Speaking in Business with Confidence

B1 or above in the CEFR levels.

The course is designed for professionals who are looking to improve their vocabulary and techniques in speaking professionally in English. To access the course effectively it is helpful but not essential if you have professional experience of speaking in English.

Participants will improve both their fluency and accuracy when speaking the English language. They will develop a wide range of expressions and techniques when speaking professionally on the phone, in meetings, presenting information and in making small talk. They will enhance their wider professional skills by using the appropriate level of formality, clarity and cultural awareness when speaking in English.

In the framework of the English language development and upon successful completion of this course, the participant should be able to:

• Deploy a wide range of expressions used in professional telephone calls, meetings, when presenting information and making small talk
• Understand the different conventions in starting and finishing spoken communications
• Use the language of persuasion to powerfully describe a product, project or service in a professional capacity
• Understand a wide range of common phrasal verbs, acronyms and business idioms typically used in professional communications
• Deploy terms and expressions used to ‘soften’ a difficult message to internal or external contacts

In the framework of the professional skills development, the participant should be able to:

• Critically reflect on how to speak professionally in English when communicating to a wide range of audiences
• Making small talk with established professional contacts
• Conduct "cold calls" and pitches with new professional contacts
• Effectively communicate difficult messages and deal with difficult questions
• Overcome communication breakdowns

Course structure: Part 1:
The first part of the course focuses on the key vocabulary, expressions and conventions used in speaking professional in English.

• Exchanging ideas and best practice
• Exploring informal, semi-formal and formal greetings and goodbyes
• Key language needed on the phone, in meetings, when presenting and in making small talk
• Understanding how to communicate in different cultural contexts
• Acceptable and unacceptable ‘jargon’, acronyms and abbreviations in Spoken English

Course structure: Part 2
The second part of the course focuses on a professional case study in which you need to deploy the vocabulary and techniques developed in part 1. The case study is based on a number of role plays which include:

• Making first contact with a professional contact
• Making small talk with an established contact
• Managing a difficult issue with a professional contact
• Participating in a meeting/teleconference with a professional contact
• Presenting a product or service to a professional contact

At the end of the training, the participants will receive a certificate of attendance delivered by the House of Training.