Effective Management Communication

BUSINESS SETTINGENGLISH GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY

by HAO Training - Business English Education

9/17/20244 min read

person writing bucket list on book
person writing bucket list on book

Section 1: Key Phrases and Examples

  1. "What do YOU think?"

    • Usage: Asking for employees’ insights and fostering open dialogue.

    • Example: "I have a few ideas about how to improve the process, but before I share them, what do YOU think we should focus on?"

  2. "We'll get through this together."

    • Usage: Providing reassurance during difficult projects or times of uncertainty.

    • Example: "The client requested some major changes, but don’t worry, we'll get through this together. I’ll be here to support you."

  3. "Here’s why I made that decision."

    • Usage: Explaining the reasoning behind a tough decision to ensure clarity.

    • Example: "We’re shifting our focus to the new market because of its growth potential. Here’s why I made that decision: it offers more long-term stability for our team."

  4. "Where do you want to be in 5 years?"

    • Usage: Showing interest in an employee’s career goals to support their growth.

    • Example: "We’re mapping out the development plan for the team. Where do you want to be in 5 years, and how can we help you get there?"

  5. "Your feedback was spot on."

    • Usage: Acknowledging constructive feedback and showing appreciation.

    • Example: "Your feedback was spot on during the last meeting. Implementing those changes made a big difference."

  6. "What would make that easier?"

    • Usage: Offering help to remove obstacles.

    • Example: "I noticed the project timeline seems tight. What would make that easier for you to manage?"

  7. "Take some time off – you've earned it."

    • Usage: Recognizing hard work and encouraging employees to take breaks.

    • Example: "You’ve been working tirelessly to meet the deadline. Take some time off – you've earned it."

  8. "Do you have enough direction to run with this?"

    • Usage: Checking if an employee understands a task fully before they begin.

    • Example: "You’ll be leading the next presentation. Do you have enough direction to run with this, or should we discuss further?"

  9. "I love that you took a risk. What did you learn?"

    • Usage: Encouraging experimentation and growth by discussing lessons learned.

    • Example: "That was a bold move trying a new strategy. I love that you took a risk. What did you learn from it?"

  10. "How can I better support you?"

    • Usage: Offering leadership and help to your team.

    • Example: "You’ve been leading this project well. How can I better support you to keep things moving smoothly?"

Section 2: Fill-in-the-Blank Exercises

  1. "We have a few different options for this campaign. ______________ to get things started?"

  2. "That was a tough project, but ________________. Let’s talk through the next steps."

  3. "This decision wasn’t easy, but I want to be clear about ________________."

  4. "It’s been a while since we’ve talked about your goals. ________________?"

  5. "I really appreciate your input from the last review session. ________________!"

  6. "This is a challenging project. ________________ to keep things moving forward?"

  7. "You’ve done a fantastic job these last few weeks. ________________."

  8. "I want to make sure you're comfortable with the next steps. ________________?"

  9. "That was a creative approach to solve the issue. ________________. What did you learn?"

  10. "You’ve done well, and I want to ensure we keep that momentum. ________________?"

(see answers)

Section 3: Role-Play Dialogue

Situation: An IT Project Follow-Up Call between a Project Manager (PM) and a Developer (Dev)

PM: Hi there! Thanks for hopping on the call. Before we dive in, I’d love to hear your perspective on the project status. What do YOU think?

Dev: Thanks for asking! I think we’re on track, but the database migration is taking longer than expected.

PM: Got it. That’s good to know. What would make that easier for you to speed up the migration?

Dev: Maybe if we had an extra set of hands on the backend for a week or so, we could meet the deadline more comfortably.

PM: That sounds like a solid plan. I’ll talk to HR and see if we can arrange that. I want you to know, we’ll get through this together. I’ll make sure you have the support you need.

Dev: Thanks! That would help a lot.

PM: Great. Also, while we’re at it, I know you’ve been working hard. Take some time off – you’ve earned it after we close this sprint.

Dev: I appreciate that! I’ll definitely consider it.

PM: By the way, I noticed you tried a new approach with the database optimization. I love that you took a risk. What did you learn from the process?

Dev: I learned that we could reduce query times by 20%, but we might need more thorough testing to ensure stability.

PM: That’s impressive! It’s good to see you thinking ahead like that. Your feedback was spot on during the last sprint review, and those insights helped guide our current progress.

Dev: I’m glad to hear that!

PM: One last thing: How can I better support you during the final stages of the project?

Dev: Honestly, I think just having clear communication with the client will help us avoid any last-minute surprises.

PM: Absolutely. I’ll make sure we have all the details from them locked in. Do you have enough direction to run with this till next week?

Dev: Yes, I do. I’ll keep you posted if anything changes.

PM: Perfect. Thanks for the update, and thank you for all your hard work so far. Talk to you soon!

Dev: Thanks! Talk to you later.

This lesson helps students practice meaningful communication in a business setting, with a focus on using supportive, constructive phrases to enhance team collaboration.