Business English - Top 10 Skills for Business English (1)

https://www.businessenglishpod.com/2019/07/20/skills-360-business-english-skills-1/

Learn key communication skills for business English in this business English lesson from Business English Pod: https://www.businessenglishpod.com/

Watch the English videos below for more in depth lessons on business English covered in this lesson:

Business English conversation & making small talk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEzuXQTcvcE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2-NjXQYse0

Expressing opinions in business meetings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7n2K5gR-rk

Asking questions in English:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6rQXSnwQ6g

Business English for saying no and rejecting ideas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmfo9spNaWA

Agreeing in English and getting action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7HKsnh7Ris


In this business English lesson we’re going to look at some of the business English skills everyone needs in order to be successful.

As any guru worth his weight in salt will tell you, business is all about relationships. That means connecting with new people, and maintaining good relations with people in your existing network. And one of the ways we do this is through English small talk.

We call it small talk because it’s not about big important business English topics. It’s about things like the weekend, the weather, sports, or family.

Making small talk in English allows us to connect with people, find out more about them, and set a mood. This kind of English conversation involves a back and forth of simple comments, questions, and answers. You need to show interest in the other person, but also reveal a bit about yourself. And it’s important to stick to topics that are common to both people.

Once you’ve broken the ice with small talk, then you can move on to bigger topics. And that’s where you bring in the skill of expressing opinions in English. Exactly how you do that depends on the situation. If you’re in a business English meeting and want to add your perspective, you might just introduce it with an expression like “the way I see things” or “as far as I’m concerned.”

But if you’re making a suggestion or pitching an idea, there are a couple of ways to go about it. You might do it carefully with words like “perhaps” or “maybe” or “we could.” Or, if you want to state something more confidently, you can use stronger words like “have to” or “should.”

After all, English conversation isn’t just about speaking; it’s also about listening, and that leads me to asking questions. I don’t just mean “yes or no” questions. I mean substantive questions that show that you’re listening and engaged. This could include follow-up questions during small talk, which helps you connect with people.

Of course, being a good English listener doesn’t mean being a yes-man. Participating in a meeting or negotiations in English requires the ability to reject ideas. And that’s not as simple as saying “no” or “I disagree.”

If you don’t like someone’s idea, you might soften your comment by expressing uncertainty. But be careful with this kind of softening language. If you’re in a position to say no or reject something, be clear about it. You can still be diplomatic without waffling. To do that, you can comment on the positive aspects of the idea, or the intention behind them, before saying “no.”

Rejecting ideas effectively is one aspect of being decisive and getting results. And that brings me to one last skill I want to mention today: getting people to take action. You’ve probably been in an English meeting where there was a lot of great discussion, but no real action points.

We’ve looked at five essential business English skills: how to make small talk, express opinions, and ask good questions. At the same time, you need to be able to reject ideas and get action.

For a more comprehensive look at the business English covered in this lesson, we recommend these topics on the Business English Pod website:

1. English conversation & making small talk
https://www.businessenglishpod.com/category/socializing/

2. Expressing opinions in business English meetings
https://www.businessenglishpod.com/category/meetings/

3. Asking questions in English:
https://www.businessenglishpod.com/tag/questioning/

4. Saying no and rejecting ideas:
https://www.businessenglishpod.com/tag/saying-no/

5. Agreeing and getting action:
https://www.businessenglishpod.com/tag/agreeing/

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