In company 3 0 upp int word list russian eng

Word Unit Phonetics amicable are you kidding? /ˈæmɪkəb(ə)l/ /ə(r) jʊ ˈkɪdɪŋ/ break off /breɪk ˈɒf/ by the way /baɪ ðə ˈweɪ/ catch you later /kætʃ jə ˈleɪtə(r)/ constraint contradict converse cordial /kənˈstreɪnt/ /ˌkɒntrəˈdɪkt/ /kənˈvɜː(r)s/ /ˈkɔː(r)diəl/ enthusiasm /ɪnˈθjuːziˌæzəm/ go back /ɡəʊ ˈbæk/ I hear /aɪ ˈhɪə(r)/ incidentally long time no see maintain make an impression make /ˌɪnsɪˈdent(ə)li/ /lɒŋ ˈtaɪm nəʊ ˌsiː/ /meɪnˈteɪn/ /meɪk ən ɪmˈpreʃ(ə)n/ /meɪk/ no problem /ˌnəʊ ˈprɒbləm/ people-oriented pity /ˈpiːp(ə)l ˌɔːrientɪd/ /ˈpɪti/ setting strained /ˈsetɪŋ/ /streɪnd/ that reminds me /ðæt rɪˈmaɪndz mi/ too much of a good thing /tuː ˈmʌtʃ əv ə ɡʊd ˌθɪŋ/ understand /ˌʌndə(r)ˈstænd/ wonder benchmark /ˈwʌndə(r)/ /ˈbentʃˌmɑː(r)k/ buoyant /ˈbɔɪənt/ buzzword Unit /ˈbʌzˌwɜː(r)d/ come off it /ˌkʌm ˈɒf ɪt/ consolidate /kənˈsɒlɪdeɪt/ consumer confidence /kənˈsjuːmə(r) ˌkɒnfɪd(ə)ns/ core competence /ˌkɔː(r) ˈkɒmpɪtəns/ distribution channel drift empowerment /ˌdɪstrɪˈbjuːʃ(ə)n ˌtʃæn(ə)l/ /drɪft/ /ɪmˈpaʊə(r)mənt/ fall short of /ˌfɔːl ˈʃɔː(r)t əv/ go round in circles market-driven mindset /ɡəʊ ˌraʊnd ɪn ˈsɜː(r)k(ə)lz/ /ˈmɑː(r)kɪt ˌdrɪv(ə)n/ /ˈmaɪn(d)ˌset/ offload on the right track paradigm shift /ˌɒfˈləʊd/ /ɒn ðə ˌraɪt ˈtræk/ /ˈpærədaɪm ˌʃɪft/ postpone /pəʊsˈpəʊn/ profit margin reckon /ˈprɒfɪt ˌmɑː(r)dʒɪn/ /ˈrekən/ sidetrack /ˈsaɪdˌtræk/ stand supply chain the bottom line /stænd/ /səˈplaɪ ˌtʃeɪn/ /ðə ˈbɒtəm ˌlaɪn/ think outside the box /ˌθɪŋk ˌaʊtˈsaɪd ðə ˌbɒks/ volatile Unit /ˈvɒlətaɪl/ accentuate /ækˈsentʃueɪt/ body language /ˈbɒdi ˌlæŋɡwɪdʒ/ common ground /ˌkɒmən ˈɡraʊnd/ compromise /ˈkɒmprəmaɪz/ dress down /dres ˈdaʊn/ empathy /ˈempəθi/ eye-contact /ˈaɪ ˌkɒntækt/ husky /ˈhʌski/ mirror /ˈmɪrə(r)/ set aside /ˌset əˈsaɪd/ sincere /sɪnˈsɪə(r)/ values Scenario A /ˈvæljuːz/ at our disposal /æt ˌaʊə(r) dɪˈspəʊz(ə)l/ blend in count on fit in /blend ˈɪn/ /ˈkaʊnt ɒn/ /fɪt ˈɪn/ get off on the wrong foot /ɡet ˌɒf ɒn ðə ˌrɒŋ ˈfʊt/ lobby /ˈlɒbi/ not stand on ceremony suspend judgement /nɒt ˌstænd ɒn ˈserəməni/ /səˈspend ˌdʒʌdʒmənt/ sustainable /səˈsteɪnəb(ə)l synergy /ˈsɪnə(r)dʒi/ take a leaf out of someone’s book /teɪk ə ˌliːf aʊt əv ˈsʌmwʌnz ˌbʊk/ the more the merrier /ðə ˈmɔː(r) ðə ˌmeriə(r)/ up and running Unit /ˌʌp ən ˈrʌnɪŋ/ all-time /ˈɔːl taɪm/ attention span bounce back /əˈtenʃ(ə)n spæn/ /ˌbaʊns ˈbæk/ charismatic considerable disastrous /ˌkærɪzˈmætɪk/ /kənˈsɪd(ə)rəb(ə)l/ /dɪˈzɑːstrəs/ draw attention to dry up /ˌdrɔː əˈtenʃ(ə)n tə/ /draɪ ˈʌp/ encouraging for the taking /ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒɪŋ/ /fə(r) ðə ˈteɪkɪŋ/ halve /hɑːv/ hit rock bottom /hɪt ˌrɒk ˈbɒtəm/ outnumber /ˌaʊtˈnʌmbə(r)/ paradoxically phenomenal pick up plateau plunge reasonable reinforce /ˌpærəˈdɒksɪkli/ /fəˈnɒmɪn(ə)l/ /pɪk ˈʌp/ /ˈplætəʊ/ /plʌndʒ/ /ˈriːz(ə)nəb(ə)l/ /ˌriːɪnˈfɔː(r)s/ show business significant /ˈʃəʊ ˌbɪznəs/ /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/ skyrocket /ˈskaɪˌrɒkɪt/ slight stationary tenfold unimpressive Unit /slaɪt/ /ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/ /ˈtenˌfəʊld/ /ˌʌnɪmˈpresɪv/ abrupt /əˈbrʌpt/ break up compensation /breɪk ˈʌp/ /ˌkɒmpənˈseɪʃ(ə)n/ consequently /ˈkɒnsɪkwəntli/ customer services defective /ˌkʌstəmə(r) ˈsɜː(r)vɪsɪz/ /dɪˈfektɪv/ determination dispatch rider flat out hurry up in one piece /dɪˌtɜː(r)mɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ /dɪˈspætʃ ˌraɪdə(r)/ /ˈflæt ˌaʊt/ /hʌri ˈʌp/ /ɪn ˌwʌn ˈpiːs/ mess /mes/ preoccupied /priˈɒkjʊpaɪd/ put in a good word /pʊt ˌɪn ə ˌɡʊd ˈwɜː(r)d/ retrieve ring off /rɪˈtriːv/ /rɪŋ ˈɒf/ running low rushed off your feet /ˌrʌnɪŋ ˈləʊ/ /ˌrʌʃt ɒf jə(r) ˈfiːt/ short-staffed slip your mind snowed under /ˌʃɔː(r)t ˈstɑː / /ˌslɪp jə(r) ˈmaɪnd/ /ˌsnəʊd ˈʌndə(r)/ tactful time flies /ˈtæk(t)f(ə)l/ /ˌtaɪm ˈflaɪz/ up to your neck what’s up? Unit acquire /ˌʌp tə jə(r) ˈnek/ /ˌwɒts ˈʌp/ base rate buy into consensus /ˈbeɪs reɪt/ /baɪ ˈɪntə/ /kənˈsensəs/ crackdown /ˈkrækˌdaʊn/ deliberate /dɪˈlɪbəreɪt/ diplomacy /dɪˈpləʊməsi/ empower /ɪmˈpaʊə(r)/ establish fill somebody in ???? flotation /ɪˈstæblɪʃ/ /fɪl ˈɪn/ /fləʊˈteɪʃ(ə)n/ hidden agenda /ˌhɪd(ə)n əˈdʒendə/ hierarchy /ˈhaɪəˌrɑː(r)ki/ hit /hɪt/ in-house /ɪn ˈhaʊs/ inadequate /ɪnˈædɪkwət/ liquidate /ˈlɪkwɪdeɪt/ mingle /ˈmɪŋɡ(ə)l/ /əˈkwaɪə(r)/ offshore /ˌɒfˈʃɔː(r)/ outsource /ˈaʊtˌsɔː(r)s/ rationalize /ˈræʃ(ə)nəlaɪz/ stakeholder /ˈsteɪkˌhəʊldə(r)/ streamline tip top /ˈstriːmˌlaɪn/ /tɪp/ /tɒp/ troublemaker upswing /ˈtrʌb(ə)lˌmeɪkə(r)/ /ˈʌpˌswɪŋ/ windfall Unit /ˈwɪn(d)ˌfɔːl/ burn-out /ˈbɜː(r)naʊt/ career-wise /kəˈrɪə(r)waɪz/ facilitate /fəˈsɪləteɪt/ guru /ˈɡʊruː/ hang-up hold-up impart /ˈhæŋʌp/ /ˈhəʊldʌp/ /ɪmˈpɑː(r)t/ intuition obstacle paramount /ˌɪntjuˈɪʃ(ə)n/ /ˈɒbstək(ə)l/ /ˈpærəmaʊnt/ soft skill transition wisdom Scenario B constructive diplomatic dry run expenditure hard /ˌsɒft ˈskɪl/ /trænˈzɪʃ(ə)n/ /ˈwɪzdəm/ iron out /ˌaɪə(r)n ˈaʊt/ look through /lʊk ˈθruː/ /kənˈstrʌktɪv/ /ˌdɪpləˈmætɪk/ /ˈdraɪ rʌn/ /ɪkˈspendɪtʃə(r)/ /hɑː(r)d/ secure short notice slide Unit break down /sɪˈkjʊə(r)/ /ˌʃɔː(r)t ˈnəʊtɪs/ /slaɪd/ come across /kʌm əˈkrɒs/ common denominator without dry up enthusiastic fire away go down go for green light /ˌkɒmən dɪˈnɒmɪˌneɪtə(r)/ /ˌduː wɪðˈaʊt/ /draɪ ˈʌp/ /ɪnˌθjuːziˈæstɪk/ /ˌfaɪə(r) əˈweɪ/ /ɡəʊ ˈdaʊn/ /ˈɡəʊ fə(r)/ /ɡriːn laɪt/ interdepartmental keep up maturity obvious /ˌɪntə(r)ˌdiːpɑː(r)tˈment(ə)l/ /kiːp ˈʌp/ /məˈtʃʊərəti/ /ˈɒbviəs/ pace penetrate /peɪs/ /ˈpenəˌtreɪt/ player resemble run out of run over /ˈpleɪə(r)/ /rɪˈzemb(ə)l/ /rʌn ˈaʊt əv/ /rʌn ˈəʊvə(r)/ show off speed up staggering switch off /ʃəʊ ˈɒf/ /spiːd ˈʌp/ /ˈstæɡərɪŋ/ /swɪtʃ ˈɒf/ turn to jelly universal Unit /ˌtɜː(r)n tə ˈdʒeli/ /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜː(r)s(ə)l/ alliance background /əˈlaɪəns/ /ˈbækˌɡraʊnd/ break the ice bump into /ˌbreɪk ði ˈaɪs/ /bʌmp ˈɪntə/ catch up /kætʃ ˈʌp/ charter chit-chat /ˈtʃɑː(r)tə(r)/ /ˈtʃɪt ˌtʃæt/ /breɪk ˈdaʊn/ cliché /ˈkliːʃeɪ/ competitiveness /kəmˈpetətɪvnəs/ enlightenment /ɪnˈlaɪt(ə)nmənt/ humility ignore keep your distance let your hair down limp lounge around make a move /hjuːˈmɪləti/ /ɪɡˈnɔː(r)/ /ˌkiːp jə(r) ˈdɪstəns/ /ˌlet jə(r) ˈheə(r) ˌdaʊn/ /lɪmp/ /ˌlaʊndʒ əˈraʊnd/ /ˌmeɪk ə ˈmuːv/ make the effort oblige preliminary /ˌmeɪk ði ˈefə(r)t/ /əˈblaɪdʒ/ /priˈlɪmɪn(ə)ri/ pretend /prɪˈtend/ scale back /skeɪl ˈbæk/ schmooze /ʃmuːz/ seal the deal /ˌsiːl ðə ˈdiːl/ social butterfly talk shop Unit 10 /ˌsəʊʃ(ə)l ˈbʌtə(r)ˌflaɪ/ /tɔːk ˈʃɒp/ a smart move /ə ˌsmɑː(r)t ˈmuːv/ best bet /ˈbest ˌbet/ boom /buːm/ boycott /ˈbɔɪˌkɒt/ brand awareness /ˌbrænd əˈweə(r)nəs/ depressed distribution channel /dɪˈprest/ /ˌdɪstrɪˌbjuːʃ(ə)n ˈtʃæn(ə)l/ dominate fifty-fifty gut instinct /ˈdɒmɪneɪt/ /ˈfɪfti ˌfɪfti/ /ˌɡʌt ˈɪnstɪŋkt/ hover /ˈhɒvə(r)/ insider trading lurk /ˌɪnˌsaɪdə(r) ˈtreɪdɪŋ/ /lɜː(r)k/ market forces /ˌmɑː(r)kɪt ˈfɔː(r)sɪz/ niche market outclass /ˈniːʃ ˌmɑː(r)kɪt/ /ˌaʊtˈklɑːs/ pool /puːl/ recall /ˈriːkɔːl/ resist sluggish /rɪˈzɪst/ /ˈslʌɡɪʃ/ squeeze out /skwiːz ˈaʊt/ subliminal /sʌbˈlɪmɪn(ə)l/ succumb thrive /səˈkʌm/ /θraɪv/ unanimously /juːˈnænɪməsli/ unpredictable Unit 11 /ˌʌnprɪˈdɪktəb(ə)l/ contagious distress elicit /kənˈteɪdʒəs/ /dɪˈstres/ /ɪˈlɪsɪt/ empathize /ˈempəθaɪz/ hypothetical /ˌhaɪpəˈθetɪk(ə)l/ judgemental on track /ˌdʒʌdʒˈment(ə)l/ /ɒn ˈtræk/ out of control /ˌaʊt əv kənˈtrəʊl/ perspective stressed out /pə(r)ˈspektɪv/ /strest ˈaʊt/ the tip of the iceberg Scenario C /ðə ˌtɪp əv ði ˈaɪsˌbɜː(r)ɡ/ consistency /kənˈsɪstənsi/ donor /ˈdəʊnə(r)/ elevator pitch funding /ˈeləveɪtə(r) ˌpɪtʃ/ /ˈfʌndɪŋ/ jargon /ˈdʒɑː(r)ɡən/ leverage /ˈliːvərɪdʒ/ mailshot multiply /ˈmeɪlˌʃɒt/ /ˈmʌltɪplaɪ/ reciprocity /ˌresɪˈprɒsəti/ scarcity /ˈskeə(r)səti/ specific Unit 12 /spəˈsɪfɪk/ antitrust /ˌæntiˈtrʌst/ as a matter of fact /æz ə ˌmætə(r) əv ˈfækt/ at first glance be a pain /ət ˌfɜː(r)st ˈɡlɑːns/ /bi ə ˈpeɪn/ BTW /bi ti ˈdʌb(ə)ljuː/ corporate dash off /ˈkɔː(r)p(ə)rət/ /dæʃ ˈɒf/ discipline /ˈdɪsəplɪn/ emoticon /ɪˈməʊtɪkɒn/ face-to-face /ˌfeɪs tə ˈfeɪs/ forward /ˈfɔː(r)wə(r)d/ FYI high-profile leak lethal mad /ef waɪ aɪ/ /ˌhaɪ ˈprəʊfaɪl/ /liːk/ /ˈliːθl/ /mæd/ neglect off the top of your head /nɪˈɡlekt/ /ˌɒf ðə ˌtɒp əv jə(r) ˈhed/ Oh, come off it! There’s no way that plan will work! With the economy the way it is, I think that now is the time to consolidate rather than expand our operations I’m not sure that this is a good time to start thinking about launching a new range of products, there isn’t a lot of consumer confidence at the moment We need to get the message out about our core competencies, so that potential clients can understand what it is that we particularly well We aim to deliver to our customers as quickly as possible, and we have put a lot of thought into the way our distribution channels operate The conversation seems to have drifted a little while I was away I can’t quite see where all this is heading Empowerment gives employees the confidence and authority to take control of their jobs I’m afraid to say that the project has fallen short of our original expectations – sales have not been as good as we hoped We don’t seem to be getting anywhere with these negotiations We just keep going round in circles This is truly a market-driven product We asked our customers what they wanted, and this is what they told change of mindset means completely rethinking your attitude and approach to something She’s the kind of boss who always tries to offload the nasty jobs onto her staff We haven’t finalized the deal yet, but I think we’re on the right track There has been a paradigm shift in the way we operate, and a lot of the staff are not happy with the new We need to make up our minds about this today We can’t keep postponing decisions like this, it’s just a waste of time If we examine the profit margins, we can see that we’re not actually making as much money from these products as we would hope to be Although they are selling well, they are too expensive to make Well, I think it’ll work What you reckon? We were making good progress until we got sidetracked by this new development last week, and nothing has happened since then I think we’ll have to find out where the marketing department stands on this particular issue, before we make any more decisions The supply chain for something like coffee is actually very complicated There are a lot of different stages The bottom line is this: unless profits increase soon, we’re going to go out of business Okay, we need a completely new way of looking at this, so let’s think outside the box and see what we can come up with Due to the volatile nature of the marketplace at the moment, I don’t think we should make any large investments for the time being Developing an awareness of how emotions can influence behaviour will allow you to accentuate similarities between yourself and other people It’s a good idea to adapt your body language to synchronize with the person you are dealing with We found some common ground; we both come from large families The negotiations were tough, but in the end we reached a compromise that everyone was reasonably happy with In order not to look out of place, it might be a good idea to dress down when you are in a technical or creative workplace If you can have empathy for someone else, you will be able to understand what makes them the things they I found it quite difficult to talk to him, he didn’t make eye-contact once during the whole conversation I like listening to him speak, he has a deep husky voice that is very pleasant to listen to Matching and mirroring the other person’s speech and behaviour is something that comes naturally to good communicators In order to save enough money to buy a house, she set aside ten per cent of her salary every month If you want to build rapport with someone, it’s important to be sincere People like to know that you mean what you say Your clothes, hair, make-up, nails, jewellery, beard or tattoos all send messages about you and your values As a result of this merger, I am sure that together we will be even stronger; with more resources and more expertise at our disposal He’s really mastered the art of travel, he seems to blend in wherever he goes I know I can count on you to give our new colleagues a warm welcome With so many new members of staff, it has been difficult to fit everyone in I’m sorry, it seems we got off on the wrong foot Can we start again, and I’ll try to be more sensitive this time A lot of the work we is lobbying local and national government for tougher laws to control levels of pollution There’s no need to wear a suit and tie, we don’t stand on ceremony here In order to be culturally sensitive, you should suspend judgement while observing and analyzing other GWA have over forty years of experience of developing sustainable solutions to water, sanitation and hygiene problems Now that our two companies have merged, the first of many synergies we hope to achieve will begin on Monday when GWA’s headquarters staff will be moving into our London office You should take a leaf out of Simon’s book He never makes the same mistake twice, and he always gets good results Why don’t you bring along the rest of your team as well? The more the merrier, I say Now that the testing phase is complete, we hope the project will be up and running by the beginning of next week The share price reached an all-time high yesterday, I’ve never seen anything like it Try not to speak for too long The attention span of the average audience member is only 15 minutes After a nervous start, the stock market bounced back and was up by the end of the day I think the reason why he’s such a popular speaker at these events is that he’s so charismatic People love watching him talk The media has shown a considerable amount of interest in the proposed merger Last week’s meeting was disastrous, we didn’t manage to agree on a single thing I’d particularly like to draw your attention to last year’s sales figures As you can see from the graph, sales remained steady throughout the year The market for this kind of equipment dried up years ago All it’s good for now is the scrapheap There have been some encouraging signs recently that the market might be improving There’s a good feeling out there, which is very different from this time last year I really think we should expand our operations There’s a whole market in Eastern Europe just there for the The number of people who work in this department has almost halved over the last three years It’s so much quieter in the office than it used to be The company’s shares hit rock bottom at the end of last year, but since then we have got a new CEO and things have improved a great deal It was a difficult meeting I tried to state our case but I was outnumbered by people who disagreed with our new proposals Much of leadership is acting Not faking it, but taking on a role Paradoxically, the acting makes it real He’s a phenomenal public speaker Every time he gives a talk, the place is packed out We’re hoping that things will pick up in the next quarter This quarter has been terrible It sold well at first, but recently sales have plateaued The share price suddenly plunged and the value of the company was almost wiped out There was a reasonable increase in sales after the advertising campaign was launched, but nothing Good visual aids can powerfully reinforce your message According to some, ‘All business is show business,’ and a number of companies have started to put their staff through drama courses in an attempt to turn them into better public speakers Head office is very worried; there was a significant decrease in the number of orders taken in the last After the first TV advertising campaign that we did, sales skyrocketed Although there was a slight increase in sales last year, it wasn’t enough for us to continue selling this particular line By close of trade the software market was almost stationary It seems incredible, I know, but sales have actually increased tenfold since we started selling the new range A 25% success rate is unimpressive, to say the least When ending a telephone conversation, the trick is not to seem too abrupt Geoff? You’re breaking up Are you on your mobile? I can’t hear you! I’ll be expecting a total refund and compensation if this can’t be fixed! This is not the first time you have let me down Consequently, we shall have to discuss this matter when your probationary period ends You have reached the customer services department All our customer service advisors are busy right now Please hold and your enquiry will be dealt with shortly I’ve just tried out three of the promotional DVDs and two were defective – they wouldn’t play at all Up to two hours every day are wasted in small talk on the phone And great skill and determination are needed to escape the deadly game of social chit-chat If a fax is no good, I think we should send the documents by dispatch rider I’ve been working flat out for weeks, and now I’m exhausted Hurry up! If we don’t leave soon, we’ll miss the flight Most of the equipment was damaged in transit I’m just about the only thing that arrived here in one piece! I’m in a bit of mess here and I need your help I left the file with all the documents for this afternoon’s meeting on the train I understand that you have been preoccupied with other matters and may not even have made a start yet, although I hope that this is not the case I’m good friends with the managing director actually Would you like me to put in a good word for you? Now, I don’t think we can deal with this on the phone, so I’m going to send a service engineer to see if they can retrieve your data Okay, well my meeting’s about to start so I’ll have to ring off But it was good to speak to you I forgot to charge my phone last night, and now it’s running low on batteries I’d love to help, honestly, but I’m rushed off my feet Why don’t you ask someone else to it for you? We’re really short-staffed at the moment, but as it’s an important project I’ll see if I can find someone to work with you on this I’m sorry, I meant to it but it completely slipped my mind Could some else handle this, please? We’re snowed under at the moment It’s important to try and find a tactful way of bringing the conversation round to the subject of business I haven’t seen you for years – how time flies! I’m up to my neck in it here I’ve got a deadline coming up, and I’ve just been given a lot more work to A: Could someone help me, please B: Sure What’s up? We acquired this company so that we could have a subsidiary with an existing client base in the Middle East There are fears that another rise in base rates will badly affect the housing market If we keep expanding like this, we’ll be able to start buying into other companies soon We didn’t reach a final decision today, but I’m hopeful that further talks will help us to reach a consensus After a lot of negative attention on the issue in the media, the government implemented a crackdown on corporate tax evasion We presented the facts as we knew them and left it to the heads of department to deliberate over the final decision Jack has a lot of experience, but he isn’t very good when it comes to diplomacy He has a habit of offending clients We want to empower the workforce That means we give training and development top priority The company was established in 1868, and has grown from a small family business to a multinational corporation with thousands of employees Dietmar is going to fill us in on what’s been happening in the German office The company is planning a $60 million flotation on the New York stock exchange To be honest, I would rather Tom doesn’t attend tomorrow’s meeting I think he has a hidden agenda, and I don’t trust him A big change in the organization of this company is that we now have a much flatter structure, instead of the old hierarchy It’s true that we were badly hit by the economic downturn, but things are now starting to pick up and business is looking good Rather than relying on freelancers, I think we should as much of this project as possible in-house We’ve got the skills, so let’s use them Basically, I think the presentation was a failure because there was inadequate preparation We weren’t ready, and it showed I’m afraid to say that we can no longer continue to run the business in the current economic climate The company will be liquidated and everyone will be made redundant Some companies have weekly ‘stand-up meetings’ Everyone stands, mingles and chats about the latest developments within the company The company got in trouble for having too many offshore interests We don’t have anyone in-house who can this kind of thing, so we’ll have to outsource it The consultant’s main suggestion was that we rationalize the departments by making a quarter of the workforce redundant A company’s chief responsibility used to be to its shareholders, but these days we prefer to talk about stakeholders – not just the people with a financial stake in the company, but everyone who has an interest in the way it’s run I think we should streamline the company, so that we can be more flexible and adapt to changes in the market more quickly The CEO is due to step down at next month’s AGM, and everyone is tipping the COO to replace her There are rumours that the company will announce record fourth-quarter earnings that are expected to top When it comes to troublemakers, it’s important to identify them quickly and make sure they know what the rules are Thanks to the positive publicity we have been getting, there has been an upswing in interest in all of our I am delighted to announce that this year has been a great success, with continued expansion and windfall profits Problems such as stress and burn-out may be something that a coach can help you with Having a wide range of professional and personal skills is what makes the difference career-wise One of the things that coaches is facilitate a commitment to goals, helping you to understand exactly what your objectives are According to emotional intelligence guru Daniel Goleman, expertise in a professional field is no longer sufficient to guarantee success in your career Personal hang-ups, difficulties at home and negative past experiences are not the business of coaching, which tends to focus on professional self-development We need to get this prototype completed on schedule; there’s no more room for hold-ups I’m here to impart some of my knowledge onto you I’m not going to tell you what to Instead, I want you to use your intuition In today’s session, we’re going to look at how to meet future goals and overcome present obstacles at work It goes without saying that building a good relationship with the other members in your team is paramount It’s not just professional expertise that’s important these days, you also need to develop your soft skills, such as intercultural awareness and problem solving If you are transitioning to a new role in your company, you might find that you need to develop new skills A mentor is there to offer advice and pass on some of their own hard-earned wisdom I really like my boss He’s a good listener, and he always makes constructive comments about my work He’s quite sensitive, so I think you should try to be diplomatic when giving him feedback I know you’re a bit nervous, so let’s a dry run the day before the presentation In this presentation I will be comparing our budgets and expenditure in the past, present and future She’s very upset Don’t you think you’re being a little hard on her? I really think we should iron out these problems before tomorrow’s presentation Here are the notes, you might want to look through them before the presentation begins Obviously a successful presentation could be really influential in securing funding for the future of the I’m sorry it’s short notice, but I’d like you to make a presentation at tomorrow’s meeting I just wonder whether we have too many slides? In the last presentation I did, the projector broke down, and then the mic went funny as well It was a As a public speaker, what matters is how you come across as a person The common denominator of their failures was that every one of them lacked a champion, someone who could turn the idea into a reality The one thing you can’t without is a sense of humour It’s absolutely essential There’s a part of me that’s scared that I might just dry up completely, like when your mind goes completely By the end of this presentation, we’re sure that you will be as enthusiastic about this idea as we are We’ll take your questions now So fire away! Anecdotes and amusing stories seem to go down well A lot of people go for humour in their presentations All we need now is the green light from you so we can take things further It has been decided that an interdepartmental meeting will be held every month so that heads of department can be brought up to date on recent developments You have to keep up a certain level of formality when you are giving a presentation Ideas are like insects – many are born, but few live to maturity The main selling points of the product are obvious: it’s cheap and long-lasting People have told me that I move around too much when I speak in public – that I pace up and down and move my arms about It represents a great opportunity for us to extend our brand and penetrate a new market As one of the major players in this industry, we are constantly looking for ways to stay ahead of the competition Because they closely resemble entrepreneurs, we call the people who turn ideas into realities I always seem to run out of time and then have to rush the end of the talk I find that audiences hate it when speakers go on for too long and the presentation runs over Don’t be too techie, or the audience will think you’re showing off Every time I have to speak in public, I get so nervous that my heart speeds up Let me show you some figures that will surprise you … I’m sure you’ll agree that these are staggering If you don’t speak clearly, the audience may switch off altogether Fear is an absolute killer in a presentation Your mouth goes dry Your legs turn to jelly We believe that this product is so innovative that it is the perfect solution to a universal problem If all goes to plan, by the end of the boat trip, alliances will have been forged and bonds strengthened At parties, he always stays in the background and waits to be introduced Telling a joke is a good way to break the ice at social occasions I bumped into Mike the other day I hadn’t seen him in years I spent the evening catching up with old friends It was great to see them after so many years Picture the scene: open water, no land in sight, the sound of water gently lapping against the side of the executive yacht your company has chartered for the day He speaks very good English, and he’s happy to talk about work, but he’s not very keen on social chit-chat It’s a cliché, but it’s true: ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression’ Competing with the boss outside the workplace is an ancient ritual designed to test your thinking, competitiveness and ability to fit in In an age of health and enlightenment, golf has replaced the business lunch as the preferred vehicle for sealing deals Often, in negotiation, humility is a valuable trait to display He just spoke to the new boss all night He completely ignored everyone else at the party Whenever the CEO comes down to our department, I prefer to just give her a polite nod and keep my I can never really let my hair down when I’m socializing with colleagues Bitten fingernails are a no-no for me Or a limp handshake The wet fish! Absolute turn off In Finland, they’ll lounge around with you in the sauna, no problem! But they don’t give much away Well, I really ought to be making a move, but it was nice talking to you Jane and I don’t really get on, but I feel I should go over there and make the effort to talk to her I always feel obliged to introduce everyone to each other at these sorts of occasions Let’s cut the preliminaries and get straight to the point, shall we? Oh no, there’s Jeremy! Quick, look the other way and pretend you haven’t seen him When playing tennis with your boss, you might consider scaling back your 160 kph serve, if only because you want everyone to have a good time In my experience, Americans are more into the schmoozing thing They’re always very easy to talk to Whether you are trying to attract potential clients or keep existing ones, a trip on a luxury yacht may help to seal the deal! If you’re meeting a lot of people at the same event, it’s easy just to drift around from group to group and never really make contact, like some kind of social butterfly Whenever I meet up with colleagues after work, we usually just talk shop Leaving the company when you did was a smart move It seems as though your new job has given you a lot more opportunities If you are faced with a lion, your best bet is to shout and flap your coat to make yourself look bigger and fiercer than you really are The market is experiencing a boom at the moment, which has been great for business After the news story broke about working conditions in some of the factories, there was a consumer boycott of all their products A logo that is easily recognizable and a catchy slogan will help us to build brand awareness It’s been a depressed market for a while now, there are still far more sellers than buyers Our wholesalers, retailers and sales reps are all crucial aspects of our distribution channels Our aim is to be in a position where we dominate the market within the next five years If you look like more trouble than you’re worth, there’s a fifty-fifty chance the lion will back away Well, in the absence of any more reliable data, I think I’m going to have to go with my gut instinct on this one He’s really worried He’s got the threat of redundancy hovering over his head Three brokers were arrested for insider trading last week You have to be careful in this business You never know what’s lurking around the corner The unemployment rate is just one thing that can be affected by market forces It’s true that our products are for a niche market But as long as we can keep the quality high, I think we’ll see a lot of repeat customers, and that should help us to stay ahead I thought I was a pretty good golfer until I played Tomoko She won easily, and I was completely outclassed Time is short, so let’s pool our ideas and see what we can come up with We are hard at work trying to find the cause of the problems, and we are also implementing a total recall of our products You should resist the temptation to run from a mountain lion Although the market has been sluggish in recent weeks, analysts are predicting an upturn in the near future We were doing well until a larger competitor cut their prices In the end we were completely squeezed out of the market A lot of scientists believe that flashed messages and other kinds of subliminal advertising really can work We kept the business going for as long as we could, but eventually we had to succumb to the inevitable We closed our last shop last month When the economy is thriving, there are a lot more opportunities for small start-up businesses to well I need everyone’s support on this, the board will only listen to me if we unanimously agree With the economy being so unpredictable, it’s difficult for us to make any large orders Stress is contagious; it can easily spread from one person to another A colleague’s distress can quickly ruin your own day Ask neutral, open questions to elicit the cause of their distress Don’t be tempted to force your advice on them Instead, simply empathize Use counselling techniques like echoing, summarizing and asking hypothetical questions to help your colleague find their own solutions Don’t be judgemental You should help them not to feel guilty about the way they feel Working to lessen the effects of stress will help to keep the whole office on track A quiet word with other people who are a source of pressure can help overcome that ‘out of control’ feeling Don’t minimize the problem, but try to help your colleague keep things in perspective Encourage your stressed out colleague to talk or even cry; expressing their emotions will provide temporary Very often a minor annoyance will prove to be the tip of a much bigger iceberg Consistency is an important quality when it comes to exerting influence A logical sequence of arguments builds pressure to agree Using social media is a good way to get your message across to potential donors An elevator pitch isn’t the same thing as a presentation; you don’t have time for details In today’s difficult giving environment, the best place to look for funding is with your current donors Never use jargon that nobody else can understand in a presentation Always try to keep it clear and simple Invite your donors to leverage their willingness to promote your cause by recruiting new supporters from their own circles of friends Forget about mass mailshots and advertising campaigns; new donors are no longer recruited in batches When you build high quality relationships with your followers, your donor circles can multiply indefinitely Reciprocity is an important principle of influence If you give something first, then people are more likely to return the favour The scarcity of something can make it appear even more attractive People more often buy into something if they think they won’t get another chance I think it helps to be specific about what you want to achieve so that everyone knows exactly what they are aiming for Perhaps the most famous business emails in history came to light during the Microsoft antitrust trials A: You haven’t finished the report yet, have you? B: As a matter of fact, I have Well I haven’t had time to study them in detail, but at first glance, I’d say these figures were quite encouraging Sorry to be a pain, but I’m still waiting for the update Can you let me know how much longer it’s going to Let’s meet in London next week BTW, I need you to look at the Singapore report Forget about spelling, switch off your grammar-check, and you just might email your way to the top of the corporate ladder I’m so busy, I only have a few minutes each day to dash off emails Disciplining your staff electronically isn’t always a good idea Your criticisms may find their way onto the web – for all the world to see An overuse of smileys or other elaborate emoticons further undermines professionalism and guarantees you won’t be taken seriously I spend a lot of time in face-to-face meetings, so I don’t spend much time writing emails Anyone who has a habit of forwarding jokes or sending animated electronic greetings cards is destined never to reach the level of senior management FYI, I don’t know if anyone has spoken to you about it yet, but I’m probably going to be coming to Copenhagen with you He’s a high-profile businessman who gets a lot of media attention One of the emails was offering advice to the UK on how to prevent secrets from being leaked The virus is so lethal that it has so far infected 45m million PCs Rule number one: never send an email when you’re mad Forty percent of workers moved on to completely new tasks after being interrupted, neglecting to finish the task they had started Off the top of my head, I’d say we have about 2,000 people working for us Anyone who uses the ‘blank carbon copy’ to secretly involve the boss in emails to colleagues is a poor player of office politics On reflection, I think we’d better look at this whole budget again A survey by Mori reveals that three quarters of computer users shout and swear at their machines Such outbursts can cost companies a lot of money in lost earnings In some respects, he’s a very good businessman, but I’m not sure he’s got the qualities we need for this The subject line was intriguing It said ‘I love you.’ Those who opened the message unleashed a computer virus now known as the Love Bug With email, honesty is not always the best policy And if you must tell the truth, think twice before clicking that send button Up to a point, I think it’s an interesting proposal But I’m afraid I can’t give you the go ahead this time Signs are that the first rush of enthusiasm for email may be waning We came under attack from the marketing team They didn’t like our proposal at all I don’t need detailed costs Just give me a ballpark figure so I can have a rough idea of how much we will be spending The sooner we get paid, the sooner our cash flow situation will improve We’re losing control of the company So what’s the answer? Clearly, the answer is to centralize Only after exhaustive tests will we be able to launch After years of work, our plans are finally coming to fruition Three years ago this company was going nowhere; today it’s number one in the industry We need to make this company greener I think we could a lot more recycling for a start What started off as a friendly chat, turned into a heated debate about the state of the economy We were both quite angry by the end The government is thinking about relaxing rules on immigration for skilled workers One of the key features of a country is its infrastructure, such as its power supply and its education, health and transport systems Michel’s English is so good you could almost believe it was his mother tongue We don’t know what our objectives are supposed to be because they keep moving the goalposts The odds are against us, but there’s still a chance we can succeed Crime rates have gone down ever since the government started to increase its funding of the penal system It might be difficult to export to that particular country I know they have very strict overseas trading policies They’re pouring millions of dollars into Research and Development He didn’t put up much of a fight In fact, he just seemed to give up completely It looks as though the worst is now over and we are beginning to see signs of an economic recovery If we don’t seize this opportunity, someone else will The stakes are high – we’re risking the future of this company She stuck to her guns, and, as a result, she got exactly what she wanted Right now the company is at risk of a takeover by one of its larger competitors A small amount of cash has started trickling in, but it’s not enough You waste a wonderful opportunity if you resort to trivia like: ‘Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ’ With these sales figures, I think we’ve scored a victory over the other sales teams The opener of any presentation is the vital moment when you gain people’s close attention Don’t forget to take an adaptor with you when you travel on business The PCs they were using were absolutely ancient! I hadn’t seen that kind of equipment in years He can be pretty antisocial at times We always invite him to come out with us, and he always says no And then he stood up in front of everybody and announced his resignation We were all utterly astonished Always bring a book as protection against strangers Magazines don’t last and newspapers from elsewhere remind you that you don’t belong Sorry about my kids Let me know if they’re bothering you The view from the top floor was breathtakingly beautiful I don’t think I’ll ever forget it I forgot to take my charger, so I couldn’t use my laptop the whole time I was there Going with The Accidental Tourist is like going in a cocoon I didn’t like the restaurant at all The way the waiter spoke to me was downright rude He claimed that the whole hotel was made of ice, but I think he must have been exaggerating I don’t understand this kind of technology at all I think you need to be fiendishly clever to operate machines like this I definitely wouldn’t recommend that hotel The rooms were absolutely filthy! Nobody volunteered to help John If that was me, I would have been utterly furious Her apartment was absolutely gorgeous I’d love to live somewhere like that The whole thing was absolutely hilarious! I’ve never laughed so much in my life The presentation was hysterically amusing The speaker made everyone in the audience laugh a lot That is definitely one of the worst meals I have ever had in my life The food was inedible The hotel was nice, which was lucky because the weather was miserable We stayed indoors the whole time we were there It is a common mistake to overestimate one’s potential free time and consequently overpack It may be that I’m being paranoid, but I’m sure that woman is watching me I wanted to buy something nice, but the prices in all of the stores were prohibitively expensive In the end I came home with nothing He thinks he’s funny, but I think he’s just being sarcastic He won back his job after an industrial tribunal ruled that he had been unfairly dismissed Sarah’s very witty She told some very funny jokes at dinner last night When assigning tasks to your staff, always give them a clear action plan Your associates will need to know exactly how much time is available in order to plan their work and deliver on time He’s still very new to this kind of work, so we don’t give him a great deal of autonomy Give your co-workers clear guidance as to what tools they can use, and how to use them Make sure your people know exactly what they’re supposed to achieve Nobody likes working in the dark! Nothing damages a colleague’s motivation more than knowing it makes no difference whether they a job well, badly or not at all It’s important that you get on well with your peers and show them as much respect as you would your superiors Explain clearly how you would like the job done, or, if you are leaving the choice to one of your staffers, what options are available Be careful how you treat your subordinates One of them may well end up being your boss Make sure the timeframe is realistic; avoid the temptation to ‘move the goalposts’ at a later date It’s important to congratulate your staff on their achievements in order to reinforce good habits Hotel accommodation should no longer exceed a three star rating or local equivalent I think this change sounds like it might be a good idea, but I’m not yet convinced that it’s actually feasible Are we really sure we can this? I know I can count on you all to make sure these changes are implemented as smoothly as possible Staff are also reminded to use public transport in preference to taxis whenever possible If you want people to accept changes like these, you need to show them why it will be in their interest to It’s a big change and they won’t like it at first, so we’ll have to give them a decent incentive to start the process If you ask me, all of these changes are completely pointless There’s no justification for them at all We need to identify and train the key people who will be able to implement these changes If you get enough people on your side, you will be able to get what you want Please note that from now on only economy class travel will be reimbursed If it were up to me, everyone who works for this company would spend some time working on the assembly line I want everyone to know exactly how our products are made We’ll have container lorries backed up from Hamburg to Lübeck We’re in a bit of a panic at the moment We’ve got a backlog of orders and very little time to something about it The RJK Group is one of the world’s leading advertising agencies with an impressive list of blue-chip clients After we re-opened the plant there was am production bottleneck, with so many orders being processed at the same time At the moment, RJK’s top creatives are on location filming a commercial for a shower gel You need to plan ahead to respond rapidly to unexpected issues that affect business continuity You need to continuously innovate and transform your business model to maintain the competitive edge Videoconferencing is never going to eliminate the need for at least one face-to-face meeting Fringe benefits include health insurance, a company car and contributory pension plan There’s nothing we can but stop all production straightaway Otherwise, the whole plant could go up! Unless we completely re-design the production process, I think this facility will continue to be a safety hazard With videoconferencing, it’s possible to collaborate with colleagues, even if they’re in opposite hemispheres Don’t we keep any stock in reserve for this kind of thing? Much of business is still based on the quality of your relationships with the people with whom you interact most often An appraisal interview is one way of monitoring employee performance and personal development Transferring stock from another plant will take too long And, besides, we’re overstretched as it is Rather than just speaking to your clients on the phone or by email, videoconferencing allows you to have a more personalized relationship For hardworking and ambitious young managers there are excellent promotion prospects We have very strict quality control to make sure that every thing is as it should be We’ll need to increase our supply of raw materials if we’re going to be able to meet this order Videoconferencing allows for real-time, face-to-face communication Our safety regulations are there to make sure that accidents don’t happen There’ll be time for proper analysis of what went wrong later Right now we need a rescue plan There’s been a big problem with the Hamburg plant We’re going to have to shut it down immediately I want us to simplify the supply chain At the moment, it’s taking us too long to get our products to the The Rolling Stones have never produced a real blockbuster on the scale of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours or Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon After hours of negotiations, there was finally a breakthrough and they reached an agreement that they were both comfortable with In a negotiation, you’re there to explore both sides’ interests, generate options and trade concessions The negotiation began to look as if it would end in deadlock, and both parties became increasingly desperate to reach a solution We’ll handle the shipping charges, insurance and all the necessary documentation to save you doing the paperwork yourself We will cover any fluctuations in the exchange rate between the dollar and the euro It was a tough negotiation I was up against two of them, and they seemed to be playing a kind of good cop, bad cop routine One of them was easygoing and the other was really aggressive The band has generated more than $1.5 billion in gross revenues since 1989 All of our products come with a three-year guarantee By accepting the need to reach some kind of compromise, you were able to turn a head-on conflict into a problem-solving meeting I know you don’t want to talk about prices yet, but in principle, you’re happy talking about forty cases, right? Whilst concerts make the most money, music rights provide the steadiest income stream Faced with prolonged and uncomfortable silences, your opponent is liable to make another concession This is a long-term relationship that we want to maintain so we may have to reach some kind of compromise With regards to the terms of payment, I think there might be some room to manoeuvre there I’d have to What we’d really like to see is a bit more movement on price I can negotiate with you on a number of things, but please remember that the basic price per unit is strictly off limits You’d be surprised how many business negotiations are basically one-off deals In the first negotiation you probably didn’t think much about your opponent’s interests We normally use styrofoam containers for our packaging You always know who’s going to win a negotiation – it’s he who pauses the longest In order to win at all costs, he became hostile and tried to pre-empt negotiation altogether It started as a tense negotiation, but it ended up being a very useful problem-solving exercise Each time their songs get played on the radio, the songwriters receive 50% of the royalties Both sides end up arguing the whys and wherefores They can talk till the cows come home, but it’s a waste of time I hope we can end up with a win-win situation, where we both get what we want This makes it a simple zero-sum game – if I get what I want, you don’t, and vice versa If two team members have very different goals, then asking them to work closely together is a recipe for Two members of the team were at each other’s throats over the shared office space Everything you say is totally confidential I won’t tell anyone Conflicting ways of working can result in a lot of uneasiness between staff members What you when your boss asks you to something that you disapprove of ethically? Whenever team members have different needs and priorities, there is the potential for friction I arrived at the office hoping for a hassle-free day, but unfortunately that isn’t what I got First of all, I’m completely impartial in all this, so you can trust me to be fair Whenever a company policy is changed without warning, or is inconsistent, there will be negative reactions Things have been difficult since the department’s budget was slashed Three of our key team members are leaving and, to top it all, my assistant has just handed in a transfer We don’t tolerate aggressive behaviour such as shouting and making threats He has a good way of dealing with things He’s assertive, but he doesn’t force his views on other people For this kind of presentation, you need to give concrete examples, not broad generalizations I look forward to our continued cooperation on this project It has been a pleasure to have worked so closely with you so far Before we begin this discussion, I’d like to set a few ground rules First of all: no interrupting We discussed the matter for a long time, but in the end the meeting was inconclusive We didn’t come to any firm decisions Let’s leave this issue aside for a moment and talk about something else, shall we? It’s good to listen to what everyone else has to say, but don’t be too passive Make sure your opinion is heard He agreed to sponsor three African students on water resources engineering courses at universities in the UK I urge you to invest in this project I really think it has a lot of potential I know Sally has a veto on this, so we will need to work hard to convince her not to use it We normally use styrofoam containers for our packaging You always know who’s going to win a negotiation – it’s he who pauses the longest In order to win at all costs, he became hostile and tried to pre-empt negotiation altogether It started as a tense negotiation, but it ended up being a very useful problem-solving exercise Each time their songs get played on the radio, the songwriters receive 50% of the royalties Both sides end up arguing the whys and wherefores They can talk till the cows come home, but it’s a waste of time I hope we can end up with a win-win situation, where we both get what we want This makes it a simple zero-sum game – if I get what I want, you don’t, and vice versa If two team members have very different goals, then asking them to work closely together is a recipe for Two members of the team were at each other’s throats over the shared office space Everything you say is totally confidential I won’t tell anyone Conflicting ways of working can result in a lot of uneasiness between staff members What you when your boss asks you to something that you disapprove of ethically? Whenever team members have different needs and priorities, there is the potential for friction I arrived at the office hoping for a hassle-free day, but unfortunately that isn’t what I got First of all, I’m completely impartial in all this, so you can trust me to be fair Whenever a company policy is changed without warning, or is inconsistent, there will be negative reactions Things have been difficult since the department’s budget was slashed Three of our key team members are leaving and, to top it all, my assistant has just handed in a transfer We don’t tolerate aggressive behaviour such as shouting and making threats He has a good way of dealing with things He’s assertive, but he doesn’t force his views on other people For this kind of presentation, you need to give concrete examples, not broad generalizations I look forward to our continued cooperation on this project It has been a pleasure to have worked so closely with you so far Before we begin this discussion, I’d like to set a few ground rules First of all: no interrupting We discussed the matter for a long time, but in the end the meeting was inconclusive We didn’t come to any firm decisions Let’s leave this issue aside for a moment and talk about something else, shall we? It’s good to listen to what everyone else has to say, but don’t be too passive Make sure your opinion is heard He agreed to sponsor three African students on water resources engineering courses at universities in the UK I urge you to invest in this project I really think it has a lot of potential I know Sally has a veto on this, so we will need to work hard to convince her not to use it