Monday, May 11, 2020

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: DELEGATE

Is your manager a micro manager type or does he or she delegate duties and tasks to subordinates?

French translation: déléguer

Darlings! How are you all??? I have missed you. 😇

It is Monday May 11, 2020 and I felt slightly motivated to write a post. I say slightly because compared to the last few weeks, I actually felt like updating for a change. I am not promising anything as far as how frequently I will be updating, however, because my schedule is a bit complicated these days. But for today, I give you the word DELEGATE.

Do you know who I think was a very clever delegator of duties? President Donald Trump. In 2020. During the coronavirus pandemic that rocked the United States to its core, he basically just delegated all the responsibilities and duties to the 50 governors and let them deal with the whole mess. He was definitely not a micromanager. It made me wonder about how he was as a boss in his company, The Trump Organization. Chances are, he also delegated down to the underlings and let them handle the mess and get back to him when they had cleaned it up. He is not the type of CEO who goes in there and gets his hands dirty. Like, for example, on his construction sites. He was a builder in his day and he had a lot of buildings put up and you can just imagine that he was not the type of guy to ever get his hands soiled with that plaster and wet concrete.

Similarly, I wonder about you and your own situation. Are you a manager type who delegates or are you the type who micromanages? If you are not in a managerial position, do you have a boss who is a delegator? Or is your boss a micromanager? And which type of management style do you think is most effective and why?

Would love to chat with you about this. If you would like to take a Business English course with us please do not hesitate to contact us at businessenglishparisELG@gmail.com.

Thanks and have a great day!

Thursday, April 30, 2020

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: INDEMNIFY

By Asking China to Indemnify the world for the Coronavirus Covid 19 are World Leaders Setting a Dangerous and Unsustainable Precedent?

French Translation: Indemniser

Hello Darlings! Happy Thursday!

I have been reading in the news that President Trump and others are floating the idea that China will be asked to pay reparations for the economic damage the Covid 19 pandemic has caused. In other words, that China will be asked to "indemnify" the world for the Covid 19 pandemic.

I wonder if that is a wise position to take or not. I completely understand the frustration that world governments and even individuals have with China on this issue because for the moment, it appears that the virus started there, in Wuhan, and it also appears that China was not completely transparent when the whole thing started. I don't know the facts but I would say there is an appearance that there was a lack of complete transparency on the part of China.

However, I am not sure that asking China to pay reparations for a virus - assuming the virus was not deliberately created and unleashed on the world - is a good idea. Why? Because I believe that between now and the end of time, there will be other viruses and probably even more deadly and destructive ones. And they will begin somewhere, in some country, in some human person in the world. I think viruses don't discriminate. They don't care who you are and where you live and how you look. If a virus is going to attack and inhabit a person or animal, so it shall be. And I think all human beings are vulnerable and susceptible and so are all countries.

The risk with forcing China to pay indemnity and to indemnify the rest of the world to the tune of trillions of dollars (which will surely destroy China economically) is that what goes around comes around and one day, it will be another country who is in the same position. And that may not even be so far in the future. It could be next year that the next virus erupts someplace. Are we going to be demanding that countries pay for airborne viruses that are no fault of their own? This kind of precedent that is being set by asking China to indemnify the world for Covid19 is completely dangerous and is totally unsustainable, in my view. I think that as frustrating as this is for everyone, that governments need to cool it, get calm, and think of other solutions. I don't think virus indeminifications should become the new norm. Nobody is going to win with that.

What do you think? Do you agree with me or disagree with me?
Would love to discuss it at our next meeting.

NEED BUSINESS ENGLISH OR LEGAL ENGLISH COACHING? Contact us https://businessenglishparis.blogspot.com/p/cours-anglais-des-affairs-business.html

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: BOTTOM LINE

What is the bottom line with your company's re-opening plans? Are all the shareholders on board?

French translation: resultat

Hello Darling! Happy Wednesday!

Today's word of the day (or words of the day) is "bottom line." When you ask someone "so what is the bottom line here?" whether in business or in general, it means "what's the end result, what is the conclusion."

At work, it could also refer to accounting. What is the company's bottom line could refer to the net profits or net income of the company after expenses are deducted from revenues. This can be distinguished from the top line which refers just to revenues or income without expenses and taxes deducted.

But in general speak, you can just use it to mean what is the conclusion, what is the end result. So I might ask you "what is the bottom line number for you in this negotiation?" Or I can say to you "the bottom line is, this woman and I are incompatible and I don't want to partner with her."

What about you? What are some of your bottom lines at work and at home? I would love to hear about it. If you are looking for an English coach to practice your English conversation skills, do not hesitate to contact us. We are almost available exclusively for English by Telephone (zoom, whatsapp, etc., could potentially be arranged; but we love just the mobile as we find it extremely effective when there isn't the distraction of video but it is up to you.)

Here is a link to one of our offers: https://businessenglishparis.blogspot.com/p/businessenglish-paris-english-series.html

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: STOCKPILING

Have you been secretly stockpiling grudges against one of your colleagues?

French translation: stockage

Hello Darlings, Happy Tuesday!

Hope you are well. So, I am updating today with a word of the day: STOCKPILING. Why stockpiling? Because you hear it so much these days in the context of masks and PPEs (Personal protective equipment for medical professionals in the front lines of fighting the cornavirus)

To be honest with you, because I have heard the word stockpiling so much lately within the context of the coronavirus, I have become slightly obsessed with the subject of "biological warfare." Why? I don't know. I think that after the coronavirus, nations and people will have to consider the ease with which biological warfare and germs and viruses can be stockpiled and used to "incapacitate" in a whole bunch of different ways not the least of which is healthwise. Look, for example, at what coronavirus did to the world economy?!

I just searched on Wikipedia for "biological warfare." Look at the overview of what I found. (Hope I did not quote too much for copyright purposes but I have provided the link and attribution so I should be okay):

Offensive biological warfare, including mass production, stockpiling, and use of biological weapons, was outlawed by the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). The rationale behind this treaty, which has been ratified or acceded to by 170 countries as of April 2013,^[6] is to prevent a biological attack which could conceivably result in large numbers of civilian casualties and cause severe disruption to economic and societal infrastructure.^[7] Many countries, including signatories of the BWC, currently pursue research into the defense or protection against BW, which is not prohibited by the BWC.

A nation or group and that can pose a credible threat of mass casualty has the ability to alter the terms on which other nations or groups interact with it. Biological weapons allow for the potential to create a level of destruction and loss of life far in excess of nuclear, chemical or conventional weapons, relative to their mass and cost of development and storage. Therefore, biological agents may be useful as strategic deterrents in addition to their utility as offensive weapons on the battlefield.^[8]

As a tactical weapon for military use, a significant problem with a BW attack is that it would take days to be effective, and therefore might not immediately stop an opposing force. Some biological agents (smallpox, pneumonic plague) have the capability of person-to-person transmission via aerosolized respiratory droplets. This feature can be undesirable, as the agent(s) may be transmitted by this mechanism to unintended populations, including neutral or even friendly forces. Worse still, such a weapon could "escape" the laboratory where it was developed, even if there was no intent to use it - for example by infecting a researcher who then transmits it to the outside world before realizing that they were infected. Several cases are known of researchers becoming infected and dying of Ebola,^[9]^[10] which they had been working with in the lab (though nobody else was infected in those cases) - while there is no evidence that their work was directed towards BW, it demonstrates the potential for accidental infection even of careful researchers fully aware of the dangers. While containment of BW is less of a concern for certain criminal or terrorist organizations, it remains a significant concern for the military and civilian populations of virtually all nations.

When you read that, does it not give you chills? But I digressed. This post is about "stockpiling." How can we use that word in the context of business? Hme....well, the word means to accumulate, hoard, collect, gather, cache....I imagine you can stockpile data and documents and files. You can stockpile materials (such as pens, staplers, coffee cups). You can stockpile commodities, merchandies, weapons (including viruses and germs for biological warfare) and equipment. You can also "stockpile" grudges against your colleagues.

You can't stockpile people and domestic animals - as a general rule. You stockpile things. Can you stockpile ideas? Can you stockpile goals? Maybe. Can you stockpile livestock? Possibly. I tend to think not but it is possible someone could use the word stockpile to discuss livestock which, technically, is a "thing."

So talk to me about the word "stockpile." What things are stockpiled at your office? Inquiring minds want to know.

Note: During this time, I am offering strictly telephone conversation courses to respect the order of President Emmanuel Macron who has issued a directive as you know that the French population must remain under curfew for the next 15 days. If you would like to start or continue with English conversation lessons therefore, it will be strictly by telephone. I look forward to speaking with you, que même. I have noticed that I now have visitors from countries other than France including Germany, United Arab Emirites, Belgium, Spain and Oman. You are also welcomed to take English conversation with me if you like :)

______________________________________________________________________
Business English Paris is a sister site of Jeannie LaCroix. Please visit our sister site where you can find curated products for busy professionals at www.jeannielacroix.com. Thank you in advance for your support.

Sunday, April 19, 2020

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: UNEMPLOYMENT

What was the rate of unemployment in your country during the Coronavirus of 2020?

French translation: chomage

Hello Darlings! Happy Monday!

It is Monday again, and I am here updating my blog after several days of lazy. 😀As I write, the Coronavirus of 2020 is looking like it is starting to pass us, although, fingers crossed, some are praying there won't be a second wave. Meanwhile, I thought I would write about unemployment. By the time you read this, hopefully, this nightmare virus will be a thing of late night comedic skits. But at the time I am writing, there has been a reported record number of unemployed people around the world.

In the USA, they are saying the rate of unemployment is about as high as it was during the Great Depression. People are literally protesting on the streets, demanding to go back to work. And perhaps with good reason. Because unemployment leads to death, too. We know the coronavirus can kill if you catch it. But chances are good you won't catch it. The majority of people will not catch it. This is statistically true. In the USA, as of this writing, there has been about 60,000 cases of death (or fewer) and about 300,000 known cases of infection (approximately speaking). But the population of the United States is 350,000,000! So this tells you right there the vast majority of people won't catch coronavirus - statistically speaking. At the same time, the vast majority of the working population in the USA and in other countries, have caught the unemployment virus. And that has a lot of very disturbing symtoms as well. And the worst of these is death. People die from suicide, stress and other related causes and secondary effects from unemployment.

I am interested to find out how your country or community or company dealt with this issue of employment vs unemployment. What strategies did they employ to keep people employed. Were there big trillion dollar stimulus packages by your government the way they had in the United States? Did your company agree to let you work part time or flex time and give you a partial wage to avoid you becoming an "unemployment data statistic"? And depending on when you read this, how long did it take for your country to get the unemployment rate back to normal?

Well, that and other topics are open for discussion if you would like to take a Business English conversation course with me. Do contact me to discuss one of our options.

See you in the next one and have a great day.

Note: During this time, I am offering strictly telephone conversation courses to respect the order of President Emmanuel Macron who has issued a directive as you know that the French population must remain under curfew for the next 15 days. If you would like to start or continue with English conversation lessons therefore, it will be strictly by telephone. I look forward to speaking with you, que même. I have noticed that I now have visitors from countries other than France including Germany, United Arab Emirites, Belgium, Spain and Oman. You are also welcomed to take English conversation with me if you like :)

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: PROFITABILITY

What will be the consequences of the Coronavirus on your company's profitability margin this year?

French translation: rentabilité

Happy Tuesday Darlings!

Today's word of the day is PROFITABILITY. As the world watches helplessly as Covid 19 coronavirus snakes its way through all four quadrants of the world, governments, banks, and companies are going to increasingly worry about their profitability margins.

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: PRODUCTIVITY

Describe your productivity levels during the period of confinement in 2020. Did they increase, decrease or remain relatively the same?

French translation: productivité

Hello Darlings! Happy Monday!

It has been a few days since I have had the inclination or wherewhithal to update my blog. I guess you could say that my productivity levels have diminished a little bit and that I am experiencing a little bit of mental burnout. I find this period of confinement and all the bad news very mentally draining. Sure, I am fighting tooth and nail to stay motivated but there comes a time when all this bad news definitely starts to have a negative impact on my ability to focus and get things done. I have become less efficient and there are measurably fewer visible fruits of my labor the longer this situation persists.

What about you? Are you feeling at all impacted by the confinement? Do you think you have become less efficient because of it? Are you finding that you are producing less than you normally would? And are your lower productivity levels directly correlated to the confinement? Is telecomuting a drag? Tell the truth. Because sometimes we are just lazy and our productivity comes in waves and sometimes we feel it and sometimes we don't and it has nothing really to do with being confined or anything other than just us. So tell the truth. If you are not feeling as productive as you want to feel, if your output is measurably less, what is the real reason? What is the real cause? Because correlation is not necessarily causation.

What is productivity by definition?

. A measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, system, etc., in converting inputs into useful outputs. Productivity is computed by dividing average output per period by the total costs incurred or resources (capital, energy, material, personnel) consumed in that period. from businessdictionary.com

So not only people's productivity is measured by also machines, factories, systems, etc. You can, for example, measure the productivity of a robot, if your company is into robotics and automation technology to create a more efficient workplace.

How do you maximize your productivity at work, by the way? Are there any specific strategies you use? Do you drink a lot of coffee, for example? Work out during the middle of the day at the company gym? Have regular brainstorming sessions with colleagues? Study with gurus? How do you stay fertile mentally and keep producing and keep increasing your output? And by output, obviously I mean things that are worthwhile and good and helpful and useful and valuable. Because I think it is possible to have negative productivity. It is possible to also produce things which are harmful and bad. Do you agree with my assessment or do you think productivity by definition means something "positive"?

If you are in a position of leadership, how do you help your subordinates to maximise their positive productivity?

Today's Deals

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: LAUNCH

The Word of the Day is LAUNCH

Do you think that your company will launch a public health campaign after Covid 19 and if so what will it entail?

French translation, lancement

Hello Darlings! Happy Wednesday!

Hope you are doing well today. The word I chose for today is LAUNCH. In English it means to "start or set in motion an activity or enterprise." So you can launch a company as well as you can launch a campaign or an activity or program. Things like that.

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORDS OF THE DAY: EXIT STRATEGY

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: EXIT STRATEGY

Do your political leaders have an exit strategy out of the coronavirus confinement & lockdown quagmire?

French translation, stratégie de sortie

Hello Darlings! Happy Monday!

I was just looking up the translation of "exit strategy" in French because I have exit strategy on my mind. I was thinking about the coronavirus actually, and I just read this morning an article somewhere, I forgot which one, that a politician in UK said that with masks being mandated in the workplace, the country can begin to think of an exit strategy.

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: BILLS

Are you worried about the pile up of bills now that you have been out of work for several weeks?

French translation, factures

Hello Darlings! Happy Friday!

It is 6:00 p.m. and I am finally getting around to my word of the day which is BILLS. I guess I lost the entire day just thinking about my own bills and wondering how the dickens I am going to pay for it all with the ongoing saga known as coronavirus.

What about you? As a business professional with a steady, fulltime job, I don't imagine you ever really worry about your bills.

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: ROBOTICS

After the coronavirus do you think your company will turn to robotics for solutions such as staffing? Are you soon to have more digital colleagues?

French translation, la robotique

Hello Darlings! Happy Thursday!

Darlings, I am feeling incredibly lazy and burnt-out. I can't keep up my manic schedule with blogging and youtube and all the rest of it. Like, omg I need a robot. :)

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: ETHOS

Has your company or organization made Employee Morale a fundamental part of its business ethos?

French translation, éthos

Hello Darlings! Happy Tuesday!

Let's talk about the core values and business ethos of your company or organization. What would you say is your company's ethos with regard to employee morale as a genderal rule? Do you feel that employee morale is important to your leaders in your organization? Is it a priority or an afterthought?

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: ENVIRONMENT

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: ENVIRONMENTWill coronavirus be good for the environment?

French translation is environnement?

Hello Darlings! Happy Monday!

I have no idea if I have the french translation correct on this one so don't quote me, as usual....But I really wanted to know what your thoughts were on this question of the environment and whether the coronavirus will actually be good for the environment. In China, it looks like it is good.

CORONAVIRUS VOCABULARY FOR BUSINESS ENGLISH LEARNERS

Coronavirus Vocabulary for Business English Learners

Best Practices – Refers to a set of practices, actions, behaviors and guidelines that are employed by a company or business to achieve the highest efficacy and efficiency in a situation. So, in other words, what is the smartest and best way to handle specific issues. What actions need to be taken to achieve the best outcome in a situation?

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: ZERO SUM

Is Gender Equality treated like a zero sum game in your workplace?

French translation: jeu à somme nulle?

Hello Darlings! Happy Friday!

I don't know if the French translation for ZERO SUM GAME is correct as I have it.

AMAZON

I just looked at Google Translate. I have never actually seen this expression written anywhere in French so I am not sure. Is this expression good french? Jeu à somme nulle?

Wednesday Water Cooler Hot Topics: What would you do if you made a big mistake at work that could cost your company big bucks?

Hello all,

It's Thursday evening. So that means it is time for me to remember that I forgot all about the Wednesday Watercooler hypothetical. Why do I always forget the Wednesday watercooler hypothetical?

This week I would like you to imagine the following:

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS WORD OF THE DAY: FRIVOLOUS

French translation: frivole, vaniteux, peu sérieux

Hello Darlings! Happy Thursday!

I hope you are doing well? And that you are making the best you can of the circumstances...

So, the word for today is FRIVOLOUS. I was just reading an article in Inc.com and I saw the word and I liked it right away for the word of the day. The exact quote in Inc.com was:

Quay Women's Frivolous Sunglasses

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS WORD OF THE DAY: LEADERSHIP

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS WORD OF THE DAY IS LEADERSHIP

Do you consider yourself a good leader with good leaderhsip skills? Or to you prefer to leave the leading to someone else?

French translation is la direction, le leadership

Hello Darlings! Happy Wednesday!

So, today I have chosen the word LEADERSHIP as the word of the day for Business English Paris. How does this word translate in your language?

AMAZON

If we were to have this conversation about leadership, the question I would start out with would be as outlined above: Do you consider yourself a good leader with good leadership skills? How much experience have you had with leadership where you were the one at the helm? Do you like being in a leadership position or do you prefer to leave the leading to someone else?

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS: WORD OF THE DAY IS BLAME

THE WORD OF THE DAY IS BLAME: Have you ever been blamed for something at work which was not your fault?

French translation is reproche, blâme, accuse

Hello darlings! Happy Tuesday!

I have lost count of what day it is of the Confinement, however I can attest that it is very difficult to remain motivated during such a long period of sitting at home staring at the walls. Luckily, I had started this blog a week or so before the virus hit the West, so it does offer a reprieve and since then I have opened up all these social media channels including Tik Tok, Linkedin and Youtube.

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: SEDUCTION

Business English Word of the Day: Seduction

Can you use Seduction techniques in a corporate setting to obtain a competitive advantage?

French translation: seduction

Hello Darlings! Happy Monday!

I am very late with my word of the day today. My day just sort of got away from me and I was not able to get to it until now. So sorry. But based on all the comments I have gotten so far (zero!)

The Art of Seduction at Work???

I am not even sure if anyone reads this blog so maybe nobody even noticed that I missed the word of the day. Which, if you want to know the truth, is both good and bad.

Anyway, the word I chose for today is seduction.

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: Incommunicado

The Word of the Day today for Business English Paris is INCOMMUNICADO

In French it means au secret, isolé, séquestrer

Hello Darlings! Happy Sunday!

I am working seven days per week now because it is better than sitting in my studio staring at the walls. What an appropriate word I found today for you. INCOMMUNICADO.

You may need this while you are incommunicado

The French for this is, I think, isolé. But as per usual, don't quote me.

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: Motivational

When was the last time you had to write a motivational letter?BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS Word of the Day is Motivational

French Translation is...explicative?

Hi Darlings!

It is Saturday and I am working on the blog, tapping away feverishly on my laptop, like a busy little bee. How committed I am, right? Well, maybe my motivation is not so pure. Maybe I am a little bit selfish. Maybe I am working on Saturday to keep myself occupied and fend off boredom. But I also like to find new words to share with you as well, so it is not just all about me being selfish. :)

https://amzn.to/33B3krK

HOW TO TELECOMMUTE DURING THE CORONAVIRUS CONFINEMENT :10 Tips for the Successful Telecommuter

TELECOMMUTE SUCCESSFULLY WITH THESE 10 TIPS

Hi telecommuting professionals. In this article, I would like to share my ideas of how you can make your telecommuting situation more successful. Do you agree with my ideas? Do you want to discuss your own ideas and what you think will work for you if you had to telecommute?

Here are the things I think you would need to consider:

1. Make sure your job is really suitable to telecommuting before you even agree to it in the first place.

2. Take your shower, brush your teeth and dress like you are really going to work even if you will be staying at home all day long.

3. Set specific "work day" hours like the ones you would really put in at the office.

4. Use your "commuting" time (the time you would normally be in the train or bus on your way to and from work) to catch up on reading the news, learning a new language from an app and listening to music quietly in your headphone.

5. Organize your desk and workspace as if you mean business.

6. Make sure your phones are charged and working properly so that you can keep up with the team by mobile and so that they can get in touch with you easily if needed. And have a system in place where you can get tech support if needed.

7. Take 30 minutes or an hour out of the day for lunch, and get a walk outside of the house during this time. Also factor in two 15 minute coffee breaks as well during the day.

8. Don't encourage interruptions from family members. Keep the door to your workspace closed and put up a "don't disturb" sign.

9. Be sure you understand fundamentally what is expected of you and what you can realistically

deliver and communicate that to your higher ups.

10. Install software that allows you to measure your productivity.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: BOTTOM UP

TODAY'S BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS WORD OF THE DAY IS Bottom Up.

French translation could be "une approche en profondeur" or "une approche ascendante".

Hello Darlings!

It is 01:31 in the morning and I am up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, working like a dog on the Business English Paris blog. No, I did not work all day and night. Don't worry. I actually didn't do much during the day yesterday because the confinement was getting to me and I did not feel productive. But later in the afternoon, after a long nap and a long talk with myself, I got a second wind. And since late afternoon, I have been working on this or the other thing, including a new YouTube video for the yesterday's word of the day: UNCONVENTIONAL. If you are ever curious about my videos, you can check my Instagram or Youtube all of which should be displayed in the sidebar, assuming that you have a browser that does not rearrange my blog (which would be very maddening, to be honest.)

So. I chose a crazy word for the day today at Business English Paris. BOTTOM UP. It is crazy because even in English, it is not a word I use. I am not really an expert on this word. When I think of BOTTOM UP, I think of management styles. You can have either a Bottom up or a Top down management style. What that means is you either have a leadership system where the top management makes all the decisions (top down) or a leadership system where lower level employees as well as upper executives share in the decision-making process of the company (bottom up).

That's about all I know about BOTTOM UP and TOP DOWN. I did do a quick research, though, and discovered that it pertains to more than just management. These terms can be used in various contexts including investing, design, forecasting, budgeting, economics, finance, and construction.

My question for you is how is your company structured? Is it BOTTOM UP or TOP DOWN?

If it is BOTTOM UP, then there is a lot of collaboration and communication between departments and sectors in order to make decisions. All employees have a voice and a say in the decision-making process and they often feel valued, and they have a sense of ownership of the outcomes for the company. In a bottom up company, the managers focus on building morale. Is this the type of company you work for? Can you give specific examples of why you think so?

On the other hand, you may not feel so valued by upper management in your company. You may feel like you have no say in the company's goal setting and macro decision making. Can you talk to me about that? Are high level CEOs the ones to make all the decisions and set the goals for the company? Do they delegate down the ladder to lower level employees? Do they adapt a "Big Picture" approach to decision-making? Do they delegate tasks to lower level employees? Is there a clear hierarchical character to your company where authority figures determine the larger goals of the company and then delegate tasks to the lower level employees?

What group do you belong to in your company? Are you one of the upper level executives or are you one of the lower level employees? Do you think that your company's leadership structure and system is the appropriate one for the company? Why or why not?

Note: During this time, I am offering strictly telephone conversation courses to respect the order of President Emmanuel Macron who has issued a directive as you know that French population must remain under curfew for the next 15 days. If you would like to start or continue with English conversation lessons therefore, it will be strictly by telephone. I look forward to speaking with you, que même.

______________________________________________________________________
Business English Paris is a sister site of Jeannie LaCroix. Please visit our sister site where you can find curated products for busy professionals at www.jeannielacroix.com. Thank you in advance for your support.

Wednesday Water Cooler Confessions: Is Your Spouse Getting on Your Nerves During the Coronavirus-Telecommuting-Work-From-Home Situation?

Wednesday Water Cooler Confessions: HYPOTHETICAL 3

Is Your Spouse Getting on Your Nerves During the Coronavirus- Telecommuting-Work-From-Home Situation?

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: UNCONVENTIONAL

The Word of the Day for Business English Paris is UNCONVENTIONAL
The French translation is non conventionnel, peu orthodoxe

Hi Darlings!

I am a little bit low energy today. The coronavirus situation and the resultant confinement is beginning to take a toll on my psyche. It is very difficult to stay motivated in this type of situation. But I will try to stay focused as I am sure you are too. (Btw, check my Instagram feed for a video of this word of the day @businessenglishparis)

So for today, the Business English Paris word is unconventional. I can't even think of an intelligent question to ask you, quite frankly. My head is completely blank. OMG.

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: TELECOMMUTING

The word of the Day is TELECOMMUTING

French translation télétravail

TELECOMMUTING IS THE NEW NORMAL WORLDWIDE AS COMPANIES SCRAMBLE TO STEM THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS

Hello Darlings! Happy Wednesday!

I hope you are doing as well as you can under the circumstances.
Today's Business English Paris word of the day is TELECOMMUTING. (There is a video of this word of the day on my Instagram feed @businessenglishparis)

The working lives of people all over the world has been drastically changed because of the coronavirus outbreak. Many people are forced to "telecommute" to their jobs.

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS' WORD OF THE DAY: HIRE

Today's Word of the Day from Business English Paris is HIRE
French translation is embaucher

Good morning, Darlings!

I hope you are taking care of yourselves during this global coronovirus pandemic. I am doing my best to stay healthy on my end.

The Brain Sensing Headband - Guided Meditation and Sleep Multi Sensor Headset

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: GLOBALIZED

French translation is mondialisé

Hello Darlings! Happy Monday!

Today's word of the day is globalized. If we were having a conversation, you and I, where could we take the conversation? I guess in so many different directions.

10 Expressions You Will Use at Work at Some Point

HERE ARE 10 COMMON WORKPLACE EXPRESSIONS. CAN YOU HAVE A CONVERSATION USING EACH ONE?

1. Apply for a job

QUESTION: When was the last time you had to "apply" for a job? Talk to me about that process and what it was, or is, like.

2. Get offered a job

QUESTION: When you got offered your last job, why did you decide to accept it?

3. Get Fired

QUESTION: Do you think that getting fired can be a good thing? Why or why not?

4. Be Made Redundant

QUESTION/ Do you think there is a difference between how a person who has been made redundant feels as compared to someone who was put at the door? Or does the impact of both feel the same?

5. Get a promotion

QUESTION: How did you feel when you were last promoted? Was the promotion all it was cracked up to be?

6. Resign

QUESTION: Can you give me 3 scenarios where you can see yourself resigning from your current position?

7. Be on Sick Leave

QUESTION: Do you think that people should take a sick leave if they have a common cold or only if they have flu?

8. Be Out Sick

QUESTION: When your colleagues are out sick, do you ever feel resentful when you have to do their jobs?

9. Be on Paternity Leave

QUESTION: Do you think men should get the same amount of paternity leave as their partners when a new baby arrives?

10. Be on Maternity Leave

QUESTION: Do you think that women who take long maternity leaves should lose their jobs (but not necessarily get fired from the company?)

___________________________________________________________
Contact us if you want to take Business English Conversation lessons by Telephone.

Friday, March 13, 2020

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY: UPMARKET.

BUSINESS ENGLISH WORD OF THE DAY IS UPMARKET

Do You Like Going to Upmarket Bars With Your Coworkers For Happy Hour?

French translation is raffiné

Hello Darlings! TGIF!

I feel like it has been such a long while since I have added a new word to Business English Paris' lexicon. Why is that? Well, not to give you excuses but the week has not evolved exactly as predicted. For two days my Internet was not working and I had to have the technicians come to see wtf was going on. I was very livid because I hate when I have energy and momentum only to be blocked by invisible occurrences. Plus, earlier in the week, I was really tired from the weekend to the French Alps so it was a strange week. I needed to unwind by doing a lot of yoga. I created a couple of new podcasts, though, and I started a new social media. Tik Tok. I am on Tik Tok. Don't laugh. Me. On Tik Tok. Too funny 😜 So it is not like I was a TOTAL slacker.

Yoga mat with Carrying Strap

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS: Are you Guilty of Any of these BAD Habits While at Work?

Online Shopping, baby

Which of the following 6 BAD habits are you Guilty of While At Work? TELL THE TRUTH!!

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS: Wednesday Water Cooler Confessions HYPOTHETICAL 2

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS: Word of the Day is BOOM

French translation is La Prospérité, L'expansion

Good Morning Darlings!

How are you all today? I hope great. 😊 It is Tuesday and the news reports are pretty grim concerning the Corona Virus COVID - 19 which seems to be spreading across the rest of the world at an alarming vitesse after an apparent debut in China, where thousands of people have reportedly died.

Samsung Smart Watch

In Europe the number of casualties and of people testing positive for the virus are increasing daily with countries like Italy being particularly hard-hit.

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS: Word of the Day is LEISURE

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS: Word of the Day is LEISURE.

How important is leisure for a busy working professional like you? What are your leisure time activities?

French translation is loisir

Good morning darlings! Happy Monday. I am getting a very late start to the day. I can barely keep my eyes open in fact.

Chamonix, Mont Blanc

I am very tired and exceptionally will head to bed right after I finish this post. I probably will have to edit it because I am too tired to edit. I have to recover from my LEISURE weekend. 😄😅😅 .

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS: WORD OF THE DAY IS BURNOUT

French translation is: burnout, épuisement

Hello my darlings,

How are you today? I hope great. I feel like I am talking to myself when I ask these questions. Nobody reads my stupid blog. 😆 Well, maybe one day I will have a reader.

Perfect luggage for an adult with burnout

For now, I happily talk to myself....So, today is Friday and I decided to select the word BURNOUT for Business English Paris today. Why? I don't know. It seemed weirdly appropriate to select that word on a Friday in early March for some strange reason.

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS: PRESENT PERFECT VS SIMPLE PAST

Teaching Business English has its challenges and one of the biggest challenges I have had as a Business English coach is explaining to my students when to use the Simple Past and when to use the Present Perfect. I think the problem is that for native speakers, we often don’t care about the grammatical rules and we conflate these two tenses quite a lot, and we never really think about what differentiates them. So, when it is time to explain to an English learner how to choose between the two, I often feel like a deer in headlights.

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS: Word of the Day is BUSINESS ATTIRE

WHAT CONSTITUTES "BUSINESS ATTIRE" THESE DAYS?
French translation is tenue d'affaires

Good morning darlings, from Business English Paris blog. Today's word of the day is "Business Attire." Google Translate says the French translation is tenue d'affaires. It sounds right but if it isn't you are as usual welcomed to correct me, because I readily admit that my French is off-the-charts horrific.

Adidas cool

https://amzn.to/2ImXdgQ

So what even is business attire these days? Back in the 90s in New York, career women were wearing sneakers with their suits on the subway and I remember visiting Paris

Pourquoi les Français parlent-ils si mal l'anglais ?

Business English Paris is now on Quora. I was browsing there this afternoon and saw this question about why French people speak such bad English. I thought it was a very interesting question and very relevant to Business English Paris' mission to help French professionals improve their English communication skills. So, I left a response on Quora (one of my first) and then I wrote a more lengthy response which I just uploaded to Business English Paris' LinkedIn page If you would like to read my response, you can do so here.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS: What would you do if you were offered an exciting job opportunity in a foreign country but your spouse refuses to go?

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS: Water Cooler Confessions

So, I have just conceived a new section of Business English Paris - the blog, which will be called Water Cooler Confessions. The idea is to use your imagination to imagine what you would do in a certain situation and then discuss it. So, with the Water Cooler Confessions, Business English Paris (that would be me) will provide you with a hypothetical and you are tasked with imagining how you would react, and then discussing that in perfect English with me. One word answers are verboten.

Business English Paris Water Cooler Confessions

https://amzn.to/2PLAgs6

Business English Paris Water Cooler Confessions: HYPOTHETICAL 1

Imagine that, by a stroke of serendipity you have been offered an exciting job opportunity in a far-flung locale. The assignment will be for five years.
The job will mean you will have to relocate to a foreign country.
It is your dream job.
You have always wanted to work abroad, and international opportunities in your field just don't come up that often.

BUSINESS ENGLISH PARIS WORD OF THE DAY: TROUBLESHOOT

Cours Business English Paris word of the day is TROUBLESHOOT
French translation is intervenir pour régler un problème

Has your boss ever asked you to "troubleshoot"a problem that is someone else's responsibility? How did you react?

Troubleshooting

Good Morning darlings!

It's too early in the morning. I woke up before my alarm (it is set for 5:00) and figured I would just get an earlier start to my blogging than planned. But no question I need to troubleshoot this situation with waking up before my alarm!