Professional English: Speaking face-to-face with customers, your boss, or any of the other people that you work with can be a little tricky, especially when you’re dealing with problems or difficult situations. So it would help if you learned professional English.
Your choice of words and the phrases that you use can affect what customers and your colleagues think of you. So, if you speak English as a second or a third language, using the right words in the right way is really important.
In this vocabulary lesson, I’m going to walk you through five situations that are super common in just about any workplace, to help you avoid the things that you should never say and give you some really simple expressions that will help people see you for the helpful professional that you truly are.
18 Phrases: Professional English (Be Professional)
- I’m not sure, but I can find out.
- I’ll find out for you.
- Let me come back to you on that.
- I can get it done by 2 pm.
- Sure, I can have it done by 2 pm.
- I don’t think I can manage it by 2, but I can have it done by 4.
- Actually, I don’t think I can manage it by 2, but I can definitely have it done by 4.
- I don’t think I can manage it by Thursday, but I can definitely have it done by Friday. Would that be okay?
- I understand.
- I understand. Let’s see what we can do. (handle the situation with a solution)
- I’m sorry, I understand. Let’s see what we can do about this.
- I will be with you in a minute.
- Sorry to keep you waiting, I’ll be right there.
- Sorry to keep you waiting, I’ll be there with you in just a minute.
- I’m sorry, I missed that.
- I’m sorry, I missed that. Could you say it again, please?
- Sorry, would you mind just repeating that?
- Sorry, would you mind just repeating that for me? I missed it.
Situation: One
Someone asks you a question but you don’t know the answer.
When someone asks you a question and you simply don’t know the answer, never say “I don’t know”. [Professional English] Even though this is the truth, even though those are the correct English words to say, you’re not being helpful at all! Saying “I don’t know” in the workplace, especially to a customer, sounds really unprofessional in English, even a little bit rude. It’s like saying you don’t care.
Sound Professional: Ways to Say I don’t know
- I’m not sure, but I can find out
- I’ll find out for you
- Let me come back to you on that (You can use this to say that you need a little more time to find the answer but you’re assuring the person that you will try to help them) [ professional english vocabulary]
Excellent! You’re sounding really helpful and much more professional already!
Situation: Two
Someone asks you if you can do something by a specific time.
So this happens all the time at work, right? Especially if you work at a place with deadlines.
When someone asks you if something can be done by a certain time, don’t use the phrase “I’ll try”. I mean, of course, you’ll try, and trying is great! But in English, if you use the verb “try”, you’re not really committing to anything. You’re not saying that you will or you won’t or you can or you can’t do something. You’re not committing to a deadline at all, so you’re not being very helpful, and this is not very professional at all!
Sound Professional: Ways to Say I will do
The person asking you has asked a specific yes/no question: Can you get it done by this time? So you need to give a really clear-cut answer. You can sound much more professional simply by saying:
- I can get it done by 2 pm.
- Sure, I can have it done by 2 pm.
Sound Professional: Ways to make a commitment
But what if you can’t get it done? Well, you definitely shouldn’t say that you’ll try. Saying that you’ll try might make them go away in the short term. But you’re going to let them down in the long run, and that is really unprofessional.
You need to be honest with them but you also need to make a commitment to reassure them when you can get it done by. [Professional English] So, in this situation try an alternative like:
- I don’t think I can manage it by 2, but I can have it done by 4.
- Actually, I don’t think I can manage it by 2, but I can definitely have it done by 4.
- I don’t think I can manage it by Thursday, but I can definitely have it done by Friday. Would that be okay?
Situation: Three
When your boss or a customer is angry or disappointed about something.
Now, it could be something that you did personally, like, maybe you were late. Or perhaps it’s not actually your fault, but you still need to deal with this situation.
Alright, so nobody really wants to deal with angry or frustrated customers, do they? And if something like that’s ever happened to you, you might even freeze up and get really awkward. It’s not really a good look.
Sound Professional: Ways to Deal with Unhappy Customers
So, it’s a good idea to have a plan so in those situations, you’ve got something to say to make the situation better and not worse!
- I understand
- So before you freeze up and just say “okay” or “yes”, just remember, all you need to say is ‘I understand’. With these really simple words, for just a moment, you can make the situation better. You’ll help the other person to see that you’re listening and show them that you care about helping them.
- I understand. Let’s see what we can do. (handle the situation with a solution)
- I’m sorry, I understand. Let’s see what we can do about this
- I understand you’ve come all this way and it’s not ready. Let’s see what we can do.
Note: Notice that I used the words “let’s” and “we” instead of “I”. This is a really great way to involve the other person in the solution.
Situation: Four
When you’re keeping somebody waiting, what should you do?
Maybe you’re busy with another customer, maybe you’re on a phone call, or maybe you really need to go to the toilet and you’ve got to leave quickly. Whatever the case, the worst thing that you could possibly say is:
- Things are just really busy today, so it’s taking a bit longer than usual.
- Yeah, yeah, we’ve just had loads of new clients come in. Hang on a sec!
It’s just rude.
Students Also Read: 20 British Phrases And Expressions
Sound Professional
But fortunately, there are a couple of phrases that you can memorize that will have you sounding really professional and keep the person who’s waiting happily.
- I’ll be with you in a moment.
- This expression just lets them know that you know that they’re there and that you won’t be long until you give them your full attention.
- Sorry to keep you waiting, I’ll be right there.
- Sorry to keep you waiting, I’ll be there with you in just a minute.
Situation: Five
When somebody asks you a question but you didn’t quite hear them or maybe you didn’t understand them.
Usually, People say, “What?”
Never say “what”. This is one that the parents and teachers of English-speaking children are always trying to teach them, and it’s a really big no-no in the workplace.
Students Aslo Read: 20 Business Phrases | Business English Expressions
Sound Professional: Ways to ask someone to repeat again
You can sound much more professional by saying:
- I’m sorry, I missed that.
- I’m sorry, I missed that. Could you say it again, please?
- Sorry, would you mind just repeating that?
- Sorry, would you mind just repeating that for me? I missed it.
Conclusion
So, I hope professional English Vocabury lessons have given you some options to help you sound a little more professional at work.