WhiteBeach School of Business English

24/05/2022

5 Excellent English Reading links:

1. Breaking News English:
Updated short news articles in 6 levels. There are exercises to test your understanding, grow your vocabulary, and practice discussing various topics in English. I also put this website on the list of useful listening resources. https://breakingnewsenglish.com/​

2. Mental Floss:
Do you prefer reading about entertainment, life hacks, and other light topics? Mental Floss is an online magazine with fun articles written in a conversational style. It's great for advanced students to learn new English expressions. https://www.mentalfloss.com/​

3. Story Zone:
The British Council created this collection of short stories for English learners. Choose from two levels. Discover interesting characters with different genres such as sci-fi (science fiction), drama, and romance. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/general-english/story-zone​

4. Talaera Thoughts:
This blog covers a lot of business English topics to improve communication at work. I like the easy search function. You'll find advice on meetings, presentations, cultural differences in communication, English grammar tips, and more. https://blog.talaera.com/​

5. Graphite Comics:
For all the comic book fans! The drawings make it easier to understand the story and are very helpful for lower level readers. https://www.graphitecomics.com/​
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Which is your favorite? Know any other good sites? Please share them in the comments.

Learning English doesn't have to feel hard or boring. Build your vocabulary while reading. Enjoy!

17/05/2022

You probably know and use some English abbreviations such as ASAP and FYI. Below is a list of the 30 most common abbreviations you might see in your work emails and messages.

​General text abbreviations
1. ICYMI: In case you missed it
2. TL;DR: Too long, didn’t read
3. LMK: Let me know
4. NVM: Never mind
5. TGIF: Thank goodness it’s Friday
6. TBH: To be honest
7. TBF: To be frank
8. RN: Right now
9. QOTD: Quote of the day
10. OOTD: Outfit of the day
11. BRB: Be right back
12. BTW: By the way
13. LOL: Laugh out loud
14. TTYL: Talk to you later
15. HMU: Hit me up
16. FWIW: For what it’s worth
17. IMO: In my opinion
18. IMHO: In my humble opinion
19. IDK: I don’t know
20. TBA: To be announced
21. TBD: To be decided
​
Business text abbreviations
22. EOD: End of day
23. FAQ: Frequently asked question
24. AKA: Also known as
25. ASAP: As soon as possible
26. DIY: Do it yourself
27. NP: No problem
28. N/A: Not applicable or not available
29. OOO: Out of office
30. TIA: Thanks in advance

Now you will know the meaning the next time you see these abbreviations.

Can you think of any more? Write them in the comments!

10/05/2022

What's your dream job? Does it require English skills?
Write your answer in the comments!

​At the moment, I'm sitting in my home office in Okayama with a warm cat and a hot coffee. I'm so happy I quit my job and followed my dream! It was difficult, but now, I can focus on the English my busy students really NEED to succeed in their business.

Today I'll teach you what to say when you want to change jobs.

"I have experience in [ ], but I’m really interested in [ ]."

Show your passion and motivation to succeed!

For example:
"I have experience in 3D Illustration, but I’m really interested in app design. I 've been studying for several months."

You can listen to and practice more simple but powerful phrases in my short video course. Click the link to join free: https://whitebeachenglish.ck.page/41d984f4d0

Don't wait, follow your dream today!
​
Have a great week,
Karissa

26/04/2022

Hello WhiteBeach Students,

Today I want to share with you a list of powerful words you can use to talk about your work.

Many students overuse simple verbs (action words) such as "do" and "work". Try using these active verbs instead!

>lead – led - leading
My main responsibility was leading a team of 30 on various projects.

>direct – directed - directing
Directing the IT department has been my greatest challenge.

>head – headed - heading
I’m currently heading the recruitment process and making all final decisions.

>create – created - creating
I loved creating the design for the new headquarters.

>develop – developed - developing
Our team faced many hurdles while developing the budget for the new project.

>manage – managed - managing
I gained a lot of experience managing the biggest account in the company’s history.

>improve – improved - improving
I have a passion for improving the lives of others through my work.

>achieve – achieved - achieving
I was proud to achieve 1st place in the sales competition.

>build – built - building
Our biggest problem came while building the appointment system for the website.

>succeed – succeeded - succeeding
In summary, in 5 years, I see myself working hard to achieve my goals and succeeding!
​
Use these powerful active verbs on your LinkedIn profile, resume, and in emails, too.

To practice, leave a comment and tell me about your work. :)

17/04/2022

It's a beautiful spring day in Okayama. Schools and business are starting a new year full of possibilities. What's on your agenda for this fiscal year? Leave a comment to practice talking about your work.

​Now, let's look at polite suggestions. I recommend you study them and use them in your next email or meeting.

​The “weaker” phrases introduce an option as a possibility. The “stronger” phrases give more emphasis to your belief that it is a good idea.

Weak:
• We could…
• Why don’t you/we….?
• How about…?
• What about…?
​
Strong:
• We should…
• Let’s…
• I (strongly) suggest…
• I (strongly) recommend…
​
Grammar note:
We could / Why don’t we / We should / Let’s are followed by the infinitive:
• We could invest in new technology.

How about / What about / I suggest / I recommend are followed by the -ING form:
• How about investing in new technology?
​
Here are some more examples:
How about we meet next Tuesday at 4pm?
Let’s continue running ads on the platform.
Well, we could update our procedures.
I strongly suggest you conduct market research each quarter.

​Let's keep improving our English skills!

See you in the next lesson,
Karissa

08/03/2022

There are so many phrasal verbs in the English language. It's a challenge to learn and remember them but I know you can pull it off! Let's focus on phrasal verbs that can be helpful when talking about meetings.

-pencil in = add something to the schedule that may be changed later
I’ll pencil you in for 9am on Tuesday. You should receive a confirmation within the next few days.

-going through with = doing what was planned or promised
After completing due diligence, the bank has decided to go through with the loan.

-carry on = continue (even in the face of uncertainty or difficulty)
I know you are tired after a long week but we must carry on!

-pull off = successfully complete a difficult or complicated task
I’m not sure we have enough staff to pull off this large of a project.

-wrap up = conclude, reach a stopping point
Let’s wrap up this meeting and go to lunch.

-put off = procrastinate / avoid a task
I need to start this report I’ve been putting off. It’s due tomorrow!

-blow off = ignoring or not seriously considering someone or something
The manager acted like I was a strong candidate for promotion but now she’s blowing me off.

-butt in = interrupt or force your way into something
I hate to butt in, but I have another meeting soon. Could we wrap this up?

-space out = not pay attention / daydream
We covered this in the morning announcements, were you spacing out or something?

Thank you for allowing me to butt in your busy work schedule. I'm so glad you opened this email and didn't blow me off! I hope you weren't spacing out while reading the lesson. :)

Try not to put off your English learning! Pencil in a time to study. It's hard work but try to carry on and do your best!

25/02/2022

Zoom. Teams. Skype. It's an unavoidable part of our work in 2022. Today I want to teach you some useful phrases for all your online English meetings.

Opening:
-Can everyone hear/see me?
-I'm going to share my screen.
-Please mute your microphone(s).
-Thank you for joining.*
*"joining" is more appropriate than "coming" since it's an online meeting.

Encountering Problems:
-I/You/We seem to have a connection problem.
-Sorry, (name), your video is freezing/has frozen.
-Sorry, I can't hear you. (I think you're on mute.)
-Sorry, you're breaking up.*
*"breaking up" means the audio is going in and out

Solving problems:
-Is that better? / Is my connection/audio/video better now?
-Let's close the meeting and reconnect.
-I'm afraid we'll have to try again when the connection is better.

Closing:
-Does anyone have a question? / Any other questions?
-(Well,) thank you again for joining today.
-See you in the next meeting. / See you (on [date]/on [day]/at [time]).

Use these helpful phrases for clearer communication!

12/02/2022

Something to think about, and talk about.

Have you heard of cognitive bias before? What can we do to make sure we don't fall into these traps in our thinking?

08/02/2022

Digital education is the future!

The pandemic has affected all learners, but the more vulnerable the learner, the harder they have been hit. The evidence is very clear that Covid and the response of authorities to it has, in the w…

07/02/2022

Oh no! They are looking at you, waiting for you to speak. But, what do they want?!?

In the last lesson you learned useful expressions for when you didn't hear or understand an English speaker.
Today, I'll teach you what to say to Check Your Understanding.

To check your understanding of a question or request, say:
• Are you asking me [what/how/why/if]...?
o For example: Are you asking me what color we should choose?
o Are you asking me how long I worked in that department?

• To clarify, you’d like me to [tell you/explain/describe]… Is that right?
o For example: To clarify, you’d like me to describe the problem and how I fixed it. Is that right?
o To clarify, you’d like me to tell you why I changed this part of the report. Is that right?

​After you have checked your understanding, you can confidently respond!

If you have any English topics you'd like to see in a future lesson, send them to me at [email protected].

Have a great week,
Ms. Karissa

28/01/2022

Happy Friday! I hope this year is going well for you.

Today, I want to teach you a very useful skill: Asking for clarification.

When you didn’t hear what the other person said, you can use these phrases:
I’m sorry, I didn’t catch what you said.
Could you say that again, please?

Usually, the person will speak a little more slowly when they repeat something. Then, you have a chance to listen again.
​
When you heard the person, but you didn’t understand something, you can use these phrases:
What do you mean by [ ]?
Sorry, what is [ ]?
Could you explain a bit more?

I know it's difficult, but you shouldn't pretend you understand. It’s better to ask for clarification and give a correct response.

In the next lesson, you’ll learn some useful expressions to check your understanding.

Enjoy your weekend,
Ms. Karissa

18/12/2021

Happy Holidays students!

Thank you for the honor of being your teacher this year.

I look forward to bringing you more useful Business English lessons in 2022.

Here are some useful phrases and complete sentences you can use for the end of year holidays such as Christmas and New Year. You can write them in an email or simply say them to valuable clients, customers, and coworkers.