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Innovation in Learning

BUSINESS ENGLISH IN VIDEO

The Richard Branson Interview - Part 1

Lesson code: I4US-EAMB-DIMD-C

ADVANCED

1 Warm-up
Do you know this man? Which businesses has he launched? Have you used any of his
products/services?

2 Key vocabulary
What do you think the underlined phrases and idioms mean? In pairs, match them to their correct
meaning below:
1. The speaker broke the rules, so in the end he was kicked off the stage.
2. Inspiring leaders are good at drawing out the best in people.
3. A few entrepreneurs like to take on the status quo and develop completely new ways of doing
things.
4. There's a thin dividing line between success and failure.
5. You must be out of your mind if you think you can start a business without any capital.
6. Our competitor launched a dirty tricks campaign against us.
7. The company brand stands for quality and value.
8. The ambitious young entrepreneur likes to shake up other industries.
9. The businessman had no experience with running an airline, but he decided to give it a go.
a. a boundary that distinguishes one thing from another
b. cause large changes to something
c. challenge the present ways of doing things
d. crazy
e. dishonest, unfair tactics
f. encouraging
g. forced to leave
h. represents

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Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.
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You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex

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try something

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i.

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The Richard Branson Interview - Part 1

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lingua house

TM

Innovation in Learning

BUSINESS ENGLISH IN VIDEO

3 Before you watch

You are going to watch an interview with Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin business empire.
Guess True (T) or False (F) for each sentence below. Then watch the first part of the interview and
confirm or correct your answers.
1. Richard Branson once put on Nicole Kidman's wedding ring and had to go to a jeweller to get it off.
2. Branson's first successful business venture was a magazine called `Student'.
3. At the time of its sale, Virgin Records was the biggest record company in the world.
4. British Airways launched a dirty tricks campaign against Virgin Atlantic.
5. According to Branson, the Virgin brand stands for `spirit'.
6. All of Virgin brands have been successful.
7. The Virgin Group's revenue is approximately 25 billion dollars.
8. The Virgin Group employs a workforce of 15,000 people.

4 What do you remember?

Answer the questions below in your own words.
1. According to Richard Branson, how was he able to start so many companies? What did he learn
about running a business?
2. Why was Branson considered to be `out of his mind' for going into the airline business?
3. What did Branson do to protect the jobs of the people who worked for his record company and for his
airline?
4. Why did this turn out to be the right move in the end?
5. Why didn't Virgin Brides work according to Branson?
6. How did Branson respond to the customer complaint?
7. How did the customer's attitude change 9 months later?

5 Words in the video

Look at the transcript of the interview. Find a word or phrase in bold which means ...
1. strange
2. to a large degree
3. the combined power of a group of things working together which is greater than the total power
achieved by each working separately
4. cause it to change completely
5. not new

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Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.

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You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex

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6. gambled something

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The Richard Branson Interview - Part 1

A

lingua house

TM

Innovation in Learning

BUSINESS ENGLISH IN VIDEO

6 Language practice
Look at the sentences below. Rewrite them, replacing the underlined parts with a word or phrase from
this lesson.
1. He is a very effective manager. He knows how to encourage people to perform their best.
2. When we launched our product, we caused our industry to change completely.
3. The distinction between madness and creativity is very slight.
4. Our competitor used a series of unfair and dishonest tactics to steal our customers.
5. Although I had never been scuba diving before, I decided to try it.
6. We are able to challenge the accepted ways of doing things because of our ambitious team of
professionals.

7 Talking point
Discuss any of the following questions:
1. Do you agree that `companies are about finding the right people'?
2. Who is your country's most successful entrepreneur? How did he achieve this position?
3. How easy is it to become a successful entrepreneur in your country?
4. Do you think it is possible nowadays to achieve Branson's level of achievement in business?

8 Review
Don't forget what you learned in this lesson! Go to www.linguahouse.com, click `Learning English' and
enter Lesson code: I4US-EAMB-DIMD-C.

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PI

Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.

AB

You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex

LE

Remember to review your flashcards regularly if you want the lesson material to stay fresh in your
memory. If you have a large knowledge collection, try to review them every day for at least 15-20
minutes.

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