Speaking business English like a professional goes beyond correctly translating words and phrases. You should be aware of differences in company culture and avoid doing or saying anything that could harm your image as a professional in the eyes of those around you. An example of this difference in corporate culture is the tendency for people, or not, to admit they don’t know.

As native english teacher – I am a Canadian economist. I’m always amazed at how easily Brazilians say the words “I don’t know” at work. In North America, the corporate culture is to avoid saying “I don’t know” at all costs!

Because? There are several reasons. Anyone who admits they don’t know is certainly misinformed and may even be perceived as incompetent – ​​characteristics that no professional finds desirable.

Also, if you admit that you don’t know the answer to a question, and if a colleague does, then compared to the natural competition that is part of most North American workplaces, you just lost a game and no one likes to lose. .

The message is simple: to maintain your professional image when speaking English in business meetings or presenting to Americans, you must avoid admitting that you don’t know.

What do you do if, in fact, you don’t know? Let’s look at the strategy used by American professionals.

For starters, don’t create a conversational situation where someone is likely to ask you a question that you don’t know the answer to. For example, take a look at the hypothetical conversation between you and a manager from the US headquarters of the company where you work:

Director: Why did production stop this morning? (Why did production stop this morning?)

You: Someone accidentally turned off the welding machine. (Someone accidentally turned off the welder.)

Director: Who? (Who?)

You: I don’t know. (I don’t know.)

When you begin a sentence with “Someone…”, it is natural, even thoughtful, to ask the question “Who? Since you don’t know, you will unfortunately have to admit it.

One solution is to use the passive voice to eliminate the subject ‘someone’. Thus, the second sentence of the dialogue could read as follows: The welding machine was accidentally turned off by someone. The last part, “by someone”, can be deleted from the sentence. Finally, by strategically inserting additional information, you can distract the listener from asking questions. So, for example, the new dialog might look like this:

Director: Why did production stop this morning?

You: The welder has accidentally turned off. However, everything is now in place and working well. (The welder was accidentally turned off. However, everything is now running smoothly.)

Director: Okay.

Using the passive voice in this case is also recommended, even if you know the name of the person who turned off the welder. Again, the reason has to do with the American corporate culture of not blaming others.

What do you say if a question is asked directly to you and you really don’t know the answer? Of course, it can happen, and American professionals know how to handle it: they have helpful answers to avoid saying those nasty words: “I don’t know.” A good example of this is the response:

“Let me look into this to be sure and I’ll get back to you.” (Let me investigate to be sure and I’ll get back to you..)

This answer shows that you will give due attention and priority to a question that has been asked and will soon provide a thorough and thoughtful answer. In many cases, the person asking the question does not need an immediate answer and may even prefer to wait a bit if it means receiving a more in-depth and thoughtful answer. Congratulations! You have protected your image as a professional.

I always like to give advice like this whenever I teach Business English, whether in private english lessons or business English lessons.