Many business professionals focus on perfect grammar, broadening their vocabulary, or sounding more fluent but still find they’re not getting results in meetings, emails, and presentations. But being effective in Business English isn’t about how smooth you sound – it’s about the impact you have as a communicator.  

Therefore, the real question isn’t ‘Is my English correct?’ but ‘Is my English working?’  

In this article, we’ll explore how to tell if your Business English is working – and what to focus on if you want to improve. 

What does “good enough” Business English look like?

The simple answer? If your audience is with you, you’re probably fine. Good Business English isn’t about sounding like a native speaker; it’s about making sure that what you’re saying lands. 

Forget obsessing over every word or endlessly polishing your grammar. What really matters is whether people are engaged with what you’re saying. Are they nodding along, making eye contact, and asking questions? Or are they checking their phones, multitasking on another screen, or gazing out the window? These cues are about body language and reactions – and they’re identical to those you’d look for when speaking Italian.  

Yes, some people get tripped up by a few words, but most of the time it’s clarity and connection – not vocabulary – that make the difference.  

How should you measure Business English effectiveness? 

Instead of asking yourself “Is my English good enough?”, focus on whether you have your audience’s attention – and, crucially, if they’re leaving the meeting remembering the right messages. 

With that in mind, use these questions to assess your effectiveness: 

• Is your audience reacting and interacting? 
• Are you getting feedback – verbal or non-verbal – that shows the message is landing? 
• Most importantly, did the meeting secure a decision, a deal, or a next step? 

Ultimately, what makes your Business English good enough isn’t linguistic polish. Your audience may not even register small mistakes if you’re delivering insight that’s relevant and valuable to them. Success is about your communication getting results. If nothing comes out of the meeting, pitch, or call, then it’s likely that you’re not communicating effectively. 

How can you improve your effectiveness? 

If you’re feeling uncomfortable, it’s often not because you lack confidence with English – it’s because you’re not confident in your message. Most meetings involve PowerPoint, but the slides alone aren’t the message. If they were, you could just send them in an email and save everyone the time. The real value comes from how you drive the conversation, explain the “so what,” and connect with your audience.  

Therefore, to improve your effectiveness with Business English, start with your message: 

• Who are you talking to?  
• What are you trying to communicate?  
• Why should your audience care about what you’re saying? 

Here’s an example. An executive was trying to launch international sales but was struggling to get follow-up calls after his initial meeting. When we practiced his approach, it became clear that his English skills weren’t a problem. The main issue was that the presentation started with an Italy-centric company profile. This approach worked well with domestic prospects but wasn’t connecting with international ones, who didn’t see it as relevant. We helped him reorient his presentation on the product’s value to international prospects, moving the credentials to the end. This improved his ability to hook his target audience and convert leads. 

At the end of the day, it’s not about speaking perfect English – it’s about communicating effectively with clear, compelling messages. 

And when it matters, you can reach out to us here — we’ll make sure you get it right.

— The TLG Team

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