Tag Archives: business English

So what’s Business English anyway?

Business English is something a lot of students are looking for but what exactly is it and what are teachers and schools offering it providing. To start with I'd say that most of the conversations in a business setting require only general conversational English skills. Where I think a shift comes is in the specific situations that business life regularly throws up, such as: A meeting; whether it be a conference call or a round table discussion there is a certain formality, culture and structure to these situations. Discussing and rehearsing with a native teacher who's had experience of these kind of business interactions can help the student feel more relaxed and prepared to participate. There's also some specific words and phrases that are used when a participant in the meeting...

Business English: negotiation role play

Negotiating in English can be challenging. Role playing your negotiation in English before your meeting is the best way to get ready for it. It will allow you to work on different areas of the negotiation.

Think of your selling points

Preparing your selling points is definitely the first step to succeed in your negotiation. You should ask yourself key questions that will help you organize your ideas. What are my selling points? How can I argue against my meeting partner's arguments? How flexible am I? On what areas can I be more lenient? What should I ask in return? A negotiation in English is above all a negotiation. English is only the language that will be used during the meeting. Remember, a successful negotiation should end up in a win-win situation.

Role play and know how to present your negotiation arguments...