Business_spotlight_02_maerz_2019.pdf

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THE LANGUAGE OF HUMAN RESOURCES MÄRZ 2019

2  — 19

Special Report

TOP TIPS

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EDITORIAL

100 tips for success This is the 100th issue of Business Spotlight — an appropriate moment to look back at some of the many tips we have provided since our first magazine.

I Foto: Gert Krautbauer

n ancient Rome, a “centurion” was an officer in the army who commanded a “century”, a group of 100 soldiers (from the Latin centum, meaning 100).The terms “century” and “centurion” are still used in English, but with a different meaning. The most common usage of “century” is, of course, to refer to a period of 100 years. But the term is also used in cricket — don’t worry, I’m not going to try to explain the laws of the game — to mean a score by a single player of 100 runs, the cricket term for points. And a player who scores 100 runs is called a “centurion”. With this 100th issue of Business Spotlight, we are also now centurions in a manner of speaking. To celebrate this special milestone,

March 2001: the first issue of Business Spotlight

EDITORIAL

we have put together 100 tips and quotes — one from each issue of the magazine to date — to help you to communicate better in English at work (pp. 46–53). We hope you enjoy our selection. I would like to say a special thanks to you — our readers, listeners and users — for your support and feedback since 2001. And I’d also like to thank all our authors, editors and other colleagues, both in the Business Spotlight team and other departments at Spotlight Verlag.

PS: For details on how you can vote for your favourite Business Spotlight cover, see page 82.

IAN MCMASTER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF i.mcmaster@ spotlight-verlag.de

2/2019 Business Spotlight

3 

34

CONTENTS 2/2019 The Big Picture

6 South Korea  M Relaxing in a mock prison

Working World

8 Names & News  E  M  A    The latest from the world of business

Intercultural Communication

12 United Kingdom  A    Beyond Brexit: the challenges facing the UK

Global Business

22 Consumer Brands  A  Selling in good conscience

Facts & Figures

26 LEGO  A  The building of an empire

Language Test

28 Marketing  E M  A  How well do you know the correct terms?

Viewpoint

33  It’s Personal  A Elisabeth Ribbans on modern slavery

Language section 54 V  ocabulary An observatory  E 56  Easy English Dealing with interruptions  E    58  Translation Tricky translations  M 59  Language Cards To pull out and practise 62 G  rammar Present simple and present continuous  M    64  English on the Move Using “Boris bikes”  M    65  Key Words Vocabulary from this issue 

4 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

Business Skills

34 Leadership (2)  A    The challenges of managing change

Cover story Special

46 100 Top Tips  M   Useful advice from the first 100 issues of Business Spotlight

Business Skills

How to help your team deal with workplace changes

Technology

66 English 4.0  M   The Davos revolution

Careers & Management

68 Coaching  M What it is and how it works 76 How to...  M   Work effectively from home 77 Executive Eye  A  Adrian Furnham on dealing with cynics

Work & Relax

78 In the Zone  M Conversations at work 80 Away from Your Desk  M Tips for your off-duty hours

And Finally...

84 One Question  A How many people visit the queen at her home each year?

Regular sections 3 44 63 82 83

Editorial SprachenShop Classified Ads Feedback / Jargon Buster Preview / Impressum

12

Intercultural Communication Reversing history? The UK, the EU and Brexit

Learning with Business Spotlight

Business Spotlight Plus Practise the language used in the magazine with our exercise booklet. Learn the vocabulary of leadership and change. Business Spotlight Audio Our audio product offers more than 70 minutes of texts, dialogues, exercises and interviews.

46

Business Spotlight in the Classroom To order this six-page supplement for teachers and trainers, send an email to: schulmedien@ spotlight-verlag.de

SPECIAL: 100 Top Tips

Useful advice from our first 100 issues

SKILL UP! Our vocabulary booklet offers a wide range of terms and expressions. In this issue, learn the language of human resources.

68 Let coaching take you to the top

CONTENTS

Foto: Guy Bell/Alamy Stock Photo; Illustrationen: Yann Bastard; JDawnInk/iStock.com

Careers & Management

For more articles, audio and exercises: www.business-spotlight.de www.facebook.com/businessspotlight

Language in Business Spotlight ➻ Articles use the style, spelling, punctuation and pronunciation of British English unless otherwise marked. ➻ Articles that use American style, spelling, punctuation and pronunciation are marked with “US”.

Approximately at CEF level A2

Approximately at CEF levels B1–B2

Approximately at CEF levels C1–C2

CEF: European Framework of Reference for Languages ifml.: informal word or phrase vulg.: vulgar word or phrase; sl.: slang word or phrase non-stand.: non-standard word or phrase UK: chiefly British usage; US: chiefly North American usage

➽

READERS’ SERVICE

Email  [email protected]  Internet  www.spotlight-verlag.de Telephone  +49 (0)89/12 14 07 10 Fax  +49 (0)89/12 14 07 11

2/2019 Business Spotlight

5 

6 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

THE BIG PICTURE SOUTH KOREA

Locked in MEDIUM

Most of us try to avoid going to prison. But in South Korea, some people are allowing themselves to be locked up — and are even paying for the privilege. The would-be inmates want to escape their stressful working lives. They pay about €80 to spend 24 hours behind bars at “Prison Inside Me”, a mock prison. They give up their mobile phones, wear a prison uniform and sleep on a yoga mat in a room with a toilet but no mirror. Co-founder Noh Ji-Hyang says the idea came from her husband, a busy prosecutor. “He said he would rather go into solitary confinement for a week to take a rest and feel better. That was the beginning,” Noh told Reuters. The facility opened in 2013. Since then, it’s had over 2,000 visitors. “After a stay in the prison, people say, ‘This is not a prison, the real prison is where we return to’,” she commented.

Foto: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters/picture-alliance

behind bars

,  hinter Gittern

[(prQsIkju:tE]  , Staatsanwalt/-anwältin

co-founder

solitary confinement

, Mitgründer(in)

, Einzelhaft

facility [fE(sIlEti]  , Einrichtung

would-be inmate

[)kEU (faUndE] 

Say goodbye to your mobile: it’s not needed in prison

prosecutor

[bi)haInd (bA:z] 

mock [mQk]  , Attrappe; hier: Pseudo-

[)sQlEtEri kEn(faInmEnt] 

[)wUd bi: (InmeIt]  ,  Insasse/Insassin auf

eigenen Wunsch (would-be  , Möchtegern-)

2/2019 Business Spotlight

7 

WORKING WORLD NAMES & NEWS

Super expensive: Vancouver

CANADA  

Sky-high prices In most places, to be homeless means also to be jobless. But Vancouver has a diffe­ rent problem: housing in the Canadian city is so overpriced that even well-paid construction workers and tradespeople are living in illegal settlements, such as under elevated train tracks. Mike Diddy works as a drywaller, building an apartment tower where con­ dominium prices start at Can$ 500,000 (about €330,000). He lives in a converted school bus because he says he can’t afford monthly rents of nearly Can$ 2,000 for a one-bedroom apartment. “For me to get a place I’d want to be [living in], I would 8 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

MEDIUM AUDIO PLUS

have to have two or three roommates and we probably wouldn’t get along at the end of it,” Diddy told Maclean’s magazine. City officials mainly ignore the illegal campers, unless there are complaints. That was the case when a local business reported that someone had been stealing power by running an extension cord from a motorhome parked on the street to the firm’s outdoor socket. Diddy doesn’t need to steal power, though. The 38-year-old uses two marine batteries to provide electricity on the bus. “They last forever — as long as I’m not blending margaritas,” he comments.

,  etw. mixen

blend sth. [blend] 

housing [(haUzIN]  ,  Wohnraum, Wohnungen

condominium

marine battery

, Eigentumswohnung

, Schiffsbatterie

converted [kEn(v§:tId]  , umgebaut

motorhome

[)kQndE(mIniEm] N. Am. 

drywaller [(draIwO:lE] N. Am. , Trockenbauer(in) elevated [(elIveItId]  , erhöht get along [)get E(lQN]  ,  (miteinander) auskommen, sich verstehen

homeless [(hEUmlEs]  , obdachlos

[mE)ri:n (bÄtEri] 

[(mEUtEhEUm] 

, Wohnmobil

roommate

[(ru:mmeIt] 

, Mitbewohner(in)

run an extension cord

[)rVn En Ik(stenS&n kO:d] 

,  ein Verlängerungskabel verlegen

socket [(sQkIt]  , Steckdose

WORKING WORLD

GLOBAL

Understanding fashion’s messages EASY

Does Melania Trump’s clothing have a message? And do your fashion choices say something about your personality? Questions like these are the subject of fashion psychology. Carolyn Mair cre­ ated the first psychology of fashion de­ gree programme, in 2014. Mair, a neuro­ scientist, teaches at the University of the Arts London. She told the Financial Times that up to now, the field has been largely ignored. “I think that’s because of the rep­ utation that fashion has as frivolous and

frilly, rather than one of the world’s largest economies.” Fashion psychologist Dawnn Karen teaches at the Fashion Institute of Tech­ nology in New York. The 30-year-old is often asked by the media to comment on the First Lady’s fashion choices. “She doesn’t talk, and she doesn’t show any emotion on her face, so everyone wants to know, ‘What is she thinking?’” Karen says of Trump. “Fortunately, she’s really expressive through her clothes.”

Melania: what is she saying?

degree programme

[di(gri: )prEUgrÄm] UK 

, Studiengang

frilly [(frIli]  , aufgeputzt;

hier: schmückend frivolous [(frIvElEs]  , unseriös

PROFILE

Not lost in space

Fotos: Max Baumann/iStock.com; Mandel Ngan, Roy Rochlin/Getty Images; CSIRO

I was not raised with wealth or resources or any social standing to speak of

MEDIUM AUDIO

Eyes on the stars: Dr Megan Clark

Author (Becoming) and former US First Lady Michelle Obama, 55 raise (a child)

social standing

,  (ein Kind) großziehen

, gesellschaftliches

resources

to speak of

[reIz] 

[ri(zO:sIz] 

, Mittel

WORKING WORLD

[)sEUS&l (stÄndIN] 

Ansehen

[)tE (spi:k Qv] 

, nennenswert

billion [(bIljEn] 

, Milliarde(n)

blatantly

[(bleIt&ntli]  , offenkundig

mining industry

[(maInIN )IndEstri]  , Bergbau(industrie)

speak up for sb.

[)spi:k (Vp fO:]  ,  jmdn. verteidigen

CEO (chief executive officer) [)si: i: (EU]  , Direktor(in), Leiter(in)

turn a blind eye (to sth.)

game [geIm]  ,  hier: Regeln

hinwegsehen

[)t§:n E )blaInd (aI (tu:)] ,  (über etw.)

The Australian Space Agency, formed in 2018, has a budget of just over A$ 41 million (€26 million) — spread over four years. That doesn’t worry the agency’s CEO, Dr Megan Clark. She plans to increase the industry’s value to at least $7 billion a year by 2030. Clark started her career as a geologist in the mining industry. At the time, women were not permitted to work underground. “The game was then that if a mines inspector came, you came up to the surface, and as long as they didn’t see you working underground or as long as you weren’t ‘blatantly’ working underground, they would sort of turn a blind eye,” she told The New York Times. “And I just thought that lacked integrity: ‘This is what I do, and I’m not going to hide from that.’” When an inspector caught Clark working underground, her boss was told either to fire her or put her in a different job. Instead, he spoke up for her; the law was changed in 1986. Clark says she receives a lot of letters from children who are filled with curiosity about space. “Some people get [that curi­ osity] beaten out of them, but some people don’t, and they end up in the space sector.” 2/2019 Business Spotlight

9 

Up and down

MEDIUM

Sales of plant-based foods rose 17 per cent in the US in 2017, as a result of health and environmental concerns over the consumption of meat. However, global consumption of meat is forecast to increase by 76 per cent by 2050. Sources: Financial Times; Food and Agriculture Organization (www.fao.org) environmental concerns [InvaI&rEn)ment&l kEn(s§:nz] 

forecast sth. [(fO:kA:st]  ,  etw. prognostizieren

UP

, Umweltschutzbelange

Shopping: difficult for the disabled

BRITAIN

Help for disabled customers ADVANCED

Many businesses have taken steps to increase accessibility for disabled customers — for example by installing lifts or wheelchair ramps — but critics like consultant Molly Watt say that their efforts are falling far short of what people with disabilities actually need. “Too many retailers believe that ‘accessibility’ means having step-free access for wheelchairs, but it’s so much more,” comments Watt, usability and accessibility consultant for the experience design agency Sigma in Macclesfield and Cambridge. “I’ve been refused entry to premises in the past, because I’ve been with my guide dog,” Watt, who has Usher syndrome, an incurable genetic condition, told The Telegraph. Watt says businesses can help disabled customers by keeping shop floors clear, providing large-text or Braille signage, and allowing disabled customers to avoid queues. She also suggests providing audio induction loops for people with hearing aids. Ceri Smith, policy and campaigns manager at the disabled charity Scope, says retailers need to be better trained. “Poor or patronizing attitudes, and being ignored or talked over have a big impact on the experience of disabled shoppers.” accessibility

[Ek)sesE(bIlEti] 

, Zugänglichkeit; hier auch: Barrierefreiheit

audio induction loop

[)O:diEU In(dVkS&n lu:p] 

,  induktive Höranlage

Braille signage

[)breI&l (saInIdZ] 

,  Beschilderung in

Brailleschrift

disability [)dIsE(bIlEti]  , Behinderung

10 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

disabled [dIs(eIb&ld] 

, behindert

fall far short of sth.

premises [(premIsIz] 

, Räumlichkeiten;

hier: Geschäftsräume

,  etw. bei weitem nicht

queue [kju:] UK  , (Warte-)Schlange

hearing aid

retailer [(ri:teI&lE]  , Einzelhändler(in)

[)fO:l fA: (SO:t Qv]  

erreichen

[(hIErIN eId] 

, Hörgerät

patronizing

[(pÄtrEnaIzIN]  , bevormundend,

gönnerhaft

talk over sb. [)tO:k (EUvE]  ,  jmdn. nicht zu Wort kommen lassen wheelchair ramp

[(wi:<SeE rÄmp] 

, Rollstuhlrampe

DOWN The number of female CEOs at FTSE 350 companies (the 350 largest companies in Britain) fell from 15 to 12 in 2017– 18, according to the 2018 “Hampton–Alexander Review”. Sources: Financial Times; FTSE Women Leaders (https://ftsewomenleaders) CEO (chief executive officer) [)si: i: (EU]  , Vorstandsvorsitzende(r)

review [ri(vju:] 

,  hier: Bericht

30% Only about 30 per cent of guests at US hotels leave a tip for housekeeping staff, according to a Texas Tech University study. Unlike in restaurants, where tips are expected, many people do not realize they should leave a tip for maids and cleaners, Professor Shane C. Blum told The New York Times.

housekeeping staff

[(haUski:pIN stA:f]  , Raumpflegepersonal;

hier auch: Zimmerservice maid [meId]  , Zimmermädchen

tip [tIp]  , Trinkgeld

Sources: The New York Times; Texas Tech University (https://www.ttu.edu) WORKING WORLD

THE RIVALS Wichtig für den Erfolg eines Unternehmens sind Kundenpflege und Planung der Ressourcen. EAMONN FITZGERALD vergleicht die beiden Haupthersteller der dazu benötigten Software. MEDIUM

SAP

SALESFORCE

FOUNDED April 1972

FOUNDED February 1999

95,000

HEADQUARTERS Walldorf, Germany

Employees

CEO Bill McDermott CRM SAP’s software serves businesses in all industries and is moving towards cloud-based solutions rather than traditional on-site CRM. ERP Available in 35 languages, the

market leader, SAP’s ERP system, simplifies business processes across procurement, manufacturing, service, sales, finance and HR.

EUROPEAN, INCLUSIVE SAP changed its legal form in 2014 from an “AG” to a European Company (Societas Europaea, SE). The 18-member supervisory board includes people from Finland, the US, France and Slovakia.

ETHICS In September 2018, SAP

formed an ethics panel on its use of artificial intelligence (AI).

413,000

Fotos: Nejron Photo, Volina/Shutterstock.com; pr

board of directors

[)bO:d Ev dE(rektEz] 

, Leitungsgremium

carbon

[(kA:bEn] , CO2

WORKING WORLD

management

150,000

$8.39 BILLION

Revenue 2017

1,359,000

Followers on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/ company/sap

250,000

Followers on Twitter @SAP

1,062,000

Likes on Facebook www.facebook.com/SAP

CRM (customer relationship management) , Kundenbeziehungs-

CEOs Marc Benioff, Keith Block

€23.77 BILLION

CEO (chief executive officer) [)si: i: (EU]  , Firmenchef(in)

[)si: A:r (em] 

California, USA

Employees

Customers in 120 countries

become carbon neutral in all its operations by 2025. billion [(bIljEn] 

HEADQUARTERS San Francisco,

Customers in more than 180 countries

ENVIRONMENT SAP promises to

, Milliarde(n)

30,000

SLOGAN

“Run simple” ERP (enterprise resource planning) [)i: A: (pi:]  , Geschäftsressourcenplanung

Revenue 2017

ERP The Kenandy Cloud offers

an alternative form of ERP that works with objects instead of modules.

1,158,000

Followers on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/ company/salesforce

445,000

Followers on Twitter @salesforce

AMERICAN, INCLUSIVE The board of

directors includes Neelie Kroes, former EC vice president; Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube; and Robin L. Washington, executive vice president of Gilead Sciences.

720,000

ETHICS Paula Goldman was appointed chief ethical and humane use officer in December 2018 to develop a technology use strategy for the company.

SLOGAN

ENVIRONMENT Salesforce has net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and provides a carbonneutral cloud for all customers.

Likes on Facebook www.facebook.com/salesforce

“No software” found sth. [faUnd] 

net zero [)net (zIErEU]  ,  hier: auf Null reduziert

greenhouse gas

on site [)Qn (saIt]  ,  vor Ort

,  etw. gründen

[)gri:nhaUs (gÄs] 

executive vice president

, Treibhausgas

vertretende(r) Leiter(in)

HR (human resources) [)eItS (A:] , Personalwesen

[Ig)zekjUtIv )vaIs (prezIdEnt] ,  etwa: stell-

CRM The Salesforce CRM service consists of several main categories, including Commerce Cloud, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and App Cloud.

procurement

[prE(kjUEmEnt] 

revenue

[(revEnju:]  , Umsatzerlös(e)

supervisory board

[)su:pE(vaIzEri bO:d] 

, Aufsichtsrat

, Beschaffung

2/2019 Business Spotlight

11 

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION UNITED KINGDOM

FROM STABILITY TO CHAOS

Uncertain future: troubled times ahead for the British people

Versinkt das Vereinigte Königreich, das bisher zu den Stützpfeilern der EU gehörte, schon bald im politischen, wirtschaftlichen und kulturellen Chaos? Wir haben Meinungen von Experten über Aspekte und Folgen des Brexit zusammengestellt und nennen in einer Zeittafel wichtige Stationen des Landes innerhalb Europas. ADVANCED  AUDIO  PLUS

B

ritain has long been seen as one of Europe’s most reliable and stable countries. Since the momentous Brexit referendum on 23 June 2016, however, the UK has been mired in political chaos. The vote split the country, with 52 per cent wanting to leave the EU and 48 per cent voting to remain. The final outcome of the Brexit debates and negotiations remains unknown. Whatever the outcome, the country needs to gather its thoughts, come back together and start to heal. In this special report, we hear from experts on intercultural communication, economics, language and business.

1. COMMUNICATION

Fotos: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters/picture-alliance; privat

PETER FRANKLIN is a professor of intercultural business and management communication at the Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (https://www.htwg-konstanz.de). He has been supporting British-German companies and teams for more than 25 years. He is co-author with Jeremy Comfort of The Mindful International Manager (Kogan Page) and co-editor with Christoph Barmeyer of Intercultural Management (Palgrave Macmillan).

I was running late with this article. I hadn’t sent it in by the agreed deadline. After a few typically British pleasantries at the beginning of a reminder email to me from Business Spotlight, the editor responsible wrote, “I wondered whether you had found time to write the text as agreed”. He knew I hadn’t found time because he hadn’t received the text. I knew that he knew that. And he knew that I knew that he knew. So, why bother to skate around the truth of my lateness? Whereas Germans typically value direct and explicit communication for its clarity, speed and honesty, the British tend to prefer indirect and implicit messages because of their face-saving and, from their point of view, relationship-cultivating politeness — perhaps more so in private life than at work, but also there. Such indirectness needs interpreting. And this can be a problem for many Germans because they generally say what they mean and mean what they say. There is no need to read between INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

the lines because there is rarely anything there to read. When confronted with the indirect communication style of the British, you have to ask yourself not “What did that person say?” but rather “What did that person mean?”. So, when a Brit remarks, “We’ve got a bit of a problem with your booking”, you have to work out how big the “bit” is. It may be small but it may also be quite big. Such a preference for indirectness means that open disagreement is often avoided. Before the face-threatening expression of a different opinion, a spot of face-giving often takes place to protect the relationship from unintended collateral damage. For example, “I see what you mean but…”. Cultural differences do not necessarily cause difficulties, but when these differences are in contradiction to each other, problems, or at least feelings of discomfort, can result. Such a case is to be found in the general preference for informality and the breaking down of interpersonal distance between people in the United Kingdom. This preference contrasts with the more differentiated approach to reducing or maintaining interpersonal distance in German work settings, and the greater formality that this can lead to. My research shows that this greater formality is often felt by Brits in their encounters with Germans, especially by those unfamiliar to communicating with Germans. This informality of the British and, for example, the ease with which more personal small talk can occur, should not be misunderstood by Germans as a sign of a desire for a closer relationship or friendship. Rather, it is aimed at creating a platform that is conducive to getting the task done. In this way, the Brits tend to be somewhat less directly task-oriented than the Germans. This informality is most obvious in the use of banter and humour on subjects and especially in contexts that many Germans would find inappropriate. In Britain, practically every context is an appropriate place for humour. In German settings, humour tends to be restricted to certain predictable contexts; doing business with strangers is not one of them. This leads to the still widespread but clearly false belief in Britain that the Germans have an impoverished sense of humour.

, Geplänkel

banter [(bÄntE] 

editor [(edItE]  , Redakteur(in)

bother [(bQDE]  ,  sich die Mühe machen

, Begegnung

outcome [(aUtkVm] 

, Ergebnis

encounter [In(kaUntE] 

pleasantry [(plez&ntri]  ,  Höflichkeit, Nettigkeit

[)breIk (daUn] 

predictable

,  hier: etw. überwinden

heal [hi:&l]  ,  hier: wieder zusammenfinden

clarity [(klÄrEti] 

impoverished

break sth. down

, Klarheit

conducive: be ~ to sth. [kEn(dju:sIv] 

,  für etw. förderlich sein

contradiction: be in ~ to sth. [)kQntrE(dIkS&n]  ,  im Widerspruch zu etw. stehen discomfort [dIs(kVmfEt] 

, Unbehagen

ease [i:z]  , Leichtigkeit, Ungezwungenheit

[Im(pQvErISt] 

,  dürftig, wenig

ausgeprägt

inappropriate

[pri(dIktEb&l]  , vorhersehbar;

hier: klar umrissen run late with sth.

[)rVn (leIt )wID]  ,  spät dran sein, etw.

zu tun

[)InE(prEUpriEt] 

setting [(setIN]  ,  Umfeld, Umgebung

mired: be ~ in sth. [(maIEd] ,  in etw. stecken

skate around sth.

, unangebracht

momentous

[mEU(mentEs]  , folgenschwer

occur [E(k§:]  , stattfinden

[)skeIt E(raUnd]  ,  hier etwa: um etw.

herumreden

work sth. out [)w§:k (aUt] 

,  etw. herausfinden

2/2019 Business Spotlight

13 

Very (Johnny) English: humour plays a key role in British communication

14 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

2. ECONOMICS JONATHAN PORTES is a professor of economics and public policy at King’s College London and one of the country’s leading experts on Brexit and immigration. He is also a senior fellow of the platform “The UK in a Changing Europe” (http://ukandeu. ac.uk). Portes was chief economist at the Department for Work and Pensions from 2002 to 2008, and at the Cabinet Office from 2008 to 2011.

You led the Cabinet Office’s economic analysis during the financial crisis. What lessons has the UK learned? We’ve learned some narrow lessons. It’s clear that banks are better regulated and better capitalized. And I think banks are better able to withstand another crisis. But as for the wider question of apparently [E(pÄrEntli] 

,  allem Anschein nach

appreciation

[E)pri:Si(eIS&n] 

,  Würdigung, Verständnis

emphasis

[(emfEsIs] 

reverse history [ri)v§:s (hIstri] ,  das Rad der

,  Gewichtung, Betonung

Geschichte zurückdrehen

incredulity

unprecedented

[)InkrE(dju:lEti] 

, Ungläubigkeit

[Vn(presIdentId]  ,  noch nie dagewesen

[)bjUErE(krÄtIk]  ,  [wg. Aussprache]

let alone [)let E(lEUn]  ,  geschweige denn

upheaval [Vp(hi:v&l]  ,  Umbruch, Turbulenz(en)

contradictory

narrow [(nÄrEU]  ,  hier: eng; begrenzt

withstand sth.

bureaucratic

[)kQntrE(dIktEri] 

, widersprüchlich

[wID(stÄnd]  ,  etw. überstehen

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Fotos: ddp Filmfotos; georgeclerk/iStock.com; provat

And so to Brexit. Such contradictory values and preferences can also be used to explain the different attitudes of British supporters of Brexit (“leavers”) and many Germans to this unprecedented attempt to reverse history. Research tells us that Germany tends to be a culture that has a fairly strong need to avoid uncertainty, while it values orderliness and creates and applies tools such as rules, plans, processes and structures to reduce the discomfort and threat that uncertainty and disorder may bring. In contrast, research tells us that British culture has a very low need to avoid uncertainty and doesn’t see it as a threat. This may explain the willingness of 52 per cent of those voting in the 2016 referendum to approach the political, social and economic upheaval of Brexit without a plan A, let alone a plan B. It may also explain the widespread incredulity in Germany at the same lack of plans. The need to avoid uncertainty leads in German business and management to the emphasis being placed on methods, processes and structures as compared with the more pragmatic and flexible approach of Brits to achieving results. For the Brits, what is good is what works and not what should work. This means that they may appear disorganized or even chaotic and unprofessional to Germans, whereas Germans may appear inflexible and bureaucratic to the British. “Understand yourself as well as the others” is the first step to acceptance and appreciation of cultural differences and thus adaptation and improved cooperation across cultural borders — even between such apparently similar cultures as the British and German ones. Text: Peter Franklin

London life: have the lessons been learned from the financial crisis? INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

2/2019 Business Spotlight

15 

How would you describe the British economy? Is it a balanced economy? The British economy is a liberal, fairly open, globally oriented economy that trades a lot, increasingly in services, such as financial services. And a lot of that is very successful. But it is very much London-focused, and it has not necessarily delivered the same benefits to large parts of the country or to large sections of the population. I’m not sure “balanced” or “unbalanced” is quite the right question, although there are serious risks attached to having such a large financial system, not only for us but for the whole world. The point is not to rebalance the economy or to make London less successful. It’s more about ensuring that economic development reaches the people in places where it has been less successful. This is not really about economics; it’s about social policy. It is not the fault of the economic system that homelessness in the UK has shot up in the past five or six years. It is a direct consequence of government policy. Similarly, a lot of the decrease in the quality of our public services isn’t a direct consequence of our economic system. It’s a consequence of economic and social policies that we could change relatively easily. Why do you think the UK voted for Brexit? There is a mixture of political and economic factors. But I would caution against the idea that Brexit was the result of a reaction by people who were “left behind” or by people in the north of England. How much you earn wasn’t really a big driver. Younger, more educated, more liberal voters voted to remain. And older, more conservative, less educated people voted to leave. And, in fact, more people in the south of England voted for Brexit than in the north — simply because more people live there. To a large extent, Brexit was driven by retired people and older people, many of whom had done relatively well over the past ten years. So it’s not just economics. The strongest correlations for voting for Brexit are actually cultural and attitudinal indicators. That’s partly, but not only, about immigration. But there were clearly also some economic factors: the impact of austerity drove Brexit to some extent. People blamed the European Union or the political class or immigration for the effects of austerity. In fact, they should have blamed the British government. What do you say to those who believe that the EU is indeed part of the problem, that it’s a neoliberal club that supports a turbocharged form of capitalism? The EU has countries with a wide variety of social and economic models. And they have a wide variety of approaches to regulating the labour market and so on. There was nothing in the Labour Party’s 2017 election manifesto that you couldn’t do within the European Union. Yes, you can pursue so-called turbocharged neoliberal capitalism to some extent if you want. But you would be constrained by the rules about workers’ rights and so on. And you could have a fairly radical programme of 16 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

redistribution and government involvement in the economy if you want. Again, you may be constrained. But you couldn’t move to a Hong Kong version of capitalism. And you couldn’t move to a fully centrally planned economy. Many people in the UK see the EU primarily as an economic construct. Do you think that reveals a basic misunderstanding? Yes, I do. And I think that is one way in which the eurozone crisis played very much into Brexit, despite the fact that it didn’t have many direct implications for the UK. In Britain, we thought of the EU as being an economic structure, and we thought it would be broadly positive for us. Even if we had some problems with the EU, British people would grudgingly accept that it was good for us. But when the EU made such a mess of the eurozone crisis, I think that people in the UK thought: “Well, if the EU is failing on the economic side, what’s in it for us?”

“People blamed the European Union. They should have blamed the British government”

Throughout history, Britain has gone through periods in which it was more open to the world and more closed to the world. Is the current UK situation part of a wider historical cycle or is it unique? All I can say is that, for me personally, this feels different. This feels like a pretty big moment in the UK’s history. I’m in my early 50s, and I’ve been working in British public policy and economic policy for 30 years. And it feels like a very big moment. Interview: Paul Wheatley

austerity

election manifesto

, Strenge; hier: Spar-

, Wahlprogramm

[O:(sterEti] 

maßnahmen, -politik broadly

[(brO:dli] 

,  ganz allgemein

caution against sth. [(kO:S&n E)genst]  ,  vor etw. warnen

constrained: be ~ by sth. [kEn(streInd] 

,  durch etw. eingeschränkt

sein

cycle [(saIk&l]  ,  hier: Periode driver [(draIvE]  ,  hier: Faktor

[i(lekS&n mÄnI)festEU] 

play into sth.

[(pleI )Intu]  ,  hier: für etw. förderlich

sein

ensure sth.

pursue sth.

[In(SO:] 

,  etw. sicherstellen

[pE(sju:]  ,  etw. verfolgen;

fix (a problem)

[fIks]  ,  (ein Problem) lösen

hier: betreiben reveal sth.

grudgingly

[ri(vi:&l]  ,  etw. (auf)zeigen

,  ungern, widerwillig

turbocharged

[(grVdZINli] 

homelessness

[(t§:bEUtSA:dZd] 

[(hEUmlEsnEs] 

,  mit Turboaufladung; hier: ungezügelt, entfesselt

implication

unique [ju(ni:k]  , einmalig

,  Folge, Konsequenz

What’s in it for us?

, Obdachlosigkeit

[)ImplI(keIS&n] 

mess: make a ~ of sth. [mes] ,  etw. vermasseln; hier: schlecht bewältigen

[)wQts In It fEr (Vs]  ,  Was haben wir davon?

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Fotos: SolStock/iStock.com; privat

the instability that comes from having a very large, very complicated, interconnected financial system that nobody can fully understand — no, I don’t think we fixed, or even know how to fix, these more serious systemic issues. I think the probability is that, at some point, there will be another financial crisis.

Education: one of Britain’s most important exports

3. LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION RACHEL LAUNAY is the director of the British Council in Berlin. The British Council is the UK’s international organization for cultural relations. (https://www.britishcouncil.de).

“A second language immediately changes the connection that you have with people,” says Rachel Launay, who has led the British Council in Germany for four years and travelled across the country supporting and encouraging British–German relations. Fluent in French and German, and able to communicate in Korean and Thai, Launay is a passionate linguist and internationalist. Though deeply troubled by the Brexit referendum result, she’s determined that cooperation and friendship between the two countries should remain strong. The British Council promotes intercultural relations and inter-educational opportunities between Britain and the more than 100 countries around the world in which the British Council is represented. In Germany alone, the British Council puts some 18,000 people through the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) examination every year — a key qualification for studying at universities. It also showcases British INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

artists across the country, and it has partnerships with educational and other institutions. While the British Council has successfully promoted English abroad, the UK government has failed to promote secondlanguage learning for British people, even though research shows this can be good for your career, providing both more job opportunities and a higher salary. Launay laments the gradual demise of language-learning in UK schools. Since 2004, learning a second language in schools has no longer been compulsory at 16 for children studying for the GCSE level exams. As a result, just 47 per cent of 16-yearolds now do so. The most popular foreign language learned in schools is French, though the number of students was down by a third in 2018 compared to 2005. The number of students studying German has seen a slightly larger fall, and Spanish has now replaced German as the second-most studied second language for the GCSE exam. Uncertainty over Brexit also means that schools are now finding it difficult to attract language teachers from EU countries. compulsory

[kEm(pVls&ri] 

, verpflichtend

demise [di(maIz]  , Ableben; hier: Niedergang

fluent: be ~ in (a language) [(flu:Ent] , (eine Sprache) fließend sprechen GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) [)dZi: si: es (i:] UK  ,  etwa: Realschulabschluss

lament sth.

[lE(ment]  ,  etw. beklagen

showcase sb./sth.

[(SEUkeIs]  ,  jmdn./etw. präsentieren

2/2019 Business Spotlight

17 

Launay accepts that Brits are less motivated to learn a second language because of the role of English across the world. “English is the global language of business, plus in many areas of research and medicine,” she says. She also points out that learning a language is not always easy and that schoolchildren all too often choose an easier subject of study, in the hope of getting higher marks. Yet the benefits of a second language are clear. On the basis of a 2017 study of 600 employees, the British Council con­cluded: “UK nationals without language skills lose out not simply because they are limited in their ability to communicate, but as a knock-on effect of having restricted access to overseas work experience, a lack of international business sense, a failure to appreciate that other cultures have different ways of doing things and a misunderstanding of the global importance of British culture.” The British Council’s 2018 report “Languages for the Future” says the UK needs to “reach out beyond English, not only to maintain and improve our economic position but to build trust, deepen international influence and cultural relationships, and to keep our country safe”. “You automatically create a positive relationship and connection if you speak to somebody in his or her language,” says Launay. “It’s not only about trade and business. When you communicate in the language of the person you are talking to, you are showing a generosity of spirit and openness.”

“You automatically create a positive relationship if you speak to somebody in his or her language” appreciate sth. [E(pri:SieIt] 

,  etw. würdigen,

verstehen conclude

[kEn(klu:d] 

,  zu dem Schluss kommen

Text: Paul Wheatley

mark [mA:k] UK 

point sth. out

, Note

[)pOInt (aUt]  ,  auf etw. hinweisen

knock-on effect

reach out

[)nQk (Qn E)fekt] 

, Folgewirkung

lose out [)lu:z (aUt]  ,  das Nachsehen haben, schlechter dastehen

[)ri:tS (aUt]  ,  hier: seinen Radius

erweitern

TIMELINE: BRITAIN AND EUROPE

18 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

Cameron, Britain votes by 52 to 48 per cent to leave the EU 2017: On 29 March, the British government under Conservative prime minister Theresa May triggers the two-year “Article 50” process for leaving the EU. Midnight on 29 March 2019 is set as the moment Britain will leave the EU 2018: In July, the British parliament passes the “European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018”. Parliament is given the final say over the negotiated agreement with the EU 2019: On 15 January, by a majority of 230 votes, the British parliament rejects the withdrawal deal that prime minister Theresa May has negotiated with the EU

EEC (European Economic Community) [)i: i: (si:]  , EWG

resignation

[)rezIg(neIS&n] 

, Rücktritt

exchange rate mechanism [Iks(tSeIndZ reIt

single currency

, Wechselkursmechanismus

schaftswährung

)mekEnIzEm] 

final say: be given the ~ [)faIn&l (seI] 

,  das letzte Wort haben

founding [(faUndIN]  , Gründung

[)sINg&l (kVrEnsi]  ,  Einheits-, Gemein-

trigger sth. [(trIgE]  ,  etw. auslösen withdrawal

[wID(drO:El]  ,  hier: Austritt

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Fotos: dpa/picture-alliance; Kathy deWitt/Alamy Stock Photo

Theresa May: still in charge?

1945: Former prime minister Winston Churchill proposes “a kind of United States of Europe” 1957: The UK decides not to sign the Treaty of Rome, which led to the founding of the EEC (European Economic Community) on 1 January 1958 1963: Britain applies to join the EEC. France vetoes Britain’s entry 1967: Britain applies again to join the EEC. France again vetoes Britain’s entry 1973: Under Conservative prime minister Edward Heath, Britain finally joins the EEC 1973: Labour prime minister Harold Wilson holds a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EEC. Two thirds of the British vote to stay in 1990: Arguments about Britain’s policy towards the rest of Europe contribute to the resignation of Margaret Thatcher as prime minister 1992: Black Wednesday: Britain is forced to leave the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. The pound falls dramatically 1995: Britain does not take part in the Schengen Agreement but keeps its own border controls 1999: The European single currency (“euro”) is launched. Britain does not take part 2004: Ten new states join the EU. Unlike Germany, Britain agrees to the freedom of the new EU citizens to live and work in the UK 2016: In a referendum on 23 June, called by Conservative prime minister David

Fotos: XX

Where now? Young Britons typically voted against Brexit INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

2/2019 Business Spotlight

19 

4. BUSINESS MATHIAS DUBBERT is director, European policy, EU foreign trade promotion for the German Chamber of Commerce (DIHK) in Brussels. https://www.dihk.de/personal/ mathias-dubbert

breed sth. [bri:d] 

place [pleIs]  ,  hier: Standort

,  etw. züchten;

hier: erzeugen

chamber of commerce

[)tSeImbEr Ev (kQm§:s] 

, Handelskammer

relocate sth.

[)ri:lEU(keIt]  ,  etw. verlagern,

transferieren

outer space [)aUtE (speIs]  , (Welt-)All

Text: Paul Wheatley

FAST FACTS:

UNITED KINGDOM The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its longer name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain is made up of England, Scotland and Wales. Capital: London Other main cities: Manchester, Birmingham Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II Head of government: Prime Minister Theresa May Population: 66 million (2017) Official languages: English, Welsh (in Wales) Currency: pound sterling (£1 = €1.15) GDP: USD 2.925 trillion, making it the world’s fifth-biggest economy, using purchasing power parity (2017 est.) GDP annual growth: 1.7% (2017 est.) Unemployment: 4.4% (2017 est.) Inflation: 2.6% (2017 est.)

AUDIO + PLUS

PAUL WHEATLEY is a British-born writer specializing in culture, travel, business and history. Contact: [email protected]

20 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

You can listen to opinions on this topic on Business Spotlight Audio, and test your knowledge of the UK in our exercise booklet, Business Spotlight Plus. To order, go to www. aboshop.spotlightverlag.de

annual [(ÄnjuEl] 

, jährlich

currency [(kVrEnsi] 

, Währung

est. (estimate) [(estImEt] 

, Schätzung

GDP (gross domestic product) [)dZi: di: (pi:]  ,  BIP (Bruttoinlandsprodukt) purchasing power parity [)p§:tSEsIN )paUE (pÄrEti] 

, Kaufkraftparität

trillion [(trIljEn]  , Billion(en)

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Fotos: Leontura/iStock.com; Peter Hermes Furian/Shutterstock.com; privat

“I started working in Brussels one week after the Brexit referendum,” recalls Mathias Dubbert at the German Chamber of Commerce (DIHK) in the city. “One of my first questions to my new boss was: ‘Who’s going to deal with Brexit?’” A smile and a “Have fun!” was enough for Dubbert to realize it would be him. At the time, “Brussels was in a kind of shock,” remembers Dubbert. Regardless of what happens with the Brexit discussions, Dubbert knows how important it is for Britain and the EU to be reliable partners. “Of course, businesses are very concerned about Brexit,” he says. “We are talking about 2,500 places of business for German companies in the UK and they provide around 400,000 jobs.” In turn, there are around 1,400 British companies in Germany, with about 240,000 employees. The United Kingdom was the fourth-biggest market for German exports in 2017, with a total trade volume (exports and imports) of some €121.5 billion. “This shows how important the market is for German businesses,” says Dubbert. “Around 750,000 jobs in Germany depend on trading with the UK.” German companies have investments in the UK totalling more than €140 billion. But uncertainty breeds doubt, and that is never good for business. In 2018, one in 12 German companies doing business in the UK said they were planning to relocate their UK investments, mainly to Germany and other EU markets. Dubbert readily admits that the EU doesn’t get everything right and that reform is required. But he also says that there are misunderstandings about how the EU functions. “The Council of the European Union and the member states tell the European Union what to do,” says Dubbert. “It’s not the European Union from outer space. It’s led by the member states: London, Berlin, Paris and other capitals tell Brussels what to do.”

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GLOBAL BUSINESS MARKETING

BRAND BRAVERY OR SIMPLE MARKETING? Übernehmen große Unternehmen, die in der Werbung für ihre Produkte Stellung beziehen, gesellschafliche Verantwortung oder ist alles nur geschicktes Marketing? TOM McCARTHY geht dieser Frage nach.

W

hat’s more American: blue jeans or guns? It used to be that you didn’t have to choose. That was before the announcement last autumn by Levi Strauss & Co., the 165-year-old denim company, of a partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety and other gun violence prevention groups. “While taking a stand can be unpopular with some, doing nothing is no longer an option,” wrote Chip Bergh, Levi’s chief executive. “Business has a critical role to play and a moral obligation to do something.” The National Rifle Association (NRA) responded, declaring it “a particularly sad episode in the current surge in corporate virtue-signalling”. “We can only assume that Levi’s accountants have determined that resulting skinny-jeans sales will be enough to offset the permanent damage to their once-cherished brand,” the gun lobbyists said. Levi’s move did not have the markings of a purely venal business play: Bergh, a former US army captain, has spoken out about guns before. But with Nike announcing controversial football player Colin Kaepernick as its latest spokesman the same week, and a surprising wave of brands taking stands on issues they might have avoided in the past, the NRA accusation had bite. Is this new brand bravery for real? And if so, what’s driving it? As consumers are roiled by Facebook fights and riven by mistrust in Donald Trump’s America, corporations have confronted the old question — of how to move product — with sometimes experimental answers, analysts say, and deeply mixed results.

“Brands that stand for something”

“More and more, consumers are looking for brands that stand for something and take a position, so that they can make a decision for themselves if that represents their identity and their values,” said Todd Fischer, a senior vice president at GMR Marketing, accountant [E(kaUntEnt] 

Foto: Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

, Buchhalter(in)

bite: have ~ [baIt]  ,  hier: eine nicht unberechtigte Stichelei sein cherished [(tSerISt] 

, geschätzt

Taking a knee: Colin Kaepernick (number 7) GLOBAL BUSINESS

offset sth. [)Qf(set]  ,  etw. ausgleichen

rifle [(raIf&l] , Gewehr riven [(rIv&n] , gespalten; hier: heimgesucht roiled [rOI&ld] US  ,  in Aufruhr versetzt spokesman [(spEUksmEn]  , Sprecher surge [s§:dZ]  , Anstieg; hier: Welle

take a stand

[)teIk E (stÄnd]  ,  Stellung beziehen

venal [(vi:n&l]  , käuflich; hier: aus kalkulatorischen Gründen virtue-signalling

[(v§:tSu: )sIgn&lIN] 

,  Aktion(en) zur Demonstration moralischer Werte

2/2019 Business Spotlight

23 

a global agency. “Brands have been pulled deeper into the conversation.” But that conversation comes with risks, and corporations sometimes get it wrong. The roll call of shame is topped by Pepsi, which in the spring of 2017, released an ad in which Kendall Jenner, the millennial model, led a group of (very attractive) protesters evoking the Black Lives Matter movement in a showdown with (very attractive) police. The standoff was resolved by a shared soda. “If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi,” Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., tweeted. The spot was abruptly stopped. What was Pepsi thinking? Corporations in general are under increasing pressure to “take a stand in ways that go beyond the generic corporate social responsibility platitudes they used to be able to sort of hide behind,” said Michael Serazio, a professor of communications at Boston College. “We’ve evolved to a point in branding history where consumers purchase things not because of their utility but because of what it signals to other people in their social milieu. What you’ve seen over the last couple of years is this trend toward corporations taking more specific and more controversial political stances.” Many other corporations have dared to go where Pepsi stumbled. Yuengling, the Pennsylvania brewery, endorsed Trump for president; Patagonia, the California-based clothier, sued Trump for annulling public lands; Delta Airlines and REI, the outdoor clothing and gear store, came out in favour of gun control; Adidas stood behind Kanye West, the inventor of the brand’s bestselling Yeezy shoe line, after his controversial statements about slavery and Trump. Burger King, meanwhile, made a Whopper commercial about net neutrality, and after Trump was elected, Heineken staged an excruciating series of conversations between strangers to insist that “there’s more that unites than divides us”. With its recruitment of Kaepernick as spokesman, Nike seemed to go even further. As a leader of the movement among National Football League players to kneel during the national anthem to protest about police violence against people of colour, the former star quarterback found himself ostracized by the league and attacked personally by Trump, starting when Trump was still a candidate. Featuring star athletes and others who have overcome various forms of adversity to become champions, the latest Nike ad is narrated by Kaepernick and finishes with the tag line: “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.” The line induces either chills or nausea, depending on your tolerance of corporate plays at poignancy. It appeared to find the mark with consumers; Nike’s stock touched an all-time high after the advert was launched. Trump, though, thought the ad did not work. “What was Nike thinking?” he tweeted.

Authentic, relevant, digital

Patrick Rishe, a professor who interviewed 50 people in sports marketing and media for his recent book They Shoot… They Score, said the company had obviously done its research and was thinking it was going to sell shoes. “The messages that these 24 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

“Consumers purchase things because of what it signals to other people”

companies are getting from their market research with millennials and Gen Z consumers is these people want their brands to be authentic, they want them to be culturally relevant, they have to be digital,” Rishe said. “Younger folks want brands to stand for something. ‘I don’t want to just see your logo. You’re just trying to sell me some shoes or shirts. I want you to stand for something.’ And when you take that leap of faith as a company, you are running risks,” he adds. America’s social and economic divisions predate Trump. But as a candidate and now as president, he clearly comprehends what corporations have also realized: taking definitive stands on divisive issues may alienate some people but it also inspires loyalty. Trump understands that he can make a stronger connection with consumers — i.e. voters — if he does not restrict the conversation to products or to policies. Instead of immigration, he talks about gang violence. Instead of Russian cyberattacks, he talks about Hillary Clinton. Instead of criminal justice reform, he talks about football. It might not make sense for someone with urgent personal healthcare needs to vote for Trump based on a shared opinion about Kaepernick, just like it might not make sense for people to buy shoes because they admire Kaepernick. But it works. “The point of branding is to make a corporation into a human being,” said Serazio. “And that is fundamentally ridiculous. And yet that is the basis of our advertising, contemporary consumer culture.” © Guardian News & Media 2018

adversity [Ed(v§:sEti] 

, Widrigkeit(en)

alienate sb. [(eIliEneIt] 

,  jmdn. verprellen

chills [tSIlz]  , Gänsehaut endorse sb. [In(dO:s]  ,  jmdn. unterstützen evoking [i(vEUkIN]  ,  hier: in Anlehnung an excruciating

[Ik(skru:SieItIN]  , unerträglich

find the mark

[)faInd DE (mA:k] 

,  ins Schwarze treffen

gear [gIE]  ,  Ausrüstung, Zubehör gen [dZen] ifml.  ,  hier: Generation

leap of faith: take a ~ [)li:p Ev (feIT] 

,  seinen Glauben (an etw.)

an den Tag legen

narrate sth. [nE(reIt]  ,  etw. erzählen; hier: kommentieren national anthem

[)nÄS&nEl (ÄnTEm]  , Nationalhymne

nausea [(nO:siE]  , Übelkeit ostracize sb.

[(QstrEsaIz]  ,  jmdn. ächten

poignancy [(pOInjEnsi]  , Eindringlichkeit point [pOInt] , Sinn; hier auch: Ziel(setzung) predate sb./sth.

[pri(deIt] 

resolve sth. [ri(zQlv]  ,  etw. klären ridiculous [rI(dIkjUlEs]  , lächerlich roll call [(rEUl kO:l]  , (Namens-)Aufruf; hier: Auflistung soda [(sEUdE] US  , Limo sort of [(sO:t Qv] ifml.  , gewissermaßen stage sth. [steIdZ]  ,  etw. inszenieren stance [stÄns]  ,  Standpunkt, Haltung standoff [(stÄndQf]  , Patt; hier: verfahrene Situation

stumble [(stVmb&l]  , straucheln

generic [dZE(nerIk] 

,  jmdm./etw. (zeitlich)

vorausgehen

sue sb. [sju:]  ,  jmdn. verklagen

healthcare [(helTkeE]  , Gesundheitsversorgung

purchase sth. [(p§:tSEs]  ,  etw. kaufen

tag line [(tÄg laIn] US  ifml. , Slogan

kneel [ni:&l]  ,  sich niederknien

release sth. [ri(li:s]  ,  etw. herausbringen

utility [ju(tIlEti]  ,  Nützlichkeit, Nutzwert

,  hier: typisch

GLOBAL BUSINESS

Business Spotlight Jahrgang 2018

-20%

JETZT NEU!

Jahrgänge 2018 Nutzen Sie die Gelegenheit, alle 7 Ausgaben des Jahres 2018 zu bestellen – um Wissenswertes zu erfahren und Versäumtes nachzuholen. Der Magazin-, der Übungsheft-Pluswie auch der Audio-CD-Jahrgang sind um 20 % vergünstigt.

Magazin-Jahrgang Art.-Nr. 1813326. € 70,90 (D) € 72,89 (A)

Magazin-E-Paper-Jahrgang Art.-Nr. 1813346. € 70,90 (D) € 72,89 (A)

Übungsheft-Plus-Jahrgang Art.-Nr. 1813339. € 25,50 (D) € 26,21 (A)

Übungsheft-Plus-E-Paper-Jahrgang Art.-Nr. 1813389. € 25,50 (D) € 26,21 (A)

Audio-CD-Jahrgang Art.-Nr. 1813333. € 99,20 (D) € 99,20 (A)

Audio-Download-Jahrgang Art.-Nr. 1813347. € 99,20 (D) € 99,20 (A)

Entdecken Sie die Jahrgänge 2018: Alle Ausgaben aus 2018 als Paket Heft, Audio und Übungshefte Print und Digital

Tel.+49 (0) 89 / 95 46 99 55 sprachenshop.de/jahrgang-2018

FACTS & FIGURES LEGO

Another brick in the wall Seit ihrer Erfindung sind Legosteine aus keinem Kinderzimmer mehr wegzudenken. Die Geschäfte des Herstellers sind heute aber mehr als kleine, bunte Bausteine. EAMONN FITZGERALD nennt Fakten und Zahlen. ADVANCED

HOW A BUSINESS WAS BUILT A small business in Denmark that began life making a simple toy is now a global business empire that also creates software and whose toys star in awesome films. The latest is The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part.

Key facts What: LEGO System A/S Where: Billund, Denmark Founder: Ole Kirk Kristiansen When: 10 August 1932 Owners: Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen and Thomas Kirk Kristiansen

Learning STEM* with LEGO

The biggest building sets Star Wars Millennium Falcon ship

7,500 pieces

Taj Mahal, India

5,923 pieces

Tower Bridge, London

4,295 pieces

*STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

LEGO: THE MOVIES The LEGO Movie (2014) Budget: Ticket sales USA and Canada: Ticket sales internationally: Total ticket sales worldwide: Profit:

26 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part $60 million $257.8 million $211.4 million $469.2 million $229 million

Produced by the Warner Animation Group and released on 8 February 2019 in 2D, 3D, RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, IMAX and IMAX 3D formats. The director is Mike Mitchell and animation direction is by Trisha Gum.

FACTS & FIGURES

Foto: Die Lego Gruppe,; picture alliance/LEGO; labsas, Brendan Hunter, ivanastar/iStock.com

The Star Wars Millennium Falcon ship

By building a train, “early learners” explore basic coding concepts such as sequencing, looping and conditional coding, while developing problem-solving skills, critical thinking, collaboration as well as social and emotional skills.

“Only the best is good enough” Ole Kirk Kristiansen, founder of LEGO

The meaning of Lego Ole Kirk Kristiansen created the word Lego from the Danish phrase leg godt (“play well”). Christian Humberg, author of 50 Years of the LEGO Brick, points out in addition that one of the meanings of the Latin verb legō is “I collect, I gather”, and that’s what LEGO fans do. They lovingly collect billions of bricks.

Great design: the LEGO House

Real-life prototypes Danish architect Bjarke Ingels uses LEGO bricks to build prototypes. Ingels and his team designed the LEGO House in Billund using LEGO.

LEGO House: The facts 21 white-brick structures stacked on top of one other 12,000 square-metre space 25 million LEGO bricks 2,000 square-metre public square

LEGO tree: consists of 6,316,611 bricks and took 24,350 hours to assemble 250,000 visitors a year

Another brick in the wall

conditional coding

,   Ein weiteres Teil des großen Ganzen (Titel eines Songs von Pink Floyd)

Bedingungscodes

[E)nVDE )brIk In DE (wO:l]

The big three toymakers LEGO has overtaken Hasbro and Mattel as the biggest money-making toymaker in the world. Licensing deals that have added global icons like Darth Vader and Batman to the modular mix are now a key source of income.

assemble sth. [E(semb&l]

,   etw. zusammenbauen

Firm

Revenue (2017, $bn)

Employees

awesome [(O:sEm] ifml. ,   fantastisch, großartig

LEGO

$5.8

19,000

bn (billion)

5,000

,   Mrd. (Milliarde(n))

Hasbro $5.2 Mattel $4.8

FACTS & FIGURES

25,000

[(bIljEn]

brick [brIk] ,  Ziegel; hier: Baustein

[kEn)dIS&nEl (kEUdIN]   ,   (Anwendung von)

looping [(lu:pIN]

,  Schleifenbildung

release sth. [ri(li:s]

,   etw. herausbringen

revenue [(revEnju:]

,  Umsatzerlös(e)

sequencing

[(si:kwEnsIN]

,  Sequenzierung

star [stA:] ,   die Hauptrolle spielen

➻ FOR MORE INFORMATION WEBSITES ■ Ownership: www.kirkbi.com/ de-de/about-us/familyownership ■ Falcon: www.lego.com/en-us/ themes/star-wars/products/ millennium-falcon-75192 ■ LEGO STEM: www.lego.com/enus/products/categories/stem ■ LEGO House: www.design boom.com/architecture/ lego-house-bjarke-ingelsgroup-big-museum-billunddenmark-09-28-2017 Research by Eamonn Fitzgerald

2/2019 Business Spotlight

27 

LANGUAGE TEST MARKETING

A wake-up call

Aufgabe des Marketing ist die Vermarktung von Produkten und Dienstleistungen. DEBORAH CAPRAS hat Übungen zusammengestellt, mit denen Sie testen können, wie gut Sie sich auf Englisch mit den entsprechenden Methoden und Werkzeugen auskennen. EASY MEDIUM ADVANCED AUDIO

Will anyone hear your message?

THE SITUATION DEBORAH CAPRAS Deborah Capras is a freelance author, trainer and corporate communications specialist. She’s the author of Small Talk, published by Collins. Contact: [email protected]

28 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

Green SleepOver is a family-owned company that manufactures eco-friendly mattresses and bedding (including pillows and duvets). This year, its founders are handing the business over to their children, Paul and Maeve. The new generation wants to take the business online and make use of both modern and traditional marketing tools to promote their products. Nadia, a marketing consultant, presents them with some options.

LANGUAGE TEST

➻ SWOT ANALYSIS A good “SWOT” analysis can help identify a company’s internal Strengths and Weaknesses, as well as its external Opportunities and Threats.

1. Your strengths (6 points) To start, Nadia talks to Paul and Maeve about the recent SWOT analysis they did together. Complete each sentence with the right word from the box.

Illustration: TarikVision/iStock.com

audience | buzz | competitors | gap | start-ups | touchpoints Nadia: You have a quality product. But you’re not selling as well as you were two years ago. Paul: We are under threat from a number of (A) in this business. Our parents didn’t understand that, thanks to the internet, we now have a lot more (B) . Nadia: You need a good digital marketing strategy on top of traditional marketing — one that gets people more emotional about your mattresses. Paul: Do people get emotional about mattresses — apart from when they’re having sex on them? And even then… it’s not the mattress we get emotional about. Will we use sex, then? Maeve: Paul! Go on, Nadia. Nadia: Using sex after the #MeToo protests might have a negative effect. We should focus more on consumer fears about plastic, health and wellness. And rest and sleep! There is a(n) (C) in the market for more eco-friendly mattresses and bedding. This is the area where we can create a(n) around your products. (D) Paul: I want to believe that could work. But I’m still not sure how we can do this in the case of mattresses. Maeve: How would we even find people who are interested in such products? Nadia: It’s my responsibility to identify the best (E) where we can reach such a target (F) .

LANGUAGE TEST

2. Your market (6 points) Nadia presents the results of her market research, which helped her to create a buyer persona. She’s been looking at what inspires, motivates and excites people about mattresses and bedding. Complete the sentences with the missing verbs. We’ve given you the first two letters. Let me explain how we have been working over the past six weeks. We (A) ca out indepth research into the mattress industry across the whole of the EU. We (B) ga statistical data on sales. We (C) mi an incredible amount of online data from your websites and third parties. Big data doesn’t lie — especially in marketing! Using modern machine-learning tools, we (D) de personas and market segments for your products. But we also got personal. We (E) ra six different focus groups in three Irish cities. The result was clear. Most people don’t really know the difference between the different mattress brands. But they do worry about what materials are used in the manufacturing of the mattresses. Your brand is one of the most eco-friendly mattresses on the market. By focusing on this, we have already (F) di your brand from all other brands out there. Let me show you just how many people are prepared to spend more on a quality mattress. These people could be your customers!

➻ DATA-DRIVEN BUYER PERSONA The marketing team creates buyer personas, or customer personas, which are descriptions of potential customers. This process looks at who the buyers are, what they want to do, how they think, how they buy and why they buy. Today, personas are created using big data, including, for example, data about visits to and actions on websites and social media.

2/2019 Business Spotlight

29 

➻ MARKETING CHANNELS Consumers move very quickly between their mobiles, their computers, social media platforms, events and shops. This is why marketers often have problems deciding where, when or how to reach them with the right message about the right product at the right time.

3. The basics of brands (8 points) Nadia introduces Paul and Maeve to some ideas on brand marketing. The words in bold are not where they should be. Put them where they belong. Green SleepOver will become the (A) awareness brand of the industry — the leading premium brand. We are not even going to try to compete with the less expensive (B) loyalty brands. If you compete on price, you will lose. This will be our brand (C) values the long term.

for

In our new marketing campaign, we will highlight the eco-friendly nature of all your products: the fact that you use eco-friendly materials from eco-friendly suppliers. And that your stores provide a personal service — but that you can also order easily online. These are just a few of your brand (D) positioning that we will focus on in the campaign. Using digital and traditional marketing tools, we will build brand (E) economy . More people will connect your brand to eco-friendly mattresses and bedding.

Illustration: TCmake_photo/iStock.com

The result will be customers who will buy mattresses from you, but who will also return to you for all their bedroom extras. We will create a special range of pillows, duvets and covers. Such brand (F) flagship is important. It makes customers return to you again and again. This will create the kind of brand (G) advocates that will help increase your sales in the future and in the long term.

30 

4. Making use of old and new (5 points) Nadia suggests using a variety of channels to advertise the products. Match the correct type of media to her statement about it. A. Broadcast media: TV and radio commercials, product placement B. Print media: newspapers, magazines, classified ads C. Out-of-home media: billboards, signage, busstop ads D. Social media: Facebook, Instagram, hashtags E. Online media: pop-ups, landing pages, web banners 1. Here, we focus on the opportunities of potential customers seeing our products. The images must also be placed high up. And we won’t book something in the middle of nowhere! 2. We need to analyse the audience share first, before we can make a final decision on where to advertise. 3.  The most important criterion here is the engagement rate. The more people like, share and comment on posts, the better for us. We also have to make sure the followers are real and not fake, of course. 4.  The key criterion is site traffic. If there aren’t many visitors, we won’t consider advertising here. 5.  We focus here on circulation. It has to be high and our consumers have to read them. A–

;  B–

;  C–

;   D–

;  E–

Most importantly, people will talk positively about your products, write great reviews, blogs and social media posts and even make funny videos. These people will be your brand (H) extension . So, do you want to see how we can get people excited about mattresses?

Business Spotlight 2/2019

Which channel are they using?

LANGUAGE TEST

➻ PESO Marketing often concentrates on four types of media: Paid media is content that you have paid for, such as adverts or sponsored posts on social media. Earned media is content about your company and products or services that someone else has created. It could be anywhere: in newspapers, on TV or on the internet. You don’t pay for it. Shared media is content that appears on social media. Owned media is content that appears on your own websites and publications, such as customer magazines or in white papers.

5. Searching for sleep (8 points) An online content marketing strategy will be important for the new business and e-commerce site. Nadia uses a lot of abbreviations and acronyms when she talks about this topic and “PESO” (see box). Add the missing word to complete each expression. A.  We’re not just selling mattresses; we are creating a story together with the customer. And it will focus on your USP. We will use storytelling to communicate your unique selling . B.  Any changes we make to your website will, of course, meet GDPR standards. The EU general data protection forces us to be more transparent with the data we collect. C.  The result will be a SEO-friendly web design. We are experts at search engine . D.  And your content will rank higher on SERP. It will also now appear on the search engine pages with images and video. E.  We will optimize the content of your webpages, which will help maximize the CTR. This is also true of your email campaigns. The -through rate on all these campaigns will be high. F.  More importantly, we’ll introduce you to a number of techniques to improve CRO — that’s the rate optimization. We will get the customers to buy your products. G.  This means, at the end of the day, we will look at the most important KPI of all. What is this ? It’s sales, of key performance course. How much have you sold?

6. How to influence people (9 points) Nadia suggests working with some Instagram influencers to create a more modern marketing strategy. Choose the correct noun. Nadia:  The idea is to get people to think as much about their sleep and rest as they do about their workouts. Milly is here to tell us about the work she does in this area as an influencer on Instagram. She can help us increase your social (A) fingerprint / footprint. Milly: I’m a lifestyle, wellness and designer blogger. Paul: So, tell me how that gets us the media (B) conduct / coverage we need. Milly:  Every day, people post millions of pictures on Instagram. Most just disappear. My posts are seen by my followers — all 300,000 of them. I have a strong Instagram (C) presentation / presence. So, you get immediate (D) access / admission to potential customers. My followers are real, and they interact with my posts. I can help you to build a personal and emotional relationship with potential customers. That’s how I can increase your (E) reach / stretch. Nadia: Her Instagram (F) food / feed has a very feminine touch. Maeve: How would it work? Milly:  You pay me for (G) leads / heads, that is, for each of my followers who shows an interest in your company. And you also pay me every time I write about your company — and for each (H) motion / mention, too. Maeve: I don’t know. All this talk about Instagram and wellness worries me. Aren’t Insta-celebrities making people unwell? They only show people who are having an amazing time. Paul: That’s basically all that marketing is about, Maeve. Nadia: I think it’s more complicated than that! With social media, we can make sure that your brand is always front of (I) mind / face.

H.  We promise you a level of ROI that you have on never seen before. Yes, the investment will be high.

LANGUAGE TEST

2/2019 Business Spotlight

31 

Like, share, comment: it’s working!

7. We’re green, great and growing (8 points) After only six months, it’s already clear that the new marketing campaign has been a success. Unscramble the words to create adjectives about the results. The first two letters are correct. A.  The marketing campaign shows we’re totally tr o w h t r s u y t . . B.  The content is bu z o t h z y w r . C.  The posts are ey c - e c a i n g t h . D. The videos always go vi l r a . E.  The blogs are me l e a b m o r F.  The messages are in p n s a l i r a t i o . G. They show how pa o i s n a t e s we are about our company and services. H. Green SleepOver looks totally ge i n e n u .

1. Your strengths A. start-ups B. competitors = Mitbewerber(innen), Konkurrenten/Konkurrentinnen C. gap = Lücke D. buzz ifml. = Interesse, Begeisterung E. touchpoints F. audience (target audience = Zielgruppe)

3. The basics of brands A. flagship (flagship brand = Vorzeige-, Hauptmarke) B. economy (economy brand = Billigmarke) C. positioning (brand positioning = Markenpositionierung) D. values (brand value = Markenwert) E. awareness (brand awareness = Markenbekanntheit, -wahrnehmung) F. extension (brand extension = Markenerweiterung) G. loyalty (brand loyalty = Markentreue, -loyalität) H. advocates (brand advocate = Markenfürsprecher(in)) 4. Making use of old and new A–2; B–5; C–1; D–3; E–4

5. Searching for sleep A. proposition (unique selling proposition (USP) = Alleinstellungsmerkmal) B. regulation (general data protection regulation (GDPR) = Datenschutzgrundverordnung) C. optimization (search engine optimization (SEO) = Suchmaschinenoptimierung) D. results (search engine results page (SERP) = Suchmaschinen ergebnisseite) E. click (click-through rate (CTR) = Klickrate) F. conversion (conversion rate optimization (CRO) = Conver­ sion-(Rate-)Optimierung) G. indicator (key performance indicator (KPI) = Leistungskennzahl) H. return (return on investment (ROI) = Kapitalrendite) 6. How to influence people A. footprint (social footprint = Fußabdruck in den sozialen Medien)

B. coverage (media coverage = Berichterstattung in den Medien) C. presence = Präsenz D. access = Zugang E. reach = hier: Anzahl der erreichten Kunden F. feed = Einspeisung (von Daten) G. leads = Leads, Interessenten H. mention = Nennung I.  mind (be front of mind = als Erstes in den Sinn kommen) 7. We’re green, great and growing fast A. trustworthy = vertrauenswürdig B. buzzworthy US ifml. = Interesse verdienend C. eye-catching = auffällig D. viral (go viral = sich rasend schnell im Internet verbreiten) E. memorable = einprägsam F. inspirational = inspirierend G. passionate (be passionate about sth. = eine Leidenschaft für etw. haben) H. genuine = authentisch

HOW DID YOU DO?

40–50

30–39

18–29

Up to 17

Note: In order to be able

Excellent!

Well done!

Good

Could do better

to compare your language knowledge across different areas of business English, all Business Spotlight tests have a maximum possible score of 50 points.

32 

Remember the basics. A clever slogan or tagline should be part of every marketing campaign. Here are a few modern classics. Nike: “Just Do It” Audi: “Vorsprung durch Technik” Apple: “Think Different”

E. ran (run a focus group = eine Zielgruppe leiten) F. differentiated (differentiate sth. from sth. = etw. von etw. abgrenzen)

A wake-up call = Ein Weckruf

2. Your market A. carried (carry sth. out = etw. durchführen) B. gathered (gather sth. = etw. sammeln) C. mined (mine data = Datensätze durchsuchen und auswerten) D. developed

SLOGANS AND TAGLINES

Business Spotlight 2/2019

Congratulations! You are clearly already an expert in the language of digital and traditional marketing.

You’re not far from the top score! If you want to be an expert on the topic, try reading more about marketing developments in English when you get the opportunity.

Clearly, you are interested in the business of marketing, but your vocabulary isn’t up to speed. Check your results to see where you went wrong. Do those exercises again to help you broaden your knowledge.

Marketing is full of specialized vocabulary and expressions, and it can be hard to remember them all. Don’t worry. Try the test again to see if you can improve your results.

LANGUAGE TEST

Illustration: TarikVision/iStock.com

ANSWERS

➻

VIEWPOINT IT’S PERSONAL

“Modern slavery touches us all” Zwangsarbeit ist kein Phänomen vergangener Zeiten. Da wir alle in irgendeiner Weise in die moderne Sklaverei verstrickt sind, müssen wir auch alle dringend dagegen aktiv werden. ADVANCED

Fotos:: hudiemm, horvats/iStock.com

W

hen I began this column five years ago, I said that it would focus on the human side of business. I never thought that, in the 21st century, I’d need to write about an inhuman side — but with an estimated 40 million people worldwide now trapped in “modern slavery” (a term that should be an oxymoron), the issue cries out to be heard. According to the Global Slavery Index 2018, published by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation, about 25 million people are working in forced labour. We are talking about men, women and children sold in public markets, workers tied to their bosses by debts they can’t possibly repay or by threats of violence, girls trafficked into sex and more. A further 15 million, mainly women and girls, are living in forced marriages. The problem is worst in parts of Africa and Asia, but it touches us all. Products most at risk of being connected to forced labour are computers, mobile phones, clothes, fish, cocoa and sugar cane — items we import to the value of billions of dollars a year. In September of 2018, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US developed four principles designed to combat modern slavery in global supply chains. It is a welcome step, since Walk Free found that only seven G20 countries had enacted laws to stop business and government sourcing goods and services produced by forced labour. My own country, the UK, was the world’s first to introduce a Modern Slavery Act, in 2015, but I must admit I thought that, for rich countries, the main issue was exactly as presented above: preventing slave labour abroad. Perhaps it’s easier to believe that those terrible stories of trafficking and cruelty at home make the headlines because they are rare. Sadly, the truth is otherwise. VIEWPOINT

ELISABETH RIBBANS is a British journalist and editorial consul­ tant. She is also a former managing editor of The Guardian in London.

➳ Contact: eribbans@ gmail.com

The latest estimates suggest more than 400,000 people in the US, 167,000 in Germany and 136,000 in the UK are living in modern slavery — far higher than previously believed. Industries affected include farming, construction, hotels and other service sectors. In Britain, 27 per cent of all calls to the Modern Slavery Helpline in 2017 were related to car-wash workers. Last November, Australia introduced anti-slavery legislation that breaks new ground in being the first to recognize “orphanage trafficking”. This is a vile scam in which parents, mostly in South East Asia, are tricked into giving up their children on the promise of a better life; in reality, they are thrown into institutions and used as bait to attract donations from foreign tourists. It’s clear that modern slavery is a shape-shifter with many faces. Invisible for too long, fed by poverty, conflict and oppression, this crime calls for action from governments, businesses and individuals because we are all caught somewhere in its chains.

act [Äkt]  , Gesetz bait [beIt]  , Köder break new ground [)breIk nju: (graUnd] 

item [(aItEm] 

, Waisenhaus

[(trÄfIkt] 

[(pri:viEsli] 

scam [skÄm]  ,  Betrug, Masche

donation

trafficked

previously

combat sth. ,  etw. bekämpfen

,  an jmdn. gebunden sein; hier: von jmdm. abhängig sein

[(O:fEnIdZ] 

, zuvor

[(kQmbÄt] 

[taId] 

orphanage

, Pionierarbeit

leisten

tied: be ~ to sb.

, Artikel 

, gehandelt; hier: verkauft

trafficking

[(trÄfIkIN]  , Menschenhandel

shape-shifter: be a ~

[(SeIp )SIftE]  ,  sich wandeln;

, Spende

hier: verschiedene Ausprägungen haben

enact sth. [In(Äkt]  ,  etw. erlassen

source sth. [sO:s]  ,  etw. beschaffen

[dEU(neIS&n] 

trapped: be ~ in sth. [trÄpt] ,  in etw. gefangen sein vile [vaI&l] 

, übel

2/2019 Business Spotlight

33 

BUSINESS SKILLS SERIES: LEADERSHIP

The challenges of change Der zweite Teil unserer neuen Serie zum Thema „Führung“ befasst sich mit Veränderungen. BOB DIGNEN erklärt, welche Arten von Veränderungen es im beruflichen Umfeld gibt, wie sich diese auf Mitarbeiter und Vorgesetzte auswirken und wie diese damit umgehen können. ADVANCED  AUDIO  PLUS

I

f you ask leaders where their business will be in a year’s time, few will answer with any confidence. Change is, of course, a constant in human experience. We remain nomads in some sense, and are always travelling — physically, psychologically and societally. But the current digitally driven business environment promises a speed and level of unpredictability that threatens the ability of leaders to guide their organizations successfully through transformation. Many businesses, even the longest established and most reputable, will not survive. In this article, we look at the typical types of change in the workplace and at our typical reactions to them. The central issue is not whether we should change but

rather how, how fast and how effectively in order to ensure that the opportunities are captured and the risks minimized — for leaders, their teams and their organizations.

1. Types of change

There are many types of change at work — some with more advantages than others, and some far easier to handle than others. Take a look at the five changes in the table below. Can you think of other potential opportunities and challenges? Task: Look at the challenges below and note down three practical tips that you would give to anyone (including yourself) facing such changes at work. Compare your answers with our suggestions on page 42.

capture sth. [(kÄptSE] 

,  etw. ergreifen

disruption [dIs(rVpS&n]  ,  Störung; grundlegende Veränderung micromanagement

[)maIkrEU(mÄnIdZmEnt] 

, detailorientierter Führungsstil

relocation

[)ri:lEU(keIS&n] 

, Umzug

reputable [(repjUtEb&l]  , angesehen

THE CENTRAL ISSUE IS NOT WHETHER WE SHOULD CHANGE BUT RATHER HOW

route [ru:t]  ,  hier: vorgezeichneter Weg unpredictability

[)Vnpri)dIktE(bIlEti]  , Unvorhersehbarkeit,

Unkalkulierbarkeit

Types of change

34 

CHANGE

OPPORTUNITIES

CHALLENGES

1. Promotion to a higher position

Increased salary More influence Chances to learn

Pressure More work Challenge of managing team

2. Appointment of a new boss

More inspiring leader Delegation Skills development

Poor leader Micromanagement Low interest in personal development

3. Participation in an international project

Chance to improve language skills Chance to travel Chance to build new networks

Communication challenges Isolation of living alone in hotels Problems dealing with cultural differences

4. Introduction of a new IT platform

Greater efficiency Use of new technology Lower costs

Lower efficiency Processes don’t match needs Increased costs

5. Relocation with family overseas

Experience a new culture Chance to learn a new language Chance to grow as a person

Disruption to family life Disconnection from friends No clear route to return home

Business Spotlight 2/2019

BUSINESS SKILLS

Illustration: Yann Bastard

Change: a constant in business life

INTERVIEW

“You need to be allowed to make mistakes in the beginning” Die Umsetzung von Veränderungen verlangt Flexibilität und die Möglichkeit, dabei auch Fehler zu machen. Externe Veränderungsberater begleiten diesen Prozess.

What are the reasons that lead to change slowing down, or even failing? People still carry out many of these changes in an old-fashioned manner, thinking that there is only one change at a time in a company, not realizing that there are so many different changes going on at the same time and that change is all around. Clearly, there needs to be a balance in organizations between stabilizing the system and having the agility so that things can change. If you try to execute change top down, starting with leadership alignment, mobilizing middle management and then the employees, it takes far too long. Don’t forget that top management often starts implementing change after maybe years of analysing the reasons for change with consultants. And when top management decides something, it’s often far away from the realities of employees, so people have serious difficulties understanding the reasons for the change and its benefits. So, they also become somehow a victim of the change. They don’t feel responsible for it. They feel they are being controlled and start saying things like, “You have to tell me what do to” or “You have to decide”.

agile [(ÄdZaI&l]  ,  agil, flexibel; hier: agiles

, Ausrichtung;

agility

at a time: only one… ~

,  hier: Flexibilität

,  jeweils nur ein(e) …

Management betreffend [E(dZIlEti] 

36 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

alignment [E(laInmEnt] 

emerging

hier: Koordinierung

, entstehend; hier:

[)Ät E (taIm] 

[i(m§:dZIN] 

situationsbezogen

ensure sth. [In(SO:]  ,  etw. sicherstellen

Another problem is when top management doesn’t support the change — and sometimes it would be unrealistic to expect them to do so. There are always one or two who are sending conflicting messages. That creates a lot of confusion, and conflicting targets for middle management. In such a situation, they can only wait it out and see which seniormanagement point of view wins. Do people struggle to do their daily job and change at the same time? Definitely. You need time for change, and that’s another reason it doesn’t work — there is no time! Also, you need to be allowed to make mistakes in the beginning. If you don’t have a culture that allows you to fail, it’s difficult to change. How useful are change consultants? Can’t organizations manage change themselves? I strongly believe that they can do it themselves. But what helps is to have someone external who sees things from a different perspective and sees what’s really going on. What I do is show organizations how new methods, such as the “agile” approach, can help them to implement change in an emerging way — not so much controlling change but letting it flow and evolve. I also help the right stakeholders to connect and work together, because often when I come into an organization, it is blocked as a result of the many different opinions. So I see my role as asking the right questions rather than having the right answers. People have a good sense of what the right thing to do is, much better than I do. But I’m the one asking the right questions and helping people to decide more consciously what needs to be done next.

evolve [i(vQlv]  ,  sich entwickeln

, Ziel(vorstellung)

execute sth.

stakeholder

[(eksIkju:t] 

,  etw. ausführen

objective [Eb(dZektIv] 

wait sth. out

[)weIt (aUt]  ,  etw. aussitzen

[(steIk)hEUldE]  , Interessengruppe;

hier: Akteur(in)

BUSINESS SKILLS

Foto: privat; Illustration:en Yann Bastrad

NICOLE ANZINGER is an independent consul­ tant in Munich. She helps organizations ensure that people do what is needed to make change success­ ful, fulfilling the new roles and respon­ sibilities that come with new structures. www.change-up.de

Do people generally react negatively to change? It depends very much on the environment that you’re in. If you believe this is a change that has priority for you, and you see a benefit in it, then you will support it. It also depends on the organization and how conflicting the objectives are that come along with the change. I would say that people generally want to ask a lot of questions, but I’m not sure that this is resistance.

2. Understanding and driving change

All leadership training now includes the topic of change management. Every organization needs to evolve and improve over time, upgrade its technology, develop new products, enter new markets and find new customers. And, importantly, organizational change implies changes for people — taking on board new attitudes, behaviours, roles and cultural values. Accepting and embracing change is far from easy, especially when change leads to unwanted negatives, such as an increased workload, challenging targets and new and confusing reporting lines. There are many change-management models that provide tools and strategies to enable leaders and team members to understand and deal with change effectively. Business professionals should familiarize themselves with such models, for example those of Elisabeth KüblerRoss and John P. Kotter.

3. The stages of change

The most influential model of change is probably the one that was developed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross to demonstrate the predictable stages of grief-based emotions that individuals experience, for example in relation to death. The model (see below) has been widely adopted by business leaders to understand employee response to changes — ranging from shock and denial, through anger and depression, to acceptance of the new reality. Here, we look at these typical stages of grief and at what they can mean in a business context — both for team members and leaders. a) Shock and denial. During this relatively short stage, people employ defence

mechanisms to protect themselves against what is seen as an unwanted change. Typical responses might include a refusal to understand or believe what is happening, and an increase in stress. What does this mean for managing change at work? For team members. Emotional resilience is required to manage the negative feelings of shock, and to remain open to identifying the potential benefits of new ways of working. It is essential to ask questions to understand both the reasons for the change and the form the change will actually take, in order to understand its potential benefits and avoid being locked into denial. For leaders. Empathy is required to understand the level of shock and denial that may be experienced by individuals who are being asked to change, particularly if they have not been part of the process that resulted in the decision to bring about change. The focus should be on developing people’s understanding by communicating clearly the reasons for change. John P. Kotter talks about the need to establish a “burning platform” so that people can understand the importance of “jumping”. It is important not just to tell people what to do, but to allow individuals time to ask questions and receive the answers necessary so that they can absorb the rationale for change.

⋅⋅

⋅⋅

b) Anger and frustration. Once people realize what is happening or is going to happen, anger and frustration set in. People can direct these feelings at themselves or, more typically, at others. People’s moods can become very negative during this stage, characterized often by being

adopt sth. [E(dQpt]  ,  etw. übernehmen anger [(ÄNgE]  ,  Wut, Ärger denial [di(naIEl]  , Verweigerung, Nicht-wahrhaben-Wollen embrace sth. [Im(breIs] 

,  etw. annehmen, akzeptieren

evolve [i(vQlv]  ,  sich entwickeln grief [gri:f]  ,  (psychischer) Schmerz,

ONCE PEOPLE REALIZE WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, ANGER OFTEN SETS IN

Leid

locked: be ~ into sth. [lQkt] ,  hier: in etw. gefangen sein platform [(plÄtfO:m]  , Podest predictable

[pri(dIktEb&l] 

, vorhersehbar, kalkulierbar

rationale

[)rÄSE(nA:l]  ,  (logische) Gründe

reporting line

[ri(pO:tIN laIn] 

, Berichtslinie

resilience [ri(zIliEns]  , Belastbarkeit, Widerstandskraft take sth. on board

[)teIk Qn (bO:d]  ,  etw. übernehmen

The stages of people’s reaction to change (adapted from Kübler-Ross) Stage 1 Shock and denial Defence mechanisms against unwanted change. Refusal to believe what is happening.

BUSINESS SKILLS

Stage 2 Anger and frustration Negative moods, directed at self and others. Low levels of energy and motivation.

Stage 3 Bargaining Realization that change must happen. But attempts to minimize the change.

Stage 4 Depression Sense of loss, saying goodbye to the past. Lack of engagement.

Stage 5 Acceptance Initial engagement with new situation. New energy and confidence.

2/2019 Business Spotlight

37 

short-tempered and having low levels of energy and motivation. What does this mean for managing change at work? For team members. Prepare yourself for strong negative feelings, such as anxiety, anger and fear, and try to find ways to process them in safe conversations with friends and colleagues. It is important not to let these emotions cause you to communicate harshly. You should remain open and constructive, and curious about what is coming.

⋅⋅

Questions are essential, even probing ones, which can alert leaders to complexities they may have overlooked. For leaders. Despite their best efforts at communication, those leading others through change need to expect explicit anger and resentment as team members realize that they have to abandon familiar ways of working — with a fear of making mistakes, having to do more work, etc. Maintaining open and frequent communication channels is essential. John Kotter suggests building a

⋅⋅

alert sb. to sth. [E(l§:t tu] 

,  jmdn. auf etw.

aufmerksam machen anxiety

[ÄN(zaIEti] 

, Angst(gefühl),

Besorgnis

harshly [(hA:Sli]  , barsch

probing

[(prEUbIN]  ,  bohrend, sondierend

resentment

[ri(zentmEnt]  ,  Groll, Unmut

short-tempered

[)SO:t (tempEd] 

, reizbar

Case study: A change in team identity Jenny Brucker is leading a virtual team of international health-and-safety experts working for XChem, a chemical company near Frankfurt. The team members are located in Germany (two people), Sweden (three people) and Finland (one person). In the past, the team was responsible for 23 countries, providing health-and-safety advice and support to local production sites. The country responsibilities were divided among the team members, who worked closely with the COO in each country. To increase local accountability and bring local business units closer to their customers, a new structure has been announced by the global board. Local health-and-safety heads will be appointed, who will report to their local COOs. The international team is to be reduced, though details have not yet been specified. The plan is to reduce costs and to focus the remaining central team on more strategic areas, monitoring the local health-and-safety heads and ensuring the sharing of best practices between the countries, and common reporting practices. The day after she announced the planned changes in a meeting, Jenny is discussing them on the phone with Lotte Lindqvist, from her Swedish team. Lotte: So, what’s going to happen and when? I’m really worried about all this. Jenny: Lotte, you need to be patient. The new structure was announced by the global board only last week. I don’t have all the details myself. Lotte: But the announcement was clear. We’re losing all our countries and probably our jobs. Jenny: You’re not losing your countries. The country responsibility is moving more to the new local heads. The central team will get new responsibilities. And there has been no decision on job losses yet either. 38 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

Lotte: But it can’t work. The local countries are never going to be able to recruit the right experts in such a short time. Even if they can, it will take years to understand the different production technologies. I think this could really seriously impact safety in some of the plants. Jenny: It will be our role in the central team to support them. We have the expertise and this will be part of our role going forward. Lotte: But the new heads report to the local COO and not to us, so that won’t work either. How will we get them to listen to us if we don’t have any authority? It’s just crazy. Jenny: Look, I don’t have time now to go into detail, but you have to get rid of this negativity. I told the team yesterday that this was an opportunity, but I’m only hearing problems. Let me put it on the agenda for our team meeting next week. Lotte: I’m not being negative. I’m being practical. Jenny: OK, we’ll discuss it next week. I have to run to my next meeting. I don’t have time for this right now.

⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

What to think about

accountability

[E)kaUntE(bIlEti] 

, Verantwortlichkeit

board [bO:d]  , Vorstand business unit

[(bIznEs )ju:nIt] 

, Unternehmensbereich

COO (chief operating officer) [)si: EU (EU] 

,  Vorstand für das operative Geschäft

ensure sth.

[In(SO:]  ,  etw. sicherstellen

expertise

[)eksp§:(ti:z] 

, Fachwissen

going forward

[)gEUIN (fO:wEd]  ,  in (der) Zukunft

monitor sth.

[(mQnItE]  ,  etw. überwachen

plant [plA:nt]  , Werk recruit sb.

[ri(kru:t]  ,  jmdn. einstellen

What do you think the main reasons were for the change announced by the board of XChem? How well has Lotte responded to the planned changes? How well does Jenny handle Lotte’s reservations during the call? What other steps should Jenny take to manage her team through the change process?

➻ You will find our feedback on page 40 BUSINESS SKILLS

Managing change: a key leadership skill

strong coalition of supporters who can challenge negative emotions in the organization and maintain a positive momentum for change. c) Bargaining. Here, people realize that change must happen. But rather than engaging fully with the change, they often attempt to negotiate a way forward that holds on to the past and minimizes the reality of the change. Acceptance of change is therefore only partial. What does this mean for managing change at work? For team members. In this phase, it is important for people to look forwards and not backwards. They should spend time negotiating realistically both the speed and the scale of the coming change. If they negotiate poorly, they may become overwhelmed and fall back into denial. If they negotiate well, they can establish a realistic schedule for change that allows them to maintain their current operational responsibilities but also to steadily embrace the future.

Illustrationen: Yann Bastard

⋅⋅

BUSINESS SKILLS

IT IS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO LOOK FORWARDS AND NOT BACKWARDS bargaining [(bA:gInIN] 

, Verhandeln

engage with sth.

[In(geIdZ wID]  ,  sich auf etw. einlassen

momentum

[mEU(mentEm] 

, Dynamik

overwhelmed: be ~ [)EUvE(welmd]  ,  überfordert sein

scale [skeI&l]  , Ausmaß schedule [(Sedju:l]  ,  Zeit-, Ablaufplan

KEY TIPS!

• Remember that the central issue is not whether we should change but rather how, how fast and how effectively. • As a leader, you need to help your team members go through their various reactions to change (shock, denial, depression, etc.) in order to reach acceptance. • A change process can benefit from individuals who don’t simply accept everything, but instead challenge constructively, with a view to optimizing the process.

denial [di(naIEl]  ,  Verweigerung, Nicht-wahrhaben-

Wollen

steadily [(stedIli]  , stets

2/2019 Business Spotlight

39 

⋅⋅

For leaders. In this phase, both “pull” and “push” strategies may be necessary. A pull strategy involves asking questions to understand staff concerns, perhaps even giving concessions to keep team members motivated. Employees may, however, fail to appreciate the urgency of change and lack the confidence to agree to a schedule that is ambitious enough to meet business needs. So, alongside listening and having patience, leaders may need a push strategy — driving and demanding with urgency new ways of doing things.

d) Depression. In this phase, people may experience powerful emotions such as sadness, fear and a deep sense of loss and disillusionment as they say goodbye to the past. People tend to withdraw from others, stop engaging and communicating, only to be lost with a sense of helplessness. What does this mean for managing change at work? For team members. It is important to help people transition through the depression phase as quickly as possible. Engaging in new tasks, and focusing on

appreciate sth.

[E(pri:SieIt]  ,  etw. schätzen;

hier: etw. wahrnehmen, verstehen withdraw from sb. [wID(drO: )frQm] 

,  sich von jmdm.

zurückziehen

⋅⋅

Case study: Feedback (see p. 38) The following comments are provided as food for thought. Different interpretations are, of course, possible. What do you think the main reasons were for the change announced by the board of XChem? XChem has initiated a change that can be seen in many large global organizations. The global model of the past involved key functions of country operations being managed by central teams of experts. This proved expensive, with high salaries and travel costs. Also, the central team slowly began to lose touch with the local markets, which led to reduced revenues and profits. The change aims to give authority to local organizations to manage their markets and operations better — at lower cost and more closely aligned to local market needs. The smaller central team will offer support where needed, and encourage the sharing of experiences across borders and standardized reporting. How well has Lotte responded to the planned changes? Lotte seems to be in the early stages of the change process, suffering from shock and anger, and expressing some denial. This response is natural to some extent. It is also supported by logical concerns of a threat to the quality of local health and safety, and a reduction in her ability to influence the new local heads. But it is important for Lotte to engage more deeply with the logic of the change and to step into a leadership role so that she, Jenny and the team can manage the change in the best way possible.

40 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

How well does Jenny handle Lotte’s reservations during the call? Jenny has already announced the change to her team but it is clear that Lotte lacks a clear framework for understanding the logic, the schedule and the future relationships in the organization. We don’t know whether Jenny didn’t explain the changes well or whether Lotte simply failed to listen. In the call, however, Jenny risks alienating Lotte by constantly contradicting her concerns, labelling her as “negative” and giving the impression that she has other, more important priorities. What other steps should Jenny take to manage her team through the change process? First of all, Jenny needs to find the time to talk through fully with her team the logic and benefits — both individual and team-related — of the planned changes. She also needs to plan, as far as possible, how best to implement the new structure in a realistic and efficient way to ensure that her team is not overloaded when managing the handover to local operations. She needs to ensure that the handover is customized to the competence levels of the newly recruited local health-and-safety heads, and that health and safety is not compromised during the process. It would probably be best for Jenny to design this process with her team, to allow it to manage the change in an effective and efficient way. Importantly, she needs to clarify as soon as possible the future staffing level in the central team. It is important to be transparent about job losses if they are to happen.

alienate sb. [(eIliEneIt] 

,  jmdn. verstimmen

align sth. to sth. [E(laIn tu] 

,  etw. auf etw. abstimmen

anger [(ÄNgE]  ,  Wut, Ärger clarify sth. [(klÄrEfaI]  ,  etw. klarstellen compromised: be ~

[(kQmprEmaIzd]  ,  beeinträchtigt werden

contradict sb. /sth. [)kQntrE(dIkt] , jmdm./ etw. widersprechen customize sth. to sth.

[(kVstEmaIz tu] 

,  etw. an etw. anpassen

denial: express ~ [di(naIEl]  ,  hier: eine Verweigerungshaltung einnehmen engage with sth.

[In(geIdZ wID]  ,  sich mit etw. befassen

food for thought

[)fu:d fE (TO:t]  , Denkanstoß/-anstöße

handover [(hÄnd)EUvE]  , Übergabe label sb. as sth. [(leIb&l Äz]  ,  hier: jmdn. etw. nennen lose touch with sb./sth.

[)lu:z (tVtS wID]  ,  den Kontakt zu jmdm. /

den Bezug zu etw. verlieren revenue [(revEnju:]  , Umsatzerlös schedule [(Sedju:l]  ,  Zeit-, Ablaufplan

BUSINESS SKILLS

Illustrationen: Yann Bastard Fotos: XX

Double challenge: managing your workload and managing change

BUSINESS SKILLS

2/2019 Business Spotlight

41 

(see table on p. 34)

⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

1. Promotion to a higher position  Benchmark the market rate to negotiate the best salary. Ensure that training is part of any new role negotiated. Learn to prioritize effectively to manage the increased workload.

⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

2. Appointment of a new boss  Ask questions to discover how to trust your boss. Try to discover their areas of expertise and what they have achieved in the past. Understand how the new boss likes to lead. Are they quick or slow to trust? Identify ways in which you can learn from them. Explore whether the new boss sees ways in which you and your role can grow.

fluent [(flu:Ent]  ,  fließend (sprechend) relocation [)ri:lEU(keIS&n]  , Umzug

4. The choice is yours

⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

4. Introduction of a new IT platform Take time to become an expert in the new system. If you are good at using it, you will enjoy it. Think about ways in which the new system can make life better for customers and reduce costs. Share experiences with other users so that you can see ways in which the system makes sense for the company.

⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

5. Relocation with family overseas  Think about how your family can benefit from the experience, not just you. Establish a “schedule” to keep contact with old friends — for example by email, video or phone. Explore interesting activities in the local culture to ensure that you grow as a person.

[(bentSmA:k] 

,  etw. als Maßstab setzen

enrich sth. [In(rItS]  ,  etw. bereichern ensure sth. [In(SO:] 

,  etw. sicherstellen

42 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

⋅⋅

e) Acceptance. This is the crucial phase, during which people come to terms with the new reality and begin to take steps to engage with it. They begin to exercise a sense of control over their changed roles and activities, find new energy and confidence, and re-engage with others to move their life forwards. What does this mean for managing change at work? For team members. It is important to take time to celebrate the successes experienced with the new way of working and to fully understand the personal, team and organizational benefits created by the change process. At the same time, a positive mindset should be deployed towards any remaining problems. Nostalgia about the old world needs to be rejected. For leaders. As people begin to accept and embrace the new reality, it is important for leaders to set realistic goals to drive action, and to encourage everyone to fully participate in shaping the new world. Workshops that collect and test people’s ideas can build a sense of ownership among team members. As progress is made, communication and celebration of success are essential. So are individual and team feedback conversations to express thanks to those who have helped to navigate the difficult journey. Training that develops new ways of thinking and behaving and the integration of these into job descriptions and key performance indicators (KPIs) are also key parts of this phase.

3. Participation in an international project  Make travel an advantage and not a disadvantage. Take time to stop over in new places you visit, and ask your partner or family to join you. Learn about new cultural contexts. Think about how different ways of doing things can enrich your working style. Invest time in improving your English with extra study so that you leave the project as a fluent speaker of English.

benchmark sth.

learning and acquiring new skills is an excellent way to become excited again about work, and to begin to appreciate the benefits of the changed situation. For leaders. Providing opportunities for employees to experience the benefits of the change — with training and support for new roles — is an important way to create self-belief in staff who are at risk of depression. It is also essential to take time for individual meetings to assess the feelings of team members, to provide support and help, and to coach a positive mindset.

expertise [)eksp§:(ti:z] 

, Fachwissen

schedule [(Sedju:l]  ,  Zeit-, Ablaufplan

assess sth. [E(ses]  ,  etw. einschätzen, beurteilen come to terms with sth.

[)kVm tE (t§:mz wID]  ,  sich mit etw. arrangieren

crucial [(kru:S&l]  , entscheidend deploy sth.

[di(plOI]  ,  etw. einsetzen

key performance indicator (KPI) [)ki: pE(fO:mEns )IndIkeItE] 

, Leistungskennzahl

mindset

[(maIndset]  ,  Denkweise, Einstellung

nostalgia

[nQ(stÄldZE]  ,  [wg. Aussprache]

⋅⋅

⋅⋅

Illustrationen: Yann Bastard; Foto: privat

Tips for managing change

In many organizations, people feel that they are the victims of change driven by BUSINESS SKILLS

outside forces. This often results in resentment towards change, accompanied by rejection and resistance, or even sabotage. Of course, some elements of professional life do lie outside our control, even for those in senior positions. Making change work for the benefit of your team and organization requires a strategic understanding of your organization, its place in the market, its strengths and weaknesses, and the factors driving change. It also demands insight into the value of new ways of doing things and the ability to overcome the emotions that arise when we are forced to give up past habits and leave our comfort zone. Successful change demands deep questioning to learn both the why of change and the how. The change process can also benefit from individuals who don’t simply accept everything their leaders say, but instead challenge them constructively, with a view to optimizing the process. Ultimately, individuals who seek to participate in change, to develop and grow with it, and to optimize and customize it to an ever-changing reality are likely to become part of the future of an organization rather than one of the many memories of its past. The choice is always yours to make.

INDIVIDUALS WHO SEEK TO PARTICIPATE IN CHANGE DEVELOP AND GROW WITH IT

➻ In part three of our series on leadership, we look at how to lead across cultures.

customize sth. to sth. [(kVstEmaIz tu] 

,  etw. an etw. anpassen

Language reference

insight (into sth.)

The following phrases can be used to talk about change-management processes.

Verständis (für etw.)

Asking about the reasons for the change

[(InsaIt ()Intu)]  ,  Erkenntnis (von etw.),

rejection

[ri(dZekS&n] 

, Ablehnung

sabotage

[(sÄbEtA:Z]  ,  [wg. Aussprache]

⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

What is the strategic vision behind the change? What are we trying to achieve with the change? What do I need to do to enable the change to be effective?

⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅

Communicating the reasons for the change

The main driver behind this change is… The main reason for the change is… The change will enable us to… If we don’t change, there is a real risk that we will…

Discovering feelings about the change

How is this affecting you? How do you feel about… ? Are you worried about this change? How can I support you in adapting to/managing… ?

Discussing opportunities resulting from the change

⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

This is a great opportunity to… This will allow you to… The change will enable you to develop/grow/ increase/raise… In a few years, you will be in a position to…

AUDIO + PLUS You can try our exercises on this topic on Business Spotlight Audio as well as in our exercise booklet, Business Spotlight Plus. To order, go to www.aboshop. spotlight-verlag.de

Using coaching questions to increase engagement

⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

What are your change priorities at the moment? How can you do more to support the change? What do you need in order to feel more confident about this change?

⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

Driving change

It’s essential that we start to… People need to stop… (-ing) We simply need to…

Setting realistic goals for the change process

⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

The first thing you need to do is to… The main goal for you in the short term is to… I would say that success for us means…

BOB DIGNEN is a director of York Associates (www.york-associates.co.uk) and author of many business English books. Con­ tact: [email protected]

BUSINESS SKILLS

affect sb.

driver

,  jmdn. betreffen,

,  Motor, Triebkraft

[E(fekt] 

beeinflussen

[(draIvE] 

engagement

[In(geIdZmEnt]  ,  hier: Einbindung,

Beteiligung

2/2019 Business Spotlight

43 

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Mit diesem Buch von PONS lernen Sie im Handumdrehen. Es enthält die wichtigsten Wörter und Sätze, die Sie brauchen, um sofort loszulegen. Einfache Dialoge schildern die häufigsten Alltagssituationen und landestypische Illustrationen, Szenen und Schaubilder unterstützen Sie zusätzlich beim Lernen. Buch mit 160 Seiten. Englisch-Deutsch. Artikel-Nr. 1836985. € 10,00 (D) / €10,28 (A)

Frisch, locker und unbeschwert: mit diesem unkonventionellen Übungsbuch können Sie Ihr Englisch zwischendurch schnell auffrischen. Der witzige und spielerische Stil eignet sich für Anfänger mit Vorkenntnissen, die Lust haben, mal etwas Neues auszuprobieren. Buch mit 128 Seiten. Englisch-Deutsch. Artikel-Nr. 1791665. € 12,00 (D) / € 12,40 (A)

BIOGRAFIE

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Die kraftvolle und inspirierende Autobiografie der ehemaligen First Lady der USA. In diesem Buch erzählt Michelle Obama erstmals ihre Geschichte - in ihren eigenen Worten und auf ihre ganz eigene Art. Sie nimmt uns mit in ihre Welt und berichtet von all den Erfahrungen, die sie zu der starken Frau gemacht haben, die sie heute ist. Buch mit 544 Seiten. Englisch. Artikel-Nr. 1836986. € 32,30 (D) / € 33,21 (A)

Der moderne step-by-step Englischkurs sorgt mit überraschenden Unterrichtserlebnissen für einen extra Motivationskick und führt Schritt für Schritt ans Ziel! Erfrischende und immer passende Aktivitäten zur Einführung, zum Üben und Wiederholen und zur Auflockerung zwischendurch Buch mit 184 Seiten. Englisch-Deutsch. Artikel-Nr. 1836987. € 24,99 (D) / €25,70 (A)

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Englisch Sprachkurs Plus Eating out with friends or having a business lunch. Booking a flight for your holiday or making travel arrangements to a conference. Making small talk when meeting up with friends or before negotiating with business partners. You can learn and practise the English you need in situations like these with this book. Thanks to dialogues, exercises and grammar explanations, it is ideal for self-study. Buch mit 286 Seiten. Deutsch-Englisch. Artikel-Nr. 1837245. € 25,00 (D) / €25,70 (A)

“ The augmented reality app and online videos supporting the units make studying with this coursebook entertaining.” Hildegard Rudolph, Sprachredakteurin bei Business Spotlight

WORTSCHATZ

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Business English

A weekend in New York

Das Buch enthält einen umfangreichen Wortschatz, wichtige Phrasen und Textbausteine in britischem und amerikanischem Englisch. Besonders wertvoll sind die sprachlichen und interkulturellen Tipps und Knigge-Regeln für das korrekte Benehmen im englischsprachigen Kontext.

Mit dem Sprach- und Reisespiel A weekend in New York tauchen Sie in den American Way of Life ein und machen mit dem Taxi, dem Bus oder der Subway eine Sightseeingtour durch New York. So können Sie unterhaltsam Ihre Englischkenntnisse verbessern.

Buch mit 473 Seiten. Englisch-Deutsch. Artikel-Nr. 1837246. € 19,95 (D) / € 20,51 (A)

Spiel. Englisch-Deutsch. Artikel-Nr. 1661931. € 29,99 (D) / € 29,99 (A)

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SPECIAL: 100TH ISSUE

BUSINESS ENGLISH 100 TOP TIPS

OF THE BEST Business Spotlight feiert seine 100. Ausgabe! Aus diesem Anlass haben SASKIA REBMANN und IAN MCMASTER genau 100 nützliche Tipps für Ihren Berufsalltag ausgewählt. MEDIUM  AUDIO

I

n this article, we have put together 100 top tips for doing business in English — one from each of the first 100 issues of Business Spotlight. For each tip, we provide the issue number and page number where it can be found. We begin with a short test, as in the first issue of Business Spotlight back in March 2001.

1. Test: Improve your business English

What do the following abbreviations stand for? (Answers on page 53) A. CFO B. M&A C. ROI D. SMEs E. IPO (Steve Flinders, 2/2001, p. 17)

2. Socializing: Handshakes

“Don’t assume that a strong handshake will be appreciated in all parts of the world.” (Jeremy Comfort, 3/2001, p. 68) 46 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

3. Women at Work: Gender communication

“For both men and women, it is an advantage to be able to think both ‘male’ and ‘female’ — or to combine these ways of thinking for optimum results.” (Shere Hite, 4/2001, p. 38)

4. Management: Styles

“As managers of people, we need to know our own personal style and how it affects others. But that is not enough. We also need to quickly recognize the personal styles of the people we have to work with so that we can deal with them appropriately.” (Ken Taylor, 1/2002, p. 79)

5. What is… cherry picking?

“Cherry picking is choosing the most profitable options from those that are available — in other words, taking only the best and leaving the rest.” (2/2002, p. 81) abbreviation

appreciate sth.

appropriately

,  Abkürzung

,  etw. schätzen,

,  auf angemessene Weise

[E)bri:vi(eIS&n]  

[E(pri:SieIt]  

zu schätzen wissen

[E(prEUpriEtli]  

BUSINESS ENGLISH

SPECIAL: 100TH ISSUE

“ I still have my feet on the ground. I just wear better shoes”

Oprah Winfrey, US chat-show host and businesswoman (1/2002, p. 11)

6. Workplace: Time management

“At the start of each day, spend ten minutes making a list of your tasks for the day. Time spent making a plan of action is never wasted; it saves you time in the long run.”

“Selling internationally may require an ability to work with Nordic silences, to enjoy English irony, and to feel comfortable with American ‘buddiness’. It is your job to learn that flexibility.” (Bob Dignen, 1/2004, p. 77)

13. Office Blues: Sickness

“The fun part [of being sick] is [that] your colleagues have to be nice to you.”

(Ken Taylor, 3/2002, p. 16)

(Kathrin Hauger, 2/2004, p. 63)

7. The Last Laugh: Speaking

14. Business Skills: Persuasion

“Always try to stop talking before people stop listening.”

“Your ability to persuade may depend on your finding new and creative solutions to difficult issues. Remember, however, that creativity requires preparation.”

(4/2002, p. 104)

(Bob Dignen, 3/2004, p. 66)

8. Intercultural Communication: Projects

15. The Last Laugh: Multitasking

“Spend time on team building to create trust and common commitment. Use partners with local knowledge, and employ cultural mediators to coach and support you.” (Robert Gibson, 1/2003, p. 29)

9. Business Skills: Chairing meetings

“Multitasking means that you can fail at several things at once.” (4/2004, p. 104)

16. Careers: Fitness

“Park one kilometer from your workplace, or get off public transportation one station earlier and walk the rest of the way. Wear comfortable shoes.” (Carol Scheunemann, 1/2005, p. 100)

“If you send pre-meeting literature, it is not guaranteed that anybody will read it. … One way to make sure people read the documentation is to ask for feedback on it before the meeting.” (Bob Dignen, 2/2003, p. 65)

10. Executive Eye: Courage

“The first type of courage needed by managers is the courage to fail. The second type is interpersonal courage. This is the courage needed to dismiss people, to tell them that they are performing badly. … The third type of courage is … the courage to stand up for a moral belief.” (Adrian Furnham, 3/2003, p. 84)

11. Working World: Top office complaints 1. “It’s too cold!” 2. “It’s too hot!”

(Source: International Facility Management Association, 4/2003, p. 9) Fotos: picture alliance / AP Photo; ddp images

12. Business Skills: Selling

17. Business Skills: Small talk

“Use positive body language (smiles, eye contact, etc.) to show that you are interested.” (Bob Dignen, 2/2005, p. 68)

18. Careers: Image

“…business dress will always be a compromise between corporate culture, industry culture and national culture on the one hand, and individualism on the other.” (Kathleen Becker/

buddiness

dismiss sb.

mediator

[(bVdInEs] US  

, Kumpelhaftigkeit

[dIs(mIs]   ,  jmdn. entlassen

[(mi:dieItE]   , Mittler(in)

commitment

in the long run

public transportation

,  auf lange Sicht

US , öffentliche Verkehrsmittel

[kE(mItmEnt]  , Engagement

corporate

[(kO:pErEt]  

, Unternehmens-

BUSINESS ENGLISH

[)In DE (lQN rVn]  

issue [(ISu:]   ,  Frage, Thema; Problem

[)pVblIk )trÄnspO:(teIS&n]

stand up for sth.

[)stÄnd (Vp fO:]  

Julian Ear­waker, 3/2005, p. 96)

19. Business Skills: Conflicts

“Making money is art, and working is art, and good business is the best art”

Andy Warhol, American pop artist (4/2005, p. 8)

“Conflict should not be seen as wholly negative, however. It can be a useful way of discovering organizational issues that need to be dealt with.” (Bob Dignen, 4/2005, p. 67)

,  für etw. eintreten

2/2019 Business Spotlight

47 

SPECIAL: 100TH ISSUE

20. Business Skills: Audio conferencing

“Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone so that we might communicate more effectively with one another. Remember that when dialling in to your next conference call.” (Bob Dignen, 1/2006, p. 70)

“ I went to the business school of life”

21. Intercultural Communication: Stereotypes

“Lists of dos and don’ts are like freezing the frame in a film and then using it to try to understand the story. Even if they are true, they don’t consider the context in which things happen and the motivation of the people involved. They can never be complete.” (Robert Gibson, 2/2006, p. 38)

22. Office Blues: Questions

⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

“Why does the boss always walk in just when you’re telling a colleague about an interesting dream?” “Why do you remember important tasks only after you’ve put your coat on to leave? Does wearing a coat improve your memory?” “Why do computer crashes happen only when you haven’t saved your document in three hours?”

(Kathrin Hauger, 3/2006, p. 11)

“Successfully bargaining for the pay you want is satisfying in more ways than one. Not only will you have more money at the end of the month, the higher value placed on your work will increase your self-esteem and motivation.” (Julie Hawrishok, 4/2006, p. 95)

24. Editorial: Customer and king

“Never ask two questions in a business letter. The reply will discuss the one you are least interested in and say nothing about the other.” (6/2006, p.104)

26. Management: Perfectionists

“There’s nothing wrong with high standards, but they need to be reachable. It’s all about being OK, being among the best without always being the best, and being human, not superhuman.” (Adrian Furnham, 1/2007, p. 80)

48 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

[)fri:z DE (freIm]   ,  den Film anhalten

“Most people worry more about jeans than genes, perhaps because they don’t (2/2007, p. 6) realize that one fifth of all our genes are already owned by someone else. Well, I say: you may touch my Levi’s, but keep your hands off my genes.” (Eamonn Fitzgerald, 3/2007, p. 88)

29. I ntercultural Communication: Body language

“Even when you remain silent, you are communicating in some way; it is impossible not to communicate.”

30. Business Skills: Difficult people

“… the people who we experience as problematic are potentially the ones who are the most enriching for us. When we feel ourselves judging another person in a negative way, we should try to switch off this reaction and re-engage with an open mind.”

31. Telephoning: Branding yourself

“Personal branding is … especially important when you are in a telephone conference where you cannot see each other. You want people to remember who you are.” (Ken Taylor, 6/2007, p. 75)

25. The Last Laugh: Business letters

freeze the frame

Anita Roddick, Body Shop founder

28. Technically Speaking: Jeans and genes

re-engage [)ri: In(geIdZ]   ,  sich erneut (darauf) einlassen self-esteem [)self I(sti:m]   , Selbstachtung

32. Authentic English: International English

“Many business interactions in English — perhaps most of them — involve people who do not have English as their native language. In such interactions, both native and nonnative speakers may make grammatical ‘errors’ — that is, they speak in ways that are different from native-speaker norms. But these ‘errors’ do not always lead to communication problems.” (Almut Köster, 1/2008, p. 55)

33. Business Skills: Writing

“Remember the saying: ‘Easy reading is damned hard writing’. But that’s the whole point. When we are writing, our task is to make life as easy for our readers as possible.” (Ken Taylor, 2/2008, p. 70) BUSINESS ENGLISH

Foto: imago/United Archives International; ddp/intertopics; picture alliance/Reuters/Kamil Krzaczynski

(Ian McMaster, 5/2006, p. 3)

damned [dÄmd]   , verdammt

(Kathrin Hauger, 2/2007, p. 12)

(Bob Dignen, 5/2007, p. 68)

“In one area of business life, customers and their wishes are all too often ignored: presentations. … So, next time you give a presentation, imagine all the kings (and queens) who are listening — and put their needs at the centre of your talk.”

enriching [In(rItSIN]   , bereichernd

“Like it or not, one of the greatest forces in business is the power of the bluff. ... After all, it’s not what you know; it’s what people think you know.”

(Robert Gibson, 4/2007, p. 41)

23. Careers: Salary negotiations

bargaining [(bA:gInIN]   , Verhandeln

27. Office Blues: Bluffing

SPECIAL: 100TH ISSUE

34. Say It in Style: Health and illness

“In the English-speaking world, the question ‘How are you?’ is usually just a polite greeting. Don’t respond with a complete report of your health status or details of your gastric flu. The expected answer is ‘Fine, thanks,” or, at worst, ‘Oh, not too bad, thanks’.” (Anna Hochsieder, 3/2008, p.54)

35. Business Skills: Business emails

“If you have a lot of contact with the same customer, business partner or colleague via email, try to build a relationship by adding a few lines of small talk to some of your emails — usually in the opening lines or as a closing paragraph.” (Deborah Capras, 4/2008, p. 53)

36.Business Basics: Competitiveness

“Soft factors are becoming increasingly important for competitiveness. For example, being able to attract and keep talent is now seen as a competitive edge.” (5/2008, p. 72)

37. Office Blues: Biorhythm management

“It’s good to know your biorhythm, but it’s better to have some coffee ready just in case.” (Kathrin Enke, 6/2008, p. 11)

“ There are no disasters, only opportunities. And indeed opportunities for fresh disasters”

Boris Johnson, former mayor of London (6/2008, p. 8)

38. Business Skills: Presentations

“Presentations often fail to make an impact because speakers try to communicate their own objectives to their audiences rather than presenting tangible benefits for them.” (Bob Dignen, 1/2009, p. 46)

39. Intercultural Communication: Gender communication

“The key to understanding communication between cultures, whether national or gender-based, is not to ignore the fact that there are differences, but to see what we have in common — and above all, to continually challenge stereotypes.” (Robert Gibson, 2/2009, p. 40)

40. Careers: Procrastinating

“When you get stuck [on a task], struggle for just one minute. After that, ask yourself, ‘Do I need help? Could I delegate this part of the task? Could I complete the task without the difficult part?’” (Marty Nemko, 3/2009, p. 56)

41. What I’ve Learned: Right and self-righteous

“When you know that you are right, the line between being right and being self-righteous can be very thin. And there were times when I was too self-righteous.” (Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 4/2009, p. 64)

42. Authentic English: Using humour

“One form of humour is self-deprecation. … Self-deprecation can be used to try to soften any criticism you think you might receive from, say, a boss or colleague.” (Almut Köster, 5/2009, p. 85)

43. Careers: Self-employment

Michelle Obama, lawyer and former First Lady of the United States

“Run the business out of your home — even if (5/2009, p. 62) you’re living in a one-room apartment with a baby. Avoiding the cost of renting office space will save a great deal of money that you’ll need for more important things.” (Marty Nemko, 6/2009, p. 54)

44. Meetings: Leading a discussion

“The key to successful discussion is making regular, short summaries of the dicussion.” (Ken Taylor, 1/2010, p. 51) challenge sth.

gastric flu

[(tSÄlIndZ]  

self-righteous

,  etw. infragestellen

[)gÄstrIk (flu:]  

,  Magen-Darm-Grippe

[)self (raItSEs]   , selbstgerecht

competitive edge

impact: make an ~

summary

[kEm)petEtIv (edZ]  

, Wettbewerbsvorteil

[(ImpÄkt] 

,  Wirkung zeigen

[(sVmEri]   , Zusammenfassung

competitiveness

self-deprecation

tangible

, Wettbewerbsfähigkeit

,  Selbstironie

[kEm(petEtIvnEs]  

BUSINESS ENGLISH

“ In America, we spend more time talking about what can’t get done, what is impossible, and we pass that on to our children. … I don’t want that for my girls”

[)self )deprE(keIS&n]  

[(tÄndZEb&l]   ,  handfest, konkret

2/2019 Business Spotlight

49 

SPECIAL: 100TH ISSUE

45. Careers: Job applications

“Prepare ‘PAR’ stories: Problems you’ve faced, how you’ve Approached them, and the positive Resolution.” (Marty Nemko, 2/2010, p. 55)

46. Technology: Documentation

“Technical documents must be correct, clear and consistent.”

“ If you can dream it, you can do it”

(Carol Scheunemann, 3/2010, p. 65)

47. What I’ve Learned: Getting better

“Every time you work with someone who’s better than you are, you become greater.”

Walt Disney, American film-maker (5/2011, p. 6)

(Lady Gaga, 4/2010, p. 60)

53. Business Skills: Gossip

“Gossip can certainly be dangerous and destructive for organizations. But it can also be useful, both for staff and for leaders. Combined with small talk and networking, gossip can form a powerful information channel and an opportunity for relationship building.” (Bob Dignen, 4/2011, p. 42)

54. Careers: Speaking

48. Business Skills: Networking

“Networking is both an attitude and an activity.”

“Unless you’re saying something you know deserves more than a minute, at the 30-second mark, look for a place to stop. Listeners who want more can ask a question.”

(Bob Dignen, 5/2010, p. 38)

(Marty Nemko, 5/2011, p. 55)

49. Management: Team selection

55. Business Skills: Asking questions

“Not every talented person is a team player. Good team players have good listening skills, are cooperative, can represent their own area of expertise, see the project’s success as a group effort and are flexible and secure.” (Vicki Sussens-Messerer, 6/2010, p. 60)

“…if you want further facts, just say, ‘tell me more’ … use this phrase to encourage people to add more information to the answer they have given you. It works every time!” (Ken Taylor, 6/2011, p. 46)

56. Careers: Hobby to job

50. Business Skills: Trust

“People trust those who trust them. … One of the best ways to develop trust in a team is to show trust to others, even before you really have enough information to do so.” (Bob Dignen, 1/2011, p. 42)

“If you decide starting a business is not for you, consider giving courses or writing about your hobby for magazines or online sites on your subject.” (Margaret Davis, 1/2012, p. 51)

57. What I’ve Learned: Focusing

51. Careers: Mentor magic

“Don’t focus on finding just one mentor. Since most successful people are busy, it might be better to have several mentors, each of whom you call on, by email or phone, just for snippets of help.” (Marty Nemko, 2/2011, p. 53)

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. ... I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done.” (Steve Jobs, 2/2012, p. 64)

“The sooner you fall behind, the more time you will have to catch up.” (3/2011, p. 94)

“Take time at the start of a call just to listen and assess the mood of the other person, the time pressure they are under, etc. If necessary, be prepared to change what you had planned to say so that it fits in with these factors.” (Bob Dignen, 3/2012, p. 40)

approach sth.

expertise

,  an etw. herangehen

, Sachkompetenz

assess sth. [E(ses]   ,  etw. einschätzen

face sth. [feIs]   ,  etw. gegenüberstehen

[(snIpIt]   , Stückchen

bright [braIt]   , hell; auch: schlau, intelligent

fall behind

summary

, zurückfallen

, Zusammenfassung

[E(prEUtS]  

catch up [)kÄtS (Vp]   , aufholen

50 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

[)eksp§:(ti:z]  

[)fO:l bi(haInd]  

gossip [(gQsIp]   ,  Gerede, Klatsch snippet

[(sVmEri]  

59. The Last Laugh: Light and sound

“Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.” (4/2012, p. 94)

60. Executive Eye: Emotional needs

“If an employee’s emotional needs are honoured, it is likely (but not certain) that he or she will be happy at work.” (Adrian Furnham, 5/2012, p. 67) BUSINESS ENGLISH

Foto: Bridgeman images; imago/United Archives International

58. Business Skills: Telephoning

52. The Last Laugh: Falling behind

SPECIAL: 100TH ISSUE

61. Technology: Robots

“So what will we all do when the machines take over? Well, certainly, the bad news is that a robot will one day write this column, but the good news is that, by then, I will be writing bedtime stories for robots.” (Eamonn Fitzgerald, 6/2012, p. 73)

62. Language Learning: Collocations

“My top tip for more advanced learners can be summed up in just one word: collocations. … Whenever you read or listen to an English text, underline or write down a few word combinations that you would like to remember.” (Anna Hochsieder, 1/2013, p. 45)

63. Careers: Relaxation techniques

“Experts say that one of the best ways to fight stress is simply to move around.” (Margaret Davis, 2/2013, p. 67)

64. Executive Eye: Talent

“Practice is essential for excellent performance. But practice alone cannot create talent, neither in business nor in sport.”

“Too often, people fail to tell others clearly what was decided, by whom and why. Yet, unless decisions are communicated effectively, they are unlikely to be implemented well.”

“Tell the people you are introducing to each other what they do or where they are from. It is your job to assist them in starting a conversation.” (Anna Hochsieder, 1/2014, p. 37)

69. Business Skills: Listening

“Although it is important to exchange shared experiences in order to build rapport, we should first stay focused on the world of others and ask questions that help them to talk about their world, their lives and their experiences.” (Bob Dignen, 2/2014, p. 32)

70. Teacher Talk: Digital skills

“ Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”

“Get as much English exposure and practice outside the classroom as possible. Technology can definitely help with this — internet resources, video podcasts on ... mobile phones, social networks in English.” (Nicky Hockly, 3/2014, p. 62)

71. Careers: Finding a job

“…if you don’t brand yourself, others will brand you — and it could hurt your career.” (Michael Browne, 4/2014, p. 68)

72. Careers: Finding a job

“A common mistake among jobseekers is to state that their objective is to find a job that will help them to build their skills or gain experience in a particular field. Employers, not surprisingly, are more interested in how a candidate’s skills will benefit the company.”

(Adrian Furnham, 3/2013, p. 79)

65. Business Skills: Decisions

68. Say It in Style: Introducing people

John Lennon, British musician and former Beatle (5/2011, p. 6)

(Margaret Davis, 5/2014, p. 70)

73. Business Skills: Meetings

“After each meeting, … ask yourself: How well prepared was I? What could I have done better?” (Bob Dignen, 6/2014, p. 34)

74. Teacher Talk: Intercultural competence

66. Easy English: Presenting a project update

“‘Speaking’ a foreign culture is like speaking a foreign language. It’s fascinating! And being fluent in a culture will get you further than being fluent in a language.”

(Mike Hogan, 5/2013, p. 46)

brand oneself

exposure

,  sich als Marke

, Ausgesetztsein;

(Bob Dignen, 4/2013, p. 34)

“If you are going to use slides in your update, you might want to email them to the team before the meeting so that they can form their opinions and prepare some questions.”

67. Careers: Leaving a job

“There’s only one good reason to leave your job, according to career expert Caroline Ceniza-Levine. ‘You should quit your job when quitting is the next step to a better life’, CenizaLevine writes in Forbes magazine.” (6/2013, p. 68) BUSINESS ENGLISH

(Akos Gerold, 1/2015, p. 62)

[(brÄnd wVn)self]  

[Ik(spEUZE]  

präsentieren

hier: Kontakt

build rapport

fluent: be ~ in sth.

[)bIld rÄp(O:]  

,  ein harmonisches

Verhältnis aufbauen

[(flu:Ent]   ,  hier: sich in etw. gut

auskennen; (eine Sprache) fließend sprechen

implement sth. [(ImplIment]  

,  etw. umsetzen

quit (one’s job) [kwIt]   ,  (seine Stelle) kündigen slide [slaId]  

, Folie

sum sth. up [)sVm (Vp]   ,  etw. zusammenfassen

2/2019 Business Spotlight

51 

SPECIAL: 100TH ISSUE

75. Management: Creating good karma

“Good karma may not get you a rise, but could it have a positive effect in your organization.” (Trang Chu, 2/2015, p. 73)

76. Business Skills: Teamwork

“People in international teams often have a heavy workload, which can lead to key milestones being missed. Introduce smaller ‘sub-milestones’ to act as an early warning system when problems arise.”

“ If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on!”

(Bob Dignen, 3/2015, p. 33)

3/2016, pp. 31–32)

83. Intercultural Communication: Germany

“Remember that feedback is not just another word for personal criticism, which is not useful and should be avoided. Instead, think of feedback as something that is either positive or can help people develop.” (Mike Hogan, 4/2015, p. 48)

78. Toolbox: Being assertive

“We have the right to be ourselves, the right to ask for what we need, the right to choose and the right to make mistakes. Being assertive means exercising those rights.” (Ken Taylor, 5/2015, p. 36)

“As we welcome good additions to English, we should reject the bad and the ugly, most of which come not from SMS language but from the business world.” (Elisabeth Ribbans, 6/2015, p. 24)

80. Short Story: The Devil in the details

“…and so, ladies and gentleman, if you wish to stay rich, then make sure you always read the small print, because — as we lawyers always say — the devil is in the details!” (James Schofield, 1/2016, p. 64)

(Adrian Furnham, 2/2016, p. 77)

check up on sb.

[Eb(ses E)baUt]   ,  sich zwanghaft mit

elevator pitch

[(elIveItE pItS]   , Kurzpräsentation;

hier: Kurzvorstellung (elevator US   , Fahrstuhl)

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Business Spotlight 2/2019

obsess about sth. etw. beschäftigen

rehearse sth. [ri(h§:s]   ,  etw. proben, einüben rise [raIz] UK  , Gehaltserhöhung

(Christina Röttgers, 4/2016, p. 44)

“Delegate tasks that other people enjoy and are good at. You won’t have to check up on them as much.” (Mike Hogan, 5/2016, p. 55)

85. Personal Trainer: International video and teleconferences

“One thing you could do is to go round the group and ask each person to express in three words what they think about the issue being discussed.” (Ken Taylor, 6/2016, p. 45)

“Prepare your elevator pitch … a short description of what you do and what you have to offer potential employers, contacts or business partners.” (Margaret Davis, 1/2017, p. 72)

87 One Question: Women in tech rocket ship

[(rQkIt SIp]   , Raumschiff

sub-milestone

[)sVb (maI&lstEUn]   , (untergeordnetes)

Zwischenziel workload

[(w§:klEUd]   , Arbeitspensum

“Stop obsessing about the fact that we are women in tech. Concentrate on what we are doing and tell the world about it.” (Emanuela Zaccone, 2/2017, p. 88)

88. Business Skills: Time management

“We are changing constantly at work, learning new skills and taking on new roles. So, your use of time should always be adapting, too. … If you don’t control time, time will control you.” (Bob Dignen, 3/2017, p. 47)

BUSINESS ENGLISH

Foto: picture-alliance/dpa/AP; Paul Hackett - WPA Pool/Getty Images

“Find out who really holds power … and who will be most useful to you. Use moments such as riding in the lift or standing at the coffee machine to introduce yourself.”

lawyer [(lO:jE]   , Jurist(in)

(2/2017, p. 11)

86. How to… attend a networking event alone

81. Executive Eye: Climbing the ladder

assertive: be ~ [E(s§:tIv]   , Durchsetzungsvermögen zeigen

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer

“In group-oriented cultures, such as in Asia, [Germans] should use ‘we’ and ‘us’ rather than ‘I’ and ‘you’.”

84. Easy English: Delegating

79. It’s Personal: New words

,  jmdn. kontrollieren

“Here are five key tips for improving your performance: 1. Just say three things 2. Rehearse and rehearse 3. Connect to key values 4. Use real stories 5. Finish strongly” (Bob Dignen,

77. Easy English: Feedback

[)tSek (Vp Qn]  

82. Business Skills: Public speaking

SPECIAL: 100TH ISSUE

89. Word Watcher: Chinese wall

“In business English, a ‘Chinese wall’ is an artificial barrier between two parts of an organization that are not meant to communicate with each other. The Chinese wall is intended to prevent conflicts of interest.” (4/2017, p. 11)

90. Tricky Translations: “Manage”

“‘Manage’ can mean ‘to direct or control a company, business or department and the people involved in it’ (leiten, führen). … Manage can also mean ‘to succeed in doing something difficult, especially after you have tried very hard’ (es schaffen). … Finally, ‘manage’ can mean ‘to succeed in handling problems or living in a difficult situation’ (zurechtkommen, sich zurechtfinden).” (Mike Seymour, 5/2017, p. 53)

91. Business Skills: Managing your boss

“Try to put yourself in your boss’s shoes. Can you see a positive interpretation of your boss’s actions? Think about ways in which you can take responsibility for improving your working relationship with your boss.” (Bob Dignen, 6/2017, p. 29)

92. Business Skills: Lying

“So if you don’t want others to lie to you, you need to create a safe environment for them to express their truths.”

95. Intercultural Communication: Unconscious bias

“Unconscious bias is part of being human. … We need to face up to it and, in the context of decision-making, develop processes that reduce its potentially negative effects.” (Robert Gibson, 4/2018, p. 34)

96. Business Skills: Teamwork

“…it is also essential to learn to isolate oneself at times, to say no to collaboration and the additional work it represents, to maintain a realistic workload and to focus on one’s own priorities…” (Bob Dignen, 5/2018, p. 43)

97. Executive Eye: Moral managers

“ It’s all to do with the training. You can do a lot if you are properly trained”

“To be moral means to distinguish clearly between right and wrong and to have an ethically driven code of conduct. ... Moral managers increase staff morale.” (Adrian Furnham, 6/2018, p. 77)

98. Easy English: Negotiating a pay rise

“Make it easy for your manager to say yes by offering solutions and showing flexibility. … If you are not able to get more money, what else would satisfy you?”

(Bob Dignen, 1/2018, p. 45)

93. Executive Eye: Seven strategies for getting to the top

“Become indispensable as quickly as possible. Having a skill set that others need but don’t have is an excellent asset.” (Adrian Furnham, 2/2018, p. 85)

94. Language Learning: Expert advice

“Do you have a favourite TV series or film on Netflix that is set in a business environment? Then watch it again, but this time, in English.” (Maja Sirola, 3/2018, p. 16)

➻ ANSWERS (see p.46) 1. Test: Improve your business English A. chief financial officer = Leiter(in) der Finanzabteilung; Finanzvorstand B. m  ergers and acquisitions = Fusionen und Übernahmen C. return on investment = Kapitalrendite D. small and medium-sized enterprises = kleine und mittlere/mittelständische Unternehmen E. initial public offering = Börsengang; öffentliches Erstzeichnungsangebot

99. One Question: Business storytelling

(6/2017, p. 17)

“Business leaders need to spend more time watching films and reading thrillers if they want to use stories to connect with customers.” (Dr James McCabe, 1/2019, p. 86)

100. And finally…

Put as many of the above tips as possible into practice over the coming weeks.

asset [(Äset] , Vorteil

environment

bias [(baIEs]   , Voreingenommenheit

,  hier: Umfeld

code of conduct

[)kEUd Ev (kQndVkt]  

, Verhaltenskodex

collaboration

[kE)lÄbE(reIS&n]  

, Zusammenarbeit

BUSINESS ENGLISH

(Mike Hogan, 7/2018, p. 51)

Queen Elizabeth II

[In(vaI&rEnmEnt]  

face up to sth.

[)feIs (Vp tu]   ,  sich etw. stellen

indispensable

[)IndI(spensEb&l]   , unentbehrlich

put oneself in sb.’s shoes [)pUt wVn)self In )sVmbEdIz (Su:z]  

,  sich in jmdn. hineinversetzen

skill set

[(skIl set]  

, Fähigkeiten, Kompetenzen

2/2019 Business Spotlight

53 

aq ak

ap

an am

al

ao

V

ar

at W as

U y x

X

w

bt

v

u

An observatory Auf diesen Seiten präsentieren wir nützliche Begriffe aus der Arbeitswelt. Von HILDEGARD RUDOLPH  EASY 1. observatory

[Eb(z§:vEtri]  ,  Sternwarte

2. astronomer

[E(strQnEmE]  , Astronom(in)

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3. reflecting telescope

[ri(flektIN )telIskEUp], reflector [ri(flektE]  , Spiegelteleskop

4. s cientist [(saIEntIst], researcher [ri(s§:tSE]  , Wissenschaftler(in), Forscher(in)

5. s lit [slIt]  , Schlitz 6. r efracting telescope

[ri(frÄktIN )telIskEUp], refractor [ri(frÄktE] 

, Linsenteleskop

7. l ens [lenz]  , Linse 8. t elescopic dome

[telI)skQpIk (dEUm] 

, Teleskopkuppel

9. s pace shuttle

[(speIs )SVt&l]  , Raumfähre

10. space station

[(speIs )steIS&n]  , Raumstation

11. Milky Way

[)mIlki (weI] 

, Milchstraße

12. shooting star

[)Su:tIN (stA:]  , Sternschnuppe

13. satellite [(sÄtElaIt]  , Satellit 14. comet [(kQmIt]  , Komet 15. orbit [(O:bIt]  , Umlaufbahn

16. starry sky [)stA:ri (skaI]  , Sternenhimmel 17. (outer) space

[()aUtE) (speIs], universe [(ju:nIv§:s] 

,  Weltall, Universum

18. planet [(plÄnIt]  , Planet 19. (stellar) constellation

[()stelE) )kQnstE(leIS&n] 

, Sternbild

20. parabolic mirror/reflector [pÄrE)bQlIk (mIrE / ri(flektE] 

, Parabolspiegel

LANGUAGE

Illustrationen: Mike Ellis; Maria Gniloskurenko/Shutterstock.com

LANGUAGE VOCABULARY

Exercise 2: Reaching for the stars

Other useful vocabulary Verb phrases

atmospheric turbulence

adjust sth. [E(dZVst]  ,  etw. einstellen, justieren

, Luftunruhe

be in conjunction

[)bi: In kEn(dZVNkS&n] 

,  in Konjunktion stehen

disappear at/on the horizon [dIsE)pIE Ät/Qn DE hE(raIz&n] 

,  am Horizont verschwinden

explore sth. [Ik(splO:]  ,  etw. erforschen, erkunden glow [glEU] , leuchten observe sth. [Eb(z§:v]  ,  etw. beobachten research sth. [ri(s§:tS]  ,  etw. erforschen, erkunden rise [raIz] , aufgehen set [set] , untergehen shine [SaIn] , scheinen

[sE)lestiEl (bQdi]  , Himmelskörper

[)SÄdEU Ev Di (§:T] 

, Erdschatten

crescent [(krez&nt]  ,  Mondsichel, Halbmond

[)sEUlEr I(klIps]  ,  Sonnenfinsternis

solar eclipse

fixed star [)fIkst (stA:]  , Fixstern

, Sternhaufen

full moon [)fUl (mu:n]  , Vollmond

stargazer [(stA:geIzE]  , Sterngucker(in)

galaxy [(gÄlEksi]  , Galaxis

waning moon

half moon [)hA:f (mu:n]  , Halbmond

Little Dipper [)lIt&l (dIpE], Ursa Minor [)§:sE (maInE]  ,  Kleiner Wagen / Kleiner Bär

astronomy [E(strQnEmi]  ,  Astronomie, Sternkunde

shadow of the earth

conjunction [kEn(dZVNkS&n]  , Konjunktion

Noun phrases astrology [E(strQlEdZi] 

Pole Star [(pEUl )stA:], North Star [)nO:T (stA:]  , Polarstern

celestial body

light pollution

, Astrologie

new moon [)nju: (mu:n]  , Neumond

Big Dipper [)bIg (dIpE], Ursa Major [)§:sE (meIdZE]  ,  Großer Wagen / Großer Bär

watch sth. [wQtS]  ,  etw. beobachten

astrologer [E(strQlEdZE]  , Astrologe/Astrologin

moon phase [(mu:n feIz] 

, Mondphase

[ÄtmEs)ferIk (t§:bjUlEns] 

[(laIt pE)lu:S&n]  , Störlicht

lunar eclipse

[)lu:nEr I(klIps] 

, Mondfinsternis

meteorite [(mi:tiEraIt]  , Meteorit

star cluster [(stA: )klVstE] 

[)weInIN (mu:n]  ,  abnehmender Mond

waxing moon

[)wÄksIN (mu:n] 

,  zunehmender Mond

Adjectives cloudy [klaUdi] , bewölkt dull [dVl] , bedeckt overcast [(EUvE)kA:st]  ,  bewölkt, (wolken)verhangen starry [(stA:ri], starlit [(stA:lIt] ,  sternenklar, -hell

Exercise 1: Which is it?

Unscramble the words in bold, all of which are listed on page 54. Carlos is a tourist guide in Tenerife. One of his favourite tours is a trip to the on (A) v a r s e b o r y t o Mount Teide. The chief (B) s t r o n o a m e r is a friend of his, so he can always arrange a special guided tour for his group. The huge telescopic (C) s o d m e reflecand the (D) a p r a l c b i o tors can be seen from afar. (E) t i n g r a f r e c telescopes with (F) s e n l s e and (G) r i n g t e f l e c telescopes with mirrors are used to observe the stars. On clear, starlit nights, the view of the is (H) r y r s a t k y s incredible. You can see the (I) k i l y m y w a very clearly. Sometimes, a(n) (J) l a t e s t e l i or a(n) passes along its (K) b o r i t (L) c p a s e t l e t u s h moves along the sky on its way to the ISS . (M) s p e a c t a s o i t n Carlos tells everybody to look out for stars, which are (N) h o g o t i s n supposed to bring you luck. He also knows most of the stellar (O) s t e i o n c o n l l a t s , such as Cassiopeia. And he can distinguish stars, such as the Pole Star, , such as Mars. from (P) t l a p n e s

Choose the correct options without looking at the vocabulary list. A. A telescope that uses lenses is a… 1. reflecting telescope. 2. refracting telescope. B. People say that seeing a 1. shooting star

brings good luck. 2. satellite

C. Mars is a… 1. planet.

2. comet.

4. Cancer [(kÄnsE] , Krebs 5. Leo [(li:EU] , Löwe 6. Virgo [(v§:gEU] , Jungfrau 7. Libra [(li:brE] , Waage 8. Scorpio [(skO:piEU] , Skorpion 9. Sagittarius [)sÄdZI(teEriEs] , Schütze 10. Capricorn [(kÄprIkO:n] , Steinbock 11. Aquarius [E(kweEriEs] , Wassermann 12. Pisces [(paIsi:z] , Fische

Answers

Exercise 1 A–2; B–1; C–1

LANGUAGE

3. Gemini [(dZemInaI] , Zwillinge

G. reflecting H. starry sky I. Milky Way J. satellite K. orbit L. space shuttle M. space station N. shooting O. constellations P. planets

The zodiac is an area of the sky that includes the paths of the sun, moon and planets during the whole year. It consists of 12 constellations, which correspond to the zodiac signs used in astrology. The word “zodiac”, meaning “circle of animals”, derives from ancient Greek. In English, the names of the signs of the zodiac are of Latin origin.

1. Aries [(eEri:z] , Widder 2. Taurus [(tO:rEs] , Stier

Exercise 2 A. observatory B. astronomer C. domes D. parabolic E. Refracting F. lenses

The signs of the Zodiac

2/2019 Business Spotlight

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LANGUAGE EASY ENGLISH

Dealing with interruptions Unterbrechungen in einem Gespräch sind keine Seltenheit. Wie Sie in einer solchen Situation auf Englisch agieren und reagieren, lesen Sie auf diesen beiden Seiten. EASY  AUDIO  PLUS

MIKE HOGAN is a co-author of Business English for Beginners A1 + A2 and Basis for Business B1 + B2 (Cornelsen). Contact: [email protected]

C

onversations in international meetings are often fast-paced. This means it can be difficult to keep up or react in the right way when it is your turn to speak, especially if English is not your first language. And when you do speak, you may well be interrupted. It is therefore important to have some strategies that you can use to deal with interruptions both politely and professionally.

Questions

As you read the dialogue below, think about the answers to these three questions: 1. How does Anna deal with Olivia’s interruption? 2. How does Olivia deal with Sven’s interruption? 3. How does Harry deal with Chris’s interruption of Sven?

Dialogue

Harry: Thank you all for coming. As you know, we’re facing a problem with our project and need to find a solution. Anna, can you please tell us what you found out when you looked into the problem? Anna: Sure, Harry. I found out that the quality processes are not up to scratch and that we… 56 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

Olivia:  [interrupts] Hold on a second, Anna. It’s not our fault. We tried to… Anna: [interrupts] I’ll just need two minutes to explain what I found out, Olivia. I’ll be done in a moment. Then we can hear what everyone thinks. Olivia: Fine, but it’s not our fault… Anna: I’m not saying it is. Anyway, as I was explaining, we found that the quality processes are indeed being followed. It’s just that they need to be updated. The project has changed since we designed it, and the quality processes need to apply to the new project approaches. Harry: Right. Over to you, Olivia. Tell us about this from the quality perspective. Olivia: Anna may be right. The quality processes were designed with the initial project in mind. But as you know, the project changed and the scope was extended. Now, we need to… Sven: [interrupts] Sorry, Olivia, do you mind if I interrupt briefly? Olivia: Sure. Go ahead, Sven. I imagine you have something to say about this. But I’d like to come back to my overall point afterwards. Sven: No problem, Olivia. Thanks. Harry, you might remember that when the scope of the project widened, we did ask if we needed to review any of these processes. But the priority then was to move ahead with the project quickly. Harry: Yes, that’s right. It was important to stick to the timeline despite the widening of the project scope. Sven: This meant that some key areas, such as quality processes, weren’t updated. And now we’re in a situation in which… Chris:  [interrupts] Hold on, Sven. You can’t simply use that excuse… Harry: [interrupts] Sorry, Chris, please let Sven finish. You can be next. Sven: Thanks, Harry. So, we have this problem that the quality processes didn’t pick up. As I see it, we have two things to do now. First, we need to solve the immediate problem. And secondly, we need to update the quality processes. Harry: I agree. But before we decide what to do, Chris, you wanted to say something, and Anna wanted to finish her point. OK. Chris, you first…

apply to sth. [E(plaI tu] 

,  auf etw. zutreffen

approach [E(prEUtS]  , Herangehensweise briefly [(bri:fli]  , kurz fast-paced

[)fA:st (peIst]  ,  temporeich, schnell

hold on a second

[)hEUld (Qn E )sekEnd] 

,  etwa: Moment mal

keep up [)ki:p (Vp]  , mithalten look into sth.

[)lUk (Intu]  ,  sich mit etw. näher

befassen

overall [)EUvEr(O:l] 

, allgemein

pick up [)pIk (Vp]  ,  hier: Schritt halten point [pOInt]  ,  hier: Argument review sth. [ri(vju:]  ,  etw. überprüfen scope [skEUp]  , Umfang timeline [(taImlaIn]  , Zeitrahmen update sth. [)Vp(deIt]  ,  etw. aktualisieren up to scratch: be ~ [)Vp tE (skrÄtS]  ,  den Anforderungen entsprechen

AUDIO + PLUS You can try our exercises on this topic on Business Spotlight Audio as well as in our exercise booklet, Business Spotlight Plus. To order, go to www.aboshop. spotlight-verlag.de

LANGUAGE

Useful phrases for dealing with interruptions

⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

A. Avoiding interruptions I’ll just need two minutes to explain this point. Let me tell you about this topic and then we can discuss it. I can explain this in two sentences. If you have any questions or comments, I can address them when I’ve finished this section of my presentation.

⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅

B. Not allowing an interruption Sorry, I’m almost finished. Could I just finish this point? I’ll be done in a moment. I’m sorry, Olivia. I didn’t interrupt you. Please let me finish. Sorry, please let … finish.

Interrupting: be professional

acknowledge sth.

Answers

Foto: PeopleImages/iStock.com

Here are the answers to the three questions we asked on page 56: 1. Anna signals that she wants to keep talking and will then hand over to Olivia. (“I’ll just need two minutes to explain what I found out, Olivia. I’ll be done in a moment.”) 2. Olivia hands over to Sven but says she’d like to continue after Sven has finished his point. (“Sure. Go ahead, Sven. … But I’d like to come back to my overall point afterwards.”) 3. Harry facilitates the discussion and asks Chris to wait. (“Sorry, Chris, please let Sven finish. You can be next.”) LANGUAGE

Grammar

Using imperative verb forms We can use imperative verb forms to give instructions to others. This form is also often used when dealing with interruptions in meetings. Look at these examples from the dialogue: Hold on a second, Anna. Tell us about this from a quality perspective. Go ahead, Sven. Hold on, Sven.

⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅

The imperative form is simply the base form of the verb.

[Ek(nQlIdZ]  ,  etw. anerkennen;

hier: zur Kenntnis nehmen assertive [E(s§:tIv]  , durchsetzungsfähig facilitate sth. [fE(sIlIteIt]  ,  etw. moderieren hand over to sb.

[)hÄnd (EUvE tu]  ,  hier: das Wort an jmdn.

weiterreichen

topic [(tQpIk]  ,  Thema

C. Allowing an interruption Sure, Sven, go ahead. But I’d like to come back to my overall point afterwards. OK. I know you’ve been waiting. Yes, I imagine you have something to say about this topic.

⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅

D. Facilitating a meeting Sorry, Chris, please let Sven finish. Let’s allow Sven to finish his point. You can be next, Chris. Can we please try not to interrupt each other?

Acknowledge the interruption, then continue or hand over. • Use non-verbal communication to prevent interruptions (for example, eye contact or a raised finger). •

Help others who are less assertive by facilitating the discussion. • Limit the length of time that participants are allowed to speak. This reduces the risk of being interrupted. • Always be polite and respectful and try to avoid interrupting others.

2/2019 Business Spotlight

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LANGUAGE TRANSLATION

Tricky translations How do you say “supervisor” in German?

Hier finden Sie englische Wörter, die man leicht verwechselt, und englische und deutsche Wörter, deren Übersetzung schwierig ist. MEDIUM

Don’t confuse... imply, implicate

If you imply something, you suggest that it is true without saying so directly (etw. andeuten, implizieren): “In her email to the group, the boss implied that we should be willing to work longer hours if needed.” — In ihrer E-Mail an die Gruppe deutete die Chefin an, dass wir bereit sein sollten, bei Bedarf länger zu arbeiten.

MIKE SEYMOUR is an author, trainer and translator based in Bonn. Contact: www.mikeseymour. com

⋅⋅

On the other hand, if a fact or event implies something, it shows that it is likely to be true (etw. bedeuten, beinhalten, einschließen, mit sich bringen): “The rise in the birth rate implies an increase in the future demand for university places.” — Der Anstieg der Geburtenrate bringt eine Zunahme des künftigen Bedarfs an Studienplätzen mit sich.

Answers

1. A. implying B. implicated C. implied; implicated 2. A. Mein(e) Vorgesetzte(r) wollte jede Woche einen Bericht über meine Projekte. B. You behaved pretty stupidly yesterday!

⋅⋅

⋅⋅

Note that German companies have a “supervisory board” (Aufsichtsrat), which oversees the activities of the management board.

⋅⋅

If you implicate somebody in something, you show or suggest that they have been involved in a dishonest act or crime (jmdn. belasten): “The accountant implicated his boss in the financial scandal.” — Der Buchhalter belastete seinen Chef im Finanzskandal.

In business, a “supervisor” is someone who oversees the work of others. In other words, it is another way of saying “boss”. It is translated as Vorgesetzte(r) or sometimes, in the production and construction sectors, as Aufseher(in): “I need my supervisor’s approval before I can refund the money.” — Ich brauche die Genehmigung meines Vorgesetzten, bevor ich das Geld erstatten kann.

In academia, a “supervisor” is the professor or senior lecturer who oversees someone’s doctoral thesis. We translate this as Doktorvater/-mutter: “My supervisor suggested some additions to my dissertation.” — Mein Doktorvater hat ein paar Ergänzungen zu meiner Doktorarbeit vorgeschlagen.

⋅⋅

Note: In US English, a “town or county supervisor” is an elected official who manages local government services.

1. Make your choice

2. How would you say that?

Complete these sentences with the correct form of “imply” or “implicate”.



A. Are you truth?

that I’m not telling the

B. She the minister in the scandal, so he was forced to resign.

How do you say (sich) anstellen in English?

In firms, anstellen means “give somebody a job”. It is translated as hire, appoint or employ: Die Firma möchte zwanzig neue Mitarbeiter anstellen. — “The company wants to hire 20 new employees.”

⋅⋅

For electrical equipment, anstellen means “activate a switch”. It is translated as turn on or switch on: Stellen Sie zuerst den roten Schalter an. — “First, turn on the red switch.”

⋅⋅

Sich anstellen can mean “stand and wait in a line”. It is translated as queue (up), line up, stand in a queue or stand in line. “Queue” is used in British English, whereas “line” is used in American English: Die Fans stellten sich schon um 4 Uhr an der Kasse an. — “The fans were already queuing at the box office at 4 a.m.”

⋅⋅

The verb sich anstellen describes the way somebody behaves. It is translated as make a fuss or behave stupidly: Stell dich nicht so an! Wir hatten nur zehn Minuten Verspätung! — “Don’t make such a fuss! We were only ten minutes late!”

⋅⋅

Translate the following sentences.

A. My supervisor wanted a report each week on my projects.

B. Sie haben sich gestern ziemlich dumm angestellt!

C. The minister’s refusal to comment on the scandal that he was in it!

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Business Spotlight 2/2019

LANGUAGE

LANGUAGE CARDS Grammar

by Hildegard Rudolph

Business Spotlight 2/19

What is the singular form of the nouns in bold?

Grammar

Business Spotlight 2/19

What is the singular form of the nouns in bold?

1. “In recent excavations, the bases of three pyramids were exposed.” 2. “Greek philosophers laid the bases of schools of philosophy.”

“The prices of spices are included in the inflation indices.”

Translation

Translation

Business Spotlight 2/19

Business Spotlight 2/19

Translate this sentence into English.

Translate this sentence into German.

Mehr Arbeitsstunden bei gleichem Gehalt? Das kann nicht dein Ernst sein!

“Operating this coffee maker is an art in itself.”

Word choice

Word choice

Business Spotlight 2/19

Business Spotlight 2/19

Which of the two options is correct?

Which of the options is correct?

“We spent the night in tents at an altitude / a height of 2,500 metres.”

“I don’t like the colour/paint of the walls in the reception area. I’d prefer a warmer shade.”

Business talk

Business talk

Business Spotlight 2/19

Business Spotlight 2/19

What does the speaker mean?

What does the speaker mean?

“If you want to become the company’s CEO, you have to give 110 per cent.”

“When it became clear that the project was a zero-sum game, the company decided to cancel it.”

LANGUAGE CARDS Grammar

Business Spotlight 2/19

The singular form of spices is spice, and the singular of indices is index. There is also a regular plural form, indexes, though “indices” is more common in technical contexts. spice (pl. spices) = Gewürz index (pl. indices/indexes) = Index; Verzeichnis; Kennzahl

Translation

Business Spotlight 2/19

Das Bedienen dieser Kaffeemaschine ist eine Wissenschaft für sich. Something that is an art in itself is difficult to do or deal with. You can also say “a science in itself” or “a science in its own right”.

Word choice

Business Spotlight 2/19

Grammar

Business Spotlight 2/19

The singular of the first plural noun bases is base, and the singular of the second one is basis. Both words refer to the support of something, but “basis” has an abstract meaning. base (pl. bases [(beIsIz]) = Sockel, Fundament basis (pl. bases [(beIsi:z]) = Basis, Grundlage

Translation

Business Spotlight 2/19

“More working hours for the same salary? You can’t be serious! / You must be joking!” You can use either of these expressions to show that you think something is unbelievable or absurd.

Word choice

Business Spotlight 2/19

“I don’t like the colour of the walls in the reception area. …”

“We spent the night in tents at an altitude of 2,500 metres.”

Both words are translated as Farbe. However, black, white, green, blue, red, etc. are colours. Paint is the liquid that you apply to surfaces to give them a particular colour.

Altitude refers to the position of something above sea level, whereas height is used to indicate how tall someone or something is.

colour = Farbe, Farbton paint = Farbe, Anstrich

altitude = Höhe(nlage) height = (Bau-)Höhe, Größe

Business talk

Business Spotlight 2/19

This expression is taken from gambling. In a business context, a zero-sum game is a deal whereby one partner’s gain is exactly the same as the other partner’s loss. It can also be used in relation to projects or plans, to indicate that the gains will be equal to the losses. Nullsummenspiel

Business talk

Business Spotlight 2/19

Someone who gives 110 per cent does everything possible, going beyond the level of what is usually required. mehr als 100 Prozent geben

The best of SKILL UP!

➺

BUSINESS TRAVEL

THE LANGUAGE OF

SKILL UP!

Ausgabe ➳ 49

Sprachtraining leicht gemacht

CUSTOMER CARE ➺

SOCIALIZING ➺

Email, no. 45 (4/2017) Presentations, no. 46 (5/2017) Job interviews, no. 47 (1/2018) Socializing, no. 48 (3/2018) Customer care, no. 49 (4/2018)

Ausgabe ➳ 48

THE LANGUAGE OF

SKILL UP! Sprachtraining leicht gemacht

THE LANGUAGE OF

➺

THE LANGUAGE OF

JOB INTERVIEWS

PRESENTATIONS ➺ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Ausgabe ➳ 47

SKILL UP!

Ausgabe ➳ 44

Sprachtraining leicht gemacht

THE LANGUAGE OF

SMALL TALK ➺ SKILL UP! Sprachtraining leicht gemacht

SKILL UP!

Ausgabe ➳ 43

Sprachtraining leicht gemacht

THE LANGUAGE OF

SKILL UP!

Ausgabe ➳ 46

Sprachtraining leicht gemacht

Die Themen: ✓ Meetings, no. 40 (5/2016) ✓ Telephoning, no. 41 (6/2016) ✓ Small talk, no. 42 (1/2017) ✓ Negotiating, no. 43 (2/2017) ✓ Business travel, no. 44 (3/2017)

BusinessSpotlight

Sprachtraining leicht gemacht

THE LANGUAGE OF

MEETINGS ➺ EMAIL ➺

THE LANGUAGE OF

Ausgabe ➳ 45

SKILL UP!

Ausgabe ➳ 42

NEGOTIATING ➺

Sprachtraining leicht gemacht

THE LANGUAGE OF

SKILL UP! Sprachtraining leicht gemacht

SKILL UP!

Ausgabe ➳ 41

TELEPHONING ➺

Sprachtraining leicht gemacht

BusinessSpotlight

SKILL UP!

Ausgabe ➳ 40

THE LANGUAGE OF

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LANGUAGE GRAMMAR

MEDIUM  AUDIO  PLUS

Ellen and Renée are attending a conference in London. During a coffee break, they strike up a conversation. Ellen: Is anyone sitting here? Renée: No, it’s free. Ellen: Thanks. What do you think of the conference? Renée: Oh, I’m having a great time. Some of the talks are really inspiring. Ellen: Is this your first time at the ICP? Renée: Yes. My boss usually comes while I hold the fort in Boston. But he’s retiring next year, so I’m taking on more and more of his duties. How about you? Ellen: I come every year. Mainly for the fringe events, to be honest. They provide a great opportunity for networking. Renée: Yeah, I know. My boss always returns with stacks of business cards. Ellen: So you’re from Boston? Renée: That’s right. And you? Ellen: I live in London. We have an office in the City. But we’re thinking of relocating to Germany, what with Brexit and all that. We’d better head back to the auditorium. The next talk starts in five minutes.

Exercise: Simple or continuous?

M

In each sentence, choose the correct option — in the present simple or the present continuous. A. Translation software gets / is getting better all the time. B. The sales team meets / is meeting at 10 a.m. on Mondays. C. Be quiet, will you? I think / ’m thinking. D. Dan works / is working in London this week. E. I don’t think the students have / are having any idea what you’re talking about.

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Business Spotlight 2/2019

⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

2. For facts and general truths: Some of the talks are really inspiring. Is this your first time at the ICP? They provide a great opportunity for networking. So you’re from Boston? I live in London. We have an office in the City. 3. For scheduled events in the future: The next talk starts in five minutes.

Use the present continuous…

⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

1. For actions happening now or soon: Is anyone sitting here? I’m having a great time. We’re thinking of relocating to Germany. 2. For temporary and changing situations: I’m taking on more and more of his duties. 3. For fixed arrangements in the future: He’s retiring next year.

State verbs

State verbs (also called “stative verbs”) describe thoughts and opinions, feelings, senses, possession and existence, but not actions. They are normally used only in the simple form, not the continuous: Yeah, I know.

⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅

Other common state verbs include: believe, think, understand like, hate, prefer see, hear, smell belong, have, be Some verbs can describe a state (simple form only) as well as an action (continuous form possible): What do you think of the conference? (= What’s your opinion?) We’re thinking of relocating to Germany. (= We are considering the advantages and disadvantages.) We have an office in the City. (= The office is located in the City.) I’m having a great time. (= I’m enjoying what I am doing right now.)

⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

business card

[(bIznEs kA:d]  , Visitenkarte

fringe events

[(frIndZ I)vents]  , Rahmenprogramm

hold the fort

[)hEUld DE (fO:t]  ,  die Stellung halten

relocate [)ri:lEU(keIt]  , umziehen routine [)ru:(ti:n]  ,  [wg. Aussprache] scheduled [(Sedju:ld] 

, anberaumt

stack [stÄk]  ,  Haufen, Stapel state verb

[(steIt )v§:b]  , Zustandsverb

strike up a conversation [)straIk Vp E )kQnvE(seIS&n] 

,  ein Gespräch beginnen

take sth. on [)teIk (Qn]  ,  etw. übernehmen what with... [(wQt wID] 

,  wegen ...

AUDIO + PLUS You can try our exercises on this topic on Business Spotlight Audio as well as in our exercise booklet, Business Spotlight Plus. To order, go to www.aboshop. spotlight-verlag.de

Answers

LANGUAGE

Foto: Peter Weber

Wann Sie im Englischen das Präsens in der einfachen Form und wann in der Verlaufsform benötigen, erklärt ANNA HOCHSIEDER.

1. For habits and routines, often with expressions that refer to how frequently something happens: My boss usually comes. I come every year. My boss always returns with business cards.

ANNA HOCHSIEDER is a Munich-based teacher of English who writes regularly in Business Spotlight. Contact: a.hochsieder@ googlemail.com

Exercise: Simple or continuous? A. is getting B. meets C. ’m thinking D. is working E. have

Present simple and present continuous ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅

EXPLANATIONS Use the present simple…

MARKTPLATZ – MARKETPLACE Aktio on Deutschland d Hilft ftt

SPRACHKURSE UND SPRACHFERIEN

Das starke Bündnis bei Katastrophen

IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH IN ENGLAND Sprachberufe, Sprachreisen, Sprachkurse, Prüfungszentrum

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SPRACHPRODUKTE

Wenn Menschen durch große Katastrophen in Not geraten, helfen wir. Gemeinsam, schnell und koordiniert. Aktion Deutschland Hilft - Bündnis deutscher Hilfsorganisationen. Spendenkonto: DE62 3702 0500 0000 1020 30 Jetzt Förderer werden unter: www.Aktion-Deutschland-Hilft.de

Besser mit Sprachen Der Online-Shop zum Sprachenlernen

One-to-one English courses Living in your teacher’s home.

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Agent in Germany. 0049 76I 6I29060I

Lernen Sie Englisch in Cornwall www.learnenglishincornwall.co.uk Julie Tamblin MA - 0044 (0) 1208 871 184

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LANGUAGE ENGLISH ON THE MOVE

Boris bikes Ein Mietfahrrad ist eine gute Alternative, um im Großstadtverkehr nicht stecken zu bleiben und pünktlich sein Ziel zu erreichen. In London stehen Ihnen dazu die „Boris-Bikes“ zur Verfügung. MEDIUM  AUDIO  PLUS

KEN TAYLOR is a communication consultant and author of 50 Ways to Improve Your Business English (Summertown). Contact: KTaylor868@aol. com

London: on your bikes!

Cycling in the City

Street congestion

Dieter: Alison, can I ask your advice? Alison: Sure. What is it? Dieter: Our offices are in three locations in the City and I have to get from one to the other. I’ve tried the Tube, but it takes ages and the buses are impossible. I’ve been here a month and I’ve been late to several meetings. Alison: Do you cycle? Dieter: Yes. Why? Alison: Well, Jim uses “Boris bikes” to get around. He thinks they’re great. Dieter: Boris bikes? Alison: They’re the red bikes you can see in racks at the side of the road. Anyone can hire them. Talk to Jim about it.

Hiring a bike

Jim: I use Boris bikes every day. I have an app on my phone that shows me my nearest docking station and the availability of bikes. As you’re here for only three months, you can do it on a one-off basis. Dieter: Why does everyone call them Boris bikes? Jim: Because they were introduced when Boris Johnson was mayor of London. Officially, they go by the name of the bank that sponsors them — “Santander cycles”. Dieter: So, how does it work if I want to hire one? Jim: You just go to the terminal at a docking station and touch the screen. Choose 64 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

Dieter: I’m a little bit nervous about cycling in such a busy city. There are so many buses and lorries. Jim: You need to be careful. There have been some nasty accidents. Generally, they happen when cyclists pull up on the inside of a large vehicle turning left. The bus or lorry driver can’t see the cyclist and an accident happens. Dieter: But there are cycle lanes, aren’t there? Jim: Lots of them. And there are even cycle superhighways for people who commute from the suburbs by bike. I can show you the routes I take, which avoid the heaviest traffic — and which docking stations are near each office. Dieter: That would be great. Do I need a cycle helmet? Jim: Yes, you do. It’s required by law.

Reporting back

Jim: How did it go? Dieter: It was fine. I got my bike with no problem and took the route you suggested, avoiding Fenchurch Street. Jim: Any hairy moments? Dieter: Not really. I was very careful at traffic lights and I made eye contact with any driver who looked like they might pose a threat. Jim: How was the return journey? Dieter: Problem-free, too. You just have to keep your wits about you in the busy sections. Jim: So, you’ll be “Boris biking” to work from now on, I suppose. Dieter: I certainly will. And I’ll use the bikes to explore London at the weekend, too.

ages: it takes ~ [(eIdZIz] 

,  es dauert ewig

commute [kE(mju:t] 

, pendeln

cycle helmet

[(saIk&l )helmIt] 

, Fahrradhelm

cycle lane [(saIk&l leIn]  ,  Fahrradweg, -spur debit card [(debIt kA:d] 

, Geldkarte

docking station

[(dQkIN )steIS&n] 

, Andockstation

hairy [(heEri] ifml.  , brenzlig keep one’s wits about one

[)ki:p wVnz (wIts E)baUt wVn] 

,  einen kühlen Kopf bewahren

lorry [(lQri] UK , Lkw mayor [meE]  , Bürgermeister(in) nasty [(nA:sti]  ,  böse, übel one-off basis: on a ~ [)wVn (Qf )beIsIs] UK  ,  auf einmaliger Basis pose a threat

[)pEUz E (Tret] 

,  eine Gefahr darstellen

pull up [)pUl (Vp]  , anhalten rack [rÄk] , Gestell; hier: Fahrradständer release sth. [ri(li:s]  ,  hier: etw. entsperren route [ru:t]  ,  [wg. Aussprache] street congestion

[(stri:t kEn)dZestSEn]  ,  Stau(s) auf den Straßen

suburb [(sVb§:b]  ,  Vorort, Außenbezirk Tube: the ~ [tju:b] UK ifml. ,  Londoner U-Bahn vehicle [(vi:Ik&l]  , Fahrzeug

LANGUAGE

Fotos: Paolo Paradiso/iStock.com; Gert Krautbauer

“hire a cycle” and follow the instructions. You’ll get a printout with a code you use to release your bike. Dieter: How do you pay? Jim: With a credit or debit card. Use your company card — I do. You’ve then got ten minutes to choose a bike.

LANGUAGE KEY WORDS

Vocabulary trainer Use our Key Words list to learn vocabulary from the current Business Spotlight. The definitions will help you understand the words — and build your vocabulary.

Listen and learn! You can download an MP3 file of this Key Words list from our website: www.business-spotlight.de/downloads

➳

A PDF of these key words as well as a complete vocabulary list (English– German) for each magazine is available at www.business-spotlight.de/words

NOUNS AND NOUN PHRASES bait

food to attract a fish or animal so you can catch it

Köder

cycle helmet

a hard hat that you wear to protect your head when riding a bicycle

Fahrradhelm

distraction

something that takes your attention away from what you should be doing

Ablenkung

lyrics

the words of a song

Songtext

professional indemnity insurance

insurance taken out to cover you for damage caused while engaged in your job

Berufshaftpflichtversicherung

remote worker

a person who does not work at the employer’s premises but from another place, often from home

Mitarbeiter(in), der/die nicht vom Büro aus arbeitet

time tracking

a system that records a person’s working hours

Zeiterfassung

water cooler

a device that dispenses fresh water

Wasserspender

diverge

to differ (opinions, for example)

(voneinander) abweichen

jeopardize sth.

to pose a risk to something

etw. gefährden

VERBS AND VERB PHRASES

offset sth.

to balance something with something else

etw. ausgleichen

reminisce about sth.

to think or talk about something (that you have happy memories of)

in Erinnerungen an etw. schwelgen

source sth.

to get something from somewhere

etw. beschaffen

stow sth.

to put something in a safe place in order to keep it there

etw. verstauen

tune into sth.

to get ready or prepare for a particular situation

sich auf etw. einstellen

ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS cherished

appreciated and valued

geschätzt

fervently

with passion and enthusiasm

leidenschaftlich

harshly

in an unkind and rough manner

barsch

incessant

constant, endless

unaufhörlich

intimidating

frightening, making a person feel less confident

einschüchternd, bedrohlich

mindfully

in an attentive and thoughtful way

aufmerksam

prospective

expected and probable in the future

voraussichtlich, künftig

be at a loss for words

not to know what to say

keine Worte finden

grab some grub ifml.

to go and get something to eat

sich etw. zu essen holen

IDIOMS AND EXPRESSIONS

hold the fort

to maintain the functioning of something, particularly during someone’s absence die Stellung halten

it takes ages

it takes a very long time

es dauert ewig

keep one’s wits about one

not to lose your nerves and be ready to act calmly in a difficult situation

einen kühlen Kopf bewahren

make sb.’s day

to do something that makes someone very happy

jmdm. eine große Freude bereiten

take a stand

to express and defend your opinion

Stellung beziehen

turn a blind eye to sth.

to ignore something that is not as it should be

über etw. hinwegsehen

LANGUAGE

2/2019 Business Spotlight

65 

TECHNOLOGY ENGLISH 4.0

The original Davos Man: Klaus Schwab

The Davos revolution Jedes Jahr Ende Januar treffen sich Persönlichkeiten aus Politik, Wirtschaft, Kultur und Gesellschaft in Davos. Auf dem Weltwirtschaftsforum erörtern sie Themen, die die Menschen weltweit bewegen, nicht selten mit dem Ziel, revolutionäre Veränderungen herbeizuführen. MEDIUM  AUDIO

K

laus Schwab doesn’t look like a revolutionary. He certainly doesn’t look like Che Guevara, who was a major figure in the Cuban revolution of the 1950s and whose face became an icon of revolution in popular culture. Schwab looks more like a man who was born in Ravensburg in 1938 than the Guerrillero Heroico in Alberto Korda’s famous photograph of Che. But the 80-year-old is a revolutionary in his own way. In 1971, he founded the World Economic Forum. The annual meeting at the end of January in Davos brings together 2,500 business leaders, politicians, economists, celebrities and media for four days to discuss the most important problems facing the world. The yearly talkfest in the

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Business Spotlight 2/2019

“Klaus Schwab is a revolutionary in his own way” eastern Alps of Switzerland has created a new class of people known as “Davos Man” and “Davos Woman”. They speak English in all its global varieties and see themselves as totally international. They don’t feel the need for any specific national identity and regard national borders as pointless. In fact, Davos Man and Davos Woman believe national government is a thing of the past, something that’s unnecessary as we move into a future of global cooperation. One can laugh at these people, and many do, or one can consider them to be the forerunners of a revolution that’s

taking place today. In 2016, Klaus Schwab wrote a book titled The Fourth Industrial Revolution. In the introduction, he said: “We are at the beginning of a revolution that is fundamentally changing the way we live, work and relate to one another. In its scale, scope and complexity, what I consider to be the Fourth Industrial Revolution is unlike anything humankind has experienced before.” Now, Schwab is back with another book, Shaping the Future of annual [(ÄnjuEl] 

scale [skeI&l] 

, jährlich

, Umfang

forerunner [(fO:)rVnE] 

scope [skEUp]  , Ausmaß

found sth. [faUnd]  ,  etw. gründen

talkfest

, Wegbereiter(in)

pointless [(pOIntlEs]  , sinnlos

[(tO:kfest] US ifml.  ,  Zusammenkunft für

Gespräche und Diskussionen

TECHNOLOGY

the Fourth Industrial Revolution, co-written with Nicholas Davis, an Australian lawyer. Davis is very much a Davos Man. He lives in Geneva and, among other things, he’s described as “a strategy professional and scenario expert”. “The good news is that the evolution of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is entirely within our power, and we are still at its very earliest stages,” write Schwab and Davis. This optimistic statement is very different to the warnings of the trendy historian Yuval Noah Harari, who fears a future in which computers will know us better than we know ourselves. Will we still be able to make our own choices? Or will we be politically powerless and economically helpless? Harari is pessimistic, where Schwab and Davis are hopeful. In their words: “Individuals are, ultimately, the people who will live in the future that technologies help to create.”

“Individuals will live in the future that technologies help to create” Along with artificial intelligence, blockchain, additive manufacturing, robotics, geoengineering and neurotechnology, Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is filled with words like “externalities”, “inflection points” and “developtory sandboxes”. The last in this list are the places where new ideas are tested, by the way. This column was created in 2016 to look at some of the ideas emerging from the Industry 4.0 concept, which is at the heart of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. And as part of the Business Spotlight mission to make language easier to use, from now on, I’ll be looking here at key words and phrases that we need when talking about the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

EAMONN FITZGERALD writes daily at www.eamonn.com. He uses social media to build relationships for organizations. Contact: [email protected]

additive manufacturing [)ÄdEtIv )mÄnju(fÄktSErIN] 

,  additive Fertigung,

3D-Druck

developtory sandbox [di)velEptO:ri (sÄndbQks] 

,  hier etwa: Spielwiese für

Experimente emerge

[i(m§:dZ]  ,  entstehen, sich ergeben

externality

[)ekst§:(nÄlEti]  ,  Externalität, externer

Effekt

geoengineering

[)dZi:EU)endZI(nIErIN] 

, Geo-Engineering (großtechnische Eingriffe in globale ökologische Abläufe)

inflection point

[In(flekS&n pOInt]  US , Wendepunkt

lawyer [(lO:jE]  , Anwalt/Anwältin neurotechnology

[)njUErEUtek(nQlEdZi] 

, Neurotechnologie

(Einsatz elektronischer Hilfsmittel zur Vernetzung von Computer und Gehirn)

KEY TERMS AND DEVELOPMENTS

Foto: LAURENT GILLIERON/KEYSTONE/dpa Picture-Alliance

AUTONOMOUS

Machines that are intelligent enough to make decisions when faced with new or unexpected situations are known as “autonomous”. “Autonomous” or “auto­ mated”? The words are easily confused. Here’s the difference: autonomous machines can learn from experience as they deal with new problems. Automated machines, on the other hand, are computer-controlled and can perform a set of specific tasks by following precise instructions with minimal or no human help. The meanings of the two words tend to get mixed up when people talk about autonomous self-driving vehicles (SDVs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). Each system operates with fundamentally different technology, however, from navigation software to on-board sensors.

TIMELY

This is an offer that sounds hard to refuse: “Move to Norway. Free healthcare, free public education, stunning nature and a fluent English-speaking population. You’ll love it. And did we mention it’s been named the happiest place on earth on several occasions?” The offer comes from Memory, an Oslo start-up that is developing AI-powered time-tracking and time-management solutions. Its first product, Timely, is currently being used by more than 4,000 paying customers across 160 countries. The tool automatically tracks the user’s computer, location, mobile calls and calendar events, and then suggests the best times for getting things done. Memory is hiring. www.memory.ai

AI (artificial intelligence) [)eI (aI] ,  KI (künstliche Intelligenz)

fluent

healthcare

, fließend

,  medizinische Versorgung

claim processing

funding round

insurance industry

, Schadenbearbeitung

, Finanzierungsrunde

, Versicherungsbranche

[(kleIm )prEUsesIN] 

TECHNOLOGY

[(flu:Ent] 

[(fVndIN raUnd] 

[(helTkeE] 

[In(SUErEns )IndEstri] 

quotation

[kwEU(teIS&n] 

INSURTECH

Here’s another hot word: “insurtech”. It refers to the technology that’s designed to make the insurance industry more efficient. German insurtech start-up omni:us raised $22.5 million (about €19.8 million) in a funding round late last year and it plans to use the money to expand into the US. The omni:us platform for automatic claim processing and quotation process optimization is already used by big insurance companies, including Allianz, Baloise and AmTrust. The system automatically categorizes incoming documents, improving insurance companies’ internal processes. “We know the insurance industry will move from process to data-driven over the coming years,” Sofie Quidenus-Wahlforss, founder of omni:us, told Tech.eu. www.omnius.com

stunning

[(stVnIN] 

track sth. [trÄk]  ,  etw. verfolgen;

, Angebot

, atemberaubend

hier: erfassen

raise (a sum of money) [reIz] ,  (eine Geldsumme) aufbringen

time tracking

vehicle

[(taIm )trÄkIN] 

, Zeiterfassung

[(vi:Ik&l]  , Fahrzeug

2/2019 Business Spotlight

67 

CAREERS & MANAGEMENT COACHING

THE BUSINESS OF COACHING 68 

Business Spotlight 2/2019

CAREERS & MANAGEMENT

Coaching galt lange Zeit als Modeerscheinung, ist aber inzwischen als Beratungsmethode anerkannt. STEVE FLINDERS erklärt, was Coaching ist und wie es funktioniert, in welchen Situationen sich Menschen an einen Coach wenden und was einen guten Coach ausmacht.

Coaching: helping hands at work

MEDIUM

C

oaching has been around long enough not to be just a fashion any more. John Whitmore’s classic book Coaching for Performance (see “For more information”, p. 75) was first published in 1992, and the International Coach Federation was founded in 1995. Yet most people are still unclear about what exactly coaching is. In talking about the essence of coaching, Whitmore quotes W. Timothy Gallwey, the author of The Inner Game of Tennis: “Coaching is unlocking people’s potential to maximize their own performance.”

1. How does coaching work?

Coaching is driven by the principle that the person best qualified to deal with the issues and problems that you face in your professional or personal life is you. Coaches don’t tell you what to do. Instead, they hold up a mirror to help you see into yourself and find the answers to your challenges. The following are typical concerns that coaches hear about: “My boss is so difficult to work with.” “I have too much work.” “I’m having problems coping with the stress.” “I don’t see how I’m going to meet this deadline.” “It’s very important, but I keep putting it off.” “I don’t have enough time for my family.” “I need to move on but I don’t know how to.” “I have a critical decision to make for the company and I can’t decide which of the options is the best one.” “I’m coming up to retirement and I’m scared.”

Illustration: JDawnInk/iStock.com

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around: be ~

[E(raUnd]  ,  hier: geben, existieren

challenge [(tSÄlIndZ]  , Herausforderung, Schwierigkeit coachee [)kEU(tSi:]   , Coaching-Klient(in) cope with sth.

[(kEUp wID]  ,  mit etw. zurecht-

kommen

critical [(krItIk&l]  , entscheidend face sth. [feIs]  ,  etw. gegenüberstehen federation

[)fedE(reIS&n]  , Verband

found sth. [faUnd]  ,  etw. gründen intimidating

[In(tImIdeItIN]  , einschüchternd;

hier: bedrohlich

issue [(ISu:] , Frage outcome-oriented

[(aUtkVm )O:rientId] 

, ergebnisorientiert

put sth. off [)pUt (Qf]  ,  etw. aufschieben quote sb. [kwEUt]  ,  jmdn. zitieren scared: be ~ [skeEd] 

,  Angst haben

unlock sth. [)Vn(lQk]  ,  hier: etw. freisetzen

Coaching is outcome-oriented. The first job for the coach is to help the coachee to define the problem. If it’s a big, intimidating problem, the coach can help CAREERS & MANAGEMENT

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2. What coaching is not

There are number of common misconceptions about coaching: Coaching is not the same as sports coaching. Some sports coaches may use the kind of coaching approach described in this article, but most sports coaching is instructional and therefore very different from business or life coaching, which is about asking, not telling. Coaching is not advising. It is not the coach’s job to give advice. If, on a rare occasion, a coach feels that some advice could unblock a conversation, she needs to ask the coachee’s permission to do so and signal that, for the duration of the advice, she will be wearing a different hat. Coaching is not counselling or psychotherapy. Coaches help people find solutions to their professional or life challenges. If the problem relates to a more deeply rooted, habitual, damaging behaviour that the coach is not professionally qualified to deal with, she needs to make it clear that the client must seek professional help of another kind. Sometimes, it is hard to see a dividing line, but it is nevertheless important that the coach does not overstep it. Coaches who are also trained counsellors have the benefit of being able to move into these grey areas. Other coaches should hold back. Coaching is not the same as giving feedback, although both relate to improving performance. When you give feedback to someone, you make suggestions about how they could do better next time. In general, coaches help identify options; they don’t suggest actions. On the other hand, “systems coaches” (see the section “Different kinds of coaching”) are trained to “reveal the emotional field of a system to itself”, and individuals as well as teams and organizations are seen as systems. Systems coaches give feedback on the emotional “climate” that they perceive in coachees.

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Coaching is not the same as mentoring and the processes are very different. Coaching focuses more on short-term problem-solving, and is more action-oriented. Mentoring puts a longerterm focus on your professional and career development.

3. Key coaching skills

There are four key coaching skills, all of which need to be mastered: a) Listening. Good coaches focus completely on what the coachee says. As Nancy Kline explains in her book Time to Think (see “For more information”, p. 75), the coach gives the coachee time to think and reflect. Coaches encourage the toleration of silence and wait mindfully for answers. Coaches also “WAIT” in another way: they ask themselves, “Why Am I Talking?” As a rough guide, coaches spend 20 per cent of the time talking, leaving the other 80 per cent for coachees. A serious challenge for beginner coaches is learning to keep quiet. Coaches not only listen carefully to the kind of language the coachee uses, but they also tune into the facial expressions, eye contact and body language of the coachee. I once observed a coach who had trained as a singer: her sensitivity to the breathing patterns of the coachee gave her important insights that others missed. b) Questioning. Great coaches have the skill and empathy to ask great questions. Every coach can tell you a story about how a single, simple question helped someone overcome a difficulty, see a way forward, get through a fog of uncertainty or achieve a breakthrough. I often ask coachees two simple questions: “What do you really want to do?” and “What’s stopping you?” c) Challenging. Good coaches are assertive and courageous as well as perceptive. They are not afraid to ask the difficult question that the coachee, and maybe the people around him, has been avoiding. If the coachee is stuck, the coach may feel she needs to make a challenging statement rather than ask another question. If so, it is important for the coach to frame this by saying something like: “I want to challenge you on this. Will you accept my challenge?” The coach must get the coachee’s permission. d) Encouraging. Coaches use positive language, and praise progress: they often see more clearly than the coachee how much progress he is making. This also helps coachees to think more positively about the challenges facing them. Coaching encourages self-understanding. The coaching process helps the coachee to develop the capacity to step back and reflect on the issues facing him.

“Coaching is unlocking people’s potential to maximize their own performance”

approach [E(prEUtS]  , Herangehensweise,

Methode

assertive [E(s§:tIv]  ,  selbstbewusst, energisch attached [E(tÄtSt]  ,  hier: vorgegeben breathing pattern

[(bri:DIN )pÄt&n]  ,  Atemmuster, Atmung

counselling [(kaUnsElIN]  , Beratung counsellor [(kaUnsElE]  , (psychologische(r)) Berater(in) duration [dju&(reIS&n]  , Dauer empowerment

[Im(paUEmEnt] , Stärke

frame sth. [freIm]  ,  etw. formulieren insight [(InsaIt]  , Erkenntnis master sth. [(mA:stE]  ,  etw. beherrschen mindfully [(maIndf&li]  , aufmerksam misconception

[)mIskEn(sepS&n]  ,  falsche Annahme, Irrtum

overstep sth. [)EUvE(step]  ,  etw. überschreiten perceive sth. [pE(si:v] 

,  etw. wahrnehmen

perceptive [pE(septIv]  ,  einfühlsam, scharfsinnig premise [(premIs]  , Prämisse reveal sth. [ri(vi:&l]  ,  etw. offenlegen rooted [(ru:tId]  , verwurzelt rough guide: as a ~ [)rVf (gaId]  ,  als Faustregel

sensitivity [)sensE(tIvEti]  , Einfühlung(svermögen) short-term [)SO:t (t§:m]  , kurzfristig step back [)step (bÄk] 

,  hier: innehalten,

Abstand gewinnen tune into sth.

[)tju:n (Intu] 

,  sich auf etw. einstellen

unblock sth. [)Vn(blQk]  ,  hier: etw. (wieder) in Gang bringen wear a different hat

[)weEr E )dIfrEnt (hÄt]  ,  hier: eine andere Rolle

einnehmen

CAREERS & MANAGEMENT

Illustration: JDawnInk/iStock.com

the coachee, session by session, to break it into a series of smaller steps, each with an action attached for the coachee to take. The coachee’s sense of empowerment develops as he starts to see the progress he’s making and to see how the problem is becoming manageable. If an outcome for a particular session is hard to define, coach and coachee may agree on the identification of an insight or reflection rather than an action. Developing self-understanding is often a necessary premise on the road to identifying practical solutions.

Coaching in the community York is a historic city in the north of England with a population of around 200,000. Coaching York was formed six years ago, initially to provide local coaches with an opportunity to network and exchange ideas about good practice. What none of the founders foresaw was how ambitious the organization would become: its aim now is to be the coaching capital of the UK. Nor did the founders foresee how strong the organization’s community role would become. The city council quickly saw the potential of harnessing coaching skills to support groups such as the young and the unemployed. Coaching York members commit to giving a certain number of free hours each year to community coaching. The group also organizes an impressive programme of events across the city each year during International Coaching Week. www.coachingyork.co.uk

city council

[)sIti (kaUns&l]  , Stadtrat

commit to sth.

[kE(mIt tu]  ,  sich zu etw.

verpflichten founder

[(faUndE]  , Gründer(in)

harness sth.

[(hA:nIs]  ,  sich etw. zunutze

machen

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How good are you at each of these skills? As a manager, colleague, teacher, friend or relative, you may already be exercising some of the typical coaching skills without realizing it. Ask a colleague or friend who you trust to give you their honest assessment of your skills.

4. A model for coaching

What happens during a typical coaching session? Perhaps the best-known model for the steps is “GROW”, which is associated with John Whitmore. There are different interpretations, but the basic GROW model is as below: GOALS: defining where the coachee wants to be ↓ REALITY: defining where the coachee is at the moment ↓ OBSTACLES: defining what is getting in the way or OPTIONS: defining different ways of moving from reality to goal(s) ↓ WAY FORWARD: choosing one option and defining action steps towards the goal Another model that I feel comfortable with is based on Corporate Coach U’s Coaching Clinic and looks like this: 1. Define the problem ↓ 2. Explore the options ↓ 3. Agree the actions ↓ 4. Identify the obstacles ↓ 5. Summarize (the summary is made by the coachee) The strength of this version is that it builds in clear recognition of the fact that the critical part of a coaching discussion may be deciding how to deal with obstacles to action, even more so than deciding on the action itself. After the first session, the other important part at the start of any coaching discussion is the review. The coachee will have contracted to undertake actions within a specific time limit and he knows that his coach will ask him to review these actions. For some of the typical coaching questions, see the box on the right 72 

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5. Different kinds of coaching

There are many different types of coaching. Here are short descriptions of some of the most important ones: Self-coaching. The coaching ideal is to get to the point where the coachee is coaching himself. Not many of us get there, but coaching can help us to improve our ability to define and manage our goals. Do it yourself if you have the self-discipline. Co-coaching. Friends or colleagues coaching each other. Peer coaching. Coaching a colleague at (more or less) the same level in an organization. Team coaching. A group coaching one of its members. (A team coach can also be someone who coaches each member of a team individually.) Business coaching. Coaching someone in a work context. Executive coaching. Coaching a senior manager. Systems coaching. Focusing on systems and relationships within an organization. Life coaching. Supporting someone to set goals and deal with challenges in their personal life.

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assessment [E(sesmEnt] 

, Einschätzung

contract [kQn(trÄkt]  ,  sich verpflichten corporate [(kO:pErEt]  , Unternehmensexecutive [Ig(zekjUtIv]  , Führungskraft goal [gEUl]  , Ziel(setzung) obstacle [(QbstEk&l] 

,  Hindernis, Hürde

peer [pIE]  , Kollege/Kollegin review (sth.) [ri(vju:]  ,  Rückblick, Überprüfung; etw. überprüfen senior [(si:niE]  ,  hier: in leitender Stellung summarize sth.

[(sVmEraIz]  ,  etw. zusammenfassen

undertake sth. [)VndE(teIk] 

,  etw. ausführen

Questions for coaching

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Defining the problem What would you like to talk about today? How can we best make use of our time today? What do you want to change? What outcome would you like to achieve? Which of these challenges shall we focus on today?

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Exploring the options How could you deal with this if you had unlimited resources? What would success look like? What have you already tried? What would you change if you could start again?

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Agreeing the actions What steps are you going to take now? What milestones can you put in place? Are these actions realistic? When will you get this done by?

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Identifying the obstacles What’s going to stop you? What’s holding you back? Are there any obstacles to your doing this? Is there anyone/anything standing in your way?

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Summarizing Please, will you summarize what you’re going to do? What will you do by our next meeting?

challenge [(tSÄlIndZ] 

obstacle

Schwierigkeit

,  Hindernis, Hürde

milestone [(maI&lstEUn]  ,  Meilenstein, Zwischenziel

outcome [(aUtkVm]  , Ergebnis

, Herausforderung,

[(QbstEk&l] 

resources [ri(zO:sIz] 

, Mittel

summarize (sth.)

[(sVmEraIz]  ,  (etw.) zusammenfassen

CAREERS & MANAGEMENT

A key part of coaching may be deciding how to deal with obstacles

Partnership: good coaching demands trust

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Transition coaching. Coaching someone moving into retirement or semi-retirement. Speed coaching. Most coaching sessions last 30 to 60 minutes but short sessions of 10 or 15 minutes can sometimes produce impressive results, too.

Illustration: JDawnInk/iStock.com

6. Coaching in organizations

Organizations employ both internal and external coaches for a variety of reasons, including the desire to manage change, optimize performance and improve the quality of management and leadership. Coaching can be used in the contexts of team building, appraisal, planning, motivating staff and achieving major cultural change. Some coaches have no problem with working within the three-way relationship of coach, coachee (employee) and sponsor (organization). For others, this can be a dilemma: what if the interests of the coachee and the organization start to diverge? Some coaches prefer to avoid this scenario and work with individuals rather than organizations. Others rely entirely on corporate work for their income. CAREERS & MANAGEMENT

Some companies offer training programmes for line managers to integrate more of a coaching approach into the way they manage. This can have a positive effect on working relationships, but it can also raise questions about whether your boss is the best person to be your coach. Organizations that have created a coaching culture are usually enthusiastic about the benefits — both in terms of better working relationships and improved performance.

7. Choosing a professional coach

We all have the potential to coach but professional coaches offer added value. Here is your checklist for what to look for in a professional coach: Training and qualifications. No one should call themselves a professional coach without a qualification provided by a reputable and recognized body (see “For more information”, p. 75). You should also ask for references. Professional membership. Choose a coach who keeps in touch with professional developments through membership of one of the major coaching associations.

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added value

[)ÄdId (vÄlju:]  ,  zusätzlicher Nutzen,

Mehrwert

appraisal [E(preIz&l]  , Beurteilung(en) association [E)sEUsi(eIS&n]  ,  Verband, Vereinigung body [(bQdi]  ,  hier: Einrichtung diverge [daI(v§:dZ]  ,  (voneinander) abweichen in terms of [In (t§:mz Qv]  ,  im Hinblick auf keep in touch with sth.

[)ki:p In (tVtS wID]  ,  sich über etw. auf dem

Laufenden halten line manager

[(laIn )mÄnIdZE]  UK ,  direkte(r) Vorgesetzte(r)

raise a question

[)reIz E (kwestSEn]  ,  eine Frage aufwerfen

transition [trÄn(zIS&n]  ,  Übergang, Wandel

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INTERVIEW

“We know that each brain is unique” Coaching-Methoden werden inzwischen auch erfolgreich zum Erlernen einer Fremdsprache eingesetzt. Lesen Sie hier, was es damit auf sich hat.

How did you come to language coaching? I began teaching adults in Spain at 17. In 2003, I qualified as a UK lawyer and spent more than ten years as a business English trainer specializing in legal English. It was then that I began my personal journey towards becoming a life coach and brain-based coach, and crystallized the concept of “neurolanguage (NL) coaching”.

And what exactly is neurolanguage coaching? Many language trainers already intuitively deliver in a coaching style, but with little awareness of how brain-friendly or cost-effective the process is. They may be falling short on coaching competences like active listening, asking powerful questions, creating coaching presence and really tailormaking the learning, based entirely on the client’s needs. Ultimately, the client should be setting quantifiable goals with actions within a given time period to achieve these, and they must “own the process” with periodic measurements of progress. Neurolanguage coaching ensures that all of this takes place and adds the practical incorporation of neuroscientific principles into the learning process wherever possible. We know that each brain is unique, so we co-create the process with the client, so that both together discover the most efficient way for that person to learn, with great emphasis on learner autonomy. We coach around language blocks, negative mindsets and confidence issues relating to language. And whenever possible, we explain what is happening to the brain at any given time to bring more metacognition and self-awareness to the learner. A neurolanguage coaching engagement divides the learning goals into mechanical goals relating to grammar, structure and pronunciation, and “mastery” goals relating to the functional use and application of the language — and it strives for constant optimization of the learning process.

What is the definition of language coaching? There is still no clear definition of language coaching, but trained language coaches do have a different approach — that of assisting the “learning, improving, developing” in a language using principles, models, tools and structures from professional coaching, and a predominantly coaching style. The language coach does not advise or tell the learner what to do. Nor does she act as a therapist, life coach or consultant.

What evidence is there that clients learn in a more efficient way using this approach? NL coaches worldwide are having amazing breakthroughs: one client advanced from English A2 to B2 in two months. Another achieved in three months what would normally have taken more than a year. We are currently working with Dimitris Zeppos, an academic researcher in Athens, who is studying the impact of this approach.

amazing

incorporation

Coaching has also entered the world of language teaching. Some trainers have rebranded themselves as language coaches, while others talk about using a “coaching style of teaching”. We spoke to Rachel Paling, founder of Efficient Language Coaching (https://www.efficientlanguagecoaching.com), whose company provides accreditation in language coaching.

[E(meIzIN]  ifml. , erstaunlich

approach [E(prEUtS]  , Herangehensweise, Methode block [blQk]  ,  hier: Blockade consultant

[kEn(sVltEnt] 

, Berater(in)

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emphasis [(emfEsIs]  ,  Betonung, Gewichtung engagement

[In(geIdZmEnt] 

,  hier: Betätigung

ensure sth. [In(SO:]  ,  etw. sicherstellen evidence [(evIdEns]  , Beleg(e) executive [Ig(zekjUtIv]  , Führungskraft

fall short on sth. [)fO:l (SO:t Qn] 

,  etw. nicht ganz

erfüllen

founder [(faUndE]  , Gründer(in) goal [gEUl]  , Ziel(setzung) impact

[(ImpÄkt]  , Auswirkung(en)

[In)kO:pE(reIS&n] 

own sth. [EUn]  ,  hier: etw. selbst

issue [(ISu:] , Problem

predominantly

, Integration

lawyer [(lO:jE]  , Anwalt/Anwältin mastery [(mA:stEri]  , Beherrschung, Können mindset [(maIndset]  , Einstellung

in die Hand nehmen [pri(dQmInEntli] 

, überwiegend

rebrand oneself

[)ri:(brÄnd wVn)self] 

,  sich ein neues Image

geben; hier: sich umbenennen

researcher [ri(s§:tSE] 

, Forscher(in)

strive for sth.

[(straIv fO:]  ,  etw. anstreben

tailor-make sth. [)teIlE (meIk] 

,  etw. individuell konzeptionieren

unique [ju(ni:k] 

, einzigartig

CAREERS & MANAGEMENT

Fotos: privat; Illustration: JDawnInk/iStock.com

RACHEL PALING has been teaching languages for over 30 years and currently trains teachers worldwide in “neurolanguage coaching”, as well as coaching private executive clients. She is an ICF ACC Coach, and has trained as a brain-based coach. She is also a non-practising UK lawyer. She speaks five lan­ guages and is currently learning her sixth.

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The coaching contract. If you start working with a professional coach, you will probably have an initial session before the coaching starts, during which the coach explains the coaching process, and finds out why you want to be coached. You then agree together on the scope of the coaching, the number and length of sessions, and the fees, so that the coach can draw up a contract for you both to sign before you start. Each individual session can also be seen in terms of a contract to achieve a certain outcome. “The difference between a good and a great coaching session is in the contract,” says Bernadette Cass of Heworth Associates (www.heworthassociates.co.uk). Code of ethics. The major coaching organizations all have a code of ethics. The Association for Coaching and the European Mentoring & Coaching Council have agreed on a Global Code of Ethics that coaches and organizations can sign up to. Ask your prospective coach if she has done this. Supervision. Good coaches have a supervisor for the regular monitoring of performance. Ask about this, too. Professional indemnity insurance. Professional coaches should have this protection. Check that yours does.

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8. Over to you

If you don’t have any experience of coaching, but are interested in the topic, why not try it out? Find a friend or colleague who you can co-coach: you coach her and she coaches you, maybe for 15 or 20 minutes each to begin with. Then give each other feedback. If there are three of you, you can form a triad and rotate roles, with one of you acting as an observer each time. If you find you enjoy coaching and want to take it further and add value to your professional role, you could decide to get a professional qualification. You can contact any of the organizations listed in the “For more information” box on this page. You should also get advice from several qualified coaches. Coaching creates evangelists, people who believe fervently in the power of coaching to unblock and unlock potential. I’m one of them. Some coaches see coaching as an essentially subversive activity because it challenges the status quo in individuals, in organizations and in the wider society. I’m one of those, too. In her book The Art of Coaching, Elena Aguilar says that “coaching ... brings out the best in people”. In fact, coaching can be transformational for both coach and coachee. All coaches gain enormous satisfaction from supporting people on their journey towards greater confidence, self-understanding and autonomy in their lives. And coachees testify to the sometimes life-changing impact of a coach’s single powerful question. Why not try coaching for yourself and see? CAREERS & MANAGEMENT

code of ethics

[)kEUd Ev (eTIks] 

, Verhaltenskodex

draw sth. up [)drO: (Vp]  ,  etw. erstellen evangelist [I(vÄndZElIst]  , (Massen-)Prediger(in); hier: begeisterte(r) Anhänger(in)

Coaching has the power to unlock and unblock potential

fervently [(f§:v&ntli]  , leidenschaftlich impact [(ImpÄkt]   ,  Wirkung, Effekt professional indemnity insurance

[prE)feS&nEl In(demnEti In)SUErEns] 

, Berufshaftpflichtversicherung

prospective

[prE(spektIv] 

,  voraussichtlich, künftig

scope [skEUp]  , Umfang testify to sth.

[(testIfaI tu]  ,  etw. bezeugen

topic [(tQpIk]  , Thema triad [(traIÄd]  , Dreiergruppe

➻ FOR MORE INFORMATION BOOKS The Art of Coaching: Effective Strategies for School Transformation, Elena Aguilar (Jossey-Bass) A–Z of Coaching (photocopiable coaching materials for trainers to use in business English classrooms), Michelle Hunter, Ben Dobbs (Academic Study Kit) Coaching for Performance: GROWing Human Potential and Purpose, John Whitmore (Nicholas Brealey Publishing) Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business, Transforming Lives, Henry Kimsey-House, Karen Kimsey-House, Phillip Sandahl, Laura Whitworth (Nicholas Brealey Publishing) Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind, Nancy Kline (Cassell) ORGANIZATIONS Association for Coaching: www.associationforcoaching.com Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development: www.cipd.co.uk European Mentoring & Coaching Council: www.emccouncil.org International Coaching Federation: www.coachfederation.org Institute of Leadership & Management: www.i-l-m.com

STEVE FLINDERS is a freelance writer, trainer and coach based in Malta. He writes regularly about business communication and provides training in English language, international communication and leadership skills. He has an Institute of Leadership and Management Level 7 Diploma in executive coaching and mentoring. He would like to acknowledge input on this article from the professional coaches Terry Morden in York and Vanni Landi in Munich.

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CAREERS & MANAGEMENT HOW TO...

Work effectively from home Arbeiten fernab vom Büro verlangt Disziplin. MARGARET DAVIS gibt Ihnen Tipps, wie Sie mit Ablenkungen umgehen und Ihre Arbeitszeit strukturieren. MEDIUM AUDIO

Working or relaxing? You need boundaries

Turn off the TV More than 76 per cent of remote workers in the US say they have worked with the television turned on, according to the home services website Porch.com. Also high on the list of distractions is paying bills or shopping online, reports Fast Company magazine. Over 35 per cent say they run errands, 33 per cent exercise and nearly 28 per cent go out for coffee on company time. “If you’re the type of person who can run a few errands, meet a friend for coffee and go to the gym, and still put in your full work hours, it’s fine to have flexibility,” says productivity expert Laura Stack. “But if you’re the type who is unable to complete work tasks because your personal activities are interfering, you need a bit more structure.” Set working hours Treat your home office like a normal office, Stack advises. Tell yourself, “work

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Business Spotlight 2/2019

begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m., and I will take one hour for lunch. Create and maintain the boundaries with yourself that will acknowledge your personality and allow you to be your best.” Establish acceptable distractions “Perhaps you allow yourself to do laundry or watch television only during your official lunch hour,” Stack says. “Perhaps you can create an agreement with yourself that doctor’s appointments during the day are OK, but getting your nails done is not.” Turn off the devices Phones and email are among the biggest distractions, experts say. “Our attention is diverted every 30 to 120 seconds from things like email,” comments productivity expert and author Maura Thomas. So, try turning off the sound notifications and check messages only at set times during the day. Use a timer To increase your concentration, Thomas suggests setting a timer and working nonstop on one thing for 20 to 45 minutes. “Longer than that and it’s hard to stay focused,” she warns.

Take breaks “The break has to be a different activity,” Thomas says. “If your job is to write, don’t take a break that involves reading. It’s not a big enough break for your brain. Instead, walk the dog, throw in some laundry or sweep the floor.” She adds that we all have the same 24 hours a day for work, family and entertainment. “Time is not the problem, distractions are the problem.” acknowledge sth. [Ek(nQlIdZ] ,  etw. anerkennen; hier: gerecht werden boundary [(baUndEri]  , Grenze break [breIk] , Pause distraction [dI(strÄkS&n]  , Ablenkung

maintain sth. [meIn(teIn]  ,  etw. aufrechterhalten put in (one’s hours) [)pUt (In] 

,  (seine normale Stundenzahl) arbeiten

remote worker

[ri)mEUt (w§:kE]  ,  Mitarbeiter(in), der/die

diverted [daI(v§:tId]  , abgelenkt

nicht vom Büro aus arbeitet

do laundry [)du: (lO:ndri]  ,  Wäsche waschen

[)rVn (erEndz]  ,  Besorgungen machen

run errands

exercise [(eksEsaIz]  ,  hier: Sport treiben

sweep sth. [swi:p]  ,  etw. fegen

gym [dZIm]  , Fitnessstudio

work remotely

interfere [)IntE(fIE]  ,  ein Störfaktor sein

[)w§:k ri(mEUtli]  ,  nicht vom Büro aus

arbeiten

For more career trends, go to www.business-spotlight.de/careers CAREERS & MANAGEMENT

Foto: Morsa Images/iStock.com

O

ne of the benefits of digital technology is that it makes it easier to work from home. But to be effective when working remotely, you need to manage potential distractions. Here are some expert tips.

CAREERS & MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE EYE

“The cynic wears everyone down with annoying behaviours” Regelverstöße im Fußball werden mit der gelben Karte geahndet. Wäre das auch eine Möglichkeit, auf unsoziales Verhalten, das zunehmend am Arbeitsplatz zu beobachten ist, zumindest aufmerksam zu machen? ADVANCED PLUS

Fotos: 123ducu, iStockphoto/iStock.com

Y

ob culture, with its self-indulgent, cynical rudeness has invaded the workplace. People don’t help each other like they used to. Politeness, helpfulness and support seem lost. Anti­social behaviour is spreading like a virus. Do we therefore need the equivalent of football’s yellow card for bad behaviour? This is an issue that matters. To be surrounded by energetic, supportive and appreciative people really does make a difference. They can reduce the general stress level at work. They make the workplace warm and safe. The uncivil cynic, on the other hand, wears everyone down with a long list of annoying behaviours. These include abusing their position of power, being a busybody, micromanaging and incessant back-stabbing. We like to believe, particularly at work, that we are cool, rational beings. But deep down, we are not. Irrational forces play a big part in what we do — and how and why we do it. We are emotional beings. And at work, both positive and negative emotions are triggered all the time. We react to rude customers, for example, or to praise from a boss or support from a colleague. Controlling emotions is a big part of getting our jobs done well, because essentially, we all have two tasks at work.

CAREERS & MANAGEMENT

ADRIAN FURNHAM is principal, behavioural psychology, at Stamford Associates and a former psychology professor at University College London. http:// adrianfurnham.com

We have core tasks, which are skills-based, technical or knowledge-based, and for which we are trained. But then there is the softer aspect of a job. It is about being a good citizen in our organization. Do we play the game, obey the rules, go the extra mile? What do we say about our organization outside work? Are we cooperative? Do we readily volunteer to help out? These soft skills are not usually found in job descriptions. And a lack of them is seldom grounds for firing someone. Yet some people spread a virus of cynicism. They continually attack the integrity of their organization — often very publicly — pointing out hypocrisy, unfairness and betrayal. They argue again and again that their organization is opportunistic and deceitful, quite the opposite of what it publicly says about itself. So, is the solution an organizational yellow card? It certainly wouldn’t solve all problems. But a yellow card could signal the simple, but important message that the organization values soft skills, that some workers are really more trouble than they are worth and that managers simply will not tolerate rude and uncooperative staff.

annoying [E(nOIIN] 

, Kern

appreciative

deceitful [di(si:tf&l]  ,  betrügerisch, falsch

[E(pri:SiEtIv] 

, wertschätzend;

+ PLUS Try our reading comprehension exercises on this article in our exercise booklet, Business Spotlight Plus. To order, go to www.aboshop. spotlight-verlag.de

core [kO:] 

,  lästig, nervig

hier auch: verständnisvoll

back-stabbing

[(bÄk )stÄbIN] 

, Verrat; hier: (hinterhältige) Intrige(n)

betrayal [bi(treIEl]  , Verrat busybody [(bIzi)bQdi]  ,  Wichtigtuer(in), der/die sich ständig einmischt

go the extra mile

[gEU Di )ekstrE (maI&l] 

,  sich besonders

anstrengen

grounds [graUndz]  ,  hier: Grund, Begründung hypocrisy [hI(pQkrEsi]  , Heuchelei incessant [In(ses&nt]  , unaufhörlich

self-indulgent

[)self In(dVldZEnt] 

, maßlos

technical [(teknIk&l] 

, fachlich

wear sb. down

[)weE (daUn]  ,  jmdn. zermürben,

fix und fertig machen

yob culture  ,  [(jQb )kVltSE] UK ifml.  etwa: Rowdytum; hier: unsoziales Verhalten (yob  , Halbstarker, Rowdy)

2/2019 Business Spotlight

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WORK & RELAX IN THE ZONE

Was it something I said? Gespräche am Arbeitsplatz fördern die Beziehungen zu Kollegen. Doch worüber soll man reden? JULIAN EARWAKER geht der Frage nach, welche Themen sich eignen und welche absolut tabu sind. MEDIUM

T

here’s a song on the album Green by REM that refers to the inability to communicate. “Pop Song ’89” includes the lyrics, “Should we talk about the weather? / Should we talk about the government?” You may know this feeling when you take a break at work and head for the office kitchen. You’d like to join your colleagues here in conversation, but you’re not quite sure what to say. Social anxiety can be a real problem in a large workplace, where you might not know many of your colleagues well. Even confident speakers are sometimes at a loss for words. That’s where small talk comes in.“Small talk is about building a bridge between you and another person,” says Arlin Cuncic of VeryWellMind.com. “It doesn’t matter so much what you talk about, but rather that you start talking.” Practising small talk doesn’t just help to develop relationships with colleagues; it also builds confidence for business meetings, conferences and training. Cuncic’s number one small-talk topic? The weather, of course. “Although talking about the weather may seem mundane, it is a good neutral topic that everyone can discuss,” she explains. “Did a big storm just blow through? Are you in the middle of a heatwave? Look no further than outside your door for some good conversation openers.”

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NOT SAFE FOR WORK? TOP TEN WORKPLACE CONVERSATION TOPICS AMERICANS FIND INAPPROPRIATE:

71%

69% 57% 42% 39% 38% 37% 35% 31% 28% sex life

drug use

gossip about a co-worker salary or income

sexual orientation

race or ethnicity

religion

gender identity

politics

relationship issues

Source: Entrepreneur (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/308815)

break: take a ~

head for (a place)

,  (eine) Pause machen

,  (einen Ort) ansteuern; hier: (zu einem Ort) gehen

[breIk] 

gossip [(gQsIp]  ,  Klatsch, Tratsch

issue [(ISu:]  ,  Frage, Problem

, profan

loss for words: be at a ~

social anxiety

inappropriate

,  keine Worte finden

,  Unbehagen in

, unangebracht

lyrics [(lIrIks]  , Songtext

[(hed fO:] 

[)InE(prEUpriEt] 

[)lQs fE (w§:dz] 

mundane [mVn(deIn] 

[)sEUS&l ÄN(zaIEti] 

Gesellschaft

topic [(tQpIk]  , Thema

WORK & RELAX

Fotos: design56, blackred, TPopova, Orla, Alter_photo, Juanmonino, franckreporter, Marisa9, mgkaya/iStock.com

What else is safe to talk about at work? Books, movies, popular culture, television and trending topics are just a few easy ideas from Meridianks.com to talk about with co-workers, especially at lunchtime. “Step away from the computer, grab some grub with a friend or colleague,” advises the knowledge solutions website, “and most importantly, give your brain a break and stop talking about work!” Other areas suitable for discussion, it suggests, include sports, hobbies and interests. Whatever the topic, always think before you speak, advises Devashish Chakravarty of Business Today. “Lack of restraint while communicating can be disastrous,” he says. “Unlike family and friends, the workplace is unforgiving and you can jeopardize your career. There are certain topics that be best kept apart from the workplace.” Entrepreneur.com reports studies showing that the strictest industries for conversation taboos are finance and insurance. If you work in hospitality, IT or manufacturing, you’re likely to have more flexibility. The study shows that while workers are happy talking to colleagues about health, relationships and families, 74 per cent say the number one topic of conversation in American workplaces is politics. Perhaps that’s no surprise, but is talking politics at work a good idea? “Conflict at work is easy to provoke without adding politics to the mix,” says Laura Johnson of the Institute of Leadership & Management in the UK. Here, Brexit has polarized opinion and is the number one water-cooler conversation topic. However, says Johnson, the confrontational nature of political debate should make it a big no-no for discussions with co-workers. “What starts out as harmless chit-chat inevitably turns into an impassioned debate,” she explains. “When it comes to the state of our nation, it’s hard not to get personal and almost impossible not to make judgements based on a workmate’s political preferences.” Politics isn’t the only subject that can lead to harsh judgements. Writing for Forbes.com, HR expert Liz Ryan lists ten topics never to talk about at work, including negative opinions about other employees and managers, employees’ personal problems, unhappiness with your job and relationship dramas. Other WORK & RELAX

“ Small talk is about building a bridge between you and another person” things to avoid include sex, religion, hate speech and crude jokes. Safer territory for conversation with colleagues includes local news, restaurants and coffee shops, sports, events or shows you are planning to attend. Children and pets, travel and holidays are all safe topics, according to Modis.com. It’s not just the topic of conversation that matters, of course, but how we speak to colleagues. “‘You always…’ and ‘You never…’ are bad for relationships and bad

for the workplace,” says Miranda Pennington of TheJobNetwork.com. “Blanket accusations like this rarely have positive results.” She also has another suggestion: avoid complaining too much. “Saying ‘I’m soooooooooo tired’ and griping about your exhaustion level, unless you need some legitimate accommodation in your workload, is tedious.” The same is also true when you get home from work. Pop songs are probably a safer topic of conversation with the family.

accommodation

gripe about sth.

inevitably

, Entgegenkommen

,  über etw. meckern

, unweigerlich

blanket

hospitality

, pauschal

,  Hotel- und Gaststättengewerbe

[E)kQmE(deIS&n] 

[(blÄNkIt] 

chit-chat

[(tSIt tSÄt] ifml. 

, Geplauder

crude joke

[)kru:d (dZEUk] 

,  schmutziger Witz

grab some grub

[)grÄb sVm (grVb] ifml. 

,  sich etwas zu essen

holen

[(graIp E)baUt] ifml. 

[)hQspI(tÄlEti] 

HR (human resources) [)eItS (A:]  , Personalwesen

impassioned

[Im(pÄS&nd]  , leidenschaftlich

industry

[(IndEstri] 

,  hier: Branche

[In(evItEbli] 

insurance [In(SUErEns] 

, Versicherungswesen

jeopardize sth.

[(dZepEdaIz]  ,  etw. gefährden

legitimate [lI(dZItEmEt]  ,  hier: begründet manufacturing

[)mÄnju(fÄktSErIN] 

, Fertigung(sindustrie)

no-no

[(nEU nEU] ifml.  , Tabu

pet [pet] , Haustier provoke sth. [prE(vEUk] 

,  etw. auslösen

restraint [ri(streInt]  , Zurückhaltung tedious [(ti:diEs]  , nervtötend water cooler

[(wO:tE )ku:lE]  , Wasserspender

workload [(w§:klEUd]  , Arbeitspensum workmate

[(w§:kmeIt]  , Arbeitskollege/-kollegin

2/2019 Business Spotlight

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WORK & RELAX AWAY FROM YOUR DESK

Recommended for you Verbannen Sie die englische Sprache nicht an den Arbeitsplatz! Mit Büchern, Kunst und anderen Dingen räumen Sie ihr auch in Ihrer Freizeit einen Platz ein. Von MARGARET DAVIS MEDIUM

EXHIBITION

exhibition [)eksI(bIS&n] 

, Ausstellung

off-kilter [)Qf (kIltE]  ,  unkonventionell, schräg on display: be ~ [)Qn dI(spleI]  ,  gezeigt werden polytechnic [)pQli(teknIk] UK  ,  etwa: Fachhochschule

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Business Spotlight 2/2019

Up north: Martin Parr’s photos of Manchester

PRODUCT

“Sip. Stow. Go.” This is the slogan for the Stojo collapsible coffee cup. The brainchild of three busy New Yorkers who spend a lot of time drinking coffee and commuting on public transport, the Stojo can be washed and reused multiple times. And because it’s collapsible, once the coffee is gone, you can fold the cup up and put it in your bag or rucksack. A good idea for anyone who wants to reduce their use of disposable coffee cups. https://stojo.co brainchild

disposable

, Erfindung

, Einweg-

collapsible

sip (sth.) [sIp]  ,  (etw.) schlürfen

[(breIntSaI&ld] ifml. 

[kE(lÄpsEb&l] 

, faltbar

commute [kE(mju:t]  , pendeln

[dI(spEUzEb&l] 

stow (sth.) [stEU]  ,  (etw.) verstauen

Practical: the Stojo coffee cup

WORK & RELAX

Fotos: ©Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery; pr; Kfir Ziv/Setter Architects

Photographer Martin Parr is known for his somewhat off-kilter portraits of ordinary British people. Before he became famous, Parr had studied photography at Manchester Polytechnic. Now, some of his early works are on display at Manchester Art Gallery in an exhibition called “Martin Parr: Return to Manchester”. The photos show people and places in the northern city Parr describes as “exciting and very real”. The exhibition is open until 22 April. http://manchesterartgallery. org

DVD

Imagine a tea party where the guests are Dames Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins and Joan Plowright. The four friends, all legendary British actresses, meet regularly to talk and reminisce about their lives and careers. For Nothing Like a Dame, they allowed director Roger Michell to listen in. The result is funny, touching and highly entertaining. In addition to the conversations, the film includes historical material and photos.

Dame [deIm] UK  ,  britischer Ehrentitel für

Frauen

listen in [(lIs&n In]  , mithören; hier: zuhören reminisce about sth.

[)remI(nIs E)baUt]  ,  in Erinnerungen an etw.

schwelgen

The Dames: British acting legends

BOOK

Live Alone and Like It by Marjorie Hillis, a Vogue magazine editor, was first published in 1936. As Hillis (1889–1971) writes in the opening chapter, “…the chances are that at some point in your life, possibly only now and then between husbands, you will find yourself settling down to a solitary existence”. Subtitled The Art of Solitary Refinement, this charming, funny advice manual is of more interest today from a historical point of view than for providing tips for the modern (single) woman. Yet its premise remains true: enjoy the life you have but be sure to have a plan. Live Alone and Like It includes the original drawings by Austrian-born artist Cipe Pineles. Virago Modern Classic advice manual

[Ed(vaIs )mÄnjuEl] 

, Ratgeber (manual , Handbuch)

chances: (the) ~ are that... [(tSA:nsIz] , aller Wahrscheinlichkeit nach

editor [(edItE]  , Redakteur(in) premise

[(premIs]  , Prämisse

refinement

[ri(faInmEnt] 

, Verfeinerung; hier: Kultivierung

settle down to sth. [)set&l (daUn tu] 

,  sich an etw.

gewöhnen

solitary existence

[)sQlEtEri Ig(zIstEns]  , (einsames)

Single-Dasein

Office views: see how others work

NEWSLETTER

There’s something fascinating about seeing how other people live, which perhaps explains the success of publications devoted to houses and gardens. If you’re also interested in seeing where people work, the Office Snapshots newsletter could be just what you’re looking for. Based in Santa Barbara, California, Office Snapshots features office designs from companies and architects all over the world. Every week, there’s a new design, together with links to previous entries. Visit the website and sign up for the newsletter here: https://officesnapshots.com based: be ~ in... [beIst]  ,  seinen Sitz in ... haben

,  etw. zeigen

devoted: be ~ to sth.

previous

,  sich etw. widmen

, frühere(r,s)

[di(vEUtId tu] 

feature sth. [(fi:tSE] 

[(pri:viEs] 

sign up for sth.

[)saIn (Vp fO:]  ,  sich für etw. anmelden

snapshot [(snÄpSQt] 

, Momentaufnahme

THEATRE

On 11 September 2001, 7,000 people were stranded in Gander, Newfoundland. Their planes had been grounded following terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. The award-winning Canadian musical Come from Away tells the story of these passengers and the friendships they made with local people. After successful runs in Toronto and on Broadway, Come from Away is playing at the Phoenix Theatre in London until 25 May 2019. (The phrase “come from away” is used in Canada’s Atlantic provinces to describe someone who has moved to the region from another area.) https://phoenix.londontheatres. co.uk/come-from-away

WORK & RELAX

grounded: be ~

[(graUndId]  ,  keine Starterlaubnis

bekommen

Phoenix [(fi:nIks]   ,  [wg. Aussprache] run [rVn]  ,  hier: Spielzeit stranded: be ~ [(strÄndId] 

, festsitzen

2/2019 Business Spotlight

81 

FEEDBACK READERS’ CHOICE

Your favourite cover The first issue of Business Spoglight (“Is your business English good enough?”) was published in March 2001. The current magazine is the 100th issue. On our Facebook page, you can vote for your favourite cover from the ones below.

➻ To vote for your favourite cover, go to: www.facebook.com/BusinessSpotlight

JARGON BUSTER

Understand the jargon — ­ be careful how you use it EASY

fit for purpose ➻ Example

“Jon’s latest plan is not really fit for purpose.”

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Business Spotlight 2/2019

➻ Explanation

In British English, something that is “fit for purpose” is suitable for the job it needs to do. The phrase was originally used to describe products or institutions. Now, however, it is also often used in business to refer to ideas, projects or systems. FEEDBACK

PREVIEW ISSUE 3/2019

Silicon Valley

California: technological powerhouse

Silicon Valley has been the key location of innovations in high technology and social media in recent years. We look at the latest trends.

Green language

Environmental issues play an important role in many firms. Test your knowledge of the language of ecology.

SKILL UP! Solving problems

In our next Skill Up! booklet, we give you the words and expressions you’ll need for solving problems at work.

Business Spotlight 3/2019 is on sale from 20 March 2019

impressum Herausgeber Jan Henrik Groß Chefredakteur Dr. Ian McMas­ter Art Director Michael Scheufler Verlag und Redaktion Spotlight Ver­lag GmbH Kistlerhofstr. 172 81379 München www.business-spotlight.de ISSN 1617-1888 Geschäftsführer Jan Henrik Groß Geschäftsführende Redakteurin Chefin vom Dienst Maja Sirola Redaktion Dr. Karl Brehmer (frei), Margaret Davis, Susanne Krause (online), Hildegard Rudolph (frei), Michele Tilgner (frei)

Foto: zimmytws/iStock.com

Bildredaktion Sarah Gough (Leitung), Judith Rothenbusch Gestaltung Lisa Weller, Georg Lechner, Christiane Schäffner (frei) Mitarbeiter dieser Ausgabe Sabine Hübner-Pesce, Ina Sinning (frei)

PREVIEW

leserservice Autoren Deborah Capras, Bob Dignen, Julian Ear­wak­er, Matt Firth, Eamonn Fitzgerald, Steve Flinders, Evan Frendo, Adrian Furnham, Anna Hochsieder, Mike Hogan, Lois Hoyal, Elisabeth Ribbans, Karen Richardson, James Schofield, Mike Seymour, Vicki Sussens, Dagmar Taylor, Ken Taylor, Paul Wheatley Leiter Redaktionsmanagement ­ Thorsten Mansch Produktionsleiterin ­Ingrid Sturm Litho Mohn Media Mohndruck GmbH 33311 Gütersloh Druck Vogel Druck & Medienservice GmbH, 97204 Höchberg Vertriebsleiterin Moni­ka Wohl­ge­muth Marketingleiterin Jessica Sonnenberg

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2/2019 Business Spotlight

83 

AND FINALLY... ONE QUESTION

How many people visit the queen at her home each year? CAROLE TROSCH is a London Blue Badge Tour Guide. Her tours are for various group sizes or for individuals. She guides in English and in German: www. facebook.com/carole.trosch2 Interview: Eamonn Fitzgerald

ADVANCED

London Blue Badge Tour Guides are often the only external guides permitted to accompany visitors to famous sites in the city, such as the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.

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Business Spotlight 2/2019

granddaughter. She had asked for a walking tour of central London and they were keen to see Buckingham Palace. I knew it was the day of a state visit and that if we timed it right, we could be at the gates of the palace and see the queen depart to meet her guests at the Horse Guards building. The queen was wearing violet and waved to us as she drove past us in her Bentley. It made their day. banquet

[(bÄNkwIt] 

,  [wg. Aussprache]

Blue Badge Tour Guide

[)blu: bÄdZ (tUE gaId]  

,  etwa: zertifizierte(r)

Touristenführer(in) (badge  , Abzeichen) depart [di(pA:t]  ,  abfahren, losfahren

grant sb. sth. [grA:nt]  ,  jmdm. etw. gewähren Her Majesty

[)h§: (mÄdZEsti] 

host sth. [hEUst]  ,  etw. veranstalten keen: be ~ to do sth. [ki:n] UK  ,  etw. unbedingt tun wollen make sb.’s day

[)meIk )sVmbEdiz (deI] 

,  jmdm. eine große

Freude bereiten

make a positive impact [)meIk E )pQzEtIv (ImpÄkt] 

,  etw. Positives bewirken

,  Ihre Majestät,

die Königin

site [saIt]  ,  Ort, Stätte

Horse Guards

step in for sb.

, Leibgarde

,  jmdn. vertreten

[(hO:s gA:dz] UK 

[)step (In fO:] 

AND FINALLY...

Foto: Claire Trosh

At each party, the guests drink an average of 27,000 cups of tea

Buckingham Palace is the queen’s home and office when she is in London. She welcomes more than 50,000 people to the palace each year, and many get to meet her in person there. By the way, if you have been invited by the queen privately, you have been “granted an audience” with her. Every summer, the queen hosts a series of big garden parties at Buckingham Palace. People who have made a positive impact in their community are invited to spend an afternoon in the company of Her Majesty and members of her family. At each party, the guests drink an average of 27,000 cups of tea. More often now, Prince Charles or William steps in for the queen — she is 92, after all. During state visits, the queen hosts a banquet for presidents and prime ministers, monarchs and chancellors. This is always on the first evening of the visit and the guests often stay overnight at Buckingham Palace. There is plenty of space, as it has 775 rooms and 78 bathrooms. I recently guided a grandmother from Germany who was in London with her

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SKILL UP!

➺

THE LANGUAGE OF

HUMAN RESOURCES

Sprachtraining leicht gemacht

Ausgabe ➳ 54

CONTENTS

Personnel gets personal

Whether you work in human resources (HR) or simply need to talk to HR professionals about your work, pay and conditions, you will need specialized vocabulary. In this issue of Skill Up!, we provide you with words, phrases and idioms that can be used in a whole range of HR situations. In Word Bank (pp. 4–5), you can learn general vocabulary for talking about HR issues. The dialogues in the In Context section (pp. 6–11) focus on phrases for discussing working conditions, structuring personal reviews and talking about staff motivation and opportunities. The phrases from the extracts are listed in Phrase Bank on pages 12–13. In the grammar section (pp. 20–21), we look at how to use the dummy “there” in HR. And try the Test exercises at the end of the booklet, on pages 22–23, to see how well you know the language presented in this issue. Don’t forget to read the Skill Up! boxes on HR matters. You’ll find more such boxes in Business Spotlight magazine.

2  SKILL UP!

The most effective way to learn a language is not by learning grammar and vocabulary separately but to learn in chunks — groups of words that form meaningful units. When you can process chunks, rather than individual words, communication becomes faster and more efficient. Practise chunks from the Phrase Bank and Collocations pages by making a note of those you think will come in useful in HR situations.

Illustration: Bernhard Förth

DEBORAH CAPRAS Author, editor, corporate writer Contact:business@ spotlight-verlag.de

CONTENTS

Contents

Knowledge check What do you know already?

Word Bank

4–5

Key vocabulary

In Context

6–7 8–9 10–11

A stress-free workplace A personal review Staying motivated

Phrase Bank

12–13

How to say it

False Friends

14–15

Do we need a quota?

16–17

Time for some leave What did they say again?

Grammar Check

The dummy “there”

Test

Test yourself!

.

 B. What is the English word for Lehrling?

.

 C. What does it mean if someone has a “zerohours contract”?

.



Collocations

Essential Idioms

A. The total money you earn before tax and other deductions is your

D. Is it a good or bad thing to get a perk?

18–19 20–21

.

 E.  What is the English word for Jahresgespräch?

.

 22–23 You’ll find the answers on the following pages and on page 23.

IMPRESSUM HERAUSGEBER: Jan Henrik Groß CHEFREDAKTEUR: Dr. Ian McMaster ART DIRECTOR: Michael Scheufler GESCHÄFTSFÜHRENDE REDAKTEURIN: Maja Sirola (CvD) AUTORIN: Deborah Capras REDAKTION: Margaret Davis, Hildegard Rudolph, Michele Tilgner BILDREDAKTION: Sarah Gough (Leitung), Judith Rothenbusch GESTALTUNG: Georg Lechner

PRODUKTIONSLEITERIN: Ingrid Sturm LEITER REDAKTIONSMANAGEMENT: Thorsten Mansch MARKETINGLEITERIN: Jessica Sonnenberg VERTRIEBSLEITERIN: Monika Wohlgemuth GESAMT-ANZEIGENLEITUNG: Matthias Weidling (DIE ZEIT, V.i.S.d.P.) LITHO: Mohn Media Mohndruck GmbH, 33311 Gütersloh DRUCK: teNeues, 47906 Kempen

VERLAG und REDAKTION: Spotlight Verlag GmbH Kistlerhofstr. 172, 81379 München Telefon: +49 (0)89 8 56 81-0; Fax +49 (0)89 8 56 81-105 Internet: www.business-spotlight.de © 2/2019 Spotlight Verlag, auch für alle genannten Autoren, Fotografen und Mitarbeiter. Der Spotlight Verlag ist ein Tochter‑​ ­unternehmen der Zeitverlag Gerd Bucerius GmbH

SKILL UP!

3 

WORD BANK

Key vocabulary Here, we present the essential vocabulary for a variety of situations involving human resources.

cubicle ,  Arbeitsplatz im Großraumbüro

HR manager  , Personalleiter(in)

employee assistance programme (EAP)   ,  externe Mitarbeiterberatung

HR professional  ,  Fachkraft für Personalwesen

People in the company apprentice  ,  Lehrling, Auszubildende(r) contract staff  , Angestellte(r) mit zeitlich befristetem Vertrag employee , Arbeitnehmer(in) freelancer , Freiberufler(in) headcount   ,  Zahl der Beschäftigten intern , Praktikant(in) member of staff   ,  Mitglied der Belegschaft

flexitime  , Gleitzeit

HR verbs dismiss sb. ,  jmdn. entlassen downsize (staff) , (Personal) reduzieren, abbauen employ sb. ,  jmdn. einstellen empower sb.   ,  jmdn. zu eigenständigem Handeln ermächtigen fire sb.   ,  jmdn. feuern, entlassen hire sb.   ,  jmdn. anheuern, einstellen make sb. redundant  UK ,  jmdn. entlassen, freisetzen motivate sb.   ,  jmdn. motivieren outsource sth.   ,  etw. auslagern

trainee ,  Auszubildende(r)

recruit sb.  ,  jmdn. anwerben, einstellen

workforce  , Belegschaft, Mitarbeiter(innen)

retain sb.  ,  jmdn. (be)halten, weiterhin beschäftigen

4  SKILL UP!

headset  ,  Sprechgarnitur, Headset health and safety regulations   ,  Gesundheits- und Sicherheitsbestimmungen low morale   ,  schlechte Moral multipurpose space   ,  Mehrzweckraum, -fläche open-plan office  , Großraumbüro safety procedures , Sicherheitsverfahren, -abläufe welfare policy , Sozialpolitik wellness initiative   ,  Initiative zum Wohlbefinden working environment  

, Arbeitsumfeld

work-life balance   ,  harmonisches Verhältnis zwischen Berufs- und Privatleben work-related accident   ,  Arbeitsunfall

Illustration: Bernhard Förth

personnel officer   , Personalverantwortliche(r)

childcare  , Kinderbetreuung

co-working space   , Gemeinschaftsarbeitsplatz

chief human resources officer (CHRO)   ,  Personalchef(in), -leiter(in)

human resources (HR)  , Personalwesen

absenteeism , Fehlzeit(en) counselling  , Beratung

People in HR

human resources (HR) (department)  , Personalabteilung

Health, safety and conditions

WORD BANK

Employee relations

short-term contract 

gross pay  ,  Bruttogehalt, -lohn

, Kurzzeitvertrag

healthcare  ,  medizinische Versorgung

sign a contract   ,  einen Vertrag unterzeichnen

hourly rate  ,  Stundenlohn, -satz

take-home pay  , Nettoverdienst

net pay  ,  Nettogehalt, -lohn

terminate a contract   ,  einen Vertrag beenden

harassment   ,  Belästigung, Schikane

non-contributory pension scheme   ,  für den Arbeitnehmer beitragsfreie Altersversorgung

zero-hours contract UK  , Nullstundenvertrag, Vertrag auf Abruf

job security  , Arbeitsplatzsicherheit

, Sachbezüge

non-salary benefits  

outplacement services  ,  Leistungen zur beruflichen Neuorientierung (bei Verlust des Arbeitsplatzes)

notice period  , Kündigungsfrist

Reviews and development

part-time position   , Teilzeitstelle

staff turnover  , Mitarbeiterfluktuation

pay rise UK (raise US)   , Gehaltserhöhung

, Chancengleichheit

works council UK 

pay scale   ,  Lohn-, Gehaltsskala, Tarif

mentoring programme   , Mentoring-Programm

pension scheme  , Altersversorgung

onboarding programme  , Eingliederungsprogramm

performance-related pay  

peer appraisal , Beurteilung durch Kollegen/Kolleginnen

affirmative action   , Fördermaßnahme(n) zugunsten Benachteiligter bullying  , Mobbing discrimination  ,  Diskriminierung, Ungleichbehandlung grievance  ,  Beschwerde, Missstand

, Betriebsrat

Contracts, pay and benefits administer payroll  ,  für die Gehaltsabrechnung

zuständig sein

benefits package  , Leistungspaket draw up a contract  ,  einen Vertrag entwerfen employment contract  , Arbeitsvertrag

, leistungsabhängige

Vergütung

perk ifml.  , (Sonder-) Vergünstigung, freiwillige Zusatzleistung des Arbeitgebers permanent contract  ,  unbefristeter Vertrag probationary period   , Probezeit

360-degree appraisal , 360Grad-Beurteilung, -Feedback annual review , Jahresgespräch equal opportunity policy 

performance review   , Mitarbeitergespräch,

Leistungsbeurteilung

self-development   , Persönlichkeitsentwicklung staff appraisal  , Mitarbeitergespräch staff retention   , Mitarbeiterbindung

fixed contract , Festvertrag

remuneration  , Vergütung

fringe benefits  ,  (Gehalts-, Lohn-)Zusatzleistungen

salary , Gehalt

talent pipeline   ,  Talentpool, -beschaffung

severance agreement   , Auflösungsvereinbarung

workplace learning  ,  Lernen am Arbeitsplatz

full-time position  , Vollzeitstelle

severance package  , Abfindungspaket

workshadowing  , Hospitation SKILL UP!

5 

IN CONTEXT

A stress-free workplace On the next six pages, we present extracts with key phrases and expressions you can use in HR situations.

The Situation: Sue has just started as head of marketing. Neil, the HR manager, is talking to her about the role of HR at their company.

1. The work-life balance

Neil: My main priorities as the HR manager are employee satisfaction and productivity. My goal is to help our employees achieve the best work-life balance possible. As you will have personnel responsibility, I need you to support me in this role. Sue: Of course. Neil: You’ll find everything you’ll need on our intranet. There’s a whole section on HR. Take a look at our new employee assistance programme, the EAP. We work with an external company. Sue: After introducing counselling at my last company, we reduced staff turnover and absenteeism by ten per cent. Neil: That’s impressive. 6  SKILL UP!

2. Big, bright offices

Neil: Thanks to the recent redesign, we have a very modern working environment. Sue: Nice colours! Better than mouse grey. Neil: I totally agree. Most employees sit in one of the big open-plan offices. We have quiet rooms and co-working spaces. Sue: Are there any issues I should know about? Neil: There have been complaints about noise. On the whole, though, giving people more choice and control over where they work makes them happier — and more productive. Would you agree? Sue: Absolutely. It’s important to empower staff. issue ,  Frage, Thema, Sachverhalt

IN CONTEXT

3. Feel good, feel safe

Neil: I am also responsible for staff well-being. If anyone has a work-related accident, you need to inform me as soon as possible. We’re not a production facility, so the health and safety regulations are quite short. You’ll find all the safety procedures on the intranet, too. Sue: Accidents in this office? Are they riding around on scooters? Neil: Actually, you’d be surprised at what does happen. Most accidents are in the kitchen areas — because of knives and glasses. Sue: Ouch! facility ,  Einrichtung scooter , Roller

Illustration: Bernhard Förth

MANY ROLES In some companies, the focus of HR will be mainly on administering payroll, while in others, HR will take on a very strategic role, helping define the type of talent that will be needed in the future for the company to grow. Whatever the role, the phrases here will help you to talk to HR.

Phrase Bank For a list of all the key phrases used in the dialogues, see pages 12–13

4. Support is important

Sue: What should I be doing to help support HR? Neil: Inform your team about our generous welfare policies and training programmes. We’re proud that we offer flexitime and childcare for preschool children. Again, it’s all on the intranet. Sue: I have a lot of reading to do. Neil: Talking of reading, you can keep up to date by reading our monthly HR newsletter. The next one is about our employee survey. We’ll be asking questions about workload, intensity, pressure and social support at work. It should help us identify psychological stress factors in the workplace, so we can develop measures for improvement. survey , Befragung workload ,  Arbeitsbelastung, -pensum

SKILL UP!

7 

IN CONTEXT

A personal review Here, we present some more key phrases and expressions you will find useful when talking about performance reviews and HR topics. The Situation: HR plays an important role in making sure that performance reviews are completed correctly. Neil talks to Julie, a new trainee, about the process.

Julie: Thank you for going through the staff appraisal with me before my meeting with Sue. Neil: It’s so important to get the most out of the performance review. I’d like to share with you best practice. Julie: That would be great. Neil: Tell me how things are going in your team. Julie: OK. I’ve learned a lot. Neil: What do you like most about your job? Julie: Oh, I don’t know. There are so many things. Neil: You need to prepare an answer to these questions for your appraisal. Be specific. Think about what you do and why. 8  SKILL UP!

6. The question of pay

Julie: Should I discuss remuneration? I know that I’m on the bottom end of the pay scale. I’m hoping for some recognition for my achievements. Neil: It’s one aspect of the review, but not the most important. Julie: I’m not sure I can agree with you there. I’ve taken on more responsibility and I’ve helped win contracts. Neil: You have a point there. However, the review is more about your future role and responsibilities. You can discuss pay, but try to focus more on your performance, workplace learning and selfdevelopment. How do you see your role?

Illustration: Bernhard Förth

5. Time and support

IN CONTEXT

7. Honesty pays

Neil: It’s important to be honest in your self-evaluation. For instance, do you believe you have the skills to perform your job effectively? Give examples of when you have performed well. Julie: I’ve collected positive feedback from customers. Neil: That’s good. But also think about the areas that have been more difficult. Where do you think you can improve? Where might you need support? self-evaluation ,  Selbsteinschätzung

8. Training and development

Neil: Now, to what extent do you feel you have received adequate training? Julie: Some areas could be better. Neil: Give details. We can only improve our support if you’re honest. On a more personal level, is there a skill you need to learn? Julie: I would benefit from a course on time management. Neil: Good. We subsidize such courses. Suggest it to your line manager. Be proactive. line manager UK ,  direkte(r) Vorgesetzte(r) subsidize sth. ,  etw. finanziell unterstützen

Phrase Bank For a list of all the key phrases used in the dialogues, see pages 12–13

9. A final word

Neil: Do you have all the information you need? Julie: I think so. If not, I’ll send you an email. This has been incredibly useful. Neil: If you have any concerns, you can also talk to someone on our works council. Julie: That’s good to know, but I think I have everything I need now. I appreciate your support and guidance. Neil: I have an open-door policy, so just pop by if you need anything. Julie: Thanks, I will. appreciate sth. ,  etw. zu schätzen wissen pop by , vorbeikommen

APPRAISALS OR INTERVIEWS? Many of the questions and answers used in appraisals are similar to those that are used in interviews. They require thoughtful preparation, by both parties. SKILL UP!

9 

IN CONTEXT

Staying motivated Here, we provide some key phrases and expressions you might need for sending emails about HR matters and talking about career development and perks.

10. How to…

The Situation: Neil sends out an email to Sue about her first performance reviews.

Subject: Performance review preparation Dear Sue As you know, formal performance reviews need to be carried out by the end of March. As these will be your first reviews with the company, I’m sending you a short overview of our guidelines together with the review forms. You’ll find the full manual on the intranet. To ensure the appraisals run smoothly, please follow our guidelines. My advice is to prepare well in advance. Give honest feedback and base it on performance. Please remember to be clear and constructive with your feedback. Provide concrete, realistic goals and a time frame. Ideally, you should focus on only three key points for each section of the review. Key points: What are the three things that your employee did the best on a regular basis this year? ● What are the three areas where your employee needs to develop? ● What are the three things you can do to support your employee’s progress? Please contact me if you require any additional support. Kind regards Neil Baker Senior HR manager 10  SKILL UP!

Illustration: Bernhard Förth

●

IN CONTEXT

11. Serious plans for the future

Sue: I’m concerned Julie might leave. Is there anything we can do about her salary? Can we offer a performance-related bonus, for example? Neil: Not while she’s in the trainee programme. Sue: She would be a good candidate for the mentoring programme. Neil: That’s an option. Are we confident that she is right for such a role? Sue: Definitely. She’s really developed in the past six months. How much of the budget do we need to allocate for her personal development? Neil: I will do some calculations and let you know if it’s possible before you talk to her.

The Situation: First, Neil has a meeting with Sue to discuss Julie’s future. Later in the week, they both talk to Julie about her career path.

12. Good news, great career

Neil: Congratulations, Julie! You’ve been accepted on to the mentoring programme. You have a new job title, job description and a pay rise. Sue: We’ve decided on five important milestones for the next year. Julie: Thank you. Do I also have the option to work from home? Neil: Yes. We’ve agreed to a trial for six months. Everyone on the team has to be happy with the arrangement for it to continue after that. Sue: Does that make sense? Julie: Yes, that seems like a good compromise. Neil: I’ll put everything in writing. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. You’re an asset to the company. allocate sb. sth. ,  jmdm. etw. zuteilen

Phrase Bank For a list of all the key phrases used in the dialogues, see pages 12–13

asset ,  hier: wertvolle(r) Mitarbeiter(in) dedication ,  Einsatz, Engagement trial ,  hier: Probezeitraum SKILL UP!

11 

PHRASE BANK

How to say it In this section, you’ll find a collection of the phrases and expressions used in the extracts on the previous pages (pp. 6–11). The numbers (1–12) after each of the phrases refer to the extract it was taken from.

Explaining your role

 y main priorities as the HR manM ager are... [1] My goal is to… [1] I am also responsible for... [3]

Explaining procedures

 ou’ll find everything you’ll need on Y our intranet. [1] If anyone has a work-related accident, you need to... [3] Formal performance reviews need to be carried out by... [10] To ensure the appraisals run smoothly, follow our guidelines. [10]

Discussing working conditions

 hanks to the recent redesign, we T have a very modern working environment. [2] Are there any issues I should know about? [2] We’re proud that we offer... [4] Do I also have the option to work from home? [12] We’ve agreed to a trial for six months. [12]

Being supportive

 hat should I be doing to help supW port HR? [4]

12  SKILL UP!

I t’s so important to get the most out of the performance review. [5] Do you have all the information you need? [9] Please contact me if you require any additional support. [10]

Agreeing and disagreeing

I totally agree. [2] Would you agree? [2] Absolutely. [2] I’m not sure I can agree with you there. [6] You have a point there. [6] That’s good. [7] That’s an option. [11] That seems like a good compromise. [12]

Showing appreciation

Thank you for going through the staff appraisal with me. [5] That would be great. [5] This has been incredibly useful. [9] That’s good to know. [9] I appreciate your support and guidance. [9] Congratulations! [12] Thank you for your hard work and dedication. [12] You’re an asset to the company. [12]

PHRASE BANK

Asking for feedback

 ell me how things are going in your T team. [5] What do you like most about your job? [5] How do you see your role? [6] Do you believe you have the skills to perform your job effectively? [7]

Giving advice

 ou need to... [5] Y Think about what you do and why. [5] It’s important to be honest in your self-evaluation. [7] Give examples of when you have performed well. [7] Be proactive. [8] If you have any concerns, you can... [9] My advice is to… [10] Please remember to… [10] Provide concrete, realistic goals and a time frame. [10] Ideally, you should focus on… [10]

Talking about performance

I’ve taken on more responsibility and I’ve helped win contracts. [6] Where do you think you can improve? [7] Where might you need support? [7] What are the three things that your employee did the best on a regular basis this year? [10] What are the three areas where your employee needs to develop? [10] What are the three things you can do to support your employee’s progress? [10]

Talking about pay and conditions

I know that I’m on the bottom end of the pay scale. [6] I’m hoping for some recognition for my achievements. [6] Is there anything we can do about her salary? [11] Can we offer a performance-related bonus? [11]

Talking about training

 o what extent do you feel you have T received adequate training? [8] Some areas could be better. [8] On a more personal level, is there a skill you need to learn? [8] I would benefit from… [8] How much of the budget do we need to allocate for her personal development? [11]

Agreeing a career path

She would be a good candidate for the mentoring programme. [11] Are we confident that she is right for such a role? [11] We’ve decided on five important milestones for the next year. [12]

RECRUITMENT You’ll find other HR phrases in the following issues of Skill Up!:

The language of job interviews (Skill Up!, no. 47, 1/2018)

The language of job applications (Skill Up!, no. 52, 7/2018)

SKILL UP!

13 

FALSE FRIENDS

Do we need a quota? There are many words in German and English that sound similar but have very different meanings. They are called “false friends”.

QUOTE

What’s Quote in English? Quote = quota ● Will a quota for women help? It’s not quote! quote = Kostenvoranschlag, Angebot ● Did you prepare a quote? Note: We also use “quotation”. Another translation: quote (quotation) = Zitat ● “To be or not to be” is the only Shakespeare quote I know. 14  SKILL UP!

CELEBRATE

FIRE

What’s feiern in English? feiern = celebrate ● Twenty years at the company. That’s a reason to celebrate! It’s not fire! fire = feuern ● Twenty years at the company. I can’t believe they fired you!

Fotos: kupicoo, Zinkevych, bernardbodo, filmfoto/iStock.com

QUOTA

Skill Up! Audio You can do an exercise on Business Spotlight Audio.

FALSE FRIENDS

OTHER FALSE FRIENDS You mean…

You should say…

Don’t say…

As this means…

Personal , Es wird schwierig, geeignetes Personal zu finden.

personnel, staff , It will be difficult to find suitable personnel.

personal

persönlich

Paragraf , Gemäß Paragraf 21 sind Sie verpflichtet, den Schaden zu ersetzen.

section, article, clause , Pursuant to section 21, you are obliged to make good the damage.

paragraph

(Text-) Absatz

jobben , Ich habe neben dem Studium immer gejobbt.

have a part-time job, work as a temp , I always had a part-time job while I was studying.

job

Arbeits­ stelle; Aufgabe, Tätigkeit

TRICKY TRANSLATIONS

How do you say verdienen in English? ● If verdienen refers to how much

someone is paid, we use earn: “You will earn more after six months.”, Sie werden nach sechs Monaten mehr verdienen. we use make, especially to talk about freelance work: “I can make about €3,500 a month.” , Ich kann ca. €3.500 im Monat verdienen.

●  Informally,

● The expression seinen Lebensun-

terhalt verdienen is translated as earn a/one’s living: “She earns a living with social media posts!”

, Sie verdient ihren Lebensunterhalt

mit Social-Media-Beiträgen!

● The idiom bring home the ba-

con is about what people earn: “She brings home the bacon.” , Sie verdient die Brötchen.

● And if you talk about brutto/net-

to verdienen, you can say (earn) gross or (earn) net: “So, all in all, I (earn) net about €2,500 a month.” , Also insgesamt verdiene ich ca. €2.500 netto im Monat. verdienen refers to “having the right to something”, we translate it as deserve: “She deserved the pay rise.” , Sie hat die Gehaltserhöhung verdient.

● When

SKILL UP!

15 

COLLOCATIONS

Time for some leave How many nouns and adjectives do you know that sound natural with “leave”? Take a closer look at common collocations with this noun.

Adjectives with “leave” annual leave  , Jahresurlaub compassionate leave UK  ,  Urlaub aus familiären Gründen exceptional leave  , Sonderurlaub

adjective + “leave” annual compassionate exceptional extended

extended leave (of absence) 

,  längere Abwesenheit

indefinite leave  ,  unbegrenzter Urlaub paid leave ,  bezahlter Urlaub parental leave  ,  Elternzeit, Erziehungsurlaub remaining leave , Resturlaub residual leave , Resturlaub sabbatical leave  ,  Sabbatical, Sabbatjahr sick leave , Krankenstand, Krankschreibung

indefinite paid parental remaining residual sabbatical sick unpaid

unpaid leave  ,  unbezahlter Urlaub

Nouns with “leave” garden (gardening) leave UK  ,  bezahlte Freistellung maternity leave   , Mutterschutz(urlaub) paternity leave  , Vaterschaftsurlaub study leave , Bildungsurlaub 16  SKILL UP!

noun + “leave” garden(ing) maternity paternity study

Your reasons

HR manager: I’m so sorry to hear that your mother is not well. You could take compassionate leave. Joe: Would that be unpaid leave? HR manager: It’s possible to get paid leave in some situations, for up to four weeks.

“HOLIDAY” OR “VACATION”? In the UK, employees take holidays or go on holiday. In the US, employees take vacation or go on vacation. Many employees in the US have very few vacation days. But they are often entitled to one or two personal days as well, which they use when they are sick or for “personal” reasons, such as moving house.

COLLOCATIONS

verb + “leave” apply for approve authorize be entitled to be on be owed cancel get go on grant (sb.) obtain postpone put in for put sb. on request

Illustration: Bernhard Förth

schedule spend take use use up (one’s)

Verbs with “leave” apply for leave  ,  Urlaub beantragen

obtain leave  ,  Urlaub bekommen

approve leave  ,  Urlaub bewilligen

postpone leave   ,  seinen Urlaub verschieben

authorize leave  ,  Urlaub genehmigen be entitled to leave  ,  Anspruch auf Urlaub haben be on leave  ,  in Urlaub sein be owed leave  ,  Urlaub ausstehen haben cancel leave  ,  seinen Urlaub absagen/stornieren

put in for leave  ,  Urlaub anmelden put sb. on leave  ,  jmdn. beurlauben request leave  ,  um Urlaub bitten, Urlaub beantragen

schedule leave  ,  seinen Urlaub planen/ festlegen spend leave , seinen Urlaub verbringen

get leave  ,  Urlaub bekommen

take leave   ,  Urlaub nehmen

go on leave  ,  in Urlaub gehen

use leave   ,  seinen Urlaub nutzen

grant (sb.) leave   ,  (jmdm.) Urlaub gewähren

use up (one’s) leave  ,  seinen Urlaub komplett nehmen

Not working

HR manager: I need you to cancel your leave next week. Could you postpone it until next month? Assistant: But I put in for leave three months ago, and you approved it. HR manager: I know. But John has been put on leave now. Assistant: If this continues, I won’t be able to use up my leave this year. SKILL UP!

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ESSENTIAL IDIOMS

What did they say again? English is rich in idiomatic expressions — and using them can make your language sound authentic and up to date.

First, read the two versions of the short conversations. Then cover up the idiomatic version and read the simpler version again. Hard to break that glass ceiling!

Can you remember how to say the same things idiomatically?

First, the idiomatic way

Now, more simply

Julie: Look, every time I’m considered for a better job, someone else gets it. Paul: Are you leaving? Julie: I am. I’ve tried for four years now to be the first woman to reach a higher position in the company, but I failed. up for promotion: be ~  break the glass ceiling   ,  die gläserne Decke anstehen durchbrechen ,  zur Beförderung

passed over: be ~   ,  übergangen werden chuck it all in ifml.   ,  alles hinschmeißen 18  SKILL UP!

get nowhere   ,  nicht vorankommen

First, the idiomatic way

Julie: I won’t burn my bridges. But I’ll say it’s difficult for women to climb the career ladder here. Paul: That will put the cat among the pigeons. I’d love to be a fly on the wall when you tell them.

Now, more simply

Julie: I won’t leave in a way that makes it impossible to come back. But I’ll say it’s difficult for women to progress here. Paul: That will cause trouble. I’d love to watch without anyone seeing me when you tell them. burn one’s bridges   ,  etwas Unwiderruf-

liches tun, die Brücken (hinter sich) abreißen

put the cat among the pigeons UK  ,  für Aufregung sorgen

climb the career ladder , aufsteigen

fly on the wall: be a ~   ,  Mäuschen spielen

Illustrationen: Aleutie, BoBaa22/Shutterstock.com

Julie: Look, every time I’m up for promotion, I’m passed over. Paul: Are you chucking it all in? Julie: I am. I’ve tried for four years now to break the glass ceiling, but I’ve got nowhere.

ESSENTIAL IDIOMS Nobody needs to clock in or out!

Skill Up! Audio You can do an exercise on Business Spotlight Audio.

First, the idiomatic way

HR manager: It’s great you’re on board, Julie. Oh, did I say that you don’t need to clock in or clock out? Big Brother is not watching you here. Julie: You did. That’s one of the reasons I decided to change sides. HR manager: Interesting. It doesn’t mean you can knock off early, though.

Now, more simply

HR manager: I’m delighted you’re part of the team, Julie. Oh, did I say that you don’t need to inform anyone when you arrive and leave? Big Brother is not watching you here. Julie: You did. That’s one of the reasons I decided to leave my old company and join you. HR manager: Interesting. It doesn’t mean you can stop work early, though. on board: be ~ ifml.  ,  bei jmdm. sein, dabei sein clock in   , einstempeln clock out   ,  ausstempeln

change sides   ,  die Seiten wechseln; hier: den Arbeitsplatz wechseln

knock off ifml.   ,  Feierabend machen

First, the idiomatic way

Paul: Did they throw you in at the deep end? Julie: Not at all. Mark, my assistant, has been great. He’s shown me the ropes and dished the dirt on everyone! Paul: Does he maybe have a hidden agenda? Julie: That’s a good question!

Now, more simply

Paul: Did they make you deal with the job without any help? Julie: Not at all. Mark, my assistant, has been great. He’s shown me how things work and told me all the gossip on everyone! Paul: Does he maybe have a secret reason for doing that? Julie: That’s a good question! throw sb. in at the deep end ifml.   ,  jmdn. ins kalte Wasser werfen

dish the dirt (on sb.) ifml.   ,  (jmdn.) schlecht machen

show sb. the ropes ifml.  ,  jmdm. eine Einführung geben

have a hidden agenda   , Hintergedanken haben SKILL UP!

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GRAMMAR CHECK

The dummy “there” Knowledge of the basics of English grammar will help you to communicate clearly and confidently. Here, we review why, when and how to use the dummy “there” at the beginning of a clause.

1. Singular or plural? The dummy there is simply a placeholder, or “dummy subject”, for the “real” subject of the sentence or clause. It is sometimes called an “empty subject”. As such, the verb has to agree with the “real” subject of the sentence: There is a coffee shop at the end of the road. There are three coffee shops at the end of the road. 2. All tenses The dummy there + be structure is used in all tenses and forms: There were 500 applicants. 20  SKILL UP!

T  here’s a whole section on HR on the intranet. Is there a skill you need to improve on? There won’t be a training session this week. There have been several complaints made about the noise. 3. Modal forms We can also use modal forms with this structure: There should be more information on the intranet. There must have been 300 applicants. There might be a better option for everyone.

Illustration: Bernhard Förth

We use the dummy there + be at the beginning of a sentence or clause to introduce new information or the main information of a sentence. We also use it to say that something exists. This is why we describe such clauses with the dummy there + be structure as “existential clauses”.

GRAMMAR CHECK

4. With quantifiers We often use there + be with different quantifiers, for example any, some, much, many and several: There are several problems with the new personnel software. Are there any issues I should know about? There are many courses you could take. 5. With indefinite pronouns This structure is also common with indefinite pronouns, such as nobody, nothing, somebody and something: There’s something you could do for me. There’s nothing we can do. Is there somebody I could talk to about my review? 6. Common verbs There are a few verbs (appear, continue, happen, need, seem, tend, used) that can stand between there and to be: There appears/seems to be a mistake on the application. There tend to be many more applications in the winter months. There used to be a canteen in this area.

7. Fixed phrases The following are useful fixed expressions with the dummy there: There’s bound/certain/likely/ sure to be some negative feedback. There’s expected to be no shortage of applicants. There’s supposed to be a meeting today. There’s no point in applying now. There’s no need to change the time of the meeting. 8. Question tags The dummy there can also appear in a question tag: There should be enough time, shouldn’t there? There aren’t any problems with this, are there?

INFORMALLY In informal spoken English, we sometimes use there’s, even though the following noun phrase is plural. However, this would be considered incorrect in formal writing or in an examination:  here’s five people in each T office. SKILL UP!

21 

TEST

Test yourself! See how well you know the words and phrases presented in this booklet by doing the exercises below. Cover the answers at the bottom of page 23.

1. Rewrite the sentences using the dummy “there”.

2. What could you say in the following situations?

A. Eight people are in this office.

A. You tell someone that they can get in touch if they need more help. B. You want to find out what someone likes most about their job.

.

B. A problem exists with the software. There

.

C. Nobody will be in the office tomorrow morning. There

.

D. Do you have something that you want to ask me?

there

?

E. The document has a mistake in it. There

22  SKILL UP!

.

C. You want to check that your partner has understood what you have explained. D. The HR manager has given you lots of tips and advice. You want to show your appreciation.

Illustration: Bernhard Förth

There

TEST

3. Replace each German word (in italics) in the sentences below with the correct English word. A. We can’t use that company. Their (Kostenvoranschlag) was much higher than all the others. B. The company (feuerte) him when they found out he was stealing from his colleagues. C. How are you going to (feiern) ten years at the company? D. I (verdiene meinen Lebenshalt) with my music.

Answers: 1. A. There are eight people in this office. B. There’s a problem with the software. C. There won’t be anyone/ There’ll be nobody in the office tomorrow. D. Is there something/anything (that) you want to ask me? E. There’s a mistake in the document. 2. A. Please contact me if you require any additional support. B. What do you like most about your job? C. Do you follow me? / Does that make sense? D. I appreciate your support and guidance. (Other answers are possible.)

4. Choose the correct words to complete the sentences. A. There’s always a problem with absentia/ absenteeism in winter. B. We have a great welfare/ wellbeing policy at the company. C. If you have a grievance/ grumble, you should contact HR immediately. D. The personnel/personal officer will explain the procedure to you. E. The headline/headcount is slightly lower this year. We have 125 full-time employees, and 28 parttime.

3.  A. quote; B. fired; C. celebrate; D. earn a/my living 4.  A. absenteeism; B. welfare; C. grievance; D. personnel; E. headcount Answers from page 3: A. gross pay B. apprentice C. It means that someone works only if the employer needs them’ll. The contract doesn’t guarantee or specify the number of hours that someone works. D. It’s good. (perk = (Sonder-)Vergünstigung, freiwillige Zusatzleistung des Arbeitgebers) E. annual review SKILL UP!

23 

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