Business English Speaking Practice: Questions for Business Negotiations

 

Questions

GENERAL EXPERIENCES AND OPINIONS

1. Have you ever been involved in a negotiation, either in your personal life or at work? If so, can you share the experience? [Avez-vous déjà été impliqué dans une négociation, que ce soit dans votre vie personnelle ou au travail ? Si oui, pouvez-vous partager cette experience?] 

2. Do you think negotiations are more challenging in a professional setting or in personal relationships? Why? [Pensez-vous que les négociations sont plus difficiles dans un cadre professionnel ou dans le cadre de relations personnelles? Pourquoi?]

3. Have you ever negotiated with people from other countries? If so, did you notice that the French negotiate differently? Please explain. [Avez-vous déjà négocié avec des personnes d'autres pays ? Si oui, avez-vous remarqué que les Français négocient différemment ?  Expliquez.]

4. Do you prefer face-to-face negotiations or negotiating through written communication (emails, messages)? Why? [Préférez-vous les négociations en face à face ou les négociations par le biais de la communication écrite (courriels, messages)? Pourquoi?]

5. Have you negotiated with a competitor? If so, what is the best approach? [Avez-vous négocié avec un concurrent ? Si oui, quelle est la meilleure approche?]

Answer: We approach negotiations with competitors cautiously, focusing on areas of potential collaboration or mutual benefit.

C1 English Listening Practice: 13 Negotiation Tactics & Business Vocabulary

 

Common Negotiation Tactics
When it comes to negotiation, there are several well-established tactics that can help you navigate a difficult conversation and, ideally, secure a favorable outcome.

Vocabulary 1

A. Give up (phrasal verb) [French: renoncer à, abandonner, céder]: To stop having or trying to get something. Example: I had to give up my seat to an elderly passenger. (J'ai dû céder ma place à une personne âgée.)

B. Rapport (noun) [French: bonne entente, relation de confiance]: A friendly and trusting relationship between people. Example: She quickly built a good rapport with her new colleagues. (Elle a rapidement établi une bonne relation de confiance avec ses nouveaux collègues.)

C. From the outset (expression) [French: dès le début, dès le départ]: From the very beginning of something. Example: We knew from the outset that the project would be difficult. (Nous savions dès le départ que le projet serait difficile.)

D. Receptive (adjective) [French: réceptif, réceptive, ouvert(e)]: Willing to listen to or accept new ideas. Example: The students were very receptive to the new teaching method. (Les étudiants étaient très réceptifs à la nouvelle méthode d'enseignement.)

English Listening Practice: Walking and Its Health Benefits | B1-B2 English

 

Vocabulary:

A. Cardiovascular fitness (noun) [French: forme cardiovasculaire]: The ability of the heart and lungs to work well during exercise. Example: Regular exercise can improve cardiovascular fitness. (Faire régulièrement de l’exercice peut améliorer la forme cardiovasculaire.)

B. Stroke (noun) [French: accident vasculaire cérébral (AVC)]: A serious condition caused by a problem with blood flow to the brain. Example: His grandfather had a stroke last year. (Son grand-père a eu un AVC l’année dernière.)

C. Type 2 diabetes (noun) [French: diabète de type 2]: A disease that causes high blood sugar levels. Example: A healthy diet can help prevent type 2 diabetes. (Une alimentation saine peut aider à prévenir le diabète de type 2.)

D. Anxiety (noun) [French: anxiété]: A feeling of worry, fear, or nervousness. Example: She felt anxiety before her job interview. (Elle ressentait de l’anxiété avant son entretien d’embauche.)

E. Brisk walking (noun phrase) [French: marche rapide]: Walking at a fast pace that increases your breathing and heart rate.

Verb form: Go for a brisk walk. Example: We went brisk walking (We went for a brisk walk) around the park after lunch. (Nous avons fait une marche rapide dans le parc après le déjeuner.)

F. Count (verb) [French: être considéré comme]: To be considered part of something. Example: Does a part-time job count as work experience? (Un emploi à temps partiel est-il considéré comme une expérience professionnelle ?)

G. Moderate-intensity physical activity (noun phrase) [French: activité physique d’intensité modérée]: Physical activity that makes you breathe faster but still allows conversation. Example: Cycling to work is moderate-intensity physical activity. (Faire du vélo pour aller au travail est une activité physique d’intensité modérée.)

H. Guidelines (noun) [French: recommandations]: Official advice about how to do something safely or correctly. Example: The company published new guidelines for working from home. (L’entreprise a publié de nouvelles recommandations pour le télétravail.)

I. Aerobic activity (noun) [French: activité aérobique]: Physical activity that makes your heart and breathing work harder. Example: Swimming is a good aerobic activity. (La natation est une bonne activité aérobique.)

J. At once (expression) [French: d’un seul coup / en une seule fois]: All at the same time or in one period. Example: I cannot answer all these questions at once. (Je ne peux pas répondre à toutes ces questions en même temps.)

K. Inactive (adjective) [French: inactif / inactive]: Not doing much physical activity or exercise. Example: He became inactive after he started working from home. (Il est devenu inactif après avoir commencé à travailler à domicile.)

English Listening Practice B1: Clutter, Mental Clutter and Feeling Overwhelmed

 

Vocabulary
A. Clutter (noun): [le désordre, l’encombrement, le fouillis]

B. Obvious (adjective) [évident, évidente]: Easy to understand or see immediately. Example: The answer was obvious to everyone in the room. (La réponse était évidente pour tout le monde dans la salle.)

C. Feel overwhelmed (expression) [se sentir dépassé(e)]: Feel unable to deal with everything you must do. Example: I feel overwhelmed when I have too many deadlines. (Je me sens dépassé(e) quand j’ai trop de délais à respecter.)
Q: Talk about the last time you felt overwhelmed.

Pronunciation: overwhelmed /o-veur-wèlmd/

D. Countless (adjective) [innombrable, d’innombrables]: Too many to count. Example: She has visited countless museums around the world. (Elle a visité d’innombrables musées dans le monde.)

E. Unorganized (adjective) [désorganisé, mal organisé]: Not arranged in a clear or orderly way. Example: His notes are unorganized, so they are difficult to use. (Ses notes sont désorganisées, donc elles sont difficiles à utiliser.)
Q: What things in your home or at work are unorganized? Why?

F. Matter (verb) [avoir de l’importance, compter]: Be important or have an effect. Example: Your opinion matters to me. (Ton opinion compte pour moi.)
Q: When you buy a product, does the brand matter to you? What matters the most

G. Thoughts (noun) [pensées]: Ideas or opinions that exist in your mind. Example: I write down my thoughts before going to bed. (J’écris mes pensées avant d’aller me coucher.)

H. Worries (noun) [inquiétudes, soucis]: Problems or fears that make you feel anxious. Example: Talking to a friend can help you forget your worries. (Parler à un ami peut vous aider à oublier vos soucis.)

I. Lead to (phrasal verb) [mener à, entraîner]: Cause something to happen or develop. Example: Lack of sleep can lead to serious mistakes at work. (Le manque de sommeil peut entraîner de graves erreurs au travail.)