Introducing yourself

Here are a few ways to informally introduce yourself on the telephone:

This is Ken.

Hello, Ken speaking

If you'd like to reply more formally, use your full name.

This is Jennifer Smith speaking.

Hello, Jennifer Smith speaking.

If you are answering for a business, just state the business name. In this case, it's common to ask how
you can help:

Good morning, Thomson Company. How may I help you?

Plumbers Insurance. How can I be of service today?

Tomorrow's Meeting

Alice: We're having a meeting tomorrow. Can you make it?

Kevin: When is it taking place?

Alice: We're planning on 10 o'clock. Is that OK?

Kevin: Yes, that'll be fine.

Alice: We're going to go over last quarter's sales figures.

Kevin: Good. I have some input I'd like to make.

Alice: Frank is also going to make some suggestions on improving the bottom line.

Kevin: That'll be interesting. He's got keen insights.

Alice: Yes, he's going to outline some new sales strategies.

Kevin: Is Alan attending?

Alice: No, he's flying to San Francisco and won't be able to make it.

Kevin: Oh well, maybe He'll phone in.

Introducing business presentations:

If you are giving a presentation, it is a good idea to have an introduction planned ahead of time. You
want to give an organized and professional first impression.

Here is a sample introduction that you could use to begin any meeting:

Welcome everyone, please be seated. I am [your name and position] with [your company/team]. These
are my colleagues [colleague’s name] and [colleague’s name]. We are here today to tell you about [your
project, product, service, etc.].

At this point, you should briefly explain the topic and scope of your presentation.

To give directions regarding when questions should be asked, you can say:

Please hold your questions until the end of the presentation.

Please ask questions at any point during our presentation.

Expressing opinions:

When you are participating in a meeting, it is important to show that you care about the topics being
discussed. One way to show your interest is to express your opinion on a given topic in a respectful way.

Consider this dialogue about an upcoming launch for a new product:

Project lead: What do you think about our plans for this product launch?

Colleague: It looks to me like you have a lot planned before your deadline. I would suggest you push your
deadline back so you have time to run a successful advertising campaign.

Project lead: I respectfully disagree with you there. The priority is to launch before the holidays, so we do
not want to move this deadline.

Colleague: I would suggest you discuss this further with the advertising team.

Asking questions in meetings:

If do not fully grasp a concept it is important to get clarification instead of pretending you understand.
Usually, during a business meeting, the presenter will explicitly open the discussion up to questions.

Presenter: Did anyone have any questions before we move on?

Colleague: Your third point was a bit unclear to me. Could you elaborate on that?

Or maybe you noticed a flaw in the project, product or plan:

Presenter: I would love to hear any suggestions or feedback you have.

Colleague: I noticed [issue]. How would you go about resolving that?

Navigating negotiations:

Part of doing business is knowing how to negotiate. Sometimes it involves very simple issues like when to
schedule the next follow-up on a project, while other times it can be more complex, like closing a major
deal.

Boss: How do you think we should move forward with this project? As you know, we are expected to
present it to our clients next week.

Employee: How about we get in touch with Acme Corp and discuss moving the deadline out three
weeks?

Boss: We really need to push forward with this project to have it completed by the deadline. They are not
interested in extensions.

Employee: In that case, we could delay completion on the Archibald Co. work.

Boss: I think you are right, that is the only way we can finish working on the Acme project by next
Thursday.

Asking for someone to repeat something/slow down:

When someone is speaking and you miss something because you cannot hear them or they are
speaking too quickly, wait for a pause and then ask:

Sorry [name], I did not catch that last part. Would you mind repeating yourself for me?

Ending the call:

It is a good practice to say goodbye before ending a conference call. You may also want or need to
recap the main points of the discussion and outline the next steps you need to take.

Call leader: I believe this concludes our call. Thank you, everyone, for joining us.

Some ways you can respond include:

Thank you for setting up this call.

Discussing [conversation topic] was very helpful.

I look forward to being in touch on this topic again soon.

Bye, everyone.

56 Business English Phrases for Speaking Professionally and Advancing Your Career

1. Beginning a Conference Call

These are useful phrases to check if everyone is present and has joined the conversation. When asked,
just respond, “yes” and give your name and position, or job at the company.

• “Can everybody hear me?”

The chairperson or person in charge of the meeting usually says this. It’s useful to make sure everyone is
present for the start.

2. Clarifying Things on a Phone Call

When talking on a conference call, there is a chance that your Internet connection will be poor, or that
the quality of the call will be poor. In these cases, you might miss out on something that someone said.

• “Could you speak more slowly, please?”

• “Could you repeat that, please?”

• “Would you mind spelling that for me, please?”

• “Could you explain that in another way, please?”

• “I’m afraid I didn’t get that.”

3. Taking a Break from the Conversation

Conference calls can be stressful. It is perfectly fine to excuse yourself, but make sure you are polite and
clear when you do it. Try these phrases if you need a break.

“[Your name] speaking. I need to leave for ten minutes. Is that okay with everyone?”

When you return, let everybody know you are back by saying:

“[Your name] here. I’m back on the line again.”

“[Your name] just coming back in here, thanks everyone.”

4. Starting a Great Presentation

At some point you may be called on to give a presentation. Even native English speakers should keep
these simple and not get too complicated. Business presentations can and do have a reputation for
being dull. Not a lot of people enjoy sitting through tons of PowerPoint slides…do you?

Keep it moving quickly and people will still be interested. Try these helpful phrases for a presentation:

Introduce yourself and keep it loose and breezy (informal and light)—it will put everyone at ease.

“Welcome everybody, my name is [your name] and I am the designer for GPLZ Video.”

“Hi, I’m [your name] and I’m the designer for GPLZ Video.”
“Good morning/afternoon/evening ladies and gentlemen, I’m [your name].”

“Hi everyone, I’m [your name]. I’m going to keep this brief, as I know you’re all busy people. I’m going to
make this quick for you…”

5. Introducing the Topic of Your Presentation

After you’ve introduced yourself, it is time to introduce your topic of presentation.

“Today I’m here to talk to you about…”

“I’m delighted to be here today to tell you about…”

“Today I would like to outline our plans for…”

This gives your audience a map, or an idea of what you will be talking about. Here are some phrases
that will provide structure for your presentation, making your message neater and more organized.

“Firstly I’ll talk about…” or “I’ll start with some general information on…”

“Then I will look at…” or “then we’ll go over…”

“And finally we’ll look at…” or “ To conclude we’ll touch on…”

“I will be glad to answer any questions that you may have at the end of this presentation.”

Try to look up from your notes as often as possible so you can engage and interest your audience and
relax. Try to have fun. People are generally forgiving if you make a few mistakes.

6. Ending Your Presentation

This is a very simple part. Once you have given your presentation and are ready to finish, use these
phrases.

“Well, that brings me to the end of my presentation, thanks so much for listening.”

“It was a real pleasure being here today. Goodbye and thank you.”

“Well that’s it from me. Thanks a lot.”

7. Being an Active Participant in Meetings

You will, at some point, be asked to take part in a meeting at your workplace. It is a good idea in
business meetings to speak as clearly as possible and to be firm (strong). Remember though, “firm”
does not mean “rude” or “pushy.”

It can be easy to seem pushy if you don’t add the all-important “please” and “thank you” to your
phrases. These polite terms go a long way in business English. Meetings are all about listening and
letting people know you understand what is being talked about. Try these phrases when you are in a
business meeting or participating in a conference call.

First, you can use these phrases if you accidentally speak over somebody or stop them from saying
something.

“Sorry, I interrupted you. You were saying…?”

“Please go on…”

“After you…”

If you are not sure what somebody said, use these phrases to clarify:

“I’m sorry, but could you speak up a little?”

“I didn’t quite hear that, sorry, can you say that again?”

“I didn’t catch that last bit. Can you say it again please?”

Signal phrases for when you have a question.

• “Am I to understand that…”

• “Sorry, but just to clarify…”

• “So, what we’re saying is…”

Agreeing with people.

• “That’s an excellent point [person’s name], I totally agree with you on that.”

• “Okay, I think we are all on the same page here…”

• “Yes, I get what you’re saying…”

Disagreeing with people.

Hopefully you won’t need these too often! Remember to be polite but firm.

• “I’m sorry but I think you may have that slightly wrong…”

• “From our perspective, it’s a little different. Let me explain.”

• “Well, yes and no—can I tell you how we see it?”

8. Negotiating Successfully

When you are taking part in a negotiation, you might get what you want, but sometimes you may not.
Here are some phrases that will work for each situation. Remember, be polite, but be firm.
Professional businesspeople never lose control of their emotions.
Sometimes in a negotiation you know you are not going to win. When you go into a negotiation, you
should know your “deal breaker” is. A deal break is absolutely not negotiable, or a condition that you
will not accept no matter what. For example, the lowest price you are willing to accept for a product is
$100 per piece. You will walk away if somebody demands a lower price.

Perhaps you are protecting your “bottom line.” The bottom line is the financial situation beyond which
you cannot operate. Try these phrases to get the negotiation “back on track” if it seems you are “not
on the same page.” Meaning: Get the negotiation going in your favor if you are not in agreement.

• “I understand that we can’t do that, but can we discuss some other alternatives?”

• “I hear what you’re saying, but our bottom line is very clear on this one.”

• “This is the deal breaker for us, we can’t budge.” (Budge means move, change or give up.)

9. Planning for Future Meetings

Everybody has a phone now, and in business it is really important to know how to greet people and leave
them with a positive impression of yourself and the company you work for. Many customers’ and clients’
first interactions with you (and the company you work for) will be on the phone. Make sure you leave
them with a great first impression with these phrases when you want to meet with them again:

• “I’d like to set up a meeting with you at your earliest convenience. When are you free?”

• “Are you free to talk again next week?”

• “When can we talk about this again?”

• “How does 2:30 p.m. Thursday sound?”

• “Does Thursday at 2:30 p.m. suit you?”

After the person has agreed to the time, it is customary to confirm one last time just to make sure the
other person has really heard. If you are working in a place like an airport where there could be
confusion as to the time, add the “a.m.” or “p.m.” just to be sure you have been understood:

• “Thursday at 2:30 p.m. then, that would be fine.”

• “Okay, I look forward to seeing you then.”

Examples :

1. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for coming along here today. I hope my presentation isn’t
going to take too long and that you will find it interesting. The purpose of today’s presentation is to
discuss how we can improve internal communications within our company.

Now let me begin by explaining that I’d like to talk about the business case for better communication;
secondly, I want to cover different styles and methods; and finally I would like to finish off by talking
about some of the basics we need to have in place to deliver good quality, consistent communications
across the company. I’d be very happy to invite you to ask questions at the end of the session and I’m
sure there’ll be plenty of time for us to discuss some of the points that have been raised.”

2. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for finding the time to come and join me for this
presentation this afternoon. My name is Tim Mason, I‘m a retail consultant, and many of you will have
seen me shadowing you in your jobs and looking through the accounts and so on in the company over
the last week. I’ve invited you here today to have a look at my findings. First, I’d like to have a look at the
performance of the company, the sales of the company over the last three years; then I’d like to have a
look at our market share in the womenswear market and look at our competitors; and thirdly, I’d like to
suggest some improvements in our range of womenswear. At the end I’d be happy to answer any of your
questions.”

28 Conversation Topics for Business English Students

1. Businesses

Talking about other businesses is, essentially, talking business. Other businesses could be friends, foes,
inspirations or anything else. A simple topic, yet such a deep one. Some questions you could ask are:

What can businesses do to succeed?

What is your idea of a “business”?

What businesses are successful in your country/industry? Why?

Why do you think some businesses fail?

“Business is a combination of war and sport.” Do you agree? Why/why not?

2. Negotiations

No verb goes with the word “business” better than “negotiation.” Some could say negotiations are
business. It’s a good topic that has students speaking about any and all kinds of negotiations. You could
ask questions such as:

How good are you at negotiating?

What are some good negotiation tactics?

Do you do negotiations in your work, personal like or while shopping?

What have you had to negotiate for in your life? (Examples: House, car, items at a bazaar)

Do you think men or women are better at negotiations? Why?

3. Job Interviews

Unless your students got a job hookup from a friend or a family member, chances are they have
something to say about job interviews. They are the “first dates” of the business world and this topic
gets some good chatter going. A few great questions are:

How do you feel about job interviews?

What is the most important part of a job interview?

What advice do you have for a successful interview?

What questions are common in job interviews in your company/industry/country?

What was the worst interview you have ever had?

4. Working Abroad

Some students, especially if they need English for work, may have had some experience working in
another country or even have some colleagues who are working abroad. This topic is good since
working abroad becomes more and more relevant in this day and age. A few good questions include:

Have you ever worked in another country?

What difficulties can working abroad have?

If you could choose, where would you like to work abroad?

What work experience have you had with colleagues from abroad?

What are some cultural differences between your country and foreign countries your company does
business with?

5. Crisis

An inevitable topic in the world of business, students do enjoy sharing views on crises. They can share
their thoughts, questions and opinions about responding to all kinds of crises. Unless a particular crisis
is hitting their country terribly hard, where some may feel sensitive about the topic, it’s an excellent
topic to speak about. You could bring up questions like:

How do you manage crises?

What kinds of crises occur in your workplace?

What sorts of crises have affected your country?

What is your back-up plan for a major crisis?

What have you learned from past crises?

6. Leaders

Leaders are the coaches of business. They provide guidance and wisdom to many. Your students may
feel inspired by some notable leaders, or they may look up to leaders in their respective countries,
companies or industries. They may even dream of becoming leaders themselves. Get students talking
about what kinds of people are best equipped to lead businesses. Some questions to ask are:

What is your definition of a leader?

What makes an excellent leader?

How is the leadership in your company/industry/country?

Describe the best leader you have worked for/with.

How good of a leader do you believe you are?

7. Business Presentations

In this day and age, presentations are everywhere thanks to modern technology. There’s a good chance
that not only do your students have something to say about them, but they may have to give some at
their job. Questions you could give them are:

What makes a good presentation?

What makes a bad presentation?

Do you have to give any presentations at work? If so, what are they about?

How do you feel about giving presentations?

How do you feel about watching presentations?

8. Meetings

Unless your students work an hourly position, they more than likely have meetings and talking about
meetings is a nice topic since it’s so relatable. Great questions include:

How often do you have meetings at work?

Do you like meetings at work? Why/why not?

What is often discussed at your meetings?

What are the advantages/disadvantages to having meetings?

“If you must have a meeting, lose the chairs.” Do you agree? Why/why not?

9. Termination

This is the “getting dumped” experience of the workforce, but it’s something that’s a part of business.
If students want to speak better business English, navigate tough interview questions and plan their
careers, then it would behoove them to practice talking about getting terminated. A few good
questions could be:

Have you ever been terminated?

How does one get terminated at your job?

Have you ever had to terminate anyone?

How can you prevent getting terminated?

If you were terminated, what would you do?

10. Managers

Slightly different (or vastly, depending on your work) than leaders, managers are something that
everybody has something to say about. Love them or hate them, they’re an essential subject to discuss
in business. Perhaps some of your students are managers themselves. You could ask:

What do you think about your manager(s)?

What qualities make a good manager?

How does your manager spend their time?

How can a manager motivate employees?

What is your manager’s managing style?

11. Small Business

Small businesses are the cornerstone of growing enterprises and thanks to e-commerce they are on the
rise. A few questions to ask the class could be:

Are small businesses common in your country?

What challenges do small businesses have in your country?

What are some successful small businesses in your town/city?

How can a small business become successful?

If you had a small business, what kind would it be?

12. Work Appraisals

Any decent company gives their employees a sort of appraisal every so often, so it’s a good topic to
discuss since appraisals are made to improve the quality of the employee’s work. You could ask things
like:

Do you have performance reviews in your company? How often?

How do you feel about them?

What do your performance reviews cover?

How important do you think appraisals are?

What happens if you have a good/bad appraisal?

How do you feel about feedback about yourself?

13. Retirement

Even though retirement is the end of the road for business and a long way down the road for some
students, it’s a good topic to discuss since it affects everybody eventually. Great questions could be:

What is the retirement age in your country?

What do people in your country usually do once they are retired?

Where do retired people usually live in your country?

What are the advantages/disadvantages to retirement?

What do you think you will do when you retire?

14. Work Experience

Everybody talks about his or her work experience and it helps them with who they are in their career
today. Some great questions are:

What work experience do you have?

How did you like your previous work?

What can you gain from work experience?

What have you learned from your work experience?

What have you learned about yourself?

15. Overtime

Overtime is as enjoyable as it is avoidable. Unfortunately, it’s inevitable but most students will have a
thing or two to chime in with about overtime. Good questions could be:

How much overtime do you usually work?

How do you feel about working overtime?

What is the overtime policy like in your company?

Describe the worst overtime experience you have ever had.

What is a solution to reducing overtime?

16. Business Trips

Business trips, whether they be domestic or international, are more and more common these days and
are a good topic to discuss. After all, most likely your students that go on business trips need to speak
English! You could ask:

Do you go on business trips at work? Where?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of business trips?

What advice do you have for somebody traveling for business?

Where would you like to go on a business trip? Why?

What do you think is the future of business trips?

17. Competition

If your students want to speak business English well, then they’ll need to talk about competition. The
competition is everywhere and is a great topic to really scope out how your students feel about
business in general. Great questions could be:

Who exactly is your company’s competition?

What advantages/disadvantages does your competition have?

How can your company overcome the competition?

How competitive is your industry?

How competitive are you in general? Why?

18. Risk Management

Most students should be familiar with risk and hopefully more familiar with how to manage it so it’s a
fine topic to incite some quality discussion. Great questions are:

What risks does your company come across?

How does your company handle these risks?

What situation could be a big risk to your company?

What is your plan in case you come across a risk?

Does your company have a contingency plan?

19. Investing

Investing is an important topic that many business English students know a fair deal about, depending
on their business. It’s a relatable topic that could be of special interest to some students. You could ask
questions like:

What is your opinion on investing?

What investments do you have? Why?

Are you a conservative or risky investor? Why?

What do you consider to be a bad investment? Why?

If you had $1000 to invest, what would you do?

20. Colleagues

Everybody has something to say about colleagues and talking about them can help get students talking
about more personal things, which can really help them exit their comfort zones. A few good questions
could be:

What do you think about your colleagues?

What are some common problems with colleagues?

Have you ever had any challenging situations/altercations with your colleagues?

Do you spend time with your colleagues outside of work? Why/why not?

Who is your favorite colleague? Why?

21. Hard Times

Unfortunately, hard times are quite prevalent these days. But talking about them is good for business
since it could expand your students’ knowledge of current events. You could ask questions like:

What hard times is your industry/country going through?

What hard times have you experienced?

What have you learned from hard times?

What are the benefits of hard times?

Tell me about what you did when you went through some hard times.

22. Raises

Everybody loves raises, but talking about them (especially with a superior) is a different story. Amongst
classmates though, talking about raises can bring up some interesting chatter. Questions like these are
good:

How often do you get a raise at your job?

What does it take to get a raise at your job?

What advice do you have for someone who wants a raise?

Do you think raises are important? Why/why not?

Do you deserve a raise? Why/why not?

23. Sales

Some may say that business is sales and they just might be right. Sales are to business as education is
to knowledge. Talking about sales is an important skill in business English, especially if some students
need to sell in English. A few great discussion questions are:

Have you ever worked in sales?

How good of a salesperson are you? Why/why not?

What makes a good salesperson?

What is the sales process like in your company?

What strategies do you think are good for sales?

24. Customers

But alas, there can’t be sales—or business for that matter!—without customers. Since everyone has
been a customer on more than a few occasions in their lives, it’s a great topic for students! Questions
like these work well:

Who are the customers for your company/industry?

As a customer in general, what do you usually expect?

How do you gain more customers?

How do you lose customers?

“The customer is always right.” Do you agree/disagree?

25. Customer Service

Customer service is also another aspect of business that both salespeople and customers know a thing
or two about. It’s a fantastic topic that can bring some enlightening discussion. You can ask questions
like:

What is your definition of “customer service”?

What is excellent customer service?

What is poor customer service?

Have you ever had to deal with customers? How was it?

How do/would you deal with customer problems?

26. Marketing

Marketing is an essential field in the world of business and many students enjoy talking about the
diverse subject. You could ask questions such as:

What is your understanding of marketing?

What is your company’s target market?

What kind of marketing does your company use?

In your opinion what forms of marketing are the most/least successful?

What kind of marketing is successful in your country?

27. Consulting

Many companies, big and small, have experience with consultants and it’s an important topic in the
world of business improvement. Some great questions could be:

What is your definition of “consulting”?

What is your opinion of consultants?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of consultants?

What area of advice are you an expert at? Why?

“Sometimes you need a consultant to tell you the obvious.” Do you agree/disagree? Why?

28. Rules & Regulations

Rules and regulations are literally everywhere in the business world and they could present some
useful and interesting information. You could give the students questions like:

What rules and regulations exist at your job?

What happens if you break any of these rules?

How do you feel about the regulations at your job?

Why do you think rules and regulations exist?

Have you ever had any problems with rules and regulations?