You are the manager of an electronics manufacturing major and you need to conduct a sales review meeting. You are looking for ways to conduct the meeting smoothly, accurately and in optimal time. Even after pondering for hours, you are unsure on how to proceed. Meetings conducted in professional English tend to be more productive. So read on to find 10 tips for an effective meeting in fluent English.

Top 10 Tips for an effective meeting 

1. Identify needs

The primary reason for a meeting failure is often they are conducted for unnecessary reasons. Hence, it is very important to identify whether the meeting is really required. You can ask yourself or the colleagues these questions.

Example:

"Do you guys think we should conduct a meeting to organize our sales structure?"

2. Identify Objectives

Every meeting conducted should have an objective. The objective will help you to identify team goals. If you want to conduct a sales review meeting, then the objective would be to maximize the sales revenue. The objective can be easily identified through mutual discussion amongst your colleagues.

Example:

"What will we achieve by this team meeting?"

"What is the purpose of conducting this team meeting?"

3. Stay on topic

Many a times, people tend to go off track in meetings, which leads to a total waste of time. Hence, it is very important to stay on track in a meeting. Redirect the conversation if you feel the talk is missing the point. Use the following dialogues:

Example:

"I think the discussion is going off track. Let's come back on the topic."

"Please focus on the main points."

4. Include everyone

In a meeting, everyone should contribute their views and points. Sometimes, you need to encourage people to speak their minds. When everyone contributes, it leads to a well-rounded discussion that could be very meaningful. You can say:

Example:

"Ramesh, what are your thoughts on this?"

5. Make it humorous

A serious discussion is very boring. By bringing in humor, the situation lights up and people relax. This does not mean that you have to turn it into a comedy central show, but a few light moments won't hurt.

6. Plan ahead

A meeting is a good opportunity to plan the next steps. In case of a sales review meeting, you can always decide what steps or campaigns need to be undertaken to ensure the sales flow remain stable. Meetings help you to identify the future path to success.

Example:

"What are the steps we should take to ensure more stores accept our product?"

7. Take notes

In any meeting, taking notes is very important. No matter how sharp your memory is, important details are bound to skip during hours-long meetings. Notes help you keep track of things and important points.

8. Review

Meetings often need to be reviewed. The action items decided in the previous meeting should be analyzed and reviewed at the next meeting. This helps in a flow of ideas and steps.

9. Improve

Always think about how your meetings can be improved. You can always experiment and bring in new features in your meetings.

10. Infrastructure

Before conducting a meeting, ensure that the IT systems and software are running properly to avoid any technical glitches and delays.

For effective team meetings, improve your spoken English with the help of an online English guide. Be an able meeting facilitator.

About eAgeTutor:

eAgeTutor.com is a premier online English learning institute. eAge's world class faculty and ace communication experts, from around the globe, help you to improve in an all-round manner. Assignments and tasks based on a well researched content developed by subject matter and industry experts can certainly fetch the most desired results for improving spoken English skills. In this age of effective and advance communication technology, online spoken English programs are the most effective and convenient way to learn English.

For further information on our online English speaking courses or to experience the wonders of the virtual classroom, fix a demonstration session with our online English tutor.

- By Monika Agarwal

Related Topics:

1. How to Greet your Boss/ People in Office?
2. How to Ask Your Boss for Help in Your Work?
3. How to Talk to Your Boss to Change Your Department?
4. How to impress the interviewer and answer effectively in an interview?
5. How to Describe Your Family?

You have landed at Heathrow airport in London, UK, and after showing your requisite papers, you have been asked to fill up an immigration form. Filling up the form accurately and in good English vocabulary is important for a smooth immigration procedure. In case of doubts, ask the counter officer for clarifications. Let your immigration form portray accuracy to ensure a smooth passage through the procedures. Below are a few things to keep in mind while filling up an immigration form.

Things to keep in mind

1. Legible handwriting

Immigration forms are to be filled by hand and in a legible handwriting, preferably in capital letters. Ensure that you write clear words that are visible and readable. Scribbling in your immigration form can lead to your form being rejected and other problems as well. To save time and to avoid hassles, use a good pen to write neatly and in proper handwriting.

2. Give accurate information

Ensure that you give honest and accurate information in your immigration form. Scrutiny of immigration forms is very strict today and any discrepancy in the information provided can lead to legal problems and even deportation. Make sure that you have the required documents to support your information.

Sample Immigration Form:

Situation: You are filling up UK immigration form and below are common headings. The form is usually filled in BLOCK CAPITALS.

A. FAMILY NAME

Fill this section with your full name as listed in your passport. Ensure that this is proper as even a slight mistake can lead to intense questioning.

For example: NIHASAT RAJAT SANGRAM GUPTA

B. FIRST NAME

Write only your first name here.

For example: RAJAT

C. SEX

Write your gender here. This question will usually accompany a tick box. Tick in the appropriate box or write down your gender

For example: MALE

D. DATE OF BIRTH

Fill the correct date in the appropriate boxes. Don't make the mistake of mixing the month and date. Different countries have different date formats, so check carefully before writing.

For example: 03 03 1984

E. TOWN AND COUNTRY OF BIRTH

List your birth town and country.

For example: Navsari, Gujurat

F. NATIONALITY

Write down your nationality.

For example, Indian

G. OCCUPATION

List out your specific occupation.

For example: Software Engineer

H. CONTACT ADDRESS IN the UK

List out your full contact information in the new location. Write the information in full.

For example: 24 Grosvenor Square London, UK.

I. PASSPORT NUMBER AND PLACE OF ISSUE

Write your number as given in the passport and note down the place of passport issue.

For example: IN324672, Mumbai

J. LENGTH OF STAY

Write down how many days you intend to stay in the new location. This usually depends on the Visa.

For example: 6 months.

K. PORT OF LAST DEPARTURE or EMBARKATION

List down the airport where you came from.

For example: Mumbai Airport

L. ARRIVAL FLIGHT NO.

List down the arrival flight number through which you travelled.

For example: LH 4234

M. SIGNATURE

Put your official signature as under your passport. Any deviation can lead to legal problems.

Different countries have different immigration forms. The section title 'For Office Use' should be left blank. Any doubts can be clarified with the relevant officials in fluent English conversation. Improve your English vocabulary skills and language delivery with the help of an online English guide.

About eAgeTutor:

eAgeTutor.com is a premier online English learning institute. eAge's world class faculty and ace communication experts, from around the globe, help you to improve in an all-round manner. Assignments and tasks based on a well-researched content developed by subject matter and industry experts can certainly fetch the most desired results for improving spoken English skills. In this age of effective and advance communication technology, online spoken English programs are the most effective and convenient way to learn English.

For further information on our online English speaking courses or to experience the wonders of the virtual classroom, fix a demonstration session with our tutor.

- By Monika Agarwal

Related Topics:

1. How to learn English Online?
2. How to Write a Cover Letter for a Job?
3. Why do We Need to Learn English?
4. How to Structure English Sentences?
5. How to write an application for a leave?

You are the owner of a tyre business and a racing team needs tyres urgently. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, you will not be able to deliver the tyres on time. So how would you convince your client  for a change in delivery date? Using fluent English to convince your client will help you keep the deal without any major business reciprocal.

Things to keep in mind:

1. Apologize

Apologize first for the delay. The client only wants his products on time and can be affected by your internal problems. Apologize first so that he may know that you are really sorry and are making the best of efforts for a quick resolution. You can say, "We are really sorry for the delay and are taking urgent steps to solve the problem."

2. Make concessions

The client will expect you to give concessions to compensate him for the delay. You can give an extra set of tyres or give him a larger discount. This will help you to preserve your goodwill among your customers.

Sample conversation

Situation : You are supposed to deliver four sets of tyres to your customers and there is a delay of one week due to internal problems.

You: "Hello Mr. Robert, this is Rajat from Imperial tyres."

Client: "Hello Mr. Rajat, How are you?"

You: "I am fine, Thank you. I hope you are doing fine."

Client: "Yes I am. We are really excited about our new set of tyres."

You: "Yes. I am calling to talk about it. I regret to inform you that there has been a slight delay due to issues in the manufacturing unit. You will receive the tyres only after one week."

Client: "What? How is this possible? We need those tyres urgently. Mr. Rajat. this is not acceptable."

You: "I understand. We are really sorry for the inconvenience caused. We are trying to expedite the process and make sure the tyres are ready within a week"

Client: "But what will happen to our schedule? Because of you, everything including the testing will get postponed."

You: "Don't worry. Our tyres are designed for maximum performance. For your convenience and as a compensation to you, we are including two additional tyres free of cost."

Client: "You mean you are giving two tyres for free."

You: "Yes we are. We value your professional relationship over the years and hence would extend this to you as a token of our bond."

Client: "Ok. But please ensure that the tyres will be here by next week."

You: "I will personally make sure that the delivery is on time and we thank you for your understanding and patience."

The above conversation highlights how to converse with a client for a change in delivery. Perfecting your English speaking skills will allow you to convince the client to agree to a change. You can improve and be confident about your English communication with the help of an online English Guide.

About eAgeTutor:

eAgeTutor.com is a premier online English learning institute. eAge's world class faculty and ace communication experts, from around the globe, help you to improve in an all-round manner. Assignments and tasks based well-researched content developed by subject matter and industry experts can certainly fetch the most desired results for improving spoken English skills. In this age of effective and advance communication technology, online spoken English programs are the most effective and convenient way to learn English.

For further information on our online English speaking courses or to experience the wonders of the virtual classroom, fix a demonstration session with our tutor.

- By Monika Agarwal

Related Topics:

1. How to take care of inbound calls?

2. How to motivate a disinterested customer to buy?

3. How to upsell and cross sell?

4. 5 Negotiation tips and tricks.

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You are sitting in an interview at Philips Electronics. The process is going on well and you are confident that you will crack this one soon. Suddenly, one of the interview panelists asks about your strengths and weakness. You consider yourself as a multi-tasker and want to shoot all your strengths at once. However, hold on, that is not the correct way. Read on to explain how to find your strengths, weakness along with attitude and skill sets.

 

 

Factors to keep in mind while explaoning your strengths and weaknesses in an interview

1. Strengths

Every individual has a unique set of strengths and is eager to let the world know about it. However, the interviewer is not interested in knowing all of your strengths. You just need to state your strengths, which are relevant to your job profile. Even so, you need to say your top two or 3 strengths only. Saying anything else will simply be a waste of time.

 

2. Weakness

Every human being has a weakness. When the interviewer asks you about your weakness, he just wants to know whether your weakness will be an impediment for the job profile. He does not intend to embarrass you. So, don't say that you have no weakness. Instead, use your English vocabulary skills to phrase your weakness is such a manner that the interviewer will be confident that it will not be a problem.

 

3. Attitudes

Every logical person has a set of attitudes and beliefs, which defines his personality. The interviewer, by asking you about your attitudes, wants to know whether you have any extreme views, which can be detrimental to team working. Be sure to moderate your opinions and views.

 

4. Skills sets

You have every skill set in the world, but ensure that you only speak of those skills needed for the job. Anything apart from it can sound boastful and egoistic. You should also back your skills with credible proofs. In case you are a fresher, you can list out your educational experiences.

 

 

Sample Conversation in an interview 

 

Situation: You are sitting in front of ABC Electronics interview panel for a sales job interview.

 

Interviewer: "So, Mr. Vishal, your CV is very impressive indeed. Can you tell me what your strengths are?

 

You: "Yes Sir, My strengths include an absolute focus for any work undertaken and ensuring that it gets completed within the deadline. My result-oriented approach enables me to

achieve consistent satisfactory results."

 

Interviewer: "Good. What about your weakness?"

 

You: "Sometimes, dedicated work makes me unorganized and stressed. However, I have identified this weakness and have started taking diligent notes and practicing meditation as a daily part of my life."

 

Interviewer: "Okay, tell me, what do you think about the politics of our country?"

 

You: "The politics of our country is in a very bad shape. However, I am optimistic about the future and am in no doubt that our country's politicians will take good care of our country."

 

Interviewer: "Are you comfortable working in a team?"

 

You: "Yes Sir, teamwork is very important and absolutely critical for an organization's success."

 

Interviewer: "Good, so tell me what skill sets you can bring to our company?"

 

You: "My effective communication and presentation skills will enable us as a team to rightly connect with the company's target audience and fulfill their expectations to the best extent."

 

 

The above sample demonstrates why knowing fluent English is important. Convert your English speaking skills into tangible result with the help of an online English guide and see your career soar to great height.

 

About eAgeTutor:

 

eAgeTutor.com is a premier online English learning institute. eAge's world class faculty and ace communication experts, from around the globe, help you to improve in an all-round manner. Assignments and tasks based on a well-researched content developed by subject matter and industry experts can certainly fetch the most desired results for improving spoken English skills. In this age of effective and advance communication technology, online spoken English programs are the most effective and convenient way to learn English.

 

For further information on our online English speaking courses or to experience the wonders of the virtual classroom, fix a demonstration session with our tutor.

 

- By Monika Agarwal

 

Related Topics:

 

1. What are some Do's and Don'ts at the Interview?

 

2. Practice English Speaking While Waiting for an Interview

 

3. How to Face an Interview with Confidence?

 

4. Business Communication - Your Key to Success

 

5. How to Express Effectively?