Confident Business English
Are you an international senior manager who wants to feel more confident communicating in English? I’m Anna Connelly, an Advanced Neurolanguage Coach®, and every week I bring you practical business English strategies to help you communicate more confidently at work. The ideas in this podcast come directly from the real communication challenges I work on with senior managers in my coaching sessions every day, including difficult meetings, presentations, speaking up, explaining complex ideas, handling pressure and sounding more natural in English. So, in many ways, think of each episode as a short coaching session with me: practical, focused and des...
345. Getting Your Language Right in Difficult Situations
Difficult situations at work can be hard enough without worrying about your English too. In this episode, I’ll share natural phrases to help you build confidence using the right language at the right time. I hope it helps you feel more confident with it. Enjoy! Anna
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344. A Shortcut for More Natural English at Work
Do you find yourself hesitating over he/she, him/her, his/her when talking at work? In this episode, I’ll show you a simple shortcut, with practical business examples to help you use it more naturally and confidently at work. Very important for you as a senior manager as this is a structure which pops up a lot in business. Talking about future situations, when you talk about a person in general and when you want to talk about confidential matters. Hope this helps you feel more confident with it! Anna
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343. “What Do You Think?” How to Structure Your Response at Work
When somebody asks for your view at work, it can be difficult to organise everything you know into a strong response in English. In this episode, I’ll give you three simple questions to structure your answer: What’s the point? What do you recommend? How strongly do you mean it? We’ll practice them through a realistic leadership scenario, with useful business vocabulary along the way. I hope it helps you feel more confident. Enjoy! Anna
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342. The Next Step for Your Business English
You already speak English at work but what should you focus on to become a stronger communicator and feel more confident? In this season opener, I’m sharing three of the most recurrent communication points across ALL of my hundreds of English coaching sessions, with practical ways to start working on each one straight away. I hope you this helps you take the next step forward and feel more confident with your business English. Anna
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341. The Confidence Sessions: How to Build Momentum Again
NEW SEASON STARTS 16th SEPTEMBER 2026
One difficult meeting can knock your confidence, but it doesn’t have to define what happens next. In the final Confidence Session, we look at how to rebuild momentum, create more opportunities to grow your self-belief, and learn to trust yourself to handle whatever happens in English. Enjoy! Anna
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340. The Confidence Sessions: The Invisible Baggage Holding You Back
What are you carrying around with you when you speak English at work? In this Confidence Session, I explore Ian Robertson's idea of “mental backpacks”. These are the labels, past experiences and beliefs that can quietly affect how you perform. We’ll also look at why the right level of challenge can give you a boost, why things stop feeling rewarding once they become comfortable, and how beliefs about being a non-native speaker could be influencing you more than you realise.
Book referenced in episode: Ian Robertson, How Confidence Works. The New Science of Self-Belief (not paid ad)
339. The Confidence Sessions: Being More Confident Isn’t the Goal — It’s What Comes Next
What would more confidence actually allow you to do? In this epsiode on The Confidence Session series, I invite you to look beyond confidence itself and explore what it can lead to in your career and life. This is especially useful if you are lacking motivation or have had a difficult experience with English recently. We’ll also look how the words you use before a high-pressure situation could influence how you perform.
Book source: How Confidence Works, The New Science of Self Belief, Ian Robertson.
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338. The Confidence Sessions: The Two Beliefs That Drive Action
What actually makes you take action when you feel confident? In this Confidence Session, I continue breaking down how confidence works by looking at two important beliefs: “I can do it” and “it can happen.” We’ll explore what happens when one of those is missing, why feeling nervous doesn’t necessarily mean you lack confidence, and what this could look like in your meetings, presentations and career. Enjoy!
Book Source: Ian Roberston, How Confidence Works. The New Science of Self Belief (Not an ad, resource I use on a daily basis!)
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337. The Confidence Sessions: Exploring How Confidence Works
What actually is confidence, and why can you feel confident in one situation but completely doubt yourself in another? In this Confidence Session, we look at the science behind confidence, what your brain is predicting and why building it isn't always as simple as practicing more. Enjoy! Anna
Book referenced and quoted: Ian Robertson, How Confidence Works
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336. The Confidence Sessions: Two Workplace Language Dilemmas
The Confidence Sessions is a special series running throughout August and early September, before the new season of Confident Business English begins on 16 September 2026!
What’s the difference between trusting your team and having confidence in them? And what can you say when a personal issue affects work, but you don’t want to share your whole life story? In this Confidence Session, I’ve cherry-picked two practical clips to help you communicate more clearly, naturally and confidently at work. Enjoy! Anna
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335. Anna's Key Takeaways: Professional Etiquette, Giving Recommendations & Hard to Pronounce Name!
Today's episode is a collection of practical Business English takeaways from my recent coaching sessions. We'll cover professional etiquette, natural recommendations, pronunciation and answer two listener questions to help you feel more confident at work. Enjoy! Anna
PODCAST SCHEDULE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER
It's also the final episode before the new season begins on September 16th, but don't worry there'll still be a new episode every Wednesday throughout August.
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334. Business English Native Speakers Use (Explained Simply)
Have you ever been in a meeting with native speakers and suddenly thought, "I have no idea what they're talking about?" In this episode, I'm breaking down some of the business expressions that native speakers use all the time and explaining them in plain English. You'll learn what they actually mean, where many of them come from, and simple tricks to help you remember them. By the end of the episode, you'll be able to follow business meetings more easily and feel more confident when these expressions come up. Enjoy! Anna
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<...333. Finally Feel Confident Using the Most Common "Get" Phrases
Do you avoid using "get" because you're never quite sure if it's the right choice? In this episode, you'll discover one simple pattern behind some of the most common business "get" phrases so you can stop overthinking them and start using them with confidence at work. Enjoy! Anna
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332. The Project Vocabulary Every Senior Manager Needs
If projects are a regular part of your job, this episode is for you. Ever feel like you understand the words in a project meeting, but still don't feel confident joining the conversation? In this episode, I'll beak down a realistic business project from the first idea through to the final presentation. Along the way, you'll learn 15 pieces of core vocabulary that are used naturally when planning projects, making decisions, solving problems and communicating with stakeholders. Rather than memorising vocabulary lists, you'll start recognising the language patterns that come up again and again in real meetings, helping you understand...
331. Get to the Point Faster in Business English
Do you struggle to get to the point in English? In this episode, you'll learn three simple language structures that will help you communicate more clearly, sound more concise and feel more confident in meetings, presentations and everyday business conversations. Enjoy! Anna
Book Recommendation (Not affiliated or promotion)
Get to the Point, Joel Schwartzberg
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330. Anna's Key Takeaways: Framework for Executive Meetings , Accurate Pronunciation, Negotiation Phrases & More
In this episode, I share practical insights from recent coaching sessions with senior managers. You'll learn a simple framework for answering difficult questions under pressure, a common pronunciation mistake that affects clarity, useful negotiation phrases, and why good audio matters more than you think. Plus, a challenge to help you take the next step in building your confidence in English. Enjoy! Anna
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329. Why Your Colleagues Aren't Buying Into Your Ideas in English
Many senior managers focus on learning advanced vocabulary, but often the quickest way to sound more senior is using more straightforward phrases that are often overlooked and a quick fix to add in. In this episode, practical adverb combinations that add impact, precision and credibility to your English communication. Enjoy! Anna
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328. One Business Verb. Seven Meanings. More Confidence.
Confidence isn't built by memorising vocabulary lists. In this episode, you'll learn seven meanings of an essential business verb for senior managers through a real-world story, making the language easier to understand, remember and use at work. Enjoy! Anna
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327. The Realities of Speaking English at Work: 3 Things That Knock Your Confidence (And What to Do About It)
Lots of different things can knock your confidence as a senior manager. Sometimes it's a comment, a specific experience presentation, or even a particular colleague that makes you feel less confident. In this episode, I share three real examples from recent coaching sessions and some thoughts and reflections on how you could handle them. Enjoy! Anna
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326. 3 Verbs Every Senior Manager Needs: Maintain, Keep and Stay
This week, I want to train you on three business verbs that professionals often confuse: maintain, keep and stay.You’ll learn how native speakers actually use them in meetings, management and everyday workplace communication so you can sound more natural, fluent and confident when speaking English at work. Perfect for you as a senior manager working in an international environments. Enjoy! Anna
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325. Anna’s Key Takeaways: Can vs Can’t, Difficult Questions & Clearer Pronunciation
This week I bring you more of my Key Takeaways taken from client sessions over the last few weeks: In this episode:
The real difference between “can” and “can’t” in fast business conversations Useful phrases for handling difficult questions with transparency and professionalism Simple pronunciation techniques to improve clarity and reduce misunderstandingsPerfect for you as a senior managers working in high-stakes international environments. Enjoy! Anna
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324. Sound More Like Yourself in English With These Classic Business Sayings
Do you ever feel that you can't get across your complete personality and style as a senior manager in English? In this episode, you’ll learn common business sayings and expressions to help you sound more like yourself in your native language. I’ll show you how to use them naturally in context and I hope this helps you feel more confident to use them. Enjoy! Anna
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323. How to Confidently Explain Staff Changes in Global Team Meetings
One of my clients leads quarterly meetings with teams across Brazil, APAC, Europe, and the US but when it came to explaining recent staff changes, they realised they weren’t confident using the right English vocabulary. If you’ve ever hesitated when talking about promotions, internal moves, or people leaving, this episode is for you. You’ll learn the key phrases senior managers use to describe company movements clearly, professionally, and confidently in global team meetings. Enjoy! Anna
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322. Get Your Proposals Approved: 3 Language Tricks to Feel More Confident in the Room
Inspired by a senior manager client, here are 3 simple language tips to make your proposals more persuasive in English so you can communicate your ideas clearly, sound more credible, and improve your chances of getting approval. I hope it makes you feel more confident with your messaging when you walk into the room. Enjoy! Anna
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321. It's Not Just You: The Hidden Struggles of Speaking English at Work
Welcome back to another episodes in the It's Not JustYou series. Speaking English at work as senior IS hard. You are up against quite a lot. Building on a previous story and insights from real client experiences, we break down the hidden challenges and how to move forward with more confidence. Enjoy! Anna
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320. My Key Takeaways: Come Up, Take the Lead… and One Word You Might Be Avoiding
Let's do another of my Key Takeaways episode. This is where I take learnings from recent client sessions I think you will find very helpful to feel more confident with business english vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. This week I picked 4 very common business phrasal verbs that are definitely worth knowing, a great phrase to delegate work while still sounding motivational and a tricky word to pronounce which appears when justifying your decisions. Enjoy! Anna
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319. Sound Like a Leader in English, Not a Micromanager: Get Your Team to Take Ownership (Without Pushing Them)
If one of your goals in English is to sound more strategic and less directive, this episode is for you. I break down how to structure a coaching conversation in English, with precise language you can use to guide your team, encourage ownership, and handle performance discussions with more confidence. Enjoy! Anna
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318. When You're Capable in English… But You Don’t Trust Yourself (A Conversation with Joely Pullen)
In this episode of Confident Business English, I’m joined by Joely Pullen, who owns Savvy English. A company with 2000+ students across 25 companies, for the first part of a real, unscripted conversation about confidence at work. We talk about a challenge we both see all the time: professionals who already have a good level of English but don’t feel confident using it when it really matters. If you’ve ever thought “I know what I want to say, but I just don’t say it,” this episode will resonate. We explore the difference between confidence and competence, why this is ofte...
317. Ask Anna: Grasp an Essential Business Verb & Add More Impact to Your Messages
In this episode, you will hear Business English questions from senior managers like you. If you want to choose the right word with confidence and sound more precise at work, this episode is for you. Enjoy! Anna
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316. Real-Life Business English: Colleague Conversation After Conference (Anna Reports)
In this episode of Anna Reports, you will listen in on a real conversation between British colleagues I heard after a conference in Madrid. You’ll hear the kinds of expressions, humour, complaints and tone that appear in natural workplace conversations. The kind of English you rarely see in textbooks. Hopefully by the end you will have picked up a few phrases that will help you feel more confident in your conversations. Enjoy! Anna
02:15 — British workplace humour
05:00 — Small complaints in conversation
07:20 — “Catch up” in workplace English
09:30 — Softening opinions in conversation
11:20 — Reading tone and hidden meaning<...
315. It’s Not Just You: The Reality of Speaking English at Work
Speaking English at a senior level often brings difficult experiences that aren't always talked about. You start questioning yourself: Did I say it wrong? Did I sound too direct? Did they understand me? In this episode, you’ll see that many of these experiences are normal. I share my own personal experiences as well as client stories you will resonate with. I hope the reflections will help you reframe difficult moments so they affect your confidence less. Enjoy!
01:20 — Interpreting reactions in meetings
03:00 — The “different personality” feeling in another language
05:40 — Handling criticism and unhelpful comments
07:30 — When people int...
314. The Technical Series: Reported Speech for Senior Managers
In this Technical Series episode, I focus on reported speech. This was inspired by a client question and I thought it would be a great topic, as it is something often often looked but something you use every single day as a senior manager when relaying what the board, clients, or your team have said. I'll clarify the key structures, common mistakes, and how to broaden your reporting verbs so you can speak clearly, accurately, and without breaking your flow. Enjoy! Anna
00:00 — Why this matters at senior level 02:00 — Core structure & common pitfalls 05:00 — Expanding your reporting language 08:30 — Reporting discussions & instruct...313. Train Your Executive Voice with 3 Small Shifts
Do you ever feel your English sounds fine, but not quite executive? In this episode, you’ll learn three simple language shifts that will help strengthen your presence in your interactions as a senior manager. Nothing complicated. Just smarter framing that changes how you’re perceived.
Book mentioned in episode: The First Minute, Chris Fenny
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312. The Technical Series: 15 Minutes to More Precise Progress Updates
Asa senior manager you constantly report on progress, what’s done, what’s delayed, what’s ongoing, and what’s stopped. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use four essential adverbs to make your status updates clearer, more precise, and more credible in meetings. Enjoy! Anna
00:00 – Why precision matters in senior-level communication
02:30 – First key language shift
05:00 – Second key language shift
07:30 – Third key language shift
09:30 – Fourth key language shift
12:30 – A subtle nuance that changes tone
14:00 – How to apply the learning
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309. Communicating Effectively with Executives: Little Snippet #19
Highly capable professionals are often overlooked not because of their expertise, but because their message isn’t clear. In 5-minute short episode, you’ll learn simple, practical tips to communicate more clearly with executives, link your ideas to business impact, and get better feedback so your message lands with confidence. Enjoy! Anna
Little Snippets are my 5-minute mini episode series on Confident Business English.
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310. Your Business English Prescription: Little Snippet #20
In this mini episode, you’ll learn how putting key phrases and standard interactions on autopilot can reduce stress, improve fluency, and free up your energy for more difficult conversations. Perfect for busy professionals who want practical confidence, not more theory. Enjoy! Anna
Little Snippets are my 5-minute mini episodes on Confident Business English focused on my best confidence-boosting tips.
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311. English, Energy, and Long Workdays: Little Snippets #21
Speaking English all day at conferences, events, or meetings is mentally exhausting and that’s normal. In this short episode, you’ll learn why your English can feel worse as the day goes on, why this has nothing to do with your level, and how to be more compassionate with yourself when fatigue kicks in, especially at senior level. Enjoy! Anna
Little Snippets are my mini 5-minute episodes on Confident Business English focused on my best confidence-boosting tips.
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308. Anna Reports: 5 Phrases from a Business Call I Overheard on the Train
In this episode, I introduce a new format Anna Reports, where I reveal takeaways from real business conversations I've heard and break them down the natural English phrases so you feel more confident with them in the workplace.
You’ll learn:
Common British business expressions you’re likely to hear in real conversationsThe difference between 4 very common nouns for time managementWhat it really means to broach a sensitive topicPLEASE NOTE I've deliberately recorded this episode to be even more conversational to challenge you more. It's normal if you find it harder than usual. Read along...
307. Let’s Answer Your Business English Questions!
In this episode, you will hear Business English questions from senior managers like you. If you want to choose the right word with confidence and sound more precise at work, this episode is for you. Enjoy! Anna
Do you want to record a 30-second question for the episode? Send me an email at info@confidentbusinessenglish and I'll give you the information.
01:40 — Question 1: Luis
06:10 — How to choose the right word when working with teams, partners, and authorities
08:10 — Question 2: Petra
12:40 — How these words fit together (the “Russian doll” model)
17:40 — Practical summary + how to submit your...
306. If You Feel Too Direct When You Speak English, Listen to This
As a senior manager, at times you will need to be direct and at times, diplomatic. However, you feel your vocabulary is limited and you tend to speak too directly. In this episode, I show you how to say the same message in different ways, so you can choose the right tone for meetings, feedback, and difficult conversations. Enjoy! Anna
01:40 — Direct vs diplomatic: the core communication problem
03:20 — Scenario 1: Managing time in meetings
06:40 — Scenario 2: Giving negative feedback
11:20 — Scenario 3: Rejecting an idea
14:40 — Key takeaways + how to practice
15:30 — Final action step
