The Business Spotlight Podcast

Interviews: Matchmaker

Business Spotlight — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:53:59 +0100

When looking for love, some people go to an online dating service, while others turn to a matchmaker. We went to the streets in Norwich, England to ask: “Would you use a matchmaker to find a partner?”

Telephoning: Dealing with angry callers

Business Spotlight — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:39:28 +0100

When you pick up the phone at work, you usually expect it to be a friendly customer or colleague. It might be, but sometimes the person on the other end of the line is angry. Really angry. What do you do? Luckily, communication skills expert Ken Taylor is here with some advice and an exercise.

News: Innovations

Business Spotlight — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:21:05 +0100

Today we’d like to talk about innovations, inventions and discoveries from the world of technology. So, what do you think Englishwoman Angela Morris has made from sheep’s wool? Something warm, such as a sweater? Socks? … No, you’re not even close.

Vocabulary: The post room

Business Spotlight — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:21:05 +0100

Lots of business communication is sent by e-mail. But we still send products and certain types of correspondence by mail, or post. So this week, we’ll take you to a company post room.

Skills: Internal consulting

Business Spotlight — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:41:17 +0100

Let’s say you start the new year with a big, company-wide project. You have to coordinate co-workers from several departments or offices. Where do you start? It might help to use an internal consultant. Communication skills expert Ken Taylor, has some advice and an exercise.

Intercultural: US and UK differences

Business Spotlight — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:21:09 +0100

Today we’ll take a look at working with people from two key English-speaking countries: the US and the UK. What are the differences between the business cultures in these two countries? Intercultural communication expert Robert Gibson and his studio guest explain.

Grammar: Place prepositions

Business Spotlight — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:21:07 +0100

The most common prepositions in English are “at”, “in” and “on”. In this week's podcast, we have an exercise for you: Translate the following German sentences into English, using these prepositions.

Vocabulary: Office territories

Business Spotlight — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:05:00 +0100

How have you decorated your office? Do you have pictures of your family on your desk? Or do you have funny cartoons taped to your computer monitor? Most of us decorate our workplace – but why? Adrian Furnham, professor of psychology at University
College London, explains.

Vocabulary: Trade fairs

Business Spotlight — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:23:14 +0100

If you've ever visited or exhibited at a trade fair, you would probably know that it involves a lot of work. But if you're lucky, you’ll come home with some orders and the names of potential customers. Ken Taylor is here with an exercise on trade-fair follow-up.

Telephoning: Conference calls

Business Spotlight — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:39:03 +0100

So you have been asked to organize a conference call but don't know where to start? Ken Taylor is here to tell us how to prepare for the call and how to introduce yourself to participants.