How to find the right words to express yourself | Professional communication class

If you can’t find the words to express yourself, or you know what you want to say, but not how to say it, then today’s podcast might help. We’re exploring a three stage framework that you can apply to those situations when you need to speak English in high pressure situations, but you can sound as native or natural as you do in your first language.

If you speak English at work and want to sound more native and natural when talking to colleagues, customers, or clients, then I hope that the vocabulary, grammar, and communication tips in today's episode will be useful for you. 

- Book a one-to-one coaching session with me at breakoutbusinessenglish.com
- Use code PODCAST30 for 30% off your first coaching session

The rule of threes:

https://youtu.be/RqsnH0k7Kb4

How Steve Jobs uses the rule of threes:

https://youtu.be/CpkSqdI1JAU?si=5Kgir5naGGYA6TXR

Do you want to see what I do? Click here:
https://youtu.be/CpkSqdI1JAU?si=YNzbpTQy899L5D9G

Also, if you're studying for the IELTS, TOEFL, DET or Cambridge English tests and exams then you might find some of the vocabulary in this episode really useful.

This podcast is all about helping you to communicate better, in English, at work. I work with international English speakers from around the world who use English, at work, as a second or third language and I hope that I can bring some of the ideas, vocabulary, and grammar, from those sessions, to you in this podcast.

Don’t forget that my full time job is helping international professionals who use English at work to improve their communication skills. So, if you need English to do your job but don’t speak it natively then maybe we can work together to help you to achieve your language goals. 

👉 Don’t forget to leave a review, and request future topics!
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Transcript

Welcome back to the breakout business English podcast. My name is Chris. I'm a business English and communication coach, and I've personally worked with over 1000 international professionals, almost certainly just like you, to improve the way that they communicate at work in English. Thank you so much for listening and for your time. I know how valuable it is. And our topic today is how to express your opinion when you can't quite find the right words. And yes, this is another Framework podcast. This one is a little special, however. The reason for this is that today's framework was created by me. And if I'm completely honest, I'm quite proud of it. There is a saying in English that necessity is the mother of invention. Meaning that when you need something, that's when you are able to create it, when it's easiest to create it. And that's how this came about. I was in a session, in a coaching session with a journalist I work with, and she was telling me about a meeting she had. In which she knew what she wanted to say, she knew the ideas, the concepts that she wanted to communicate, but she couldn't quite find the words in English. Over the next few minutes, we worked our way through the problem and came up with a couple of specific steps that anyone can take when they're in the same situation.
So, today I'm excited to present to you for the first time, the good, the bad, and the ugly framework. Named, of course, after the Clint Eastwood western movie of the same name. And After I've walked you through this brand new framework, I'm hoping you'll understand how we arrived at the name.
So this is a three-part framework that you can apply either in its entirety or simply work through until you've solved your problem. So here is our scenario. As I mentioned a moment ago, You're in a meeting. Or maybe a small talk situation and someone else is giving their opinion. While they're speaking, you realize that you have something you want to contribute to the conversation. You can express the idea easily in your first language, but when you try to build the sentence in English You can't find the words. Or the sentence structure to communicate it clearly and confidently. Part one is the good. And for this, we want to find a positive sentence. And by positive sentence, I don't mean a sentence that avoid words like annoying, difficult or bad, I mean a sentence that has a positive sentence structure.
So a sentence like "I had a bad day at work" would be a positive sentence. This is because it avoids a negative structure. A negative structure would include words like no or not. For instance, I didn't have a bad day at work. In this sentence, although the idea itself feels positive, we're talking about a pretty normal day that we had at work, the sentence structure is negative because it uses 'didn't'. I think that might have been a very complicated way to describe a very simple concept, but hopefully you followed. Positive sentence structures are usually where people start when trying to express their ideas. And therefore it's usually our jumping off point when trying to express ourselves. Part two is the bot. And, as you might have guessed, it's the opposite. Here, you're going to try to build a negative sentence. I know that a lot of people get really focused on trying to build a positive sentence. And the fact is, it's not that they really want to express their idea in a positive way. It's that it doesn't occur to them to change the foundational structure of the sentence.
So, we discussed a moment ago what the difference between a positive sentence and a negative sentence is. In this stage of the framework, my challenge to you is, can you express your idea in a negative way? And you start with, I don't. Aw. This idea doesn't. Or maybe the project isn't. Building a negative sentence often allows you to use different words and different phrases to express your ideas, so can make a difficult idea to express much easier then. For instance, if I'm trying to explain my feelings at work and I'm thinking, well, I don't want to tell them I'm happy, I'm pleased. What about I'm not angry? I'm not upset. Defining my feelings and my emotions negatively in this situation might be the easier way 2. Communicate. I actually used this framework myself yesterday. I was working with a coaching client and I used the word improvised. And the person on the other end of the video call asked me what this meant. I mentioned that I improvised something. For a moment, I was stuck. What's another word for improvised? I tried. They made it up as they went along. But that's basically an idiom, so it ended up even more confusing because now I need to explain making something up as you go along. And the phrasal verb to make something up, all of this was getting very confusing. Then I moved to the second stage of the framework and built a negative sentence. Improvised means that you haven't planned it in advance. It means that you don't know what you're doing before you do it. Suddenly, they understood. And I'd successfully communicated the idea. Let's move on to part three. And that is the ugly. And for this one, we're going to change the subject of the sentence.
So. For instance, let's say that you're trying to explain something about yourself. You've tried a structure starting with I am, and you got stuck.
So you tried a negative sentence: I'm not. Still nothing.
Still stuck. So what comes next? The question that you should ask yourself now is: What can this statement be about? What can the first words, the subject of the sentence, be? Let's say for instance, that you're trying to build a sentence like I have a conflict, so I won't be able to attend the meeting. I have a conflict, so I won't be able to attend the meeting. But you can't remember the word conflict. Which, by the way, means that there are two items on your schedule at the same time. I should say there are other meanings for conflict, but this is what it means when we're talking about scheduling.
So you're struggling to express the idea. You try to find a negative sentence. I'm not... I don't. No, still nothing. Well? What else could this sentence be about? Maybe it's about your schedule. For instance, my schedule is already full.
So I won't be able to come to the meeting. Or perhaps... That time slot is already full for me.
So I can't come to the meeting. Instead of this sentence being about you, It's now about your schedule. That time slot. Maybe you could say something like, my boss is putting a lot of pressure on me to complete this right now, so I can't come to the meeting. Thinking about alternative subjects for your ideas and the things that you need to communicate can help you to approach the problem from different angles and find new ways to express yourself. The good, the bad, and the ugly framework gives you three ways to express ideas. And as you move through them, you're increasingly likely to find the solution to your problem. This is a framework that is designed not to be completed. Instead, you move through it until your problem is solved. Let's briefly look at an idiom I used a moment ago. And that is jumping off. A jumping off point. You heard the sentence. Positive sentence structures are usually where people start when trying to express their ideas. And therefore, it's usually our jumping off point. It's usually our jumping off point. What do we mean when we say jumping off point? Picture a diver standing on the edge of a diving board. They're not in the water yet. But that board is where everything begins. A jumping off point is exactly that. A starting place. It's an idea. The moment or the conversation that launches you into something bigger. You'll hear it a lot in creative or professional settings.
Someone might say, let's use this research as a jumping off point for our strategy. Let's use this research as a jumping off point for our strategy. What they mean is, we're not stopping here. We're starting here. It tells us that the point we're referring to is where we're going to begin. It's a good place to start given the destination that we have in mind. It's a phrase to use in meetings when someone mentions something that you want to move on from quickly. For instance. Thanks for mentioning that. And in fact, that's a great jumping off point for our next agenda item. That's a great jumping off point for our next agenda item. Which helps you to quickly move on to your next agenda item.
So a good one to use if you don't have much time. I briefly want to discuss the use of Pretty. As an emphasizing word. A moment ago, I said that we're talking about a pretty normal day. We're talking about a pretty normal day. One mistake that I've been hearing a lot of people make recently is using pretty in negative sentences.
So, for instance, someone said to me yesterday, I'm not pretty good at giving presentations. I'm not pretty good at giving presentations. Using pretty in a negative sentence like this feels unnatural. Pretty is usually used to emphasise positive sentence structures.
So, we could say, I'm pretty bad at giving presentations. But the sentence, I'm not pretty good at giving presentations, is strange to a native speaker's ear. It can cause problems with understanding. This is because When native speakers hear RITI as an emphasizing word. They assume that it's a positive sentence because that's the only place this word likes to live. After all, this word is only used in these sentence types. However, Your sentence was negative. And that's where the miscommunication can occur.
So. One more quick example. A sentence like "I've pretty much finished writing the first draft" makes sense. But I've not pretty much finished writing the first draft is unclear. And can cause issues with understanding. I heard 'pretty' in the sentence, 'pretty much', so that means you've almost achieved something. But you used 'not', which made it negative. Which leaves me very confused. And if you ever find it difficult to express your ideas in English, then maybe we can work together. My full-time job is helping international professionals who use English at work to improve their communication skills.
So, if you need English to do your job, but you don't speak it natively, then I'd love to meet you. If you'd like to book some time to meet with me through one-to-one video calls, just you and me, then you can go to breakoutbusinessenglish.com. That's the title of the podcast, BreakoutBusinessEnglish.com and find out more. Starting on our very first call, we can focus on the specific opportunities that you personally have to improve your English and communication skills, and the mistakes that you make most often or cause the biggest problems with your communication. Equally, if you're a native speaker and you just want to communicate better, you want to become better at expressing your ideas, then let me know. Head over to the website and I can add you to my roster of native speakers. And right now, you can use the code PODCAST30. At checkout to get a 30% discount off your first booking of 30, 45 or 60 minutes.
Sometimes my calendar gets a little busy, so if you have trouble finding a time that works for you, then you can always send me a message through the contact page on the website and ask if I have any time to fit you in. I've worked with well over 1,000 non-native English speaking professionals and quite a few native speakers as well, from new graduates up to CEOs and government leaders, to help them achieve their communication goals, and I look forward to meeting you.
So when you're thinking about how to apply this framework, Keep in mind that another use of this framework is as a foundation for the Rule of Threes. The Rule of Threes is a fantastic communication concept used by top communicators from every industry. I recently made a video all about the rule and I'll link it in the show notes. If you take a look around the Breakout Business English YouTube channel, you'll find a video about Steve Jobs, and the communication ideas that he used when he launched the first iPhone back in 2007. The rule of threes is a topic that comes up there Let's now take a look. At some other examples of moving through the three parts of this framework, of the good, the bad, and the ugly framework. I like the name. I hope you do too. We're going to hear three different ways to express the same idea. Once in a positive way, once in a negative way, and once with a different attitude. Subject. Let's start with this scenario. You need to explain that a project is running behind schedule. How about... The project is taking longer than we anticipated. The project isn't on track for the original deadline.
Some unexpected complications have pushed the timeline back. Next. What if you need to ask for a deadline extension? You might say, I need a little more time to make sure that this is done to the right standard. Or maybe... I won't be able to finish this by Friday if I'm going to maintain the standard that I need. And with a different subject. The deadline is a little too tight and I'm worried the product is going to suffer. Next, how about when you need to admit a mistake? You could go with, I think I made an error in the report that needs correcting. I don't think my work on that report is quite right and I need to take another look at it. There's an error in the report that I need to put right before it goes out. In that last example, we heard the phrasal verb 'to put something right'. To put something right. This is a very common expression that native speakers use at work when they're talking about correcting a mistake, fixing a problem or repairing a bad situation. When you put something right, it means that you make a situation correct or satisfactory again. After something has gone wrong. It's a very positive thing. Professional proactive phrase because it shows that you are not just acknowledging an error but you are actively taking responsibility to fix it and ensuring everything is back to how it should be. For instance, if a customer receives the wrong order, you might tell them, "I'm very sorry for the mix-up, and we will do everything we can to put it right immediately." If you notice an error in a financial report before a big meeting, You can say to your team, there is a small mistake in the Q3 data, but don't worry, I'm going to put it right before the presentation. It's a polite, clear, and reassuring phrase to use whenever you want to focus on finding a solution.
So don't forget that between episodes of the podcast, you can get videos every couple of days on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Just search for Breakout Business English. If there's a topic that you'd like to hear me talk about on the podcast, then I'd be excited to hear your ideas. Leave me a message or a comment on one of my YouTube videos and I look forward to hearing from you. Don't forget that if you would like to discuss any of the ideas, vocabulary or grammar, etc. In today's episode or work on your ability to express your ideas more generally, then go to BreakoutBusinessEnglish.com. That's BreakoutBusinessEnglish.com or click the link in the show notes and use the code PODCAST30 at checkout to get a 30% discount off today. Your first booking, and I look forward to meeting you. If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, then I invite you to leave a review. Every review really helps me out and helps to push the podcast to new listeners and to grow the show. If you found this podcast useful, and you think that there are some valuable things in here, then feel free to write a couple of kind words, and I thank you for that in advance. That's another great place to request a topic for a future podcast. That is everything for today. Thank you so much for listening and for your time. I really do know how valuable it is and I appreciate and respect your choice to spend some of your time with this show. I hope you have a great week, and I'll talk to you again next time. On the Breakout Business English podcast.