Effective Business English for Service Staff

Name: Effective Business English for Service Staff
Rating: 4.5 (13281 reviews)

Your comprehensive guide to more effective English communication - for office administration, retail and hospitality!

Created byJacqueline Seidel

Last updated 3/2016

English

What you'll learn

organise meetings - send invitations, contact participants, write the agenda and take the Minutes
meet and greet guests to your company, and engage in small talk
understand and use English business jargon - both written and spoken
describe your products and services, and engage in simple sales conversations with potential customers

Course content

8 sections • 35 lectures • 2h 56m total length

Welcome to the Course!4:26
Build confidence using effective business English for frontline staff in the German market, covering office tasks, meetings, and calls. Explore intercultural communication insights and practical exercises.
What is the CEFR and where does this course fit in?2:00
No professional English course can be created nor exist in a void - there must be a purpose, a goal and a structure. But more importantly, it must exist within a recognised framework. By framework, I mean a system whereby language knowledge and ability are defined. Within the European Union, the recognised framework is the CEFR - Common European Framework of Languages, established by the Council of Europe.
What does it mean - English for Frontline Staff?1:00

Greetings and Salutations - Different Ways of Greeting People7:29
Frontline staff are the welcoming face of a company, and that welcome starts from the first moment a customer, counterpart or supplier walks through the door or makes a call.

This lecture focuses on different ways we can greet customers and clients, giving you the skills to greet appropriately and with confidence.
Offering Assistance6:56
Whether we work in an office environment or in retail, customers and suppliers may need our assistance. But what can we say? How can we do this?

This lecture shows you how you can offer assistance if and when it's required.
Culture Point: Business English and First Names2:07
We take a short break here to focus on a culture point: using first names in English-speaking cultures. As I said in the introduction, language and culture go hand-in-hand, so let's look at culture for a moment.

Why is this important? Effective communication is about he correct words and grammar, yes, but also about how and when to use it. Tone and style are just as important.
Activity - Starting Out3:00
In this text lecture, we combine those greetings with some general office communication. The topic here is the First Day At A New Job, and we focus on greetings, first names, reading comprehension and sentence building. Let's go!

Warm Up To Business Writing1:00
Why Tone Is So Important In Business Writing6:38
Writing Business Emails - Structuring Your Message3:40
Learn to structure business emails by opening and closing formally or informally, using the anatomy of email with purpose, background, and recommendation.
Why Are You Writing? Defining The Purpose.9:51
Master the purpose of email communication by crafting clear opening warm-ups, choosing formal or informal phrasing, and using strong action verbs to define the message, including effective subject lines.
Activity: Formality in Business English Emails2:00
Responding to Enquiries13:29

Checking Guests into the Hotel6:40
Master greeting guests, offering help, and confirming reservations to check them into the hotel, using clear language about room types, views, and room-number conventions.
Managing Problems in the Hotel6:24
Checking Guests Out and Handling Payments3:28
Learn how hotel staff handle checkout, manage payments, and thank guests, using clear prompts like 'we take all major credit cards' and friendly, professional service.

Requirements

You should already be familiar with English (CEF A2 level), and ideally be working in an office or administrative environment.
You will ideally have access to a printer, as many lectures are accompanied by worksheets which are best printed and filled in. These worksheets support the learning in the lectures.

Description

Do you organise in English-language meetings? Take phone calls from English-speaking clients? Need to send English emails? Attend trade fairs where English is spoken?

And is English your second language?

This course is for non-native English speakers needing frontline skills in:

planning meetings
preparing meeting agendas and writing the minutes
taking phone calls and messages
greeting visitors to the company
sending English emails about your company, products or services
talking to clients or potential customers

So if you work in administration or sales, and if you have lower-intermediate or intermediate English language skills then this course is for you!

I'm a professional, qualified and experienced English trainer with over 9 years' experience teaching business English to companies and individuals here in Germany. I base my training on many years' experience working in the public and private sectors in Australia, and believe that learning by doing is the most effective way.

In this course you'll listen, watch, read, write and produce your own meeting Invitations, Agendas, Minutes and more! You'll hear phone calls, take messages, write about your products and services.

And - you'll have direct contact with me, your teacher, and I'll work with you every step of the way.

By the end of this course you will be a confident and effective communicator in Business English!

Who this course is for:

This Business English course is for non-native English speakers with a pre-intermediate / intermediate level of English.
This course is probably not for advanced speakers of English, as it covers business topics at an intermediate level.
As this course has sections focused on the differences and similarities between German and English-speaking business cultures, it may not be relevant or interesting to learners outside those contexts.

Effective Business English for Service Staff

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction to Me And The Course3 lectures • 7min

Communicating with Customers and Clients4 lectures • 20min

Telephoning Skills for Frontline Staff5 lectures • 49min

Arranging Meetings6 lectures • 39min

Business Correspondence for Frontline Staff6 lectures • 37min

Sales Conversations for Frontline Staff5 lectures • 18min

Hotel Conversations for Frontline Staff3 lectures • 17min

Wrapping Things Up3 lectures • 14min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: