Business English: Communicating with your Boss

1. Communicating with
your Boss
Expressing your feelings & ideas in English

2. Discussion

3. Complete each sentence:
1. Good bosses are ____________________________________.
1. Bad bosses are _____________________________________.

4. Is there anything that makes you feel nervous
about speaking with your boss?

5. What’s good about your current relationship with
your boss?
Are there any areas that need to be improved?

6. What’s the best lesson or advice you’ve
learned from a boss (current or past)?

7. What NOT to say to your
Boss
Read the following dialogues, and think of a more tactful way of
speaking

8. “I’m very good at my job and I’ve been
working here for 3 years now.
Therefore, I think I deserve a raise.”

9. Intro: I would love the opportunity to talk with you about my
performance this year.
Achievement: I think I have grown a lot in my position
Indirect purpose: I believe I'm ready for more responsibility.
If it’s time for you to bring up a pay raise:

10. “That’s impossible.”
“We/I can’t finish it by ___________”
“We/I can’t achieve that…”

11. Positive yes: “We could definitely get this done by [X] (realistic
date)
Compromise “Or if we [had X conditions], we could meet the
deadline. / we could achieve this.”
If you’re given an unrealistic deadline/goal

12. “Actually, that was [X] responsibility, not mine.”
“It’s not my fault.”
“But you told me…[X]

13. If you’re being unfairly blamed for something…
“Let’s get to the bottom of this. / Let’s resolve this.”
“What can we do to make this/it right?”
“Leave it with me, and I’ll see what I can do.”

14. ”I don't really know.”

15. "I'll find out right away."
“I’ll talk to [X] and let you know as soon as I find
out.”
“Here’s what I can tell you…”
“I’ll need some time to think about that …”
When you don’t know the answer to something…

16. “Oh, I usually do it this way (not your way).”
“But, we’ve always done it this way…”
“I don’t think your way will work because…”

17. "I think for this to work/happen, we will have to…”
“In order for me/us to do this, we need [X conditions]”
“That’s a new approach – I’d like to learn more. / Can you
tell me more about this?”
When your boss has a different way of doing something…

18. “I can’t contact [X]. I sent them
an email and tried calling...”

19. "I've tried reaching [X] multiple ways and will be sure
to follow up again shortly.”
“I’ve contacted [X] via email and phone – I’m going to
try their office/home again…”
When you can’t make contact with someone…(and must
tell your boss)

20. ”I will travel to [X] next month…, so I’ll be off
work.”
“I won’t be here next week because I have
to…”

21. "Is it okay if I take leave next month? If so, I would like to
book a flight.”
If urgent: “I’ve got a personal emergency, and it’s going
to require some time away for the next few days. Can we
discuss how my duties will be conducted while I’m
away?”
If you need to take leave…

22. “You didn’t tell me to do that…”
“You never told me about this…”

23. "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that I had to do that.”
“Perhaps we had a misunderstanding. I understood
that….”
“I understood [X]; is that incorrect?/ Did I
misunderstand you?”
If your boss gave unclear instructions

24. Here are some helpful phrases you can use to
better communicate with your boss!

25. General Small Talk

27. Monday & Friday: The Weekend
The weekend is an obvious & natural conversation
starter.
How many questions / comments can you
think of about the weekend?

28. MONDAY FRIDAY
• “Morning – how was your
weekend?”
• “Did you have a nice/good
weekend?”
Questions: Questions:
• “So, have you got any
weekend plans?”
• “Doing anything fun this
weekend?”
Responses:
• “My weekend was nice. I [x] and
[x]. “
examples:
• “I caught up on sleep and went
swimming.”
• “I met some friends and cleaned
my house.”
• “I’m planning to [x] and
[x]. “
examples:
• “I’m planning to take it easy and
hang out at my house.”
• “I’ve got to attend a wedding and
I’ll try to go to the market .”
Responses:

29. The other days…
“How was your morning/evening?” (Tuesday)
“How’s your week (morning/day) been, so far (Wednesday)
“Looking forward to the weekend?” (Thursday)
“I’m hungry – did you eat breakfast/lunch yet?”
“I’m on my way to get a coffee/tea; Can I bring you back anything?”
“Do you have lunch plans?”
“Only 1 more day until Friday – it’s almost
over!”

30. General Observations:
Also standard small talk, discussing general
observations such as the weather & surroundings
can be a great way to get into work-talk
Can you think of any “General Observation-type”
questions you might say to your boss?

31. “Wow! it’s really raining hard out there…”
“Hmm, looks like we’re about to get
another storm/shower.”
“Did you get stuck in the rain yesterday?”
Weather-related comments
“It’s a great day to be outside…the
weather’s perfect. Not too hot or rainy.”
“Wow! It’s really hot out today! Can’t
wait to get in some air con!”

32. Current Event comments
“Did you hear about…. (the new construction
downtown)?”
“Do you know anything about…(the leak in our
office?”)
“I’ve just read an interesting article about…
(pharma companies in Asia expanding…)”
“So, are you looking forward to…(the new iphone,
the football match? The upcoming holiday?)
“Have you seen/noticed…(the new Starbucks
downstairs; the new Everest movie)?

33. Work-Related Comments:
For most employees, they feel comfortable sticking to work
topics when speaking to their boss.
- What’s the advantage of this?
- Are there any disadvantages?

34. “How’s ________(the project, report,
planning) coming along?”
“Oh, do you have a moment to
discuss ____________?”
“How’s everything going with your staff?”
“Things are well– everyone’s keeping busy and working
hard. I actually wanted to ask you…”
“So, what are your thoughts about the new…(policy…)?”
“Can I ask you about something once you’ve got some
free time?”
Work-related comments

35. Showing Initiative
How to show your boss that you’re a “Go-Getter” & a
proactive contributor to your company

37. How would you respond?
“I have a favor to ask. I’ve got a meeting at 4pm
today with a very important KOL, but I said I would
go over a few new company policies with the marketing
team. Would you mind reviewing the policies and holding
the meeting in my place?”
When your boss asks a specific favor

38. How would you respond?
Can you…
Would it possible for
you to…
Do you mind…
“Yes, of course…
“Not a problem…
“I’d be happy to…
Ex: “Yes, of course – I’d be happy to help out.”
“Oh, that’s not a problem – I’ve can handle it. “
“Sure – I’m happy to help.”
Asking Accepting

39. How would you tell your boss?
The situation:
There’s something that needs to be done in your office – but
it’s just not getting done. You took the initiative to resolve it.
How can you get credit without being too “braggy?
When have you gone beyond your work duties?

40. Example:
“As you know, we’ve been having so many issues with [x].
I looked into it – and I fixed it (resolved it), so we shouldn’t be
having those issues anymore.”
1) Introduce need (I noticed / I’ve been seeing / there’s been some trouble with / lately, we’ve faced..)
2) effort taken (I’ve looked into / I’ve asked around / I found out that / I can see that / I could see that / I spoke with)
3) action taken (I fixed it/ I resolved it / I arranged for / I set up / I did it / I organized (with) / I + past tense verb)
4) State expectation (things should be better / it shouldn’t be an issue any longer / it should improve / it’s fixed /
it’s improved ; it should resolve;)
Practice:
- A doctor needed help with his research project; you helped him obtain more
information.
- New front desk secretary was nervous on her first day; you helped welcome
her.

41. How can you show willingness?
1. A situation calls for volunteers.
2. Your boss seems overloaded with duties.
How can you offer assistance to your boss?

42. Sample Responses:
• “How can I help?”
• “How can I help with (this project, this matter)?
• “I’d like to lend a hand with…”
• “What can I do to help expedite this?”
• “Please let me know if there’s anything I can
help with.”

43. Making Suggestions

44. How can you share your ideas?
Think of a situation where you’re boss believes/does
something, but you’ve thought of another (better?) way.
Did you stay silent? Share your idea? Go through another person?

45. First, what NOT to say…
• “Next time, you should...(do it this way)”
• “I wouldn’t do it like that. I think you should…”
• “Why would you do that? That doesn’t make sense…”
• “Maybe you should’ve (done this…)”
• These are all condescending towards
your boss

46. Instead, try these:
Suggest it in the form of a question:
“Do you mind if I make a suggestion? / Can I make a suggestion?”
“Can I run this idea by you?”
“Do you think it would work if we ___________(did it this way)?”
“What do you think about this idea? – We can…..”
“Would you consider …(doing it this way)?”
Statements of positive outcomes:
“It’s possible that if we…. (did it this way, we can succeed)”
“I’m confident that if we… (did it this way, we can succeed)”

47. Speaking Practice:
Your boss is notorious for (famous for) sending you lots of
urgent emails and text messages.
Most of the time, the matter can be quickly and easily
resolved during work hours.
You’ve began to ignore some of them, but your boss is
persistent, and asks you to reply ASAP.
How can you broach this topic with your boss…. and
more importantly, how can you suggest a better way
to communicate with each other?

48. Respectfully Disagreeing

50. Think of a time your boss instructed you to do
something, but you disagreed.
What tips would you give to a pharma rep
“newbie” if they disagreed with their boss?

51. There are 3 Rules to disagreeing with your boss:
1) SPEAK UP! – your opinion counts, and as you move up in your career
‘difficult conversation’ skills are necessary.
2) Start off on a positive note- As with most topics at work, make sure your
positive intentions are know.
3) Stay Company Focused- Ask thoughtful questions and present various
ways a decision could impact the company.

52. Positive Note: Disagreement: Cooperation:
• I understand why you
(do/feel) this way…
• I think you have a fair
point…
• I agree with you about…
• I respect your view, …
• I hear what you’re saying
• My team feels.. (use the
power of numbers)
• From my perspective…
• I’d like to share my
perspective…
• In reality / the truth is…
• According to my notes..
• From this data (show data)
• I think we could save time
and money with this
approach (company focus)
• Thanks for letting
me share my view.
• I think if we both
just take more time to
think about this, we
can work out a solution
• I want to make sure I
understand why you
feel this way.
• We can try it your
way. (if you must give in)

53. Speaking Practice
You boss has suddenly cut your budget, and reduces the
speaker fee by 30%. They feel that your KOL’s will accept
this new fee, because it’s still a prestigious role.
You completely disagree, and because you work directly
with the KOL’s – you know their expectations are high.
How can you respectfully disagree with your boss’ decision
and convince her to consider your input?

54. Admitting to Mistakes

56. Can you think of a mistake you made
earlier in your career (or in life).
Did you “fess up”, stay silent, or deny it?

57. There are steps to confessing or “fessing up” to a
mistake:
1. A_______ the damage (gather info, evidence, etc.)
2. A______ your mistake immediately (the earlier the better)
3. Be D_________ (no hinting or “softer” language)
4. Offer S_________ or a P.O.A. (present options, ideas, and ways to
resolve the issue)

58. There are steps to confessing or “fessing up” to a
mistake:
1. Assess the damage (gather info, evidence, etc.)
2. Admit your mistake immediately (the earlier the better)
3. Be Direct (no hinting or “softer” language)
4. Offer Solutions or a Plan of Action.
(present options, ideas, and ways to resolve the issue)

59. For a mistake you need your boss to help fix:
“I made a mistake – I [explain mistake].
I thought I was (taking initiative, doing the right thing) but I can
see now that I should have run my actions by you first.
I’m so sorry and it won’t happen again.
However, in order to resolve this, I’ll need your help. When’s
the best time for us to discuss”

60. When you simply forgot to do something:
I’m sorry for missing the deadline on [X] / for forgetting [X]
I realize that my error reflects poorly on the team. / made this
difficult for you / inconvenient for you.
I can [X make it better by ______]
Will that be OK?

61. Speaking Practice
Your boss asked you to take her place
at a meeting – it completely slipped your mind and
you didn’t attend.
You only realize this when she emails you about the
meeting minutes.
How can you ‘break the news’ to her that you
didn’t attend?

62. Problem Solving

64. What’s a problem you recently had to deal with
at work?
Did you have to tell your boss?
How do you usually bring up unpleasant issues?

65. • “I’ve been thinking about our problem, and I’ve
looked into (it)
• We can solve that problem. Here’s how...
• We’ve got an issue with [X], and there are 3 ways we can
resolve this: 1st…2nd….lastly
• Here are some potential solutions for [X] …”

66. Speaking Practice
Your KOL is upset at your team member. They are
now unwilling to speak at an upcoming
conference.
How would you present this information to your
boss?

68. Asking for…

69. Accepting Feedback

70. Creating Boundaries

71. Expressing Gratitude

72. Bringing up Changes

73. Honest Excuses