[0:00]Struggling to speak up in meetings in English? You're not alone. It's something that is really difficult if English isn't your first language. But it's costing you more than you think. Because every time you hesitate, you're missing out on a valuable chance to stand out and make an impact. But the only way to get better is to actually do it. So today in this video, we're going to practice. We're going to look at three example conversations and dive into some must-know phrases. You'll speak along with me so that you can better remember and internalize the vocabulary so that you'll feel confident and ready to participate in your next meeting. Ready? Let's go. Our first example, let's start here by practicing some useful phrases for making decisions during meetings because that's often something that comes up. I'm going to say each person's line, and after I do, I want you to hit pause on the video and repeat after me. Pay close attention to the highlighted words, because those are words and phrases that often come up in meetings. They're phrases that we use all the time. You will hear them, so they're really good to know. And I'll explain the meaning of each at the end of the conversation. Alright, I've gone through the proposal from Company ABC. It looks good, but I have some concerns.
[1:23]Same here. On one hand, their pricing fits our budget, but on the other hand, they don't have much experience in our industry.
[1:42]Exactly. They've done great work, but mostly in a different sector, so there will be a learning curve.
[1:54]We could ask for case studies from clients in similar industries to get a better idea of how they work.
[2:07]Good call. Let's not move forward just yet. Let's hold off on a decision until we get their answers.
[2:20]Alright, now, how did that feel? Are you already feeling more confident? Let's look at some of these important must-know words and phrases. To go through, something that we say all the time, and it means to review something. So I've gone through the proposal. I've reviewed the proposal. I've read through the proposal. On one hand, but on the other hand, we're weighing the pros and cons of something, the positives and negatives of something. So here we're comparing two different facts. The word sector is just another way to say industry. Sector means industry. Learning curve. This is the time and the effort that it takes to learn something new, to master a new skill. So if we say something has a steep learning curve or a big learning curve, that means it's going to take a lot of time, a lot of energy and effort to master that new skill. Good call. This is an expression we use a lot. It's a little more informal, but it just basically means good idea. That's right. We should do that. Good call. To move forward. That's another very common phrasal verb that you're going to hear at work all the time. It just means to proceed, or to continue doing something, to keep going with something. And hold off. Again, in business English, we love these phrasal verbs. We just use them all the time. Hold off, um, another one. It means to to pause, to pause something, or to delay something. Quick timeout, guys. While we're on the subject of business English, I'm sure you all have to write emails in English at work. So to help you make sure that your emails sound really clear and professional, I have a new e-book. It's got more than 200 phrases, both for formal and informal situations. Go check it out. Link is in the description. Another very important thing that we have to do in meetings is at times disagree with people, right? Now I will tell you guys, I've lived and worked in six different countries. I've worked with people from all over the world. And how we disagree can be very cultural. In some cultures, people disagree very openly. It's okay to tell somebody flat out, hey, you're wrong. But in English, generally speaking, we're a little softer in how we express our disagreement. So let's take a look at some good phrases to do this. In my view, we need to hire at least two more people.
[4:56]I see where you're coming from, but that means increasing costs. I think we should try optimizing our processes first.
[5:10]We've been optimizing for months, but everybody is still overwhelmed. If we keep pushing the team like this, our people will burn out.
[5:25]I hear you, but my concern is if we hire too fast and budgets tighten, we might have to make cuts later.
[5:43]That's a valid point. Maybe we can find a middle ground - bring in one person now and then reassess.
[5:57]Some really good vocabulary here to tactfully and politely disagree in English. First of all, in my view. I really like this one, in my view. It means the exact same thing as in my opinion. This is what I think. This is what I believe, but it's a little elevated way to say that, in my view. I see where you're coming from. This is a good phrase to show that you're listening to the other person. You can see their point. You see why they think the way that they do. I see where you're coming from. I hear you, but my concern is. So again, here we're acknowledging what the other person has said. We're showing them that we're actively listening to them, but still, we have a different point of view. We still disagree. So we say, but my concern is... That's a valid point. That means what they're saying is reasonable. It's a good point, it's a good argument. Now to be valid means to be true. So you're saying that's a reasonable point. That's a reasonable argument you're making. And finally middle ground. Middle ground is an area of compromise. We need to find a middle ground. We need to find a compromise between two very different positions. And let's do one more example here. In meetings like team meetings, project meetings, we often have to share updates. We have to talk about how things are progressing. We often have to share performance results as well. So let's wrap up by looking at some good vocabulary to talk about these kinds of topics. John, can you share an update on the sales numbers for North America? Sure. Happy to report that we've exceeded our targets this quarter by 12%.
[7:49]Great news. That's likely due to the focus on upselling to existing clients, right?
[8:01]Exactly. Unfortunately though, we have gotten some negative feedback about longer wait times in customer service. I think we need to put some more resources there.
[8:22]Thanks for flagging that. Definitely something we need to get on top of. But that's a separate issue, so let's take that offline.
[8:36]This is a collocation that you will hear every day at work, and that is to share an update. Sometimes we might say give an update, but we very often use that verb share here to share an update. So we don't really say to say an update or to tell an update, to share an update. To exceed a target. A target is a goal. We often use that when we're talking about numbers, always in sales and marketing. We all have targets that we have to reach. If we exceed a target, that means we have gone beyond the target. We've done more than our target. When we upsell, we're encouraging a customer to buy more than what we're selling. Maybe a more expensive version of the product or service we're selling to them, or an upgraded version of that product or service. Feedback is a super common word. You have to know this word. We use it every day at work. This is comments or information that is meant to improve something. To flag something, to flag usually a problem. This is to point out. This is to let somebody know about a problem, to flag a problem. To get on top of something means to get in control of something, a problem or an issue and manage it effectively. Resources. This is everything that a company uses to achieve its goals. Usually here we're talking about people. So people are resources, um, or financial resources like money. Let's take that offline. I had to include this one because it's something that people say all the time in meetings, so you have to know what it means. If someone says, let's take this offline, it just means let's stop talking about this right now, and let's talk about it outside of this meeting. Even if you're in person, not on Zoom or Teams, people still say it. So it doesn't really make sense, but it just means let's talk about this later. Alright, guys, now I want you to go back and re-listen to these conversations. Just choose three words or phrases. Write them down so that you can better internalize them. Speak them out loud, so you get used to saying the words, you get used to using these expressions. I want you to then actually go and put these examples into practice and use them in your real life meetings at work. The more you practice, the more confident you'll be. Elevating your English vocabulary is another way to help you stand out during meetings and really make your voice heard. So go check out this video right here. I give you ten essential business English words that you really need to know to start leveling up your vocabulary. So go check it out. As always, guys, thanks so much for watching, and I'll see you in this video next.
