Do you want to become an astronaut? Alright, go for it! You can do it!”

This is how many parents respond to their kids when they announce their big life goals. And the feeling is fantastic.

But what comes next? I mean, do a big goal, and a plan suffice? Or are there better ways to achieve what you desire, for example, becoming a confident English speaker?

Don’t get me wrong. You need to set goals. Ambitious ones. Realistic, too, so you can actually achieve them in the foreseeable future.

However, professionals who want to improve their English often set unrealistically high goals & focus solely on the outcome.  

What is usually missing (that makes a big difference) is the way to do it. The system, the steps between the present situation and the desired future. 

So, you don’t need goals? Quite the opposite. You do need goals because they set the direction.

Goals VS habits

There’s a fine line between these two. Goals are about the final outcomes. Habits are about the way to get there. 

This is absolutely essential to understand. It can make a big difference in the long run.

Let’s say you set a usually very ambitious yet ambiguous goal. “I want to improve my English to nail it at work!”.

That’s a goal, and that’s fine. You can have it. It shows the direction. But other than that, it doesn’t provide you with anything else valuable.

What and how are you going to do it? When? Where? These are all things that habits take care of.

For example, “I will read an English book for 20 minutes before dinner every day!” or “I will practice my pronunciation by reading a 600-word long news article in English every morning before starting work”. See the difference?

Now, would you stick to goals OR work towards forming healthy daily habits and make your plan come to fruition?

Healthy daily habits are what you have to focus on.

Your habits prepare you for your better future version. What you are today is the result of your habits until today.

If your business English still sucks, then your bad habits are to blame (like no practice, focusing on grammar and rules to name a few).

If you want to improve your business English to let your personality and talent shine, you need to stop bad habits and build new healthy ones.

 Open your mental “treasure box” and get ready to fill it with tips made of “gold” & precious experience-based knowledge to guide your efforts. Follow me! 

3 daily habits for improving your English business negotiation skills

“If you win, I lose. So, I have to win big myself!”

This is often the underlying approach to negotiations. Winners & losers. But does it have to be that way? Does it even make sense? Or is there another more “winning” approach?

Yes, there is. Put your shields & weapons away. You are not a medieval knight on a horse rushing into a battle. It’s 2022. It’s not tremendous victories to be sought after, but rather win-win outcomes.

Some may find the English language an obstacle to nailing the negotiations they take part in. Not at all.

English is a vibrant language & offers you plenty of ways to state your position, express your opinion, set your boundaries & reach win-win outcomes.

So, how can you go about it the next time? First of all, you must apply the following 5 principles or values:

• 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆 & 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆. Speaking clearly & stating your position concisely, without hiding, understating or exaggerating anything, can minimise friction & open communication channels.
• 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 & 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆. Go into the other side’s shoes and try to understand their position. Respond to their positions with empathy without sounding aggressive or insulting them.
• 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆. When there are disagreements, sticking points or deadlocks, you need to think positively & come up with suggestions and proposals that aim to bridge the gaps.

 Then, start building these 3 healthy daily habits that will help you negotiate like a pro in English

1.  Use 𝗶𝗳-𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 & 𝗰𝗮𝗻, 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 to set your conditions without sounding demanding. Be careful to use the right conditional for each case & also use other alternative phrases like “Assuming that…” or “Supposing you…”.
2.  Avoid 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 like BUT. Eliminating words like that will make you sound more positive & welcoming. Drop using BUT in your daily life as of today. You will see the difference!
3.  Practice 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. Here is a short exercise that is ridiculously easy to do before a negotiation:  acknowledge where you stand & what you want to achieve. Check my new 1-min video to find out how to do it.

Time to break the bad habits & build new healthy ones that will help you nail your negotiations in English.

3 daily habits for improving your English presentation skills

Are you a natural-born presenter? Meh, there is no such thing. Or is it?

Many professionals believe they must have a natural talent for presenting in front of an audience. Most of them think they don’t (should there be one) & avoid taking the lead.

Even if they feel confident, they dread a presentation in English, a language other than their native one. 2 out of 2. The end!

They are both personal blockages that hold you back from leading at work.

To make you feel better, let me tell you this, loud & clear:

• there is no natural talent when it comes to presentations.
• nor does it play any role if you are an extroverted or introverted person

Some people enjoy presenting, some others not that much. But that doesn’t mean the latter can’t do it or avoid presenting at work.

Even if you don’t like or look forward to presenting, you can do your homework & let your personality and talent shine during an important presentation in front of an international audience at work.

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀?
I can’t call it that, but there are two things to work on

• 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. If you are not confident about what you are going to present, you will struggle, whether in English or your native language. So, do your homework and prepare your presentation, speech, and English vocabulary for the subject.
• 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. Set realistic goals & expectations. You don’t have to speak like a native English speaker. Take it slow & step by step. Focus on your thing & ignore that you are being watched & judged. You are good enough, trust me! Also, take care of your body language, take mental breaks & breathe mindfully.

Now, here is a list of 3 daily habits for improving your business presentations in English, which can prove to be a game-changer:

1. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲. Pick a topic & present it in a standing position, just like your would in an actual presentation. Pay attention to your voice. Find a steady pace & the right volume for others to hear & understand what you are saying.
2. 𝗙𝗶𝘅 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲. This time, do the same exercise as above, in front of a mirror. You can also record it with your mobile phone. Maintain a confident straight posture, keep your arms open & control your hands. Smile & have relaxed facial expressions.
3. 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝘂𝗽 𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. A bad voice can ruin your flow & confidence. Exercise your vocal cords daily to learn how to warm up before a presentation. You can check Vanessa’s brilliant exercises here.

Right! If you want to discover the complete list of tips & advice for improving your English presentation skills, check out my comprehensive (yet short & enjoyable) blog article + VIDEO here.

 3 daily habits for nailing business calls & meetings in English

Your phone is constantly ringing, the agenda is packed with meetings, and your clients or boss is waiting for a video call to solve some issues.

That sounds kind of hellish. I won’t blame you for stressing. Not to mention that they may all be in English, a language other than your native one. Double the stress.

HOWEVER…

Does it have to be that way? Do you have to feel stressed & try to squeeze everything into your schedule just for the sake of it?

What matters are the results. There is no point in going through all this to achieve little, if not nothing.

Calls and meetings are an opportunity to communicate, connect, make agreements, achieve REAL RESULTS.

You should treat them as such, then. Preparation & mindfulness can work wonders. Here is how to do it.

– 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 as much as you can for the important calls and meetings. And demand the same from other participants (even if it is your boss). Everyone must have done their homework.

– 𝗕𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝘂𝗹. Take it slow, know where you stand and what you ask for, set realistic goals about the end result, take it step by step, & use positive body language to signal the right things.

And here are the Top-3 habits you should build for nailing a day full of calls and/or meetings:

1. Before each important call or meeting, write down your goal & the roadmap with the most important things you must not forget to bring to the table. All these in English, so you feel confident.
2. During a meeting or call, use open-ended questions. Instead of asking simple YES/NO questions, come up with an open-ended question that invites the other side to express themselves freely & get to the point. Plus, it gives you time to collect yourself & prepare your response.
3. Practice active listening. Instead of interrupting or jumping to conclusions (these are all terrible habits), focus on what they say, without judging, watch out for non-verbal cues (body language!) & keep an open mind to cultivate trust & collaboration.

𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗨𝗦 𝗧𝗜𝗣: if you want to prepare & have a handful of useful phrases you can use during meetings or calls, check out my blog article here.

~~~

Here at ProEnglish, this is my end goal. Empower non-native, highly-skilled professionals like you to claim what you deserve by breaking down the language blockage in a safe, kind and trustful environment.

I am Vera Daskalaki, your mindful English coach. You, being here and reading this, really means a lot to me. Let me know if anything above hits a nerve, and feel free to send me any questions.

If you want to talk about your goals and struggles in English and create a customised plan, just like I’ve done for dozens of professionals in the past, book a free Clarity Call by clicking below.

BOOK YOUR FREE CLARITY CALL

It’s a free 30-min call. No commitment, no obligation. We will talk about your challenges and needs for business English and lay out a path to achieve your goals. 

No catch. Let’s talk and take it from there.