- Common Expressions - Tricky questions at job interview & answers - What you think and What you say - Successful Presentation - Storytelling

1. BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION 1.
MELINDA SZABO

2. 0 2
CONTENTS + INTRODUCTION
Contents
- Common Expressions
- Tricky questions at job interview & answers
- What you think and What you say
- Successful Presentation
- Storytelling
Introduction
I used several books to make this presentation. On every page
you can find the footnote, from which book I took the
information.
Melinda Szabó

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COMMON EXPRESSIONS
Melinda Szabó
Agreeing with somebody:
- True enough
- That's right
- That's just what I was thinking
- That's my view exactly
- I couldn't agree more
- I can't help but thinking the same
Disagreeing with somebody:
- Sorry to say but ...
- Well, as a matter of fact ...
- I'm not so sure about that
- I see things rather differently myself
- I don't entirely agree with you
Interrupting:
- Actually ...
- Could I just say that ...
- Well, my own opinion is that ...
- Sorry to interrupt, but ...
- I'm afraid I didn't catch that
Asking for clarification or repetition:
- Would you mind repeating that?
- Pardon?
- Could you repeat what you said?
- What was that?
Source: E.B. Nikolaenko: Business English

4. 0 4
COMMON EXPRESSIONS
Melinda Szabó
Asking somebody for their opinion:
- What are your views on ...?
- What are your feelings about...?
- What's your opinion?
Saying something in another way:
- What I 'm trying to say is ...
- In other words ...
- Perhaps I should make that clearer by
saying ...
- To put it another way ...
- Let me get this right
- How can I put this?
Giving yourself time to think:
- May I think about that for a moment?
- How can I best say this?
- How can I put this?
Summing up:
- In short, ...
- To sum up, ...
- So in conclusion, ...
- In brief, ...
- To summarise, ...
Source: E.B. Nikolaenko: Business English

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TRICKY QUESTIONS AT JOB INTERVIEW & ANSWERS
Melinda Szabó
Why did you choose this company?
Because I think I will find the work
environment both challenging and
rewarding.
What are your strenghts and
weaknesses?
I have excellent time management, but I
can be impatient for results.
How would your friends describe you?
People say I'm sociable, organized, and
decisive.
What is your greatest achievement?
Leading the University football team to
the national Championships.
How well do you work in a team?
I always support my colleagues and
believe we should work towards a
common goal.
Where will you be in 5 years?
My aim is to have a position in the
Management Team.
Source: E.B. Nikolaenko: Business English

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WHAT YOU THINK AND WHAT YOU SAY
Melinda Szabó
We are unhappy with this offer.
I'm sorry but we're not very happy with this offer.
We are dissatisfied.
We're not completely satified.
We can't accept it.
Unfortunately, we would be unable to accept that.
You said there would be a discount.
We understood there would be a discount.
Don't forget your obligations.
I'm sure we don't need to remind you of your
contractual obligations.
We want a guarantee.
We would need some sort of guarantee.
We won't agree to this.
We would find this somewhat difficult to agree to.
We're shocked you expect us to cover the costs.
We're rather suprised you expect us to cover the
costs.
That's wrong.
With respect, that's not quite correct.
We want a bigger rebate.
Actually, we were hoping for a slightly more
substantial rebate.
We must finalize the deal today.
We were rather hoping to finalize the deal today.
You obviously don't understand.
I'm afraid you don't seem to understand.
Source: E.B. Nikolaenko: Business English

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SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION
Melinda Szabó
Most presentations are divided into 3 main parts (+ questions):
1. Introduction
2. Body
3. Conclution
In the introduction, you tell your audience what your message is going to be. In the
body, you tell your audience your real message. In the conclusion, you summarize
what your message was.
Source: E.B. Nikolaenko: Business English

8. 0 8
SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION
Melinda Szabó
Introduction:
1. welcome your audience
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen / Good morning, gentlemen
Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman / Good afternoon, everybody
2. introduce your subject
I am going to talk today about...
The purpose of my presentation is to introduce our new range of...
3. outline the structure of your presentation
To start with I’ll describe the progress made this year. Then I’ll mention some of
the problems we’ve encountered and how we overcame them. After that I’ll
consider the possibilities for further growth next year. Finally, I’ll summarize
my presentation (before concluding with some recommendations).
4. give instructions about questions
Do feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions. / I’ll try to answer all of your
questions after the presentation. / I plan to keep some time for questions after the
presentation.
Source: E.B. Nikolaenko: Business English

9. 0 9
SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION
Melinda Szabó
Body:
The body is the ‘real’ presentation. If the introduction was well prepared and
delivered, you will now be ‘in control’. You will be relaxed and confident. The body
should be well structured, divided up logically, with plenty of carefully spaced visuals.
Remember these key points while delivering the body of your presentation:
- do not hurry
- be enthusiastic
- give time on visuals
- maintain eye contact
- modulate your voice
- look friendly
- keep to your structure
- use your notes
- signpost throughout
- remain polite when dealing with difficult questions
Source: E.B. Nikolaenko: Business English

10. 1 0
SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION
Melinda Szabó
Conclusion:
1. Sum up
To conclude,... / In conclusion,... / Now, to sum up... / So let me summarize or
recap what I’ve said. / Finally, may I remind you of some of the main points we’ve
considered.
2. (Give recommendations if appropriate)
In conclusion, my recommendations are... / I therefore suggest or propose or
recommend the following strategy.
3. Thank your audience
Many thanks for your attention. / May I thank you all for being such an attentive
audience.
4. Invite questions
I would be happy to answer any questions. / If you have any questions, I would be
pleased to answer them. / I would welcome any comments/suggestions.
Now I’ll try to answer any questions you may have. / Can I answer any questions?
Do you have any questions? / Are there any final questions?
Source: E.B. Nikolaenko: Business English

11. 1 1
SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION
Melinda Szabó
Questions:
Questions are a good opportunity for you to interact with your audience. It may be
helpful for you to try to predict what questions will be asked so that you can prepare
your response in advance. You may wish to accept questions at any time during your
presentation, or to keep a time for questions after your presentation. Normally, it’s
your decision, and you should make it clear during the introduction. Be polite with all
questioners, even if they ask difficult questions. They are showing interest in what
you have to say and they deserve attention.
Source: E.B. Nikolaenko: Business English

12. 1 2
STORYTELLING
Melinda Szabó
Definition of Storytelling:
Storytelling can be definded as a structured narrative account of real or imagined
events that is widely used in public speaking as a medium for sharing, interpreting,
and offering the content of the story to the listeners.
The best stories to use in your public speech may involve true facts from your life
self-effacing humorous facts about your past mistakes, and challenges success
stories from famous people's biogpraphies and stories that explore the history of your
business.
Source: Arina Nikitina: Successful Public Speaking

13. 1 3
STORYTELLING DO'S AND DON'TS
Melinda Szabó
Do's:
* Always make your story relevant to the subject at hand
* Keep your stories simle and short
* Eliminate inconsequential detail
* Space stories at intervals to reemphasize your message
* Make sure the plot of the story involves a lesson or a transformation outcome that
your listeners can relate to and benefit from
* Use appropriate body language and facial expressions to convey emotions to your
listeners
* Use elements of the story that your audiance can relate to: people, places, and
familiar facts
* Emphasize the adjectives and verbs in your stories to make them sound more
interesting
* Learn your stories by heart
Source: Arina Nikitina: Successful Public Speaking

14. 1 4
STORYTELLING DO'S AND DON'TS
Melinda Szabó
Don'ts:
* Do not use more then two or three stories on the same topic as each successive
one will lose its impacts
* Do not use terms that are foreign to experience of the audience
* Do not fill stories with too many characters, event or details
Source: Arina Nikitina: Successful Public Speaking