Business English Podcast

Diplomatic English — How to Say Hard Truths Without the Damage (B1–B2)

2.8K views · 4d ago · 26:43

Guest: Diplomatic English

Sometimes the honest answer and the safe answer are two different sentences — and a lot of smart professionals get into trouble not because they lie, but because they're too honest, too bluntly, at the wrong moment. This is Diplomatic English: how to take a true thing that might hurt and deliver it in a way that's safe for the business and safe for you. How to be honest without being harsh.

Topics: Honest is not harsh (the mindset) · The formula: Soften, State, Steer · Scene: breaking bad news to a demanding client · Breakdown: the client conversation · The prickly-to-polite swap bank (10 translations) · Scene: responding to the boss's bad idea

How to Talk About Inflation, Prices & the Economy at Work | Business English Podcast (B1–B2)

3.2K views · 1w ago · 22:51

At work, talking about the economy isn't small talk — it's planning out loud. Inflation, the price of oil, exchange rates, the markets: the sharp professionals in the room don't just worry about the headlines, they ask one question — what decision does this inform? In this episode, Alex and Emily give you the Economy English you'll actually use in a budget meeting, a strategy call, or a smart conversation about your own money.

Topics: Talking about the economy is really talking about decisions · Energy, logistics & protecting your margins · Scene: getting ahead of rising fuel costs · Breakdown: the logistics conversation · Inflation & building a budget that holds · Scene: building inflation into next year's budget

English for Problems at Work — Raise Issues Without Sounding Negative

2.6K views · 2w ago · 23:42

Nobody enjoys talking about problems at work — the slipping deadline, the mistake you just made, the thing quietly going wrong. But the people who do well aren't the ones with no problems; they're the ones who can talk about a problem clearly, early, and calmly. And in English, that takes specific words.

Topics: How to flag a problem early · How to own a mistake without falling apart · How to ask for help when you're stuck · How to raise a problem in a meeting · Phrases worth memorizing & your challenge

Office Politics in English — 5 Rules Every Leader Should Follow

3.5K views · 2w ago · 35:40

“I don't play politics — I just do good work, and my work will speak for itself.” It sounds noble, and it's one of the most expensive mistakes you can make at work — because your work doesn't speak, people do. In this episode, Alex and Emily reframe office politics as something healthy: simply how influence works between people at work.

Topics: What office politics really is · The 5 rules every leader should follow · Scene 1: the steering meeting (under fire) · Breaking down Scene 1 · The language of diplomacy · Scene 2: the coffee machine (saying no to gossip)

Accounting English — Essential International Accounting Vocabulary (B1–B2)

2.7K views · 2w ago · 26:43

Guest: Accounting English

The numbers are already international — but the moment your firm goes global, you have to talk about them in English: with foreign clients, with international auditors, and in reports that read the same everywhere. This episode gives accountants exactly that English. Alex and Emily go gently, in small portions — a few words, a simple explanation, a quick repeat — so the vocabulary actually sticks (and nobody switches off at minute six).

Topics: The whole system in five minutes (the accounting equation) · The three reports every accountant lives by · What to say when the auditors arrive · Tax, dividends & going global (IFRS) · Phrases worth memorizing & your challenge

Office Small Talk in English — How to Build Strong Work Relationships (B1–B2)

5.1K views · 3w ago · 24:51

Small talk sounds like nothing — the thirty seconds in the elevator, the two minutes by the coffee machine — but it's actually how work relationships get built, and strong work relationships are how careers get built. In this episode, Alex and Emily give you the English to start these little chats, keep them going, turn them into real relationships, handle them before meetings and on video calls, and (the hardest part) end them gracefully.

Topics: Why those little chats build your whole career · How to start small talk with someone you barely know · What's safe to talk about — and what to avoid · Keep it going & turn a chat into a relationship · Small talk before a meeting, on video & with your boss · How to leave a conversation without being awkward

Describe Your Work Experience in English. Job Interviews & Networking | Business English

1.9K views · 3w ago · 24:14

“So, what do you do?” — four tiny words that can leave you completely frozen in English. Most people either say their job title and nothing else, or panic and talk until the other person's eyes glaze over. This episode fixes that.

Topics: The interview: how to answer “tell me about yourself” · When a new colleague asks what you do · Talking about your job at a networking event · Talk about an achievement without bragging · Phrases worth memorizing & your challenge

Sound Confident on Every Call. Business Phone Calls in English | Business English Podcast

1.9K views · 3w ago · 22:59

The business phone call — the thing that makes even confident English speakers a little nervous. No face to read, no delete button, and a stranger waiting while your brain empties out. In this episode, Alex and Emily show you that phone English is actually small: a short list of set phrases that come up on almost every call.

Topics: Making a call & getting past the gatekeeper · When the line is bad or you're breaking up · Running a business call from hello to goodbye

Production English — Essential Factory & Manufacturing Vocabulary (B1–B2)

5.2K views · 3w ago · 28:23

Guest: Production English

Ever wondered how anything actually gets made? Most business English courses never take you to the factory floor — but an enormous amount of the world's business happens in production, and it has its own beautiful, practical vocabulary. The best part: most of these words live in every office too (output, quota, bottleneck, sign-off, lead time, peak season). So whether you make sofas or spreadsheets, this one's for you.

Topics: Defects & quality control: when something comes out wrong · When the line stops: late materials & downtime · Gearing up: preparing for peak season · Making something new: changeovers & formulations

Business Meeting Dialogues in English — Listening Practice (B2 – C1)

6.6K views · 4w ago · 47:53

Train your ear with real business English. In this listening session, Alex and Emily guide you through 15 realistic problem-solving meetings — the kind of conversations professionals actually have about budgets, deadlines, suppliers, clients, and tough decisions.

Topics: 1. Approving next quarter's marketing budget · 2. A supplier keeps missing delivery dates · 3. Expanding production to a second shift · 4. Launching a new marketing campaign · 5. Rolling out new project-management software · 6. Launching the first franchise location

Sales English — Distribution, Retail & E-commerce Vocabulary (B1–B2)

5.5K views · 1mo ago · 24:45

Guest: Sales English

Sales pays for everything else in the company — and it has its own secret language. But here's the thing most learners miss: there isn't one kind of sales, there are three. In this episode, Alex and Emily walk you through all three worlds and the vocabulary of each.

Topics: Distribution & wholesale: selling in bulk · E-commerce: selling online · How to close a sale

Project Management English — Managing Dependencies (When Your Work Depends on Other People)

2.7K views · 1mo ago · 24:27

Guests: Managing Dependencies, Project Management English

Time and money run out on a project — but so do other people. This is the third in our project run, after timelines and budgets, and it’s about the thing that quietly wrecks more projects than either: dependencies. That’s when your work depends on someone else’s work, and they almost never report to you.

Topics: How to raise a blocker without whining · How to hand work off cleanly · How to chase and escalate a stuck dependency · How to map dependencies before they bite

Project Management English — Budgets & Resources Without the Panic

5.2K views · 1mo ago · 24:26

Guest: Project Management English

“We’re over budget,” and “we don’t have enough people” — the two conversations nobody enjoys. This is the companion to our timelines episode, because time isn’t the only thing that runs out on a project. Money and people do too. Alex and Emily walk you through four real scenes — building a budget and getting it approved, talking about people and capacity, handling money that’s running out, and saying no to spending you can’t afford.

Topics: How to build and get sign-off on a budget · How to talk about people and capacity · How to handle a budget that's running out · How to say no to spending you can't afford

Project Management English — Timelines & Deadlines That Don’t Blow Up

6.2K views · 1mo ago · 23:58

Guest: Project Management English

“So, when will it be done?” — the question that ruins the most weekends. This episode is all about the language of time on a project. Alex and Emily walk you through four real scenes — building a timeline that’s actually realistic, talking about what depends on what, renegotiating a date that’s slipping, and promising a deadline you can actually hit — and pull out the exact phrases as they come up.

Topics: How to build a realistic project timeline · Dependencies and the critical path · How to renegotiate a deadline that's slipping · How to commit to a deadline without over-promising

Client Meetings in English — What to Say to Sound Calm and Prepared | Business English Podcast

7.5K views · 1mo ago · 23:12

A client meeting isn't really about the slides — the client is quietly deciding one thing the whole time: can I trust these people to handle my problem? In this episode, Alex and Emily walk you through four real client meetings — a kickoff, a working session that goes off the rails, a tense moment when the client pushes back on price, and a clean wrap-up — and pull out the exact phrases as they come up.

Topics: How to open a client meeting & set the agenda · How to run discovery & keep the meeting on track · How to handle a tough question or pushback · How to close with clear next steps