Going Shopping

Believe it or not, I don't own an iPod. I know, I know. I'm really behind the times, but I have an excuse. I've been so busy at my work lately, I haven't had time to take a break. So finally yesterday I went shopping for an iPod down at the mall in Santa Monica.

I walked into the Mac store there and was immediately greeted by a salesperson. He asked, "Can I help you find something?" "No," I said, "just looking." I don't like the feeling of high-pressure salespeople. Anyway, I looked around the store some more, and finally made my way to the iPod section. Then I decided to ask the salesman a question. "Excuse me, can I ask you something?" "Sure," he said. "Go right ahead." "I'm thinking of picking up an iPod, but I'm not sure which one is right for me. What do you recommend?" He replied, "Are you going to be using it for running, jogging, working out, in your car?" "Yes," I said, "all of those, except the running, jogging, and working out." He laughed at my somewhat lame joke. "Okay, well, I recommend you get the iPod Mini to start ." "How much is that?" I asked. "Well, it just went on sale, so I think we can offer you a good price on it." "I'll take one," I said, and we made our way to the cash register. "Will that be credit or debit?" he asked me. "Credit card," I said, as I swiped the card through the reader. I waited, and nothing happened. "Could you swipe that card again? It didn't go through." "Sure," I said, and swiped it again. Finally, the card processed and he handed me the charge slip to sign. "I'm sure you'll be very happy with your purchase." "Oh," I said. "It's not really for me. It's for my wife! ‚"

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Meetings: Managing the Discussion

Today’s Classic is the second in a two-part intermediate podcast series on opening and managing meetings. In this lesson we reviewed the language for keeping the discussion on track, encouraging participation, moving to a new topic and checking agreement. This version includes the additional speaking practice from the meetings e-book.

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Time Management

Ruby: I’m snowed under with work! I can’t seem to keep up with everything I have to do. You’re always so organized and efficient. How do you do it?

Ian: I’m not always organized and efficient, but I’ve gotten better since I read a book about time management. I use a few tools that the book recommends, which help me to plan and to keep track of deadlines.

Ruby: Do you think it would help me?

Ian: Definitely. This is what I do. I keep a to-do list of all of the things I need to do. Then, I decide which tasks are high-priority and which have low- priority. I write down the deadline I’m given for the task or I assign a deadline of my own, and I make a note of the most urgent tasks.

Ruby: That seems pretty simple, but how do I keep track of the progress I make on a task? Sometimes things just slip through the cracks for me.

Ian: I do a couple of things. First, I keep my list updated. I check off or cross off those that I’ve done. I also put reminders for myself on my computer to help me with scheduling. It helps me to remember my appointments and to allocate my time better.

Ruby: That sounds like a great system. All I need now is some extra time so I can start doing some time management!

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What leads to success?

Lori: I have a lot of business English students when I teach in the classroom and a lot of times we end up talking about things like success and what leads to success, and it’s interesting that many of them mention the element of luck.
Michael: Right, OK.
L: That luck is important to success but as you know, since you’ve seen that fantastic video on the TED Talks web site by Richard St John…
M: Sure.
L: He doesn’t mention luck at all.
M: Right, I’m a firm believer that people can make their own luck. I mean what people regard as being luck, you know, you can actually create to a degree.
L: Right, right. I think a lot of what people consider luck is…is really…it’s down to how you respond to the opportunities that come your way.
M: Yes, very good point, yeah.
L: Seizing the opportunities. But was there any point in the video that you thought was particularly interesting?
M: Umm…yes, actually there was. Something very close to my heart is a lot of people think in the same way that you say that these folks are saying they think that luck is important, that people think that innate talent is something that you have to have to be successful. And in the video that we saw, the point about getting good at something, and it’s not about…umm…having some innate talent, it’s all about practise, practise, practise.
L: Mmm, definitely yeah.
M: You know, and creating your own, you know, if you want to be good at something then you practise you…and you make yourself skillful at doing something; it’s not that, you know, people are all…err…you know, born that way it’s just...

(Full transcript are here)

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