Business English encompasses a range of language skills and practices tailored to the needs of communicating with colleagues, customers, and stakeholders. It is different from everyday informal English both in word choice and expression.
Business English is characterised by clarity, focus, reasoning, and precision. It is clear and not open to interpretation. It has to be. Ambiguity or a lack of clarity may lead to misunderstanding which could then lead to lost business opportunities.
It is for good reason, therefore, that business English is clear, grammatically correct, concise, and focused.
It encompasses the vocabulary, phrases and conventions needed to support the activities of business – of managing, buying, selling, negotiating and presenting.
Words such as goals, strategies, tactics, techniques, methods and performance are likely to be included. Here are some business disciplines with some related topics:
Management – Vision, Mission, Performance, Strategy, Tactics, Value Propositions, Stakeholders, Reputation, Manpower, Money, Materials.
Marketing – Brand strategy, Competitive Positioning, Market Share, Market Research, Placement, Promotion, Pricing, Media, and Social Media Presence.
Sales – Planning, Targets, Prospects, Customers, Cost of Sale, Competition, Value, Features and Benefits.
IT – Hardware, Software, Networks, Applications, Security, Risk and Compliance.
Finance – Revenue, Costs, Margin, Accounts, Financial Reporting, Return on Investment (ROI) and Cashflow.
Operations – Performance Monitoring, Overheads, Risk, Compliance, Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity Planning.
Legal – Transactions, Contracts, Compliance, Regulations, and Intellectual Property.
Writing Emails, Business Letters, Reports, Business Plans and Proposals
Emails
The elements of a business email should include:
- The subject line.
If the communication is part of an existing message, the email thread is retained so that the recipient can review the background to the latest message.
- Greeting
- Body paragraph(s)
The key message is stated in the first line of the email. The rest of the content supports the key message.
- Sign-off
A few words as appropriate.
- Signature
This comprises contact information and sometimes company links.
Business Letters
A business letter follows a similar format and structure to that of a business email. The format of the letter has the sender’s letterhead across the top or to the top right and the recipient’s address below the last line of the sender’s address and to the left.
Here’s an example:
Sender’s Company Name
Address
Post Code
Phone
Recipient’s Name
Recipient’s Company Name
Address
Post Code
Date
Dear…
I am keen to let you know about (xxx), a brand-new time scheduling application designed to streamline your daily operations and boost business productivity.
As a sales manager, you will be keenly aware that optimising salespeople’s time directly translates into positive sales figures. (xxx) can help you achieve that substantial benefit.
xxx features include:
Intuitive Interface: User-friendly design that allows for easy scheduling and editing of entries, and the viewing of tasks and appointments.
Real-Time Scheduling: Team members can share their schedules in real time, ensuring availability is optimised.
Reminders: Automatic notifications to remind team members of meetings, deadlines, and tasks.
Cross-Platform Compatibility: Access your schedule from any device – whether you’re in the office, at home, or travelling.
To demonstrate our commitment to your success, I am pleased to offer you an exclusive 28-day trial without cost or obligation and give you and your team full access to the application.
Please phone me on …. and I’d be delighted to set up a trial as a first step towards helping you maximise your sales team’s productivity.
Yours sincerely,
Reports
A report is a document presenting researched facts, formal statements and findings (or results) of an individual or group.
It may be for internal use and distribution to a few people within a company. It may be for external use and publication for the readership of many people. Whatever the intended readership, the purpose of a report is to put across information with a conclusion.
Most reports are written to elicit reader response, whether it is for agreement, approval or some form of action.
Here are some report types:
Annual report
An annual report is generally produced by a company at the end of each year. It usually features the chairman’s assessment of the previous year’s trading position and his or her assessment of the company’s prospects. It includes all relevant financial information. Its purpose is to give full information about the company for investors and stakeholders.
Case study report
A case study is a real-world example of an event, a company or project which can give valuable insight into situations. Usually written to show capability, the value of a case study is that it supports theory and hypothesis and provides lessons on the application of ideas in the real world.
Committee report
Most large organisations are divided into groups and have committees of one form or other. Reports may be produced on a variety of subjects with which the committee is involved.
Compliance report
Compliance is an important factor in a complex business world. This report type analyses whether the rules, policy and regulations are being upheld. Typically, it involves facts, figures, findings and recommendations.
Feasibility study report
Feasibility studies are produced to decide whether a particular course of action is desirable, practical or viable. If it concerns developing products or services, it would comprise product or service descriptions, competition, resources, costs, cash flow, risk, and sales and marketing.
Financial report
A financial report looks at the finances of an organisation. It covers income and expenses for the period, liabilities, assets, operating costs and profit. It provides information on the value of an organisation or the value of a part of the organisation.
Health and safety report
This may focus on areas where there are believed to be health risks and what needs to be put in place to minimise those risks. Topics may include assessment, regulation, policy, enforcement and recommendation.
Progress report
This is written to inform on progress of a piece of work over a given time. It normally covers topics such as what has been done, how much there is to do, how things are progressing, issues, possible changes and budget adherence.
Sales report
A sales report reveals sales progress for a period: month, quarter or year. It covers sales achieved against budget by product or service, as well as the forward pipeline of business against budget. It may also report on gross and net profit and cash flow. Companies stand or fall by their sales performance, making sales reports a critical source of company information.
Technical report
A technical report may be reporting on existing technology with recommendations to upgrade. It may focus on new product design, features, functionality and viability.
Business Plans
A business plan is a written document which describes a business, its goals and how they are to be achieved over a given period. It is a forecast. It describes the starting point and the strategy needed to reach the proposed end point in perhaps one, two or three years.
It details the business aims, describes the products and services, analyses market demand, details the resources needed, the capability currently held, and the income which is anticipated to be generated over time.
A Business Plan provides sufficient information for a reader to calculate the credibility of the strategy, chance of success, and the risk that may be incurred by investing in the business.
Proposals
A project proposal details the information which stakeholders need to know about a project to decide whether to progress. The primary information concerns the overall benefit, but it will also include costs, implementation, resources, timeline and then again, in much more detail, measured benefits.
The most important section of a proposal is the executive summary. It sets the scene for the document and delivers the key messages.
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