Professional Skills in English: Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-Nocomercial-Sinderivar 4.0 Internacional

Esta obra está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivar 4.0 Internacional.
Autores: Eva Samaniego Fernández
PROFESSIONAL
SKILLS IN ENGLISH
1
The information collected and presented here has been adapted from various
sources:
http://englishplusplus.jcj.uj.edu.pl/presentation/practical-information/
https://www.quicksprout.com/10-tips-for-a-killer-presentation/
https://www.duarte.com/presentation-skills-resources/display-data-in-presentations/
http://www.google.es/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCEQFjAA&
url=http%3A%2F%2Ffaculty.washington.edu%2Frturner1%2FORAL%2520CLASSROOM%
2520PRESENTATIONS.ppt&ei=DY1MVLzaIsGNaJWwgsgL&usg=AFQjCNFAtFKsmH9nbG
79xe-BnAYnAhLbuQ&bvm=bv.77880786,d.d2s
http://www.presentationprep.com/how-to-present-in-english-non-native-speaker/
http://speakspeak.com/resources/general-english-vocabulary/presentation-language-
phrases
http://www.google.es/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&ved=0CDIQFjAG&
url=http%3A%2F%2Fhplengr.engr.wisc.edu%2FRubric_Presentation.doc&ei=05ZMVP2dJ
ZDUauD5gbAB&usg=AFQjCNFDDMD0bG-tRRlRzk10eTOPfuqPOQ
http://www.english-at-home.com/business/vocabulary-and-phrases-for-making-
presentations/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit3prese
ntations/expert.shtml
http://www.garrreynolds.com/preso-tips/deliver/
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/words/charts.htm
https://hbr.org/2018/04/3-tips-for-presenting-in-english-when-youre-not-a-native-
speaker
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/short-courses/search-courses/presentation-skills-english-non-
native-english-speakers
https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/trends-and-insights/articles/how-to-
give-a-presentation-involving-numbers/
Haigh, R. (2015, 4th ed.), Legal English. Routledge.
2
PRESENTATIONS
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PRESENTATIONS: LOGICAL STRUCTURE

1. INTRODUCTION
General purposes:
1. To introduce the topic to the audience;

2. To stimulate the audience’s interest in the topic;
3. To let the audience know how the speaker intends to develop the topic.
Condense the whole presentation into a single sentence and refer to it several times in the presentation
(first of all in the introduction).
2. BODY OF THE PRESENTATION
The purpose of the presentation body is to develop the thesis/topic.
1. Major points should be obvious, and clearly related to the topic.

2. In longer presentations, the body should contain an internal summary to (1) review for
the listener what has already been covered and (2) forecast what is to come.
3. CONCLUSION
Don’t come abruptly to an end right after the last major point has been developed. There has to be a
conclusion.
Effective conclusions can occur in a variety of forms.
1. A review of the major points, with an emphasis on the thesis.

2. An application of principles discussed in the presentation.
3. Telling a story which serves as an example of the major ideas developed in the
presentation.
SUPPORTING MATERIAL
Supporting material has three major roles to play with regard to the ideas and major points of the
presentation:
1. To help the listeners understand them.

2. To help the listeners remember them.
3. To get the listener to accept the main thesis, particularly in persuasive presentations.
Effective supporting material is necessary to manage the audience’s attention. An endless stream of
statistics or facts and figures is not going to keep your audience focused on the presentation.
A mixture of expert opinion, statistics, specific instances and anecdotes is necessary to hold
the audience’s attention.
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IN A NUTSHELL… CLARITY, CONSISTENCY, EFFECTIVENESS

Preparation: Keep it simple.
• Give your presentation a logical structure: (1) introduction (what you’re going to say); (2)
main body (development); (3) conclusion (summing up).
• Don’t crowd slides with text. They should contain only the information necessary to
illustrate your point Remove information which is irrelevant or not related to the topic.
• If there are issues you cannot express in a clear way, better not to talk about them.
• Find time to rehearse: make yourself familiar with your own voice, check and adjust time
and see coordination between visuals and the points you want to make.
• Keep to the time. It is better to shorten the presentation by three minutes than to extend
it by three minutes.
• Leave time for questions from the audience. See questions as a way of getting your
message across, not as something negative.
• Use good (audio)visuals to get your message across efficiently. Visual aids should speak
for themselves in illustrating your point. Give listeners time to take them in.
• Have your presentation edited: correct grammatical and spelling mistakes.
Delivery
• Use a ‘hook’ (to make the audience want to hear more) at the beginning and a ‘take home
message’ at the end.
• Do not read out every single thing you have written on a slide, it is counterproductive.
• Do not read extensively from your notes. You should know your material well enough.
• Try not to digress too much and always go back to the point where you were.
• Speak clearly and avoid raising your voice, whispering or mumbling “under your breath”.
• Try to maintain the natural pace of speaking appropriate for a formal, rather than
everyday situation.
• Make pauses in places which you consider critical for your presentation.
• Try to control your body language; avoid excessive gesticulation but do not stand
absolutely still.
• Maintain eye contact with your listeners but do not focus on one person/a few people.
• Don’t turn your back to the audience if you want to show something on the screen and
don’t “talk to the screen” either.
• Observe the audience’s reaction and act consequently (skipping, etc.).
• Do not finish abruptly, say something to concludes the presentation.
• Thank the audience for their attention and encourage them to ask questions.
• If you do not know the answer to a question, don’t be afraid to admit it.
• Show enthusiasm; engage the audience.
Other issues:
• Recommendable font size: title between 36 & 44; body between 24 & 32. Do not overuse
italicised or bold fonts. Be consistent.
• Consider colours (foreground and background): contrast. Not too many.
• Transitions, graphics, audios, videos (use images sparingly; to visualize, not to decorate).
• Words per screen: about 50 words. Average adult: maximum reading speed of between 200
and 300 words per minute. Handouts.
• Time for each slide on the screen (theory: average of 2mins; btw 5 secs & 4 mins.).
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DELIVERY
1. Show your passion. Try to connect with your audience in an honest and exciting way.
2. Start strong. First impressions are powerful. The first 2-3 minutes of the presentation are the
most important: this is what you have to engage the audience at the beginning.
3. Keep it short. Audiences have short attention spans when passively sitting and listening.
Better to have the audience wanting more than to feel that they have had more than enough.
4. Make good eye contact. Try looking at (all) individuals rather than quickly scanning the
group.
5. Know your slides inside out.
6. If possible, learn the names of participants, at least when the group is small, or you may
ask them to write their name/surname on table cards.
7. Speak slowly and clearly, especially with non-native English. Everyone has an accent,
having an accent is not a problem.
8. Don’t speak in a flat monotone. This will bore your audience.
9. Use simple language. Try to use short words and sentences.
10. Don’t waffle. Do not talk in a vague or trivial way.
11. Do not give unnecessary apologies. Don’t apologise for what you’re saying (‘I’m sorry if
this is boring’).
12. Avoid assertions and truisms. Do not say something is true if you don’t know; don’t say
obvious things.
13. Avoid jargon. Use plain English to explain what you mean.
14. Avoid idioms. An idiom used incorrectly will detract from the seriousness of your talk.
15. Don’t use slang. In a professional environment, slang is out of place, even if you hear native
English speakers use it.
16. Don’t use crutch/filler words. Try your best not to overuse certain crutch words or sounds
(like ummm, you know, as I said, etc.). Try to use variations rather than the same phrases.
17. Use verbs instead of nouns. Spoken English sounds more natural with more verbs than
nouns (nominalisations are typical of written discourse).
18. Use active verbs instead of passive verbs. They are much easier to understand.
19. Use linking words. Examples are: on the contrary, similarly, nevertheless, therefore, in
addition, however, etc. They make it easier for your listeners to follow your argument.
20. Write down & adapt numerical information. Make sure important numbers and
statistics are written on your slides so the audience does not miss this critical information.
Adapt the style of writing and saying the numbers to the country where you are making your
presentation.
21. Don’t use acronyms/abbreviations without explaining them. The first time you use an
acronym or abbreviation, say or write it in full. After that, you may use it.
22. Use a remote-control device. With a handheld remote you can move away from the podium
and closer to your audience.
23. Keep the lights on. Go for a compromise between a bright screen image and ambient room
lighting. Turning the lights off -besides inducing sleep- puts all the focus on the screen, and the
audience should be looking at you more than the screen.
24. Remain courteous, gracious and professional at all times. Even if someone is being
difficult, at all times be extremely polite and courteously deal with any issue.
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PRESENTATIONS: SIGNPOSTING
Section of presentation Signpost language
Welcoming Good morning/afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

Good morning and welcome to…
Thank you all very much for coming today.
I hope you all had a pleasant journey here today.
Introducing yourself My name is … and I am responsible for….

My name is …. From (company) where I am responsible for…
Let me introduce myself; my name is … and I am responsible for….
Introducing the topic The subject/topic/theme of my talk/presentation is ...

I'm going to talk about ...
The purpose of today’s presentation/my presentation today is to…
In my presentation I’d like to show you/I’m hoping to give you an
update on…
My topic today is…
My talk is concerned with ...
After my talk there will be time for discussion and any questions.
So that concludes the introduction.
Now let’s move to the first part of my talk, which is about…
Overview (outline of I’m going to divide/I have divided this/my talk into (four) parts.
presentation) I’m going to examine/cover…
I’m going to fill you in on the…
There are a number of points I'd like to make.
Basically/ Briefly, I have three things to say.
I'd like to begin/start by ...
Let's begin/start by ...
First of all, I'll... … and then I’ll go on to …
Then/ Next ...
Finally/ Lastly ...
I’d like to give you an overview of/a brief outline of…
My presentation will take (about) thirty minutes…
In today’s presentation I’m hoping/I’d like to cover 3 points…
Firstly … secondly … thirdly…
Questions during or after the Please (feel free to) interrupt me if you have any questions.
presentation I’d be grateful if you could ask your questions after the presentation.
If you have any questions you’d like to ask, please leave them until the
end, when I’ll be happy/I’ll do my best to answer them.
Starting the presentation To begin with/to start with...

Let’s start by looking at…
I’d like to start / let’s start with/by looking at…
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Starting a new section Moving on now to …

Now let’s move on to…
Now I’d like to move on to…
Next I’d like to look at…
Turning to...
Let’s turn now to …
The next issue/topic/area I’d like to focus on …
I’d like to expand/elaborate on …
Now we'll move on to...
Moving on to the next part/section, I’d like to…
I'd like now to discuss...
Let's look now at…
Now let’s take a look at...
Analysing a point and giving Where does that lead us?

recommendations Let's consider this in more detail...
What does this mean for...?
Translated into real terms...
Why is this important?
The significance of this is...
Giving examples For example, ...

A good example of this is...
As an illustration, ...
To give you an example, ...
To illustrate this point...
Introducing a visual/referring to I’d like to show you…

a visual This graph shows/represents…
Let’s compare the....
Take a look at this…
If you look at this, you will see…
This chart illustrates the figures…
This chart gives you a breakdown of…
This clearly shows…
Here you see a comparison between ...
One advantage is ... another is… a third advantage is… finally…
We can see two advantages and one disadvantage …
On the one hand… on the other hand ...
First ... second
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Finishing/closing a section So that concludes…

So that’s an overview of…
I think that just about covers…
I’d like now to turn to…
Now I’d like to look at…
That's all I have to say about...
We've looked at...
So much for...
That’s all I wanted to say about…
Let’s move on to (the next part, which is…)…
So now we come to…
So we’ve seen first the background, then the present situation and then
the prospects for the future.
Summarising and concluding That brings the presentation to an end.

That concludes my talk.
That brings us/me to the end of my presentation.
Unfortunately, I seem to have run out of time, so I’ll conclude very
briefly by saying that …..
Finally, I’d like to finish by…
… some conclusions and recommendations.
To conclude...
In conclusion ...
In short ...
Right, let's sum up, shall we?
Well, that’s about it for now, we’ve covered…
In brief, today we…
To sum up ...
To summarise...
Let's summarise briefly what we've looked at...
If I can just sum up/summarise the main points...
Finally, let me remind you of some of the issues we've covered...
I’d like to end by emphasizing the main point(s).
That’s an overview of…
Now, just to summarise, let’s quickly look at the main points again.
So, to remind you of what I’ve covered in this talk, …
I'd like now to recap...
Thanking Thanks for listening.

Thank you for listening.
Thank you for your attention.
I’ll have to come to that later, perhaps after the break since we’re
running out of time.
I’d like to thank you all for your attention and interest.
I’d like to end by thanking you (all) for coming today.
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Invitation to discuss / ask Thanks for listening. Now I’d like to invite your comments.
questions Now we have (10 minutes) for questions and discussion.
So now I’d very interested to hear your comments.
I’m happy to answer any queries/ questions.
Does anyone have any questions or comments?
If anyone has any questions, I’ll be pleased to answer them/I’ll do my
best to answer them.
Please feel free to ask questions.
If you would like me to elaborate on any point, please ask.
Would you like to ask any questions?
Any questions?
I’ll have to come to that later, perhaps after the break since we’re
running out of time.
Re-wording questions (to give So you would like further clarification on our strategy?
yourself time) That’s an interesting question. How are we going to transfer
responsibilities? By….
Thank you for asking. What is our plan for next year?
Let me just say it in another way.
Perhaps I can rephrase that.
Put another way, what you’re asking is…
Answers Does this answer your question?

Did I explain myself?
Did that help?
Do you follow what I am saying?
I hope this explains the situation.
I don’t actually know off the top of my head, but I’ll try to get back to
you later with an answer.
I’m afraid I’m unable/not able to answer at the moment. Perhaps I can
get back to you later?
Good question! I really don’t know. Let me find out and I’ll get back to
you.
That’s a very good question. However, I don’t have any figures on that,
so I can’t give you an accurate answer.
Unfortunately, I’m not the best person to answer that. Please get in
touch with…
Referring to a previous point As I mentioned earlier...

As we saw earlier…
You may recall that we said/that I explained…
Paraphrasing and clarifying Simply put...

In other words.......
So what I’m saying is....
To put it more simply....
To put it another way....
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ASSESSING ORAL PRESENTATIONS

[Source: www.education.vic.gov.au/languagesonline]
This is a sample rubric to assess oral presentations, but it can also be used to double-check that the
main points are present when you rehearse the presentation you intend to deliver.
Below expected
Criteria At expected level Above expected level
level
Topic introduced. Topic introduced clearly, and Topic introduced clearly and
Introduction of purpose of talk was made in an interesting way. Purpose
topic clear. of talk was made clear.
Outline of points was given.
Some understanding of topic Good understanding of topic A very good understanding of

shown. Some links and shown. Links and connections the topic shown. Links and
connections made between between ideas made clear. connections between ideas
ideas. Points are usually Information was relevant and made clear. Information was
Development of
developed with minimum expressed in own words. relevant and well expressed in
topic detail. Information is usually Points were developed with own words. Points were well-
relevant. sufficient and appropriate organised and developed with
details. sufficient and appropriate
details.
Some eye contact was made. An interesting approach taken Speaker monitored audience
to topic. Speaker used and adapts presentation
Techniques used to engage
techniques such as visual aids accordingly. An interesting or
audience were minimal, or
Ability to engage and props, anecdote, original approach taken to the
mainly ineffective.
and involve surprising facts, direct topic. Speaker used
audience audience participation. techniques such as visual aids
and props, anecdote, humour,
surprising facts, direct
audience participation.
Attempts were made to tailor The presentation content and The presentation content,
Suitability of the presentation content to structure was tailored to the structure and delivery were
presentation for the intended purpose of audience and to the intended closely tailored to the
purpose and informing, interesting or purpose of informing, audience and to the intended
audience persuading. interesting or persuading. purpose of informing,
interesting or persuading.
Presenter occasionally spoke Presenter usually spoke Presenter spoke clearly and at
clearly and at a good pace. clearly to ensure audience a good pace to ensure
Voice: clarity,
comprehension. Delivery was audience comprehension.
pace, fluency usually fluent. Delivery was fluent and
expressive.
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The vocabulary of the The vocabulary of the The vocabulary of the

presentation was mainly presentation was appropriate presentation was appropriate
Vocabulary,
appropriate for the topic. The for the topic. Sentence for the topic. A variety of
sentence
presentation content was structures were usually phrases and sentence
structure, occasionally grammatically correct. The presentation structures were used. The
grammar correct. content was usually presentation content was
grammatically correct. grammatically correct.
Pronunciation occasionally Pronunciation and intonation Pronunciation and intonation

Pronunciation correct, but often hesitant is usually correct. is correct and confident.
and inaccurate.
Greetings and general Greetings are culturally Greetings are culturally

Cultural presentation are not appropriate. Questions are appropriate. Gestures, stance
conventions for culturally inappropriate. answered appropriately. and eye contact are
oral presentation appropriate. Questions are
answered appropriately.
No visual aids were used; OR Visual aids supported the Visual aids were carefully
presentation effectively. They prepared and supported the
Visual aids were occasionally
clarified and reinforced the presentation effectively. They
appropriate and related to
Use of visual aids spoken message. clarified and reinforced the
the spoken message.
spoken message. The aids
added impact and interest to
the presentation.
An attempt was made to The presentation was The presentation was

Conclusion of conclude the presentation. summed up clearly. summed up clearly and
topic effectively, with key points
emphasised.
Not all questions could be Most questions answered. Questions answered with
Answering answered. Questions little difficulty. Very good
answered with difficulty, and Answers showed good knowledge of the topic was
questions from knowledge and understanding
audience little knowledge of the topic demonstrated. Language was
was demonstrated. of the topic. Language was correct and fluent.
mainly correct.
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Scoring Rubric for Oral Presentations

[Source: hplengr.engr.wisc.edu/Rubric_Presentation.doc]
If you rehearse your presentation with someone, this may help them assess how you present so that
you may improve on it.
Category Scoring Criteria Total Score

Points
The type of presentation is appropriate for the 5
Organization topic and audience.
(15 points) Information is presented in a logical sequence 5
(introduction, body, conclusion).
Questions at the end. 5
Introduction is attention-getting, lays out the 5
problem well, and establishes a framework for the
rest of the presentation.
Content Technical terms are well-defined in language 5

appropriate for target audience.
(45 points)
Presentation contains accurate information. 10
Material included is relevant to the overall 10
message/purpose.
Appropriate amount of material is prepared, and 10
points made reflect well their relative importance.
There is an obvious conclusion summarizing the 5
presentation.
Speaker maintains good eye contact, is 5
appropriately animated (e.g., gestures, moving
around, etc.) and keeps the interest of the
audience.
Delivery
Speaker uses a clear, audible voice. 5
(40 points)
Delivery has a good pace (speed) and goes 5
smoothly.
Good language skills and pronunciation. 5
Audiovisual aids are informative and effective. 5
Length of presentation is within assigned time 5
limits.
Information was well communicated. 10
Score Total Points 100
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PRESENTATIONS: DESCRIBING CHARTS
Type of chart Name
Table
Pie chart
Bar chart
Line graph
Flow chart
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Phrases to describe charts

The pie chart is about ...
The bar chart deals with ...
The line graph (clearly) shows ...
The slices of the pie chart compare the ...
The chart is divided into ... parts.
The chart highlights ...
... has the largest (number of) ...
... has the second largest (number of) ...
... is as big as ...
... is twice as big as ...
... is bigger than ...
More than ... per cent ...
Only one third ...
Less than half ...
The number ... increases/goes up/grows by ...
The number ... decreases/goes down/sinks by ...
The number ...does not change/remains stable
Describing charts
• Increase/fall (adjectives): gradual, marked, moderate, sharp, significant, slight, steady,
steep, dramatic, considerable, sudden, small, rapid, slow.
• Position: highest level, lowest level, peak, reached a peak, stood at, remain the same.
• Nouns of movement: decline, decrease, drop, fall, fluctuation, improvement, increase,
recovery, reduction, rise, flow, lift, downward trend, upward trend.
• Verbs of movement: bottom out, double to, fluctuate, level off, plummet, plunged, soared,
remained steady, decrease, drop, go up, go down, fall, grow, increase, rise.
• Comparing: more, far more, many more, a lot more, substantially more, considerably more,
significantly more, slightly more, fractionally more; as many, twice as many, three times as many,
not as many.
• ‘Considerable’ usually goes with: amount, degree, difference, doubt, extent, impact, influence,
interest, number, power, risk.
• ‘Important’ usually goes with: aspect, contribution, decision, difference, point, question,
reason.
• ‘Major’ usually goes with: change, concern, contribution, difference, factor, issue, problem, role,
theme.
• ‘Significant’ usually goes with: difference, effect, impact, increase.
• ‘Widespread’ usually goes with: allegation, assumption, belief, destruction, opposition,
practice, protest, support, use.
15
EXAMPLE OF CHART DESCRIPTION
The pie charts illustrate the primary reasons that people came to and left the UK in 2007. At first
glance it is clear that the main factor influencing this decision was employment.
Having a definite job accounted for 30 per cent of immigration to the UK, and this figure was very
similar for emigration, at 29%. A large number of people, 22%, also emigrated because they were
looking for a job, though the proportion of people entering the UK for this purpose was noticeably
lower at less than a fifth.
Another major factor influencing a move to the UK was for formal study, with over a quarter of
people immigrating for this reason. However, interestingly, only a small minority, 4%, left for this.
The proportions of those moving to join a family member were quite similar for immigration and
emigration, at 15% and 13% respectively. Although a significant number of people (32%) gave
‘other’ reasons or did not give a reason why they emigrated, this accounted for only 17% with regards
to immigration.
HOW TO SAY PERCENTAGES THAT ARE NOT EXACT

Percentage Qualifier
77% just over three quarters
77% approximately three quarters
49% just under a half
49% nearly a half
32% almost a third
proportion / number /
Percentage amount / majority /
minority
75% - 85% a very large majority
65% - 75% a significant proportion
10% - 15% a minority
5% a very small number
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E-MAILS
17
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E-MAILS: NETIQUETTE
• Be specific in the “Subject” box.
• Don't assume the recipient knows the background. Include contextual information.
• Keep it concise. Keep messages brief and to the point.
• Reply within 24/48 hours if possible. The recipient will appreciate a prompt reply and
it also makes you look efficient.
• Allow time for a reply before sending a reminder.
• Depending on the circumstances, if necessary use the “Bcc” field when sending
email to other addressees. That way the privacy of the recipient is respected.
• Don't use capital letters or oversized fonts. If you must use UPPERCASE, use it very
sparingly and only to emphasize a particularly important point, as they may be offensive.
• Don’t reply to an email when you are angry. Always wait until you have calmed down.
• Correct punctuation, grammar and spelling.
• Do not overdo emphasis: one exclamation point is as effective as five, so do not overuse
them.
• Layout your message for readability. Use spaces and breaks between paragraphs
and/or long sentences to make it easier on the reader.
• Keep the thread. When replying to an e-mail, use the reply option. This will keep the
message in the "thread", and make it easier for the recipient to follow.
• Don't “Reply to all” unless necessary. Think twice about sending a reply to everyone.
• Acronyms, abbreviations, and emoticons are alright within reason. Emoticons (for
example ;-), a winking smiley face) are good when used in context. As a general rule, you
shouldn't use emoticons when talking to someone in authority.
• Try not to forget attachments. Attach the file before writing the email.
• Edit the superfluous text out of emails. When you are sending email that has 'been
around' in the sense that it has been replied to or forwarded many times, take the time to
remove the angle brackets '>' from the message.
• Don't be over-familiar with the recipient. Many people are offended by strangers
being over-familiar. As a rule, don’t address recipients by their first name. Use titles or
forms of address unless they ask you specifically not to do so.
• Email is not confidential. If you work within an organisation, it might be the case that
every email you send and receive is scanned for certain words that are 'deemed
unacceptable', and record may be kept.
• Correct priority. Avoid marking an email 'high priority' when it is 'normal' priority.
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E-MAILS: POLITENESS STRATEGIES

1. Use could, would or might, they sound more tentative and less assertive:
This could be a problem instead of This is a problem.
2. Present your view as a question rather than as a statement:

How about changing the dates? instead of We’l’ll change the dates.
3. Use an introductory phrase to prepare the listener for your message:

Here’s one possibility: suppose we... or We’d like to make an offer to settle the case.
This is what we were thinking…
4. Add I’m afraid to tone down a negative message, to make clear that you
recognise the unhelpfulness of your response, and to get across the message
that you would do more if you could, but you can’t.
That’s all we can offer, I’m afraid.
5. Use words that qualify or restrict what you say, to make your position more
flexible
There is/seems to be a slight problem with the a part of the offer
instead of
We can’t accept Clause 6.
6. Use not with a positive word instead of the obvious negative one, it tones
down a refusal.
This is not very convenient instead of This is inconvenient
7. Use a comparative (better, more convenient) to soften your message.

It would be better if you could agree to…
instead of
This proposal is not acceptable
8. Use a continuous form (I was wondering) instead of a simple form (I

wondered) to make a suggestion more flexible.
We were wondering if you would like to send a proposal.
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EMAILS: LANGUAGE
Informal e-mail Dear Mark/Jane,
Thanks for your mail.

Sorry it's taken me so long to write.
I hope you’re well.
Love,
Best wishes,
Kind regards,
All the best,
Formal e-mail Dear Sir, (a man whose name you don’t know)
Dear Madam, (a woman, single or married, whose name you
don’t know)
Dear Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms. Smith,
Dear Sir or Madam (when you don’t know name or sex),
Dear Sirs, (to address a firm where at least one of the members
is male)
[Initials or first names are not used with courtesy titles, e.g.
“Dear Mr. John Smith”]
I am writing in reply to your mail of 4 September regarding …

Further to our previous mail, I am pleased to confirm our
appointment for 12.30am on Friday, 7 January.
I would be grateful if you could attend to this matter as soon as

possible.
If you would like any further information, please don't hesitate
to contact me.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Kind regards,
With best regards,
(If you started the mail with Dear Mr./Mrs., then use “Yours)
sincerely”; if you started with Dear Sir/Madam, then use “Yours
faithfully”).
21
ACRONYMS
• AAMOF As a matter of fact
• AFAIAA As far as I am aware
• AFAIK As far as I know
• AFAIUI As far as I understand it
• AIH As it happens
• AKA Also known as
• ASAP As soon as possible/practicable
• ATB All the best
• ATVB All the very best
• AWYR Awaiting your reply
• BAC By any chance
• B4N/BFN Bye for now
• BR Best regards
• BTW By the way
• C.c. Carbon copy
• CID Consider it done
• CMIIW Correct me if I'm wrong
• C/o Care of
• CU(L) See you (later)
• DK Don’t know
• DU Don’t understand
• FAO For the attention of
• FWIW For what it’s worth
• FYI For your information
• HIH Hope it helps
• IAW In accordance with
• ICBW I could be wrong
• ICYI In case you’re interested
• ICYMI In case you missed it
• IIUC If I understand correctly
• IMO In my opinion
• IOW In other words
• KIT Keep in touch
• LMK Let me know
• N/A Not applicable/available
• NRN No reply necessary
• OIC Oh I see
• PP Per procurationem (used when signing a letter on someone else’s behalf)
• PS Postcript
• PTO Please turn over
• RFI Request for information
• SOW Speaking of which
• SYS See you soon
• TIA Thanks in advance
• TTYL Talk to you later
• WADR With all due respect
• WBR With best regards
• WBS Write back soon
• WGBTY Will get back to you
• WRT With regard to
• WRT With respect to
22
SOME EXAMPLES OF TEXT-BASED

EMOTICONS
Check more extensive lists on:
https://www.lifewire.com/emoticons-for-instant-messaging-1949772
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons
23
24
CHAIRING A
MEETING
25
26
[Based on Haigh, R. (2015. 4th ed.), Legal English. Routledge]
THE ROLE OF THE CHAIR

1. Control and coordinate the meeting.
2. Ensure that all matters under discussion are properly presented.
3. Allow participants to comment on the matters being discussed.
4. Ensure that the meeting is not dominated by a single individual.
5. Move from one issue to the other.
6. Ensure that business is transacted efficiently.
7. Ensure that the necessary decisions are made.
8. Not allow the meeting to exceed the time allotted.
9. See that all necessary minutes and records are kept.
STRUCTURE
A typical meeting structure is as follows:
1. The chair opens the meeting.

2. The minutes are read.
3. The agenda is introduced.
4. First subject is introduced.
5. The chair gives the floor to a participant.
6. Another speaker takes the floor.
7. The chair keeps order.
8. The chair moves the discussion to a new point.
9. The chair directs the discussion.
10. Participants propose new motions.
11. The chair moves to a vote.
12. Voting occurs.
13. Consensus reached.
14. Any other business dealt with.
15. Meeting closed.
27
MEETINGS: LANGUAGE
Section of meeting Language
Opening [Very formal] Ladies and gentlemen, I declare the meeting open.
Good morning/afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

Good morning and welcome to…
Thank you all very much for coming today.
[Informal] Right, shall we get started?

Let’s get down to business, shall we?
The minutes [Very formal] May I read the minutes?
Would someone move that the minutes of the last meeting be

accepted?
Can we take the minutes as read?
The agenda Has everyone received a copy of the agenda?
Has everyone got the agenda in front of them?
The first item on the agenda today is…
I would like to add an item to the agenda…
The subject The purpose of today’s meeting is…
The first problem we have to consider is…
Perhaps we could first look at…
Giving the floor [Very formal] I’d like to give the floor to Mr./Mrs. Smith
Mr./Mrs. Smith ___, do you have any views on this / would you like
to say something about this?
[Informal] Have you got anything to say, Mr. Smith?

What are your views on this, Susan?
Taking the floor [Very formal] With the chair’s permission, I’d like to take up the point
about…
Could I just make a point about ...
[Informal] Could I say something here, please?

Finishing a point Has anyone anything further they wish to add before we move on to
the next item?
Has anyone anything further to add?
28
Directing [Very formal] We seem to be losing sight of the main point. The
question is…
This isn’t really relevant to our discussion. What we’re trying to do is…
[Informal] Could we stick to the subject, please?

[Informal] Let’s not get sidetracked. The issue under discussion is…
Keeping order We can’t all speak at once. Mr. Smith, would you like to speak first?
Mr. Smith, would you mind addressing your remarks to the chair,
please?
I shall have to call you to order, Mr. Smith.
Moving to a new point [Very formal] Could we move on to item 4 on the agenda, please?
Now I’d like to turn to…

Can we go on now to…?
Postponing discussion [Very formal] Well, ladies and gentlemen, with your approval, I
propose to defer this matter until we have more information at our
disposal.
If no one has any objections, I suggest that we leave this matter until
our next meeting. ...
Perhaps we could leave this for the time being. We can come back to it
on another occasion.
[Informal] Let’s come back to this later on.

We can talk about this next time we meet.
Proposing the motion [Very formal] With the chair’s permission, I move that…
I would like to propose the motion that ...

Would anyone like to second the motion?
[Informal] I suggest/propose we ...

I’m in favour of that.
Is anyone else in favour of that?
Moving to a vote [Very formal] Perhaps we should take a formal vote?
Let’s put it in the vote.

Could we take a vote on it?
Can we move to a vote on it?
[Informal] Should we vote?

Can I ask for a show of hands?
29
Voting [Very formal] In the event of a tie, I would like to remind you that I
have a casting vote.
Those for the motion, please?

Those again?
Any abstentions?
The motion is carried unanimously.
The motion has been rejected by six votes to five.
[Informal] If there’s a tie, I have the deciding vote.

Who’s in favour?
Who’s against?
Abstentions?
Everyone was in favour.
The motion was rejected.
Seeking consensus Would everyone agree if…
I’d be interested to know if anyone has any objections, but shall we try
...
Am I right in thinking that …
Consensus It seems that we have a consensus.
Can I take it everyone’s in favour?
[Less formal] We’re all agreed ...

I think we all agree on that.
Any other business Is there any other business?
Any further points?
Is there anything else to discuss?
Closing [Very formal] I declare the meeting closed. Thank you, ladies and
gentlemen.
That concludes our business for today, thank you.
[Informal] Well, I think that covers everything.

That’s all for today, thank you.
30
TELEPHONING
31
32
A TYPICAL PHONE INTERACTION

[Source: adapted from European Cross-Border Civil Procedures: Legal English for Court Staff. ISBN 978-3-9818235-4-7.
ERA]
Hello / Good morning, this is the First Instance Court of Madrid. How can I help you / be of help?
Good morning, this is Mr. Mezur calling. I am a court officer in the Lublin circuit court. May I
speak to Judge Lopez, please?
I’m afraid she is at a hearing at the moment. Would you like to leave a message for her / would
you like me to take a message?
Yes, please / As a matter of fact I would. Could you please ask her to call me back as soon
as possible? It’s about a rather urgent matter on a taking of evidence request. My number
is 00 48 289864210, that’s a direct number.
Let me check if I got that number right. Is it 0-0-4-8-2-8-9-8-6-4-2-1-0?
That’s right.
Ok / alright, Mr. Mezur, I will give her the message as soon as possible. Is there anything else I
can do for you?
No, thank you very much. Good-bye.
LANGUAGE
Key: ‘AmE’ stands for “US English”; ‘BrE’ stands for “British English”
WHAT YOU SAY WHAT YOU HEAR
Identifying yourself or your institution Taking the call/asking your identity
This is Lorenzo de Luca / Mr. de Luca here Good morning / good afternoon / good
(AmE) evening / hello
John Doe speaking Vilnius circuit court
It’s Mr. Green of CPS here May / can I help you?
This is Mr. Lombardi, of / from Florence May I ask who’s calling?
appeal Court
Who is calling him/her?
Who’s calling please? / Who’s speaking
please?
Can / could I have your name please?
Can / could you give me your name and
institution?
33
Trying to get through Being put through/ not being put through
Hello / Good morning, can / may / could I One moment please

speak to (BrE)/with (AmE) Mr. Jones, please?
Hold on, I’ll connect you
I’d like to / could I / may I speak to (BrE)/with
Just a moment
(AmE) Mr. Green?
Hold the line, please
Is Mr. Jones in? / Is Mr. Jones there, please?
Hold on (a moment) please
Would it be possible to speak to Mr. Jones?
I’ll put you through / Putting you through
Is Mr. Jones available / at the premises?
(colloq)
Could I have Mr. Jones, from the personnel
Sorry, the line is engaged
department?
Please don't hang up
Could you give me Mr. Jones, please?
(colloq.)
Could you connect me with the Staff
Department, please?
Could you please put me through to Mr.
Jones from the International Section?
Giving information about the purpose of Giving information about the purpose of
your call your call
I have an important / urgent matter on cross- May I ask what you are calling him for?
border cooperation in criminal matters to
May I ask who's calling?
discuss with her, more specifically on a
request for the taking of evidence What is this in connection with? (colloq.)
I have something important / urgent to Could you please tell me / let me know what
discuss with her the call is about?
34
Leaving/Not leaving a message Problems to get through / Being asked to

leave a message
I’m afraid the line’s busy / engaged

Could you tell him /say that I called?
I´m sorry, he’s not in at the moment
Could you ask her to call me back?
I’m afraid she’s out of the court building
Could you tell her that I’ll call back / later?
I’m afraid Ms. Taylor is not available (until...)
Could you tell him that Ms. Taylor called?
I’m afraid there is no reply from that extension
I’ll call back later
Would you like to / Do you want to leave a
I’ll call him on his mobile (phone)
message?
I'll be in my office all afternoon
Can I take a message?
Could you ask him to call me as soon as
Does Mr. Davies have your number?
possible?
Could you spell your name, please?
He can reach me on 0034619554378
I'll get back to you on this
Apologising Asking what number the caller wanted
I'm sorry, I think I've called the wrong number What number were you calling?
I'm sorry, I wanted / I was calling What number did you want?
0034619554378
What number did you call?
Oh, I apologise, I must have the wrong
I'm afraid you have the wrong extension
number
35
Checking on something
Let me check (on) that for you

I'll see what I can find out
I'll look into that for you
Agreeing/not agreeing to a request
By all means
Go ahead
Please do
Yes, of course
I'm sorry to say...
I'm afraid...
Unfortunately…
I don’t think…
I cannot…
Asking for help
Could you speak a little slower?

Could you speak a bit more slowly, please?
Excuse me? I didn't catch that
Sorry, could you repeat that?
Could you say that again, please?
Can you speak up a bit?
There is a lot of interference on this line
I'm afraid I can't hear you very well
It's very noisy here, I can hardly hear you
I'm afraid you are speaking a bit too fast for me
I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean
I'm afraid I don't follow you
So what is it that you need from Mr. Nowak?
36
Thank you/You are welcome
Thank you very much for...

I really appreciate your help
I'm very grateful for...
It's really good of you to...
That's very kind of you
I'd be very grateful if...
I'd really appreciate it if...
That would be fine/great/lovely, thanks
That's all right / OK, thanks
It's a pleasure
Not at all
My pleasure
You're welcome
37
38
DEALING WITH
DIFFICULT
PEOPLE
39
40
DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

[Source: adapted from Haigh, R. (2015, 4th ed.), Legal English. Routledge]
1 Show empathy. Indicate that you understand the other person’s concerns, or conversation
you will not make much progress.
2. Avoid being defensive. Try not to say things like It’s not my fault even if it’s true. You
need to find a way of apologising without necessarily admitting fault:
Sorry that you feel we let you down… We’ll do whatever we can to sort this out.
3. Ask for more information politely.
It would be helpful if you could provide further information about what happened…
4. Manage the other person’s anger (and your own). Some possibilities are
encouraging them to explain further (I am sorry you feel that way, perhaps you would like to
tell me briefly what happened?) or trying to delay things until the other person is more calm
(Perhaps we could discuss this tomorrow morning?).
5. Try not to be judgmental even if the other person’s problems have been caused by
his/her own actions. Try not to say things like If you’d done as we asked (in the first place),
this wouldn’t have happened; it is preferable to ask questions that take things for granted:
Why did you decide to book the flight without the requisite approval by the organisation?
6. Do not commit yourself to a course of action without checking first. Don’t agree
to do something that you cannot realistically achieve, so say things like: Let me check if this is
possible, but I cannot guarantee anything.
7. Decide when to use language that does not make the other person feel that you
are remote or language that discourages closeness. One approach will focus on
humane, less formal language and the other one on cold, over-formal language. Whatever the
choice, use clear and straightforward language at all times.
8. Arrange a realistic timetable for action. Set out the steps that need to be taken and at
what stage each step will occur.
9. Deal with (perceived) irrelevance. The other person may not be able to see the link
between the questions you are asking and the problem s/he consulted you about, which might
make them think that you have not understood the problem. Explain things out by saying
things like:
In order to establish… we need to know…
10. Avoid ‘echoing’ the other person by repeating exactly what they said but don’t
add to what they are saying either. Putting in your reply in inverted commas what the other
person said in his/her mail is very likely to be perceived as slightly offensive.
41
LANGUAGE TO BE USED
Try to use “hedges”; they are mitigating elements used to ‘tone down’ or lessen the impact of
what you say, so they make what we say less direct. They can be modal expressions, adverbs,
structures, certain verb tenses, etc.
Examples of hedging devices:
ADVERBS:
- Apparently (it appears that)
- Approximately/roughly (not completely accurate)
- Arguably (it could be argued that)
- Commonly
- Fairly (not used with comparative adjectives)
- Likely/unlikely (probability/improbability)
- Normally (a bit tricky because of what its opposite suggests)
- Not necessarily (not always)
- Perhaps
- Probably
- Possibly
- Quite (not used with comparative adjectives, comes before a/an)
- Rather (can be used with comparative adjectives and expresses surprise or negative
opinion)
- Reasonably (to some extent, fairly)
- Relatively (fairly, in comparison)
- Reportedly (it is reported that)
- Slightly (can be used with comparative adjectives)
- Sometimes
- Supposedly (it is generally believed that)
- Usually
- Widely
MODALS (especially past or conditional tenses)

- Can (probability)
- Could (more cautious)
- May (probability)
- Might (more cautious)
42
OTHER VERBS
- Appear
- Assume
- Believe
- Contribute
- Doubt
- Estimate
- Facilitate
- Help
- Indicate
- Look
- Seem
- Suggest
- Tend
FIXED EXPRESSIONS
- Approximately
- As a rule
- In a way
- For practical purposes
- In many respects
- In principle / as a rule
- Insofar as
- In the sense that
- More or less
- On balance
- To some extent
- Up to a point
EXPRESSIONS WITH THAT CLAUSES

- It is widely accepted that…
- It appears that …
- It seems that…
- It is possible / likely / probable that…
- It has been suggested that …
43

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Esta obra está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivar 4.0 Internacional.

Autores: Eva Samaniego Fernández

Haigh, R. (2015, 4th ed.), Legal English. Routledge.

PRESENTATIONS: LOGICAL STRUCTURE

1. To introduce the topic to the audience;

2. BODY OF THE PRESENTATION

The purpose of the presentation body is to develop the thesis/topic.

1. Major points should be obvious, and clearly related to the topic.

Effective conclusions can occur in a variety of forms.

1. A review of the major points, with an emphasis on the thesis.

1. To help the listeners understand them.

IN A NUTSHELL… CLARITY, CONSISTENCY, EFFECTIVENESS

Section of presentation Signpost language

Welcoming Good morning/afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

Introducing yourself My name is … and I am responsible for….

Introducing the topic The subject/topic/theme of my talk/presentation is ...

Starting the presentation To begin with/to start with...

Starting a new section Moving on now to …

Analysing a point and giving Where does that lead us?

Giving examples For example, ...

Introducing a visual/referring to I’d like to show you…

Finishing/closing a section So that concludes…

Summarising and concluding That brings the presentation to an end.

Thanking Thanks for listening.

Answers Does this answer your question?

Referring to a previous point As I mentioned earlier...

Paraphrasing and clarifying Simply put...

ASSESSING ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Some understanding of topic Good understanding of topic A very good understanding of

The vocabulary of the The vocabulary of the The vocabulary of the

Pronunciation occasionally Pronunciation and intonation Pronunciation and intonation

Greetings and general Greetings are culturally Greetings are culturally

An attempt was made to The presentation was The presentation was

Scoring Rubric for Oral Presentations

Category Scoring Criteria Total Score

Content Technical terms are well-defined in language 5

PRESENTATIONS: DESCRIBING CHARTS

Type of chart Name

Phrases to describe charts

EXAMPLE OF CHART DESCRIPTION

HOW TO SAY PERCENTAGES THAT ARE NOT EXACT

E-MAILS: POLITENESS STRATEGIES

2. Present your view as a question rather than as a statement:

3. Use an introductory phrase to prepare the listener for your message:

We can’t accept Clause 6.

7. Use a comparative (better, more convenient) to soften your message.

This proposal is not acceptable

8. Use a continuous form (I was wondering) instead of a simple form (I

Informal e-mail Dear Mark/Jane,

Thanks for your mail.

I am writing in reply to your mail of 4 September regarding …

I would be grateful if you could attend to this matter as soon as

SOME EXAMPLES OF TEXT-BASED

Check more extensive lists on:

[Based on Haigh, R. (2015. 4th ed.), Legal English. Routledge]

THE ROLE OF THE CHAIR

1. The chair opens the meeting.

Section of meeting Language

Good morning/afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

[Informal] Right, shall we get started?

Would someone move that the minutes of the last meeting be

[Informal] Have you got anything to say, Mr. Smith?

Could I just make a point about ...