How do you disagree with colleagues in meetings? You’re in an international meeting with people from all over the world and it’s time for you to agree or disagree with the solutions being offered. Unfortunately, you can only agree on one solution – so you have to disagree with someone. However, disagreeing with a colleague […]
What is your CEFR level? In Europe everyone talks about their language skills in terms of being somewhere between A1 and C2. But what does this really mean? How do you really know what level you are? Does the next person have the same understanding of what that level really means? Do you even know […]
Are you using too many presentation fillers when presenting? Have you ever given a presentation and started using words like ‘umm’, ‘erm’, ‘well’, ‘I’m not sure’, ‘maybe’, ‘how can I put this’, etc. because you didn’t know what to say or how to answer someone’s question? Have you thought about the effect this has on […]
How do you write your clarification emails? How many times have you gotten an email and asked yourself: What is this person trying to say? What do they want exactly? This has happened to all of us at some point in our jobs. Even though this situation may be unavoidable, there are ways to respond […]
What are you writing when saying goodbye in emails? We need to say goodbye a lot. It sounds like a really easy thing to do, doesn’t it? But there are different situations in which we need to write emails for saying goodbye. Do you say the same thing to the colleague who is going on […]
Do you need some ideas on expressing congratulations to colleagues? Expressing congratulations when something positive happens in the personal and professional lives of your colleagues and clients is a useful business skill. When you extend your sincere congratulations, you send the message that you care about what happens in the lives of others, even if […]
Do you ever have someone using the meeting rooms that you booked? Have you experienced conflicts with the meeting rooms in your company? Imagine this situation: you’ve done hours of preparation for a meeting with your customer. Your slides, documents and ideas are in perfect order and you’re feeling confident. You meet your client in […]
Do you send polite emails? Each day at work we send and receive many emails. The longer you spend writing and replying to emails, the less time you have for other important tasks. Why should you waste time trying to be polite in emails when all you need is some quick information from someone or […]
4 Simple categories to help in prioritizing work Prioritizing work can be a challenge for anyone, especially managers. I have just returned to work after being on holiday for two weeks. After reading all of my emails and speaking to my colleagues, I now have a huge to-do list. In the past, I wouldn’t have […]
Do you ever have to deal with meeting misunderstandings? So, you’ve just finished putting forward your proposal. You’d planned out what you wanted to say, given a few examples, convincingly described the advantages, and cautiously addressed the disadvantages. All extremely clearly. Or so you thought. Until you hear the first response: “So, are you saying […]
Every presentation is different. Or is it? In this short video, Chris Slattery, Managing Director and training enthusiast, outlines the three elements all presenters need to keep in mind to make sure their presentations runs well. By keeping the key elements of head, hand and heart in mind even the most inexperienced presenter can deliver […]
A simple structure to confirm your discussion Email confirmations are a key to avoiding confusion and saving time in business communication. The telephone is a great medium for quick discussions. Often agreements or commitments are made on the phone. But, one major disadvantage of agreements made over the telephone is the lack of written evidence. […]
Does your company have clear meeting rules? While some organizations have clear policies about whether laptops and mobile phones can be used during meetings, in other companies the rules were never established or have been allowed to grow relaxed. Ask a group of professionals what they think about this issue and you’re bound to get […]
Have you sent your holiday greetings to all your colleagues, suppliers, and customers? It’s that time of year again. People keep dropping by my desk to ask what they should write in their emails they want to send out before the holiday period ahead of us. There isn’t really one set thing that you have […]
4 Keys to good presentation slides Creating presentation slides that summarize your points but still keep your audience’s attention isn’t easy. Ever try talking to someone who is busy reading a book? It’s not easy to get and hold their attention, is it? This is what happens when you stand up to make a presentation […]
How to clearly describe changes when rescheduling meetings One of the challenges of communicating internationally in English is how to clearly describe changes when rescheduling meetings. Frequently, there’s confusion about words like postpone, move forward, move back and delay. And while it’s not actually a word in Standard English, the word ‘prepone’ has reared its […]
8 Ideas to ensure you are setting goals that are effective Setting goals is a large part of any manager’s job. If you are going to spend the time setting goals, make sure that they are going to be effective. We all know about SMART goals, but what about effective goals? 1. Linked to business […]
Handling complaints by email can be tricky It is always better to handle them face-to-face or over the telephone, but sometimes you don’t have a choice. Every complaint is different, but there are enough similarities with each to approach them with a structure in mind. We can all receive complaints from customers, colleagues, suppliers, or […]
3 Quick tips on asking good questions in presentations Asking good questions during a presentation can be difficult. If you haven’t understood a point in the presentation, it is likely that other people in the audience will be thinking the same as you. You don’t want to leave the presentation with a question mark in […]
How are you handling difficult questions in your presentations? So you’ve spent hours preparing your slides, practicing in front of the mirror, and learning the material you are presenting inside and out. The big presentation comes and you breeze through it confidently and calmly. You are about to finish up and just quickly ask the […]
