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Welcome back to Business English Pod.
Today's show is part of a two-part series on making, rejecting, and accepting suggestions.
Reject means to say no and accept means to say yes.
Today, we're focusing on making suggestions.
In the next episode, we'll look at accepting and rejecting suggestions.
This dialogue takes place at a sports shoe company called Stratos.
You'll be listening to Karen, a marketing manager.
Meet with three members of her team Charles, Sven and Miguel.
They're choosing a celebrity spokesperson for a new product.
Celebrity means a famous person.
Here, spokesperson is someone who gets paid to be in an advertisement for a product.
In the dialogue, target market is the place where you want to sell your product.
And target consumer is the type of customer you want to sell your product to.
In this case the product is a special kind of new sports shoe, made especially for overweight people.
Overweight is a nice way of saying too heavy or not fit.
Okay, let's listen.
As you listen, pay attention to the language the speakers use to make suggestions to each other.
Okay, now let's talk about who we want to use as a spokesperson for this product.
Let's go around the table.
Shall we use a sports star or someone else?
Sven, what do you think?
Well, one possibility would be to use a famous overweight business executive or CEO.
Someone who is really successful.
Sorry, can I come in here?
Yes, go ahead, Miguel.
That's a good idea, but I'm not sure it would work.
Why not?
Well, for one thing, our customers want to be fit, not fat.
Well, then what do you suggest?
Perhaps we should just use a famous sports star, like we usually do.
If it isn't broken, don't fix it.
You know what I mean?
We could try getting Rooney, or Nadal.
Good suggestion, but I can see one or two problems with that, to be honest.
Oh?
First off, our target markets are in the UK and the US.
We need someone who both Americans and Britons really like.
Secondly, our target customer is kind of special.
I've got a suggestion.
Go ahead, Charles.
It's just an idea, but how about choosing someone from a sport where it's normal to be heavy?
American football, for example.
Heavy, but agile.
Overweight, but strong and fast.
You know what I mean?
Right, I can see what you mean.
What do others think?
Yes, that might be worth trying.
OK, but what about the UK?
Who are we going to use on this side of the Atlantic?
Hmm, let me think about this.
Shall we try to find someone in golf?
That's popular in the US and in the UK.
That way we can kill two birds with one stone.
That's not a bad idea.
Yeah, I think that's worth trying.
Karen's team had a lot of ideas, didn't they?
What language do they use to make their suggestions?
First, listen to Sven.
Well, one possibility would be to use a famous overweight business executive or CEO, someone who is really successful.
How does Sven make a suggestion?
He says one possibility would be to... Instead of will, he uses would.
The use of would here means it's just a suggestion.
Past modal verbs should, could, might, and would are often used like this in suggestions.
Now, listen to Miguel making a suggestion.
Perhaps we should just use a famous sports star like we usually do.
If it isn't broken, don't fix it.
You know what I mean?
Perhaps we should is another polite way of making a suggestion.
Notice the use of just.
Perhaps we should just use a famous sports star.
This shows that what he's suggesting is no change from the normal way of doing things.
That's why he says, if it isn't broken, don't fix it.
This is an idiom.
It means don't change something if it's already working fine.
In informal American oral English, you can say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
So far, we have two ways of making suggestions.
One possibility would be to and Perhaps we should.
Now let's look at a couple more ways to make suggestions.
Listen to Charles.
I've got a suggestion.
Go ahead, Charles.
It's just an idea, but how about choosing someone from a sport where it's normal to be heavy?
First, Charles shows that he has a suggestion.
I've got a suggestion.
Then, since he's talking to his boss, and perhaps since he's not sure everyone will agree with him, he uses a careful, polite way to introduce the suggestion.
It's just an idea, but how about... How about is a normal way of making a suggestion.
It's just an idea, but makes it extra polite.
Instead of how about, you can also say what about.
How about and what about are followed by a verb plus ing, I-N-G.
It's just an idea, but what about eating lunch together?
These are sometimes followed by a phrase or sentence.
This is more common with how about.
How about you wash the dishes and I dry?
How about we have lunch together?
Finally, let's look at a couple more ways of making a suggestion.
Listen to how Karen makes her suggestion.
Shall we try to find someone in golf?
You can also say, what if... For example.
What if we...
Cut costs by finding a new office.
Now, with Karen's team, practice the ways of making suggestions that we've learned so far.
Well, one possibility would be to hire more staff.
Perhaps we should have more vacation?
It's just an idea, but how about leaving a little bit early today?
Shall we try to look at this from another point of view?
Well, what if we try to open a new store in Germany?
Now it's your turn to talk.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of cues followed by a beep.
After each beep, use the information supplied in the cue to make a suggestion.
For example, if you hear get Beckham to sponsor the product, you can say well, one possibility would be to get Beckham to sponsor the product.
Are you ready?
Let's give it a try.
Launch the new product in Q1 next year.
Open a branch in Slovenia.
Give employees larger bonuses.
Hold English Training Schedule weekly meetings to check on progress How did you do?
Listen to the examples to check your answers.
Remember, there are many possible ways to respond to each question.
Answer.
Perhaps we should launch the new product in Q1 next year.
Answer.
It's just an idea, but what if we open a branch in Slovenia?
Answer.
Answer.
Well, what if we try to give employees larger bonuses?
Answer.
Well, one possibility would be to hold English training.
Answer.
Let's schedule weekly meetings to check on progress.
Now that you've heard some examples, go back and practice again.
Substitute different phrases to build fluency.
That's all for this unit.
We've covered many useful expressions for making suggestions.
In the next unit, we'll use the same dialogue to cover rejecting and accepting suggestions.
We'll also look closely at some idioms that were used in the dialogue.
Thanks for listening.
