four mainly focus on large-scale businesses. If they decided to target smaller companies by, say, offering standardized low-cost packages, we could find ourselves competing with firms that have virtually unlimited resources. Susan: Ah yes, grabbing market share by diversifying their client base. Have you developed a strategy to counter this yet?" Terry: Again, we come back to the new position of marketing manager, your position. We believe that we need to develop ourselves as an identifiable brand and create a full marketing campaign around that… and, well, that’s your job. Susan: Thanks Terry, this information is really useful and you’ve certainly given me a lot of ideas.

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Debrief As you will recall from last time, Terry has already gone through the main strengths and weaknesses of his company. He starts off this part of the presentation by reassuring Susan that these challenges can be overcome with consistent effort and careful management of expenses. Terry: We do... and Francine will fill you in on the details. But I’d just like to say I feel really confident that we can overcome these challenges if we keep our noses to the grindstone and an eye on expenses. To “fill someone in” means to provide more detailed information, so we can expect that Francine will be giving Susan more details on this topic later. Terry also adds a note of confidence by saying his firm will succeed if they “keep their noses to the grindstone” and “keep an eye on expenses.” In other words, they need to work consistently and watch their expenses carefully. Notice how Terry presents the challenges facing the company in a positive way. He says, “I feel really confident that…”. Because he makes his confidence clear, he can help make others feel that the firm will succeed. Talking about challenges in a positive light is important in business. If you show confidence in your company, it’s more likely that others will have confidence in your company, too. So let’s look at some other ways to discuss challenges in a positive way:    

We We We We

can get around these hurdles if we work hard. know that we’ll come out on top if we take the right approach. can count on a positive outcome if we handle this right. have complete confidence in our ability to pull this off.

Next, Susan asks about the economy’s effects on the firm’s client base. Terry responds: Terry: Well, actually it’s turning out to be quite an opportunity. Initially, some of our clients were hit hard by the downturn, but the local government has been pumping money into a new science park and that’s starting to bring in quite a few new clients. Terry explains that some clients were affected negatively, or “hit hard”, by the poor economic situation, or “downturn”. However, this has actually been quite positive in terms of new business. The local government has been “pumping money into” – or providing additional funds - for a “science park” and now these companies are becoming new clients. Sometimes visual images can help us remember idioms. For example, you can compare “pumping money” into a business to pumping air into a tire. Money can help keep a business moving, just as air can help keep a tire rolling. And so a properly funded business can run like a properly maintained car.

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Presenting for Success What are some other ways to introduce an opportunity in a business conversation?    

Surveys show that the population is ageing, which means increasing need for our products over time. There’s no doubt that the new regulations give us an advantage. With only slight modifications, our tracking software can be used by airlines to find missing luggage. Although the total market isn’t growing, market research shows many customers are dissatisfied with our competitors’ service.

Terry has more to say about this opportunity. Let’s listen. Terry: Indeed, but what’s really driving interest is our tax advisory arm headed up by Toby. You see, the government is offering a range of tax breaks to new start-ups but the rules can be a little difficult to navigate. Here, Terry gives Susan some specific information about why the “downturn” has actually had a positive impact on their business. The firm’s tax advisory division, or “arm”, has been “driving” – or generating – a good deal of interest from clients. This is because the government’s program of tax incentives to new companies, or start-ups, comes with some complicated rules that clients find difficult to “navigate” or work through. Toby’s expertise distinguishes the firm as one that can handle these tax challenges. So the firm has found an opportunity, even in the downturn. Whenever you’re introducing an opportunity to colleagues, it’s good to be able to support the idea with more information. Doing so helps others understand the advantage and how they might be involved. So let’s practice some more language for supporting your ideas:    

What we know is that inquiries have increased 50% since we started advertising on TV. It is this one small change – the reduction in tariffs - that will make a difference to our import costs. As seen with last year’s successful launch, our network of contacts can be used to expand outside of our core business. The fact that our platform can be customized sets us apart from the other companies bidding on the project.

Another important part of a SWOT analysis is examining threats that can hinder a company’s growth or viability. Here’s how Terry tells Susan about a threat that concerns him. Terry: However, if one of the Big Four decides to change focus, our market position could be threatened. “The Big Four” is a reference to the four largest public accounting firms. These firms have more power and resources than Terry’s firm and any changes in their strategy could mean more competition for clients. Introducing a threat involves acknowledging external factors and giving them careful consideration. Let’s look at a few more examples: © 2010 All rights reserved: www.BusinessEnglishPod.com

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   

On the other hand, price volatility could have devastating effects. New companies are entering the sector, which could affect market share. Consolidation is underway and a hostile takeover is always possible. Protecting IP is not easy and we are seeing an increase in violations.

Next, Susan asks Terry to explain why the Big Four could be such a threat. Susan: How do you mean? Terry: Well, as I said, the Big Four mainly focus on large-scale businesses. If they decided to target smaller companies by, say, offering standardized low-cost packages, we could find ourselves competing with firms that have virtually unlimited resources. Previously, Terry told Susan that his firm’s clientele was mainly SMEs – small-tomedium sized enterprises. This client base is different from that of the Big Four, which concentrates on larger businesses. In this way, Terry’s firm and the Big Four don’t compete. They work for and seek different types of clients. However, if the Big Four decided to go after SMEs as well, the direct competition would be a threat. The larger firms would have the resources to offer low-cost packages to the SMEs, something Terry’s firm could not do. Notice how Terry uses the word “if” – and the second conditional - in his explanation. He’s talking about a hypothetical situation, one that is not happening now and might not happen at all. Talking about a hypothetical or unknown situation using the second conditional is useful for many business discussions. It allows you to say more about how your company would respond if a particular situation occurred. Listen to how “if” is used in the following examples:     

If there was a downturn, our industry would feel it first. If there were a crash, most companies would be unprepared. We’d be in trouble if they decided to look for alternative suppliers. We wouldn’t be able to make enough profit if costs increased. If we got into a price war, profits would certainly be affected.

How does Susan respond? Susan: Ah yes, grabbing market share by diversifying their client base. Have you developed a strategy to counter this yet?" To diversify means to spread business among a variety of areas. Susan is suggesting that the Big Four might increase their market share by going after SMEs as well as large corporations. She wants to know if the firm has made any plans to “counter” – or respond to – this possible threat. As this is closely related to the job Susan was hired to do, Terry use this an opportunity to make a final recommendation and turn the discussion over to Susan.

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Presenting for Success Terry: Again, we come back to the new position of marketing manager, your position. We believe that we need to develop ourselves as an identifiable brand and create a full marketing campaign around that… and, well, that’s your job. An “identifiable brand” is one that will distinguish it from competitors and help promote what the firm does best. This can be achieved with a new marketing campaign. But he doesn’t need to go into too much detail, as this is why they hired Susan in the first place. So he just makes a general recommendation on how she might use her expertise. How else can you give a recommendation?    

A reduction in delivery time is the number one priority. As I think you can see now, we should work harder to retain key staff. A good start would be to set up a system to track accounts receivable. It’s time to evaluate who is contributing the most to our bottom line.

Okay, now it’s your turn to practice some of the language we’ve looked at today. First, let’s review the language of talking about hypothetical situations. Imagine that someone is discussing some possibilities, or conditions. Use the language given to talk about the hypothetical result of these conditions. These sentences will all be in the second conditional form. For example, if you hear: Example cue: Have you thought about borrowing more money? Result: expand into new markets You can say: Example answer: If we borrowed more money, we could expand into new markets. Are you ready? Let’s give it a try. Remember to start each sentence with an “if”. Cue 1: Have you realized that a downturn is possible? Result: this sector hit hard Learner 1: Cue 2: I’ve heard there may be new start-ups in the wireless market. Result: consolidation follows within 3 years Learner 2: Cue 3: Why don’t you outsource? Result: costs go down, but worried about quality Learner 3: Cue 4: There’s a rumor that the cost of raw materials may increase. Result: forces us to increase our prices

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Learner 4: Talking about hypothetical or unreal situations using the second conditional is useful for many business discussions, so it’s worth practicing this language until you are comfortable using it. Example answer: If there was/were a downturn, this sector would be hit hard. Example answer: If there were new start-ups in the wireless market, consolidation would follow within 3 years. Example answer: If we outsourced, our costs would go down, but we’re concerned about quality. Example answer: If the cost of raw materials increased, we’d be forced to increase our prices. We’ll finish off today’s lesson by practicing useful vocabulary and idioms. You’ll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep. Repeat the whole sentence, saying the missing word. For example, if you hear: Example cue: Governments are creating new tax by allowing new kinds of deductions. You can say: Example answer: Governments are creating new tax breaks by allowing new kinds of deductions. After each response, we’ll play the correct answer. Let’s begin. Cue 1: By keeping my to the grindstone, I was able to finish both projects by the deadline. Cue 2: We can’t any more money into this project unless we see results soon. Cue 3: We decided to keep an on our competitor, in case they started dumping product abroad. Cue 4: We were hit by losses due to foreign exchange rate changes. Cue 5: The elimination of tariffs has had quite a knock-on in our industry. Answer 1: By keeping my nose to the grindstone, I was able to finish both projects by the deadline. Answer 2: We can’t pump any more money into this project unless we see results soon.

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Presenting for Success Answer 3: We decided to keep an eye on our competitor, in case they start dumping product abroad. Answer 4: We were hit hard by losses due to foreign exchange rate changes. Answer 5: The elimination of tariffs has had quite a knock-on effect in our industry. That’s all for this episode on SWOT analysis. We’ve studied language and expressions for introducing an opportunity, introducing a threat, talking about hypothetical situations and giving recommendations. Don’t forget to check out the study notes and online activities for this and other episodes at www.businessenglishpod.com. See you next time, and thanks for listening!

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Language Review A. Talking positively about a challenge. Rearrange the words in each group below to make a sentence that presents a challenge in a positive way. 1. we be team we’ll successful we if know a as work.

2. staff can everyone but be on our small we may count always

3. in can economic confident even we’re downturn an funding we get

4. hurdles get our us will creativity around help these

B. Idioms Match the two columns to form idioms that we studied in this episode. 1 2

get around pull something

A B

on something in

3 4 5

fill somebody keep your nose hit

C D E

off hard a hurdle

6 7

keep an eye pump money

F G

into something to the grindstone

Study Strategy Make a list of your company’s opportunities and threats. Choose one of the opportunities and think about how you would introduce it if you were presenting a SWOT analysis. How might you expand on the idea? How can the company take advantage of the opportunity? Now choose one of the threats. Why is that threat a concern and what can be done about it? Try role playing these scenarios with a colleague. Or, write it out as a dialog if you can’t practice with someone.

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Presenting for Success Answers Listening Questions 1. The local government has been pumping money into a new science park. 2. Toby is in charge of the tax advisory division of the firm. 3. Terry thinks the firm needs an identifiable brand. Language Review A. Talking positively about a challenge. 1. 2. 3. 4.

We know we’ll be successful if we work as a team. Our staff may be small, but we can always count on everyone. We’re confident we can get funding even in an economic downturn. Our creativity will help us get around these hurdles.

B. Idioms 1. E; 2. C; 3. B, 4. G; 5. D: 6. A; 7. F

Online Practice Click the “Launch” button to open the online practice:

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