Is it ever possible to give bad news in a good way? Some would argue not. Having started my working life around three months before the Global Economic Crisis hit, and watching colleague after colleague being made redundant throughout the media industry, I certainly would never have wanted to swap places with the people who […]
Dealing with different expectations in meetings Have you ever needed to discuss terms and conditions with international partners? You come in ready to get down to business as quickly as possible, only to discover that the others first want to have some small talk or a coffee before discussing business? You might think to yourself, […]
Yes is one of the most simple words to understand in the English language. Or is it? Free Download Yes is generally perceived as a positive response, and when you’re asking for something in business it’s normally the answer you’re hoping for. My father thought this when he started an importing company in China. On […]
Free Download I remember the first time I had to deal with a contract in German. I felt like I didn’t know what I was agreeing to and it made me really nervous. It seemed like the message was hidden behind complicated words which I didn’t truly understand. So when several of my participants who […]
I work for a leading global engineering company (one of the largest) extending its profitable global business over the past 150 years with offices across America, Asia, and Europe. It is recognized for its innovative, digital working environment, passion for its brand and customers and as a place where talented people are inspired and challenged […]
Even if you’re well organized, with a clear agenda and purpose, basic communication problems can arise that can derail your meeting very quickly. If it’s your job to moderate a meeting, you need to be able to get clear decisions without wasting too much time. Below, we present a few common communication problems and basic […]
Free Download Good writing is more than perfect grammar or a large vocabulary Writing is a skill that requires practice regardless of what language you write in. This holds true not only for fiction, but also for writing reports and other business correspondence. How many times have you received a poorly written email or read […]
Communicating across cultures begins with the understanding that one size does not fit all Free Download Differences in cultures, as we see so often, can lead to a host of great and small misunderstandings. Take something as simple as a name. It is entirely common in some German companies to use Mr. or Mrs, followed […]
I work in an organization where there’s really little rotation in our training suppliers. I’ve inherited most of them, and this means I have some specific issues. Actually I had something yesterday with a supplier.My first recommendation for questions to existing training providers would be a very open one. Just say: hbspt.cta.load(455190, ‘0377217d-6395-4d26-a5fc-d32a69e484a5’, {}); […]
Free Download How can I improve my English when I’m not in the training room? I think that probably every one of my colleagues (including myself) has been asked that question more than once. The simple answer is: exposure. The more you expose yourself to the language you are learning (through films, conversations, books, apps, […]
Free Download I recently asked my German IT participants in a multinational company to do a bit of brainstorming about their ideas for what it takes to be successful when doing business with Germans. Here are some of the ideas they found important. Of course the list is by no means exhaustive. While researching this […]
Free Download Intercall is one of the world’s largest international conference call company. And Intercall’s own research showed that more than 60 percent of respondents admitted to doing something else while on a conference call. This “doing something else” is one of the key contributors to ineffective teleconferences. I think it is safe to […]
Wouldn’t it be easier just to walk, than to walk and carry a car made of boulders? 1. Confusing training with presenting As a trainer I’ve often worked with participants who had to train people in something specific. In preparation they wanted to check their powerpoint slides with me. We reviewed the English on the […]
Not convinced? Here are some figures* which support the movement: In the US, nearly 170 million people played computer and videogames in 2008, spending a record $11.7 billion. Because of good game design, more than 11 million subscribers spend an average of 23 hours per week immersed in World of Warcraft. In the four […]
Time is money Time wasted equates to money lost. Think about what plain English could mean for your business. In a typical office, the average employee receives about 100 messages a day. How much time is spent writing the original document? How many people end up reading the document? How much time is spent reading, […]
The problem is that many of my participants don’t use social media in their personal lives, there is only limited training available and there isn’t always time to learn about the tools and their use. Did I mention that everything also needs to be in English? Together we came up a possible checklist to help […]
Invitations Since you will be in town Tuesday night, I was hoping you would join me for dinner. I would be delighted if you joined me for lunch on Wednesday. Would you like to have lunch on Friday? What are your plans Tuesday evening? How about dinner? What do you say to grabbing dinner […]
Write out numbers smaller than ten I’m taking three days of holiday next week. The report I’m reading is 311 pages long. Hyphenate the numbers twenty-one to ninety-nine We hired fifty-three people in the last fiscal year. Use the numeral if discussing measurement, time or proportion Our next meeting starts in 15 minutes. His plane […]
“By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin Do you prepare for small talk? Not only natural small talkers are good at small talk. How much time do you spend preparing for a presentation? Let’s assume you don’t make those up as you go, why should it be different with small […]
“I need to do my job in English more and more” said one of my participants in a purchasing department. She was a lead buyer at a manufacturing company who had seen her company go through a rapid internationalization process when they merged. Global purchasing means that many purchasers now need to work comfortably and […]
