This is the Business English Podcast, Episode 209, Six Formal Linking Words to Explain a Process in Business English.
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Offer ends August 10th. allearsenglish.com connection hello michelle how's it going today hey lindsay i'm good how are you i'm feeling great i have a question for you here to start off the day here we go all right let's do it so do you like making presentations how do you feel about presenting and work um i like making presentations but but you know in fairness i majored in theater in college uh i'm a podcaster So I think I'm pretty OK with public.
I mean, I teach as well. So if I wasn't OK with public speaking, I'd be really in the wrong career.
Oh, my gosh. You do a lot of public speaking for sure.
And you've told me before that when you get on stage, you get a burst of confidence somehow.
Is that right? That's interesting. I have fun in those situations.
Of course, I get nervous like anybody else.
It's not that I don't. I'm not a human. I mean, I'm not like some sort of presenting robot.
Right. Right. But but I it's kind of I kind of look at it as a little bit of fun.
What about you, Linda? Do you like doing presentations?
I do like it. I like it when I'm prepared.
You know, if it's something I'm talking about that I just feel is more of a passion thing, I can do an off the cuff presentation.
Yes. But when we're getting into nuts and bolts and important information I have to deliver, I need to be prepared.
That is what makes me not nervous. right yeah well yeah absolutely preparation yeah that's right i mean and um i mean lindsay we've done a lot of i mean i wouldn't say that our podcast that podcasting is a presentation it's a presentation of sorts but more so we've done online presentations we've done courses things like that so absolutely yeah yeah um so we're gonna be talking about this today guys if you haven't already please remember to hit follow wherever you are listening to the business english podcast All right.
So now let's get into the next question, Michelle.
What about the process of planning that presentation?
I mean, how do you go about planning? What is your process?
Do you like to work with other people when you plan?
Do you do it by yourself? How do you do it?
I guess, yeah, group presentations are really much different than individual presentations.
I think in general with a group presentation, you want to meet with the group and decide who's doing what and maybe just each person is responsible for a section and then you meet again.
But it also depends on how much time you have to plan.
Maybe you want to be more involved. But if I'm doing a group presentation, um i really do like to work with people and plan it together um i think that's part of the fun what about you yeah well i've been thinking lately more about how important process is right so having a clear idea of what the process is going to be before you start that project it's the idea of you know go slow to go fast later Right.
Everyone knows their roles. We know the steps, what we're going to do initially and what we're going to do subsequently and what's going to come after.
But then we can move fast. It becomes like a well-oiled machine.
So I think it's actually super important what we're getting into today.
Yeah. I like some of those vocab words you used, Lindsay.
Those are nice. Yeah. I mean, that's it.
That's what we're talking about today. How can our listeners articulate a process, right?
Yeah. Yes. And I mean, this goes along with, have you ever seen the joke where, you know, somebody writes out plan ahead, but the D is underneath because they ran out of room.
That's hilarious. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. yeah so it's just you know this idea of actually planning ahead kind of knowing the big picture things before you get started so yes right or is it very important yeah processes and the last analogy is what is that expression like measure twice cut once something like that that also ties into this right it's the whole idea of let's spend more time thinking at the start of where we're gonna make our cuts, where we're going to, what that precision is going to look like, and then we can execute it so much better, so much more smoothly.
Love it. Yeah, absolutely, definitely. So guys, this is a very important skill for you to learn because it involves teamwork and working on a process.
So working on a process is huge in the office, whether it's doing a presentation, teaching someone how to do something, maybe even just asking for time off.
There's a lot of specifics involved and how you can plan for these and words that you can use to talk about it.
Yeah. And if you guys are listeners, if you all are using these words at work, they're high level.
Today, we have some very high level, a little bit more formal leaning, professional sounding vocabulary words.
Once you start to insert these, you get a little bit more respect at work because it makes it sound like you know exactly what you're talking about All right.
It's strategic. It's strategic. Yeah. Yeah.
So when dealing with a process at work, we have to be super in tune with this linking vocabulary.
Right. So you guys probably know the basics like first, next, then.
So but like Lindsay said, we're going to teach you high level linking words today, dealing with a process in the workplace.
And we're really going to focus mostly on presentations today, this topic.
Yeah. Yeah, you're right. You need to go beyond the building blocks, the basics, right?
We've already gone beyond the basics in terms of English.
First, next, last. Okay. Now let's build on top of that and let's let these words and these steps come together and have them make sense as a whole, as an entire process that we're mapping out before we get started.
So I hope our listeners are ready to write these down today.
Yeah. Yeah. Just before we get started, Lindsay, would you say we have a process for how we do our All Ears English episodes or what we do when we record?
I think we do. I mean, we've never sat down and written out linking words for it.
But if we did, I think we would be able to put some really nice linking words in there.
We have a very I think. it's somewhat complex, because it involves a lot of players, a lot of team members are putting in their effort, doing certain things, things, we have a lot of dependencies, which is a word used a lot in SOPs, standard operating procedures, like you have to complete something, Michelle, you have to complete planning the episodes before we can record.
So that work is, you know, depend on this work is dependent on that work.
So dependencies are in there as well. Yeah, for sure.
You might also say there's a lot of moving parts.
Moving parts. I love that expression. Moving parts.
Yes. Yes. So let's get into it today, Lindsay.
So we're going to talk about the vocabulary.
We're going to talk about why they're helpful.
These are great words and why they might elevate other linking words that we may already be familiar with.
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Exclusions apply, see details online. Okay, Michelle, so shall we get into some vocabulary then?
Very specific vocab linking words for our listeners today?
Let's do it. All right. So the first word is initially.
Lindsay, what does this mean? What are we elevating here?
It's just a more elevated way of saying at first, right?
This is what this means. We're starting with X. So for example, initially, we want to get our audience involved.
Let's use an appealing slide for the first one, right?
And it's really important, Michelle, what we do initially in a presentation, isn't it?
Yes, very much so. You got to hook the audience.
You got to hook them in, make sure they want to listen.
Otherwise, they're not going to listen. They're going to be thinking about what they're eating for lunch later.
It's true. Is that what you're doing right now?
No, just kidding. No, no, no, no. All right.
Good stuff. What would be the next vocab word for a linking word for our listeners?
The next one is subsequently. Subsequently is how it's said.
So this basically means then or later or next.
Yes. It's really good for all of those. Yeah, I love this one.
It sounds very high level, very professional.
So for example, subsequently, it's important that we start introducing the main points.
They should always be in bold. So we're making a very clear statement here about what we're going to do next.
Initially, we've had a good, strong introduction.
And then subsequently, we're going to start introducing the main points.
Yes, yes, exactly. And now we're going to do prior to.
So this is actually before. So prior to, we will need to set up the microphones and computer 20 minutes prior to the presentation.
And there are always things that we need to do, the preparation work for any presentation.
There are always that we want to be fully ready to go and everything is laid out and ready and prepared right prior to absolutely yeah yes and what's the next one the next one i love here is afterwards for example later or in the future so afterwards we'll ask the audience if they have any questions Okay.
Very standard. Yes. Exactly. And then we also have another one for after, but this is a little bit different, a little different sounding.
This was right after. So how is that different from afterwards?
Well, it means immediately after. So the exact next thing that will happen, for example, you know, immediately, you know, do we have a sample sentence for that one?
No, we don't. That's okay. Yes. Go for it.
We do. Go for it. Yes. It says right after you present slide six, I will start the video.
Yes, exactly. So right after happening immediately after.
And then there's one more, which is last of all.
And this means in the end, finally, it'll be the final thing that we'll do.
For example, last of all, we'll gather all the slides and print them out to give to the audience as they leave.
What do you think about these high-level vocab words, linking words, Michelle?
I think these are good. I think they're just – you want to sprinkle in these words, especially if you're in a more formal atmosphere or you're trying to really impress people you work with.
They definitely have a different sound than – first, second, then, next, last, right?
I mean, last of all, right? That sounds a little, even though it's small words together, last of all, it sounds very nice.
I mean, I think it's very high level when we have a certain set of vocabulary words for work.
And then maybe at home, we do use those first, next, last, more simple words.
But then when we're at work, we elevate things a little bit more.
It's super professional. Yeah. Very professional sounding.
Yeah. So for example, last of all, we will gather all of the slides and print them out to give to the audience as they leave.
Love that. All right. Very good. Okay, Michelle, let's go into a role play, shall we?
Let's do it. So here we are working on a presentation at work and you have been with the company for a long time, but I'm new.
So you're kind of teaching me the process of what's done in company presentations.
So important. And this would be a great way to elevate a great time to elevate our vocab.
So here we go. Okay. So initially we'll get the format that is in the team folder.
Okay, great. So click on that. Okay, got it.
Okay, so here's the first slide. Blah, blah, blah.
We present that. Now, prior to all this, we'll include all of the findings from our research.
That's part of the planning. I see. So that's always what's presented subsequently.
You mean in comparison to the introduction?
Yes, right after the introduction, the results come next.
Okay, great. Afterwards, we always move on to the audience interaction part.
Okay, I see. And last of all, we always do a Q&A.
Any questions? No, that was very clear. Thank you.
Yeah. So this is really important, especially if you said in this case, Michelle, you are someone new coming into the company.
Is that right? Was that the set? Yeah. Yeah.
It's important that you get up to speed really quickly.
You know, we have very set processes and we need to be able to communicate it and you need to get on board quick.
So you're asking great questions. Exactly.
Yeah. Exactly. Right. And some things that work may be a little bit more open-ended, whatever you like to do.
But sometimes there may be a process for it, a specific way, an SOP, how to get something done.
So here it sounds like this company has a specific way that they do the presentations, what kinds of things go first and all of that.
So should we go through it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, let's do it.
And I also just want to say before we go into it, it doesn't mean that later after you've been working here for a while, you can't challenge that or say, hey, I think I have a more efficient process to introduce.
Of course you can't. Um, but your goal as you're onboarding with this new company is understand it, learn it quickly, play along, use the same words and just kind of blend in with the SOP and learn how to execute it properly.
Yes. Yes. Yes. That's a really, really good point, Lindsay.
So, all right. So you said, so initially we will want to get the format that is in the team folder.
So imagine we're maybe sitting over a computer and I, you know, you're like, okay, so how are we, you'd have to go into the folder and get this.
Exactly. So this is just another way of saying first, right?
That's all it is. That's all it is. Yeah.
Then, right, what are we, what's the linking piece to go to the next instruction, right?
So I say, oh, sorry. It is prior to this.
Prior to this, right. So I'm giving you a little bit of background of what needs to have happened before, right?
So I say now prior to all this, we'll include all of the findings from our research.
That's important. It's the background. Yeah.
Yes, exactly. And then you said, so that's always what's presented subsequently.
So next. Next. Right. And then you said you mean in comparison to the introduction.
And I said, yes, right after the introduction, the results come next.
OK, so that's immediately after. Yes. And then you said afterwards, we always move on to the audience interaction part.
So after that. All right. And then you say, OK, I see.
And then I say, and last of all, we always do a Q&A.
Right. And then I ask you if you have any questions.
Right. Any questions? Love it. So these are kind of the benchmarks.
These are the pillars of our style of giving this kind of presentation.
Yeah, right. Definitely. I mean, these words are really helpful.
Without them, it might get a little confusing.
These make things clear how the process should be.
And you can use these linking words many times in your professional life.
So I would start to focus. Maybe you're not changing every single one right away.
Maybe you pick a couple of them and sprinkle them in, and then slowly you can start to add on the rest as you get more confident.
And I think we become more confident, Michelle, when we have more resources, more vocabulary resources.
And this just gives you a set of elevated linking words that are a little more formal, a little more professional.
So you will actually feel more confident when you're either introducing that SOP, that process, or you are learning it and you're absorbing it.
You're asking questions. So good stuff, Michelle.
Any final takeaway for today or is that it?
I think that's good, Lindsay. That was really great.
And guys use these, give them a try and let us know how it goes.
All right. Sounds good, Michelle. I'll talk to you soon.
Have a good one. Bye. You too. Bye. Bye guys.
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