This is the Business English Podcast, Episode 570.
What does it entail?
How to be clear about expectations in English.
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Hey there, Michelle.
How are you today?
Hey, Lindsay, I'm good.
Lindsay, what does a typical schedule of yours entail for the week?
Wow, that's a big question, Michelle.
So these days, we are recording a ton of podcast episodes.
So a lot of time on the microphone, which I love.
Yes.
And then there's also a lot of time in email.
We're building courses all the time, new products.
Honestly, I do a little bit of everything.
Yep.
Yep.
Exactly.
Yeah, definitely very busy.
So Today we're going to be talking about the word entail.
I've heard it multiple times just in the past week, and so I thought it would be really good to highlight it on the show, especially in business English.
Yes.
Yeah, this is kind of everywhere.
When you're talking about a position, a role at a company... Mm-hmm.
What you'll essentially have to do.
I mean, what does it mean, Michelle?
Yeah, it basically means what's involved or included, right?
So what's a part of something?
What goes into something?
And it's a little bit complicated, more formal sounding, not like super, super formal, but a little elevated, but it's very functional.
Functional, good for business.
Some examples here.
This position entails two on-call sessions a week and three team meetings a month.
Yeah, so that's what's included in the position.
Or what is entailed in this project?
So what's involved in it?
What is going to happen?
Yeah, and then in the hypothetical scenario of a promotion, a promotion would entail supervising five more employees.
So usually when you get promoted, it means that you're going to be now have people under you, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And what else?
Yeah, exactly.
A new job entails a huge learning curve.
Mm-hmm.
Yep.
So it can be used in different ways, but we're going to focus on this one today, right?
Yeah, exactly.
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Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
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Okay.
Yeah, exactly.
So, I mean, Lindsay, though, what is entailed in being a business owner?
It depends on what kind of company you're running.
You know.
I mean, if you're running a huge company, a publicly traded company, you might be going to court.
Like, i just heard that mark zuckerberg is in court this week and i was thinking wow, like when he founded facebook, i mean, did he know he was going to be in court?
You know, but when you're talking about a small business like ours, it entails wearing a lot of hats, Right?
Yeah.
So we did an episode on that recently.
Remember?
I know.
I'm hoping our listeners remember that too.
Was that over on All Ears English or was that here on Business English?
No, I think I'm going to look for it now.
Oh, it was Business English.
It was episode 558.
Yeah.
Hopefully our listeners know exactly what I'm talking about.
I mean, I need to do a little bookkeeping.
I need to do a little payroll.
I need to do a little podcasting, a little bit of everything.
And most people that own a large company wouldn't be doing so many different things.
Right.
Exactly.
It would be more, uh, systemized, just, uh, just a corporate feeling.
Yes.
Yeah, exactly.
And yeah, I mean, I know um as a, so like I let's see um for me uh, as a business, small business owner with my husband um Yeah, I would agree.
It entails wearing many hats and entails learning how to work with people and manage people.
I think hiring too is probably a big one.
Hiring.
You've done a lot of hiring.
That is an acquired skill.
Like that's not something you're good at out of the box or out of the gate, right?
Right.
Right.
And so it can feel very intimidating in the beginning.
Yes, for sure.
Because big decisions you're making huge decisions, especially for a new company, small company.
Every new hire can significantly change the company.
Right.
Yeah, exactly.
And you want to like think about your company culture.
And yeah, so there's there's a lot that that is entailed in being a business owner.
So but yeah, this word is definitely very useful in that way.
It's like it's like it's like what What encompasses being a business owner?
What is what encompasses what is involved?
What are in a more casual way?
What do you have to do when you're a business owner?
It's just another way to say it.
Yeah, exactly.
Exactly.
Yep.
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Okay, so we know why this is useful for business, Michelle.
I mean, sharing expectations.
Obviously, when you're interviewing someone, you're talking about a role.
What would be entailed in this position?
Right right right, right.
So, exactly like that example from earlier oh, this position entails yeah, two on call right meanings and um so yeah, you might Use that on a job interview that they're going to tell you.
Or maybe you're getting a job offer and they're going to say this entails, you know to, you know like a couple 24 hour shifts.
You know like, if you're, if you're in the medical industry, something like that.
So it's definitely about sharing expectations.
Yeah, asking questions, learning about someone's job, like what do they do at work, right?
Maybe you're talking to a friend a little bit.
I mean, this might be a little bit of a formal phrase to ask a friend about their career, but maybe maybe, or someone in the same industry that you meet at a networking event or a conference, right?
Right.
Exactly.
So you can definitely use it in that way as well.
You're asking questions, finding out things about people.
So it's good for connection.
I mean in the way that you know you can ask someone about their life and also sharing expectations you need to provide.
You know you need to be clear when offering a job or asking in a job interview.
You know you really want to have these moments where you're clear, you're direct, you're able to know exactly what you're getting into.
Yeah, 100%.
Because you don't want to hire someone that doesn't fully understand what the job is all about.
And then they end up leaving, right?
Because it's not a good fit for them.
So it's good to be very honest.
Yeah.
I just want to point out, how do we spell entail?
Oh, good question.
So we spell it E-N-T-A-I-L.
Entail.
Right.
Right.
So it's an E, not an I. And it's like entail, but you really say like entail.
Yeah.
Tricky one.
Tricky one.
So be careful there, guys.
Other words that kind of, we've already dropped some of these, right?
Like involve.
Going to medical school involves a huge commitment for many years of your life.
Yeah.
Right.
Um, or what is involved in moving our office to the second floor?
So sometimes your whole company needs to make a move, and moving is not fun and but you might save some money.
So like it also might help you make decisions.
Yeah. this kind of, this word.
What is entailed in, or what is involved in, you know, these kinds of questions.
So you kind of get the full picture that can help you make the decision.
Yeah, exactly, or the word require.
This project requires our full attention and many resources, so we have to decide if it's worth it right.
Or what is required of our team to finalize this deal?
All right.
So I think today's episode is all about just putting everything out there, being very direct and clear about, especially in an interview, but just talking about what, What's entailed in something.
Does someone really want to take on something new?
Is it right for them?
Right?
Yeah, very important here.
So let's do a role play.
We're just going to really focus on the word entail in this one.
Yeah um, so here you are, my supervisor and you are working.
You are offering me work on a special project.
Okay, maybe additional project.
Okay, so if you end up having this project, there's a lot of extra work involved.
Okay, good to know.
What does it entail?
Well, it requires three extra meetings a month and travel twice a week.
Ooh, that's being very upfront, though.
Right.
And that's good.
You don't want to find that out later and then realize you can't do it.
Right.
Right.
Exactly.
So that's why like yeah, this is a really great word um, so that you can ask those questions, find out exactly what someone is asking of you.
And yeah, you're asking.
You're like saying give me the whole picture, give me the whole story, don't leave anything out.
Yep, so you just uh, plainly asked okay, good to know, what does it entail?
So you're asking for more details.
What exactly are we talking about here Right?
Yeah, exactly.
So guys, that episode that we were talking about before about wearing many hats, that was episode 558.
That was do you wear many hats at work?
Yes, exactly.
Any final takeaway?
I mean for me, the takeaway here is be direct, be clear, especially when you're talking about roles and expectations.
Yeah, exactly.
And don't be afraid to ask this question.
I mean, it's a it's a using this word.
This is very professional sounding.
You know, if you're not sure what is being presented to you or offered to you, don't be afraid to say Oh well, what?
What does this entail?
Yes.
Really?
It sounds smart.
It sounds very elevated.
Very professional.
Love it.
So good.
All right, great episode today, Michelle.
See you soon.
Take care.
All right, bye.
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