Politeness Principles in Business English

We all speak a common language at work – English but our English depends heavily on our native language and if we don’t learn about these nuances of politeness we can run into communication issues: if we are too direct with our requests they might be perceived as orders. If we are too strong with our opinions they can be perceived as imposed on the receiver or someone can feel offended by your blunt opinions about their presentation or idea

In this course we will look at the language concepts of polite and rude communication and give you practical tips on how to tune your English to avoid unnecessary tensions – this includes useful phrases and grammar.

The course consists of video lessons (40 minutes in total), text lessons, tasks and quizes to help you apply your knowledge. This course is designed for B1-B2 students.

Lesson 1: How politeness differs between cultures

Lesson 2: Politeness principles in action: vocabulary & grammar

Lesson 3: Politeness principles in writing emails