When talking on the phone or over the internet, sometimes it's necessary to spell a word or name. You need to be able to say the names of the letters used to write the word or name (if spelling a Chinese name, that means you need to give the letters of the pinyin). This is especially important when you're saying a name the other person might not be familiar with, for example telling a surname or address from a language they don't speak, like a Chinese name for a foreigner.
Here's how I'd spell my name.
But the names of the letters are very short and many are quite similar to each other. So sometimes the person listening on the phone or over the internet cannot hear them properly, especially if there's a bad connection or it's noisy.
To avoid confusion & mistakes, it's common to add another word or name that begins with that letter.
You can use the following structure.
Here's how I could spell my name to make it extra clear exactly what the letters are.
You can use any word or name (although it's better not to use ones that will be difficult for the listener, or that are too short). But there are also standard systems for the choice of word, called spelling alphabets.
The most common is the ICAO (or NATO) spelling alphabet. Here's a table showing the letters and the word to represent each letter.
Using the ICAO alphabet, I'd say:
Here's a useful website where you can type in a word or name and it gives you the spellin in ICAO spelling alphabet.
So remember, when spelling your name, address or other word on the phone, try using a spelling alphabet to make it very clear and to avoid problems.
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Here are some useful articles for our Marketing class on Product Launch / Commercialization and Promotion, the final step of the NPD (New Product Development) process.
The promotional mix
Also see the post on NPD (New Product Development) and all other posts on Marketing.
Update 2017-03-03: All ESLPod.com links changed to Lizhi.fm. For more info, see this post: ESLPod Links Broken. Added BBC naming podcast.
Update:2016-08-13: Added ESLPod 1228.
Here are some podcasts on developing, launching and presenting new products or services. Useful for our classes on:
Overview of New Product Development (NPD)
Idea Generation
Branding
Launching, Promoting & Presenting New Products
More
Update 2018-01-24: Removed dead About.com video links. 2017-05-16: Changed ESL Pod links to Lizhi.fm.
Articles
Videos
Podcasts
Update 2017-3-7: Changed ESL Podcast links to Lizhi.fm. For more info, see this post: ESLPod Links Broken. Here are some more podcasts related to training and development of employees. Business English Pod Meetings: Considering a Proposal Discussing training vendor's proposal offering blended learning delivery model for language training. Delivering Training Giving training for customer service. Human Resources: Training Manager A training manager talks about her job: goals (including the acronym SMART), duties, methods, training programs, working with vendors, tracking results and evaluating outcomes. Video Vocab 44 - English Vocabulary for Human Resources, Part 2 Includes section on learning and development (also called training and development): on-the job training, coaching and leadership development. (Also includes other HR issues like talent mangement, performance review etc.). Students in China should use the direct download link. ESL Pod
Update 2018-01-21: Added BEP32A & 32B. 2017-02-16: Updated ESLPod links to Lizhi.fm. For more info, see this post: ESLPod Links Broken.
Brainstorming is a type of meeting with the goal of coming up with lots of ideas. It can be useful in marketing, for example as part of new product development (NPD) or generating your marketing tactics. It might also be used to troubleshoot a problem or help plan a project.
Here are some ESL podcasts about brainstorming and idea generation (creating new ideas), with vocabulary and advice useful for brainstorming, meetings, marketing, troubleshooting, project management and business English in general.
Business English Pod
For the exercises/glossary etc for the Skills 360 podcasts, you will need Adobe Flash.
ESLpod.com
Update 2016-06-12: Added section with image & vocab lists from Oxford Dictionaries.
Here's a big post with lots of images, info, vocabulary and audio on the layout of an office: the different rooms and areas, and how they're used.
Business English Pod has several podcasts and videos related to the topic of project management. You can see all those tagged 'project management' here:
The embedded videos are blocked in China, but you can still get them if you click the little "Download" link at the bottom of the page.
Here is a selection:
Don't forget to also check out my posts on other project-related materials from Business English Pod:
Also you might want to look at my post on project management podcasts from ESL Pod:
Cambridge have a useful online dictionary of English specifically for business, and I have often given links to it in my classes and articles. But they recently changed the way their site works. It is now impossible to link directly to a word's definition and example sentences in the business dictionary. Instead it is only possible to link to a page that shows the ordinary English definition and example sentences, and which has a tab you must click on to see the Business English definition and examples. Just click on the tab marked "Business" and you can see the relevant definitions and examples. I have many links to the old dictionary that don't work any more, in my class notes in my articles here. I will, over time, update them or replace them with links to other dictionaries. In the meantime, when I give a link to Cambridge in class, remember to click on the Business tab to see definitions and examples that are specifically for business.
Update 2017-02-14: Updated many of the vocabulary links.
Re our class on "Employee Resourcing and Management", here are a couple of podcasts on staffing needs, relevant to an organization in general, or when starting a new project. They involve dealing with issues like: how many employees are needed, what work will they do, what qualifications should they have, where to find them, how much to pay them.
Some vocabulary from Part 1:
Some vocab from Part 2:
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G.A.L.E.S.L. / joe3
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