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 the third in a three-part series on pitching an idea to your colleagues.
In the last episode, we saw how a manager pitched an idea to her colleagues and persuaded them to take it seriously.
She then defended and supported her argument in front of her peers, who were not sure of the feasibility of the proposal at the start of the meeting.
In today's lesson, we'll introduce language for connecting your ideas to company strategy, emphasizing points, setting an action plan and assigning tasks at the end of your presentation.
Once you have convinced your colleagues, you need to provide a plan for getting the work done.
We will show you how to use language effectively to follow through on your outstanding idea.
We'll be listening to Jill, an industrial supply company manager.
In the last episode.
She did an excellent job of defending her idea, and now her colleagues are becoming convinced that her plan is worthwhile.
As the dialogue begins, Jill is telling her colleagues about new technology that makes it possible for regular staff to update the company's website.
While you listen, try to answer the following questions.
1.
How much money did the industrial lighting company spend on setting up their new website and training staff to maintain it?
2.
What two things are mentioned as part of Pilon's current strategy?
3.
What job is someone named Harry chosen to do?
And he showed me several websites that are being updated by general staff and not the IT department.
It's a whole new ballgame with this technology.
Really?
Are you sure?
Yes.
Check out the website for this company selling industrial lighting.
They hired someone to set up the basic site and provide staff training in site development and maintenance.
Look at it now.
All for a total of six grand.
Hard to believe.
Impressive.
As Jacob knows, this ties in with our mandate to save money and give better service.
We'll increase our online profile and give our website a solid reason to exist.
And that means That means that sales staff can focus on value-added sales instead of messing about with bog-standard orders.
Yes, it's about time we automated these sales.
Exactly.
This may be a tough time for us, but I believe it's the right time to do this.
We can increase revenue and free up time to work on special orders if we sell off-the-shelf products over the Internet.
Well, you've talked me into it, and I can see that you've got Roland on board.
Does anyone object to us going ahead with this?
Sounds good to me.
Makes sense to me too.
But it's getting late and we're going to have to wrap it up, folks.
Let's talk turkey here, Jill.
How much money are we looking at and where do we start?
Well, I'm asking for a budget of $5,000.
The first step is to compile a list of our nuts and bolts products that don't need sales support.
Who's the best person for the job?
I thought I'd ask Harry to do that, since he's been with us for ages and knows the product line inside out.
He'd be my choice too.
After that, we'll have to decide who's going to be responsible for the other aspects of the project.
And so you see, well, that's the plan.
I think I can make a start on this right away.
Thanks everybody for your contributions.
And thank you, Jacob, for your confidence in my idea.
Thanks, Jill, for presenting your idea so clearly.
I have to run now, so let's call it a day.
We'll be expecting regular progress reports every week and you'll probably need to give me a teleconversation.
Jill's colleagues were very sceptical at the start of the meeting, but she has done a great job of convincing them that her idea is feasible and worthwhile.
Make sure that you are just as well prepared if you present your idea to a group of your peers.
To start with, Jill has done some research.
She wants Pylon employees to update the existing website so it can be used as a tool to sell off-the-shelf products.
She's chosen examples of companies that update their own websites.
This is a way of showing people that something is possible when they are skeptical or reluctant to believe it's feasible.
You can see how carefully Jill has prepared for this opportunity to pitch her idea.
Listen to the way that Jill introduces her example.
Checkout is an informal way of telling people to look at something.
Jill shows a website that was created and updated for only $6,000.
Here are some other ways to give examples which support your point.
Have a look at the layout of these questionnaires that I've gathered.
Glance over this selection of samples of the type I'm suggesting.
I've compiled the data and put it on these bar charts so you can see clearly.
I've printed some demo logos for your consideration.
This is a list of the most popular enterprise systems for SMEs.
Jill shows an example of a company website that is maintained in the same way as she would like to have pylons handled.
She encourages her audience to see possibilities, and a good way to do this is to show a related example.
Then she goes on to demonstrate how the proposal relates to the bigger picture, to the company's strategy.
As Jacob knows, this ties in with our mandate to save money and give better service.
We'll increase our online profile and give our website a solid reason to exist.
Management is required to look at business on a strategic level.
If you understand your company's strategy and can prove your new idea fits well with that strategy, you are well on your way to getting approval for your idea.
Jill mentions that Pylon has a mandate to cut costs but also to improve service, and that her idea will help achieve this objective.
Listen to these additional ways of indicating strong relationships between your idea and your company's strategy.
This idea fits remarkably well with our long-term customer service policy.
This plan could form one of the elements of our overall strategy.
This proposal connects well with the directive to promote from within.
This move is linked quite clearly with our decision to differentiate our products.
Jill starts getting some positive feedback from her colleagues and she reinforces their attitude with positive language to emphasise the feasibility of her idea.
Exactly.
This may be a tough time for us, but I believe it's the right time to do this.
We can increase revenue and free up time to work on special orders if we sell off-the-shelf products over the internet.
Notice the strong we can that Jill uses.
She projects confidence in her idea by using positive language that works to persuade others and make them feel confident in her idea as well.
Let's practice a few examples of using positive language to emphasize a point.
We will be able to complete this project within six months.
It is entirely possible to collate this data overnight.
Setting up a joint venture with them is definitely feasible.
I'm confident that carrying out this survey within four weeks is doable.
Now that Jill has got everyone on board or in agreement with her proposal, it's a good time to lock in support from her colleagues.
Does anyone object to us going ahead with this?
When you feel that the discussion has gone far enough and people are on your side, it's a good idea to check and get everyone to verbalize their agreement.
Here are some more examples of language to accomplish this.
Is everyone with me on this?
Does anyone have a problem with this?
Are all of you okay with this?
Has anyone got an objection to this?
Once Jill has got everyone to show support for her idea, Jacob steps in because he wants to know exactly what level of commitment Jill needs from the company to start implementing her proposal.
Let's talk Turkey here, Jill.
How much money are we looking at, and where do we start?
Well, I'm asking for a budget of $5,000.
The first step is to compile a list of our nuts and bolts products that don't need sales support.
What is Jacob talking about?
Is he getting hungry?
When you want to discuss important or specific issues, we often indicate this using the idiom let's talk turkey.
Nuts and bolts is another idiom for describing basic or fundamental issues.
So Jill's first step is to compile or create a list of the company's most basic products that can be sold on the website.
If your brilliant idea is approved, people will want to see that you have an action plan for implementation.
So let's practice talking about the different steps in your action plan.
First we'll need to gather everyone together to explain what to do.
Next we should try limited implementation, perhaps at two branches.
After that, we have to get feedback from all the participants.
Finally, a few key people should write a report.
Once your action plan has been outlined, it will be necessary to assign various tasks to people.
Jill has clearly thought about who she would choose to carry out the action plan and is ready to make suggestions when asked.
I thought I'd ask Harry to do that, since he's been with us for ages and knows the product line inside out.
What else can we say to assign tasks?
I suggest that we assign Jack to oversee the data mining.
Sue, can I ask you to make a list of reliable printing companies?
I think Oscar is the best person to analyze the supply chain.
Greg, I'd like you to take care of finding the right program for this.
This meeting is nearing its end and Jill has accomplished a lot.
Often, the best way to indicate that you have finished your contribution is to say thank you to the participants.
This indicates the discussion has come to an end and you are grateful for everyone's contribution.
Jill does this simply and politely.
And so you see, well, that's the plan.
I think I can make a start on this right away.
Thanks everybody for your contributions.
And thank you, Jacob, for your confidence in my idea.
We'll finish off by looking at a few more ways to end your presentation by thanking the participants.
Thank you everyone for your attention.
Thanks folks for your support.
I appreciate your taking the time to participate.
I'm grateful for all your input.
Now, it's your turn to practice some of the language we've looked at today.
First, let's review the language of relating an idea to company strategy.
Imagine you are pitching an idea in a meeting. you will hear a question about your idea.
You should use the language given to make a new sentence.
Use the new company strategy at the end of every sentence.
For example, if you hear Why should we change the data entry procedure?
You can say Changing the data entry procedure is clearly linked to the new company strategy.
Are you ready?
Let's give it a try.
We'll play some example answers after the practice.
Why should we give everyone business cards?
Prompt.
Connects.
Well, why would we eliminate the colorful packaging?
Prompt ties in.
Why should we carry out this procedure prompt?
One of the elements.
Why should we start outsourcing delivery?
Prompt.
Fits remarkably well.
How did you do?
Compare your answers with these examples.
Answer.
Giving everyone business cards connects well with the new company strategy.
Answer.
Eliminating the colorful packaging ties in with the new company strategy.
Answer.
Carrying out this procedure is one of the elements of the new company strategy.
Answer.
Outsourcing delivery fits remarkably well with the new company strategy.
Next we'll review some of the vocabulary and idioms that we've studied in this episode.
You will hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat the whole sentence, saying the missing word.
For example, if you hear, It's a whole new game now that we have a new computer system.
You can say, It's a whole new ball game now that we have a new computer system.
After each response, we'll play the correct answer.
Let's begin.
It's getting late, so let's up this meeting.
It's getting late, so let's wrap up this meeting.
We need to talk today and be less vague about our objectives.
We need to talk turkey today and be less vague about our objectives.
I've given this presentation a million times, so I know it inside... by now.
Answer.
I've given this presentation a million times, so I know it inside out by now.
Sorry, I have to... now or I'll miss the sales meeting at 2 p.m.
Answer.
Sorry, I have to run now or I'll miss the sales meeting at 2 p.m.
That's all for our final episode on pitching an idea.
We have studied language and expressions for supporting your ideas, with examples relating your idea to company strategy, using positive language for emphasis, checking for agreement, setting an action plan and assigning tasks.
See you next time, and thanks for listening.
