Business English
skills for work

Business English is English for getting work done. It covers writing emails and reports; taking part in meetings and calls; presenting updates; negotiating prices, deadlines and scope; handling complaints; and using the vocabulary of your industry. It also includes register — knowing when to be formal or relaxed — and the indirect phrases colleagues use to soften requests or disagreements.

The volume is huge. Microsoft's Work Trend Index research found the average worker receives 117 emails a day, most skimmed in under a minute, and is interrupted every two minutes during core hours.¹ Messages that are clear and short get read and acted on. EF's 2025 data shows how business English varies by job in India: adults in strategy and project management score 572 and R&D 592, while HR (450) and legal (444) score lower.² Many international, client-facing roles look for around B2 on the Council of Europe's CEFR scale — the level at which you can understand complex text in your field and interact with native speakers without strain.³

Emails the average worker receives daily (Microsoft WTI)

117

EF EPI score of Indian adults in strategy & project management

572

EF EPI score of Indian adults in HR

450

CEFR level many client-facing roles expect (editorial guidance)

B2

Table: How employers assess business English (editorial summary)

Table: Direct versus business English phrasing (illustrative)

Table: Meeting phrases (editorial)

• A rewritten work email, before and after
• A recorded two-minute project update
• Meeting notes with clear actions
• A negotiation role-play you practised
• A glossary of your industry's terms
• A verified Business English certificate

Show where you used English: "Ran weekly calls with US clients; wrote client-facing status reports; negotiated scope changes." Concrete situations prove business English better than "excellent communication".

"How would you handle a client who's unhappy with a delay?"

Acknowledge, explain briefly, offer options and confirm next steps in writing.

"Tell us about a presentation you gave."

Audience, message, structure and result.

"How do you write a difficult email?"

Purpose first, facts, a clear request, polite tone, and a review before sending.

"Describe a negotiation you were part of."

What each side wanted, your options and the agreement.

"How do you make sure everyone understands decisions in a meeting?"

Summarise at the end and send written actions with owners and dates.

• "Which clients or regions will I work with?" — accents and culture.
• "How much is written versus spoken?" — focus.
• "Are there templates for client communication?" — standards.
• "Is there communication training?" — growth.

Table: Business English tasks by function (editorial)

1. Week 1: Emails — Rewrite five real emails shorter and clearer.
2. Week 2: Meetings — Learn and use phrases for clarifying and summarising.
3. Week 3: Presenting — Record a two-minute update daily.
4. Week 4: Prove it — Take the Business English Test.

Related: Professional Email & Workplace Writing, English Level Test and Negotiation Skills. Guides: professional email writing, English levels for jobs and negotiation skills.

• Inbox — requests and updates.
• Stand-ups — short spoken updates.
• Client calls — listening for concerns.
• Reports — summaries for managers.
• Chats — quick, clear messages.
• Presentations — weekly or monthly reviews.

"How would you explain a technical problem to a non-technical client?"

Plain words, an analogy, the impact and the fix.

"What does 'touch base' mean?"

To have a brief conversation to check status.

Table: A first-90-days plan (editorial guidance)

Collect the phrases colleagues use for common situations. Volunteer to summarise meetings. By the third month, run client updates on your own and ask for feedback on your writing.

AI assistants draft and polish emails, summarise meetings and translate messages. That makes average writing easier but rewards people who can judge tone, catch errors and speak confidently live. Use AI to draft, then edit for accuracy and politeness — and never send an AI draft you haven't read.

Put the purpose in the subject and first line. Keep paragraphs short. Make one clear request with a date. End politely. Read it once as the recipient before sending.

Native speakers often soften bad news: "not quite there", "we might want to revisit", "interesting idea" can all signal disagreement. When unsure, clarify politely and confirm in writing.

Use three parts: where we are, what's blocking us, what we need. Lead with the main point, show one number, and end with the decision or help you need.

Prepare your priorities and walk-away point. Use conditional language: "If we extend the deadline, could you keep the price?" Listen for the other side's priorities, summarise agreements and confirm them in writing afterwards.

"Long words sound professional." Short words are clearer.

"Accent is what matters." Clarity and structure matter more.

"AI makes it unnecessary." Live calls and judgement still need you.

Open by stating the purpose and the time available: "Thanks for joining. In the next twenty minutes, let's agree the launch date and owners." Share a simple agenda on screen. Invite quieter people by name and summarise each decision before moving on. When discussion drifts, bring it back politely: "That's a good point — can we take it offline and come back to the launch date?" Close by reading out the actions, owners and dates, and send them in writing within the hour. People judge your English partly by how well your meetings run.

Pick one real situation each day — an email, a call or a meeting — and practise it. Read one short article in your industry and note two useful phrases. Rewrite one of your own messages to make it shorter and clearer. Once a week, record a two-minute update and listen back for clarity and pace. Small daily practice tied to your real work improves business English faster than long courses unrelated to your job.

Summarise what was agreed, confirm who will do what and by when, and thank the other person for their time. Then send a short written recap the same day so nothing is lost or misremembered.

• Too direct for the culture.
• Not confirming decisions in writing.
• Long, unclear emails.
• Missing indirect signals.
• Copying AI drafts without checking.

Email volumes come from Microsoft's Work Trend Index research (June 2025); job-function English scores from the EF English Proficiency Index 2025; and level descriptions from the Council of Europe's CEFR. The Pune scene, phrase tables and plans are editorial and illustrative. Science of Apps publishes the free test linked here; it isn't accepted for visas or admissions. Last reviewed October 2026.

• Register — level of formality.
• Softening — making requests or criticism polite.
• Action item — a task with an owner and date.
• Follow-up — checking progress after a meeting or email.
• CEFR — the A1–C2 language scale.