My English Office

Podcast episode 21 is about motivating your team. A common term for this topic in the business world today is employee engagement. Money is an important factor for job satisfaction, but it isn’t the only motivator for employees. In this session we talk about creating opportunities for flexibility and autonomy, participation in professional development, and focusing on employee strengths. Motivating Your Team.mp3 Download File If your company is focussing on employee engagement, it is a good idea to become familiar with writing your own SMART objectives and supporting your team to write their own with the help of our Motivating Your Team PDF package.

In podcast episode 20 we look at different situations in the workplace that can cause stress or anxiety for people and the ways that companies can help to manage these transitions. There are different types of change that can affect organizations: individual change, departmental change and company-wide change. If your company is going through a transition and you need to communicate with employees to help manage the changes, it is a good idea to practice using verb structures for giving advice and recommendations with the help of our Managing Change PDF Package.

In podcast episode 19 we talk about getting ahead in business. This includes some tips to help you get noticed by your boss. We discuss five main areas to focus on: 1) training and development; 2) professionalism and courtesy; 3) prioritising and delegating; 4) volunteering and networking; 5) highlighting your achievements. If you want to show your boss or senior management that you've got what it takes to advance in the company, it is a good idea to define your personal objectives for getting ahead. You can also practice giving advice to coworkers with future real conditional with the help of our Getting Ahead PDF Package.

In this podcast we talk about some of the ups and downs of business travel; from the benefits of being a frequent flyer to the disruptions and issues that have caused problems for business travellers recently. We also focus on the ways that business travel has changed over the past few years as well as tips for dealing with common concerns. If you travel internationally for business you may have to communicate with airline agents, hotel staff or other travel industry professionals in English. You can practice using phrasal verbs to ask travel related questions, complete a travel request form and write an email to a travel agent with the help of our Business Travel PDF Package.

This podcast focuses on office politics you may encounter in your work environment. We talk about some of the different workplace situations and how to diffuse potential conflicts. We also look at the different personality types (such as the bully, whiner, jobsworth & maverick) and suggest strategies for getting along with these coworkers. If you are facing challenges with difficult colleagues in your workplace you can write down examples of their behaviour and talk about it with a coworker before going to your Manager. Review tenses and aspects as you write about a sample workplace situation with the help of our Workplace Politics PDF package.

In this podcast we talk about job search advice for people immigratring to Canada, United Kingdom and Australia. The advice and information in this podcast is based on our experiences living and working in these countries. A detailed list of helpful Web sites and resources can be found in the worksheet that accompanies this podcast. If you are thinking of moving to an English speaking country, part of your job search research may include contacting professional or trade organizations to ask for advice. Practice using phrasal verbs to write inquiry emails with the help of our Job Search Abroad PDF package.

This podcast focuses on new and traditional job search techniques. We discuss social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, TweetMyJOBS, TwitJobSearch as well as our own experiences searching for jobs through professional associations. Watch for the next podcast where we’ll talk specifically about searching for jobs in English speaking countries.

The August podcast includes top tips for developing your resume for North America, UK and other English speaking countries. Whether you are a recent graduate or a professional looking for a new opportunity, your resume has to grab the attention of recruiters and show them that you have the skills or experience that they are looking for.

There are several creative and branding aspects to consider when you start a business, such as your company name, corporate identity, web site, marketing plan and more. In this podcast you can learn about budgeting for marketing expenses, developing the identity for your company and also promoting your new brand.

If you decide to start a new business, there are some important legal and financial topics to consider. In this podcast you can listen to our discussion about the choices for registering a company and the many different funding options that are available for start-up companies.

Companies typically plan a range of corporate events,such as seminars, training courses, product launches, trade shows, press conferences and AGMs (Annual General Meetings). In this podcast you will hear advice for planning different types of corporate events and what to expect if you are attending one.

More and more companies are starting to use blogs, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to interact with their customers, keep track of their reputation and quickly react to issues. In this podcast you will hear about some of the social media tools that individuals and businesses use for professional networking purposes.

If you don't have the opportunity to present in English on a regular basis the thought of speaking in front of an audience may seem overwhelming. In this podcast you will hear some presentation tips and ideas that may help you to improve your public speaking skills and also involve others in your office.

Every company has rules that help their business run smoothly. Some companies create formal workplace policy documents and others have informal guidelines for employees. In this podcast, Claire and Andy discuss common workplace policies and the ways they are communicated to employees.

When companies want to buy a product or service they may request quotes, proposals or tenders from a group of suppliers. In this podcast, Claire and Andy discuss the differences between these processes as well as the interesting idioms that English speakers use when discussing proposals and quotes.

Do you travel regularly to English-speaking countries for business meetings? Or maybe you want to move to the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the US? In this podcast, Claire and Andy talk about the business culture norms in English-speaking countries and compare similarities and differences between them.

In business, a lot of our time is spent managing or contributing to projects. The success or failure of a project is usually based on several factors including time, money, people, planning and communication. In this podcast Claire and Andy discuss common project management terms and roles.

Email is probably the most common communication tool in the workplace today. There are many important differences between the way people speak in person and the way they communicate in emails. In this podcast, Claire and Andy look at at a few tips for writing better business emails in English.

When you apply for jobs with English-speaking companies, you may want to practice answering some difficult interview questions that employers could ask. In this podcast, Claire and Andy discuss tough interview questions and give you suggestions for answering them

Business meetings and staff meetings are useful for sharing ideas, making decisions and updating team members. But what can you do if one or two people are doing all the talking? In this podcast, Claire and Andy give their advice for politely interrupting people during a meeting.