Business English Speaking Skills: Meetings, Calls, Presentations and Negotiations – London, 2–6 Aug 2027

Programme overview

Introduction:

Meetings that run long because points are misunderstood, calls that end without agreed actions and presentations that lose the room cost organisations time and credibility when English is a working rather than a first language. Business English speaking is a trainable skill set built on the right phrases, clear pronunciation and practice under realistic pressure. This Core Concept course helps Arabic-speaking professionals speak with fluency in meetings, calls, presentations and negotiations through daily role-plays. Participants finish with a Personal Spoken English Development Plan, a phrase bank and recorded evidence of progress.

Course Objectives:

• Rate own spoken interaction and spoken production against CEFR descriptors and set targets for fluency and intelligibility
• Correct the pronunciation and stress patterns that most often reduce intelligibility for Arabic speakers of English
• Chair and take part in meetings in English, including polite interruption, summarising and agreeing action items
• Conduct telephone and video calls in English and confirm outcomes in a short follow-up email
• Present information and figures in English, respond to audience questions and use negotiation phrases to reach agreement
• Build a Personal Spoken English Development Plan with a workplace phrase bank from recorded role-play feedback

Target Audience:

• Specialists and coordinators who take part in English-language meetings with colleagues, suppliers or clients
• Team supervisors who brief staff and report progress to English-speaking managers
• Customer-facing and account staff who handle calls and video meetings with international partners
• Project and technical staff who present updates, figures and recommendations in English
• Procurement, sales and partnership staff who discuss terms and offers in spoken English

Course Outline:

Day 1: Spoken English Baseline and Workplace Speaking Situations

• CEFR Spoken Interaction and Spoken Production Self-Rating from B1 to C1
• Recorded Two-Minute Speaking Sample and Personal Fluency Error Log
• Workplace Speaking Situations Map: Meetings, Calls, Briefings and Networking Events
• Small Talk Openers, Follow-Up Questions and Conversation Exit Phrases
• Self-Introduction and Elevator Pitch Role-Play at a Networking Reception

Day 2: Pronunciation, Stress and Intelligibility for Arabic Speakers

• Minimal Pair Drills for /p/ and /b/, /v/ and /f/ and Short Vowel Contrasts
• Consonant Cluster Practice Without Inserted Vowels in Words Such as Strategy and Split
• Word Stress Rules for Business Vocabulary and Noun-Verb Pairs Such as Record and Present
• Sentence Stress, Weak Forms and the Schwa in Connected Speech
• Intonation for Questions, Lists and Polite Requests Using the Shadowing Technique

Day 3: Meetings, Telephone and Video Calls in English

• Meeting Chair Phrases: Opening, Moving Through Agenda Items, Time Keeping and Closing
• Polite Interrupting, Holding the Floor and Inviting Quieter Participants to Speak
• Summarising Discussion and Assigning Action Items with Owner and Deadline
• Telephone Call Scripts: Opening, Taking Messages and Spelling Names and Numbers
• Video Call Phrases on Microsoft Teams and Zoom: Turn-Taking, Audio Problems and Screen Sharing

Day 4: Presenting, Negotiating and Checking Understanding

• Presentation Signposting Phrases: Introducing, Moving On and Referring to Visuals
• Describing Trends, Figures and Charts Aloud with Accurate Approximation Language
• Responding to Audience Questions: Clarifying, Buying Time and Deferring Politely
• Negotiation Phrases: Proposals, Conditional Offers, Concessions and Firm Refusals
• Comprehension Checks: Paraphrasing, Echo Questions and Confirming Next Steps

Day 5: Recorded Meeting, Presentation and Speaking Development Plan

• Post-Call Follow-Up Email Template: Recap, Agreed Actions and Open Points
• Recorded Project Meeting Role-Play with a Rotating Chair
• Recorded Ten-Minute Presentation with a Live Question Round
• Peer and Trainer Feedback Using a CEFR-Based Speaking Rubric
• Personal Spoken English Development Plan and Phrase Bank Assembly

Skills You Will Gain:

• Spoken Fluency
• Intelligible Pronunciation
• Meeting Facilitation in English
• Telephone and Video Call Handling
• Business Presentation Delivery
• Negotiation Language
• Active Listening and Clarification
• Networking Conversation

Why Attend This Course:

• Leave with a Personal Spoken English Development Plan and a phrase bank built from your own recorded role-plays
• Hear the difference between your first and final recordings and know which sounds and stress patterns to keep practising
• Walk into your next meeting, call or negotiation with ready phrases for interrupting, summarising and confirming agreements
• Practise daily with professionals from other sectors who also use English as a working language

Conclusion:

Spoken English at work improves fastest when the right phrases are practised aloud in the situations where they are needed. The course moves from a recorded baseline and networking conversation, through pronunciation and stress work aimed at Arabic speakers, to meetings, calls, presentations and negotiation. The final day records a full meeting and presentation, gathers structured feedback and turns it into a Personal Spoken English Development Plan and phrase bank for continued practice back at work.