1.

30 Powerful Business English Phrases for

Communicating in a Brainstorming Session
The healthy latte that Starbucks just introduced.

Those exciting new features on Facebook.

That month-old startup company down the road from your office.

What do all these things have in common?

That’s right. Many of the brightest business ideas were born from brainstorming sessions
(meetings).

Maybe you have some bright ideas of your own. Maybe you would like to share those ideas with
others who can help you put them into action.
Or maybe you need to communicate with others to solve a business problem.
Either way, in order to participate in a brainstorming session effectively, you need to use the
right language.

In this post, we will show you 30 powerful phrases you can use to communicate in a
brainstorming session.

But first, let’s look at what a brainstorming session is all about.

How Does a Brainstorming Session Work?

In a face-to-face brainstorming session, you would sit down with a group to generate (produce)
as many creative ideas and solutions as possible to meet a business need or solve a business
problem.

Before this meeting, you would probably do some brainstorming on your own and come up with
a list of ideas to bring to the table.

These days, with technology, brainstorming has gone online. Corporate giants like IBM, for
instance, use social networking to conduct brainstorming at many locations simultaneously (at
the same time).
According to an article in Success, in one such online brainstorming session, over 150,000
employees in 104 countries contributed their ideas. As a result, 10 new IBM businesses were
born. Isn’t that amazing?
The Language of Brainstorming
A brainstorming session involves making, accepting, rejecting and evaluating suggestions. To be
an effective participant, you need to master the language of brainstorming. By language, I’m not
only referring to business English. (Although that plays an important part in brainstorming, too.)

The nature of a brainstorming session makes it important to be professional, especially when

rejecting or disagreeing with suggestions. It’s important to use a diplomatic (polite and
considerate) tone. A slight shift in your tone could give a very different meaning to some
phrases.

In other words, how we say something is as important as what we say. This is definitely
something to keep in mind when participating in both face-to-face and online brainstorming
sessions.
Okay, now let’s move on to some common business English phrases for communicating more
powerfully in brainstorming sessions. You can use these phrases in both spoken and written
communication. I hope they will serve as a starting point for you to explore and expand on their
usage.
2. 30 Powerful Business English Phrases for
Communicating in a Brainstorming Session
Let’s start by creating a brainstorming scenario: In this scenario, we have people generating
ideas for a venue (setting) to hold a product launch. Here, we will see some business English
phrases that I will explain in greater detail later.

Ben: Let’s hold the launch right here in the concourse (open space in a public building) of our
office building.
Adam: That’s a good idea but there might be a problem with space. The concourse is not very
big and parking is somewhat limited.
Carol: Why don’t we hold it at a hotel instead?
Diane: That looks like it could work. A hotel’s much grander (fancier) and has ample (plenty
of) parking.
Ben: I’m not too keen on that. We might not have the budget for it.
Diane: How about the convention center downtown? I think we might be able to secure (get) a
more reasonable rental rate there.
Adam: Sounds like that might be worth a try. Do you think it’ll work?
Carol: Well, yes and no. The convention center has great facilities but it’s a little out of the way.
Most of our customers are in this part of town.
Ben: I don’t think that would be a problem. It’s not that far and the traffic should be smooth.
Adam: Great. Let’s keep it in mind and come back to it later.
Modal Verbs
1. A phrase with “could,” “might,” “should,” “would” or another modal
verb
One of the most powerful phrases you can use during a brainstorming session is one that includes
a modal verb. These are special verbs that express ability (could), possibility (might, should) or
request (would). They are small but powerful words to use for softening the effect of your tone
in a discussion. Note how they are used in the above scenario.
Making Suggestions

As we have already discussed, a big part of brainstorming revolves around suggesting ideas and
solutions. These phrases will help add a more diplomatic tone to your suggestions.

2. Let’s + [verb]
“Let’s hold the product launch here.”

Beginning a sentence with the word “Let’s…” will make you sound positive about working
together toward a common goal.

3. Why don’t we + [verb]

“Why don’t we use the convention center?”

Phrasing your suggestion in the form of a question is a great way to set a softer tone.

4. How about + ["-ing” verb]

“How about holding the launch at the convention center?”
5. What if we + [v[verb]h3>
“What if we consider another venue for the launch?”
6. I think we + [m[modal verb]+ [v[verb]h3>
“I think we should decide on the venue now.”

Beginning a sentence with “I think” or “Maybe,” even if you’re very certain about
something, is a good way to sound more diplomatic.

7. Maybe we [m[modal verb]+ [v[verb]h3>

“Maybe we could decide on the venue now.”
Rejecting Suggestions

Rejecting an idea or suggestion comes with a risk of offending someone or hurting their feelings.
So we should approach this very carefully. Not only should we keep our body language neutral
(relaxed and non-threatening), we should also use as diplomatic a tone as possible.

Starting a sentence on a positive note, even when we’re about to reject someone’s suggestion,
will help to soften the impact (effect) of your message.

8. That’s a good idea but…

“That’s a good idea but we may not have the budget for it.”
9. Your suggestion sounds good but…
“Your suggestion sounds good but we’ll need to check the rental rates.”
10. I can see some problems with that.

Instead of telling someone the problem outright, soften the effect by saying this first.

11. Let me think about this.

Instead of an outright “no,” it’s more polite to say you will give it some thought.

12. I’m not too keen on + [v[verb/noun]h3>

“I’m not too keen on using the concourse area for the product launch.”
“I’m not too keen on the idea of the convention center.”

The use of the words “not too” softens the impact of rejecting the suggestion. You may
substitute the adjective phrase “keen on” with other adjective phrases, like “interested in”
or “happy about.”

13. I’m not really + [a[adjective] [n[noun/pronoun]h3>

“I’m not really convinced the concourse is a good venue.”
“I’m not really sure we have the budget.”

The use of the expressions “really” and “I don’t think” softens the impact of the rejection.

14. I don’t think this would + [v[verb]h3>

“I don’t think this would work.”
“I don’t think this would be the best venue for the launch.”
Accepting Suggestions

Accepting or agreeing with someone’s suggestion is easy. However, instead of a direct “Yes” or
“I agree,” you may want to communicate different degrees (levels) of agreement.

If you’re very sure, you might say…

15. That’s a good idea./That’s not a bad idea.

16. This is just what we need.
17. Let’s try that.

If you’re not very sure, you might use these phrases:

18. This looks like it could work.

19. That might be worth trying.
20. It might work.

“Looks like” and the modal verb “might” show uncertainty.

If you’re even less sure or don’t know, you might say…

21. Maybe. I’m not sure.

Evaluating Suggestions
Evaluating suggestions involves reviewing ideas and solutions, and selecting the best one to use.
This usually involves discussing each idea or solution in detail and asking questions to generate
feedback.

Here are some good questions to ask during evaluation:

22. What do you suggest?

23. What are your thoughts?
24. Do you think this will work?

If an idea or suggestion sounds good but you need more time to think it through, you could use
these phrases:
25. Let’s look at this again.
26. I think this needs a lot more thought.
27. This idea has potential (possibilities), but it’s not quite there yet.
28. Let’s keep this in mind and come back to it later.

If you only agree partially (partly) with a suggestion, or accept only certain aspects (parts) of an
idea, you could use these phrases to lead into saying which parts you agree and disagree with:

29. I agree up to a point.

“I agree up to a point. The convention center is a great venue but it’s not very central.”

Use conjunctions like “but” and “however” to link opposing (differing) viewpoints.

30. Well, yes and no.

“Well, yes and no. I like the idea of using the concourse. However, I don’t think it’s available on
the date of our launch.”

Now you’re all set to shine at your next brainstorming session.

Remember, these phrases are only a start.

Feel free to brainstorm different ways of making them work for you. Good luck!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take
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3. 20 Top Business Administration Vocabulary Words

for English Learners
(1) Facilitate
To facilitate means to make things easier and help them run more smoothly. A facilitator is the
person whose job is to facilitate.
Sample sentence: “The course facilitator is there to provide guidance and encouragement for the
group to find out the answers for themselves.”
(2) Coordinate
The verb to coordinate means to arrange for two or more parties (people or groups) to work
together. The person who coordinates tasks or activities is known as a coordinator.
Sample sentence: “We need someone to coordinate the conference call with our business
partners in Europe and Asia.”
(3) Prioritize
To prioritize means to deal with things in their order of importance or urgency. Things that are
more important are given a higher priority so they get done before the less important things.
Sample sentence: “I have eight emails waiting in my inbox. Let me prioritize which ones I
should answer first.”
(4) Schedule
The verb to schedule means to plan for an event (such as meetings, conference calls and
deliveries) to take place at a certain time and place.
Sample sentence: “Peter’s stuck in a traffic jam. We may run into scheduling problems if we
can’t confirm what time he’ll be at the office for the meeting.”
(5) Process
The verb to process means to put something through a series of actions to achieve a certain
result. The noun processing describes the series of actions and steps needed to produce a certain
result.
Sample sentence: “You may submit your business loan application today. Processing usually
takes up to two to three weeks.”
(6) Motivate
The verb to motivate means to provide a good reason for doing something, or to encourage
someone to work harder.
Sample sentence: “George doesn’t seem to be putting in much effort lately. It’s time his sales
manager steps in and motivates him to meet his quota.”
(7) Collaborate
The verb to collaborate means to work together with another person or group to achieve a
common goal.
Sample sentence: “Higher management wants us to collaborate with our partners in Britain to
develop a better product.”
(8) Supervise
The verb to supervise means to direct and be in charge of someone or something. The
adjective supervisory is used to describe the quality of someone who’s in charge.
Sample sentence: “The contractor will be in later to supervise the office remodeling.”
(9) Document
You might already know that the noun document refers to a paper or computer file. The
noun documentation refers to the creation of records or files.
Sample sentence: “I think you should read the document carefully before signing it.”
(10) Budget
The verb to budget means to make a plan for the amount of money to spend on something. The
word budget can also be used as a noun to mean the amount of money that’s made available for
spending.
Sample sentence: “If you’re organizing a year-end office party, you’ll have to work out
a budget for it.”
(11) Negotiate
The verb to negotiate means to formally discuss something and come to an agreement. The
noun negotiation refers to the formal discussion to arrive at a decision that all parties agree to.
Sample sentence: “After a week of negotiation, we still can’t agree on the terms of the contract.”
(12) Implement
The verb to implement means to effectively start using or enforcing an action or plan. You
might implement a set of measures or rules, for instance.
Sample sentence: “We’re now ready to implement security measures that we hope will make
this office building a safer place for our employees.”
(13) Communicate
You’ve probably heard of the verb to communicate, which means to pass on information to
someone. The noun communication refers to the act of expressing or exchanging information.
Sample sentence: “Due to the lack of communication, we don’t have all the facts we need.”
(14) Recruit
The verb to recruit means to find suitable people to work for your company.
Sample sentence: “After securing this deal, we had to recruit more managers to head the
projects.”
(15) Authorize
The verb to authorize means to give approval or permission to someone to do
something. Authorization, or the act of giving approval, is commonly given in the form of a
signature.
Sample sentence: “I’ll have to get my supervisor to authorize this check before I send it to you.”
(16) Merchandise
The noun merchandise simply refers to the products or goods that are bought and sold by your
company.
Sample sentence: “This year, there has been an increase in our imports of foreign merchandise.”
(17) Inventory
The noun inventory refers to the items or products you have in stock.
Sample sentence: “The year end is the time when we check our stock and update
our inventory lists.”
(18) Turnover
The noun turnover is pretty interesting. It may refer to the amount of money your company
receives in sales, or the rate at which your company’s merchandise is sold and replaced by new
stock. It could also mean the rate at which staff leave your company and are then replaced by
new people.
Sample sentence: “Our total sales turnover this year is higher than the past two years combined.
You can all expect a bonus at the end of the year.”
(19) Distribution
The noun distribution refers to the delivery of products or merchandise to your store or
business.
Sample sentence: “The new manager takes care of the distribution of our sports and fitness
products to other countries.”
(20) Profitability
The noun profitability refers to the profit or amount of money gained from your sales or
business.
Sample sentence: “Management would like you to conduct a study of
the profitability of expanding our market overseas.”

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post.

Right, now it’s time for you to start putting these 20 business administration words to use in your
daily work every chance you get.

Remember, you have to keep practicing to improve quickly.