S2E5 - Weighing your Options

It’s almost opening day! Vanessa and Angela make plans for the grand opening party.Angela and Vanessa are organizing the grand opening party. But they’re having a hard time remembering words they want to use and keep getting interrupted and distracted during their meeting. Luckily Conor, your host and English language mentor, shows up with some handy expressions they, and you, can use to buy some time.If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://player.timelinenotatio...There are many more ways Babbel can help you and your team develop Business English skills! Learn more about Babbel for Business here: https://hubs.ly/Q028srlg0

Mira and Angela are planning Café Damascus's grand opening. Will they be prepared?A lot could go wrong on the day of the grand opening of Mira's new café. So she's on the phone with Angela, the event planner, discussing how to plan ahead for terrible weather or unexpected guests.If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://player.timelinenotatio...

Mira and Vanessa face some challenges understanding the instructions for a new piece of equipment.Vanessa’s first task at the café is to set up the new espresso machine. But the manual is in Italian, which she doesn’t speak! Martin, the technician, sent an email with instructions, but his English is full of idioms and colloquial expressions. They’ll have to work together to figure it out, and get the new machine up and running. If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://player.timelinenotatio...

Mira has to hire someone to help her in the café. She interviews an excellent candidate.The time has come for Mira to hire a new employee for her café. She’s found someone with the right skills and experience, but she encounters an unexpected obstacle. So she’ll have to find out whether or not this potential candidate is suitable for the job. If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://player.timelinenotatio...

Mira heads to the café to make sure the construction is on track.After meeting with her accountant, Mira has to convince Giovanni, the contractor, to speed up construction, and finish on time for opening in June. She’ll have to use her argument skills to make her point. If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://player.timelinenotatio...

Mira and her accountant discuss the pros and cons of their plan for opening the café.There’s been a construction delay, so Mira meets with Muza, the accountant, to weigh her options for adjusting the timeline and the budget. They’ll use many different ways to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of different options and ideas.If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://player.timelinenotatio...

Mira and the contractor have to work out a problem using negotiation skills!There are some problems with the wiring at the café building site, and the contractor wants to delay construction. On top of that, the mosaics will have to be reinstalled! Mira and Giovanni must work together to find a solution that takes the construction timeline, the budget, and everyone’s safety into consideration.If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://player.timelinenotatio...

Mira has a meeting at the café building site. How will she deal with all the noise?It’s a cold, wet day and Mira is meeting with Liana, her coffee supplier, at the café. But with so much construction noise going on, they are having a tough time understanding each other. Conor, our English language mentor, is back to point out some of the techniques they use to communicate in a noisy environment and avoid misunderstandings. Listen and find out what they are!If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://player.timelinenotatio...

Find out how Mira starts building her business by giving clear instructions!Mira is meeting with a contractor to let him know how she wants her new café to look, and what she needs him to do. But they are encountering some communication problems. Luckily Conor, our English language mentor, shows up just in time with some tips for giving instructions! Discover what they are, and how Mira uses them to make herself heard.If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://player.timelinenotatio...

It’s the grand opening of Mira’s café! Find out why she decided to start her own business, and how she made it all happen.Mira has the opportunity to get some publicity for her new business by speaking to a journalist, who is eager to hear all about it. But will the journalist really understand everything Mira has to say well enough to write a great article? Luckily Conor is here to help Mira tell her story; and to point out some of the strategies the journalist uses to listen and ask effective questions.If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://player.timelinenotatio...