{"id":147814,"date":"2015-09-21T16:45:29","date_gmt":"2015-09-21T20:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/how-to-speak-business-english\/"},"modified":"2025-02-26T05:11:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T10:11:16","slug":"how-to-speak-business-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/how-to-speak-business-english\/","title":{"rendered":"200+ Essential Business English Phrases and Idioms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you want to succeed in the connected world of business, English is a very important language to know.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s a good idea to know at least some important business English phrases and idioms.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In this guide, you&#8217;ll learn many useful expressions and tips that you can use in any workplace that has English speakers.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ve already covered some common terms on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@FluentUEnglish\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube channel<\/a> but you&#8217;ll find more in the post below:<\/p>\n<p><lite-youtube videoid=\"JbjPUziVbpE\"><\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n<p>[fluentu-toc skip=3]<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Common Business English Phrases and Idioms<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/Business-Meeting-Phrases.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-99140 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/Business-Meeting-Phrases.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>1. Get a business off the ground<\/h3>\n<p>The business has been registered with its own name, the employees are hired and the product or service is ready to be offered to the public. In other words, the owner <em>got his or her business off the ground.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;After finding the right investors and securing enough capital (money to start with), we finally <b>got our business off the ground<\/b> and opened our first store in Toronto.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. From the ground up<\/h3>\n<p>Similar to the last one, if you build a business or project from zero or from the bottom, you\u2019re starting <em>from the ground up<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Have you read the news about the enterprising 12-year-old who\u2019s building her business <strong>from the ground up<\/strong>?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Long shot<\/h3>\n<p>Imagine you\u2019re throwing a dart at a target from a long distance. What are the chances of it hitting the bullseye (the exact center of the target)?<\/p>\n<p>A <em>long shot<\/em> is an idiom that\u2019s used to describe something that has a very small chance of happening or succeeding.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Landing such a high-paying job is a <strong>long shot<\/strong> but I\u2019m still going to give it a try.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Bring to the table<\/h3>\n<p>To\u00a0<em>bring<\/em>\u00a0[something]\u00a0<em>to the table<\/em> means to bring something of use or value (skills, experience, etc.) to a job or business activity (project, meeting, etc.).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We need someone on the team who can <strong>bring<\/strong>\u00a0project management experience\u00a0<strong>to the table<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5. Learning the ropes<\/h3>\n<p>Imagine that you&#8217;re on a sailboat. The first thing you would learn is how to tie knots and work the sails. In other words, you would learn how all the ropes work!<\/p>\n<p><em>To learn the ropes<\/em> means to learn how to do your job or a particular task, especially if you have no previous experience. Because of this, it&#8217;s commonly used when referring to new employees in training.<\/p>\n<p>If you instead say &#8220;to teach someone the ropes,&#8221; you can use it to describe a boss or more senior person helping a new employee understand their role and responsibilities.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Hey Paul, how&#8217;s your new job?&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8220;It&#8217;s great but I&#8217;ve only been there for two weeks so I&#8217;m still <strong>learning the ropes<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I&#8217;ve got a great manager who&#8217;s been <strong>teaching me the ropes, <\/strong>so I&#8217;m learning quickly!&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>6. Learning curve<\/h3>\n<p>A\u00a0<em>learning curve<\/em> is used to describe the progress needed to gain experience or learn a new skill set. A steep learning curve indicates the task may be difficult and therefore take more effort.<\/p>\n<p>You can imagine a chart showing a curving line\u2014if it goes up quickly, then it looks like a big hill or mountain.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;She is welcome to join our team, but there will be a steep <strong>learning curve<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>7. Go the extra mile<\/h3>\n<p>To\u00a0<em>go the extra mile<\/em>\u00a0means to give more effort or do more than what\u2019s expected of you.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Anyone would be glad to have Pam on their team. She\u2019s a great team player and is always willing to <strong>go the extra mile<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>8. A win-win situation<\/h3>\n<p>You might hear that something is a <em>win-win situation,<\/em> or that something is <em>win-win <\/em>in both business and regular English. It describes a situation where everybody involved in the event or deal &#8220;wins.&#8221; Each person gains benefits from the outcome.<\/p>\n<p>In business, it&#8217;s often used during negotiations or trades, where both parties receive something that they need from the other.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The deal is simple, we give them office space and they give us the new equipment that we need.&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8220;It sounds like a <strong>win-win situation<\/strong> to me!&#8221;\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>9. Overplay your hand<\/h3>\n<p>Be careful that you don\u2019t\u00a0<em>overplay your hand<\/em>. Being too confident about your work or showing off too much can lower your chance of success.<\/p>\n<p>This saying comes from card games like poker, where players should always be careful not to show too many of their cards all at once.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;My cousin <strong>overplayed his hand<\/strong> and ended up losing his job.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>10. Get down to business<\/h3>\n<p>Business meetings usually begin with some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/english-small-talk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">small talk<\/a> while waiting for everyone to arrive. When it\u2019s time to start seriously focusing on the actual work, it\u2019s time to\u00a0<em>get down to business<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We\u2019ve got plenty of topics to cover in today&#8217;s meeting so let\u2019s <strong>get down to business<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>11. Get down to brass tacks<\/h3>\n<p>Again: let\u2019s get on with the business at hand. You might hear this at the start of a business meeting, after some brief introductions or socializing.<\/p>\n<p>One possible reason for saying &#8220;brass tacks&#8221; is because long ago, brass-metal tacks were used as the most basic, required things to hold up furniture.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Now that everyone&#8217;s here, <strong>let&#8217;s get down to brass tacks<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>12. A ballpark number\/ figure \/ estimate<\/h3>\n<p>This phrase, like many other business expressions, is related to sports. The <em>ballpark<\/em> is the sports ground or stadium where baseball is played.<\/p>\n<p>Giving <em>a ballpark figure<\/em> means giving an estimate of the value, time or number of something. It&#8217;s used when the specific amount or number is not yet known or agreed upon but an estimate is required.<\/p>\n<p>A ballpark is very large! So, this expression is specifically used for giving a very rough estimate or a large range in value.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;To give you <strong>a ballpark figure,<\/strong> the new project will take between one and three months to complete.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>13. The bottom line<\/h3>\n<p>You may know that the last or bottom line on a financial statement is the most important. It shows the total profit or loss. So the phrase <em>the bottom line<\/em> is used to refer to the final outcome or the most important point to consider.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;It\u2019s true that we\u2019re very short-handed, but <strong>the bottom line<\/strong> is we must still deliver the project on time.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>14. Smooth sailing<\/h3>\n<p>Think of the business as a sailboat. The skies are blue and the water is calm. When everything is going well and without any problems, we call it <em>smooth sailing<\/em>. The opposite situation can be called <em>rough waters<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Once the company overcame the country\u2019s bureaucracy, it was\u00a0<strong>smooth\u00a0sailing<\/strong> from then on.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>15. The big picture<\/h3>\n<p><em>The big picture<\/em> means to look at the overall view of something, or the situation as a whole and not the smaller details.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;I think his presentation was too long and detailed. He should\u2019ve just given us <strong>the big picture<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>16. In a nutshell<\/h3>\n<p>Have you seen a nutshell? Think of how small it is and how little it can hold. So, <em>in a nutshell<\/em>\u00a0means in summary, or in as few words as possible.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;This book is about successful businesspeople and how they reached the top. <strong>In a nutshell<\/strong>, it\u2019s about how to grow a successful business.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>17. Gray area<\/h3>\n<p>When you say that something is <em>black and white<\/em>, it means that there&#8217;s a very clear right side and wrong side.<\/p>\n<p>The color gray is between black and white. When something is in a <em>gray area<\/em>, it means the situation isn\u2019t certain. In a gray area there are no clear rules and it&#8217;s hard to say if it\u2019s right or wrong.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;You have many good points in your proposal but there\u2019s one <strong>gray area<\/strong> we need to discuss.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>18. Red tape<\/h3>\n<p><em>Red tape<\/em> refers to strong regulations and rules that you need to follow before you can get your work done. They can make things extra challenging for any worker.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Our project is stalled because we ran into some <strong>red tape<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>19. The wrong end of the stick<\/h3>\n<p><em>The wrong end of the stick <\/em>refers to a total misunderstanding of a situation, plan or idea.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Jackie&#8217;s not in charge of this project&#8230; Mark is. Seems like you got <strong>the wrong end of the stick<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>20. Walking papers<\/h3>\n<p>If you&#8217;re given your <em>walking papers<\/em>, it means you have received a notice that you&#8217;re being fired or laid off from your job.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Did you hear? The boss just gave Brett his <strong>walking papers<\/strong>!&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>21. Back to square one<\/h3>\n<p><em>Back to square\u00a0one<\/em> means to start over, or to go back to the beginning.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;I wish I\u2019d saved my spreadsheet before the server crashed. Now I have to go <strong>back to square one<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>22. Call it a day<\/h3>\n<p>When your work has been completed for the day, or when you decide to stop working on an activity, you can <em>call it a day<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Now that we\u2019ve completed the outline for the new project, let\u2019s <strong>call it a day<\/strong>.&#8221;\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases for Business Communication<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/A-senior-business-executive-delivering-a-presentation-to-his-colleagues-during-a-meeting-or-in-house-business-training.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-98244 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/A-senior-business-executive-delivering-a-presentation-to-his-colleagues-during-a-meeting-or-in-house-business-training.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>1. Word of mouth<\/h3>\n<p><em>Word of mouth<\/em> refers to the spread of information verbally (by speaking). In regards to business, it usually refers to people telling other people about your business, product or service.<\/p>\n<p>Note that this expression is commonly used to talk positively about something.<\/p>\n<p>If someone has a good experience with your product, then they may tell their friend about it, and that friend might tell another friend and so on\u2014and before long, everyone is talking about your product! This is known as <em>word-of-mouth marketing.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Hi, if you don&#8217;t mind me asking, how did you find out about our shop?&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8220;I heard about it through <strong>word of mouth<\/strong>. Everybody kept telling me how great your products are!&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Touch base<\/h3>\n<p>This is another business phrase that comes from a sport. In baseball, the bases are where the batter runs to after striking the ball. In business English, to <em>touch base<\/em> means to briefly connect with or re-contact someone.<\/p>\n<p>This contact is often short and just used to check in with somebody. For example, if you&#8217;re working with a colleague on a project, you can <em>touch base<\/em> with them about their progress or about a part of the project that you&#8217;re waiting for them to finish.<\/p>\n<p>This expression is often used in emails.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Hi Sarah, I just wanted to <strong>touch base<\/strong> with you to see if we&#8217;re still scheduled to complete the first phase of the project by next Monday.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. On the same page<\/h3>\n<p>To be <em>on the same page<\/em> means to be in agreement or to hold the same views about something with others.<\/p>\n<p>This is a very common English expression and is used in both everyday English and business English.<\/p>\n<p>You might also hear this expression as a question: &#8220;Are we on the same page?&#8221; This is the same as asking, &#8220;Do we agree?&#8221;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Next month we need to cut spending by 20%. Are we all <strong>on the same page<\/strong> about this?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Play hardball<\/h3>\n<p>Anyone who\u00a0<em>plays hardball<\/em> is tough, unchanging and will not take \u201cno\u201d for an answer. Negotiating with these types\u00a0can be a real challenge!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Joe&#8217;s the nicest guy I know, but he can <strong>play hardball<\/strong> when he needs to.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5. Generate buzz<\/h3>\n<p>When a company uses marketing strategies and gets people talking about a product, possibly even before it&#8217;s released, it&#8217;s called to <em>generate buzz<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When thousands of people talk about a company, they are buzzing and making noise like bees. When people talk, there\u2019s a better chance that they will go check out what all the buzz is about.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Before its summer release, the movie was already <b>generating a lot of buzz<\/b> in the media.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>6. Meet up<\/h3>\n<p>To meet up means to come together to talk. It usually means having a short, informal meeting with a small group of people.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s often used with prepositions such as \u201cin,\u201d \u201cat\u201d and \u201cwith\u201d to tell where, at what time or with whom you will meet up.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Since we have a few problems to discuss, let\u2019s\u00a0<strong>meet up\u00a0<em>in<\/em><\/strong> my office.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>7. Schedule a meeting<\/h3>\n<p>A schedule is a plan of times and events, but it can also be used as a verb. To schedule means to plan a date and time for a certain event.<\/p>\n<p><strong>To schedule a meeting<\/strong> means to choose a date, time and place to meet with another person or a group of people.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Let\u2019s <strong>schedule a meeting<\/strong> for this Tuesday to discuss any problems.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Expressions About Teamwork<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/English-for-Accounting.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-99394 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/English-for-Accounting.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>1. There\u2019s no \u201cI\u201d in team<\/h3>\n<p><em>There\u2019s no \u201cI\u201d in team<\/em> means that no one particular person takes all the credit for the achievements of a group effort. It\u2019s kind of a cute phrase because the word \u201cteam\u201d is truly not spelled using the letter \u201cI.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<strong>There&#8217;s no &#8220;I&#8221; in team<\/strong>; we failed at this project together.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Team player<\/h3>\n<p>Lots of companies want to hire strong <em>team players<\/em>. They want someone who gets along well with others and supports a collaborative work environment.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;I love doing projects with Kate because she&#8217;s such a great <strong>team player<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Step up to the plate<\/h3>\n<p>Here\u2019s another of those baseball-themed business English expressions! Imagine now a baseball player going up to the home plate to bat. It&#8217;s a very important moment that can be pretty scary.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u00a0<em>step up to the plate<\/em>, you take on a role or responsibility\u2014usually a difficult one that others don\u2019t want. This is a quality that companies look for in strong leaders.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;After the sales numbers dropped last quarter, David really <strong>stepped up to the plate<\/strong> and turned things around for the company.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Pass the buck<\/h3>\n<p>When you\u00a0<em>pass the buck<\/em>, you make excuses and pass blame to someone else if things don\u2019t go as planned. Someone who\u00a0passes the buck\u00a0probably isn\u2019t a great\u00a0team player, and they\u2019re definitely not a good leader.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Josh lost us that client, but he tried to <strong>pass the buck<\/strong> to Samuel.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5. Form a team<\/h3>\n<p>It means gathering a group of people to work on the project.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The first thing a project manager does is\u00a0<strong>form a team<\/strong> of staff who are best\u00a0for the project.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>6. Team up with<\/h3>\n<p>Similarly to the above, it means joining together to work as a team.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Sometimes on a big project, you may need to\u00a0<strong>team up with<\/strong> other companies.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>7. Pitch in<\/h3>\n<p>To <em>pitch in<\/em> means to join in to help with a job or project.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Everyone will have to\u00a0<strong>pitch in<\/strong> their ideas. We need each team member to share\u00a0five ideas at the meeting on\u00a0Monday.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Expressions About Time Management<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/Time-Management.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-99432 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/Time-Management.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>1. From day one<\/h3>\n<p>This means \u201csince the beginning.\u201d You often hear the phrase\u00a0<em>from day one<\/em>\u00a0used in the workplace to talk about something that has been true\u00a0since the very first day\u00a0a project or business began.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We need to hire more people immediately. We\u2019ve been short-handed <strong>from day one<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. The eleventh hour<\/h3>\n<p><em>The\u00a0eleventh hour<\/em> is used to describe something that\u2019s done or happens very close to the end or deadline. Think of 11 p.m. being just one hour away from 12 a.m., the start of the next day.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The project manager won\u2019t be pleased about them changing the design at <strong>the eleventh hour<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Need it yesterday<\/h3>\n<p>If your manager says, <em>\u201cI need it yesterday,\u201d<\/em> they don&#8217;t expect you to make a time machine. What your manager really means, \u201cThis should have been done sooner. I need it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Where is that report? <strong>I need it yesterday<\/strong>. I&#8217;m going to be late for the meeting now.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. ASAP<\/h3>\n<p><em>ASAP<\/em> is an acronym for \u201cas soon as possible.\u201d Unsurprisingly, in business contexts, you&#8217;ll hear <em>ASAP <\/em>quite often\u2014it&#8217;s as common in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/business-english\/business-administration-vocabulary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">administrative vocabulary<\/a> as in marketing and everywhere else!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Please tell Mr. Huang to call his client back <strong>ASAP<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5. 24\/7<\/h3>\n<p>When under pressure, many employees say they are working\u00a024\/7: 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This doesn\u2019t mean they are actually working all day, every day, of course.<\/p>\n<p>The term\u00a0<em>24\/7 <\/em>is used to express hard work and long hours, usually to avoid finishing projects at the eleventh hour.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;This marketing project is killing me. I&#8217;ve been working <strong>24\/7<\/strong> and it just won&#8217;t end!&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>6. To pencil it in<\/h3>\n<p>This expression is used to talk about setting a date for an upcoming event\u2014like a meeting, presentation or lunch\u2014that might not actually happen on the scheduled time or date.<\/p>\n<p>Since you&#8217;re only using a pencil (and not something more permanent like a pen), you&#8217;re leaving open the possibility of canceling or rescheduling the event.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Hi Maria, can we meet next Tuesday at 1 p.m. to chat about the upcoming campaign?&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8220;I&#8217;m not too sure about my schedule. Let&#8217;s <strong>pencil it in\u00a0<\/strong>and see closer to the date, ok?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>7. Start from scratch<\/h3>\n<p>This term is used when you need to start something new from nothing. It can also be used when you redo something from the beginning.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Since we will be\u00a0<strong>starting from scratch\u00a0<\/strong>on this project, we will make the plan as we go along.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>8. Define the phases<\/h3>\n<p>This expression means to break down the project into smaller parts, or phases.<\/p>\n<p>A\u00a0phase\u00a0is one part in a series of actions or events. For example, in a library project, the design phase comes before the building phase.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We must wait for the project team to <strong>define the phases<\/strong> before we can start work.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>9. Set deadlines<\/h3>\n<p>A <em>deadline<\/em> is a date or time when a completed job is due. So, to <em>set a deadline<\/em> means to mark the time when something should be done.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We have <strong>set deadlines<\/strong> for each phase except the design phase. Does anyone know how long the design will take?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>10. Meet the deadline <\/h3>\n<p><em>To\u00a0meet a deadline<\/em>\u00a0means that you finish the task by the deadline.\u00a0For example, say you need to\u00a0send in your job application\u00a0by Friday at 3:00.<\/p>\n<p>To meet the deadline, you send in your job application on Friday at noon. If you send in your job application on Friday at 4:00, you did not meet the deadline (because you were too late).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We may have to work longer hours to\u00a0<strong>meet the deadline<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>11. Behind schedule<\/h3>\n<p>It means that something is overdue or will be done later than planned.<\/p>\n<p>If your project was due on Monday, but it&#8217;s now Thursday, you&#8217;re <em>behind schedule<\/em>. The project was supposed to be finished by now, but you\u2019re still working on it.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;When the project manager hears that the project is <strong>behind schedule<\/strong>, she will want to know the reason why.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>12. Ahead of schedule<\/h3>\n<p>To be completed earlier than planned.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Imagine that\u00a0today is Monday and your project is due on Friday. If you finish it tomorrow,\u00a0on\u00a0Tuesday, then\u00a0you\u2019ve finished it early and are ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The project manager is happy that the project is <strong>ahead of schedule<\/strong> and thanked the team for their hard work.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>13. According to schedule<\/h3>\n<p>It means that everything is going as planned, with no delays or time-wasting.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;If the project goes <strong>according to schedule<\/strong>, you can expect a nice bonus this year.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>14. On schedule<\/h3>\n<p>Related to the above, this phrase means that you&#8217;re finishing each task on time and not expecting any delays.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;If we can solve all these problems quickly, we will still be <strong>on schedule<\/strong> to finish the project by the end of this month.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>15. Target date<\/h3>\n<p>It means to have a date to complete something by that time. It&#8217;s similar to a deadline, but it&#8217;s not as strict.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;If we keep missing the\u00a0<strong>target dates<\/strong>, this project will not be completed on time.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Expressions About Money and Finances<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/Economics-Vocabulary.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-99141 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/Economics-Vocabulary.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>1. On a shoestring<\/h3>\n<p>When you do something\u00a0<em>on a shoestring<\/em>, you\u2019re working on a tight budget or with very little money.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;It\u2019s going to be a challenge doing such a big project <strong>on a shoestring<\/strong> but we\u2019ll try our best.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Sleeping partner<\/h3>\n<p>This is a person closely connected to the company who may even be financing it, but there is no\u2014I repeat, <em>no<\/em>\u2014romance going on.<\/p>\n<p>A\u00a0<em>sleeping partner<\/em>\u00a0gets this term because they\u2019re not actively helping to manage the company, though they are invested in it.<\/p>\n<p>Another term for this is\u00a0<em>silent partner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Oh, he doesn&#8217;t really have any say in the way we work. He&#8217;s just a <strong>sleeping partner<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Cash cow<\/h3>\n<p><em>Cash cow<\/em> is a term for a product or investment that provides a steady (or the most) income, usually an amount that is much more than the cost of startup.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the Coca-Cola company sells a lot of products from juices to teas to energy drinks, but the original Coke is likely their cash cow.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;These new products are just additional profit. The <strong>cash cow<\/strong> is our line of cameras.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Deep pockets<\/h3>\n<p>Someone with <em>deep pockets<\/em> has a lot of money to spare. Big pockets have a lot of space for carrying money!<\/p>\n<p>For a company, this can be help in the form of a wealthy investor or group of investors.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Let&#8217;s ask Mrs. Henderson for help. She has <strong>deep pockets<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5. Go belly up<\/h3>\n<p>If a project or business goes\u00a0<em>belly up<\/em>, it has failed to generate profit. This could result in bankruptcy or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.realbusinessrescue.co.uk\/articles\/receivership\/going-into-receivership\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the company going into receivership<\/a>. You can guess the meaning if you understand what it means when an animal (like a fish) has its stomach facing up.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;That new restaurant closed down already because they went <strong>belly up<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>6. Take a bath<\/h3>\n<p>Taking a bath can be a refreshing, relaxing thing. But not in the business world.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u00a0<em>take a bath<\/em>, it means you suffered a heavy financial loss.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The landlord is taking a bath on his property. He has no tenants!&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>7. Tighten your belt<\/h3>\n<p>Just swap the word \u201cbelt\u201d for \u201cbudget,\u201d and this will be easy to remember. If you\u00a0<em>tighten your belt<\/em>, you&#8217;re cutting extra costs and trying to keep your budget lean (small; skinny).<\/p>\n<p>If your company took a bath and losses are severe, it could lead to cuts being made. The company and employees will have to tighten their belts,\u00a0or reduce how much money is spent.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We&#8217;re going to have to <strong>tighten our belts<\/strong>. Unfortunately, our sales last month weren&#8217;t as nearly as high as usual.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>8. A slice of the pie<\/h3>\n<p>When profits soar (go up), you can guarantee employees will be looking for a share of the wealth, or a <em>slice of the pie<\/em>. This business English expression simply refers to a portion of profits or benefits.<\/p>\n<p>You can also say <em>a slice of the cake<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;She wants a bigger <strong>slice of the pie<\/strong> because she knows she&#8217;s the best employee.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>9. The lion\u2019s share<\/h3>\n<p><em>The lion\u2019s share<\/em>\u00a0is the \u201cbulk\u201d or \u201cmajority\u201d of something.<\/p>\n<p>Many well-run businesses reward hard work and it&#8217;s only right that those employees who put in the most time, energy and effort should receive <em>the lion\u2019s share<\/em>, or the bulk of the profits.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Paul has been here for 25 years and definitely gets <strong>the lion&#8217;s share<\/strong> around here.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>10. Golden handcuffs<\/h3>\n<p>These aren&#8217;t police tools. <em>G<\/em><em>olden handcuffs<\/em> are financial incentives (bait, encouragement) given to employees in order to persuade them not to leave a company.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Unlocking your <strong>golden handcuffs<\/strong> will give you much greater peace of mind.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>11. Golden handshake<\/h3>\n<p>Many executives have golden handshake clauses in their contracts. A <em>golden handshake<\/em> is a financial package that the executive will receive if they lose their job.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Mr. Smith&#8217;s <strong>golden handshake<\/strong> served him well. He got $100,000 when he left the company last year.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>12. Kickbacks<\/h3>\n<p>The corporate world is tough. It may be tempting to beat out the competition by giving <em>kickbacks<\/em>, or payments for special favors (like winning a contract).<\/p>\n<p>But kickbacks are often unethical (dishonest) or even illegal\u2014especially if they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/bribery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">could be classified as bribes<\/a>!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The company is facing a government investigation because they think the executives are getting illegal <strong>kickbacks<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>13. Create a budget<\/h3>\n<p>To make a plan on the amount of money to spend and how to spend it.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We need to <strong>create a budget<\/strong> that includes the travel expenses of the project team.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>14. Stay on budget<\/h3>\n<p>To keep within the amount of money you plan to use, and refuse to spend more.<\/p>\n<p>Here is yet another phrase where the\u00a0noun,\u00a0<strong>budget<\/strong>,\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0be used in its plural form (budgets).<\/p>\n<p><strong>For example:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The project manager has reminded us that to <strong>stay on budget<\/strong>, we must remember to keep the costs as low as possible.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>15. <strong>Increase the<\/strong><strong> budget<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>To add more money to the amount you planned to spend.<\/p>\n<p>The opposite of this phrase is to <em>decrease the budget,<\/em>\u00a0which means to take away from the amount of money that you planned to spend.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Management has agreed to <strong>increase the budget<\/strong> to cover the cost of testing the new car.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases When Working on Business Projects<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/why-learn-chinese-e1661778186673.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-183381 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/why-learn-chinese-e1661778186673.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/why-learn-chinese-e1661778186673.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/why-learn-chinese-e1661778186673-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/why-learn-chinese-e1661778186673-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>1. Back to the drawing board<\/h3>\n<p>To go <em>back to the drawing board\u00a0<\/em>means to start over, and look at a failed idea in a new way. You can also use this phrase when you need to rethink a decision.<\/p>\n<p>This expression is commonly used to motivate a team of employees to rework a failure. You can imagine a group of employees removing a failed design from a whiteboard and drawing a new idea. They are starting again by literally going back to the drawing board!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We didn&#8217;t sell any units of our new product.&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8220;OK, let&#8217;s go <strong>back to the drawing board<\/strong> and design a new one.&#8221;\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. To brainstorm an idea<\/h3>\n<p>To <em>brainstorm an idea<\/em> is to openly discuss an idea with your colleagues in a relaxed and free environment.<\/p>\n<p>This is commonly called a\u00a0<em>brainstorming session <\/em>or simply<em> brainstorming. <\/em>The purpose of brainstorming in business is to explore ideas in an open-minded and non-judgmental environment.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Hi everyone, in this meeting we&#8217;re going <strong>to brainstorm ideas<\/strong> for this year&#8217;s new product. Please feel free to share any ideas you have.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Give the green light<\/h3>\n<p>When you&#8217;re driving and the traffic light turns from red to green, what do you do? You move ahead, because green means go.<\/p>\n<p>To <em>give the green light<\/em> term means to give the signal to begin. You can go ahead and now begin the project.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We can\u2019t start the project until management\u00a0<strong>gives the green light<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Kick off<\/h3>\n<p><em>To kick off<\/em> means to officially start the project. This phrase is also used in sports.<\/p>\n<p>In football and soccer, the game will\u00a0<strong>kick\u00a0off<\/strong>\u00a0(begin) when a player kicks the ball to start play.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;As soon as we <strong>kick off<\/strong> the project, we will be very busy.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5. To think outside the box<\/h3>\n<p><em>To think outside the box<\/em> means to think in a creative way that is not typical or traditional. You can use this expression in business when you&#8217;re talking about ideas.<\/p>\n<p>If someone tells you <em>to think outside the box, <\/em>then they&#8217;re telling you to think of a creative solution or idea that may be unexpected or not obvious.<\/p>\n<p>You can imagine the &#8220;box&#8221; as a traditional and obvious solution and <em>outside the box<\/em> as a more creative or abstract solution.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;For our new advertising campaign, we really had to <strong>think outside of the box<\/strong> to come up with something that hadn&#8217;t been done before.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>6. Fifty-fifty<\/h3>\n<p><em>Fifty-fifty<\/em>\u00a0simply means dividing something into equal parts so that both parties get 50%.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Since I\u2019m as busy as you are, let\u2019s split the work for this project <strong>fifty-fifty<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>7. Get the ball rolling<\/h3>\n<p>This phrase means to start a new project or business activity. You can imagine the sports of bowling or soccer for this expression.<\/p>\n<p>It can also be used to describe a small action that leads to the beginning of something. This usually starts with one person. For example, a person can <em>get the ball rolling<\/em> by doing a small task that will eventually become part of a bigger project.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;For our meeting today, Allie will <strong>get the ball rolling<\/strong> by talking about our budget goals for this quarter.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>8. Hit the ground running<\/h3>\n<p>To <em>hit the ground running<\/em> is to begin a task or project with lots of energy and enthusiasm. The expression is commonly used when talking about a new project or idea that requires immediate, fast and lively action.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s also used when talking about taking advantage of an opportunity.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We really need to <strong>hit the ground running<\/strong> with this idea and get our product on the shelves before someone else does.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>10. Corner the market<\/h3>\n<p>When a company becomes more successful than their competitors in developing a product or service, we say they have <strong>cornered the market.<\/strong> It&#8217;s another way of saying they control the market.<\/p>\n<p>Think of this business as a boxer in the ring. It\u2019s got its opponent in the corner, who can\u2019t move out of the way. Its opponent can only put their gloves up in defense.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;In only a short time, the company has been able <b>to corner the<\/b>\u00a0high-definition television\u00a0<b>market<\/b>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>11. Behind the scenes<\/h3>\n<p>The <em>behind the scenes<\/em> of a movie or show shows you the people, tools and directions that are used to make the set.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0In business, this phrase is used to describe something, usually work, that\u2019s done or that happens away from public view.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Organizing a roadshow may look easy, but do you have any idea how much hard work we\u2019ve put in <strong>behind the scenes<\/strong>?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>12. Knuckle down<\/h3>\n<p>Your boss doesn\u2019t want you to chit-chat and waste time! They want you to\u00a0<em>knuckle down<\/em>, or concentrate on your work and get it done.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;All right, quit joking around. We need to <strong>knuckle down<\/strong> and finish this report.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>13. Run around in circles<\/h3>\n<p>To\u00a0<em>run around in circles<\/em>\u00a0means to keep doing something without achieving any real results. In other words, you\u2019re doing a lot of unnecessary work but not getting anywhere.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The deadline is coming up, but we\u2019ve been <strong>running around in circles<\/strong> because the client keeps changing their mind about the design.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>14. Get up to speed<\/h3>\n<p>Did you take some time off from work? Or, did you miss the last meeting?<\/p>\n<p>Either way, you&#8217;ll have to <em>get up to speed<\/em> with everything that you need to know. This expression means to catch up on information, changes or updates that you have missed.<\/p>\n<p>You can also say that the person who is teaching you the missing information is <em>bringing you up to speed.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;It didn&#8217;t take me long <strong>to get up to speed\u00a0<\/strong>with the new laws as my co-worker explained them to me perfectly.&#8221;\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>15. To keep an eye on the ball<\/h3>\n<p>Imagine you have stepped into the stadium with the baseball bat in your hand. Thousands of people are cheering your name but, in your head, you&#8217;re thinking about one thing: You need to keep your eye on the ball.<\/p>\n<p>To <em>keep an eye on the ball<\/em> means to focus on your task or goal closely. It can also be used to encourage someone to pay attention or to watch out.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;When it comes to business negotiations, you really need to <strong>keep an eye on the ball<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>16. Hands are tied<\/h3>\n<p>If\u00a0red tape<i><\/i>\u00a0causes a delay in your project, you\u2019ll have to tell your manager that your\u00a0<em>hands are tied<\/em>. There\u2019s just nothing you can do about the unfortunate situation.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Sorry, we have to extend the deadline. The client hasn&#8217;t returned my call yet and my <strong>hands are tied<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>17. Go down the drain<\/h3>\n<p>A drain is a hole where liquids and waste are sent away. For example, there\u2019s a drain in your sink, shower and toilet.<\/p>\n<p>To\u00a0<em>go down the drain<\/em>\u00a0means that your effort, work or money is wasted or lost.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;If this sales campaign doesn\u2019t succeed, all our hard work will <strong>go down the drain<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>18. By the book<\/h3>\n<p>Doing something\u00a0<em>by the book<\/em>\u00a0means doing it strictly according to the rules, policies or the law.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;I don\u2019t think John will listen to your suggestion. He insists on doing everything <strong>by the book<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>19. Above board<\/h3>\n<p>You want to do things\u00a0<em>above board <\/em>(the ethical and honest way) in business.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We only do things <strong>above board<\/strong> here. If you want a job, you need to apply like everyone else.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>20. To cut corners<\/h3>\n<p>If you&#8217;re <em>cutting corners,<\/em> then you&#8217;re not giving your project everything that you should. It means skipping some steps to reach an outcome as quickly or as cheaply as possible.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s used in a negative way, because something that&#8217;s done by cutting corners might be missing an important part, use cheap materials or not be as good quality overall.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The company <strong>cut corners<\/strong> when making their camera, so it&#8217;s very cheap but it stops working after a few months of use.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>21. Put a plan into action<\/h3>\n<p>This phrase is used when you want to say that you&#8217;re starting to use a plan or idea.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;If we <strong>put this plan into action<\/strong>, we may need more time and more people.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>22. Plan ahead<\/h3>\n<p>To think carefully before taking action.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The project manager\u2019s advice is to <strong>plan ahead<\/strong> so that the project will go smoothly.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>23. Make a plan<\/h3>\n<p>To create a way to do something.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;How should we advertise this new product? Let\u2019s <strong>make a plan<\/strong> now.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>24. Stick to the plan<\/h3>\n<p>To refuse to change from what you have decided, no matter what happens.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you and your friend have decided to go to a movie Friday night. On Friday afternoon, your friend calls to say there is a sale at your favorite store.<\/p>\n<p>She asks if you want to go shopping instead. You\u00a0decide to\u00a0<em>stick to the plan<\/em><strong>,<\/strong>\u00a0meaning that you will still go watch the movie.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Changing the design now will take too much time. Let\u2019s just <strong>stick to the plan<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>25. Review the plan<\/h3>\n<p>To inspect or look carefully again at the plan.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;If we want to include all these new ideas, we will need to <strong>review the plan<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>26. Tasked with<\/h3>\n<p>The verb\u00a0<em>to task<\/em>\u00a0means to give a task (small job) to someone. However, this\u00a0verb is almost always\u00a0used in the passive form with the preposition \u201cwith,\u201d which looks like this:\u00a0<em>have\/has been tasked with<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In that form, the whole phase means to be given a task.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if I have been tasked with calling 20 clients today, that means someone else gave me the job of calling 20 clients.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Your team has been <strong>tasked with<\/strong> finding out why there are so many customer complaints.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>27. Outsource a task<\/h3>\n<p>The verb\u00a0<em>to outsource<\/em>\u00a0means to send out the company\u2019s work to someone outside the company.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you own a small restaurant, you may cook the food yourself but\u00a0<em>outsource<\/em>\u00a0the desserts to be made by a local baker.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Since the project team is busy, it might be a good idea to <strong>outsource some tasks<\/strong> to another company.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>28. Target to complete<\/h3>\n<p>The phrase is used when you plan to finish something.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We must <strong>target to complete<\/strong>\u00a0phase 1 before\u00a0the year-end holidays when most people will be on vacation.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>29. Achieve the target<\/h3>\n<p>To succeed in reaching a goal.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The project team can expect a free lunch if they <strong>achieve the target<\/strong> this month.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>29. Wrap up the project<\/h3>\n<p>To <em>wrap it up<\/em> is a common English expression that means to finish up something. So to <em>wrap up the project<\/em> means to finish the project.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Okay, everyone, let\u2019s check all the paperwork and clean up the project room, then we\u2019ll be ready to\u00a0<strong>wrap up the project<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>30. Sign off the project<\/h3>\n<p>To formally approve and accept the project as finished.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;All that remains now is to\u00a0<strong>sign off the project<\/strong> and take the whole project team out to celebrate.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Speak During Conference Calls<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/young-man-watching-something-on-laptop.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-88779 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/young-man-watching-something-on-laptop.jpg\" alt=\"young-man-watching-something-on-laptop\" width=\"6720\" height=\"4480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In the workplace, meetings are all about listening and letting people know that you understand what is being talked about.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a good idea in business meetings to speak as clearly as possible and to be firm (strong) but not rude or pushy.<\/p>\n<p>It can be easy to seem pushy if you do not add the all-important &#8220;please&#8221; and &#8220;thank you&#8221; to your phrases. These polite terms go a long way in business English.<\/p>\n<h3>Beginning a conference call<\/h3>\n<p>You will either hear these phrases or need to use them yourself while talking to people on a conference call.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Let&#8217;s give everyone a few more minutes to join.&#8221; <\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Are we all on?&#8221; <\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Can I ask that we all state our names, please?&#8221; <\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I\u2019m here. It\u2019s  [your name] in  [your city].&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Can everybody hear me?&#8221; <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are useful phrases to check if everyone is present and has joined the conversation. When asked, just respond &#8220;yes&#8221; and give your name and position, or job at the company.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re using a video conference program, like Google Hangouts or Zoom, it may not be needed to give your name since others can see your information through your video icon. However, it&#8217;s still good manners to say hello to everyone when you join.<\/p>\n<p>You can use these phrases to get started:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Good morning \/ afternoon \/ evening, everyone.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Hi everybody. Thanks for joining us today.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It&#8217;s also common to hear a bit of small talk before the actual meeting begins. Some phrases you might use or hear spoken are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;How&#8217;s everyone doing today?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;How&#8217;s the weather where you are?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Did everyone have a good weekend?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Note that you may not receive actual answers to these questions. They are mostly <em>rhetorical questions <\/em>(questions that you do not have to actually answer). Most likely, you will get a few nods or a simple reply like &#8220;I&#8217;m doing fine, thanks.&#8221; Despite this, it&#8217;s polite to ask and can help fill the silence before the actual meeting begins.<\/p>\n<p>When it&#8217;s time for the meeting to start, the person who is leading the meeting will signal that everybody should quiet down and listen up. Listen for these phrases:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Okay, everyone, let&#8217;s get started.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;It looks like we&#8217;re all here.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Thank you all for being here. Let&#8217;s talk about today&#8217;s objective.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Asking for clarification during a conference call<\/h3>\n<p>When talking on a conference call, there is a chance that your internet connection will be poor, or that the quality of the call will be bad. In these cases, you might miss out on something that someone said.<\/p>\n<p>This happens to native speakers, as well! You should always ask for clarification when you&#8217;re not sure, or else you may become more confused or misunderstand completely. Here are some phrases that you can use to make sure you do not miss anything important:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Could you speak more slowly, please?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Could you repeat that, please?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Would you mind spelling that for me, please?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Could you explain that in another way, please?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I\u2019m afraid I didn\u2019t get that.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I\u2019m sorry, but could you speak up a little?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I didn\u2019t quite hear that, sorry. Can you say that again?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I didn\u2019t catch that last bit. Can you say it again, please?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Taking a break from the conversation<\/h3>\n<p>You might need to step away from a conference call. Make sure that you&#8217;re polite and clear when you do it.<\/p>\n<p>Try these phrases if you need a break:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;[Your name] speaking. I need to leave for 10 minutes. Is that okay with everyone?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I need a moment. I&#8217;ll be back in about 10 minutes.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I&#8217;m sorry to interrupt, but I need to step away from the call for a few minutes.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you&#8217;re on an online call, you can leave a message in the chat to avoid interrupting the speaker.<\/p>\n<p>When you return, let everybody know you&#8217;re back by saying:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;[Your name] here. I\u2019m back on the line again.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;This is  [Your name], I&#8217;m back. Thanks for your patience \/ Thank you for waiting.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Being an active participant in meetings<\/h3>\n<p>As the meeting goes on, you&#8217;ll want to be an active participant. That means speaking up if you have any questions, as well as giving your feedback and thoughts when others speak.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s okay if you accidentally speak over somebody or interrupt them. It happens to everyone. You can use these phrases if this happens:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Sorry, I interrupted you. You were saying&#8230;?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t mean to interrupt you. Please, go on.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sometimes, you might want to interrupt to ask a question. In this case, you can politely signal that you have a question:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Am I to understand that\u2026&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Sorry, but just to clarify\u2026&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;So, what we\u2019re saying is\u2026&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Sorry to interrupt, but&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can also participate in the conversation by agreeing and disagreeing with what others are saying.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some useful phrases for agreeing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;That\u2019s an excellent point, [person\u2019s name], I agree with you on that.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Okay, I think we&#8217;re all on the same page here\u2026&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Yes, I see what you\u2019re saying\u2026&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I couldn&#8217;t agree more.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You will not always agree with everyone else. Here are some phrases to disagree politely but firmly:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;I\u2019m sorry but I think you may have that slightly wrong\u2026&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;From my perspective, it\u2019s a little different. Let me explain.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I see your point, but&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I&#8217;m not sure I agree with that.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Planning for future meetings<\/h3>\n<p>When it&#8217;s time to end the meeting, you may want to set up the next meeting. Whether you&#8217;re talking with your co-workers, business partners or clients, here are some phrases to help you schedule future meetings:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;I\u2019d like to set up a meeting with you at your earliest convenience. When are you free?&#8221; <\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Are you free to talk again next week?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;When are you available for another meeting?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;How does 2:30 p.m. Thursday sound?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Does Thursday at 2:30 p.m. suit you?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After the person has agreed to the time, you should confirm one last time just to make sure the other person has really heard.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re working with a global team where there could be confusion as to the time, add the &#8220;a.m.&#8221; or &#8220;p.m.&#8221; and the time zone if necessary, just to be sure you have been understood:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Great, let&#8217;s meet again on Thursday at 2:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time then.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Okay, I look forward to seeing you at 2:30 in the afternoon on Thursday.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Thursday at 2:30 p.m., EST. Looking forward to it, see you then.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;See you on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Bye for now.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Check out this post for more phrases you&#8217;ll need for your next business meeting:\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"3R5fL0kSiC\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/english-for-business-meetings\/\">200+ Practical Business Meeting Phrases<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;200+ Practical Business Meeting Phrases&#8221; &#8212; FluentU\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/english-for-business-meetings\/embed\/#?secret=juHpQRtaSb#?secret=3R5fL0kSiC\" data-secret=\"3R5fL0kSiC\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Extra Tips When on a Conference Call<\/h3>\n<p>Besides using the right language, there are a few other things you can do to boost your professional look.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Learn the software you will be using beforehand.<\/strong> Your conference call will go a lot smoother with just a little preparation before you start. Get on the software and learn where all the key features are. Try a test call to see how things go.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Talk with a friend at work and look at the agenda together.<\/strong> The agenda is a document that will list the topics of the upcoming meeting. You will be able to ask your work friend about the words you do not understand and practice using them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use the mute button if you&#8217;re not speaking while on an audio conference call.<\/strong> It&#8217;s more polite and business-like, and can give you time to really listen and think about what people are saying. Plus, it will make sure that any background noise from your end will not distract the meeting.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Look interested and nod your head when appropriate.<\/strong> It can be a bit strange at first, but try to be as <em>engaged<\/em> (involved) as possible. Act natural and friendly.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Try out idioms.<\/strong> Some native speakers may use complicated idioms during conference calls. However,\u00a0 remember that a plain-spoken approach with fewer idioms will get your point across more clearly during a business call.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Make an Excellent Presentation<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/Business-associates-putting-their-ideas-on-flipchart-during-a-presentation-in-conference-room.-Two-business-colleagues-working-together-on-a-new-project..jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-98256 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/Business-associates-putting-their-ideas-on-flipchart-during-a-presentation-in-conference-room.-Two-business-colleagues-working-together-on-a-new-project..jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>At some point, you may be called on to give a presentation. Business presentations are known for being dull (boring)\u2014not many people enjoy sitting through many PowerPoint slides&#8230; do you?<\/p>\n<p>Keep your presentation short, speak clearly and try to waste as little time as possible.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re on a video call, remember that body language is still an important part of your presentation. As you talk, try to look up from your notes as often as possible to engage your audience. If you make a mistake, just stay calm and correct yourself.<\/p>\n<h3>Starting your presentation<\/h3>\n<p>Begin by introducing yourself. Even though this is a business presentation, it&#8217;s okay to be friendly and informal here, to get everyone to feel comfortable and interested in what you have to say. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Hi everybody, my name is  [your name] and I&#8217;m [your role in the company].&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Good morning  \/ afternoon  \/ evening ladies and gentlemen, I\u2019m [your name].&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Hi everyone, I\u2019m  [your name]. I&#8217;ll keep this brief.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Thanks for having me here today. I&#8217;m[your name].&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Note: remember to use the contraction &#8220;I\u2019m&#8221; instead of &#8220;I am&#8221; to sound more friendly and less formal.<\/p>\n<h3>Introducing the topic of your presentation<\/h3>\n<p>After you have introduced yourself, it&#8217;s time to introduce your topic of presentation. Try to say the topic of your presentation in a sentence or two.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is a good time to practice your &#8220;elevator pitch.&#8221; Pretend that you and the people you&#8217;re speaking to are on an elevator going from the 10th floor to the 1st. You only have about a minute to express your point, and do it in such a way that everyone will understand.<\/p>\n<p>You can start your topic introduction with these phrases:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Today, I\u2019m here to talk to you about&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to outline our plans for&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;In this presentation, I&#8217;ll discuss&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After you introduce the topic, you can give the listeners a &#8220;map&#8221; of your presentation, to help them know what to expect.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;This presentation will take about 20 minutes.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;First, I&#8217;ll start with some general information about&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;First, I&#8217;ll talk about&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Then, I&#8217;ll look at&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Then, we&#8217;ll go over&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;We&#8217;ll conclude with some information on&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Finally, we&#8217;ll talk about how to move forward with&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I&#8217;ll be happy to answer any questions you may have at the end of this presentation.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;To keep things moving, please hold your questions until the end of the presentation.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Ending your presentation<\/h3>\n<p>You have made it to the end of your presentation! Now comes the easy part: ending it. Once you have given your presentation and are ready to finish, use these phrases:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Well, that brings me to the end of my presentation.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Thanks so much for listening to my presentation.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;That&#8217;s it from me.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;It was a real pleasure being here today.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I&#8217;ll be taking questions for the next 10 minutes.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;That concludes my presentation. Does anyone have any questions?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Make Negotiations<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/Sales-English-Conversations.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-99152 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/Sales-English-Conversations.jpg\" alt=\"Sales English Conversations\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When you&#8217;re taking part in a negotiation, you might or might not get what you want at first. Here are some phrases that will work for each situation. Remember: Be polite but be firm.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes in a negotiation, you know you&#8217;re not going to win. When you go into a negotiation, you should know what your &#8220;deal-breaker&#8221; is. A deal-breaker is something that will not be accepted no matter what.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the lowest price you&#8217;re willing to accept for a product is $100 per piece. You will walk away if somebody demands a lower price. Perhaps you&#8217;re protecting your &#8220;bottom line.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Try these phrases to get the negotiation &#8220;back on track&#8221; if it seems you&#8217;re &#8220;not on the same page.&#8221; In other words, get the negotiation going in your favor if you&#8217;re not in agreement:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;I understand that we can\u2019t do that, but can we discuss some other alternatives?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I hear what you\u2019re saying, but our bottom line is very clear on this one.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;This is a deal-breaker for us, we can\u2019t budge.&#8221; (Budge means move, change or give up.)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Maybe we can find a compromise that works for both of us.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Politely Suggest Ideas and Solutions<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/Negotiation-Phrases.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-99120 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/Negotiation-Phrases.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>One of the most powerful phrases you can use during a brainstorming session is one that includes a modal verb. These are special verbs that express ability (&#8220;could&#8221;), possibility (&#8220;might&#8221; or &#8220;should&#8221;) or request (&#8220;would&#8221;).<\/p>\n<p>They are small but powerful words to use for\u00a0<em>softening<\/em> the effect of your tone in a discussion. They make you sound more polite and agreeable.<\/p>\n<h3>Making Suggestions<\/h3>\n<p>Beginning a sentence with the word &#8220;Let\u2019s\u2026&#8221; will make you sound positive about working together toward a common goal, for example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Let\u2019s hold the product launch here.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Why don\u2019t we use the convention center?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Phrasing your suggestion in the form of a question is a great way to set a softer tone:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;How about holding the launch at the convention center?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What if we consider another venue for the launch?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Beginning a sentence with &#8220;I think&#8221; or &#8220;Maybe,&#8221; even if you\u2019re very certain about something, is a good practice:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;I think we should decide on the venue now.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Maybe we could decide on the venue now.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Rejecting Suggestions<\/h3>\n<p>Saying &#8220;no&#8221; to an idea or suggestion comes with a risk of offending someone or hurting their feelings. So we should approach this very carefully.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Starting a sentence on a positive note, even when we\u2019re about to reject someone\u2019s suggestion, is one great way to make it less upsetting:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;That\u2019s a good idea but we may not have the budget for it.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Your suggestion sounds good but we\u2019ll need to check the rental rates.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I can see some problems with that.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Let me think about this.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I\u2019m not too keen on using the concourse area for the product launch.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I\u2019m not too keen on the idea of the convention center.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;I\u2019m not really convinced the concourse is a good venue.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I\u2019m not really sure we have the budget.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I don\u2019t think this would work.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I don\u2019t think this would be the best venue for the launch.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Accepting suggestions<\/h3>\n<p>Accepting or agreeing with someone\u2019s suggestion is easy. However, instead of a direct &#8220;Yes&#8221; or &#8220;I agree,&#8221; you may want to communicate different degrees (levels) of agreement.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re very sure, you might say:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;That\u2019s a good idea.\/That\u2019s not a bad idea.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;This is just what we need.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Let\u2019s try that.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you\u2019re not very sure, you might use these phrases:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;This looks like it could work.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;That might be worth trying.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;It might work.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Maybe. I\u2019m not sure.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Evaluating suggestions involves reviewing ideas and solutions, and selecting the best one to use. This usually involves discussing each idea or solution in detail and asking questions to generate feedback. Here are some good questions to ask during the evaluation:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;What do you suggest?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What are your thoughts?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Do you think this will work?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If an idea or suggestion sounds good but you need more time to think it through, you could use these phrases:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Let\u2019s look at this again.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I think this needs a lot more thought.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;This idea has potential (possibilities), but it\u2019s not quite there yet.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Let\u2019s keep this in mind and come back to it later.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you only agree partially (partly) with a suggestion, or accept only certain aspects (parts) of an idea, you could use these phrases to lead into saying which parts you agree and disagree with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;I agree up to a point.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Well, yes and no.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now you\u2019re all set to shine at your next brainstorming session.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Improve Business English Speaking Skills<\/h2>\n<p>How can you work on your speaking skills and learn new business English phrases at the same time?<\/p>\n<p>The key is to always keep practicing\u2014and to find the perfect resources for your business purposes!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Read, read, read!\u00a0<\/strong>The more you read, the more new words and phrases you will learn. Here are some suggestions:\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/business\/?sh=755de5b7535f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forbes<\/a><\/em> and <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/business\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The Economist<\/a><\/em> business sections are for more advanced business English learners. The articles are written for and by native speakers, so the language is very current and can sometimes be complex but well-written.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/international\/section\/learning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Learning Network<\/a> by the <em>New York Times<\/em> is specifically made for English learners. Some of the material is targeted toward teenage learners, but the lessons use real New York Times articles and are a perfect way to expand your vocabulary.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/learningenglish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Learning English<\/a> by the BBC is another great source of English-learning material for a wide range of levels. It has grammar lessons, podcasts, vocabulary lists and news articles which can help you slowly make your way to the main <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/business\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BBC Business<\/a> news website.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Focus on common phrases with multiple applications.\u00a0<\/strong>For example, short phrases such as &#8220;I\u2019m sorry&#8221; can be used in a number of different business scenarios. For example: &#8220;I\u2019m sorry I\u2019m late to the meeting,&#8221; &#8220;I\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t quite catch that,&#8221; &#8220;I\u2019m sorry, but I disagree&#8221; and so on.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Listen to podcasts.<\/strong> There are many podcasts made for business English learners. <a href=\"https:\/\/learnenglish.britishcouncil.org\/en\/professionals-podcasts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This series of podcasts<\/a>\u00a0from the British Council, for example, will help you to improve your English in your workplace. They are suitable (appropriate) for learners at an intermediate or advanced level.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Listen to English speakers.\u00a0<\/strong>Pay attention to every native speaker you encounter. When answering a question they ask you, listen carefully to their choice of words and try to use those same words in your answer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practice with interviews. <\/strong>Having pretend interviews or listening to them can be especially good for practicing professional business English.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Watch authentic English videos.\u00a0<\/strong>You don\u2019t need to have actual English-speaking individuals next to you to benefit from hearing native speech. Head online and watch videos made by English speakers for English speakers. These will be filled with the kind of language you would want to use in real-life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If learning from authentic English content sounds a bit challenging, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/english\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU<\/a> can make native videos easier to learn from.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n<p><\/p> \r\n<p>You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\">the iOS app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\">Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><i><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/SimpleText.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU Ad\" \/>\r\n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n    <button class=\"btn-blue\" style=\"border: none;font-size: 18px;text-align: center;padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;cursor: pointer\">\r\n      Try FluentU for FREE!\r\n    <\/button>\r\n  <\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>English is the universal language of business all over the world. The better your English gets, the more in demand you will be as an employee. Learn the business English phrases and expressions in this post to help you get started.<\/p>\n<p>Keep listening and keep talking!<\/p>\n<p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>And One More Thing\u2026<\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\nIf you\u2019re like me and prefer learning English on your own time, from the comfort of your smart device, I\u2019ve got something you\u2019ll love.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nWith <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU<\/a>\u2019s Chrome Extension, you can turn any YouTube or Netflix video with subtitles into an interactive language lesson. That means you can <strong>learn from real-world content<\/strong>, just as native English speakers actually speak. \r\n<\/p>\r\n<p><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-English-music-video-on-youtube-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"learn-English-with-FluentU-on-YouTube\" width=\"600\" height=\"390\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nYou can even import your favorite YouTube videos into your FluentU account. If you\u2019re not sure where to start, check out our <strong>curated library of videos<\/strong> that are handpicked for beginners and intermediate learners, as you can see here:\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/English-5.png\" alt=\"learn-english-with-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"569\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU brings native English videos within reach. With <strong>interactive captions<\/strong>, you can hover over any word to see an image, definition, and pronunciation.\r\n<\/p><p><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-English-video-on-app.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU-english-video-with-interactive-subtitles\" width=\"320\" height=\"569\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nJust click on the word to see other example sentences and videos where the word is used in different contexts. Plus, you can <strong>add it to your flashcards<\/strong>! For example, if I tap on the word \"viral,\" this is what pops up:\r\n<\/p><p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-English-vocab-viral-on-app.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU-English-vocab\" width=\"320\" height=\"569\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nWant to make sure you really remember what you've learned? We\u2019ve got you covered. <strong>Practice and reinforce the vocab from each video<\/strong> with learn mode. Swipe to see more examples of the word you\u2019re learning, and play mini-games with our dynamic flashcards.\r\n<\/p><p><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-English-vocab-quiz-web.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU-English-vocab-quiz\" width=\"600\" height=\"390\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nThe best part? FluentU tracks everything you\u2019re learning and uses that to create <strong>a personalized experience just for you<\/strong>. You\u2019ll get extra practice with tricky words and even be reminded when it\u2019s time to review\u2014so nothing slips through the cracks.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\tStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download our from the <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">App Store<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a>.<\/p><p><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you want to succeed in the connected world of business, English is a very important language to know. That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s a good idea to know at least some&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":296,"featured_media":252539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"200+ Essential Business English Phrases and Idioms | FluentU English Blog","description":"Learning business English phrases and idioms can help you be more confident in the workplace! From business English idioms like \"think outside of the box\" to important phrases to know in meetings and negotiations, read this post to learn the most common English corporate phrases and idioms."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[695,685],"tags":[],"coauthors":[806],"class_list":["post-147814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-english","category-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/296"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147814"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":251386,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147814\/revisions\/251386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147814"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=147814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}