EARLY ACCESS
C1
CLASS 01
Section 2
Glossary
Instructions
One word from each audio will be briefly explained below.
Try to understand their definitions, examples and, listen to the audios again if you didn't catch them the first time you did. Then, move on to Section 3
Audio 01
Firefighting
Reacting to urgent problems as they arise rather than proactively preventing them
• Formality: Common
• Synonym: crisis-managing
He spends most of his day firefighting instead of working on long-term goals.
Firefighting every week is a symptom of broken processes upstream.
Audio 03
Bottleneck
A point of congestion that slows or blocks progress in a process
• Formality: Common
• Synonym: obstacle
That single approval step is the bottleneck for our product launches.
If we don’t fix the review process, the bottleneck will get worse.
Audio 02
Compliance doc
A document related to conforming with laws, regulations, or internal policies
• Formality: Formal
• Synonym: regulatory file
We need to finalize the compliance doc before the auditors arrive.
They flagged an issue in the last compliance doc we submitted.
Audio 04
Juggling
Managing multiple tasks or responsibilities simultaneously, often under pressure
• Formality: Informal
• Synonym: balancing
She’s juggling three projects and still finds time to help the new hires.
We’ve all been juggling so much this quarter it’s a miracle anything got done.
Section 3
Transcript
Instructions
We're nearing the end, this section is like the "answer sheet".
Read the text extracted from the audio.
Now's the time to see what you heard!
Try to understand as much as possible before going to the Walkthrough section.
Then, move on to Section 4.
"I get that everyone’s stressed, but I can’t keep firefighting just because no one upstream is planning ahead."
"I told them we’re at full capacity, but they just looped in my boss and made it sound like we’re the bottleneck."
"Totally. And now Legal’s asking for input on that compliance doc we haven’t even seen yet."
"Classic. We’re constantly juggling last-minute asks, and somehow we’re still expected to deliver flawlessly."
Section 4
Walkthrough
Instructions
In this video, the teacher covers every and each little detail you may have missed or may not know about the audios/transcript.
This video is rich in information so make sure to take notes of the new things you learn here.
Then, move on to Section 5 .
Section 5
Talking Point
Instructions
With a teacher, friend, or AI companion, practice talking, answering and discussing the following points listed below.
CONVERSATION QUESTIONS
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What does this situation reveal about the company’s internal communication and planning culture?
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When you're under pressure, how do you push back without sounding uncooperative?
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Have you ever been blamed for a delay that wasn’t really your team's fault? How did you handle it?
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What would improve this team’s ability to handle last-minute requests without burning out?
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In your opinion, is it better to be seen as the “go-to problem solver” or to protect your bandwidth?