Shadowing Practice: [Business English] ENGLISH FOR HUMAN RESOURCES (1) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Express Series English for Human Resources by Pat Pledger Unit 1 Exercise 10
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Good morning, David.
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How was your weekend?
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Excellent, thanks.
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Too short, though.
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Yes, I know what you mean.
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Can we just have a word about the search for the personnel officer in Madrid?
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I know that it's your responsibility, but I'd like to be up to date on what's happening.
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Well, the job description and person specification have both been finalised and cleared with Francisco Menendez in Madrid.
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We're looking for someone with two to five years generalist HR experience, either an HR qualification or a degree,
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and last but not least, they must have high-level English skills.
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So where are you planning to advertise?
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Well, firstly on our European intranet, although I don't think there's much chance of finding anybody in-house or in the European offices.
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Not sure I agree with you there.
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Don't forget, we took on a lot of employees with the merger in 2002.
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There might be some human resources potential there.
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Yes, you have a point there.
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Then I thought I'd put the vacancy with a couple of HR specialist recruitment consultancies which operate across Europe.
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OK.
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What about an ad in the Spanish HR trade paper?
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They have a monthly magazine, don't they?
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Yes, but there are very few job ads in there.
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I'll look into it, though.
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And where are you going to interview?
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Well, I thought I'd offer interviews in the UK and Madrid, if that's OK.
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It's important that Francisco Menendez is involved.
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As the general manager, he and the personnel officer will need to work together closely on the future recruitment campaign in Madrid.
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Yes, good idea.
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Well, David, I can see you've got it all under control.
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Just keep me posted, please.
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No problem.
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Oh, sorry, I've got to run.
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I have a meeting about disciplinary procedures in about five minutes.
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Oh, and by the way, I'll be back in the office again on Thursday, so perhaps we can talk again then.
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Unit 2, Exercise 11.
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I think that fills you in on the requirements of the job.
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So, could you tell me about your experience as a team leader in your present job?
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Yes, I've been with my present company for five years.
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I started as a member of the call centre and was promoted to a team leader two years ago.
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I'm one of eight team leaders and we cover two shifts seven days a week.
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Could you explain what that involves?
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Yes, I'm responsible for ten call centre operators and I report to the call centre's supervisor.
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As you can see from my CV, I also did customer service in a production company for six years before that.
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Could you outline some of the problems you've had to deal with since you became a team leader?
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Well, they relate mainly to difficult customers and to one or two negative relationships in the group.
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Could you enlarge on that?
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As far as staff relationships are concerned, if the problem is not solved by discussion and liaison within the team,
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then we can usually move people to another team.
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The team leaders meet weekly to discuss the overall situation,
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situation and we operate a very flexible call centre where the staff can move around different sections to gain more experience.
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And how do you go about dealing with difficult customers or with customers who have a complaint?
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We have a directive that says
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that a customer who is not happy about something should be transferred to a team leader immediately.
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It's one of our specific responsibilities.
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Otherwise my staff are instructed to tell the customer that I I will call them back as soon as possible.
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If I'm not there, then another team leader deals with it.
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What aspect of your job do you like best, Melanie?
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I particularly enjoy dealing with customers.
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I think I have an ability to build a good rapport with people on the telephone, and I believe I am good at it.
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Why do you want to leave your present job?
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Part of the call centre is being transferred to another location in the south.
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my partner has a good job in this area
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and we have two children at school I don't really want
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to move at this time although my company did ask me if I would like to relocate I see thank you.
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As you know, the next part of the interview process would be an assessment centre.
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Unit 2.
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Output.
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1. It is not relevant to ask someone's age.
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You can work it out roughly from their CV.
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And anyway, the important thing is whether or not they have the ability to do the job, not how old they are.
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Yes, I totally agree, and older people have a lot of experience and knowledge to offer.
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Plus, they are often better employees than their younger colleagues.
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They're more reliable and take less time off work.
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I'm afraid I can't agree with you on that.
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Older people are not as flexible, they expect higher salaries, and they get sick a lot.
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And they have trouble fitting into a young team.
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Companies want younger employees who can bring in fresh ideas and are not so expensive.
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4. You can't run a company efficiently with young, inexperienced people.
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You need to retain older managers to train the younger ones, and you have to organise effective succession planning in a company.
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There should be capacity for a broad age range and diverse experience in all areas of the business.
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5. I think laws on age discrimination are wrong.
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Why should the government be able to tell us who to hire?
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Only the companies know which people are right or wrong for the job.
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The government shouldn't tell us how to run our business.
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Unit 3, Exercise 1 We'd like to tell you something about conditions of employment.
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Of course, they'll also be described in the Contract of Employment and the Company Handbook, as well as in the Offer Letter.
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Some employment procedures are different from those in France, Marion, but there is generally more flexibility here, I think.
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Please ask about anything you are not sure of.
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So, let's start with your hours.
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Normal working hours are 9 to 6 Monday to Friday, with an hour for lunch.
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We currently operate a 40-hour week plus lunches.
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I'm afraid we don't operate flexi-time yet, and there may be overtime during busy periods this is either paid
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or given as time off in lieu I see by the
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way we are currently looking at more flexible working arrangements for our employees
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but that's still in the future okay could you tell me what happens
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if I'm ill we pay for the first 12 weeks of sickness
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and operate a company permanent health insurance scheme
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which continues to pay you after that
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if you're real Marion we expect you to phone in as
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early as possible on the first day to tell us
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and then to keep us informed after
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that yes that's clear could you tell me something about the
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holiday allowance your annual paid holiday is 20 rising to 25
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after two years service you must clear dates first with your
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department head of course I have a week's holiday booked in two months time will you honor this I'm sure
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that won't be a problem as it's only a week we
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can discuss it in detail later great would it be possible
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to see the contract yes of course one will be sent
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with the offer letter we'll be taking up references with your previous and present employer.
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I know in France you would normally include references with your application, but as you know, here in the UK, we prefer to apply for references ourselves,
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which is why we'll make the offer of employment subject to satisfactory reference.
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Yes, I understand.
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I've given details of my referees on the application form.
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My present employer in Marseille knows I'm leaving, so you can go ahead and contact them.
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I'll tell them to expect a letter from you.
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Well, thanks, Marion.
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I hope you'll be joining us soon and look forward to welcoming you to the department.
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Maybe you'd like to meet some of the team over a bite of lunch?
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We'll all be going to the canteen in around fifteen minutes.
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That sounds nice.
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Thanks.
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Yes.
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Well, I'll leave Chiara to look after you, Marion.
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We'll get the offer letter, contract and handbook in the post within the next 24 hours.
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Could you please let us know if you want to accept the job offer by the beginning of next week?
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Right.
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Thank you both very much.
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I feel very positive about everything.

Context & Background

In today's fast-paced business environment, effective communication is paramount, particularly in Human Resources (HR). The conversation presented in the video depicts a dialogue between two colleagues, David and a manager, as they discuss the recruitment process for a personnel officer in Madrid. This scenario provides an excellent context for learners to understand the nuances of HR-related discussions, showcasing the vocabulary and phrases commonly used in professional settings. As an aspiring HR professional or someone looking to improve their business English, grasping these dialogues will greatly enhance your ability to communicate competently in real-world situations.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "Can we just have a word about..." – This phrase is useful for initiating a conversation about a specific topic.
  • "I'd like to be up to date on..." – A way to express your desire for current information.
  • "We're looking for someone with..." – Commonly used in recruitment discussions to outline job requirements.
  • "Keep me posted, please." – A polite request for updates on an ongoing situation.
  • "Could you outline some of the problems...?" – A phrase to ask for more detailed information, especially useful in performance reviews or team discussions.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively use the video for shadow speak practice, follow these steps:

  1. Listen Actively: Begin by watching the video without any interruptions. Focus on the intonation and pronunciation of each speaker.
  2. Transcribe Key Portions: Write down key phrases and sentences that resonate with you, especially those outlined in the previous section.
  3. Practice Shadowing: Using a shadowing app or simply repeat the dialogues after the speakers. This will enhance your pronunciation and fluency. Remember, the goal is to mimic their speech patterns.
  4. Record Yourself: Try to record your own voice while shadowing. Play it back and compare your pronunciation and rhythm to that of the original speakers.
  5. Iterate and Improve: Repeat this process multiple times. Focus on the nuances of word stress and ambiance in their communication to develop a natural flow in your speaking.

By integrating these practices into your daily English exercises, such as through IELTS speaking practice, you will find significant improvement in your communication skills, preparing you for various professional scenarios, particularly within HR contexts. Engaging with content like this not only enhances your vocabulary but also builds your confidence in using English in a business setting.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.