How you can speak up the smart way in English--even in stressful situations.

- Have you ever had to explain your ideas

in a stressful meeting in English?

Going into your meeting with a plan

can make all the difference in sounding smart

or in sounding unclear and confusing.

So today I'll help you come up with a plan

that's perfect for you.

Let's go.

Hi, I'm your English coach, Christina,

and welcome to Business English with Christina,

where you become better at English and better at business.

Now, I also wanna take a minute to say

that I made this video after hearing about

one of my client's horror stories from work.

We'll call her Anna.

Of course, that is not her real name,

but you know, you know what kind of story this is gonna be,

because we've all got these kind of work horror stories

where, you know, something happens, you feel embarrassed

you did something wrong, you forgot something.

Hey, it happens to the best of us.

But, let's hear about this story.

So what happened to Anna?

Well, one day in a meeting with a client,

her boss turned to her and said, you know,

"Anna, can you explain our company's solution

for the client?"

And it didn't go so well.

Anna got so nervous that she took way too long

to get to her point.

And she confused everyone in the room, including herself.

And you know, I don't know if this

has ever happened to you in English.

I know it's happened to me in French.

You know, someone asks you a question,

probably in a professional context,

and you start explaining but you're thinking

as you're trying to explain

and then suddenly you're listening to yourself speak

and you realize I don't even remember

what the original question was

and I don't know where I'm going with this explanation.

It happens, but it doesn't have to.

Okay, so I will tell you about an answer

with the solution that I've come up with

because I've been thinking about what will help us

with the problem.

So I have a solution and it's that we contact the client

to discuss their needs more in detail.

This is gonna hurt.

After the meeting, Anna's boss like took her aside

and said to her, "Anna, you take way too long

to answer questions.

Just get to the point next time."

Ooh, ouch.

Now, just to be clear, not every boss will come out

and say something so directly to you.

I mean, yes, that was embarrassing for Anna

but it's also probably very awkward for the boss

but here's something that you have to know.

People won't tell you that you're not effective in meetings

but they're thinking it.

All right, now, let's make sure that you're ready

for your next meeting in English.

And these tips all were inspired by an article

from the Harvard Business Review,

very trusted, reputable source

for improving your business skills.

And I've just adapted them for people

who are working on their business skills

but also working on their English skills, like you.

The most important thing that you can remember

is that it's okay to slow down.

You know, take a deep breath, like...

(inhales deeply)

And then take the time to pronounce your words.

And this is especially important for you, and for me,

when we are trying to explain something

in a foreign language,

and it might take a little extra time

to formulate your thoughts.

You don't have to speak fast.

You know, native speakers, they speak fast,

and that makes them difficult to understand.

Why would you want to do that?

Tell the people in your meeting

what ideas you're going to share.

For example, if your client asks,

you know, why your product is different

from your competitor's product,

you can say...

Well, there are two main differences.

First we offer 24 hour tech support based here in the US.

And second, we only work with companies

in the automotive industry.

So basically we are experts in what we do.

Or to explain why you're suggesting

a specific solution for your client,

you could say...

There are three reasons why you should consider

letting us help you with your cyber security.

And then just go on to list your ideas.

Are you taking notes in this video?

Well, let me make that a lot easier for you

so that you can focus on showing your business expertise

in your meetings.

You can go over to my website

and get a free worksheet that goes with this video

so that you can remember the expressions faster.

You can test your knowledge.

And like I said, just focus on becoming

more confident in your meetings in English,

so that you don't have any work horror stories

to tell in the future.

One thing that you might do in a meeting in English,

it's thinking out loud,

like when somebody asks you a question,

but you know, you haven't really had the time

to think about it because they just asked you the question

and you're trying to find the solution as you speak.

And that's totally normal.

Everybody does that.

Something you can say when you're thinking out loud

in a meeting is...

Well, let me just think out loud here for a minute

and feel free to come in with any ideas that you have.

What if we talked to the client

and we decided more about what they're really looking for.

And then you can share your idea or your ideas

and see if anyone else in the room has something to add.

It's basically like a group brainstorming.

And you know, as we say in English,

two heads are better than one.

Unless it's on the same body,

and then that's just a little weird.

Now, remember that article from Harvard Business Review

that I mentioned?

Well, here's some exact advice

that they gave in that article.

Learn some typical sentences

that you can use in tricky situations in meetings.

So yes, even native speakers or very advanced speakers

sometimes just need to have that set phrase

so that they know exactly what to say

in a difficult situation.

Now, if you don't have the answer to the question,

you can say something like this.

I don't have that information right now,

but I can find out and get it to you before 3:00 PM today.

Saying that you're willing to find the solution

and by a specific time makes you sound like a professional

who is like on top of their game.

But then you have to actually do it

by that time that you said.

So what are some phrases that you can use

to respond to surprises in meetings?

Well, if you're not sure that you've completely understood,

which is totally fine, you can say this.

Could you tell us a bit more about what you're saying?

Now, if you've been listening to your client for a while

and you still disagree with them,

here's how you can say that politely.

I think I understand your point

but I see it a little bit differently.

May I explain?

So that's just a wait to show that yes, you're listening,

but you have other ideas.

So there you have it, some concrete simple steps

that you can have to be a better professional,

feel more comfortable in English in your meetings

and avoid those work horror stories like Anna's.

And remember, if you don't use it, you lose it.

And here's some ways that you can use what you learned

in this video today.

Do you have a work horror story?

In the comments, please share it.

Oh, please share it.

Because I love reading these stories.

Not because I love that you had horror stories,

but because we see that it's totally normal,

that we all experience these, you know, awful moments.

It's just part of life, but we can look at your stories,

we can see...

You know, you'll see you're not alone.

Other people will see you're not alone.

You might give me an idea for a future video

that I can help you with.

And of course, it's the perfect opportunity

to practice your English and share with our community.

Now, if this lesson was helpful for you

I would love for you to tell me.

And there are three ways that you can do that.

On YouTube, give me a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel

so that we can continue learning together every week.

You can also go over to christinarebuffet.com/worksheets

and get the worksheet that goes with this lesson

so you can really practice and learn

everything in this video today.

And you can go ahead and watch this next lesson,

which is gonna give you some exact phrases that you can use

in your meetings in English.

All right, thank you so much for learning with me

and I'll see you next time.