Business English Guide
Master professional English for effective workplace communication.
Usage
- Identify the business communication context (email, meeting, negotiation, presentation)
- Get appropriate phrases and vocabulary for that context
- Learn formality levels and when to use each
- Understand cultural nuances in American vs British business English
- Practice with realistic scenario exercises
Examples
- Email openings by formality: Very formal: "Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]." Standard: "Hi [First Name]." After establishing rapport: "Hi [Name], hope you're well." Never: "Hey," "Yo," or no greeting. Closing: Formal: "Kind regards" / "Best regards." Standard: "Best" / "Thanks." Avoid: "Cheers" (too casual for most US business), "Respectfully" (too formal unless writing to executives)
- Meeting language: Contributing: "I'd like to add..." / "Building on that point..." Disagreeing politely: "I see it differently" / "I have some concerns about that approach." Buying time: "That's a great question — let me think about that." Ending: "To summarize, we agreed to..." / "Next steps are..."
- Negotiation phrases: Making an offer: "We'd like to propose..." Countering: "We appreciate the offer. However, we were thinking more along the lines of..." Seeking middle ground: "Is there room to meet in the middle?" Walking away: "I don't think we're going to reach agreement on this point today. Let's revisit it next week."
- Softening requests: Direct: "Send me the report." Softened: "Could you send me the report when you get a chance?" Very soft: "I was wondering if you might be able to share the report?" Use softer forms for upward communication and cross-team requests
Guidelines
- "Please advise" and "per my last email" have passive-aggressive connotations — avoid them even though they seem polite
- Use concrete language: "I'll send it by Friday 3pm EST" not "I'll send it soon" — vague timelines create confusion
- Avoid jargon with external contacts: "synergy," "leverage," "circle back" are internal corporate speak, not professional English
- Write short paragraphs in emails (2-3 sentences max) — business readers skim, they don't read
- In global teams, avoid contractions, phrasal verbs, and idioms — "start" is clearer than "kick off" for non-native speakers
- Proofread every external email — typos in business communication undermine credibility disproportionately