Part 1 - Presentation Skills

Tom is presenting the sales figures from last quarter. Can you pick out the key phrases that you can use in your presentation?

Key Phrases

Be clear about what the audience can expect from the presentation:
I'd like to present…

Clearly explain your slides and illustrations:
This chart illustrates…
As you can see…

Provide further insight into your presentation:
We believe… was due to…

Quote reliable sources to bolster your own analysis:
Analysts expect it to hold.

Lastly, remember to always allow time for questions:
Are there any questions?

Crucial Phrases for a Stellar Presentation

• I'd like to present…
• Let's take a closer look at this chart.
• Sales reached a peak
• Sales have bottomed out
• This curve here indicates an all-time low.
• Sales have plummeted drastically.
• We can expect a climb in sales

Part 2 - Negotiation Skills

Amy runs a food production facility. She would like Jim’s company to enforce safety measures in her facility and to ensure all machines are in good working condition. How are your negotiation skills compared to Jim’s and Amy’s? Can you do better?

Key Phrases

Start negotiations on a positive note! Begin by expressing your desire to come to an agreement:
Good to see you again. I hope we can reach an agreement today.

Get them comfortable about saying ‘Yes’. When talks threaten to fall apart, get your counterpart to agree on something small:
I’m sure you will agree that…

Show your willingness to compromise:
I understand. I’m willing to…

Never rush into anything! If you need more time, say so!
I need a little more time to consider your offer.

Crucial Phrases for a Stellar Presentation

• I’m willing to compromise
• Is that your best offer?
• I’m sure you will agree that…
• I’m afraid I can’t accept your terms
• I will accept your terms if…
• I see your point, but…
• Let’s put this in writing.
• I’m afraid I’ll need more time to think about it
• What do you think if we…

Part 3 - General Discussion

John has called a meeting to discuss ways to improve the company’s reach to its customers. Can you pick out key phrases that you might use when you’re in a meeting?

Key Phrases

When leading a meeting, open with a greeting like:
Good morning!

State the purpose of the meeting so everyone is on the same page:
We're here today to discuss how we may reach our customers better.

Be confident when expressing your views!
In my opinion…

When expressing your disagreement, you may say:
I'm afraid I can't agree with you.

It’s also good to follow your disagreement with advice. You may start with:
I suggest…

If you didn’t hear it the first time, don’t be afraid to ask someone to repeat themselves.
Could you repeat that, please?

And if you can’t understand something, speak up and ask the person for clarification.
I don’t quite follow you. What exactly do you mean?

You may also express your agreement by saying:
I have to agree…

Finally, close the meeting by thanking everyone.
That’s it for today. We’ll meet again in a week’s time. Thanks for coming everyone!

Crucial Phrases for a Stellar Presentation

• Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming.
• Let’s review the minutes from the last meeting
• I see your point.
• Are we ready to make a decision?
• Could you repeat that, please?
• In my opinion...

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

And here’s your cheat sheet to all the phrases you’ll ever need in a business meeting. Don’t forget to keep it close!

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Opening a Meeting

• Since everyone is here, we should get started.
• Hello, everyone. Thanks for coming.
• I think we'll begin now. First I'd like to welcome you all.
• Thank you all for coming at such short notice.
• I really appreciate you all for coming today.
• We have a lot to cover today, so we really should begin.
• Right then, let’s get down to business. On the agenda today…
• Let’s review the minutes from the last meeting.

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Interrupting

• May I have a word?
• Excuse me for interrupting, but…

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Sharing Your Opinion

• I really feel that...
• In my opinion...
• The way I see it…
• I do believe that…

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Asking for Opinion

• Do you think that...
• What do you think?
• Would you like to add anything, (name of participant)?
• Has anyone else got anything to add?
• How do you feel about…

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Show That You Understand

• Good point!
• I see your point.
• I see what you mean.
• That’s true. I never thought about it that way before.
• You have a point there.

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Suggestions and Advice

• Why don’t we…
• I strongly believe we should…
• I recommend…
• We should...
• Why don't you....
• How about…
• What if…
• We could try…
• I suggest that…
• I recommend that...

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Agreeing

• Exactly!
• That's exactly how I feel.
• I have to agree with (name of participant).
• I’m in favour of (name of participant)’s plan.

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Disagreeing

• I'm afraid I can't agree
• That may be true, however…
• On the contrary!

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Making Sure You Got Your Point Across

• Do you see what I'm getting at?
• Let me put it this way…
• I'd just like to repeat that...
• Do you have any questions?
• Have I made that clear?

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Making a Request

• Would you mind if…
• I wonder if you could...

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Asking for Repetition

• I didn't catch that. Could you repeat that, please?
• I missed that. Could you say it again, please?
• Could you run that by me one more time?

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Asking for Clarification

• I'm afraid I don't quite understand. Could you explain it to me again?
• Could you explain to me how that is going to work?
• I don't see what you mean. Could we have some more details, please?
• I’m sorry. I didn’t understand that. What exactly do you mean?
• Do you mean…?
• You mean…?
• So, what you’re saying is…

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Making Sure You Got It Right

• Do you mean that...?
• Is it true that...?

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Giving a Compliment

• Excellent idea!
• Good job!
• That’s brilliant!

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Disputing Information

• That can’t be right.
• I'm afraid you don't understand what I'm saying.
• That's not quite what I had in mind.
• That's not what I meant.
• That is not right.
• Sorry, I don’t believe that’s right.

Part 4 - Most Useful Phrases

Keeping the Meeting on Time

• That seems to be all the time we have today.
• Please be brief.
• I'm afraid we've run out of time.
• Let’s save this for the next meeting.
• That's not really why we're here today.
• We'll have to leave that to another time.
• We're beginning to lose sight of the main point.
• Keep to the point, please.
• I think we'd better leave that for another meeting.
• Are we ready to make a decision?