How you can speak more simply and sound more advanced in English.

Do you want to sound more natural, fluent, and advanced in your Business English? Then you might be surprised to find out you’re making a common mistake.

Today I’ll help you learn to sound more natural (and personable!) and I have a surprise for you: you’ll do it by speaking more simply!

So, is your English too complex?
Do you feel like…

• It’s difficult saying what you want to say.
• You think really hard…and end up saying something really complicated.
• People don’t react the way you hoped. Like you said something wrong…or said it in the wrong way.

If that sounds like you, then you may be making the same mistake as many of my clients when they come to work with me–or one of my expert teachers.

You’re making your English way too complicated.

So, are you ready to sound more natural while making it easier for yourself?

I’ve got three rules for you to follow and plenty of examples to help you.

Get the worksheet to test what you learn in this lesson!

Did you know that I’ve made a worksheet to go with this lesson so that you can practice everything you see here today? I want you to make this part of the English you actually use in real life!

GET THE WORKSHEET: Make sure you practice these expressions so you can use them in real life with this worksheet made for you by a Neurolanguage coach.

Index:

1. The surprising truth: Native English speakers use simple language!
2. Rule #1: Skip the words we only use in writing.
3. Rule #2: Avoid being overly formal (and possibly annoying others).
4. Rule #3: It really is ok to use the simplest possible verb form!

1. The surprising truth: Native English speakers use simple language!

I’ve been a Neurolanguage coach for a long time now–and do you know something that often surprises me? My clients sometimes think they need sophisticated language to sound professional! But the opposite is true.

Making your English overly complex can make you sound overly formal…even cold.

And it can hurt your rapport with others!

Listen to native English speakers for a while.
You’ll see that they will often use the most simple possible way of making their point.

They choose

• the smallest words,
• the shortest sentences,
• the simplest verb tenses.

That’s good news.

To be a better Business English speaker, you just have to keep things simple.

Also check out my lesson: Master these 4 essential business situations and feel confident working in English.

2. Rule #1: Skip the words we only use in writing.

You will almost never hear a Native English speaker using words like, therefore, nevertheless, notwithstanding, or whereas when they are speaking.

Let’s look at a few examples:

Don’t say this:
Normally, we require 24 hours to complete this work, nevertheless, I will attempt to meet your request. 

Say this instead: 
Normally, we need 24 hours to finish this work, but let me see what I can do.

Notice in this example we also replaced require with need and attempt with try.
Using the shortest, simplest word sounds less formal and more personal.

Don’t say this:
I am working from home today, therefore, I’ll attend the meeting on Zoom.

Say this instead:
I’m working from home today, so I’ll join the meeting on Zoom.

Once again, we’ve simplified in other ways too. We’ve replaced I am with I’m and attend with join.

GET THE WORKSHEET: Make sure you practice these expressions so you can use them in real life with this worksheet made for you by a Neurolanguage coach.

3. Rule #2: Avoid being overly formal (and possibly annoying others).

There are some expressions you may have read or learned in school that aren’t actually how we speak English. Read these and see if you can see how simpler can actually be better for rapport:

Don’t say this: 
One can sensibly advocate that we should experiment with a new prototype next year.

Say this instead:
What if we tried a new prototype next year?

In that first example, I can actually hear some old-school grammar teacher speaking–but you don’t have to speak that way! Isn’t it a relief to know that no one really wants you to?

So give yourself a break. Give yourself permission to speak simply.

Your relationship with other English speakers may even improve!

Also check out my lesson: For More Advanced Business English, Stop Saying “Very” and Use These Expressions Instead

4. Rule #3: It really is ok to use the simplest possible verb form!

I know, I know, English has a lot of verb tenses. But guess what? Most of the time you only need to use a few of them. You guessed it–the most simple ones!

When you’re not sure which to use–choose the simplest option.

Don’t say this:
When do you think you will have completed the report?

Say this instead:
When do you think you’ll finish the report?

Instead of this: 
Has everyone received the agenda?

You could say:
Does everyone have the agenda?

Instead of this:
I will not be able to come to the meeting because of the inability to join when I will be working at home.

You could say:
I can’t be at the meeting because I’m working from home.

Keep your English more simple, feel more confident, sound more advanced.

When you keep your Business English simple, You’ll sound more natural and more advanced.
You’ll make native speakers around you feel more comfortable and build rapport more easily because you won’t sound cold and overly formal.

And you’ll feel and sound more confident because the simple version is much easier to say!

Also check out my lesson: “Real English is different from school English.”

Take the next step: Improve your English in the comments

The best way to become more confident using Business English is to practice!

Here’s your Confidence Challenge for this week:

1. Pick one of the simplified versions in the examples that you can imagine using in real life.
2. Tell us what it is and where you might use it.

If you learned something from this lesson, please share it with your coworkers & friends. You can send your message to them in English for more practice!

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Become more fluent & comfortable in conversations

If you would like to take the next step with me, discover my Faster Fluency Conversation Club Membership Program!

It helps you become more confident speaking in conversations, and get a lot more vocabulary on many different topics! And it’s a fabulous community of “English buddies” from around the world!

TIP: Use the code FFCC40 to save -40% off your 1st month of membership!

More details at

https://mybusinessenglishcourses.com/faster-fluency-conversation-club/join-now

Can’t wait to see you in the Club,
Christina