Do you have a meeting with English-speaking partners or clients soon? For these cases and to be able to stand out in your presentation, you need to use greetings, phrases and formal farewells in English.
It is perfectly common that you may feel nervous or insecure. However, this feeling does not have to be an impediment for your meeting to be a success.
All it takes is proper preparation and a little practice with formal sentences. Learn about those that are generally used in this type of business meeting.
We have prepared this article with you in mind. Here you will find a list of keywords that will help you make a good impression and enrich your speech.
Formal Greetings in English (Formal Greetings)
English speakers like to avoid repetition. For this reason it is important know the common greetings and know how to use them properly.
They say that the first impression is everything. Furthermore, a first impression on the professional world heavily depends on the formal greeting in English.
Hello (Instead of Hi!)
Let me introduce myself, I'm____
Thank you for such a nice introduction!
Good morning/afternoon/evening/day
How do you do? (A bit old-fashioned but still used in formal settings)
Pleased to meet you
How are you doing?
How have you been?
How is your business/work going on?
It's nice to meet you
It's a pleasure to meet you
It's great to see you
Lovely to meet you
How have things been going since I last saw you?
Formal Farewells in English
Farewells are a golden opportunity to leave good expectations in their interlocutors. Accompany the following phrases with a strong handshake:
See you later.
See you soon.
Talk to you later.
Have a nice day/Have a good _____
I look forward to our next meeting.
Until next_____(Week, month, etc).
It was nice to see you again/It was nice seeing you.
Take care, Mr/Dr/Mrs____
Farewell
Have a good one!
It was wonderful to talk with you. I must be going. I've got to _____.
The pleasure is mine. I hope to see you soon.
I'd like to thank everyone for coming today.
Phrases that will help you succeed in your meetings
Here we bring you this set of formal phrases to fluently manage your work meetings. They will add personality and ease to your speech.
The following phrases are applicable both in virtual meetings and in-office meetings. Use these forms and you will see how your meeting will be a complete success.
OK, let's begin!
Since everyone is here, let's get started.
I'd like to welcome everyone.
I'll keep this meeting brief as I know you're all busy people.
I'm___ and I arranged this meeting because…
Let's go around the table and introduce ourselves, (Name) do you want to start?
I've called this meeting in order to…
We're here today to discuss…
Due to issues identified in (Project name), we're here to come up with a quick resolution.
There are # items on the agenda. First…
Well, today I would like to outline our plans for…
Who would like to kick things off?
By the next meeting, we'll have______ in progress.
Just to clarify…
Sorry I didn't quite hear that, can you say it again?
Are we waiting for anyone else?
I don't fully understand what you mean. Could you explain it from a different angle?
Excuse me for interrupting.
I've never thought about it that way before.
If you are not speaking, please put yourself on mute.
Can you run that by me one more time?
Can you repeat that in a simplified way?
The sound quality is not good, please, can everyone speak up?
What do you think about this proposal?
Are there any more comments?
I'm uploading the document now, can you see it?
I'm sharing my screen, can everyone see it?
We're going to run through the main points of the agenda.
To sum up what I've presented.
That brings me to the end of my presentation, thank you for listening.
Any final thoughts before we close the meeting?
Are there any objections to what I cover?
We've run out of time so let's wrap up and close the call.
I think I may have a problem with the connection.
Carlos is going to walk us through the sales figures.
Could we circle back to that?
What are the next steps?
I think this is a good place to leave things today.
We can pick this up again tomorrow/next week/etc.
Communicate like an authority in your area
You have the knowledge and track record to succeed in any business meeting. Now, all you need is learn to use formal sentences in English correctly.
This goal is achieved by training your conversational English. Work on it until you reach the desired fluency in conjunction with proper body language management and tone of voice.
Therefore, here are other tips that will help you improve some important aspects of corporate communication in English:
1. Avoid fillers also known as “verbal and nonverbal fillers”
During breaks when giving a speech or presentation, don't use sounds like “um, “ehm,” “you know,” or “to be honest” to fill the silence.
This just makes the silence awkward. It is the same with the usual subconscious coughing, lip licking or hand gestures.
Verbal and non-verbal fillers can be distracting and undermine your credibility.
The quickest solution to remove fillers is to record yourself. Speak in English for a minute or two on any subject and listen to yourself.
For this purpose you can use your smartphone or computer. Then listen or watch the video again. Count how many of these filler elements you use.
This simple exercise will help you be more mindful when speaking in English during your meetings or business presentations.
2. Keep talking despite mistakes
When you miss a sentence or stumble over words during a presentation or speech, don't stop to apologize.
Act like nothing is wrong and move on. Most people don't even notice those kinds of verbal mistakes.
The speaker should not draw unnecessary attention by stopping and apologizing. These attitudes confuse the public and you will be more nervous than necessary.
You just have to make sure that the message is clear.
3. One idea per sentence
Emphasize one concept per sentence. This will make the verbal pauses between your sentences become powerful audience attention grabbers.
On the other hand, there is a lower risk of making verbal errors if each sentence is a single, sharp idea. In addition, a strong concept eliminates trivial qualifiers and throwaway phrases.
4. Speak loud and clear
If possible, try to speak standing up straight to open up your vocal tract. This way you can enhance your voice from the diaphragm.
Such aptitude will project a stronger voice and commanding presence. This prevents people from leaning in to listen to you when they can't understand you.
In the event that your interlocutors lean in, let it be because they are cultivated or intrigued by the contributions of your speech.
Without becoming obnoxious, you have to look for the right volume and confidence. In this case it can help practice with a native tutor.
The tutor who helps you should preferably handle knowledge related to the business area where you work. If not, lean on an English-speaking colleague.
conclusion
Learn to use formal sentences in English It doesn't have to be an impediment to a successful interview or presentation.
It just takes a bit of practice, preferably with the help of a tutor or teacher specializing in technical English. Remember that in English2Go we have the best.
They will help you prepare properly. You will acquire formal expressions and speech management to captivate your potential clients or potential international partners.
We have more than 17 years of experience helping companies and professionals to manage technical and business English effectively.
Contact us and discover our courses available to cover your requirements in the development of communication skills in the English language.
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