Business English for working professionals
Sound as sharp in English as you are at your job.
You already work in English. English Means Business gives you the exact words for the moments that matter: the tricky email, the fast Zoom call, the client who needs bad news. Short, practical lessons from a trainer with 20+ years of course design, on site training, and professional English teaching.
Free PDF · 50 blunt phrases with polished upgrades · Unsubscribe anytime
50
Free playbook
phrase upgrades for emails, meetings and client calls
The tone gap
Your grammar is fine. Your tone might be costing you.
Translate a sentence word for word from your first language and it can land as an order, an excuse or a shrug. Colleagues rarely correct you. They just quietly file you under "a bit abrupt." Here's what the fix looks like.
✕ Instead of
Sorry for the late reply.
Say
Thanks for your patience while I pulled the details together.
✕ Instead of
I don't know the answer.
Say
Good question. Let me double-check the exact figures and get back to you after the call.
✕ Instead of
I made a mistake.
Say
That one's on me. I've corrected it and attached the updated version.
Free download
The Sound More Professional playbook
50 blunt phrases on the left, 50 diplomatic upgrades on the right. Five pages you can keep open next to your inbox and steal from shamelessly.
01
The 4 moves behind every upgrade, so you can build your own phrases
02
Requests, follow-ups and saying no without sounding difficult
03
Mistakes, bad news and disagreeing in meetings, the polite way
04
A jargon decoder and a 5-day challenge to make it all stick
Free to share with your team.
Where it works
English for the moments that decide how you're seen
Nobody remembers your grammar. They remember the email that got straight to the point, the colleague who spoke up at the right moment, and the supplier who delivered bad news well.
01
Emails people actually answer
Put the request in the first line. Busy managers read one sentence before they decide whether to read the rest.
“Could you approve the Q3 budget by Thursday? The details are below.”
02
Meetings you can actually get into
Find a way into a fast Zoom call, hold the floor and disagree without starting an argument.
“If I could just build on what Sarah was saying…”
03
Client conversations under pressure
Deliver delays, price changes and mistakes in a way that keeps the client on your side.
“There's been a delay in the shipping schedule, and here's exactly what I'm doing about it.”
How it works
Three steps. No grammar drills.
1
Grab the free playbook
Enter your email, confirm it, and the PDF is yours. It takes less than a minute.
2
Get one lesson a week
Every week I send you one real workplace situation and the exact phrases to handle it.
3
Use it the same day
Copy the phrase into your next email or say it in your next meeting. That's the whole method.
Who's behind this
Herman Louw.
I've spent more than 20 years designing language courses, proofreading academic and professional writing, and teaching English to people who use it for serious work.
Along the way I've coached plenty of professionals whose English was excellent and whose emails still landed wrong. English Means Business is where I turn that experience into short, practical lessons you can use the same day.
More about me →Fresh from Lessons & Podcast
Latest lessons
Short, practical reads you can use before your next email or meeting. Video and podcast versions are on the way.
Questions
Before you download
Who is English Means Business for?
Professionals who already use English at work, in emails, meetings and client calls, and want to sound clearer, calmer and more polite. If you can read this page comfortably, you're in the right place.
Is the playbook really free?
Yes. Enter your email, confirm it, and the PDF is yours. You'll also get one practical lesson a week by email.
How often will you email me?
Once a week, with one real workplace situation and the phrases to handle it. You can unsubscribe with one click whenever you like.
Can I share the playbook with my team?
Please do. It's free to share with colleagues. If you'd like training or materials for a whole team, get in touch through the Contact page.
Say it right the first time.
Start with 50 phrases you can use in your very next email, meeting or client call.
Get the Free PlaybookFree PDF · One practical email a week · Unsubscribe anytime