Shadowing Practice: Pratical business conversation | English podcast for easy english - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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This is your Everyday English class.
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This is your Everyday English class.
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Hello!
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Welcome to English Cactus.
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My name is Anna.
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And my name is Brian.
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This podcast will help you practice your English in a fun and natural way,
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improving your listening skills.
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Let's be honest for a second.
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Have you ever felt nervous speaking English in a business meeting?
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Maybe you know some English,
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but when it's time to speak at work,
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join a meeting, share an idea or answer a question,
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your mind suddenly goes blank.
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You start thinking, what if I say something wrong?
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What if people don't understand me?
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If that sounds familiar, don't worry, you are not alone.
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And here is something important many people don't realize.
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You do not need perfect English to communicate professionally.
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Yes, really.
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Many people believe they must know difficult words or speak perfectly before before joining a business meeting in English.
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But the truth is, simple and clear English can already help you communicate well.
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And today, we are going to prove that to you.
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In today's episode, we will listen to a practical business meeting conversation.
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You will hear a realistic business conversation with useful vocabulary,
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natural expressions, professional phrases and practical English that people actually use in meetings. And relax.
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If you don't understand everything the first time, that is completely okay.
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Just listen calmly and enjoy the conversation.
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After the dialogue, we will explain the most useful phrases,
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vocabulary, and cultural tips, so everything becomes much easier to understand.
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Before we begin, don't forget to subscribe to the channel.
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Your support is really important to us,
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and subscribing helps you continue improving your English with practical lessons like this.
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And tell us in the comments, where are you from?
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We love reading your messages.
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Now grab your coffee, relax, and let's begin.
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Good morning, Sophia.
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Thanks for coming to the meeting today.
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Good morning, Daniel.
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No problem at all.
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I'm happy to be here.
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How are you today?
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I'm doing well, thank you.
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A little busy, to be honest,
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but excited about our new project.
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That sounds great.
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I'm excited too.
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Before we start, would you like some coffee?
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Yes, please.
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That would be great.
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Thank you so much.
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Sure thing.
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Here you go.
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Thanks.
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So, should we begin?
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Yes, let's do it.
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First, I want to talk about our company website.
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I think we need some improvements.
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Some customers say it is a little difficult to use.
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I understand.
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What kind of improvements are you thinking about?
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Well, I think the website should be simpler,
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maybe clearer information and better pictures.
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I agree with you.
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Sometimes simple is better.
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We can also make the menu easier to understand.
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Exactly.
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Sorry, did you say easier to understand?
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Yes.
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I mean, the menu should be more simple for visitors.
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Sometimes people leave a website because they cannot find information quickly.
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Ah, yes.
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That makes sense.
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Also, maybe we can add a frequently asked questions section.
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Oh, that's a great idea.
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Customers ask many of the same questions.
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Yes.
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It can save time for everyone.
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I like that idea.
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Let's write that down.
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Sure.
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The second thing I want to discuss is marketing.
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Our sales are okay, but I think they can be better.
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I was thinking the same thing.
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Maybe we should post more often on social media.
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Yes, definitely.
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What do you recommend?
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I think short videos could help.
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People like quick and simple content now.
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That's true.
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Maybe videos about our products.
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Yes, exactly.
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We can also share customer stories.
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Real experiences help people trust a company.
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Good point.
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People enjoy real stories.
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We could post tips, too.
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For example, if we sell office products,
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we can share productivity ideas.
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I really like that.
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It feels more personal.
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Yes, and customers enjoy learning something new.
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That reminds me of learning English.
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Small steps every day help a lot.
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Absolutely.
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Keep going, right?
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Exactly.
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Study English every day, even for 10 minutes.
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Small progress is still progress.
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You're doing great if you keep practicing every day.
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I agree.
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About marketing, maybe we should also send emails to customers.
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Hmm, that sounds interesting, but I don't want too many emails.
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I don't like spam.
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Me neither.
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Maybe just one email every week.
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That sounds reasonable.
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We can share updates, discounts, and useful information.
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Perfect.
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By the way, how is the budget for marketing?
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It's okay, but not very big.
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No problem.
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We can start small.
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I like that attitude.
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Sometimes small changes make a big difference.
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Very true.
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So, what's next?
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The fourth topic is teamwork.
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I think communication in our office can improve.
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I agree.
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Sometimes people do not answer emails quickly.
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Yes, exactly.
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Sometimes I wait two days for a reply.
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That can be frustrating.
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Very frustrating.
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Maybe we should have shorter meetings every week.
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That's a good idea.
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A quick meeting every Monday morning?
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Yes, just 20 minutes.
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Good everyone can share updates and problems.
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I like that it can help us work together better Exactly teamwork is important.
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Sorry, can you repeat that?
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Sure.
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I said teamwork is important.
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Ah, yes, absolutely.
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Also, maybe we can create a group chat for quick questions.
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Great idea.
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Sometimes emails take too long.
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Very true.
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We should also listen to employees more.
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What do you mean?
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Sometimes workers have good ideas, but nobody asks them.
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That's a very good point.
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A happy team usually works better.
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I completely agree.
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We can ask simple questions like, how can we improve?
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Or, what problems do you have?
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Yes, and maybe anonymous feedback too.
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Oh, good idea.
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Some people feel nervous sharing opinions.
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That's true.
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Speaking of nervous, many people feel nervous speaking English in meetings.
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Yes, but practice helps a lot.
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Definitely.
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Don't be afraid of mistakes.
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Exactly.
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Learn something new every day.
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And remember, confidence comes with practice.
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That's very true.
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Alright, let's move to the fourth topic, customer service.
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Yes, that's very important.
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I think customers want faster answers.
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I agree.
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Waiting too long can be frustrating.
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Maybe we should answer emails faster.
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Yes, maybe within 24 hours.
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That sounds fair.
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We can also create better answers for common questions.
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Like templates.
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Yes, exactly.
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That can save time.
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And it can help us sound more professional.
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Good point.
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But we should still sound friendly.
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Yes, of course.
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Customers like kind communication.
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I agree.
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Saying thank you for your patience sounds much better than just wait.
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Exactly.
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We should also ask customers for feedback.
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Yes.
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Questions like, how was your experience, can help.
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True.
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Feedback helps companies grow.
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Absolutely.
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Sometimes negative feedback is difficult to hear.
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Yes, but it can help us improve.
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Exactly.
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The last topic today is future goals.
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Great.
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I always like talking about goals.
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Me too.
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So, what are your ideas?
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I want our company to grow slowly but strongly.
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That sounds smart.
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I don't want fast growth with many problems.
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I understand.
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I want better communication, happy customers, and a stronger team.
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Those are excellent goals.
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What about you?
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I think we should focus on quality.
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I agree.
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Sometimes companies grow too fast and forget quality.
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Very true.
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We can also train employees more.
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Good idea.
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Learning new skills is important.
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Absolutely.
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Even learning English can help employees communicate better.
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That's true.
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Sometimes one new skill changes everything.
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I like that.
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Keep going, right?
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Yes, keep going and never stop learning.
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You're doing great if you keep practicing every day.
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That's true for business and English.
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Exactly.
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Before we finish, let's review today's ideas.
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Sure.
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First, improve the website.
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Second, better marketing.
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Third, stronger teamwork.
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Fourth, better customer service.
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And fifth, clear future goals.
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Sounds like a productive meeting.
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Definitely.
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Is there anything else we should discuss?
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Just one thing.
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Sure, what is it?
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Thank you for your ideas today.
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That's very kind.
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Thank you, too.
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I enjoyed this meeting.
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Me, too.
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I think we have a good plan now.
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Yes, I feel positive.
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Same here.
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Let's meet again next week.
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Sounds good.
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Same time?
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Yes, same time.
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Perfect.
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All right.
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Have a great day.
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You too.
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And don't forget, keep practicing your English.
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I won't.
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Study English every day, right?
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Exactly.
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Little by little, you improve.
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Thanks again, Sophia.
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No problem.
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See you next week.
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See you.
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Wow, that was a really interesting conversation.
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Daniel and Sophia had a very productive business meeting.
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Yes, thank you so much for being here with us.
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And don't worry if you didn't understand everything in the dialogue that is completely normal.
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Learning English takes time, step by step.
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Keep going because you're doing great.
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Phrase 1.
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What do you recommend?
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During the meeting, Daniel asked Sophia.
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Daniel said, what do you recommend?
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This is a very useful and common phrase in English.
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It means, what is your suggestion?
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Or, what do you think is a good idea.
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Imagine you are in a business meeting and you're not sure what to do.
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Instead of pretending to know everything,
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you can ask, what do you recommend?
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This sounds professional because it shows teamwork and respect for another person's opinion.
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Phrase two, that makes sense.
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Later in the conversation, Sophia explained why the website should be easier to use.
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Then Daniel answered, Ah, yes, that makes sense.
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This is one of the most useful expressions ever.
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It means, I understand now, or that sounds logical.
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Imagine somebody explains an idea to you.
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You understand the reason, and now you agree.
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You can say, that makes sense.
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For example, we should answer customer emails faster because people do not like waiting,
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and you respond, yes, that makes sense.
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Yes, this expression is very natural in English.
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Native speakers use it all the time.
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And here is something important.
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Instead of saying only okay or yes,
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you can say, that makes sense.
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It sounds more natural and more confident.
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Phrase three, sorry, did you say easier to understand?
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This phrase is amazing for English learners because sometimes people speak fast.
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And guess what?
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That is normal.
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Even advanced students sometimes ask people to repeat.
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This expression means, can you repeat that?
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But it sounds more natural.
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Phrase 4.
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Sounds good.
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Another super common phrase from the meeting was, Sophia said, sounds good.
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Simple but very powerful.
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This means, I agree, or that is a good idea.
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Phrase 5.
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I completely agree.
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Sophia shared ideas about teamwork and Daniel answered, I completely agree.
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This means, I agree 100%.
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Very professional.
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You can also say, I agree.
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I totally agree.
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You are right.
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But I completely agree sounds excellent in business English.
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Example, happy employees work better.
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You answer, I completely agree.
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And here is a tip.
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In meetings, agreeing politely is important.
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Alright, now that we explained some useful phrases from the dialogue,
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let's talk about important vocabulary.
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Word 1.
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Improvement.
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The first important word is improvement.
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We heard this idea in the dialogue when Daniel talked about making the company website better.
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Improvement means making something better.
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Very simple, right?
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In business, people always talk about improvement because companies want better results.
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For example, we need improvement in customer service.
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That means customer service needs to become better.
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Word two, teamwork.
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The next word is one of the most important words in business, teamwork.
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This means working together with other people.
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In many companies, teamwork matters more than individual talent.
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Why?
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Because one person cannot do everything alone.
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Imagine this.
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One employee is great at marketing.
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Another employee is good with numbers.
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Another person communicates well.
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Together, they become stronger.
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That is teamwork.
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Example, good teamwork helps companies grow.
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Word three, feedback.
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Another very important business word is feedback.
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This word appeared when Daniel and Sophia talked about customer opinions.
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Feedback means comments or opinions about something.
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Usually, feedback helps people improve.
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For example, the customer gave positive feedback.
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This means the customer said good things.
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But feedback is not always positive.
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Sometimes feedback can be negative, too.
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Word 4.
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budget.
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Now let's talk about money.
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The word is budget.
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A budget means the amount of money available for something.
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Very important in business.
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Daniel and Sophia talked about the marketing budget.
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For example, we have a small budget for advertising.
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This means there is limited money available.
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Companies always discuss budgets.
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Why?
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Because every project costs money.
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Word 5.
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Goal.
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Next important word, goal.
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This word is super important in business and life.
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A goal means something you want to achieve.
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Daniel talked about future goals for the company.
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Examples, our goal is better communication.
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My goal is to speak English fluently.
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Her goal is to get a better job.
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And let me tell you something important.
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People with goals often improve faster.
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Alright, now it's time for something very practical.
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How can I actually use this English in real life?
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Don't worry.
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Now we will give you practical sentence models that you can start using immediately in business meetings.
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Exactly.
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And here is something important.
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You do not need complicated English to sound professional.
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Simple English works.
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Clear English works.
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Confident English works.
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So relax, listen carefully, and repeat these examples later if you can.
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Little by little, your confidence will grow.
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Number 1.
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Starting a meeting.
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Let's start with easy phrases for beginning a meeting.
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You can say, Good morning, everyone.
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Shall we begin?
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Very professional.
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Simple.
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Natural.
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Another option.
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Thank you for joining the meeting today.
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Or, let's get started.
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These are excellent phrases if you want to sound organized and professional.
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Number two, asking for opinions.
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During meetings, people ask for ideas all the time.
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Here are easy sentence models.
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What do you think?
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Very simple, Very useful.
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Another great one, what do you recommend?
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This sounds professional.
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Example, what do you recommend for improving sales?
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Or, what do you think about this idea?
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Number three, agreeing politely.
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Let's imagine somebody shares an idea and you agree.
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Instead of only saying, yes, try these.
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I agree.
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I completely agree.
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That makes sense.
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That sounds like a good idea.
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Example, person says, we should improve customer service.
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You answer, I completely agree.
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Very professional.
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Number four, disagreeing politely.
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What if you disagree?
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You don't want to sound rude.
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Try these simple phrases.
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I understand, but maybe we should consider another option.
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Or I see your point,
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but I have another idea.
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professional, very respectful.
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Here is a shorter version for nervous students.
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Maybe another idea?
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Simple English works too.
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Remember, professional English is polite English.
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Wow!
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What an amazing lesson today!
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Let's do a quick recap of what we learned.
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Today, we practiced a practical business meeting conversation and learned how people communicate in real professional situations.
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We explored useful phrases like, what do you recommend?
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That makes sense.
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I completely agree.
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Sorry, can you repeat that?
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And we also talked about important business vocabulary,
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workplace culture, teamwork, communication, and professional English expressions that you can actually use in real life.
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Exactly.
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And now we want to ask you something.
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What are you going to do with this knowledge?
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Are you going to keep waiting for the perfect moment to speak English?
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Or are you going to start practicing today?
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Because here's the truth.
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Your English will not improve only by watching videos.
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It improves when you practice,
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when you repeat sentences, when you listen again,
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when you make mistakes and keep going.
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If this lesson helped you,
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don't forget to subscribe to the channel so you never miss our next English lessons.
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And share this episode with a friend who also wants to improve English for work,
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business meetings, or daily conversations.
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Learning together makes everything easier.
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And now we want to hear from you.
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Tell us in the comments,
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have you ever participated in a business meeting in English?
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Or what is the biggest challenge for you when speaking English at work,
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we would love to know.
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And we'll see you in the next English Cactus Podcast.
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Bye everyone!
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About This Lesson
Welcome to our English learning practice session, where you will enhance your speaking skills through real-life business conversations. In this lesson, we will focus on understanding and using practical vocabulary and phrases that are commonly used in professional settings. You will learn how to navigate business meetings with confidence, even if you haven't mastered every aspect of the English language. Remember, you don't need perfect English to communicate effectively. This practice is designed to make you feel comfortable and more fluent in everyday business interactions.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Happy to be here - A common response to show your willingness to participate in a meeting.
- Excited about our new project - A phrase to express enthusiasm regarding work-related initiatives.
- Would you like some coffee? - A polite way to offer refreshment to colleagues during a meeting.
- A little busy, to be honest - A casual expression that acknowledges your workload without sounding overly negative.
- Thanks for coming to the meeting - A polite greeting to appreciate someone’s presence.
- How are you today? - A friendly inquiry to engage your colleagues at the start of a meeting.
Practice Tips
To make the most of this podcast episode, try using the shadowing technique during the conversation playback. This method involves listening to the dialogue and repeating it immediately. It’s an effective way to practice shadow speech and improve your English pronunciation. Pay close attention to the intonation and rhythm of the speakers.
Since the conversation is natural and casual, it’s essential to match the speed and tone of the speakers. If they speak too quickly, don’t hesitate to pause and repeat segments. This will help you build your English speaking practice effectively. Focus on how they form sentences and employ expressions, as this will greatly aid in making your speech more fluid.
Finally, maintain a positive mindset and be patient with yourself. Remember, fluency comes with practice, and each session brings you one step closer to confident communication in English. So grab a coffee, relax, and enjoy the journey of improving your business English!
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.
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