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My name's Edwin and I'll be your hosts for this episode on idioms related to the sea ships and sailing.
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The image of a ship is a powerful one in business.
The ship is like a company, a huge entity that must be steered towards success, maintained properly and carefully, guided away from dangers like storms and rocks.
Employees are often seen as a crew of sailors, a group that must work together as a team.
So sailing idioms frequently appear when we discuss business in English.
Today's episode starts a two-part series on sailing idioms.
Lakeisha and Warren are two colleagues discussing the decline of Trussox, an engineering firm that has been faltering since a new CEO took over.
Take note of the sailing idioms you hear as you listen to the dialogue.
They might not be clear to you at first, but they'll be explained during the debrief.
Then try listening again.
They should be much clearer to you.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What are the major differences between Tresok's old CEO and the new CEO?
2.
What do Lakeisha and Warren think will help change the situation at Tresok's?
So I just heard from Joan in HR that another three engineers are jumping ship from Trussix.
More rats leaving a sinking ship, eh?
I guess they better get out while they can.
It's bad over there from what I hear.
Oh, I know.
I don't blame them for leaving.
Ever since the new CEO took helm, the place is a total disaster.
Yes, it's a shame.
Back when I worked there, it was a real tight ship.
The old CEO knew how to get everyone on board and focused.
Indeed.
He always had his hand on the tiller.
Nothing ever got past him.
Even in uncharted waters, he knew how to keep everything running smoothly.
So what is it about this new CEO that has put Trussix on the rocks?
Well, it's sink or swim over there.
If you don't get results quickly, you're out.
What kind of results, exactly?
Trussix's a huge company.
What are their plans?
That's the thing.
It seems like the new CEO has no plan.
Employees get so little guidance, they're really lost at sea about what's expected of them.
Staff are going to mutiny if this goes on much longer.
I don't see how they can stand it.
It's so disorganized.
That's frustrating.
If you're going to run a company, you need to keep things ship shape.
Most definitely.
They need a captain with more experience.
Let's take a closer look at the way Lakeisha and Warren use sailing idioms to discuss the situation at Trussox.
We'll start with the first exchange.
So I just heard from Joan in HR that another three engineers are jumping ship from Trussox.
More rats leaving a sinking ship, eh?
I guess they better get out while they can.
It's bad over there from what I hear.
Jumping ship and rats leaving a sinking ship both suggest a quick exit from a serious situation.
The sinking ship is Trussox.
The engineers are jumping to safety.
It's also often said that rats are the first ones to run from a ship if it's sinking.
This is why Warren compares the engineers to rats leaving a ship to jump ship, to leave a group or place abruptly.
After the merger, many employees decided to jump ship.
It doesn't make sense to jump ship at this point I only have three years to retirement like rats leaving a sinking ship, people leaving a troubled situation.
When the company filed for bankruptcy, the top managers quit like rats, leaving a sinking ship.
The scandal caused investors to pull their support like rats leaving a sinking ship.
Next, Lakisha explains why she thinks the situation is so serious.
Oh, I know.
I don't blame them for leaving.
Ever since the new CEO took helm, the place is a total disaster.
The helm of a ship is the wheel that controls the steering.
It moves the ship in a particular direction.
So someone who takes the helm is steering the ship, taking control over where it goes.
In business, someone who takes the helm often is steering the company in a certain direction.
Lee seems a bit nervous about taking the helm of the accounting department, but with his background I'm sure he'll have no problems.
We need a strong leader to take the helm of this project.
How does Warren respond?
Yes, it's a shame.
Back when I worked there, it was a real tight ship.
The old CEO knew how to get everyone on board and focused.
Someone who runs a tight ship carefully controls how the vessel gets to its final destination.
There is tight control, so a tight ship is one that is highly controlled.
Warren uses another sailing idiom when he talks about everyone getting on board.
This phrase refers to sailors coming onto the ship, getting ready to work together and take it somewhere successfully.
Here Warren is saying that the old CEO had employees working together as a team of sailors might, agreeing on what course of action to take.
Tight ship.
An efficient operation.
The chairperson ran a tight ship.
Every item on the agenda was covered in the allotted time.
On board.
Part of the group.
In agreement.
I'm glad we have Jim on board.
He's a great negotiator.
We need to get everyone on board with this marketing plan.
What does Lakeisha say next?
Indeed, he always had his hand on the tiller.
Nothing ever got past him.
Even in uncharted waters, he knew how to keep everything running smoothly.
A tiller is another device used to steer a ship.
Someone who has a hand on the tiller has some control over direction, much like a business leader controls the direction of a company or project.
Lakeisha's next idiom has a different take on direction.
In sailing, uncharted waters are unknown areas of the ocean.
Maps are sometimes referred to as charts.
An uncharted location does not appear on a map because it has not been fully explored.
When a company enters uncharted waters, it is exploring a new area of business, something uncertain.
Do you really think Marcia has a firm hand on the tiller?
The office is falling apart.
To turn the situation around, we need a steadier hand on the tiller.
Uncharted Waters, an area or situation that is unknown.
When our company began selling products online years ago, the internet was uncharted waters.
The trade shows were definitely uncharted waters for us, but we were pleased with the results.
Next, Warren has a question.
So what is it about this new CEO that has put Trussix on the rocks?
If a ship lands on the rocks, it's in a dangerous position.
The rocks may damage the ship's hull, making it unsafe to sail or causing it to sink.
If a business is on the rocks, there is an outside factor that could put it in danger.
On the rocks.
In danger.
If sales don't improve, the company will be on the rocks.
That assistant's job will be on the rocks if she can't get to work on time.
How does the dialogue continue?
Well, it's sink or swim over there.
If you don't get results quickly, you're out.
Sailors that fall overboard into the ocean have two choices.
They can either give up and sink to a certain death, or they can swim in the ocean and do their best to stay alive.
A business in a sink or swim position also has two choices.
It can close up shop and fail, or it can try its best to succeed or swim.
Sink or swim, to either fail or succeed.
The deadline is tomorrow, so we really need to move forward.
It's sink or swim now.
When I began this job, nobody trained me properly.
It was a sink or swim situation.
Warren wants to know what Lakeisha means.
Doesn't a large company like Dressox have a plan?
Here's Lakeisha's response.
That's the thing.
It seems like the new CEO has no plan.
Employees get so little guidance, they're really lost at sea about what's expected of them.
Staff are going to mutiny if this goes on much longer.
I don't see how they can stand it.
It's so disorganized.
Lakeisha's first idiom, lost at sea, is stronger than just lost.
If someone is lost, he or she can usually consult a map, look for familiar landmarks, ask another person the way to the destination.
But if someone is lost at sea, that map may not be available.
The ocean looks the same for miles, with no familiar landmarks, and there may not be someone to ask.
Lost at sea often implies lost with little hope of finding the way.
Her next idiom mutiny, refers to what can happen when a crew of angry, unhappy sailors take over the control of the ship from the captain, who is usually in charge.
The sailors feel that the ship's course is being disrupted by the captain's poor control.
In business, this term is usually used to describe unhappiness or frustration with management among the rank and file employees.
It is often used in a figurative context.
It is rare that a group of employees would actually mutiny.
If Sandra decides to leave the company, we'll be lost at sea without her.
We were lost at sea after the office moved.
Nothing was in the right place.
We all wanted the firm to succeed, but Greg just couldn't get things done.
Mutiny was our only choice.
If we can't improve employee morale, I'm afraid there will be some kind of mutiny.
Next, Warren gives his opinion on how to run a company.
That's frustrating.
If you're going to run a company, you need to keep things ship-shaped.
We sometimes use the word shape to refer to the type of condition something or someone is in.
For example, someone who is ill might say, I'm in bad shape.
By necessity, a ship needs to be in good shape, in proper repair, with equipment easy to find and use.
Similarly, a company in ship shape has everything in order, in its proper place and running efficiently.
Ship shape.
In perfect order.
Leo really keeps the supply room in ship shape.
We never run out of anything.
We need to keep these files in ship shape.
We waste too much time looking for documents.
Lakeisha finishes with her thoughts on Trussik's leadership.
Most definitely.
They need a captain with more experience.
The captain of a ship is its leader.
Similarly, the captain of a company is its leader.
Keep in mind that sometimes captain is used as a verb to mean to lead.
A captain, a leader, to captain, to lead.
We need an effective manager to captain the sales team.
Whenever Elsa captains the department, everything goes smoothly.
Now that we've gone over the idioms in the dialogue, let's practice.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences.
Each sentence will be followed by a beep.
After the beep, restate or rephrase each sentence with an idiom we have covered.
For example, if you hear, You can say, You'll hear the answer after each exercise.
Let's try it.
If the situation doesn't improve, I'm going to leave abruptly.
Answer.
If the situation doesn't improve, I'm going to jump ship.
Investors ran from the company like people leaving a troubled situation.
Answer.
Investors ran from the company like rats leaving a sinking ship.
Answer.
We need someone to take the helm of this department.
That company is run so efficiently.
That company is a tight ship.
Are they in agreement with our proposal?
Are they on board with our proposal?
Stuart never has control over a situation.
Answer.
Stuart never has his hand on the tiller.
This area is unknown to us.
Answer.
This area is uncharted waters.
After the scandal, the CEO's credibility was really in jeopardy answer.
After the scandal, the CEO's credibility was really on the rocks.
At this point.
It's either fail or succeed Answer.
At this point, it's either sink or swim.
We have no clear guidance without the branch manager.
Answer.
We're lost at sea without the branch manager.
If the company ends the casual dress code, there'll be a rebellion.
Answer If the company ends the casual dress code, there'll be a mutiny.
We need these documents in perfect order before we go to court.
Answer.
We need these documents in ship shape before we go to court.
Who is going to lead the seminar tomorrow?
Answer.
Who is going to captain the seminar tomorrow?
Now that you've practiced the idioms, try listening to the dialogue again.
It should be much easier to understand.
We've come to the end of the first of this two-part series on sailing idioms.
We'll cover more sailing idioms in the next episode, so be sure to listen.
Sailing idioms are extremely common as we talk about business, so they're important to know.
For more practice, take a look at the online exercises vocabulary, full transcript and quizzes available for this and other episodes at wwwbusinessenglishpodcom.
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