Confident Business English

Do you take too long when you speak English in meetings? I want to touch on this common business english  problem I see a lot with professionals - going over the time limit when they speak in meetings. I tell you  my key high-level tips to help you manage this better going forward.  Recommendation for further study: The award-winning book: The First Minute, Chris Fenning  About Little Snippets : M...

Do you colleagues understand you first time when you speak English? I share with you my top speaking tips for how to help your colleagues understand you first time. Remember that at your level, business English communication is more than just the words you say, it's also important to consider how you say things.  It would be great to hear from you - Say hello on LinkedIn About Little Snippets : Mi...

What should you do if you go blank in a presentation at work? I want to share with you a quick tip you can implement straight away that I picked up after listening to a wonderful presentation in Liverpool in 2017.  Book mentioned: Paul McGee S.U.M.O (Shut Up, Move On) : The Straight-Talking  Guide To Creating and Enjoying a Brilliant Life About Little Snippets : Mini episodes with to-the-point bus...

Here we are! It's the finale of season 5.  I have a Google document I update all the time called " 365 Daily Business English Snippets ". I basically write down anything interesting that happens in client sessions, common mistakes I see people make all the time or reflections based on conversation. Perhaps in the future I will do something with it but for now I picked a few that I really wanted to...

Do you ever find it hard to understand your British, Irish or Australian colleagues? Let's focus on 3 very common expressions that native speakers use to describe problems ! After you have listened to the episode you will: understand what each expression means - context and when we use it Know the the origin - this tells a story and helps our brain to associate and learn the expression Key example...

Have you got an interview coming up? Or maybe you will in the future? Doing an interview can be one of the most pivotal points in your career when you have to use your English. It could literally mean getting the job or not. Here as a guest today to offer their expert insight is Clare Whitmell from Smart English Coach.  Clare will give you practical guidance and frameworks about how to answer 3 of...

I was speaking with one of my clients the other day and they said: Anna, one thing that I always find really hard is if I see someone in a corridor or the lift and they say "How are things going?"  In the moment I always mess it up . What would sound good to say? If you run into a colleague in the lift or on the way to a meeting, we could call this a corridor conversation.  In this episode I'll sh...

I know you would prefer to avoid saying something wrong. It's going to make you feel much more confident if you know what you are saying is right , even if it's a difficult conversation.  As a senior manager you will have to talk about HR topics a lot; recruitment, onboarding, leave, pay, team management etc. I want to train you on the most important vocabulary to help you navigate these conversat...

It's that time again! You have to share your performance meeting. How do you navigate all the vocabulary? How do you make sure it is clear and you don't beat around the bush? In the 3rd episode of the series we will focus on verbs using to describe decreases .  By the end of the episode you will know: What are your best friends you can use time and again The most common outliers - what they mean a...

Have you ever had that feeling where you  want to ask a question but you hesitate? You aren't sure if it's right, you're overthinking and then by the time you building up the courage the moment is gone! Then you think, why didn't I just ask the question. First of all, I get it. When you ask a question you have to put yourself out there. It's dangerous territory. They might not understand you, they...

Do you want to feel more confident speaking in front of your colleagues? Do you want to develop more of an executive presence but you still feel quite nervous or not prepared enough? Today I invited public speaking expert and coach Nick Hampshire onto the podcast to share his practical guidance with you. The 3 main areas Nick covers are: Key steps you should talk if you lack confidence right now W...

You're a senior manager and you lead a team. Your team is made up of people based around the world and you have meetings with them online and sometimes even a mix between face-to-face in the office and then online at the same time. At times, you have to have difficult conversations with them when you are changing to introduce new changes, initiatives or procedures that there is some opposition to....

As a senior manager, how confident do you feel talking about finance and money? In today's episode you will learn How to express company revenue How to give the status of budget A very common mistake with 3 finance words A really natural phrasal verb to talk about generate money Natural phrases to express cost savings   LINKEDIN Say hello and follow me here JOIN MY FRIDAY NEWSLETTER written summar...

I know one of your goals is to sound more advanced and stop using the same words all the time. Let's continue with our 5ht episode in the series on phrasal verbs to help you make progress.  In this 15-minute episode you are going to: Learn a common and natural phrasal verb to express approval Do an activity with me live to put it into practice. Learn 3 simple sentences that you could try out today...

Let's set the context. Imagine that next week a group of Senior Directors are coming to your office from Manchester. Or maybe you are getting a visit from a group of managers based in the Munich office. Wherever or whoever it is, you have to help host them during their time here.   What can you do to help yourself feel more confident? How can you make sure it goes well and you leave a good impress...

𝐈'𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠! Imagine it's Friday. Your boss tells you they want you to present your KPI performance at the director's meeting on 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺. You are definitely not over the moon about it but honestly, your biggest worry is...when I am I going to prepare?? Unless I work on Sunday evening??? You know you won't feel confident if your ideas are all over the place but it t...

Your colleague, let's call them John, said he was going to send you the information you needed on Monday. Now it's Thursday and you know that you have to chase this up by email otherwise you are going to miss your deadline. The thing is John is a peer, or a superior and you don't know him very well and you want to tread carefully. It's a little bit  could be sensitive or contentious, you feel a li...

The world is changing so fast. Businesses and companies have to adapt all the time. A transformational programme here, a new strategy over here. There's a lot going on and it's a topic we talk about all the time. But,  what expressions do you know about managing people and change? Today we will cover 3 very common and useful business expressions related to people and change. This will avoid you ge...

Imagine your boss or colleague gives you feedback on a piece  of work. It's good news, they are really happy with the work you have done, they are telling you that everything is great. And when they finish speaking, you don't really know what else to say other than "Thank you." You don't feel this accurate reflects enough of what you want to say and would like to know other phrases you can use. Th...

This week we continue with our series on business phrasal verbs. I'm going to cover 3 new ones that will give you an alternative from always using the same classic business english verb. Listen to find out what it is and how you can vary your vocabulary and sound more advanced.  LINKEDIN Say hello and follow me here JOIN MY FRIDAY NEWSLETTER written summary from each episode plus extra tips I don'...

This has been one of the most listened to episodes this season and I think a really useful episode to listen to if you haven't already and also to refresh on. This has been a list that I have been working on for a while. It's a recap of the key points I've mentioned on recent episodes and new tips. The list is a set of quick wins that if get on autopilot,  will help in some of the most common busi...

Hi, How are you? I would like to do something a bit different today. We've been doing a lot of topic heavy episodes over the last few weeks so let's break it up a bit. Today I'd like to talk about the most common advice and recommendations I give my clients. I am going to talk about: The most common thing to say to my students What to do if you get stuck Why you should develop an inner alarm for w...

Let's continue with our series on describing data and trends. This time I'd like to go into more detail specifically about vocabulary. By the end of the episode you will know what are some common vocabulary mistakes and what words we use specifically to describe increases. In future episodes we will go into more detail about decreases, stabilization etc. I hope you enjoy this one.  LINKEDIN Say he...

Let's continue our deep dive into business expressions. This week we are going to focus on ones that mean dealing with  work situations. By the end of the episode you will be able to understand the meanings of each of them and know the most common, short sentences that you can say if you want to try these ones out in your next meeting.  LINKEDIN Say hello and follow me here JOIN MY FRIDAY NEWSLETT...

One of the biggest fears people have  aside from spiders, snakes and flying is speaking in public. As a manager or leading giving presentations is part and parcel of what you have to do, so the question seems to be, how can we make this process better so you can feel more confident? Here to talk to you today is Christopher Wright. I first met Christopher in 2023 and I really wanted to bring him on...