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 presenting a cohesive argument.
You may have lots of great ideas.
But those ideas aren't worth much if you can't convince other people that they're great.
And that takes more than just excitement and energy.
To convince others, you need to present a cohesive argument.
So what is a cohesive argument?
Well, it's a series of logical reasons to support an idea.
A cohesive argument helps you convince others of your position by providing a set of supporting points presented in a logical manner.
If you do not provide a cohesive argument, then you'll have trouble getting other people to support you.
A good argument might start by showing research and giving some context for the issue.
Then you can talk about precedence for your idea, which means other times that it has been done successfully.
It's also good to think about what people might be concerned about and address that before they even have a chance to bring it up.
And finally, you can tell people why your idea is necessary.
With a cohesive argument like this, you're sure to have more support for your idea.
In today's dialogue we'll hear Jack, who's presenting a proposal to move his company's production to Costa Rica.
In our last lesson, we heard Jack and several others discussing the idea.
Jack's argument was a bit disorganized and drew criticism from the others.
He didn't manage to convince them that moving production overseas was a good idea.
In this meeting, the team has to make a decision on the issue, so Jack really needs to present a good argument.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What has Jack done in preparation for the meeting?
2.
Why does Jack mention the company Intel?
3.
Jack talks about one thing that other people might be concerned or worried about.
What is it?
Unless there's any more questions on the agenda, we'll now hand over the floor to Jack, who will be presenting the Costa Rica proposal.
Jack?
Thank you, Jim.
As we all recall, last month we decided to make a decision on this project at this meeting.
And, in preparation for this meeting, I have completed a comprehensive study proposal outlining why we should proceed with this.
Let's start with the background.
First, we will suffer significant losses again this year, as we have for the last three years.
Our production costs, although competitive with other US manufacturers, are still much higher than those of foreign competitors.
For example, it costs us twice as much to make a standard guitar as it does the average foreign producer.
They are winning worldwide market share because of their pricing advantage, while we are losing it.
So if we don't become a foreign producer, we will no longer be a producer.
We have accomplished an extremely thorough search of foreign locations for our production site.
And Costa Rica, by far, is the best candidate location.
It has a business friendly government, a highly skilled workforce, and excellent infrastructure.
We are very confident that we can quickly build an advanced factory there with highly skilled workers.
Intel, for example, has recently built a plant there, and they are operating very successfully.
Angie, I do believe that if Intel can find skilled workers, then so can we.
And finally Dan, regarding loyalty to our workers, the best thing we can do for them is honor their pensions and assist them in their transition to other opportunities.
At the present rate, we will go out of business and have nothing to offer any of the current employees in the way of benefits nor transition assistance.
We only need to look at Enron to see what happens to employees when their company doesn't plan ahead for economic realities.
It seems to me that our plan, which provides continuing benefits to our released workers, is truly the wiser and more humane way to proceed.
In conclusion, I'd like to say that this is a difficult decision, but it's one we must make.
We are very confident of our study methods and conclusions and we can go over them in great detail should any of you wish to.
But the clear and overriding conclusion we've arrived at is that we must make this move or we will be totally out of business in short order.
Now I'd like to take any questions you might have about either the details of our study or our conclusions.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language Jack used to present his argument for moving production to Costa Rica.
As we go through the dialogue, we'll give you some more examples to practice.
To begin, we hear Jim give Jack the floor, which means the chance to speak to everyone.
Unless there's any more questions on the agenda, we'll now hand over the floor to Jack, who will be presenting the Costa Rica proposal.
Jack?
Thank you, Jim.
As we all recall, last month we decided to make a decision on this project at this meeting.
And, in preparation for this meeting, I have completed a comprehensive study proposal outlining why we should proceed with this.
Jack mentions that he's done a comprehensive study proposal.
That means his proposal is complete and covers every important aspect of the idea.
This proposal will show everyone why they should proceed with or go ahead with the idea.
Showing you've done your research is a huge part of supporting an idea or argument.
Without research, how will people know something can work?
And if you've done your research, it's a good idea to explain that right at the start.
This will help people see right away that they should at least listen to what you're saying.
When you talk about your research, you can say you have done something like an analysis or a comparison or just research.
Let's practice demonstrating research in this way.
I've done a quick analysis that should help us make a decision on this.
What I've prepared for you is a comparison of all the similar products available online.
I've gone through a wide range of case studies that appear to support this approach.
For the past month I've been doing market research on this idea.
Now let's hear Jack present some of this research he's done to support his idea.
Let's start with the background.
First, we will suffer significant losses again this year, as we have for the last three years.
Our production costs, although competitive with other US manufacturers, are still much higher than those of foreign competitors.
Jack's research shows that there is a problem.
The company will suffer significant losses for the third year in a row.
In other words, they're losing money and their production costs are higher than some of their competitors.
These ideas give a context for the issue.
That is, they show the current situation or problem that you're trying to solve.
This is important because your idea or argument is only valuable if it improves something or addresses a problem.
So you need to explain this context before giving your solution.
Providing context might mean talking about what happened in the past.
But more importantly, you should mention what's happening now or recently.
And to do that, you can use the present tense.
Or you can say, has been happening or has happened.
Let's try some examples of providing context for an issue.
First, let me just show you what's been happening to growth in this sector.
We are currently short five staff members and everyone's feeling overworked.
Right now we have almost no social media presence and a boring website.
Jack mentioned the company's production costs.
Now let's hear him explain why that's important.
For example, it costs us twice as much to make a standard guitar as it does the average foreign producer.
They are winning worldwide market share because of their pricing advantage, while we are losing it.
So if we don't become a foreign producer, we will no longer be a producer.
So, Jack is clearly showing how important the issue is.
In this context, reducing production costs by moving production overseas certainly seems like a good idea.
Now let's hear how Jack brings Costa Rica into the picture.
Second, we have accomplished an extremely thorough search of foreign locations for our production site.
And Costa Rica, by far, is the best candidate location.
It has a business-friendly government, a highly skilled workforce, and excellent infrastructure.
We are very confident that we can quickly build an advanced factory there with highly skilled workers.
Intel, for example, has recently built a plant there, and they are operating very successfully.
Angie, I do believe that if Intel can find skilled workers, then so can we.
Notice how Jack gives a list of reasons why Costa Rica is a great place.
And even more convincing is that he mentions a precedent for his idea.
A precedent is an example of something that happened before.
In this case, Jack is talking about how Intel moved their production to Costa Rica and had great success.
So Jack is saying that if another company can do it, then so can they.
When you mention precedents, you can talk about what your company did or has done before, or what other companies have been doing.
Let's try talking about precedents with a few more examples.
Back in 2010, we had great success with this kind of cost cutting plan.
It's worth remembering that this worked for both KPMG and Accenture.
Google has been able to attract great talent by offering benefits like this.
This isn't totally new.
Pepsi has been doing this for years now.
Let's get back to Jack's presentation, as he uses another great technique.
And finally Dan, regarding loyalty to our workers, the best thing we can do for them is honor their pensions and assist them in their transition to other opportunities.
Anytime you present an argument, someone will have concerns or criticism.
And the best way to deal with that is directly.
Think of what those concerns might be and address them in your argument.
This is exactly what Jack does when he talks about loyalty to workers, which is something he knows Dan is worried about.
To show loyalty, which means to treat the workers fairly.
Jack suggests giving them their pensions or retirement money and helping them find new jobs.
What are some other ways you can address concerns as part of a cohesive argument?
Let's try a few more.
If you're worried about costs, then let me show you what the returns will be.
As far as the impact on foot traffic is concerned, it will be very short term.
No, this won't mean more work for you, because we'd be able to afford another full-time person.
There are three ways we can reduce the risks involved.
Now let's listen as Jack explains his ideas in more detail.
And notice that once again, he mentions the experiences of another company to support his position.
At the present rate, we will go out of business and have nothing to offer any of the current employees in the way of benefits nor transition assistance.
We only need to look at Enron to see what happens to employees when their company doesn't plan ahead for economic realities.
It seems to me that our plan, which provides continuing benefits to our released workers, is truly the wiser and more humane way to proceed.
So Jack has addressed people's concerns about treating their current workers fairly.
Now let's hear how he concludes his presentation.
In conclusion, I'd like to say that this is a difficult decision, but it's one we must make.
We are very confident of our study methods and conclusions and we can go over them in great detail should any of you wish to.
But the clear and overriding conclusion we've arrived at is that we must make this move or we will be totally out of business in short order.
Jack is making some pretty strong statements here.
He's saying that the company must make this move or it will be out of business in short order or very soon.
This creates a sense of urgency or necessity.
Presenting your idea as necessary is a great way to finish off a strong argument.
And for extra support.
You can tell people what bad things might happen if people don't support your position.
What are some other ways to state that an idea or course of action is necessary?
Let's run through a few more examples.
I really don't see that we have any choice but to cut costs.
Improving benefits isn't just a nice idea.
We have to do it or we'll lose staff.
Given the evidence, it seems clear that we need to make this change.
As I've tried to show, this is the only way to increase our margins.
Jack has done a great job of presenting a cohesive argument for the idea of moving production to Costa Rica.
He's got lots of supporting ideas and he's presented them logically.
Now let's practice some of the language we just learned with a short role play.
Imagine that you work for an electronics company.
The company has been experiencing a drop in sales.
You have an idea for a big promotional event to improve sales that you want to put forward.
I will suggest what you can say at each stage of your argument.
Use my suggestion to make a suitable statement.
I'll guide you through each step of the practice and we'll provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Start by demonstrating research, by saying you've done a detailed cost-benefit analysis for the event.
I've prepared a detailed cost-benefit analysis for this event.
Now give some context by saying sales went down when the marketing budget was cut.
Answer.
Just to give you a little background, sales started going down when the marketing budget was cut.
Next, say that three years ago a similar event helped to increase sales.
Answer.
Three years ago we did a similar event which really helped to increase sales.
Now address concerns about time by saying that your team can handle the planning.
Answer.
I know you might be concerned about time, but my team can handle the planning.
Finally, conclude by saying that a big event like this is necessary to help sales.
So, to conclude, I think a big event like this is necessary to improve sales.
To finish off, let's practice some of the vocabulary and expressions we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear, We managed to increase our market by 10% last year.
You can say, We managed to increase our market share by 10% last year.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
I will prepare a full report on this plan in short Answer.
I will prepare a full report on this plan in short order.
We are looking for a new location in a very business country with low taxes.
Answer We are looking for a new location in a very business friendly country with low taxes.
We offer a really great employee package that includes a good pension.
Answer.
We offer a really great employee benefits package that includes a good pension.
I'm sure you can all What happened last year when we expanded too quickly?
Answer.
I'm sure you can all recall what happened last year when we expanded too quickly.
We've learned how to demonstrate research and give some basic context for an issue.
We've also covered how to talk about precedents, address concerns and state that your idea is necessary.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
