You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin and I'll be your host for today's lesson on collocations related to implementing a plan.
Everyone knows that you have to plan for the future.
But many plans are only that.
They are just plans.
But a plan is only useful if it leads to action.
Or, as a wise man once said, a plan without action is a dream wasted.
In order to not waste that dream, we need to implement the plans we create.
In today's lesson we'll hear a discussion about how to implement a marketing plan, and you'll hear lots of common expressions we use when talking about implementation.
These expressions are called collocations, which just means a set of words that usually go together.
For example, have you heard the expression, put something into action?
That's a common collocation that means to implement.
We don't say make something into action or activate something.
It's always put something into action.
You can learn these natural combinations of words used by native speakers.
Studying collocations will help you sound more natural and expand your active vocabulary.
As you listen to today's dialogue, try to catch some of these collocations and we'll go over them later in the debrief.
In the dialogue we'll rejoin Carlos Viv, Byron and Marion, who are discussing how to implement a marketing plan.
In the last lesson, they talked about some of their online marketing activities.
Today, they're going to talk about some other parts of the plan, including the timeline.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
One.
Why does Carlos mention that Marian is a strong writer?
2.
What does Carlos say about the importance of the CRM?
3.
What does Viv think about the timeline on the CRM activities?
Fantastic.
So what's next here?
Number four is PR activities.
That means white paper, local media stuff, and taking care of press releases for our new services.
Excuse me, Carlos?
Number five is new brochures.
So four and five both involve a lot of writing.
Maybe they can be lumped together, and one person could see everything through.
Yeah, good idea.
And Marion, I'm going to assign responsibility for these to you.
You're the strongest writer by far.
Okay, Carlos.
I'm happy to take on that role.
Great stuff.
And please report back to me at each step.
I just want to make sure we're on message with everything.
Sure thing.
Okay.
Next here.
Let's take a look at setting up a new CRM.
That's a biggie.
A major part of pushing this plan forward, but I know it's really going to help us track progress overall.
All right, Carlos.
I think that's in my wheelhouse.
I'm actually really looking forward to having that.
Me too.
But I'm just a bit concerned about whether we can stick to the timeline on that.
In our final meeting with the consultant.
I know we decided to get the CRM up and running by August, but summer is usually so busy for us.
I'm thinking maybe we should push it back by at least a month.
I'll second that.
You'll probably need some support from me with this.
And I think it'll be difficult for me to stay on track with everything else if I'm troubleshooting a new CRM over the summer.
I hear what you're saying, but my concern is that if we delay things, we'll end up not following through on some of this.
Strategy is 90% execution, as they say.
True enough.
But we've still got a couple more things on the list, like market research and customer surveys.
I think our original timeline is maybe a bit too ambitious to get everything completed before the end of summer.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and collocations used during the meeting.
Fantastic.
So what's next here?
Number four is PR activities.
That means white paper, local media stuff, and taking care of press releases for our new services.
Excuse me, Carlos, number five is new brochures, so four and five both involve a lot of writing.
Maybe they can be lumped together and one person could see everything through.
The group is moving down a list of action items in the marketing plan and Carlos wants to discuss number four on that list public relations or PR activities.
Viv is looking ahead to the next item on the list, which is the new brochures, a kind of printed marketing material.
Since PR and brochures both involve writing, Viv suggests lumping them together or combining them.
If they combine items four and five, then one person could see everything through.
If you see something through, you work on it until it's complete.
In other words, you're responsible for making sure it gets finished.
Seeing things through is in many ways what implementing a plan is all about.
Let's practice a few more ways of using this collocation.
If we can see this project through by November, we'll all be able to take a break in December.
Jonas is full of good ideas, but he never sees any of them through.
What does Carlos think of Viv's idea?
Yeah, good idea.
And Marion, I'm going to assign responsibility for these to you.
You're the strongest writer by far.
Carlos likes the idea of putting PR activities and new brochures together and since they depend on good writing skills, he decides to assign responsibility for those activities to Marion.
One of the most important decisions in implementing a plan is who will do what, and in many cases it's up to the manager to assign responsibility for actions.
Let's run through some more examples of this collocation.
Well, since nobody has volunteered, I'll just have to assign responsibility for this job to someone.
Yvonne is good with people, so let's assign responsibility for client management to her.
Besides using the expression to assign responsibility for something, there are other ways we can delegate tasks like this.
In our last lesson, we looked at how to ask for volunteers.
But sometimes there's just one person or group that you think is best for certain actions.
Let's try some more ways of assigning responsibility when discussing how to implement a plan.
Tamara, I'd like you to take care of the marketing on this.
Okay, so, David, you're going to be leading the recruiting drive for us.
Kelly, I'm putting you on scheduling.
I think it's best if you take on this proposal, Fiona.
So, does Marion accept responsibility for PR and brochures?
Okay, Carlos, I'm happy to take on that role.
Yes, as Marian says, she's happy to take on that role.
A role is a person's position or purpose within a situation or group.
If you take on a role, you accept it as yours.
So in discussing who will do what, you need to find people willing to take on different roles.
How else can we use this expression to take on a role?
Let's run through a few more examples.
We'll need someone from marketing to take on the lead role for the rebranding project.
Now let's get back to the dialogue.
Great stuff.
And please report back to me at each step.
I just want to make sure we're on message with everything.
Carlos is responsible for making sure the plan is implemented.
And so besides figuring out who will do what, he wants to make sure they do it, or do it right.
For this reason, he asks Marion to report back to him at each step of her activities.
When you report back to someone, you tell them what you've done or show them the progress you've made.
Let's practice some more ways of using this collocation to report back to someone.
Please report back to me once you've completed Phase 1.
Once you've finished the draft budget, can you report back to Finance?
Now let's hear Carlos move on to the next item on the list, which is a CRM or Customer Relations Management System.
Sure thing.
Okay, next here.
Let's take a look at setting up a new CRM.
That's a biggie.
A major part of pushing this plan forward.
Carlos calls the new CRM a biggie, which is just a way of saying that it's a big or important piece of work.
In other words, it's an important part of pushing the plan forward.
We've already talked about implementing a plan and putting something into action.
Another way to talk about this idea is to say to push a plan forward.
That means you take real steps to make your ideas happen.
Let's try some more examples of to push a plan forward.
To push this project forward, we're going to need at least three more engineers.
I think we've got some great ideas for the app, but we'll need to meet next week to figure out how to push it forward.
So, why is the new CRM such an important part of the plan?
Let's hear Carlos explain.
But I know it's really going to help us track progress overall.
The CRM is going to help them do something that is key to all good implementation.
It will help them to track progress.
Progress is the forward steps you take toward a goal.
And how do you figure out if you're making progress?
Well, you track the progress, which means you watch or monitor or record what happens to make sure you're moving forward.
What are some other ways of using this expression to track progress?
Let's practice a few more examples.
These new reporting procedures will really help us track progress on our sales goals.
The project management software allows different teams to track progress in real time.
So who is willing to take on the new CRM?
All right, Carlos.
I think that's in my wheelhouse.
I'm actually really looking forward to having that.
Me too.
But I'm just a bit concerned about whether we can stick to the timeline on that.
Viv volunteers to take care of the CRM, saying it's in her wheelhouse.
That just means it's something that she has the skills for or is interested in.
But Viv is concerned about one thing concerning the CRM, specifically whether they can stick to the timeline.
A timeline is a plan for when things have to happen, and to stick to a timeline means to follow it exactly.
In other words, everything gets done when it's supposed to get done.
And if you can't stick to a timeline, it means there are delays.
Let's run through some more ways of using this expression to stick to a timeline.
I'd like us to stick to this timeline as closely as possible so we can finish the project by Christmas.
If you think you're going to have difficulty sticking to your timeline, let me know and I'll get you some help.
Timelines are an important part of implementing a plan, and Viv has another point to make on this aspect of the plan.
In our final meeting with the consultant, I know we decided to get the CRM up and running by August.
Viv is talking about the timeline they discussed with the consultant.
According to that timeline, they were supposed to get the CRM up and running by August.
To understand this collocation, you should know that running means operating or functioning.
So, if you get something up and running, like a system or project, you start operating it.
How else can we use this expression?
Let's try a few more examples.
We really need to get the new booking system up and running before the holiday season.
James, how long will it take your team to get the mobile app up and running?
So what are Viv's specific concerns about the timeline?
But summer is usually so busy for us.
I'm thinking maybe we should push it back by at least a month.
Viv believes it will be difficult to get the CRM up and running in August because summer is busy.
She suggests pushing it back at least a month.
When you're talking about timelines, you sometimes have to delay certain activities or milestones.
And when we talk about these delays, we often use this collocation to push something back.
Let's practice a few more examples.
We're short-staffed, so I think we're going to have to push the deadline back by a couple weeks.
The materials have been delayed, so we'll need to push back the office renovation project.
It's pretty common when you're talking about complex plans to suggest changes to a timeline.
With so many different activities, it's hard to schedule everything perfectly.
In this discussion, Viv has suggested pushing something back.
But there are other ways to talk about timeline changes, such as to move something up, which means to make it earlier, and to shift activities or timelines.
Let's run through some of these ways of suggesting timeline changes.
I'd like to suggest that we move the website deadline up by two weeks.
With so much going on, I wonder if it's best to push that deadline to October.
We've had some delays, so we might have to shift the whole timeline forward a bit.
What if we moved some of these milestones back a bit to make it more manageable?
Now back to the dialogue, as the group continues discussing the timeline.
Byron is agreeing with Viv about postponing the deadline on the CRM.
Vev will need his help and he's concerned about staying on track with everything.
If he has to help fix little problems or troubleshoot the new CRM.
To stay on track is similar to stick to a timeline.
If the track is the path toward a goal, then staying on that track is making the progress you've planned.
How else can we use to stay on track?
Let's practice a few more examples.
Gwen, I'd like you to make sure the sales team stays on track this month.
I'm sure that if we stay on track through the summer, the new design will be ready by September.
Does Carlos agree that they need to push back the CRM?
I hear what you're saying, but my concern is that if we delay things, we'll end up not following through on some of this.
Strategy is 90% execution, as they say.
Carlos expresses a common concern when it comes to implementing plans.
If you delay things too much, there's a risk that they might not happen.
Or as he says, he's worried that they might not follow through on some actions.
To follow through on something means to get it done or to actually implement what you've planned on doing.
And as Carlos says, strategy is 90% execution.
Execution has the same meaning as implementation.
So what Carlos is saying is the same idea that we started with, which is that a plan is useful only if it leads to action.
To follow through on a plan is the entire purpose of talking about implementation.
So let's try some more ways of using this collocation.
I'm disappointed that Paul hasn't followed through on his promise to finish the new schedule by Monday.
Now let's finish off the dialogue with Viv's response to Carlos.
True enough.
But we've still got a couple more things on the list, like market research and customer surveys.
I think our original timeline is maybe a bit too ambitious to get everything completed before the end of summer.
Viv agrees, but she reminds everyone that there are more planned activities that they haven't yet talked about.
So she believes that the timeline is too ambitious.
In other words, they plan too much, too quickly.
Of course, it's good for a plan to be ambitious, but you need to balance that with realism.
Figuring out that balance and what is possible when is a big part of implementation.
Now it's your turn to practice some of the collocations we've looked at in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat the whole sentence, including the missing word.
Remember a collocation is two or more words that we commonly use together, so pay close attention to the words before the beep.
For example, if you hear Ned is leaving, so we need someone else to take on the, You can say Net is leaving, so we need someone else to take on the role of project manager.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
It's going to take both money and time to push this plan forward.
Answer.
It's going to take both money and time to push this plan forward.
If we work hard, we should be able to get the new plant up and... in a month.
Answer.
If we work hard, we should be able to get the new plant up and running in a month.
Answer.
The client called and sounded very angry that we haven't stuck to the timeline.
A good leader knows how to assign to the right people.
Answer A good leader knows how to assign responsibility to the right people.
My coach has really helped me stay on with my personal goals.
My coach has really helped me stay on track with my personal goals.
That's all for this lesson on collocations for talking about implementing a plan.
We've covered lots of useful collocations and vocabulary for talking about how to put a plan into action.
We've also covered how to assign responsibility for certain activities and how to suggest changes to a timeline.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
