Today, most of us in the professional world use emails as the main, and in some cases the only, means of written communication. For many students studying Business English and practising business email writing skills is an important part of their course.

While most of us are happy to write informal emails to friends and family that might have grammatical mistakes in them, the same is not true when writing to colleagues, higher management and clients whom we want to maintan a good impression with. Here, we need to be a lot more careful or diplomatic than usual.

Here are some tricks to write effective emails −

• Plan your message.

• Use the subject line to grab reader’s attention.

• Keep your message brief and clear.

• Check the tone - be polite.

• Proofread your message al least twice before sending it and assume accountability.

• If you are angry, take a few minutes to cool down before sending the mail.

• Don't type the entire message in capitals. Capitals are considered to be virtual SHOUTING.

In certain cases, emails may not be suitable. Prefer to call someone when −

• You have to discuss personal, sensitive or confidential information.

• You are going to give bad news.

• Your message is complex and meaning might be lost in the wordings.

• You need an immediate response.

Now that you are ready, follow these five simple steps to make sure your English emails are perfectly professional.

1. Begin with a greeting- 'Dear' or a simple 'Hi' is sufficient followed by the first name of the recipient.
2. Thank the recipient- “Thank you for contacting ABC Company”. “Thank you for your prompt reply” or “Thanks for getting back to me”. Thanking the reader puts him or her at ease, and it will make you appear more polite.
3. State your purpose- If this the very first email communication, it may not be possible to include a line of thanks. Instead, begin by stating your purpose. For example, “I am writing to enquire about …” or “I am writing in reference to …”. Make the purpose clear early on in the email, and then move into the main text of your email. 
4. Add your closing remarks- “Thank you for your cooperation” or “Thank you for your consideration” and then follow up with, “If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to let me know” and “Looking forward to hearing from you”.
5. End with a closing-  “Best regards”, “Sincerely”, and “Thank you” are all professional. Avoid closings such as “Best wishes” or “Cheers” unless you are good friends with the reader.

Finally, before you hit the send button, review and spell check your email one more time to make sure it’s truly perfect!

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Hello, I am 33 years old professional, want to work on my corporate communication, can you please help me in any mean. Thanks read less

Hi Pramod, Good to hear that you want to work on your communication. The first thing is the will power itself. It will make you grasp everything fast. Just focus on speaking with your colleagues on different topics after watching a news bulletin in English on BBC News, CNN and some others. Hope, you will achieve what you desire for. Wish you all the very best for your future ambitions. read less

How powerful is Non-verbal Communication?

Non-verbal communication is definitely powerful and till date, we would have witnessed the same in many situations.

What are the categories of non-verbal communication (NVC)?

1. Physical - The concept of body language

2. Aesthetic - Creating the appeal and comfort with audience or the individual

3. Signs- The bridge of interaction and information mapping

4. Symbolic - Gestures

The above four form the components of NVC.

Body language predominantly forms the fist impression. Erect posture and firm handshake speak volumes about one's confidence.

We are talking about this topic to make ourselves sustain in this judgemental world. Unknowingly people start judging with clothes and postures.

Scientifically results of body language as a theory proved to reflect the personality of a person. Appeal (aesthetics) is very closely associated with body language.

 

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1. Think in English - Sometimes the difficult thing about talking in a new language isn’t the language itself, but how you think about it. If you think in your native language and then try to speak English, you’ll always have to translate between languages. Translating isn’t an easy thing to do! Even people fluent in two or more languages have trouble switching between languages.

The solution is to think in English.

You can do this anywhere, anytime. Try to use English when you’re thinking about your day, or when you’re trying to decide what food to order. Even try to use an English to English dictionary to look up words. That way you never have to use your native language and translate words. You’ll notice that when you think in English, it’s easier for you to speak in English.

2. Talk to yourself - Whenever you’re at home (or alone somewhere else) you can practice your English with your favorite person: yourself.

If you’re already thinking in English, try speaking your thoughts out loud. Read out loud, too. Practice is practice, and even if you don’t have anyone to correct your mistakes, just the act of speaking out loud will help you become more comfortable speaking English.

3. Use a mirror - Whenever you can, take a few minutes out of your day to stand in front of the mirror and speak. Choose a topic, set a timer for 2 or 3 minutes and just talk.

The point of this exercise is to watch your mouth, face and body language as you speak. It also makes you feel like you’re talking to someone, so you can pretend you’re having a discussion with a study buddy. Talk for the full 2 or 3 minutes. Don’t stop! If you get stuck on a word you don’t know, try expressing your idea in a different way. You can always look up how to say that word after the 2-3 minutes end. This will definitely help you find out what kinds of words or sentences you have trouble with.

4. Focus on fluency, not grammar - When you speak in English, how often do you stop? The more you stop, the less confident you sound and the less comfortable you become. Try the mirror exercise above, but challenge yourself to speak without stopping or stammering (taking pauses between your words) the entire time.

This might mean that your sentences won’t be grammatically perfect, and that’s okay! If you focus on speaking fluently instead of correctly, you’ll still be understood and you’ll sound better. You can fill in the correct grammar and word rules as you learn them better.

5. Try some tongue twisters - Tongue twisters are series of words that are difficult to say quickly. One example is: “The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.” Try saying this a few times! It’s not easy.

Word games like this will help you find the right placement for your mouth and tongue, and can even help your pronunciation. You can find a list of great tongue twisters here.

6. Listen and repeat - Do you watch TV shows or YouTube videos in English? Use them to improve your fluency. Choose a short part of a show and repeat it line by line. Try to match the tone, speed and even the accent (if you can). It doesn’t matter if you miss a few words, the important thing is to keep talking. Try to sound just like the native speakers on the show.

7. Pay attention to stressed sounds - English uses stresses in words and sentences. That means you’ll need to stress, or emphasize, certain words and syllables (sounds) to give words and sentences different meanings.

Listen to where native speakers place the emphasis when they speak. Try to repeat it the same way. This won’t only help you speak well, it might even reduce misunderstandings. Sometimes the placing the stress on the wrong syllable completely changes the word. The word address, for instance, isn’t the same as the word address. address refers to a physical location where someone lives, and address means to formally speak to a group of people.

Learn to hear the difference!

8. Sing along to English songs - Singing along to your favorite English songs will help you become more fluent. Once you can sing along to Taylor Swift and Jason Mraz, you can test your skills with something a bit more difficult: rap!

Rap is a great way to practice English because often the words are spoken like regular sentences. However, the rapper uses a stronger rhythm and faster speed. Some of the words might not make sense, but if you can keep up with the rapper then you’re on your way to becoming fluent!

9. Learn word forms with new words - Some practice comes before you even open your mouth. Make speaking easier by learning the different forms of any words you learn. You should do this when you’re learning new vocabulary. For example, if you just learned the word write, you should also learn some other forms like wrote and written.

Knowing the correct way to use a word in any kind of sentence is important. This knowledge will help you while speaking. You won’t have to stop and think of different words—you’ll know exactly when you need to use that word while speaking.

10. Learn phrases, not words - An even better idea is to learn word phrases, not just words. You might be using correct grammar and vocabulary, but it’s still not how a native speaker would say it.

 For example, you can say “how do you feel today?” but a native speaker might say “how’re you doing?” or “what’s up?” instead. Phrases and expressions can be helpful for sounding more natural when you speak.

11. Learn your most common sayings - Take some time to really notice how you speak in your native language. What words and phrases do you use the most often?

Learn how to say your most commonly used phrases and words in English. Knowing them in English will help you speak as well in English as you do in your native language.

12. Prepare for specific situations - Are you learning English for a specific reason? For example, are you learning English so you can get a job in an English-speaking company? In that case, practice English that will help you in an interview. Are you learning English so you can make friends in America? Then you would need a different kind of English.

Before you go to a place where you have to speak English, you can practice what you might have to say. If you’re preparing to go to a restaurant, what might conversations in a restaurant sound like? Answer the questions a waiter might ask you. Try talking about food and menus.

You’ll feel more confident if you’re prepared!

13. Relax! - You can be your best helper or your worst enemy when learning to speak fluently! We know it’s hard, but you should try not to worry about how you sound when you speak. Just relax!

If you get stuck or confused, just take a big breath and start over. Speak slower if you have to. Take time to pause and think about your next sentence. Do whatever it takes to become more comfortable with speaking English.

14. Tell a story from your language in English - Here’s a fun way to test how well your spoken English has developed: choose a story that you know really well and tell it in English.

Remember to think in English as you’re telling your story. Focus on speaking fluently instead of correctly. Say every sentence out loud to yourself.

Even if you have nobody to talk to in English, you can still build confidence and master fluency on your own time. In some ways, practicing speaking is even easier by yourself.

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I don't have confidence while interviewing and used to fear also. How should I overcome this, it is reflecting on my career I cannot improve myself with this and more over I cannot be able to make sentence easily and speak English fluently? read less

In this course  the Students, discover how to improve  accuracy and skill in speaking English, professionals learn to boost their creativity, as well as their confidence, fluency, and presentation skills. In class, perform monologues, exercises, improve your pronunciation, active vocabulary, listening skills, and humor in a supportive and collaborative environment. Also, develop your professional speaking skills by enhancing your business vocabulary. As a nonnative English speaker, learn and practice vocabulary and idioms most frequently used in professional settings. Through intensive exercises, role-playing, and extended activities, become comfortable and confident using appropriate new business expressions.

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                                           "Sentence = Subject + Verb (Action)"

In most cases, we use the suffix 's'/plurality alternatively. For Eg:

          1. Boy plays with the football.   OR    1. Boys play with the football.

Excpetion include : I, You.

           1. I cook food.  /   1. You cook food.

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It is often said that Indian English and pronunciation is among the best in the world. The sad part is our schools today are focusing a lot on the written communication (that too is quiet redundant now... will take this up at a later stage), and not enough on spoken English. The Teachers have the theoretical knowledge, however, they often have Indianisms and literal translations in their own speech. In this scenario, how do students get corrected and learn to speak better.

So here are a few tips, for speakers of English as a second, or third language, to speak better.

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I am preparing for job interviews and need practice mock interview sessions in Mumbai If anyone interested please provide your details read less