Business English Speaking - Marc Roche

Business English Speaking:
Advanced Masterclass
– Speak Advanced ESL Business

English with Confidence & Elegance:
Business Meetings & Presentations in
English.
Includes 300+ PPT Presentation Templates

Business Speaking Series. Book 1
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Copyright © 2019 Marc Roche
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Copyright © 2018 by Marc Roche. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this business English speaking book may be reproduced,

distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying,
recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, or by any information
storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher,
except in the case of very brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and
certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Topics Covered in this guide:
Business English speaking, business English ESL, business English

conversations, speak business English, business speaking, English for meetings,
English for business, ESL business, American business English ESL
IDM Business English Books. All rights reserved
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Contents
Get Marc Roche’s Starter Library FOR FREE…
Contributors & Influencers…
Introduction…
Confident Communication…
Emotional Intelligence at Work…
Chapter 1. The Truth about your Public Speaking Skills…
Decisions = Behaviour…
Be a Master of Your Own Learning…
Chapter 2. Voice & the Importance of Sound…
The Impact of Voice When You Speak…
Vocal Warmups…
Voice Projection Exercise…
Chapter 3. Meetings, Conferences & Negotiations: Formal & Informal
Language…
Business Meeting & Discussion Phrases…
C1 & C2 Level Speaking Phrases (Advanced & Proficiency)..
Chapter 3. Posture…
Be aware of your posture….
Chapter 4. Barriers to Effective Communication…
What’s in it for them?...
Chapter 5. The Science of Giving Presentations…
The Multi-Modal Technique…
Using Stress to Enhance Memory…
‘Chunking’ Information…
Chapter 6. Your Words Matter…
Think About Your Words…
Speech Case 1: Miss Teen South Carolina 2007…
Speech Case 2: Melania Trump’s Republican National Convention
Speech…
Chapter 8. Eye Contact…
Chapter 9. Avoiding Business Jargon…
Chapter 10. Focus on the Listener’s Problems…
Chapter 11. Always Give Details…
Chapter 12. Keep it Simple…
Communicating Clearly…
Clarity = Confidence…
Clear Communication Checklist:…
Chapter 13. Apologizing in Meetings & Negotiations…
Chapter 14. Summarizing Data for Meetings, Negotiations &
Presentations…
Summarizing…
How to Plan and Talk about Data…
Grammar & Vocabulary…
Chapter 15. How to be More Persuasive…
The 4 Most Persuasive Words in the English Language…
Chapter 16. ESL Business English Phrasal Verbs Mini-dictionary with
Practice Exercises…
Exercise Answers: …
Chapter 17. 80 Grammar Rules for ESL & Business English..
80 Grammar Rules…
80 Grammar Exercises for ESL & Business English…
Answers…
BUSINESS ENGLISH CONVERSATION QUESTIONS..
1.WORK…
2. DAYS OFF…
3. AGE AT WORK…
4. JOB LOCATION…
5. WORKING FROM HOME…
6. OFFICE LOCATION…
7. WORKING OVERSEAS…
8. OFFICE LUNCH…
9. AFTER WORK ACTIVITIES…
10. REWARDS AND RECOGNITION…
11. TEAM BUILDING…
12. OFFICE SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT…
13. WORKING HOURS…
14. OVERTIME…
15. BUSINESS TRIPS…
16. EXPERIENCE…
17. PROMOTION & DEMOTION…
18.PROBATIONARY PERIOD:…
19. CONTRACTS…
20. WORK-LIFE BALANCE…
21. MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP…
22. BEING AN EMPLOYEE…
23. FREELANCING…
24. DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS…
25. JOB REQUIREMENTS…
26. JOB INTERVIEWS…
27. BENEFITS & PERKS…
28. RESIGNATION…
29. JOB-HOPPING…
30. SALARY…
31. CHOOSING A COMPANY…
32. FEELINGS ABOUT YOUR JOB…
33. OFFICEMATES/CO-WORKERS…
34. RETIREMENT…
35. EMAIL…
36. MEETINGS…
37. CONFERENCES…
38. TECHNOLOGY…
39. OFFICE ENVIRONMENT…
** BONUS SPEAKING CARDS SECTION **…
40. MEDIA…
41. HOTELS…
42. LANGUAGES…
43. TECHNOLOGY…
44. ART….
45. HISTORY….
46. BOOKS…
Bibliography….
Resources: 6 Videos on Emotional Intelligence…
Free Bonus: 300+ Presentation Templates for PowerPoint…
Bonus Chapter: The Productivity Cheat Sheet…
Thank you…
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“Wise men speak because
they have something to say;
Fools because they have to
say something.”
Plato.
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Contributors & Influencers
I could not possibly list all the people who have
influenced me through their work, but I will try to mention a
few of the ones who spring to mind in no particular order.
These are my business heroes, and without their contribution
through their work, I would never have been able to write
this book.
If you have never read their books, and are interested
in business and entrepreneurship, I implore you to go out,
and buy them and read them over, and over again.
Gary Vaynerchuk
Pat Flynn
Dan Meredith
Timothy Ferriss
Dale Carnegie
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Introduction
Business English Speaking: Advanced Masterclass –
Speak Advanced ESL Business English with Confidence &
Elegance: Business Meetings & Presentations in English.
Includes 300+ PPT Presentation Templates.
American & British Business English Advanced

Speaking for ESL Students and Teachers.
This business English book provides a solid framework
for English language learners to acquire advanced Business
English Speaking skills by exploring the secret psychology
and dynamics behind effective business communication in
English, together with advanced phrases and self-study
exercises to improve business vocabulary and confidence.
This book is ideal for any business setting where the person
has to speak in one-to-one or group interactions, like
meetings, presentations, parties and other public speaking
events.
With this business English communication course,

you will learn:
How to speak ESL Business English with Confidence &
Elegance. You will learn:
How to deliver outstanding presentations
How to hold a successful meeting in English
How to excel at public speaking
How to maximize your influence in ANY professional
situation in English
To make this self-study Business English Speaking
course even more effective, it includes 300+ Premium
Business Presentation Templates in PowerPoint format that
you can download whenever you like.
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Confident Communication
Confidence can sometimes desert you when you really need

it, but there isn’t a single successful professional out there
who doesn’t have a few cringe-worthy stories about
situations where confidence was non-existent and
awkwardness took over. We’re going to get right down to the
core of what makes people confident in their communication
and see how you can use the latest research to succeed.
However, I want to stress that if you’re anything like me,
your lack of super-human confidence comes from a tendency
to sit on the fence and not fully commit to the things you’re
doing. If this is true to any extent for you and you feel like
it’s holding you back, then it’s time to change. You’re either
ALL out, or you’re ALL in and you go 1000% into whatever
it is that you’re doing or saying.
Communicating with confidence is a skill, which means that
anyone can develop it. It just takes patience, thicker skin and
a willingness to learn from mistakes. It comes down to
practice, practice and more practice. No magic, no Ouija
boards, and no praying to the sky. Just practice and
willingness to not judge yourself, so that you can adapt and
learn, the way mother nature intended you to. So get rid of
all that bullshit that society has put on you, and go back to
basics. Practice, make mistakes, adapt and learn, no judging.
Confidence, emotional intelligence (EQ) and empathy are all
closely linked. Emotional intelligence is a trait, which hiring
managers, business partners and colleagues value highly, and
many successful individuals have it in abundance.
The more emotional intelligence you develop the more able
you’ll be to prevent those confidence-sucking awkward
situations from occurring. Picking-up on what people think is
also a vital skill to have for self-reflection and self-guidance.
This doesn’t mean that you should worry about what people
think, but the better you are at picking-up on people’s
reactions to you, the better you can become at evaluating
yourself from a neutral place.
People’s reactions to you are valuable feedback that can help
you correct mistakes before they cause any damage. Again,
this is not to say that you should worry about what people
think. There will always be people who like you and people
who don’t.
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Emotional Intelligence at Work
Successful people know a great deal about their field
of expertise and their job, and the roles of those around them,
but it has become clear that to truly succeed, you need more
than just the standard intellect.
Emotional intelligence is central to helping you reach
your goals and to achieving success, as it boosts your levels
of morale, motivation and co-operation (Strickland, 2000).
E.I. is not only being able to identify and adapt to your
own emotional state, but the emotions of those around you.
An emotionally intelligent individual is a strong
communicator who can “read the room” and thrive in a
variety of social situations. Many astute hiring managers
actively look for this quality when recruiting new staff.
There are many reasons, but one of them is that emotionally
intelligent employees are generally more successful in their
interactions with other members of staff, and as a result, they
quickly adapt to many different types of social environments.
Multiple studies have shown that emotionally
intelligent people achieve more than their counterparts both
inside and outside of work. They’re more likely to handle
criticism well and are able to respond appropriately to
differences of opinion. In teams, the more emotionally
intelligent members help diffuse and prevent emotional
outbursts that could derail or delay projects.
A 2014 study conducted by the University of Bonn in
Germany set out to find how high emotional intelligence
affected an individual. The study was conducted on 142
adults who were asked to identify emotions both through
visual and audio cues. Participants were presented with
photographs of people and audio of a variety of people
expressing their emotions. A ‘high emotional intelligence’
was defined as being able to correctly identify 87% of the
emotional scenarios, a ‘low intelligence’ was defined as
scoring 60% or less.
The participants were then evaluated by their co-
workers and supervisors to see how their communication
skills were viewed by their peers. The results showed that
those with high scores in the test were seen as carrying a
higher social status than those who scored lower.
Interestingly, those same people who scored higher in the
test, also had higher income. Therefore, the study concluded
that emotionally perceptive people were viewed more
favorably by others and were also more likely to have a
higher income than their co-workers.
Regardless of what business you’re in, communication
with colleagues and clients plays a huge role and that is why
emotional intelligence is so valuable. Although the value of
emotional intelligence is abundantly clear today, that was not
always the case. Travis Bradberry, one of the authors
responsible for Emotional Intelligence 2.0 says that
emotional intelligence was never considered a factor in
business until 1995. His book goes over decades of research
to show just what an impact emotional know-how has on the
business world.
Don’t worry – emotional intelligence is a learned skill
and can be improved. The basis of this form of intellect
relies on synthesizing information from both the rational and
emotional areas of your brain. Like anything else in life, the
more you practice emotional intelligence, the stronger that
skill will become.
“The change is gradual, as your brain cells develop
new connections to speed the efficiency of new skills
acquired. Using strategies to increase your emotional
intelligence allows the billions of microscopic neurons lining
the road between the rational and emotional centers of your
brain to branch off small “arms” to reach out to other cells,”
explains Bradberry.
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Chapter 1. The Truth about
your Public Speaking Skills
A 2007 study of teenage students found that students

who thought of intelligence as non-fixed and changeable
were more likely to gradually increase their grades for the
following two years. Interestingly, students who thought of
intelligence as a fixed, ‘you are what your born with’ factor,
saw very little change in their grades (Blackwell et al.,
2007).
After the initial tests, the researchers then performed
an intervention with some of the low-achieving students.
They taught the students about how their brain worked and
how learning changes the human brain by creating new
connections. They drilled into them that THEY were in
charge of controlling this process and that they had the
power to change their brain through their daily activities.
Amazingly, grades for the group of students who learnt about
how their brain worked immediately started to improve,
while the grades of the students who hadn’t received the
intervention carried on getting worse!
This highlights just how important it is for you to fully
understand that YOU are in control of how good you are at
something. Your brain is hard-wired to respond to your
actions and your environment, so once again YOU are in
control.
If you really want to improve your business
communications skills and your EQ, it’s time to take
responsibility for your own learning and your own growth.
It’s nobody else’s responsibility, not your parents’, not your
partner’s, not your boss’, not your coach’s: it´s you and only
you who can succeed. This is your legacy, your blood, your
sweat and your tears, no one else´s. I have said this to several
students and some have reacted positively and some have
given up. I think both decisions were right because it pushed
them towards what they really wanted to do deep down.
Nobody can make you learn or do anything, you have
to like it and want it. You don’t necessarily have to like the
thing you are doing in that moment, but you have to love the
journey that it forms a part of. I personally don’t like
learning about marketing analytics, but I know it’s useful and
I love the process of building businesses, writing and
coaching. So in a strange way, when I learn about analytics, I
enjoy it because it forms part of my journey and it’s almost
like scratching an itch.
Decisions = Behaviour
Behaviour is a manifestation of decisions, not
conditions. As Franklin Covey stressed in his bestselling
book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Response-
ability” is your ability to choose your response to a situation
or an environment.
Too many people do the exact opposite and blame their
behaviour on their situation or their conditions. Even worse,
they blame their current situation on their past situation. This
makes them feel like it’s not their fault, but is the equivalent
of going into a McDonalds today because you went
yesterday, and then complaining that you want pizza. Get a
grip. If you look at where you are in life now, it’s all a
product of your decisions and your choices, your job, your
level of income, your relationships, your preparation for
exams, 100% your fault, the good and the bad.
People who succeed at an activity do not blame their
situation for their lack of success, and they definitely don’t
blame it on a lack of ability. They try, fail and try again in a
slightly different way until they succeed.
People who succeed take action and actively learn how
they can change things that they wish to change. If they want
to learn a language they research how best to learn a
language and then they go out there and do it EVERY DAY
because they love the process of getting better and
challenging themselves. If they want to set up a business
they research and research and research and try and fail until
they succeed. If you don’t already do this, it’s definitely not
too late, start now.
It comes back to loving the process. If you love what
you are doing, then failures and mistakes are not failures or
mistakes, they are another step forward in the journey to
your inevitable success.
Mistakes and failures are fun, because they are
learning opportunities and they teach you more than your
successes. If you enjoy what you are doing, then your current
situation doesn´t concern you as much, because you are too
busy enjoying it.
Understanding the key role of emotion in business
separates the best communicators from the rest - not just in
terms of results and talents but also in terms of intangible
personal assets such as morale, inspiration and dedication.
When explaining how great communicators are effective, we
describe their strategies, visions, motivation or ideas.
However, the reality is that emotions are the crux of great
business communication. Leaders understand how to
influence emotions and master the art of manipulating them
either for good or for evil. It all comes down to how you deal
with yourself and your relationships.
Be a Master of Your Own Learning
Be a master of your own learning. Don´t be a victim of
your own bad habits. If you talk to yourself and to others
similar to you are a victim of circumstance, you will never
change the things you don´t like or learn the things you want
to learn.
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Chapter 2. Voice & the
Importance of Sound
“We often refuse to accept an

idea merely because the tone of
voice in which it has been
expressed is unsympathetic to us.”
–
Friedrich Nietzsche
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The Importance of your Voice
Your voice is key when it comes to communicating
effectively in business and in non-business settings alike.
Sound can influence the human brain in different ways and
it's a vital part of how we understand the world around us
and how we interpret different contexts, whether we're aware
of it at the time or not.
Projecting your voice appropriately to fit the situation you
find yourself in is central to how people perceive your
message. Voice control and projection are key, not only for
delivering strong presentations, but for exuding confidence
in your everyday life. There are a few basic methods you can
apply to achieve this, as well as some vocal exercises you
can use.
The Impact of Voice When You Speak

The easiest way to make sure people are listening to
you is to talk in a manner that makes them want to listen.
Your tone of voice plays a key role in having people not only
listen to what you’re saying, but to understand it as well.
Tone is comprised of a few key elements: pitch, volume,
pace, and emphasis.
People have an instinctive reaction to the tone of
someone’s voice and you want that reaction to be positive.
Think of someone you’ve heard that has an inviting quality
to their voice. A popular example is actor Morgan Freeman.
He has a rich, deep, expressive voice that naturally draws
attention. His voice alone has given him access to an
immense amount of opportunities, including the narration of
several documentaries. Contrast that with the voice of
someone you don’t like to listen to: they’re often monotone,
nasally, and unappealing overall. Even if what they’re saying
to you has value, you’re less likely to accept their message
based on the tone of their voice. We’ve all had teachers
whose voices we just couldn’t stand. The right tone of voice
can be all it takes to propel you forward.
So, when thinking about your own tone try to emulate
the voices of those who successfully capture your attention.
This does not mean you should be doing an impression of
someone else, but simply working within the natural range of
your own voice. You should not have to strain yourself or
your vocal cords to achieve a desirable tone.
People who speak in a deeper voice are considered to
have more authority than others according to research done
by the University of Pittsburgh. Some theorize this
connection comes from when physical power was used as a
measure of authority and a deep voice generally went hand
in hand with a stronger body. So, when you’re looking to
command the attention of others it’s important to use the
lower range of your voice, without going so far as to put on a
cartoonish voice.
Speaking deeply doesn’t mean speaking flatly though.
It’s important to change your tone as you speak to maintain
interest and convey emotional information. Without a
variance in tone, it becomes nearly impossible to
communicate your excitement, enthusiasm, or even
successfully land a joke. If your tone is as flat as a piece of
paper then it won’t matter how deep your voice is, it’s going
to put people to sleep.
Perhaps the easiest technique for holding people’s
attention is to simply speak slower and to emphasize the
most important words in each sentence. Not only does it give
you more time to think through what you’re saying, it gives
the listener more time to let your message sink in and truly
understand it. It takes effort to actually listen to what
someone is saying, so giving your listener more time will
help the both of you immensely. Don’t be afraid to take a
long pause between thoughts as well. A silent moment
commands authority much better than attempting to fill the
silence with “um” or “uh.”
When prepping for your next big presentation, meeting
or conversation just remember to talk low, slow, with
emphasis and with varied tone.
Vocal Warmups
Right off the bat, it’s important to breathe through your
diaphragm, and stay relaxed around your head, neck and
shoulder areas. You may need to make a conscious effort to
do this initially, but you’ll notice how, as you form the habit,
it will become more automatic.
Our first exercises are going to focus on volume.
Increasing the volume of your voice to be louder is an
essential aspect of projecting your voice. Be sure you’re
practicing breathing from your diaphragm. Your abdominal
area should expand outwards as you breathe in, and contract
as you breathe out to get the best results.
We begin using vowel sounds. Starting with “ah” (as in
the word “bar”) you will begin vocalizing the sounds softly,
and gradually increasing your volume to be loud. Make sure
you do this somewhere private or you’ll lose all your
friends.
It’s important to understand that when you’re loud, you
should not be shouting. Think of the difference between
talking to someone directly in front of you, and someone a
few feet away. That should be the difference between your
soft and loud voice.
Reverse the exercise and go from loud to soft.
If you’re feeling a strain on the loud end of things, then
you’re trying too hard. Remember to be gentle.
Finally, combine the exercises and go from soft to loud
to soft to loud, etc. for as long as you like.
This exercise can be done with other vowel sounds
such as “oo” (as in “boo”), “oh” (as in “hole”), “aw” (as in
“raw”), “ay” (as in “bay”) and “ee” (as in “see”).
Counting to ten is also an effective volume exercise.
You can move gradually, starting soft at 1 and ending loud at
10 or vice versa. You can also make a pattern, having every
third number spoken loudly or something similar to that.
Play around with it and find what works best for you. Have
fun and make it part of your routine.
Voice Projection Exercise

Using a combination of single words, phrases, and
sequences you will learn how to project by intoning words
and phrases. This means you will emphasize and lengthen
vowel sounds, which should create a richer sound. When
choosing words and phrases be sure to use words that start
with the same sound (“my moaning mother’s magnificent
mistake”). Watch to make sure you don’t tense up the
muscles in your head and neck as you perform this exercise.
Remember to relax.
Of course, vocal projection can be difficult to master
and improper practice of these techniques could damage
your vocal cords. If you do not feel confident performing
these exercises yourself, or if you begin to feel any
discomfort or strain, then stop immediately and find yourself
a vocal coach to help you with your technique.
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Chapter 3. Meetings, Conferences
& Negotiations: Formal &
Informal Language
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It’s vital that you can distinguish between formal and
informal language in English, not only for business, but also
for communication in general. Writing a letter or email to a
friend is obviously not the same as writing a letter of
recommendation for a friend who has applied for a job. Here
are some examples of formal and informal words with the
same meaning,
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VERBS:
FORMAL: INFORMAL
to depart: to go
to carry out: to do
to provide: to give
to retain: keep
to cease: stop
to seek: look for
assist, aid: to help
liberate: to free
obtain: to get
to desire: want
request: to ask for
to function: work
to demonstrate: show
to reside: live
require: need
OTHER WORDS:
FORMAL: INFORMAL
subsequently: next / later
immature, infantile: childish
sufficient: enough
further: more (information)
hence, therefore: so
deficiency, lack of: little, there is no
perspiration: sweat
inexpensive: cheap
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Business Meeting & Discussion Phrases
USEFUL PHRASES
If you consider… you could be convinced by an argument in favor
of….
But you have to think about another aspect of the problem…
I do not feel this is a direct cause of…
Of course it goes without saying that…
There has been a growing body of opinion that..
… the situation can be addressed by adopting the methods mentioned
above…
While I admit that… I would argue that…
One approach would be…
A second possibility would be to…
Obviously,…
However,
This suggests that…
In addition…
To sum up…
In fact..
I tend to disagree…
I am unconvinced by…
Overall,…
In the final analysis…
Ultimately,…
To conclude…
In conclusion…
On the other hand…
There is no doubt that…
This could involve…
Thirdly…
EXPRESSING VIEWS
I would argue that…
I firmly believe that…
It seems to me that..
I tend to think that…
People argue that..
Some people think that…
Many people feel that…
In my experience…
It is undoubtedly true that..
It is certainly true that….
REFUTING AN ARGUMENT
I am unconvinced that…
I don not believe that..
It I hard to accept that…
It is unjustifiable to say that…
There is little evidence to support that…
PROVIDING SUPPORT
For example,…
For instance,…
Indeed,…
In fact,…
Of course,…
It can be generally observed that…
Statistics demonstrate…
If this is/were the case…
Firstly,…
Naturally,…
In my experience…
Let me illustrate…
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DEFINING/EXPLAINING
I would argue that…
By this I mean…
In other words..
This is to say…
To be more precise..
Here I am referring to …
USE SPARINGLY (=a little)

First/second, etc…
Moreover..
In addition…
Furthermore,…
Nevertheless/nonetheless…
On the one/other hand…
Besides…
Consequently…
In contrast…
In comparison…
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USE MODERATELY
While…
Meanwhile…
Although…
In spite of…/ Despite the fact that…
Even though…
As a result…
However…
Since…
Similarly…
Thus…
In turn
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OTHER USEFUL PHRASES
My response to this argument depend on what is meant by…
There is surely a difference between…. and….
I intend to illustrate how some of these differences are significant to
the argument put forward.
However, whilst I agree that… I am less convinced that…
I certainly believe that…
One of the main arguments in favour of…. is that…
In other words…
Admittedly, in some ways…
Surely…
Arguably..
Either way…
In any case…
The most important point is that…
Another point is that…
Of crucial importance , in my opinion, is…
There is , however, another possible way of defining…
…that I am in favor of , although I also realize that…
Therefore…
There is no doubt that…
However, it is possible to tackle this serious issue in a number of
ways.
One approach would be..
…would be particularly beneficial.
A second possibility would be to…
…this could involve…
Many people feel that this is unacceptable because…
Opponents of… point out that … and argue that…
On the other hand it cannot be denied that…
Supporters of…argue that…
INTRODUCING A FALSE ARGUMENT

It could be argued that…
Some people would argue that…
There is also the idea implicit in the statement that…
It is often suggested that…
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DEMOLISHING A FALSE ARGUMENT
This is partly true, but…
To a certain limited extant, there is some truth in this…
However, the implication that… is oversimplification.
This argument has certain specific logic, but…
PROPOSING A CORRECT ARGUMENT

It is clear that…
The real situation…
Obviously…
On the contrary…
It is therefore quite wrong to suggest that…
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C1 & C2 Level Speaking Phrases (Advanced & Proficiency)
Likes/dislikes Opinion
I’m into… As far as I’m concerned,
I’m a keen/avid (surfer) As I see it,
I’m keen on/fond of (surfing) From my point of view,
I (go surfing) to unwind, to In my humble opinion,
escape the stresses and strains of I’d say that…
my day to day life.
I like nothing more than (to go
surfing)
I’m itching to try/go…. (I really
want to)
Comparing/contrasting Describing pictures
Both pictures show… The first thing that strikes me
In this picture they look as about this picture is…
though they are…. Whereas/while The thing that really jumps out
in this picture… of this picture is…
In contrast In this picture it looks as
On the other hand if/though they are…
They could/might/may be…
They could/might/may have
just…
I’m pretty sure that they’re
feeling…
I’d guess that they are…
Agreeing Disagreeing
We see eye to eye. We don’t see eye to eye.
Yeah, I’d go along with that. I take your point but…
Absolutely! I tend to disagree with you there.
That’s not always the case
You took the words right out of I beg to differ
my mouth. Isn’t it more a case of…
I couldn’t agree more.
You have a point there.
I’m with you 100% on this one.
Starting to make a conclusion Asking for opinion
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. What’s your take on….?
The bottom line is we have to Where do you stand on….?
choose one… In my opinion…., would you go
It’s a tough one, I’m torn along with that?
between … and …. What are your thoughts on this?
Shall we go with ….?
Personalizing Impressive structures
Speaking from personal Another point I’d like to add
experience,… about … is…
For me personally,.. It’s also worth bearing in mind
This is a topic that is particularly that…
close to my heart… Coming back to what (Javi) was
It’s funny I was just thinking saying about …. I’d also like to
about this the other day. point out that…
My gut/initial reaction is… I think it’s important not to
If I were to choose one of these forget that…
situations (part 2 pictures), I’d go The vast majority of people tend
with… because… to think that…
At the end of the day…
When all’s said and done…
Tips Asking for repetition

Eye-contact I beg your pardon, I didn’t catch
Active listening that.
Open body language
Speak up Sorry would you mind repeating
Don’t dominate that?
Could you repeat the question
please?
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Chapter 3. Posture
“Body language and tone of

voice - not words - are our most
powerful assessment tools.” -
Christopher Voss
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Be aware of your posture.
Your posture is a big part of your speaking, believe it or

not. This is because it affects everything you say. Not only
does it affect the quality of your voice, but it also affects how
others interpret your words.
Pop stars, charismatic politicians and actors, are often
admired based on the idea that they were born with a special
talent for performing. Though there may be some natural
talent involved, performance is a set of skills and always has
been. This means that you can learn.
It's not magic, it's science. The brain adapts and learns to
the environment to which it’s subjected. If you practice, you
improve.
Certain habits can make you voice tense, which has a
negative impact on your performance as a communicator. If
you constantly slouch because you're always looking down
at your phone or laptop, this will affect your voice, as you'll
be placing extra stress on the neck and voice box area. Try to
stand up straight as much as possible and try to monitor and
correct your posture as much as possible.
Combine breathing through your diaphragm, and staying
relaxed around your head, neck and shoulder areas with a
good posture – that means no leaning or slouching regardless
of whether you’re standing or sitting – and you’ll be in a
prime position to make vocal projection as easy as possible.
To help keep your posture in check, use an action or event
that occurs regularly in your life, such as checking your
phone, as a reminder to check in on your posture. Check to
see that you’re relaxed, your spine is straight, and you’re not
accidentally clenching your teeth or unnecessarily straining
parts of your body.
It’s important to remember that projecting your voice
should not be causing any strain on your cords or any other
part of your body. If you feel any strain, then you’re not
projecting, you’re yelling. Remember to focus on being
gentle with your vocal cords as you practice and to reassess
your technique if you start to feel any strain.
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Chapter 4. Barriers to
Effective Communication
“The most important thing in

communication is hearing what
isn't said.” –
Peter Drucker
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What’s in it for them?
The world is full of constant distraction in the form of
media, entertainment, social interaction and many, many
other things. People automatically grab for their phones
whenever they have a spare few seconds. Even billboards are
becoming less and less relevant as a marketing tool since
most people's attention while they sit in cars is now down
towards their phones.
Why should they listen to you? Why should anybody
listen to anyone else?. "What's in it for me?" - This is what
we all instinctively ask ourselves when we start reading
something or listening to someone.
It's not just about what you have to say, it's about how
you deliver your message and about whether your message is
valuable to your audience. You need to be helping your
audience in some way for them to stick with you. This is
what you should be focused on when you speak, write and
present.
In a world where attention is so fickle, if you want
people to listen to you, you need to grab them and keep them
long enough for them to hear your message. There is
constant temptation to become distracted, so you need to get
good at the attention game.
If one were to seek out an unconventional definition of
communication, it would be, Brain to Brain marketing, since
communication is the meeting of minds. Communication is
devoid of words, sentences, paragraphs and the entire
spectrum of linguistic tools and methods. In its truest form, it
is two nervous systems exchanging information. It is
effective when the circumstances are as unbounded as
possible.
Using Meaningless Language:
We're all guilty of this now and again, but it really is a
communication killer because it sucks the power and
meaning out of whatever it is you're saying.
Sometimes we resort to hyperboles, like “incredible”
and "awesome" to talk about relatively uninteresting things,
such as when someone has bought a new hat. We often do
this to please others or make them feel at ease, but while it
may be intended as a gesture of goodwill towards the other
person, it can come off as insincere and can shape other
people's perception of what we consider to be "incredible". If
everything is "incredible" then nothing we describe will ever
truly be incredible.
Ego
Another thought pattern that damages the effectiveness
of our communication is our fear of being seen to be wrong.
When we’re overly concerned by this, it can distort our
interpretation of the messages we get from other people and
from our environment. This will in turn, influence our
response.
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People Pleasing and Seeking Approval
People pleasing or seeking approval from others is
another surefire way to damage and distort your
communication at work.
Although peer pressure is probably more obvious
among teens, it definitely carries on into adulthood in more
subtle and unconscious ways. We buy certain things to keep
up with the Jones' and we all say certain things to be seen in
a certain light to some extent, whether we admit it to
ourselves or not. If we let this behavior get out of hand, we
become people pleasers and others see straight through this.
People pleasers often come across as insincere and
manipulative. People will not respect our message if they do
not respect our values.
Difficult and emotional situations:

Another potential impediment to effective
communication is the way we deal with stressful and
emotional situations.
Our instinctive reaction is often to stay silent in order
not to make things worse. Remaining silent and not
acknowledging the factors involved in a situation can cause
more harm than good and can lead to serious
misunderstandings of both the events and the emotions
surrounding it.
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Chapter 5. The Science of
Giving Presentations
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The Multi-Modal Technique
Engaging with material in multiple formats, such as
combining text with a visual representation, can improve
your audience’s memory of the concepts or ideas being
presented (Paivio and Csapo, 1973). Hardly rocket science is
it, but so many of us throw common sense straight out of the
window the minute we sit down to plan a presentation.
This is what the idea of multimodal education is based
on. Multimodal education emphasizes combining learning
methods in order to better teach students. This technique has
been proven to increase brain activity beyond the point of
what using a singular method can produce (Beauchamp et
al., 2004).
More important than an increase in brain activity is
where that activity takes place. Studies saw increased
activity in the superior temporal sulcus and middle temporal
gyrus, which are both responsible for multisensory
processing. The fact that this region of the brain switches on
automatically when exposed to multiple stimuli suggests that
it plays a large part in the improved memory that results
from multisensory exposure.
So, say you have a presentation coming up, try to
combine images or even short videos (if appropriate), with
small amounts of clearly expressed text and speaking. Keep
shifting between the different ‘modes’ to keep your
audience’s brains as active as possible.
The positive effects of combining mediums on
memory can be seen in a study in which participants had
their brains scanned as they were given a memory test where
they had to memorize pairs of objects. After the test,
participants filled out a questionnaire about what
memorization techniques they used to help them complete
the task. Though self-reporting can be an unreliable method
of gathering information, the brain imaging showed that
people who combined auditory information with the images
they saw, techniques as simple as saying the names of the
objects they saw aloud, performed better than those who
didn’t. The study concluded that engaging with material in
multiple different ways made a stronger impact on the
people’s memories (Kirchhoff and Buckner, 2006).
Using Stress to Enhance Memory

Another factor that can have a positive effect on
learning and memory recall is physical and psychological
stress. Interestingly, stress must be occurring at the same
time as the event that you wish people to recall or learn, for
the memory enhancement to happen (Joels et al., 2006).
Stress that occurs before or after the event has been shown to
actually be detrimental to memory (de Quervain et al., 2000;
Kirschbaum, 1996; Kuhlmann, 2005).
This doesn’t mean that you should make your
presentations ultra-stressful by shouting at people or by
setting off the sprinklers on them, but it does mean that you
can benefit from adding a small element of stress through
practical simulations or activities for instance. During your
simulations, you could add something as simple as a time
limit to inject low levels of stress and excitement.
The effects of physical stress, including things like
hunger, or extreme temperatures, activate the lower regions
of the brain which typically govern more basic body
processes. Psychological stress, such as that from receiving
bad news, targets areas of the brain associated with higher
function, such as the amygdala and the limbic regions in
general (Herman and Cullinan, 1997).
The brain responds to psychological stress by
producing noradrenaline, which mobilizes the brain and
body to take action. The key with psychological stress is that
it increases memory for what caused the stress, but not for
information unrelated to that stress (McGaugh, 2004). This
means that the timing and cause of the stress can make a
huge difference as to whether its effects on memory will be
positive or negative.
‘Chunking’ Information
When we look at memory, we often undervalue factual
recall and muscle memory, but advances in neuroscience
have shown that these play a huge factor in maintaining what
is called “working memory.” Working memory serves as a
temporary store for new information we are processing. The
average limitation on a working memory is roughly seven
individual pieces of information though this number can vary
based on the individual and their educational achievements
(Pickering, 2006). Our working memory is what we use for
everything from writing down a phone number (which is
why we often like to get the info in small pieces rather than
all at once) to learning a new skill or concept. Try to use this
knowledge when you present information, so you don’t
overload and ultimately lose your audience. Deliver the
information to your audience in small digestible chunks so
that they can process it.
A 2003 study used functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) to track the regions of the brain that adults
were using as they learned to do long-form multiplication
(Delazer et al., 2003). The study saw brain activity shift from
the region associated to working memory to the region
associated with automatic function as the adults practiced the
skill and familiarized themselves with it. This study shows
how the brain relies on different regions depending on its
familiarity with the task at hand and it also shows why it’s
important to keep your working memory in good nick to
allow it to grasp new ideas quickly and effectively. It’s also
worth noting that external representation of information
(such as the written down phone number or a written-out
math equation) can help take pressure off of the working
memory and increase efficiency, as your brain will be able to
focus better on the task. This is similar to when you close
down unnecessary programs on your computer to free up the
CPU and the system. As result of this, the computer speeds
up and can process tasks faster.
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Chapter 6. Your Words
Matter
“As we express our gratitude,

we must never forget that the
highest appreciation is not to utter
words, but to live by them.” -
John F. Kennedy
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Think About Your Words
When focusing on improving our presentation skills
we often look at some of the best presentations in order to
mimic the techniques of icons like Steve Jobs, or VaynerX’s
Gary Vaynerchuk, but it can be just as valuable to look at bad
presentations to see what kind of mistakes we should avoid.
The words you say also matter. Always think that in a
professional environment your words can be misconstrued or
taken out of context. Be very careful with edgy comments
and speeches!
We’ll take a look at a couple arguably dreadful
speeches and presentations to see what went wrong, and
what can be done to avoid these scenarios ourselves. These
speeches are listed in Vanessa Ong’s excellent 2017 article
15 Bad Speeches We Can Learn From. I urge you to check it
out when you have a minute 
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Speech Case 1: Miss Teen South Carolina 2007
Take an infamous speech made during the Miss Teen
South Carolina show in 2007.
A part of the Miss Teen competition demands that
participants answer a “thought-provoking question” in order
to demonstrate their higher thinking abilities. The questions
are selected at random and Miss South Carolina was asked
the following: “Recent polls have shown that one fifth of
Americans can’t locate the US on a world map, why do you
think this is?”
She begins by slowly explaining that some “US
Americans” don’t have maps and she ends with a vague
suggestion that the United States education system should
somehow benefit South Africa and Iraq. This is what
happens when you charge headlong into a question you are
completely unprepared for.
Before we scoff at Miss Teen Carolina, let’s get off our
high-horse and be honest with ourselves, I’m sure most of us
can recall a situation when we’ve jumped head-first into
answering a question and then realized half-way through that
we’re talking absolute nonsense. It can be a horrible,
embarrassing feeling when this happens. So, what can we
learn from this?
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Lesson 1: Be prepared.
Managing a presentation requires you to be aware of
two things: the message you want to deliver to your
audience, and the information your audience might want
from you. During election campaigns, politicians have to be
able to speak on a variety of different issues, from education
to environmental policy and more. If you prepare yourself in
a similar fashion, then you’ll drastically decrease your odds
of being caught out during a big moment.
Lesson 2: Take your time when answering a

question.
You are under no obligation to answer questions as
quickly as possible; it’s a presentation, not a race. Do not be
afraid to ask someone to repeat their question or to pause and
consider the question before answering. If you truly don’t
have an answer for someone, be honest with them and tell
them you will get back to them after you find the answer.
Not only will you avoid embarrassment in front of an
audience, but you’ll come off as thoughtful and honest.
People respect honesty and “cojones”, so show them you
have both!
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Speech Case 2: Melania Trump’s Republican
National Convention Speech
Melania Trump’s Republican National Convention
Speech
The speech Melania Trump gave at the 2016
Republican National Convention was widely spread around
the internet not because it was an incredible speech, but
because it was almost a word-for-word copy of a speech
previously given by Michelle Obama. Videos went up online
directly comparing the two and the evidence is quite
damming.
It is a good thing to be inspired by the works of others.
It’s even smart to bring their work into your own
presentation, but you have to do it properly. Always cite your
source, give credit where credit is due, and make it
abundantly clear when you are using someone else’s words
to support your point. Remember, people came to hear your
words, not to hear you parrot the words of others.
If Melania Trump had talked about how Michelle
Obama’s speech had affected her own views and simply
incorporated quotes into her speech, then it would’ve likely
been received as a ground-breaking political speech and
would have been used as a shining example of respect.
Melania would have come off as a big person who was brave
enough to admit that she was inspired by a political rival and
brave enough to show public respect and appreciation for
her. This rarely happens in politics, so it would have been big
news for all the right reasons.
There are thousands of pitfalls to watch out for in
public speaking, but if you use a little common sense and
take things slowly then you should be able to perform pretty
well on the day.
Chapter 8. Eye Contact
The importance of eye contact in Western

cultures is undeniable. Neglect eye contact and your
audience will assume you lack confidence at best and
that you are untrustworthy at worst.
It’s easy to mess up and really hard to do properly. If
you do it too much it becomes threatening; but then, not
enough of it can have the same effect. This is the exact
reason why one-on-one interactions often go hand-in-hand
with private brain meltdowns “Do I make eye contact again
now? Is it too much? How long is acceptable before looking
away?”
In a study done by Japanese researchers, volunteers
watched a video of someone’s face whilst solving a word
challenge in which they had to think of verbs to match
different nouns. For example, if they heard “ball” the word
“kick” would be logical.
Amazingly, as soon as the face in the video appeared to
be making eye contact with them, the volunteers started
having problems with the more difficult nouns. Even with a
stranger in a video, eye contact is so powerful that it uses the
person’s cognitive reserves, leaving him or her unable to
effectively concentrate on anything else!
Practice gazing towards your audiences’ face or faces
to strengthen the connection while you’re delivering your
message, but don’t worry too much about making actual eye
contact all the time. A recent study using eye-tracking
technology carried out by ECU researchers gave surprising
results as to the importance of eye contact.
During the study, one of the researchers engaged short
four-minute conversations with 46 test subjects. In the
conversations, both people wore eye-tracking goggles. For
around 50% of the interactions the person conducting the
tests looked at the subject’s eyes the majority of the time,
and for the other 50% he gazed mostly at the mouth.
Following each of the conversations, the volunteers
evaluated how much they enjoyed the interactions. In the
conversations where the researcher had been looking mainly
at the volunteers’ mouths, they reported the same levels of
eye contact and enjoyed the interactions just as much as
when the researcher made direct eye contact.
This research suggests that gazing at people’s face
produces the same effects as direct eye contact. So, if you’re
not 100% comfortable with making confident eye contact all
the time don't get too hung up on it. There’s no need to try to
make eye contact with your audience, instead just gaze at
their faces.
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Chapter 9. Avoiding
Business Jargon
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We're living in a connection economy where people
want to connect with real people. The old business jargon for
the sake of business jargon of yesteryear has been demoted
to the boardrooms where it's still needed for political games.
To connect with humans, you need words that make you
sound like a real human, sentences that show who you are,
why you're doing what you're doing and why you're different
to the ‘corpobots’.
When humans switch into the "business" mindset,
something dark and strange happens to their brain, they
become flesh and bone robots morphing their vocabulary
into a meaningless collection of clichés and empty
statements - the result is just boring, vague and disjointed
communication.
We place greater importance on how someone talks
than on the words they are saying alone. Good speaking and
writing don’t usually do the whole hard-selling approach.
They use accessible language as much as possible and focus
on adding value, reducing pain or discomfort by solving
problems and satisfying a need.
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Chapter 10. Focus on the
Listener’s Problems
Think about what problems or ‘personal hells’ your

audience is experiencing at the moment. Again, by audience,
I mean anybody you interact with for business or
professional reasons. It could be a one-to-one negotiation, a
meeting, or a presentation among many other situations.
Think about what personal misery your idea, or product or
service saves your audience from. Then, think of all the
benefits that they will gain from it and how that will feel.
Don’t just describe features and benefits of your idea and
hope for the best, show them how it feels. Why does your
idea matter to them?
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GOUSTO UK
This is a perfect example of a company using pain
points to show how a product or service solves a ‘personal
hell’. Think of the ‘personal hell’ of having to go to do the
weekly shop as a single parent of two children with no
childcare and no car for example.
Notice how they use the pain-points to empathize with
the audience, create rapport and offer the solution. Notice
also how they use simple, direct and clear language without
any pretense.
This is an excerpt from the “help” section of Gousto’s
website. https://www.gousto.co.uk/help
‘With Gousto you don’t need that epic shopping

list, soul-crushing queue at the checkout or to take
part in the heavyweight grocery bag Olympics. All
you need is your weekly box.’
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Chapter 11. Always Give
Details
Giving details is what separates a boring generic text

or conversation and a lively, interesting interaction. If
possible, try to give extra details and be as specific as you
can in your interactions without being anal of course.
For example, say “Pizza Marinara” instead of just
“pizza”, or say “Northern Pikes” instead of “Fish”. You get
the idea.
Details are particularly important when you’re trying
to sell solutions to your audience. It really helps in
presentations, testimonials and case studies.
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BLU HOMES
This is a great example of a company using details to
convey personality and uniqueness. This style lends itself
well to presentations, website copy, catalogues and even
certain types of emails and meetings.
The following excerpt is from the “Why Blu” section
of Blu Home’s website. https://www.bluhomes.com/why-blu
The future of home building has

arrived.
Unique Innovative Design.
A Blu home is like nothing else. We have been
innovatively designing our homes from the ground up
for the last 10 years. We design homes to be lived in,
with open spaces, lots of windows and floor plans that
make sense. You will never look at building a home
“the old way” again.
Faster to Build
Our homes are factory built and finished on your
site in less than 3 months. Custom homes typically
take over 1 year, talk about game changing.
Notice how they give details but keep it simple and

clear at the same time. They clearly capitalize on the
benefits of Blu Homes over other pre-fab houses on the
market.
Chapter 12. Keep it Simple
“Any fool can make something

complicated. It takes a genius to
make it simple.”
Woody Guthrie
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Communicating Clearly
The techniques looked at so far won’t do much good

unless your message is clear and concise. Language is a
powerful force and it can be used to help or to confuse and
damage. The problem comes when we wrongly confuse the
language used to confuse and damage with good
communication.
In this section, you’ll learn the principles of clear,
powerful business communication. In the process of doing
this, you’ll not only improve your speaking and writing
skills; you’ll hopefully see the beauty and importance of
clarity.
Can you think of anything more mind-numbingly
frustrating than struggling through a business contract, trying
to make sense of the unnecessarily dull legal speak while
dealing with crucial things you need to know?. Or
desperately attempting to remain focused while you're
reading a pompous academic paper on what would have been
a gripping topic, had the researcher written it thinking about
the reader?
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Clarity = Confidence
Clarity shows confidence and respect for your
audience. People see straight through jargon and
unnecessarily complex language in a heartbeat. They often
assume that you don't know what you're talking about, that
you're nervous, or in the worst-case scenario, that you're
pretentious, insecure and incompetent. Chances are you’re
none of the latter, so remember that less is more. Of course,
‘clarity’ isn’t about dumbing it down for your audience, it’s
about making it easy for them, it’s about being your
audience’s advocate.
In academic and political settings, the tendency is to
complicate concepts and make them less accessible. This is
often done unconsciously in academia, as this world has
developed a standardized style which peers have come to
expect from each other. Though it may be tradition to
complicate concepts in the hope of making them seem more
'academic' or 'professional', or in order to justify one's own
research grant, it's of little use when you want to reach other
humans and create meaningful connections.
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What do Winston Churchill, Barack Obama and
Adolf Hitler have in common?
They all told a good story and they all won people over
through simple language and clear messaging. Regardless of
politics, all three men were extremely effective
communicators who people listened to.
Even if you look at the most respected business
magazines and newspapers in the world, you’ll find that they
prioritise simplicity and directness. The Economist style
guide emphasizes that the “first requirement of The
Economist is that it should be readily understandable. Clarity
of writing usually follows clarity of thought. So, think what
you want to say, then say it as simply as possible.”
Example:
“Improving the efficacy of measurable learning
outcomes” could be expressed as "improving learning" or
"improving learning efficiency" if you want to complicate it
a bit more. There is definitely no need for the empty self-
indulgent language used in the original version. Remember
that clichés and vagueness are for people who don’t know
what they’re talking about.
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Exercise:
Read the following text and change it
to make it more personal, direct and
interesting. I’ve provided an example at
the end of the exercise, so you can check,
but there are many ways of rewriting this
paragraph. (Please note that this not a real
example and any resemblance to any real
companies is purely coincidental).
Original text:
“The staff at XYZ Media have been
consulting successfully and fostering
measurable, tailored solutions for their
clients for years. The company’s highly
experienced media consultants understand
and appreciate their clients’ requirement
to launch and implement cost-effective
cutting-edge solutions strategically and
systematically. Their sensitivity to the
client’s objectives, together with their
profound expertise in marketing strategy
and social media bring added-value and
synergy to any project they embark upon.”
OK, let’s see if we can clean it up a bit…
Write your version here:
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
...............................
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Sample Answer
“We’ve been helping our clients make

profit off advertising and social media for
years. Our experienced specialists
understand and appreciate your need to
increase profits and brand recognition by
implementing cost-effective solutions
logically and systematically. Our
sensitivity to your objectives, together with
our expertise in marketing strategy and
social media will help you achieve your
objectives”
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Notes:
This sample is by no means perfect. There is still some
work that needs to be done, but it’s better than the original.
The first thing we’ve done here is that we’ve
simplified it. We’ve cut any words that didn’t add to the
message. Words like “synergy” have been cut altogether.
The second thing we’ve done here is we’ve reworded
some of the business jargon to make it more relatable. There
is still some jargon left in this text, but we’ve tried to reduce
it to a minimum. The reader or listener is human, regardless
of whether he/she is the cleaner or the CEO of the company.
Remember this.
The third thing we’ve done is, instead of speaking in
third person about the company all the time, we’ve
introduced personal pronouns like “we” and personal
possessive pronouns like “our” and “your”.
Finally, we’ve tried to be as specific as possible. We’ve
talked about “profits” and “brand recognition” rather than
“measurable, tailored solutions”. This not only adds to our
overall message, but it also adds credibility and makes us
more relatable as a business or business professional.
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Clear Communication Checklist:
1. Keep your sentences simple and direct

2. Remove unnecessary business jargon to
make your communication more effective
and powerful. Remember that no matter
who you’re writing or speaking to, they are
human, so relate to them as a human.
3. Avoid the third person if possible. Speak
about “us” and “you” if possible.
4. Be as specific as possible. Don’t ramble on
about “measurable, tailored solutions”
when your audience is interested in
“profits” and “brand recognition”
5. Avoid the Passive Voice like the plague,
unless you have no choice. Instead of
saying “the project was launched by
Gary” use an active sentence like “Gary
launched the project”. Active sentences
tend to sound more alive and as a result
more interesting.
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Chapter 13. Apologizing in
Meetings & Negotiations
When you make a mistake, do not pretend it is not a

mistake and do not argue. It will only waste everybody’s
time and make you look unprofessional. Do the right thing,
admit the mistake and try to fix it if you can! Maintain a
formal tone if necessary but be relaxed and confident.
Use words such as “regret, apologize, sorry”.
Remember to take ownership of a mistake or
misunderstanding if the client or colleague has a genuine
reason to complain.
In some cultures, making a mistake and admitting it is
taboo, but contrary to what you might think, most
colleagues, partners, clients and customers will respect you
and react positively when you take ownership and try to
solve the problem.
When apologizing, give details about what happened, but
be professional by talking about the facts.
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Example:
Apologizing to a Client or Customer over the phone
We (“I” if you have a smaller business and you want to
make it personal) would like to express regret over the
inconvenience caused earlier this week. We will replace
your product immediately, and you will receive it by Friday.
Exercise 1:
This is an example of an apology from one member of
staff to another for a missed appointment. Please note
that the two employees have a working relationship, so
there is no need to be overly formal.
Read the apology and fill the gaps with words or
phrases from the following list.
a. think that it might strengthen our market position with this
group.
b. I'm terribly sorry that I missed our appointment early this
morning
c. I would like to discuss your proposal in more depth with you.
d. Please let me know if you are available for lunch on
Wednesday or Thursday.
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……………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
……….
I inadvertently scheduled a breakfast meeting outside the
office for the same time that we had arranged to meet and did
not check my schedule before driving across town.
Maybe we can get together for lunch later this week if
you are available? I have reviewed your proposal for
launching the new TIX project
and……………………….…………………………………
………………………………………………………………
…………………………………..
……………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
……….
……………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
………..
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Answers Exercise 1
I'm terribly sorry that I missed our appointment early
this morning.
I inadvertently scheduled a breakfast meeting outside the
office for the same time that we had arranged to meet and did
not check my schedule before driving across town.
Maybe we can get together for lunch later this week if
you are available?
I have reviewed your proposal for launching the new TIX
project and think that it might strengthen our market
position with this group.
I would like to discuss your proposal in more depth
with you.
Please let me know if you are available for lunch on
Wednesday or Thursday.
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Chapter 14. Summarizing
Data for Meetings,
Negotiations &
Presentations
If, as a professional, you wish to succeed in your

career, you will need to be an effective communicator. A big
part of being an effective and powerful communicator, is
being able to accurately and effectively summarize data and
information for your audience. Although this book focuses
mainly on ESL business communication, the principals apply
equally to science, engineering, teaching, customer service
and all other areas of work.
We will look at how to summarize information
effectively to achieve the best results possible in your emails,
presentations, reports and proposals.
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Summarizing
Understanding what you have read is sometimes
challenging when there is a complex situation, or a chain of
events that you as the reader are not aware of.
A great way is to help the reader is to try to put it in
your own words without giving unnecessary mention to non-
essential details.
You can also include a few words or phrases into your
summary to make it easier to follow. This helps make your
reply more concise and to the point. In your summary, you
can use language like, the first point, then, moreover, in
conclusion or in summary, to address specific points and to
summarize your message.
Let’s take a look on the next page at a sample report
task now. We will use this example task after we’ve gone
through a few things.
Background:
The Human Resources Department in your company
has conducted a survey to find out more about employee
satisfaction. Employees were requested to decide what
factors were most important to them in order to increase
overall job satisfaction.
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Task instructions:
Using the final results provided below, along with the
notes provided by your manager, write a proposal which
explains and summarizes the results to your manager.
Use the chart and the notes to write 120-140 words.
Notes: Paid sick leave /more holidays: increase overall

costs and impacts shareholders.
Better cafeteria food: trouble sourcing suitable vendors.
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How to Plan and Talk about Data
Communicating effectively requires following the
entire process from brainstorming to final drafting. This is
something which sounds like a lot of hard work at the start,
but which becomes more natural after you’ve practiced a
little. In the long-term, it will actually save you time and
make your communication more effective and powerful.
Brainstorming and Outline Phase

The first objective here is to plan a basic outline. Your
report, proposal or presentation needs to have the following:
1. Background: This includes a brief summary of the
project or situation.
2. Findings: This needs to be as detailed as possible.
You must present more descriptive and factual information in
summary. You can make bullet points and number them in
order of importance if it makes it easier for the reader or
listener.
3. Recommendations: If you need to make
recommendations or interpretations, you need to produce a
summary, or a conclusion based on the findings. Be clear and
concise.
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Brainstorming:
To plan the outline, you should write brief notes during
your brainstorming. It’s not necessary for you to write full
sentences here as it will take too much time. Most of us
don’t have much time to spare, so it is important to think
about time management.
Outline:
Make your outline very simple and basic to get you
started. For the task above, your outline could look like this:
Background
Employee satisfaction survey
Findings
Paid Sick Leave: 30%
Promotion from within: 25%
More holidays: 21%
Better Cafeteria food: 15%
Recommendations
Most viable: promotion from within/ better cafeteria food
Remember to check your outline to make sure you have
an accurate overview of what you need to communicate.
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Rough draft:
Now that you have your outline prepared. You are ready
to begin your rough draft. Remember, your purpose is to
give a summary and to describe the findings in the example
we’re using.
Some suggestions to write an effective summary:
1. Use a variety of words to express your ideas. Here are a few

to guide you:
It was found that…

To give more information: furthermore, in addition,
additionally
To contrast ideas: however, despite
To compare: both, like, similarly
Cause and effect: because, as a result, due to, resulting in,
consequently
2. Highlight only the most important points.

Choose two or three main ideas to present in the findings.
3. Remember this is your rough draft so just write without

worrying too much about mistakes. You can check your
writing when you proofread later.
A summary requires you to put ideas in your own words
so that other people can understand it. Don’t write your notes
with the aim of impressing other people. If you do this, you
will confuse yourself and others!
Grammar & Vocabulary

Here is a sample rough draft. It needs some correction. A
rough draft can go through numerous revisions before it is
complete. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to fix
this rough draft. (Please note: not all words or phrases will
be used. You can check your answers at the end of this
chapter)
Word Bank
According to the survey
may not be
would like to have
more
will impact
less
consequently
In order to
resulting in
satisfaction
finally
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Rough Draft Example
Background
Human Resources would like to get feedback from the
employees about improving employee’s overall job
satisfaction, so I was asked to present the results of the
employee survey.
Findings
Paid sick leave and more holidays: ___________, more
than half of the employees would like to have more time off
from work. This _________ feasible as this _________ cost
and revenue.
Promotion from within: One quarter of all employees
_______________ the opportunity for promotion or career
growth.
We/The Human Resources Department needs to get
_____ feedback from employees about the quality of the
cafeteria food ________ promote employee __________.
Recommendations:
1. Cost effective paid sick leave to be determined by the
Human Resources Department.
2. Promote more internal promotions to fill requirements.
3. Organize a committee to get additional feedback and
suggestions from employees.
Now that we have finished writing the rough draft, we
need to proofread it for any errors or mistakes. This means
we need to reread it carefully. Here is a checklist to follow:
___ Check for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors.
___ Did I cover the most relevant data?
___ Is there anything less relevant which I can cut out?
___ Is the information presented in a variety of sentence
structures to avoid being repetitive?
Check how sentences begin. For example, using phrases
like “According to the survey” is a great way to begin.
Did I use conjunctions to combine sentences, or are there
a lot of short sentences? While it is a great idea to be direct
and to the point, writing short sentences can make the
message seem choppy, unless you express the ideas as bullet
points of diagrams. If you don-t want to use bullet points or
diagrams here, it’s a good idea to try to combine any
sentences that are similar to improve the flow of ideas.
There should be a variety of words that are used
correctly. Use words from the same word family like in the
example: promote and promotion, so that you are alternating
and not repeating yourself.
___Is my vocabulary appropriate for the topic and
situation?
It’s all about context! There is a time and place for
everything and you have to be aware of this.
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Answers to the rough draft task:
Paid sick leave and more holidays: According to the
survey, more than half of the employees would like to have
more time off from work. This may not be feasible as this
will impact cost and revenue.
Promotion from within: One quarter of all employees
would like to have the opportunity for promotion or career
growth.
The Human Resources Department needs to get more
feedback from employees about the quality of the cafeteria
food in order to promote employee satisfaction.
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Chapter 15. How to be More
Persuasive
Professionals who want to succeed will need to plan

and prepare various forms of written and spoken
communication throughout their careers. This may be in the
form of a meeting or a presentation where the speaker needs
to communicate in a persuasive style about an important
topic.
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The 4 Most Persuasive Words in the English
Language
1. “You”
Studies show that using the word “you” gets people
interested and engaged.
2. “Names”
Use people’s name. Research also suggests that we
trust and engage more with someone if we hear our name
being spoke or read it in a message.
3. “Free”
In his book Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely carried
out a small study, where he offered participants a choice
between a Lindor chocolate for 15¢ and a much cheaper
Hershey’s Kiss chocolate for 1¢. The Lindor truffle
chocolate won even though it was 15 times more expensive.
However, in the next stage of this study, he offered the same
Lindor chocolate for 14¢ and the Hershey’s Kiss free. This
time almost 100% of participants chose the Hershey’s Kiss
chocolate. What lesson can we learn from this study? People
will often make different decisions even if the value
proposition is basically the same, just because something is
free.
4. “Because”.
This is an extremely powerful word, even if you don’t
give a real reason! In his bestselling book Influence: The
Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini discusses a study
carried out using photocopying machines. In the first stage of
the study, people tried to persuade other people to let them
jump the queue at the photocopying machine with the
sentence “Excuse me, I have 5 pages, may I use the Xerox
machine?” This sentence had a 60% success rate. In the next
stage of the experiment, people used the sentence “I have 5
pages, may I use the Xerox machine because I’m in a rush?”.
Being “in a rush” is definitely not a great reason, but in this
stage of the experiment, an amazing 94% of people allowed
that person to go in front of them.
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Chapter 16. ESL Business
English Phrasal Verbs Mini-
dictionary with Practice
Exercises
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Exercise 1
Read the definitions for each phrasal verb in section A
below and complete the exercise at the end of the section.
You can check your answers at the end of this chapter.
A
Abide by means to accept or respect terms of an agreement,
a law, a rule or a decision that has been made.
Accede to means to initially reject and then agree to a

request after negotiation
Account for means:
(1) to provide an explanation of how or why something

happened.
(2) To be a specific or named portion of s o m e t h i n g .
(3) To keep a record of and monitor how resources are used

in a business.
(4) To take into consideration when you are making a

decision.
Account to: to pay to an individual or organisation together

with a breakdown of the amount paid and how it is
calculated.
Adhere to means to respect a particular law, rule,

agreement or guidelines. (same as abide by)
Amount to means:
(1) to total or add up to.

(2) To be the same as.
Appertain to (or „pertain to ‟ ) means to be related to or

belong to something
Now complete each sentence with the most

appropriate word or words. You may need to change the
form of the words to suit the sentence and you will need
to use some words more than once.
1. “The figures…………………. to last year's sales.‟.
2. “When X Ltd failed to deliver the goods as specified under
the agreement, this …………………. to a breach of
contract”
3. “Both parties have …………………. strictly to the terms of
the contract‟.
4. “The defendant …………………. to the claimant for
damages received.”
5. “There are 265 Euros which been not been
…………………. for, we need to review the numbers
again‟.
6. “Food sales …………………. 22% of total revenue”.
7. “The potential tax bill if the case was lost was
…………………. when we made the decision‟.
8. “All parties must …………………. the terms of the
agreement‟
9. “Last year, the supplier eventually …………………repeated
requests for an increase in the line of credit‟.
10. “ H o w c a n w e …………………t h e fact
t h a t t h e go o d s a r r i v e d l a t e?‟
11. “The debt ………………… to over €120,000‟.
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Exercise 2
Complete each sentence with the most appropriate
word or words. You may need to change the form of the
words to suit the sentence and you will need to use some
words more than once.
B
Break down means:
(1) to separate information into several parts to make it
easier to understand, analyze and discuss.
(2) To fail.
Break off means: (1) to stop negotiating or discussing
Break up means: (1) the separation of a company or
an organization into smaller parts.
1. “The agreement ……………. due to one party´s excessive

demands‟.
2. “We had to …………… the meeting‟ .
3. “The company was ………………. to make the sector
more competitive ‟
4. “The numbers for the year ……………. as follows ‟
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Exercise 3
E
Enter into means (1) to begin or start a formal agreement; or
(2) to start to deal with something.
Entitle to (Adj. Entitled to) means to give the right to

something.
Exclude (noun form: an exclusion): When something is not

covered, as in specific damage not covered in a contract.
1. “Both parties shall have the right to seek to settle any dispute
arising from the agreement by arbitration, which will
…………… any other form of dispute resolution.”
2. “Ms. Temple …………….. negotiations with the factory to
reach an agreement.”
3. “Early termination of the contract ………………..the lender
to compensation ‟ .
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Exercise 4
F
Factor in: to include or take into account when assessing, evaluating or planning
something.
Find in favour of/Against (also: Rule in favour of/against) is often used to
describe the decision of the judge or jury in court.
1. “The judge ……………………… Mr. Right and awarded

him compensation to the amount of £10,000”
2. “Using a computer programme they ………………………
the costs of keeping the old machinery for the next three
years”
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Exercise 5
H
Hand Down:
(1) In inheritance, this phrasal verb means to give or leave something to someone
else.
(2) When a judge or jury announce their official decision in a case.
1. “The judge …………………. a suspended sentence”

2. “The land ……………………………. to him by his uncle,
who died last year”.
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Exercise 6
P
Pass off means:
(1) to pretend that something or someone is different from
what they are
(2) ‘Passing off’ also refers to a type of specific business
law, which for example prohibits companies from giving the
impression that their goods or services are associated with
another.
Provide that…
If you are giving a detailed summary, paraphrasing, or
repeating a particular law word for word, use “provide (s)
that “
1. “The law ………………….. that the penalty for a first

offence can be up to 150 USD.”
2. “She was accused of trying to ……………… her logo for
another company’s”.
3. “The Regulations ………………………. “traffic data” must
be recorded and filed with the appropriate agency. “
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Exercise 7
S
Set forth is used before words such as rights, duties,
obligations, and procedures:
Strike Out means (1) this is when a judge suspends a case

before the court date.
Sum Up to sum up means to summarise information. In

legal English ‘the summing up’ in a trial with a jury, is when
the judge summarises the evidence presented, in order to
draw the attention of the jury to the most important points.
1. “The judge ………………….. the evidence presented by

both sides before the jury made their decision”
2. “The Regulation ……………… the procedure for processing
and fulfilment of orders”
3. “Articles 12 and 22 can unite the parties and contribute to
advancing regional priorities within the framework
…………………… by the law.”
4. “The judge can …………………………. the case if she
decides there finds no reasonable grounds”
5. “The following article ……………………. the basic terms
of the contract.”
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Exercise 8
W
Weigh up is to evaluate evidence and arguments before
making a decision.
“The judge …………………….. the evidence for over an

hour before handing down her verdict.”
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Exercise Answers:
A
1. “The figures appertain to last year's sales.‟ .
2. “When X Ltd failed to deliver the goods as specified under
the agreement, this amounted to a breach of contract”
3. “Both parties have adhered strictly to the terms of the
contract‟.
4. “The defendant accounted to the claimant for damages
received.”
5. “There are 265 Euros which been not been accounted for,
we need to review the numbers again‟ .
6. “Food sales accounted for 22% of total revenue”.
7. “The potential tax bill if the case was lost was accounted
for when we made the decision ‟ .
8. “All parties must abide by the terms of the agreement ‟
9. “Last year, the supplier eventually acceded to repeated
requests for an increase in the line of credit ‟ .
10. “How can we account for the fact that the goods
arrived late?‟
11. “The debt amounted to over €120,000 ‟.
B
1. “The agreement broke down due to one party´s excessive
demands‟.
2. “We had to break off the meeting‟ .
3. “The company was broken up to make the sector more
competitive ‟
4. “The numbers for the year break down as follows ‟
E
1. “Both parties shall have the right to seek to settle any
dispute arising from the agreement by arbitration, which will
exclude any other form of dispute resolution.”
2. “Ms. Temple entered into negotiations with the factory to
reach an agreement.”
3. “Early termination of the contract entitles the lender to
compensation ‟ .
F
1. “The judge found in favour of Mr. Right and awarded him
compensation to the amount of £10,000”
2. “Using a computer programme they factored in the costs of
keeping the old machinery for the next three years”
H
1. “The judge handed down a suspended sentence”
2. “The land was handed down to him by his uncle, who died
last year”.
P
1. “The law provides that the penalty for a first offence can be
up to 150 USD.”
2. “She was accused of trying to pass off her logo for another
company’s”.
3. “The Regulations provide that “traffic data” must be
recorded and filed with the appropriate agency. “
S
1. “The judge summed up the evidence presented by both sides
before the jury made their decision”
2. “The Regulation sets forth the procedure for processing and
fulfilment of orders”
3. “Articles 12 and 22 can unite the parties and contribute to
advancing regional priorities within the framework set forth
by the law.”
4. “The judge can strike out the case if she decides there finds
no reasonable grounds”
5. “The following article sets forth the basic terms of the
contract.”
W
1. “The judge weighed up the evidence for over an hour before
handing down her verdict.”
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Chapter 17. 80 Grammar
Rules for ESL & Business
English
I am very lucky to have taught business communication
strategies for more than one decade, and as a result I have
witnessed a great number of my clients succeed in their
goals.
This section aims to serve as a quick grammar revision
guide for professionals. These grammar tips are particularly
crucial if you want to give a good impression during
meetings, presentations, when you write emails, memos,
proposals and reports. Once you read and internalize the
advice in this mini-guide, you will be better equipped to
succeed in your communication.
Once you have improved your ESL business
communication skills, you will acquire the freedom that you
have always wanted – you will be free to pursue a wide
range of business and job opportunities, or even visas to live
or study abroad. In other words, once you improve your
communication, your life will change forever.
Let´s get started!
80 Grammar Rules
1. The word “people” is ALWAYS plural.

People are always talking about him (NOT People is...)
The people in the room were starting to get nervous.
(NOT: The people in the room was…)
2. After would rather, use an infinitive (without to) or a

past tense, not a present tense.
I'd rather stay at home this evening. (NOT I'd rather to
stay at home...)
I would rather you paid me in cash. (NOT I would rather
you pay me in cash.)
3. Use an -ing form after be/get used to.

I'm used to driving in London now, but it was hard at the
beginning. (NOT I'm used to drive...)
I'll never get used to living in this place.
4. How long are you here for? Is a question about the

future.
'How long are you here for?' 'Till Easter.' (NOT 'Since
Christmas.')
5. Don't use could to talk about something that you

succeeded in doing.
I managed to run 10 km yesterday in under an hour. (NOT
I could run 10 km yesterday...)
How many eggs were you able to get? (NOT ...could you
get?)
6. Indirect questions usually have the same construction
as statements.
I asked where her parents were. (NOT USUALLY I asked
where were her parents.)
The policeman wanted to know where I lived. (NOT
...where did I live?)
7. To say that something is not necessary, use needn't or

don't have to, not mustn't.
You needn't pay now; tomorrow will be OK. (NOT You
mustn't pay now; tomorrow will be OK.)
I don't have to wear a tie at work. (NOT I mustn't wear a
tie at work.)
8. Everything is a singular word.

Everything was broken. (NOT Everything were broken.)
Is everything ready?
9. Use because or so, but not both together.

Because the train was late I missed the meeting. OR The
train was late, so I missed the meeting. (BUT NOT Because
the train was late, so I missed the meeting.)
10. We say something to a person.

She never says 'Hello' to me. (NOT She never says me
'Hello'.)
Andrew has said nothing to Peter. (NOT Andrew has said
Peter nothing.)
11. Tell normally needs a personal object.
He told us that he was going home. (NOT He told that he
was going home.)
I've told you everything I know.
12. Don't use every to talk about two people or things.

You can park on each side of the street. (NOT ...on every
side of the street. )
He was holding a glass in each hand.
13. Far is unusual in affirmative sentences, except in a

very formal style.
We live a long way from here. (NOT USUALLY We live
far from here.)
It's a long way to Manchester.
14. We don't usually use before to mean 'in front of'.

You can park in front of the station. (NOT ... before the
station.)
There's a big tree just in front of our house.
15. After look, we use at with an object.

Look at the moon! (NOT Look the moon!)
What are you looking at?
16. We use when, not as or while, to talk about ages and
periods of life.
When I was 14 I first got interested in archaeology. (NOT
As/While I was 14...)
We lived in London when I was a child. (NOT ... as/while
I was a child.)
17. After as long as, use a present tense to refer to the

future.
I'll remember this holiday as long as I live. (NOT ... as
long as I will live.)
You can have my bike as long as you bring it back
tomorrow.
18. We say as usual, not as usually.

Let's meet tomorrow at 10.00, as usual.
Vanessa late as usual.
19. As well as (with a similar meaning to 'not only... but

also') is normally followed by an -ing form.
As well as breaking his leg, he hurt his arm. (NOT As
well as he broke his leg...)
He works full time as well as bringing up three children.
20. Expressions like in three hours' time refer to the

future.
We'll need the report in two weeks' time. (BUT NOT He
wrote the report in four hours' time.)
I'll see you again in a month's time.
21. We don't normally use to after arrive.

What time do we arrive in London? (NOT … arrive to
London? )
The train arrived at our station half an hour late.
22. Because is a conjunction; because of is a preposition.

We cancelled the match because it rained. (NOT …
because of it rained.)
We cancelled the match because of the rain. (NOT …
because the rain.)
23. After the verb lack, no preposition is necessary.

The soup lacks salt. (NOT … lacks of salt.)
It's a good novel, but it lacks structure.
24. Before (meaning ‘before that') follows an expression

of time.
Last summer, I decided to go and visit the town that I had
left eight years before. (NOT … before eight years.)
I had already met her once, about three years before.
25. News is singular and uncountable

All the news is bad. (NOT All the news are bad.)
I have some news for you (NOT I have a news for you)
26. You borrow something from somebody.
I borrowed the money from my brother. (NOT I borrowed
my brother the money.)
Can we borrow some sugar from you?
27. We prefer closed, not shut, before a noun.

When I talk to you, I feel as if I'm standing in front of a
closed door. (NOT … a shut door.)
He's got a closed mind. You can't tell him anything.
28. We say come from (present) to give our town, country

etc. of origin.
James comes from Liverpool. (NOT James came from
Liverpool.)
Where do you come from?
29. Comparatives are made with more or -er, but never

both.
The weather is getting colder. (NOT … more colder.)
Please try to be more polite. (NOT … more politer.)
30. We never use on the contrary to give another side of a

question.
It's hard work. On the other hand, it's interesting. (NOT
on the contrary, it's interesting.)
She's very bad-tempered. On the other hand, she's
generous.
31. In affirmative sentences we generally use a long time,

not long, except in a very formal style.
We waited a long time, but she didn’t come. (NOT We
waited long, but …)
It will be a long time before we invite her again.
32. Use superlatives to compare people and things with

the groups that they belong to.
Sandra is the tallest of the five girls. (NOT Sandra is the
taller of the five girls.)
I think I’m the oldest person in the class.
33. We often use in after dressed to describe the clothes

She was dressed in yellow from head to foot. She looked
like a daffodil.
The bride was dressed in white silk.
34. We don’t use it … + infinitive with allow.

Smoking is not allowed. (NOT It is not allowed to
smoke.)
We weren’t allowed to use calculators in the exam. (NOT
It wasn’t allowed to use …)
35. Whose means ‘who is’ or ‘who has’; whose is a

possessive.
Who’s that? (NOT Whose that?)
Who’s taken my keys? (NOT Whose taken my keys?)
Whose coat is that? (NOT Who’s coat is that?)
36. We don’t usually use other with uncountable nouns.

Can I have more rice? (NOT … other rice?)
Perhaps we should use different oil. (NOT … other oil.)
37. We use either, not any, to talk about two people or

things.
I can write with either hand. (NOT … with any hand.)
‘Do you prefer Monday or Tuesday?’ ‘Either day will
do.’
38. Don’t put articles and possessives together before

nouns.
She’s a friend of mine. OR She’s my friend. (BUT NOT
She’s a my friend.)
Peter’s lost his keys. (NOT … the his keys.)
39. We say that somebody is good, bad, clever etc at

something.
My sister is very good at Science. (NOT … good in
Science.)
I’m very bad at languages.
40. Don’t leave out a/an in negative expressions.

Don’t got out without a coat. (NOT … without coat.)
It’s difficult to get there if you haven’t got a bike. (NOT
… if you haven’t got bike.)
41. We use any, not every, to say ‘one or another’.

‘Which newspaper would you like?’ ‘It doesn’t matter.
Any one.’ (NOT … every one.)
‘When would you like to come to dinner?’ ‘Any day is
OK.’
42. Advice is uncountable.

Can you give me some advice? (NOT … an advice?)
My father gave me three pieces of advice. (NOT … three
advices.)
43. We don’t use some if we know the exact number.

You’ve got beautiful fingers. (NOT … some beautiful
fingers.)
A mountain bike needs to have strong wheels. (NOT …
some strong wheels.)
44. We don´t use articles in some common expressions

with home, school and bed.
Why isn’t Angela at school today? (NOT … at the
school today?)
I want to spend a day in bed.
45. When which? what? or who? are subjects, we make
questions without do.
Which costs more - the blue one or the grey one? (NOT
Which does cost more …?)
What happened to your bike? (NOT What did happen to
your bike?)
Who phoned? (NOT Who did phone?)
46. We don´t use articles after the amount/number of.

I was surprised by the amount of money that was
collected. (NOT … the amount of the money …)
The number of unemployed rose sharply last month.
(NOT The number of the unemployed…)
47. We use because, not as or since, if the reason is the

most important part of the sentence.
Why am I leaving? I’m leaving because I’m fed up. (NOT
I’m leaving as/since I’m fed up.)
They’re laughing because they think your hat’s funny.
48. Travel is normally uncountable.

I like travel.
We went on a trip/journey to the Antarctic last spring.
(NOT We went on a travel …)
49. Can has no infinitive. We use be able to instead.

I’d like to be able to sing. (NOT … to can sing.)
When will you be able to meet us?
50. The difference between a and an depends on

pronunciation, not spelling.
She’s a US citizen. (NOT She’s an US citizen.)
Would you like to be an MP? (NOT … a MP?)
51. Weather is uncountable.

We had terrible weather last week. (NOT … a terrible
weather …)
I hope we get good weather at the weekend.
52. Words like President, King, Doctor in titles have no

article.
President Obama visited the Pope. (NOT The President
Obama …)
I'd like to see Dr Jones. (NOT … the Dr Jones.)
53. We usually use over, not across, to mean 'on/to the

other side of something high'.
Why are you climbing over that wall? (NOT … across
that wall?)
I threw his keys over the fence, where he couldn't get
them.
54. Actually means 'really' or 'in fact', not 'now'.

She said she was 18, but actually she was 15.
In 1700 the population of London was higher than it is
now. (NOT … than it actually is.)
55. Asleep and afraid are not normally used before nouns.
He had the innocent expression of a sleeping baby. (NOT
… of an asleep baby.)
In the house, we found a frightened child hiding in the
kitchen. (NOT … an afraid child.)
56. We don't usually put an adverb and its complement

together before a noun.
We're looking for people who are skilled in design. (NOT
… skilled in design people.)
He has a difficult accent to understand. (NOT … a
difficult to understand accent.)
57. Eventually means 'finally', not ´from time to time´,

'possibly' or 'perhaps'.
It took a long time, but eventually he finished his studies.
I'm not sure what I'll do next year. Perhaps I'll go to
university if I can get a place. (NOT Eventually I'll go to
university …)
58. We don't usually use too before adjective + noun.

The problem was too difficult. (BUT NOT It was a too
difficult problem.)
I put down the bag because it was too heavy. (BUT NOT I
put down the too heavy bag.)
59. We usually put descriptive adjectives before
classifying adjectives.
An old political idea (NOT A political old idea)
The latest educational reform (NOT The educational
latest reform)
60. Nouns referring to nationality are often different from

the corresponding adjectives.
Graham is typical Welshman. (NOT … a typical Welsh.)
He's married to a Spaniard. (NOT … a Spanish.)
61. Adjectives that express opinions usually come before

other descriptive adjectives.
a lovely cool drink (NOT a cool lovely drink)
their wonderful old house (NOT their old wonderful
house)
62. Pronoun objects come before adverb particles.

Can you switch it on, please? (NOT …switch on it…)
I’m going to throw them all out. (NOT … throw out them
all.)
63. Adverbs can’t usually be used instead of adjectives.

She danced happily into the room. (NOT She danced
happy …)
I’m terribly sorry. (NOT I’m terrible sorry.)
64. After all doesn’t mean ‘finally’. It means ‘all things
considered’ or ‘in spite of what was expected’.
It took a long time, but finally we found our dream house.
(NOT … but after all we found our dream house.)
She can make her own bed. After all, she’s not a baby any
more.
I expected to fail the exam, but I passed after all.
65. Ago comes after an expression of time.

Ann phoned two hours ago. (NOT … ago two hours.)
I should have finished this work six weeks ago.
66. We don’t normally use all without a noun to mean

‘everybody’.
Everybody was quiet. (NOT All were quiet.)
I’ve written to everybody. (NOT I’ve written to all.)
67. In exclamations with how, the adjective or adverb

comes immediately after how.
How cold it is! (NOT How it is cold!)
How well she sings! (NOT How she sings well!)
68. We don’t use every with uncountable nouns.

I like all music. (NOT I like every music.)
I can do every kind of work. (NOT … every work.)
69. After either, we use a singular noun.
I can come on Wednesday or Thursday - either day is OK.
(NOT … either days …)
She can write with either hand.
70. We usually ask ‘What color …?’ without a

preposition.
What color is your new bike? (NOT Of what color …?)
What color is her hair this week?
71. We don’t usually drop nouns after adjectives.

Poor little boy! (NOT Poor little!)
The most important thing is to be happy. (NOT The most
important is to be happy.)
72. All day doesn’t mean the same as every day.

I worked all day yesterday, from 8.00 till bedtime.
I worked every day except Sunday last week. (NOT … all
day except Sunday …)
73. Don’t drop a/an after what in exclamations.

What a rude man! (NOT What rude man!)
What an awful film! (NOT What awful film!)
74. Experience and experiment don’t mean the same.

We did an experiment in the chemistry lesson to see if you
could get chlorine gas from salt. (NOT We did an experience
…)
I’m experimenting with a new perfume.
I had a lot of interesting experiences during my year in
Africa. (NOT I had a lot of interesting experiments …)
Have you ever experienced the feeling that you were
going mad? (NOT Have you ever experimented the feeling
…?)
75. We don’t usually use reflexive pronouns after feel.

I feel really energetic today. (NOT I feel myself really …)
Andrew often feels depressed. (NOT … feels himself
depressed.)
76. We use half without of in expressions of measurement

and amount.
They live about half a mile from here. (NOT … half of a
mile …)
I only need half a pint.
77. We use hear, not listen to, to say that something

‘comes to our ears’.
Suddenly I heard a strange noise. (NOT Suddenly I
listened to a strange noise.)
Did you hear that?
78. After help, we can use object + infinitive (with or
without to).
Can you help me (to) find my ring? (NOT … help me
finding my ring?)
Let me help you (to) wash up.
79. We usually say hope …not, rather than do not hope.

I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow. (NOT I don’t hope it
rains tomorrow.)
‘Is Peter coming this evening?’ ‘I hope not.’
80. We say that you crash into something.

Granny crashed into a tree yesterday. (NOT Granny
crashed against a tree yesterday.)
The plane crashed into a mountain.
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80 Grammar Exercises for ESL & Business
English
Fill the gap in each sentence with the missing word or

words.
1a. People …………….. constantly asking her for advice,
because she has a reputation for being an expert.
1b. The people in the stadium …………….. starting to get
excited.
Complete each gap with ONE, TWO or THREE

words.
2a. I'd rather …………….. at home while I go to the
shop.
2b. I would rather ……………..…………….. by bank
transfer.
3. Complete each gap with ONE or TWO words.

3a. I'm used to ……………..…………….. emails every
day now, but it was hard at the beginning.
3b. I'll never get used ……………..…………….. in this
house.
4. Complete each gap with ONE word.

4. How long are you here ……………..? 'Till Easter.'

5a. I …………….. to swim 5 km yesterday.
5b.How many bottles of milk …………….. you
…………….. to get?

6a. She asked …………….. his parents were.
6b. The teacher wanted to know ……………..she had
learned how to do that.
7. Complete each gap so that it makes sense for each

sentence.
7a. You ……………..…………….. pay now; tomorrow
will be OK.
7b. He doesn't …………….. wear a tie at work.
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8. Add one word to each gap.
8a. Everything …………….. perfect, thanks you so
much!. (Past Tense.)
8b. …………….. everything ready?

9a. …………….. the play was late we missed the bus.
9b. The play was late, …………….. we missed the bus.

She never says 'hi' …………….. me.

She …………….. that she was not going to the party.

He was wearing a shoe on …………….. foot.

You can’t park in …………….. of the train station.

There's a new pub just …………….. front ……………..
our house.
15. Add one or two words to each gap.
15a. Look …………….. stars!
15b. What is she looking ……………..?

16a. …………….. I was a kid I hated pasta.
16b. I hated pasta …………….. I …………….. a kid.
17. Complete each gap with TWO words.

17a. I'll learn the lesson as …………….. I study.
17b. You can borrow my bike as …………….. you bring
it back tomorrow.

Do you want to meet next week at 11am, as ……………..
19. Complete the second sentence so that it means the

same as the first.
Not only did he break his leg, but he also broke his arm!
As …………….. as …………….. his leg, he also
…………….. his arm!

20a. We …………….. get the results …………….. two
hours' ……………...
20b. I …………….. see you again …………….. a
month's ……………...

What time do we arrive …………….. London?

22a. They have cancelled the concert because
……………..is …………….. storm.
22b. They have cancelled the concert because
……………..the storm.
23. Complete the sentence using only TWO words.

The project ……………..……………... (Hint: has a lack
of direction)
24. Complete the sentence using only ONE word.

I had already met him once, about a year ……………..
25a. Add one word to complete the sentence.

I read a …………….. story in the newspaper yesterday,
about a boy who cycled went to India.
25b. Choose the correct option

I have news / a new for you
Did you watch the news/new on TV?
26. Add one word to complete the sentence.
26a. I borrowed the money …………….. my brother.
26b. Can we borrow some sugar …………….. you?
27. Choose the correct option

She's got a very closed/shut mind. You can't tell her
anything.
28. Complete each sentence.

Where does she …………….. from?
Maddi ……………..…………….. Wales.
29. Use the correct form of the adjective in brackets.

29a. The project is getting ……………..……………..
due to the lack of funding. (difficult)
29b. Please try to be more polite. (polite)
29c. I think the new car will be …………….., as it is
……………... (good and new)
30. It's hard work. ……………..…………….., it's very

rewarding.
31. Did you wait for ……………..…………….. ?

32a. This is ……………..…………….. project I have
ever worked on. (difficult)
32b. She is ……………..…………….. child I have ever
met. (polite)
32c. I think this car will be ……………..……………..
car you have ever had, because it has
…………….……………... engine. (good and new)
33a. He was dressed …………….. black.

33b. The bride was dressed …………….. white silk.
34. Use the correct form of the word in brackets. You

may need to add one or more words.
34a. …………….. allowed, please leave the building.
(smoke)
34b. We …………….. allowed to use calculators in the
exam, that’s why Andy’s was confiscated. (the verb “to be”)

35a. …………….. that?
35b. …………….. taken my keys?
35c. …………….. coat is that?
36. Can I have …………….. water please?
37a. I can write with …………….. hand.

37b. ‘Do you prefer Monday or Tuesday?’ ‘……………..
day will do.’

same as the first sentence. Use one or two words.
38a. She’s his friend.
She’s a friend of ……………...
38b. Peter can’t find his keys.

Peter’s …………….. keys
39. I’m not very good …………….. repetitive tasks.

40. We can’t go to the countryside …………….. a car.
(Hint- we need a car)
41. ‘When would you like to meet up for lunch?’

‘…………….. day is OK.’
42. Choose the right option in the sentences.

42a. Let me give you some advice/advices.
42b. Do you have any advice/advices for me?
42c. I got a lot of advice/advices from him.
42d. My dad game me three pieces/piece of
advice/advices
43. Choose the correct option from the sentences below

43a.
She’s got amazing eyes.
She’s got some amazing eyes.
43b.
Every car needs some good quality wheels.
Every car needs good quality wheels.
44. Fill in the blanks with one or two words.

44a. Why isn’t Tony …………….. school today?
44b. I wanted to spend a day …………….. bed, so I
didn’t go shopping.
45. Fill in the blanks with one or two words, using a

form of the word in brackets next to each sentence.
45a. What …………….. to your bike? (HAPPEN)
45b. Who ……………..? (SHOUT)
45c. Which ……………..- the blue one or the grey one?
(GOOD)
46. Fill in the blanks with one, two or three words,

using a form of the word in brackets next to each
sentence. You may not need to change the form of the
word in brackets in some cases.
46a. I was surprised by the …………….. who turned up.
(PERSON)
46b. The …………….. we eat is ridiculous. Let’s try and
eat more salad. (RICE)
47. Fill in the blanks with ONE word only.

47a. I’m leaving my job …………….. I’m fed up and I
want to start a business.
47b. They are laughing …………….. they think your hat
is funny.
48. In question 48a, fill in the blank with ONE word

only, using a form of the word in brackets next to the
sentence. In question 48b, fill in the blank with ONE of
the options in brackets. There may be more than one
possible answer.
48a. Do you like …………….. ? (TRAVELLING)
48b. We went on a …………….. to Spain last spring.
(TRAVEL/TRIP/JOURNEY/TRAVELS)
49. Fill in the blanks with one or two words only. If

you are doubting between two possibilities, always choose
the one that best fits the sentence.
49a. I …………….. to run for 5 miles without stopping,
but I need to keep improving.
49b. When will we …………….. to meet your new
girlfriend?
49c. I …… play chess.

50a. I’ve never been to Madrid before, instead of staying
at your parents’, why don’t we stay in …… hotel when we
go?
50b. It’s …… honour
50c. …… unilateral agreement is needed in order to stop
violence in the region.
50d. …… empire can only survive if it moves with the
times.
50e. I think I’ve just seen …… unicorn dancing on ……
rainbow.
50f. It’s …… impossible situation so there is no point
talking about it.
51. Fill in the gaps with one word only.

51a. The North of England ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, terrible weather in
general, it’s always raining!
51b. I hope we get ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, weather at the weekend, I’d
like to go to the beach and sunbathe.
52. Choose the correct sentence in each case.

52a.
President Jones visited the Whitehouse last weekend.
The president Jones visited the Whitehouse last weekend.
52b.
I need to speak to the Dr Owen please.
I need to speak to Dr Owen please.
53. Use the word in brackets next to each sentence to
complete the gaps. You may need to change its form to fit
the sentence and/or add another word.
Stop ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, the wall, you are going to hurt
yourself! (CLIMB)
I threw his ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, the fence, where he
couldn't get them. (KEYS)
54. Choose the best option in each case.

54a. She said she was 34, but she was actually/currently
44.
54b. In 2000 the number of people who used mobile
phones was lower than it currently/actually is.
54c. Jake is a big football fan. He knows all the teams,
their players and the actual/current gossip.

55a. As the old saying goes… ‘never wake a ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
giant’. (SLEEP)
55b. He was so scared, he was like a ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, child.
(AFRAID)
56. Put the words in the right order so that the

sentence makes sense.
56a. We're/ someone /for/looking/ who /is /in/ skilled/
sales.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
56b. He/ difficult/ has/ a / to / understand /accent

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
57. Fill the gap with an appropriate word.

57a. It took a long time, but ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, he
finished his studies.
57b. I'm not sure what I'll do next year.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I'll go to university if I can get a place.
58. Use the correct form of the word in brackets to

complete each sentence. You may need to add another
word.
58a. The project is ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, we need more
staff to help out. (BIG)
58b. I didn’t buy the course because it is
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,. (EXPENSIVE)
59. Put the words in the correct order.

59a. belief /an / religious / old /
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
59b. educational/ reform /newest / the/

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

complete each sentence.
60a. Graham is typical ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,. (WALES)
60b. She's married to a ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,. (SPAIN)

61a. a/ this / drink/ lovely/is / cool
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
61b. visited/ their/ we /wonderful /house / balcony!/
yesterday. I/ new/ loved/ their
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

62a. / please? /you/ can/ switch/ it/ off,
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
62b. all/he’s / to/ throw/ out /them/ going /
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

63a. I ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, sorry. (BE + TERRIBLE)
63b. She ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, into the room. (RUN +

HAPPY)
64. Choose the best option to complete each sentence.

64a. It took a long time, but I ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, got a new car.
Finally
After all
All things considered
Supposedly
64b. He can make his own bed. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, he’s not a

baby any more.
Finally
Incredibly
Expectedly
After all

Jay came round twenty minutes ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.
Since
Ago
After
Before
66a. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,went to Emma´s party after the show.
All
All people
Everybody
All the people
66b. I’ve written to ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, in the department.

All
All the people
Every people
Everybody

67a. I can´t believe ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,!
how hot it is today!
hot how it is today!
how it is hot today!
67b. It´s amazing ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,!

how she sings well!
she sings how well!
how well she sings!
68a. She likes all/every people.
68b. I like every/all person in this room.
68c. I can do every/all task on this list.

We can meet on Wednesday or Thursday – either day/all
days/every day/both days is OK.

70a. Of what/What color is your new car?
71. Choose the best option.

71a.
Poor little one!
Poor little!
71b.
The most important thing is to be healthy and happy.
The most important is to be healthy and happy.
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71c.
James is the most experienced of the department.
James is the most experienced member of the department.
72. Complete the sentences with two words.

72a. I worked ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, yesterday, from 9.00 in the
morning until 10 o’clock at night.
72b. She worked ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, except Friday last week.
73. Complete the sentences with one word only.

What ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, amazing film!
What ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, terrible day!

74a. We did an/a experience/research/ experiment in class
lesson to see if you could get chlorine gas from salt.
74b. We did some experience/research/experiment before
class to help us with our presentation.
74c. I’m experimenting/experiencing/researching with a
new diet.

He feels ill/himself ill today.
Mary often feels/feels herself depressed.

76a. We work about half an hour/a half an hour away
from here.
76b. I only drank a half a/ half a pint of beer.

77a.
Did you hear that? It sounded like a dog barking.
Did you listen to that? It sounded like a dog barking.
77b.
I listened to the music for hours, it was beautiful.
I heard the music for hours, it was beautiful.
77c.
I suddenly heard a loud noise.
I suddenly listened to a loud noise.

78a.
Can you help me find my hat?
Can you help me finding my hat?
78b.
Let me help you (to) washing up.
79. Fill the gaps to form negative statements. Use the
correct form of the word in brackets next to each
sentence. You can use more than one word.
79a.
I hope ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, tomorrow. (RAIN)
‘I hope Peter ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, today’ (COMING)
80. Fill the gaps. Use the correct form of the word in
brackets next to each sentence. You can use more than
one word.
80a. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, my bike ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, a tree
yesterday. (CRASH)
80b. The car ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, a sign and then
exploded. (CRASH)
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Answers
Fill the gap in each sentence with the missing word or

words.
1a. People are constantly asking her for advice, because
she has a reputation for being an expert.
1b. The people in the stadium were starting to get excited.
2a. I'd rather stay at home while I go to the shop.

2b. I would rather you paid me by bank transfer.
3a. I'm used to writing/drafting/answering/reading

emails every day now, but it was hard at the beginning.
3b. I'll never get used to living in this house.
4. How long are you here for? 'Till Easter.'
5a. I managed to swim 5 km yesterday.

5b.How many bottles of milk were you able to get?
6a. She asked where his parents were.

6b.The teacher wanted to know where/how she had
learned how to do that.
7a. You needn't/ don’t need to/ don’t have to pay now;
tomorrow will be OK.
7b. He doesn't have to/need to wear a tie at work. (“want
to” is possible but it has a different meaning)
8a. Everything was perfect, thanks you so much!. (Past

Tense.)
8b. Is everything ready?
9a. Because the play was late we missed the bus.

9b. The play was late, so we missed the bus.
10. She never says 'hi' to me.
11a. She told me/you/him/her/us/you/them that she was

not going to the party.
12a. He was wearing a shoe on each foot.
13. You can’t park in front of the train station.
14. There's a new pub just in front of our house.
15a. Look at the stars!

15b. What is she looking at?
16a. When I was a kid I hated pasta.

16b. I hated pasta when I was a kid.
17a. I'll learn the lesson as long as I study.
17b. You can borrow my bike as long as you bring it back
tomorrow.
18. Do you want to meet next week at 11am, as usual.

19. Not only did he break his leg, but he also broke his
arm!
As well as breaking his leg, he also broke his arm!
20a. We will get the results in two hours' time.

20b. I will see you again in a month's time.
21. What time do we arrive in London?
22a. They have cancelled the concert because there is a

storm.
22b. They have cancelled the concert because of the
storm.
23. The project lacks direction. (Hint: has a lack of

direction)
24. I had already met him once, about a year before/ago.
25. I read a news story in the newspaper yesterday, about

a boy who cycled went to India.
25b. Choose the correct option
I have news / a new for you
Did you watch the news/new on TV?
26a. I borrowed the money from my brother.

26b. Can we borrow some sugar from you?
27. Choose the correct option

She's got a very closed/shut mind. You can't tell her
anything.
28.
Where does she come from?
Maddi comes/is from Wales.

29a. The project is getting more difficult due to the lack
of funding. (difficult)
29b. Please try to be politer. (polite)
29c. I think the new car will be better, as it is newer.
(good and new)
30. It's hard work. On the other hand/however/despite

this, it's very rewarding.
31. Did you wait for a long time?

32a. This is the most difficult project I have ever worked
on. (difficult)
32b. She is the most polite child I have ever met. (polite)
32c. I think this car will be the best car you have ever
had, because it has the newest engine. (good and new)
33a. He was dressed in black.

33b. The bride was dressed in white silk.

34a. Smoking is not allowed, please leave the building.
(smoke)
34b. We weren’t/ were not allowed to use calculators in
the exam, that’s why Andy’s was confiscated. (the verb “to
be”)

35a. Who’s/ who is that?
35b. Who’s/who has taken my keys?
35c. Whose coat is that?
36. Can I have more water please?

37a. I can write with either hand.
37b. ‘Do you prefer Monday or Tuesday?’ ‘Either day
will do.’

same as the first sentence. Use one or two words.
38a. She’s his friend.
She’s a friend of his.
38b. Peter can’t find his keys.

Peter’s lost his keys
39. I’m not very good at repetitive tasks.

40. We can’t go to the countryside without a car. (Hint-
we need a car)
41. ‘When would you like to meet up for lunch?’ ‘Any

day is OK.’
42. Choose the right option in the sentences.

42a. Let me give you some advice/advices.
42b. Do you have any advice/advices for me?
42c. I got a lot of advice/advices from him.
42d. My dad game me three pieces/piece of
advice/advices
43. Choose the correct option from the sentences below
43a.
She’s got amazing eyes.
She’s got some amazing eyes.
43b. Every car needs some good quality wheels.

(While you may hear people say similar things and it’s not
necessarily wrong, option 2 is the best option)
Every car needs good quality wheels.
44. Fill in the blanks with one or two words.

44a. Why isn’t Tony at school today?
44b. I wanted to spend a day in bed, so I didn’t go
shopping.
45. Fill in the blanks with one or two words, using a

form of the word in brackets next to each sentence.
45a. What happened/has happened to your bike?
(HAPPEN)
45b. Who shouted? (SHOUT)
45c. Which is best - the blue one or the grey one?
(GOOD)
46. Fill in the blanks with one, two or three words,
using a form of the word in brackets next to each
sentence. You may not need to change the form of the
word in brackets in some cases.
46a. I was surprised by the number of people who turned
up. (PERSON)
46b. The amount of rice we eat is ridiculous. Let’s try
and eat more salad. (RICE)

47a. I’m leaving my job because I’m fed up and I want to
start a business.
47b. They are laughing because they think your hat is
funny.
48. In question 48a, fill in the blank with ONE word

only, using a form of the word in brackets next to the
sentence. In question 48b, fill in the blank with ONE of
the options in brackets.
48a. Do you like travel? (TRAVELLING)
48b. We went on a trip/journey to Spain last spring.
(travel/trip/journey/travels)
49. Fill in the blanks with one or two words only. If

you are doubting between two possibilities, always choose
the one that best fits the sentence.
49a. I am able to run for 5 miles without stopping, but I
need to keep improving.
49b. When will we be able/get to meet your new
girlfriend? (“to get to do something” is similar to saying “to
have the opportunity to do something”),
49c. I can play chess.
50a. I’ve never been to Madrid before, instead of staying
at your parents’, why don’t we stay in a hotel when we go?
50b. It’s an honour.
50c. A unilateral agreement is needed in order to stop
violence in the region.
50d. An empire can only survive if it moves with the
times.
50e. I think I’ve just seen a unicorn dancing on a rainbow.
50f. It’s an impossible situation so there is no point
talking about it.
51. Fill in the gaps with one word only.
51a. The North of England has terrible weather in
general, it’s always raining!
51b. I hope we get good/hot/sunny weather at the
weekend, I’d like to go to the beach and sunbathe.
52. Choose the correct sentence in each case.

52a.
President Jones visited the Whitehouse last weekend.
The president Jones visited the Whitehouse last weekend.
52b.
I need to speak to the Dr Owen please.
I need to speak to Dr Owen please.
Stop climbing over the wall, you are going to hurt
yourself! (CLIMB)
I threw his keys over the fence, where he couldn't get
them. (KEYS)

54a. She said she was 34, but she was actually/currently
44.
54b. In 2000 the number of people who used mobile
phones was lower than it currently/actually is.
54c. Jake is a big football fan. He knows all the teams,
their players and the actual/current gossip.

55a. As the old saying goes… ‘never wake a sleeping
giant’. (SLEEP)
55b. He was so scared, he was like a frightened child.
(AFRAID)
56. Put the words in the right order so that the

sentence makes sense.
56a. We're/ someone /for/looking/ who /is /in/ skilled/
sales.
Answer: We're looking for someone who is skilled in
sales.
56b. He/ difficult/ has/ a / to / understand /accent
Answer: He has a difficult accent to understand.
57.
57a. It took a long time, but eventually/finally he
finished his studies.
57b. I'm not sure what I'll do next year. Perhaps/maybe
I'll go to university if I can get a place.

complete each sentence. You may need to add another
word.
58a. The project is too big, we need more staff to help
out. (BIG)
58b. I didn’t buy the course because it is too expensive.
(EXPENSIVE)

59a. . belief /an / religious / old /
Answer. An old religious belief.
59b. educational/ reform /newest / the/
Answer. The newest educational reform

60a. Graham is typical Welshman. (WALES)
60b. She's married to a Spaniard. (SPAIN)

61a. a/ this / drink/ lovely/is / cool
Answer. This is a lovely cool drink
61b. visited/ their/ we /wonderful /house / balcony!/
yesterday. I/ new/ loved/ their
Answer. We visited their wonderful new house
yesterday. I loved their balcony!

62a. / please? /you/ can/ switch/ it/ off,
Answer. Can you switch it off, please?
62b. all/he’s / to/ throw/ out /them/ going /
Answer. She’s going to throw them all out.

E.g.: I’m/am terribly sorry. (BE + TERRIBLE)
She ran happily into the room. (RUN + HAPPY)

64a. It took a long time, but I finally got a new car.
Finally
After all
All things considered
Supposedly
64b. He can make his own bed. After all, he’s not a baby
any more.
Finally
Incredibly
Expectedly
After all

Jay came round twenty minutes ago.
Since
Ago
After
Before

66a. Everybody went to Emma´s party after the show.
All
All people
Everybody
All the people
66b. I’ve written to everybody in the department.
All
All the people
Every people
Everybody

67a. I can´t believe how hot it is today!
how hot it is today!
hot how it is today!
how it is hot today!
67b. It´s amazing how well she sings!

how she sings well!
she sings how well!
how well she sings!

68a. She likes all/every people.
68b. I like every/all person in this room.
68c. I can do every/all task on this list.

We can meet on Wednesday or Thursday – either day/all
days/every day/both days is OK.
70a. Of what/What color is your new car?
71. Choose the best option.

71a.
Poor little one!
Poor little!
71b.
The most important thing is to be healthy and happy.
The most important is to be healthy and happy.
71c.
James is the most experienced of the department.
James is the most experienced member of the
department.
72. Complete the sentences with two words.

72a. I worked all day yesterday, from 9.00 in the morning
until 10 o’clock at night.
72b. She worked every day except Friday last week.
73. Complete the sentences with one word only.

What an amazing film!
What a terrible day!

74a. We did an/a experience/research/ experiment in
class lesson to see if you could get chlorine gas from salt.
74b. We did some experience/research/experiment before
class to help us with our presentation.
74c. I’m experimenting/experiencing/researching with a
new diet.

He feels ill/himself ill today.
Mary often feels/feels herself depressed.

76a. We work about half an hour/a half an hour away
from here.
76b. I only drank a half a/ half a pint of beer.

77a.
Did you hear that? It sounded like a dog barking.
Did you listen to that? It sounded like a dog barking.
77b.
I listened to the music for hours, it was beautiful.
I heard the music for hours, it was beautiful.
77c.
I suddenly heard a loud noise.
I suddenly listened to a loud noise.

78a.
Can you help me find my hat?
Can you help me finding my hat?
78b.
Let me help you (to) washing up.
79. Fill the gaps to form negative statements. Use the

correct form of the word in brackets next to each
sentence. You can use more than one word.
79a.
I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow. (RAIN)
‘I hope Peter isn’t coming today’ (COMING)
80. Fill the gaps. Use the correct form of the word in
brackets next to each sentence. You can use more than
one word.
80a. I crashed my bike into a tree yesterday. (CRASH)
80b. The car crashed into a sign and then exploded.
(CRASH)
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BUSINESS ENGLISH
CONVERSATION QUESTIONS
These instant conversation worksheets can be adapted into games, such

as board games and other classroom activities to provide speaking practice
and opportunities for feedback.
The teacher can also use them with a timer if he or she wants to add
some pressure to the activity, to make the activity more exciting or to
prepare students for an exam such as Cambridge Business, where time is a
factor. For example: students can work in pairs and speak for 1 to 2 minutes
about each question as a mini-presentation type activity. Their partner can
keep the time and provide feedback, while the teacher circulates the
classroom and helps different pairs of students.
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1.WORK
What do you do?
What does your job position entail?
Can you describe your tasks on a daily basis?
What is your favorite task at work?
What is your least favorite task at work?
How would you describe your current job?
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2. DAYS OFF
How many days do you work in a week?

How many hours do you work in a day?
How many days do you work in a year?
How many vacation leaves do you have?
How many sick leaves do you have?
How many days off do you have in a week?
How many days off do you have in a month?
What do you do during your day off?
What do you do during your vacation leave?
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3. AGE AT WORK
At what age did you start working?
What is the ideal age for someone to start working?
What is the ideal age for someone to stop working?
At what age would you want to retire?
At what age do people start working in your country?
At what age do people retire in your country?
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4. JOB LOCATION
What jobs are available in your hometown?
What will make you consider working in your hometown?
Why did you choose to work in your hometown?
What jobs are available in your city?
What will make you consider working in the city?
Why did you choose to work in the city?
What is the most popular city in your country in terms of job
hunting?
What is the most sought-after business center in your country?
What is the ideal city for you to work in?
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5. WORKING FROM HOME
In your own words, how would you define working from home?
What is a good excuse to work from home?
How do you stay productive working from home?
What are the benefits of working from home?
What are the disadvantages of working from home?
What would it take for you to permanently work from home?
How popular are work from home jobs in your country?
Should working from home be an option for all office workers?
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6. OFFICE LOCATION
How far do you live from your office?
How many hours do you commute in total per week?
What mode of transportation do you use to get to work?
How much time do you spend in traffic?
How much do you spend on transportation?
Would you consider renting an apartment near your office?
How far is your office from the nearest mall?
How far is your office from the nearest park?
How far is your office from the nearest hang out place?
How far is your office from the nearest train station?
How far is your office from the nearest bus stop?
How many floors does your work building have?
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7. WORKING OVERSEAS
How would you consider working overseas?
In your opinion/experience, what is the best country to work in?
In your opinion/experience, what is the worst country to work
in?
If you were given a chance, which country would you like to
work in?
What would you consider before working overseas?
Why do some people prefer to work abroad?
What type of people are ideal for working overseas?
What type of people do you think would not be successful
working overseas?
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8. OFFICE LUNCH
Where do you usually eat out during lunch break?
How often do you usually take for your lunch break?
Who do you eat out with at work?
When do you usually eat out at work?
How much do you usually spend when you eat out at work?
What do you usually order when you eat out at work?
Why do people prefer eating out than eating in the office?
Why do some people prefer eating home cooked meals in the
office than eating out?
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9. AFTER WORK ACTIVITIES
Where do you usually hang out after work?
How often do you usually hang out after work?
Who do you hang out with after work?
How much do you usually spend when you hang out with your
co-workers?
How far is the nearest place where you can hang out?
Why do so many people hangout after work?
Why do many people choose not to hangout after work?
In your country, what is the most common hangout activity after
work?
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10. REWARDS AND
RECOGNITION
Why should employers recognize employees’ efforts?
How are employees recognized for their achievements in your
office?
How should an employer recognize an employee?
When was the last time an employee was recognized in your
office?
When was the last time you were recognized at work?
How would you feel if you were recognized for the quality of
your work? What reward would you like to receive?
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11. TEAM BUILDING
Why is it important to have team building activities? Who
benefits the most in team building, employees or employers?
When was the last time you participated in a team building
activity?
What is the best team building activity in your opinion?
What is your least favorite team building activity?
How does team building help a business/company?
Who should choose the venue of the team building exercises?
Why?
Who should choose the activities of the team building exercises?
Why?
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12. OFFICE SUPPLIES AND
EQUIPMENT
What office supplies do you have at your desk?
What office supplies do you often use?
What office supplies do you seldom use?
What office supplies would you like to be available in your
company?
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13. WORKING HOURS
What do you think about 9 to 5 jobs? Would you prefer a
different time-table? Why?
In your opinion, how many hours should someone work in a
day? Why?
In your opinion, how many days should someone work in a
week? Why?
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14. OVERTIME
When was the last time you worked overtime?
How many hours do you usually work overtime?
How many hours was your longest overtime?
Should companies be able to force employees to work overtime?
Should companies be forced to pay employees for any overtime
they work?
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15. BUSINESS TRIPS
What are the advantages and disadvantages of frequent business
travel?
Would you like to travel as part of your job?
How often do you go on business trips?
When and where was your last business trip?
What is your most memorable business trip?
Which country would you most like to visit in your next
business trip?
Which country would you least like to visit again in your next
business trip?
How do you feel about business trips?
Why are business trips important?
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16. EXPERIENCE
How long have you been in your current company?
How long do you plan to stay with your current company?
How long did you stay with your first company?
In your country, how common is it to stay with a company for a
long time?
What professional experience has been the most important in
your career so far? Why?
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17. PROMOTION & DEMOTION
When was your last promotion?
When are you expecting to get a promotion?
How old is your oldest co-worker?
How young is your youngest co-worker?
How important is getting a promotion to you?
What is the best way to be promoted?
How can office politics affect promotion?
What would be your reaction if you got promoted tomorrow?
How common is demotion in your company?
Why would someone get demoted?
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18.PROBATIONARY PERIOD:
How long is your company's probationary period?
How long did it take for you to get a permanent position?
What are the differences between a regular employee and
someone on probation?
Are there any ways for someone to be made permanent faster?
What are they?
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19. CONTRACTS
How many workers do you have in your company?
How common are permanent contracts in your country?
How do you feel about the general way companies contract
workers in your country?
Who benefits more from contracts, the worker or the company?
Would you consider working under a third-party agency?
Why do people consider working under third party agencies?
Why do companies hire from third party agencies?
What are the benefits of hiring workers from third party
agencies?
If you were a business owner, would you consider hiring
workers from third party agencies? Why?
How long should an employee be under probation?
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20. WORK-LIFE BALANCE
In your own words, how would you define work-life balance?
How important is work-life balance? Why?
Who benefits from work-life balance?
How can you achieve work-life balance in your life?
How much work-life balance do you currently have?
What initiatives does your company have with regards to work-
life balance?
How can the government help in achieving work-life balance for
workers in your country or region?
Describe someone you know who has a great work-life balance.
For you, what activities help in achieving work-life balance?
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21. MANAGEMENT &
LEADERSHIP
What are the advantages of being a boss?
What are the disadvantages of being a boss?
What are some qualities of a good boss?
What are some qualities of a bad boss?
Who is the best boss you’ve ever had?
How often do you talk to your boss?
How often does your boss check on you?
How often does your boss hangout with your team?
What are the traits you like most about your current boss?
How common is it in your country for employees to address
their bosses with sir/ma'am?
If you were given a choice, would you like to be given more
management responsibilies? Why?
What does your boss say when you come in late for work?
In your own words, how would you define a leader?
Is there a difference between a manager and a leader? Why?
Is it necessary to be a good leader in order to be a good
manager?
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22. BEING AN EMPLOYEE
What was your very first job?
When did you land your first job?
What are the advantages of being a normal employee and not
having any people management duties?
What are the disadvantages of being a normal employee and not
having any people management duties?
Would you like to have one job for your whole life with a good,
steady salary or do you need change to stay motivated?
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23. FREELANCING
How common is freelancing in your country?
Why do some people choose to work as freelancers?
What are the advantages of working as a freelancer?
What are the disadvantages of working as a freelancer?
What is the best thing about being a freelancer?
What is the worst thing about working as a freelancer?
If you were given a chance, would you work as a freelancer?
Why?
What are the most common jobs of freelancers?
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24. DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS
What are some examples of professions that suit your
personality?
What is the worst job you can think of for your personality?
What are the most prestigious professions in your country?
Why?
Who do you think should be the most well paid in terms of jobs?
Who do you think should be the least paid in terms of jobs?
What was your dream job when you were a kid?
What is your dream job now?
Given the opportunity, would you pursue your dream job? Why
or why not?
How well paid are politicians in your country?
What is the most in demand job in your country?
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25. JOB REQUIREMENTS
How important is educational achievement when applying for a
job in your country?
Which is more important, qualifications or experience? Why?
How important is experience when applying for a job in your
country?
In your country, how challenging is it to find a job for newly
graduated candidates?
Was it difficult to get your first job?
What assistance do recent graduates get from the government
when applying for jobs?
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26. JOB INTERVIEWS
How was your first ever interview? Describe your experience.
What did you do well and what did you do badly?
How do you feel during interviews?
How do you prepare before your interviews?
What clothes do you wear in interviews?
How important are first impressions in interviews?
What makes you stand out from other applicants when you
apply for a job? (What are your strong points?)
What’s your biggest weakness?
How do you see your career evolving in the next 2 years?
Do you think job interviews are a fair assessment of a
candidate’s suitability for a job?
If you were an interviewer, what you look for in an applicant?
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27. BENEFITS & PERKS
What do you look for in a company?
Rank the following benefits and perks in order of importance for
you. Explain your answers:
Frequent travel
Management responsibilities
Child-care benefits
Long holidays
Travel and food allowances
Frequent social events and activities organized by the
company
The option to work from home
What benefits and perks would you most like to have in your
current position?
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28. RESIGNATION
What is the most common reason for someone to resign?
What was the reason why you left your previous job?
What's the difference between termination and resignation?
Would you ever consider leaving your current position? What
would it take for you to leave?
How would you feel if your closest co-worker resigned?
How would you feel if your current boss resigned?
How do you think your co-workers would feel if you resigned?
How do you think your boss would feel if you resigned?
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29. JOB-HOPPING
How many jobs have you had in the past five years?
How common is it for people to change jobs in your country?
What do you think about job-hopping?
Why do some people job-hop?
How can job-hopping affect your career?
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30. SALARY
How do you feel about your first ever salary?
What is your ideal salary? Why?
How important is salary in applying for a job?
What is the common salary range for your chosen profession?
How important are salary increases for staff motivation?
Is salary the most important factor in a job?
Would you rather do something you love for a low salary or
something you hate for a high salary? Why?
Is it good for governments to introduce laws to guarantee a
minimum wage? Why or why not?
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31. CHOOSING A COMPANY
What are the factors you consider when choosing a company?
How do you find job openings?
What is the most effective way of finding jobs?
How important is company image in choosing a company?
How important is location when choosing a company?
How important is personal growth when choosing a company?
How important is professional growth when choosing a
company?
How important is diversity when choosing a company?
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32. FEELINGS ABOUT YOUR
JOB
How much do you like your job? (Be as sincere as possible)
Why do you (or don’t you) like your job?
What is your favorite part about your job?
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33. OFFICEMATES/CO-
WORKERS
What kind of people do you like to work with?
What kind of people are you working with now?
Who do you prefer working with, young or old employees?
Who do you prefer working with, male or female employees?
Would you consider yourself a workaholic? Why?
Would you consider yourself easy going? Why?
What do you think about people who are easy going in their
jobs?
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34. RETIREMENT
When do you plan to retire?
Why do you think some people never want to retire and others
can’t wait to retire?
What is your ideal retirement?
At what age do people in your country usually retire?
Where would you like to spend your retirement?
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35. EMAIL
How many emails do you receive in a day?
How helpful is emailing in your job?
Why is it sometimes easier to have misunderstandings with
people during email exchanges?
Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of emails in
your inbox? Do you have any tricks to tackle this problem?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using office
memos to communicate with staff?
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36. MEETINGS
How do you feel about meetings?
When was the last time you attended a meeting?
What do you think about lunch meetings?
Which do you prefer, formal or informal meetings? Why?
Have you ever ‘dozed off’ while in a meeting?
When was the last time you dozed off in a meeting?
Do you prefer traditional meetings or teleconferences?
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37. CONFERENCES
How many conferences do you have in a year?
How do you feel about conferences?
Describe the last conference you attended.
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38. TECHNOLOGY
How often do you answer phone calls in your current job?
How often do you use your cellphone at work?
What kind of technology do you use at the office?
How has technology changed the way we work?
How has technology changed the way we learn?
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39. OFFICE ENVIRONMENT
How would you describe your current office environment?
How important is office environment?
What is your ideal work environment?
How many co-workers can you count as friends?
How do you feel about office politics?
How rampant is office politics in your company?
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** BONUS SPEAKING CARDS
SECTION **
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40. MEDIA
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If you could keep Is there such a
only one form of thing as an unbiased
media, which would source of news?
you choose?
Radio is over a What would

hundred years old. happen if the media
Why hasn’t it ever just stopped?
been replaced by a
more modern form
of media?
How influenced How can students
are you by the use different parts
media? of the media to
improve their
language skills?
Should the Are newspapers
government control becoming obsolete?
the press?
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41. HOTELS
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Would you like to What are the
work in a hotel? advantages and
disadvantages of
staying in a hotel?
Do you use the If you were the

spa and leisure manager of an old
facilities when you two-star hotel that
stay at a hotel? was in danger of
closure, how would
you try to make it
profitable again?
How would you What is your
describe a typical opinion of large, all-
day’s work of a inclusive resort
hotel receptionist? hotels?
Do you think it is Does your

acceptable to take behaviour differ
things such as when staying in a
bathrobes, soap, etc, hotel compared to
from a hotel room when you are at
when you leave? home?
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42. LANGUAGES
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What are the Which language
advantages and do you think would
disadvantages of be the best global
English becoming a language?
global language?
What body Is preserving a
language do you use dying language as
in your culture? important as
preserving an
endangered species?
Apart from Do you agree that
English, which other English is essential
language would you for success in one’s
like to learn? career?
What age is the What is more

best to start learning important when
a new language? speaking a foreign
language: fluency or
accuracy?
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43. TECHNOLOGY
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Has technology Do technological
made our lives more advances increase
complicated? the gap between rich
and poor?
Which areas of Which invention

technology are the has had a more
most important to positive impact on
teach at school? our lives: the mobile
phone or personal
computer?
Do you agree that Do you believe

technology has that advances in
made us lazy? technology causes
job losses?
If mobile phones In your opinion,

disappeared one which industry has
day, how do you been most
think people would transformed by
cope? technology?
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44. ART
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How would you What paintings,
describe your drawings, or
relationship with sculptures do you
art? have in your home?
Is collecting What’s the point

works of art a good in owning a valuable
investment? piece of art if it has
to be kept locked
away?
Do you go to art What is your
exhibitions, definition of art?
galleries, antique
markets?
Who is the most Is there any

famous artist from public art in your
your country? city?
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45. HISTORY
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Do you think it is What period of
important to have a history would you
knowledge of like to learn more
history? about?
Should history Which local

lessons focus on historical figure has
politics and war, or had the greatest
on social changes? impact on your
country?
What do you Which historical
think of the recent figure would you
history of your like to meet?
country, the past 30
years?
Do you think Are you proud of
history repeats the history of your
itself? country?
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46. BOOKS
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How important is What should be
reading books? the roles of libraries
in modern life?
If you could write Would you go to

a book, what kind of bookshops more
book (genre) would often if they were
it be? friendly places with
comfortable
armchairs and
coffee shops?
Could you live in What is the worst
a world without book that you’ve
books? ever read?
Have you read How can we

more than one book encourage children
by the same author? to read more?
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PUBLICAFFAIRS; 12th Edition
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Resources: 6 Videos on Emotional
Intelligence
The Power of Emotional Intelligence –

Travis Bradberry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=auXNnTmhHsk
You aren’t at the mercy of your

emotions – your brain creates them – Lisa
Feldman Barrett
v=0gks6ceq4eQ
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6 Steps to Improve Your Emotional
Intelligence – Ramona Hacker
v=D6_J7FfgWVc
Learning Human Values Via

Emotional Intelligence – Ruby Bakshi
Khurdi
v=4YCAo8kxOHs
Your Forensic Mirror: Applying

Emotional Intelligence To Achieve
Success – Paula Clarke
v=McG6tETL93s
The People Currency: Practicing

Emotional Intelligence – Jason Bridges
v=7z0asInbu24
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Free Bonus: 300+ Presentation
Templates for PowerPoint
Here, you will find a downloadable database of 300+

Premium PowerPoint presentation templates, which you can
use or edit as you please.
https://drive.google.com/open?
id=1oArc1iu3xJSgspmOK6PYRpVuk3F_Wqsh
Sign up for our free resource newsletter, to receive more
free resources! 
I hope you have found this book useful. Thank you for
reading.
https://www.idmbusinessenglish.com/free-templates
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Bonus Chapter: The Productivity
Cheat Sheet
Download your free copy of The Productivity Cheat

Sheet: 15 Secrets of Productivity here!
https://www.idmbusinessenglish.com/free-templates
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Business English Speaking:

– Speak Advanced ESL Business

Includes 300+ PPT Presentation Templates

No part of this business English speaking book may be reproduced,

Topics Covered in this guide:

Business English speaking, business English ESL, business English

IDM Business English Books. All rights reserved

American & British Business English Advanced

With this business English communication course,

Confidence can sometimes desert you when you really need

A 2007 study of teenage students found that students

“We often refuse to accept an

The Impact of Voice When You Speak

Voice Projection Exercise

to seek: look for

assist, aid: to help

request: to ask for

subsequently: next / later

immature, infantile: childish

further: more (information)

deficiency, lack of: little, there is no

USE SPARINGLY (=a little)

INTRODUCING A FALSE ARGUMENT

PROPOSING A CORRECT ARGUMENT

Tips Asking for repetition

“Body language and tone of

Your posture is a big part of your speaking, believe it or

“The most important thing in

Difficult and emotional situations:

Using Stress to Enhance Memory

“As we express our gratitude,

Lesson 2: Take your time when answering a

The importance of eye contact in Western

Think about what problems or ‘personal hells’ your

‘With Gousto you don’t need that epic shopping

Giving details is what separates a boring generic text

The future of home building has

Notice how they give details but keep it simple and

“Any fool can make something

The techniques looked at so far won’t do much good

Write your version here:

“We’ve been helping our clients make

1. Keep your sentences simple and direct

When you make a mistake, do not pretend it is not a

If, as a professional, you wish to succeed in your

Use the chart and the notes to write 120-140 words.

Notes: Paid sick leave /more holidays: increase overall

Brainstorming and Outline Phase

Some suggestions to write an effective summary:

1. Use a variety of words to express your ideas. Here are a few

It was found that…

2. Highlight only the most important points.

3. Remember this is your rough draft so just write without

Grammar & Vocabulary

Professionals who want to succeed will need to plan

communication throughout their careers. This may be in the

form of a meeting or a presentation where the speaker needs

to communicate in a persuasive style about an important

Accede to means to initially reject and then agree to a