Mastering Business Communication: Presentations, Meetings, and Etiquette

Posted on Mar 17, 2025 in English

Mastering Business Communication

Greet the audience appropriately, e.g., ‘Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,’ and introduce yourself.
Speak clearly and at a natural speed. Try not to rush or talk too slowly.
Make sure you keep to the allotted time. It is always better to finish early and allow more time for questions than to overrun. When using slides, allow about 2 minutes per slide.
Keep to your plan and don’t be tempted to digress as you might lose your concentration.
Ask at the end of your presentation if anyone has any questions and have some ready in case the audience is slow to ask any.

Remember not to:

Read directly from a script. Instead, prepare short prompts and rehearse your presentation before the day so you feel confident about giving it.
Stand in front of the screen and always check that everyone can see it.
Use lots of colors and fonts for your slides, or overcrowd them with words. Keep them clear and simple.
Use a small font because it makes it difficult for people to read your slides, particularly if they are sat at the back.
Forget to check your slides for spelling mistakes. Mistakes like this can create a bad impression.

Always make sure you answer calls quickly. Never let the phone ring more than five times as that is unacceptable.
Turn away from the desk and computer screen so you do not get distracted.
Greet the caller with your name and/or the organization where you work before you ask how you can help.
Ask how you can help.
Remember to listen carefully and don’t interrupt the caller.
Think about your answer while the caller is speaking.
Smile while you are talking: it helps make you sound warm and friendly.
Speak slowly and clearly.
Adapt your language to the English language ability of the person calling.
Take notes when there is a message for a colleague or when names and numbers are given.

Say ‘hello’ first and offer your card to the other person.
Introduce people you are with to others.
Make an effort to remember new names and use them.
Make a remark about where you are from and what’s happening.
Remember to use open questions to encourage the other person to speak more, rather than simply answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (as they might with closed questions).
Listen more than you talk and look the other person in the eye rather than look around the room.
Be aware of your body language and remember that people who look ill at ease often make others uncomfortable.
Act as if you’re confident and comfortable, even if you aren’t.
Have something interesting to say. It helps if you know what’s happening in the news and current affairs as this can give you an opportunity to start a conversation.
Find out which topics are popular for small talk in the country you are in, e.g., sport in the U.K.
Prepare some ‘exit lines’ so you can gracefully end a conversation and move on.

Don’t worry, it’s not a big problem and shouldn’t take long to sort out.
I’m sorry, but it’s impossible to get through to that number at the moment. Could you try again later?
Please don’t ring off yet.
Oh no, my battery is about to run out.
Sorry, we were cut off.
Please could you pass on a message to Mr. Chalmers?
I’ll get back to you as soon as I’ve discussed this with John.
Please hold on a moment while I see if Ms. Wilson is in.
I’ll just put you through.
I’ll look into possible dates and give you a call later.