Business English

Focusing on the main problem/issue

What is the main problem?

What is the real issue (here)?

(I think) the major problem is...

Our primary concern is...

The crux of the matter is...

(As I see it), the most important thing is...

The main problem we need to solve is...

We really need to take care of...

It all comes down to this:

Asking for input

What should we do about it?

What needs to be done?

What do you think we should do?

What are we going to do about it?

Do you have any suggestions?

Any ideas?

Making Recommendations

I recommend that...

I suggest that...

I would like to propose that...

Why don't we...

Getting started

Let's get started.

We need to discuss...

We need to talk about...

Talking about discussion items

The first thing we need to discuss is...

The first item on the agenda is...

The first thing on the list is...

First, we need to talk about...

Presenting Options

We have several alternatives:

We have two options:

We could either... or...

Moving on

Let's move on to Item 2.

Let's move on to the next topic.

We need to move on.

The next item (of business) is...

We need to go on to the next item.

Shall/Should we move on?

Stalling the Discussion

Before we move on, I think we should...

Wait a minute. We haven't discussed...

Don't you think we need to...

Not so fast. We haven't (yet)...

Asking for Clarification

What to you mean by....

I don't quite follow you.

I didn't get what you meant by...

Could you clarify that?

Could you elaborate on that?

Making a Suggestion/Proposal

I think we should...

Maybe we should...

I suggest...

Why don't we...

How about...

We could...

Giving Feedback

(I think) that's a good idea.

You have a good point.

Good idea/point.

I agree.

I disagree. I think...

Sorry. I don't agree with you.

You have a good point, but...

That's not such a good idea.

I don't think that's a good idea.

Asking for Opinions

What do you think, George?

What's your opinion on that, Martha?

Any thoughts on that?

Any ideas?

Checking for Consensus

Do we all agree (on that)?

Does everyone agree?

Summarizing

In summary,

The conclusion is...

So, we've decided to...

We're going to... (then)

Closing the meeting

That's all for today.

That's it then.

(informal)

The meeting is adjourned.

(very formal)

Helpful Hints for Business Letters

Before writing a business letter, consider the following:

Objective(s)

Why am I writing this letter?

What do I hope to accomplish?

What action do I want from my reader?

Your Audience

Who will read this letter?

How can I appeal to the reader's interest?

What attitude might the reader have toward this information?

Will the reader consider this good news or bad news?