Practice Listening Business English Exercises for B1 – Organisation

8 exercices

Audio

A. Look at the two company profiles: W.L. Gore and Zappos. Listen to the radio discussion with Janet Wood, an organisation consultant. Are they likely to have flat or tall structures? Why?
B. Listen again and decide if these sentences are true (T) or false (F). Correct the incorrect sentences.
1)
Organisations with tall structures can change and innovate fast.
2)
Bob and Genevieve Gore started their company in the 1960s.
3)
Employees voted to decide who should be the CEO of Gore.
4)
‘Holacracy®’ is a system without traditional managers.
5)
All the functions at Zappos are now done by teams.
6)
The transition at Zappos will take a few months to complete.
C. Choose the correct option. Listen to the discussion again if necessary.
1)
Janet Wood seems
a)
critical of hierarchies.
b positive about hierarchies.
c)
sceptical about flat structures.
2)
Which statement about W. L. Gore is true?
a)
Employees work in teams of 30.
b Staff are called associates.
c)
Nobody in the company has a job title.
3)
Which statement about Zappos is true?
a)
The company started two years ago.
b Staff work in about 500 teams called circles.
c)
The lead link of a circle decides what everyone does.
4)
What do W. L. Gore and Zappos have in common?
a)
Senior executives are elected by the employees.
b Any member of staff can start a new project team.
c)
Staff decide their own roles in a team.

W. L. GORE

CEO: Terri Kelly

Sector: Manufacturing

Number of staff: Over 10,000

ZAPPOS

CEO: Tony Hsieh

Sector: Online shoe and clothing sales

Number of staff: Over 1,500

Audio

A. Listen to a short interview with Angela Dawson, a communication coach based in New York, about how to use small talk and manage first meetings. Then answer the questions.
1)
Why is managing first meetings in international business often difficult?
2)
What is the value of asking questions?
3)
Which types of question are most effective? Why?
4)
What should you ask questions about?
B. Listen again and answer the questions.
1)
What two things does Angela say about silence?
2)
Why does she say that some questions don’t matter?
3)
What is the relationship between asking questions and building trust?

Audio

A. Paul Robson works for a London-based international company. He is welcoming Eva Neumann, a colleague from another office of his company. Listen and decide if these sentences are true (T) or false (F).
1)
Eva travelled directly from the airport to the meeting.
2)
This is Eva’s first visit to London.
3)
Eva works full time in Geneva.
4)
Paul is head of Customer Service.
5)
Eva is leading a project called Service Excellence.
B. Look at the list of tips for making small talk in first meetings. Listen again and tick (✓) which tips Paul uses in his conversation with Eva.
Tips for small talk in first meetings
a)
Give a clear and positive welcome. ✓
b)
Offer to take the other person’s coat.
c)
Ask about their journey to the office.
d)
Offer them a drink.
e)
Check if their hotel is OK.
f)
Offer help to organise a taxi.
g)
Ask if it’s their first time in the city.
h)
Suggest going for dinner later in the evening.
i)
Ask where the other person works.
j)
Check when they joined the company.
k)
Make a positive comment about working with them.

Audio

A. Listen to some employees giving their views. Which speaker talks about a) the communal areas, b) the office layout and c) the general impression?
B. Listen again and summarise the main suggestion(s) each person has for changes to the workspace.

Audio

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3)
You will hear eight short recordings. For questions 1–8 choose the correct answer.
1)
Which structure does Maria’s company have?
2)
Whose recruitment were employees involved in Elsa’s company?
a)
the CEO
b)
department heads
c)
team leaders
3)
What time does the presentation start?
a)
2.45
b)
1.00
c)
1.30
4)
Who is going to meet Mr Jones at the airport?
a)
the Production Manager
b)
the Production Supervisor
c)
the Assistant Purchasing Officer
5)
Where are the current company headquarters currently?
a)
Montreal
b)
Geneva
c)
Dubai
6)
Why is the company changing its structure?
a)
to make staff happier
b)
to make ordering easier for customers
c)
to reduce the number of complaints
7)
What does the new client produce?
8)
When did Paolo join the company?
a)
today
b)
two years ago
c)
six months ago