Business English Archives - Communication and Beyond

How to learn business writing? Keep it simple!

Business English, Communication, Writing Skills / Archana Parmar

Clarity, simplicity, and good approaches are more important in business writing than fancy or long phrases. Tell me what you want me to know or accomplish in a concise manner—and make it appealing to the eye! It is as simple as that. When you utilize Plain English strategies, especially those that focus on the audience: use everyday English whenever feasible, your reader will understand your message clearly. Use simple sentence structures—two lines should plenty. Use headings and lists to draw the reader’s attention and guide them through the text. The source document Use tables—a picture is worth a thousand words. If required, define technical terms. Use the active voice—rather than saying, “It was done by us,” say, “We did it.” Use direct speech—rather than saying, “The organisation shall,” say, “We will.” Use a lot of white space in your document—the document’s body language. Are short and sweet Are upbeat—’when you send us the paperwork, we’ll…’ not ‘we are unable to’ Until you return the form, I’ll be able to assist you. How to check of you are using simple structure? Read something aloud, and then ask yourself this question: “If the person was sitting opposite me, would I say this to them?” If the answer is “No”—then don’t write it! What causes all the confusion in writing efficiently at work? During our formal study, we have been taught specific types of writing which are not the best ways of writing business letters, memos, reports or even emails. Remember, you were always asked to elaborate/explain/describe the topic/picture in 200/300/500/1000 words. Let’s look at the four broad types of writing and each of them requires different skills from us: Academic: to demonstrate knowledge, skills in analysis and reasoning Evidentiary: to tell the exact story as I experienced it—what I saw, heard, smelled Literary: Shakespeare, Milton, Dan Brown, Bryce Courtney, Tara Moss Workplace: to get things done You learn to use the first three all these years and when you move to corporate world, you are expected to use the fourth one. Resulting, during your appraisals you were told to work on your communication skills. Workplace Writing requires different techniques… You don’t believe me? Read further. The given two images will explain the difference between the academic writing and business writing- So you see, what you do in your academic writing, is no more relevant in your business writing. The workplace writing requires you to reverse the triangle. Therefore, in order to turn your written communication into a fluent, effective and satisfying process. You need to understand how to: Reverse the triangle Brainstorm all the ideas that you want to communicate Structure your thoughts in a logical manner Be clear about what you want your reader to know or do (clear call to action). Write to me at archana@archanaparmar.com to know more how you can master your business writing. or Schedule your discover call with me.

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How to structure your business emails?

Business Emails, Business English, Uncategorized, Writing Skills / Archana Parmar

What are some ways that compelling emails can help you to be more productive? Simple: choosing the correct words to communicate will persuade people to respond to your emails. You will obtain the result you’re looking for more accurately and faster, and you’ll save a great deal of time. If you want to improve your business emails and make your business writing more impactful, you’ve come to the right place. What you write and how you write will have an impact on how people see you & your firm, whether you’re communicating with business clients or coworkers, managers or subordinates. Not only that, but your writing could mean the difference between a stalled project and a completed one. Always ensure that your email has a clear and logical structure, regardless of the topic, purpose, or receiver. Include all of the following components in your business emails for optimum effectiveness: introduction + details + action + closing. INTRODUCTION Begin by addressing the receiver as “Dear Name.” The most prevalent ones in today’s corporate sector, from more formal to less formal, are “Hello Name” or “Hi Name.” Introduce yourself by email. Begin with a cheerful and friendly tone, including some basic background information, the main reason for your letter (explain them what’s going on right away), and a brief summary of the following steps. Example: Hello Lata Michael has asked me to send you an email to confirm that I will be able to come to New Delhi in September to conduct a product training course with your IT staff. I’m available any time throughout the first two weeks of the month. DETAILS Do they require any other information or background? If that’s the case, you’ll want to mention it in this section. Short paragraphs should be used to break up your email (no longer than 4 or 5 lines each). Bullet points assist in organising your thoughts, also the material will appear clearer to the reader, be more visually appealing, & be easier to scan. Here’s a rough estimate of the costs: • Fee for a trainer: INR 9000 per day (this will probably be a two-day course) • The cost of a flight is roughly INR 4000. • The cost of a night’s stay is approximately INR 3000. ACTION What’s the next logical step? Tell them exactly what they need to accomplish (agree on meeting schedule, approve the budget, or proofread a document, for example). Let them know if they don’t need to do anything after receiving your email. Kindly let us know whether you can manage these fees. I’ll arrange flights and make hotel reservations once I receive your confirmation. We can save costs if we book weeks in advance. CLOSING Always (always) say thank you if they have to do something. Before signing, you can say “Have a wonderful day” or “All the best.” Thank you for your support, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns concerning this training course. Have a wonderful day, Archana Note: You want people to read and act on your emails. Ready? Let’s get the ball rolling!

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3-step formula to become an effective communicator

Business Emails, Business English, Communication, English language, Vocabulary / Archana Parmar

If you’re like most people who lack confidence to communicate, or the ones who don’t find suitable words to express themselves, then you’re always looking for a better way to conduct yourself. But it seems like a never ending practice. Good news: now you too can gain the confidence to communicate effectively by following a 3- step proven method below. These steps include: Step 1: Build your vocabulary – you need not learn the whole dictionary by heart, instead focus on topic specific vocabulary. Step 2: Polish your oral communication- identify the fears that stop you from performing well. Deal with them one by one. Step 3: Business Writing- what are the written tasks that you are supposed to perform on a daily basis? Let’s take a look at each of these steps in a little more detail… Step 1: Build your vocabularyThis first step is pretty simple. What you need to do is identify your routine job and make a list of tasks that you perform on a daily basis. For example, follow-up with your sales team. Now a lot of people tend to end up confused as to how to remember all the word. Usually you can avoid that by switching the most frequently words by their synonyms. For example, use essential instead of important. Once you’ve completed this first step, then move onto the next step… Step 2: Polish your oral communicationFor this step you’ll need to make a list of the activities that requires you to speak- presentations? daily meetings? . What you’ll do is structure your talks before hand by adding an introduction, body, supporting statement or example, and conclusion. Let me share with you three tips for making this step go more smoothly… Tip 1: [Introduction]. [Tell them what you are going to tell them] Tip 2: [Deliver]. [Tell them what you have to tell them along with some examples/anecdotes] Tip 3: [Conclusion]. [Tell them what you just told them by summarizing it] Once you’ve completed this step, then move onto the next one…Step 3: Business WritingFor this step, you need to identify different tasks that you are required to write. See if there is any pattern in them? Can these be templatized? One word of warning: people prefer a cut/copy paste approach for these things, remember- customization is the key in making an impact. ConclusionSo there you have it – a quick and easy 3-step process for becoming an effective communicator. Let’s recap the steps: Step 1: Build your vocabulary – you need not learn the whole dictionary by heart, instead focus on topic specific vocabulary.  Step 2: Polish your oral communication- identify the fears that stop you from performing well. Deal with them one by one.  Step 3: Business Writing- what are the written tasks that you are supposed to perform on a daily basis? Now there’s just one thing left for you to do – take action! So go ahead and give yourself the permission to be a better communicator. And do it today, because the sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll reach your destination. I’ve got your back. Write to me at archana@archanaparmar.com Order your copy of my book ‘Business English and Leadership Communication’ – kindle or paperback

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How to Explain Facts Without Data Dumping

Business English, Communication / Archana Parmar

How to explain facts without Data Dumping You have spent sleepless nights and prepared your speech and presentation, next day very excitedly you deliver it, and instead of applause, you receive a tiring or questioning glare from the audience. This was a data-dump talk. Data dump has many formats, sometimes in a collection of slides and sometimes in just one. I have never seen an info dump that improved a speech; instead, it thwarts the conversation; instead, it introduces a topic in a shallow manner that the audience will be clueless about the work’s conceptual concerns. The worst kind of data dump is when you provide a quantity of data that can’t be absorbed in a short time. Yes, information is essential but knowing how much to provide is the skill you must learn. Ditch the habit of bombarding with stats and figures without adequately explaining it to educate, inspire and connect with your audience. Remember, you are the performer, not your data. The Art and Science of telling your data The human brain has its way of functioning. The left and right halves of the brain home different kinds of reasoning, according to scientists. The left side associates with structure, sequence, form, and order and operates linearly. The right side is responsible for creativity and surrounds concepts and connections that cannot be defined logically. Often people present the facts and data applying the left-brain approach when needed is a right-brain process. Most presenters bring logic, structure, and form when the right brain yet rebounds around the right brain. Why? Business people are result oriented instead of process-oriented unless it is about long-time strategy making, product designing, and problem-solving. For a process like a presentation, you have to reduce the time frame and deliver the message. Let your right brain complete the conscious cycle’s operation first, and then use your left brain’s structure. Focus, prepare, and then let the information flow. The entire thing is about timing and how to be creative and logical at the same time. A presentation or a speech starts with the creative process. Remember, people who reject data absorb information. How you do it is the skill that can set you apart from your competition. How to explain your data? Without proper understanding or analysis of your data, you will end up trash dumping. So, what you can do is find the nuggets and profit from them. For instance, suppose you have to give a presentation about a product, instead of listing the features, tell a story. Find a customer usage case and discuss that: How the product changed the customer’s life for the better? Ipod was introduced as your travelling companion with 1000 songs in your pocket so you need not bother about forgetting your favourite CD or Cassette (oh yes, these things existed). Steve Jobs didn’t do the data-dumping. Or create a story with the product in its climax. Or discuss the customer’s personality who may buy and use the product. Or talk about how the product will change the audience’s life. Form the story structure, talk about the trouble and the solution. People can relate and help them understand better. Engage your audience; that’s the purpose. That’s the way it has to be done. Tell stories to create a difference between forgettable boring speeches and conversations that people remember. Just the way Steve Jobs first showed the world the iPhone. Winding Up Address information as a raw ingredient that has to be processed with your creativity and produce your speech, which the audience would love to receive. When you rely more on the type of content, you take a longer time to deliver, and you make your audience see through many boring slides (which they can’t remember) and your back towards the most crucial element present there: your audience. Avoid info-dumping, or you will lose your audience and your ability to connect, inspire and convince.

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Tricks on how to negotiate and ask questions as a leader

Business English, Uncategorized / Archana Parmar

When you are a business leader and have to use English in your career, make sure that you create an aura as you speak, not just put words together. You have to focus on vocabulary and specific linguistic structures. No matter what you communicate, you have to create an impression of authority over the language and influence people around you. The surprising power of Questioning It goes beyond your imagination and exchange of views! Improved questioning skills can strengthen managerial effectiveness. For that, you will need to frame your questions before you place them across the table. Taking a calculative measure and giving an explicit thought on this helps you grow in your role and inspire others around you. This will add value to your work and help build a team of skilled people together. Do remember that asking the right question is an essential leadership skill. To be perfect at this, you will need a good command of your language and to achieve this, you must have a good hold over your Business English. Coming to negotiations, if questioning is growing, knowing to negotiate well makes the growth pleasant. To accomplish both, you must be an explorer at heart. You must be aware of data and information and gather essential insights before you speak. Often negotiation skill is not innate; you have to acquire through learning. Also, a situation may be so that you know how to negotiate, but you don’t find the exact words to craft your thoughts thoughtfully. Here, you will need the touch of proficiency. Become a confident negotiator When you are in top positions, you have your struggles, and the way you address them will help you stand out from the competition. I aim to teach you the importance of both language and skills to enhance your Leadership score. You may be a good analyst, a great listener, and encourage team work, but without any ability to communicate right, you cannot attain your goal. You will need strong social skills to become confident with your approach and Leadership communication for useful conversation. If you prefer to distance yourself from a formidable negotiation, let me tell you this is nothing more than a regular discussion. You have to find a way agreeable to all and yet beneficial on purpose. Some tricks on how to negotiate or ask through the process Here, I am sharing 4 Dos to embrace, and 3 DON’Ts to avoid. Do prepare your strategies and how you will express yourself. Be insightful with all data and information and know exactly what to speak. Do know your bottom line. Before you begin a negotiation, you must be clear with the outcome you want. Do listen to others by giving them a chance to place their views and have a healthy interaction. Do apply a friendly approach, be amiable and business-oriented at the same time. Wear smiles and exchange pleasantries and see how smooth the negotiation happens or how well you accomplish a task. Don’t be emotional or get overwhelmed. Don’t question your worth. Keep a note ready with your or your organizations’ accomplishments, strike the deal right in case of negotiations and questioning, and be confident with your analytical skills. Don’t boast after a win. If you negotiated as expected, maintain a calm demeanor as you have done throughout the process. Excellent negotiation skills and questioning potential comes from good business education. With this, you are equipped to succeed in business and life. Take a look into this and sustain personal motivation to grow through life.

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How To Hone Your Leadership Communication With Business English

Business English / Archana Parmar

The pandemic of 2020 nudged us to move towards a digital world. This shift has come up with many opportunities and a few challenges. One among them is effective communication that helps you create a rapport with employees in the physical world and remote presence. Effective leadership communication is a crucial driving force for a company’s success. Leaders are responsible for building trust within organizations and motivate growth at a personal level and for the company as well. Good knowledge of English will help you communicate well and be understood. You must be professional, polite, and confident with your English ability. You need to know the right language- vocabulary, idioms, and phrases that managers must use. Let’s cruise into the aspects to understand how business English will help you. Why must you be conversant in English for leadership roles? For most working adults, being fluent in general English is adequate, but you, as a senior manager and a leader need more. You need to be proficient at an advanced level because you are in-charge of making changes, influencing people around you, and helping businesses grow. Can communicate openly When you are confident with your English ability, you don’t have to avoid phrases. Your words will define you, so make sure you don’t alienate yourself. Appear respectful Confidence breeds within us grace. When you know what to say and what to avoid, you won’t end up belittling anyone. Even you can tell a negative feedback making it sound constructive. When you start spreading professional happiness, your team will respect you. Can build trust and better professional relationship If you are at an impasse with a team member or a colleague, the manner in which you speak will help build a better relationship instead of letting it go sour. When you communicate with a deep understanding of others’ opinions and convey yours more clearly, you can develop healthier and more satisfying associations at work. Avoid wrong communication Maybe you don’t intend to say something, but you may end up offending or hurting sentiments due to a lack of vocabulary. Yes, that happens, and this not just creates a lousy workplace scenario but also lowers self-confidence. With the right words and their usage, you will ace your conversation and not just build a delightful work ambiance, but that will raise your self-esteem too. Poor leadership communication is often the main reason for lack of trust within an organization. Remember that strong leaders communicate with flair. 3 Tricks to keep in mind 1. Avoid asking a “Why.” Instead of questioning “Why,” to understand someone’s thought process, ask “What” or “How.” For instance, instead of saying, “Why do you think so?” you can ask, “How is that relevant to our project?” The former will make the other person act defensive and feel like he has to justify his opinion; the latter approach will encourage him to add more perspectives. 2. Acknowledge others’ efforts When an employee comes with a good idea or finishes a task efficiently, don’t just nod but appreciate using a few magical words. Kind words deliver results, and you create a team of happy and valued people. 3. Frame your statement with a value Don’t just say anything forcefully. Maintain self-integrity and offer ethics by framing your sentences with the right words to impart positivity. Winding Up Becoming a leader and delivering leadership are two different things. How you communicate, what you say, makes a huge difference. I have shared a few clues on how to leverage your communication skill with Business English. There is more to know and accumulate.

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How To Give Effective Feedback, Both Positive And Negative?

Business English / Archana Parmar

Positive feedback is more comfortable to convey, but it is unnerving to give a negative review without sounding rude.

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How to close your emails like a pro

Business Emails, Business English, English language, Writing Skills / Archana Parmar

Making an impact through your written communication can be a difficult task for non-native speakers; here I am sharing sample closing lines for your formal as well as informal emails. Closing lines for (big) requests Thank you (in advance). Any help you can offer me with this would be greatly appreciated. Any feedback you can give me on this would be gratefully accepted. Any assistance you could give me in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your assistance (in this matter). Closing lines when you need a reply I look forward to hearing from you (soon). Looking forward to hearing from you (soon). Please let me know if that’s okay/ if that is acceptable with you/ if that sounds okay/ if you can/ if you can help/ if you need an extension/ if you need to reschedule/ if… Look forward to hearing what you think/ getting your input/… We look forward to receiving your documents/ application/ permission/… Closing lines when you offer more communication/ more help (if needed) If you need any more information, please contact me. If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me (at any time). If you have any questions, please let me know. (In the meantime) if you need any more information, please feel free to email me. Please let me know if there’s anything (else) that I can do to help. If anything about that isn’t clear, please drop me a line. Other closing lines to mention the next contact between you I’m looking forward to seeing you then. I look forward to meeting you then. See you on Monday/ next week/ on…/ next…/ then. Hope we have the chance to meet again soon. I look forward to doing business with you again soon. Can’t wait to see you again! Keep in touch! Write soon! Closing lines for instructions/ commands/ orders Thank you for your cooperation. I appreciate your support/kind guidance. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Closing lines with apologies/ Closing lines when responding to complaints Hope that is okay (with you). Once again, please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused/ for the inconvenience caused/ for the delay/ for… Thanks for your patience./ Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your understanding. Sorry about the complications. Sorry this is taking so long to sort out. Social closing lines/ Friendly closing lines Have a good evening/ day/ weekend/ break/… Hope you have a good vacation/ journey home/… Good luck with…. All the best with… Useful closing greetings for emails Best regards Sincerely yours Sincerely Yours Best wishes Regards All the best Bye for now Take care Kind regards Join my 3 day email writing course for FREE here.

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What is your purpose of learning Business English ?

2 Comments / Business English, Communication, Presentations, Uncategorized, Writing Skills / Archana Parmar

So you decided to advance your conversational skills in English? Congratulations. Improving your language skills can be a great way to move into a better job or even get the job you’ve been dreaming of for a long time. But, have you asked yourself this very important question? Exactly what profile/industry are you aiming for? This is a question many English language learners never really ask! Why am I asking you this question? You see the language we use changes depending on the situation. The type of industry, the work environment, and many other factors will influence the language used in one field from another. Of course some language and communication purposes stay the same, but a lot is different. This isn’t really too hard to understand, but let’s look at a simple example to simplify what I’m talking about here. Imagine two people who work for different companies in different industries. One works for http://microsoft.com as a programmer in the IT industry, and another works as a check-in attendant for Ethiad Airways in the airline transportation industry. Both require business English, but quite clearly the language the programmer uses to talk with “client/colleague/partner” will be very different from the language the check-in attendant uses. You won’t hear the programmer asking a client “Do you want an aisle or window seat?” very often. Nor will you find an airline attendant telling his or her supervisor that the latest sub-routine has a bug in it that is causing client’s computers to crash. This just makes simple sense. The work you do, the place you work, and the people you work with will all affect the language that you use on a daily basis. So, when you are studying English for business purposes, you need to remember a very important thing. You need to study the general business English that will be common in most business situations, but you also need to focus on the language that is specific to the business world that you will be working in. A combination of both of these is critical to your success. If you cannot use the language of your industry because you don’t really know it, you will have a very hard time getting (or keeping) a job. Pro tip: when learning Business English make sure it industry specific as well. What’s the Difference Between Business English and General English? Drop me a line at archana@archanaparmar.com to learn about the ways you can incorporate industry specific content to your Business English lessons.

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3 reasons you cannot speak fluent english

Business English, Communication, English language, Non-verbal, Presentations, Speaking Skills, Uncategorized / Archana Parmar

Speaking skills cover a wide range, from engaging in simple conversation to formal public speaking. It certainly plays a vital role in communication process. It is the most important type from the types of linguistic activities. Developing speaking skills help in creating an effective connection among the individuals’ network. Yeah! I am getting overtly expressive with the importance of speaking skills. Now some technical part, speaking is a complicated mental process and a productive skill. Producing speech is not a single skill, rather speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing information. Effective Speaking includes two categories; accuracy and fluency. This means that developing speaking skill involves the correct use of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and having the ability to speak spontaneously. Doing all of this at the same time brings in the ‘unwanted guest’ here: ANXIETY. Speaking is affected by these variables; therefore, foreign language speaking anxiety is one of the most prominent factors that has a negative influence on the oral performance of speakers of other language learning English whether as a second language or a foreign Language. Anxiety is a negative way to present human feelings. When we are anxious we feel nervous, worried and fearful. It is usually associated with unpleasant feeling and is similar to fear. Anxiety in communicating in a second language, especially when that language is English can have an adverse effect and can influence the speakers’ targeted goals. There can be different reasons behind these anxiety attacks: Lack of preparation Feeling of covering too many points in a short period of time Fear of being judged by the audience Now that we know the problem, let’s have a look at the solutions to cure these problems. Identify your fears: you can’t work on improving yourself until you identify the problems. Introspection is the key here. Accept the problems and share your feelings with others or write them down- read aloud for as long as you are unaffected by how it sounds. Mistakes are the best way to learn so that we are less likely to keep making them. The most important step is to keep practicing. Always remember you are learning to master a second or may be a third language while many native speakers do not even speak a second language. Schedule a free 30 minutes session with me to understand how you can overcome this anxiety. Or write to me at archana@archanaparmar.com

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