Rock Your Business English!

The coolest way to sharpen up your team’s

Business English skills

Develop new corporate communication strategies to write and speak professionally in English

Your team uses English at work and they get by. It’s not always easy, and certainly not always fun, but they get the job done. Most of the time.

However, it’s not professional enough. They are all great at what they do, but when it comes to doing that all in English, it’s a step (or two!) behind. They keep using the same words over and over again and it’s boring. And not professional. They are using school English to help them navigate through international business situations and it’s not measuring up. They don’t reflect the image you want them to have in English, it’s always a bit lower and a bit simpler than it should be.

You would love it if your coworkers could speak more professionally and with more ‘polished’ phrases so that they have a wide variety of English words and phrases to choose from. They understand English quite well, but that library in their head is not getting activated.  Your international network and clients are there to work with you, not to give you feedback about your English, so you’re not even sure if you’re using the right words and structures anymore, as no one has told you if it’s correct or not. No one gives you clear and honest feedback about HOW you are communicating, so you are working in a vacuum and simply hoping for the best.

You think that sometimes your colleagues might be making mistakes (and you’re probably making them yourself!) but you’re not sure how to correct them, or know other alternatives to say things in a more professional way.  It would be an added bonus if your coworkers could also work better as a team in English and create a better sense of group communication to increase the team spirit and have fun!

How great would it be if your team could walk into a meeting or a negotiation session and be totally prepared, not just about what to say, but how (and WHY!) to say it?

About me

I left a safe, well-paid job to follow my dreams and that was to be the first Personal English Coach of the Netherlands, something that no one had heard of in 2001. Now fast forward, and I’m the Personal English coach to celebrities, politicians, CEOs and top managers. I’m the exclusive English coporate trainer for YoungCapital, Macaw, Eurocamp and Mojo Concerts, among others. My lessons are non-traditional and I’ve developed my own teaching method which is now used in 4 countries. I am just as comfortable coaching in Parliament as I am on the stage at Lowlands (where I taught 10,000 people), and I’m honored to be the Personal English coach to the CEOs of Dopper, Albert Heijn, Rituals, and YoungCapital, among others. It’s wonderful to see teams growing in skills and confidence in my Rock Your Busines English! programs!

I designed my Rock Your Business English! program to cover all the bases in Business English, but it’s Business English with a twist. It’s never boring as I always want to have fun while learning. If you enjoy the learning journey, you will remember and apply so much more. I explain every module, but then everyone has to activate it, get feedback and apply the feedback right away. The lessons are fast-paced, and intense, but the groups are kept small so I can give everyone personal feedback.  My Rock Your Business English! programs are 100% online, but live training days can be arranged upon request.

 

Features

Here we focus on learning, activating, and getting feedback on basic and advanced English grammar structures, and (finally!) eliminating your bad habits in this area. We will use my own books and materials which really make grammar come alive. This will get you motivated to build a strong and solid foundation for both written and spoken English. Discovering the WHY behind the WHAT means the theory will be your new best friend, and after this module you will KNOW that you are speaking and writing correctly, instead of having to doubt yourself all the time. Then we start applying this to your business communication, and I’ll show you how changing 1 grammar tense can totally reverse your message, make you unemployed, insult your colleagues (or your clients!) or make you a murderer.

Your words shape your world. But do you have enough of them? If you are talking about your services or your products, and you hesitate because you can’t find the right word at the right time, or if you’re unsure if you are using the right word, guess what happens? People will interpret this as you doubting your product or your services. However, you’re just doubting your English. You know your business well. No doubt about it! Let’s take that English doubt out of the equation so that you can just focus on business. I will not only show you how to triple your vocabulary, but how to make your English communication sparkle and shine with new expressions, idioms, and vocabulary alternatives.

This is where we get down and dirty on your pronunciation, both in a group and (if time/size allows) individually. I have 30 years of experience on accent reduction and I love showing people how they can self-correct easily and quickly! Let’s get your team to sound more confident, natural, and accurate in English with my tailor-made worksheets and fun videos! We will also focus on the most difficult words to say in English, Tongue Twisters, and more! The materials are yours to keep so that you can practice on your own at any time.

I’ve been helping people shape and share their stories for 30 years, and I’ve been a Senior TEDx Speaker Coach for a decade. It’s a pleasure to help people create a message with impact and see them make an authentic connection with their audience. Whether it be for a pitch, presentation, meeting, or a network event, my Presentation Template will help you prepare with ease, and deliver like a total pro who owns the stage. We also will work on dealing with nerves, storytelling, Q&A, visuals, and body language in this module. I can’t wait to show you how to build a bridge to your audience, with ease and confidence!

I’ve been helping people shape and share their stories for 30 years, and I’ve been a Senior TEDx Speaker Coach for a decade. It’s a pleasure to help people create a message with impact and see them make an authentic connection with their audience. Whether it be for a pitch, presentation, meeting, or a network event, my Presentation Template will help you prepare with ease, and deliver like a total pro who owns the stage. We also will work on dealing with nerves, storytelling, Q&A, visuals, and body language in this module. I can’t wait to show you how to build a bridge to your audience, with ease and confidence!

Ok, so you can get the job done in English. But did you do it as well as you could have? Did you come across as a bit too blunt, direct, or aggressive? Does your English really reflect the level of sophistication that you have with your products or services? Is it top notch, just like you pride yourself on hiring the best team and providing the best services? This is where we go from ‘functional’ to ‘professional’- how do you strike the right tone at the right time and sound more subtle, professional and formal when you need to be? How do you express your opinion, give feedback, and present bad news without sounding so direct? In most languages, there is a built in formal and informal way of saying ‘you’, and the grammar follows suit. But guess what? We don’t have that in English, so we express formality in other ways. I’ll show you how!

Details

 

Time:  4 weeks in total. There are 4 masterclasses of 2 hours each– usually 90 minutes of masterclass and then 30 minutes of Q&A.

Location: Online. (Live, on-site training days are available upon request.)

Group size: This depends on your training goals and budget.

Intake: Every participant will get a personal intake to determine their level, needs, and training goals.

Feedback: I offer personal mentorship, coaching, and individual feedback sessions every week throughout the course in our private Slack channel.

Materials: Every participant receives a free copy of Work It, my 88-page e-book, and tailor-made worksheets, interactive workbooks, the recording of every masterclass, and all the coaching notes, plus lifetime access to my 9-module Business English Communication Course.

Live days are possible upon request. Look at those happy RYBE graduates!
(This picture was taken pre-Covid.)

Investment: A complete Rock Your Business English! training program starts at €1495 per participant. This fee includes the personal intake, the masterclasses, 15 workbooks, individual feedback, consultancy, and mentorship, all coaching materials, and lifetime access to my Business English Communication Course.
Group discounts are possible, depending on group size.

 

YES! My team needs to rock their business English!

What clients say (without a bribe)

‘Buffi is such a sharp coach with an energy that’s amazing plus a great sense of humor. She focusses on the smallest details in professional communication, which makes such a difference!’

“Loved it all the way. I liked how we got informed, what materials were available, the energy Buffi put in to the trainings, the follow up via Slack with the workbooks and the quality of the work- and answer sheets. It all showed the same passion and the goal to deliver a high standard. Very good!”

“I can now better avoid common mistakes and I’m more confident when I’m talking to someone else or when I need to present something. Wish I could do this every week!”

“There were multiple breakthrough moments for me: 1. When you learn a new word, try to find a synonym and a word that means the opposite. 2. The difference between would, could, can. (Even my brother in law who speaks English all the time for his job was amazed by that one!)3. And that we know a lot of words but don’t use them enough. I had so much fun during this program, but was absolutely challenged. Highly recommended!”

“It was exactly what I needed to know what my learning points are and upgrade my skills when it comes to writing e-mails and speaking English. Also the use of Dictionary and Thesaurus and the advice to listen tot English podcasts and use English subtitles when watching series/films helped me. I will definitely take this into my daily routine!”

“I guess it is not one thing what was the most helpful. It is the combination of the lesson, feedback and workbooks. I understand the grammar rules a lot better, and through the new knowledge I feel a lot more comfortable by speaking English.”

“I would definitely recommend this program – it’s mindblowing! To have a reality check on how English is different from Dutch and get a better understanding on how you might come across a native speaking person.”

“I learned so much about the pronunciation of English words, the present tenses and the presentation day were all super handy. It’s now easier for me to talk English with an English colleague, I write English mails much faster and when I have a call in English, my pronunciation is also a lot better.”

Not sure if this is for you?

Do you feel that your team can do better internationally?

Are they struggling with sounding professional in English?

Do they avoid situations where they need English?

Is their communication strategy at the right level to reflect the needs of your company?

Are they just as confident communicating in English as they are in their own language?

Do you feel that there is more international work for your company, but that English is holding you back?

Do your coworkers feel embarrassed when they have to communicate in English?

Do English situations get delegated to the person who is able to do it well?

Do you feel that if your team had better English they would be able to be more successful internationally?

If you answered ‘YES’ to any of these, then it’s time to Rock Your Business English!

This course is for you if:

This course is not for you if:

YES! We need to rock our business English!

FAQ

This course is not for absolute beginners, as all of the materials are in English with no other support language. It’s for lower intermediate to advanced.

Based on the hundreds of reactions I have gotten from previous participants, I can truly say that my unique 4-step training method of awareness, absorption, activation, and feedback is extremely effective. Every participant leaves the program with clear insights on their strengths and weaknesses, a motivated mindset, and a clear approach on how they can continue on their own with my Business English Communication course and workbooks.

I keep the groups small (6 is an ideal size) so that everyone gets a chance to ask questions and get clear and honest feedback during our online sessions, and I give every participant weekly feedback on their assignments in our private Slack channel throughout the program.Yes, 50% of the course fee can be paid before the program starts, and 50% within 2 weeks of the last training day of the program.Yes. The cringe factor is currently 6.5. Sorry not sorry.Yup! This can be either at your office or online. Or on Bali. Why not?Absolutely! This program brings people together in a new and exciting way, as they are all working on the same goal, in the same language, sharing the same doubts, goals, and triumphs. Laughing and learning together is so much fun and the greatest connector!

Pamela loved her Rock Your Business English! course so much she wrote an article about it. You can read it here.

No worries – that’s why I send everyone the recording after the masterclass, so that they won’t miss a thing! You’re screwed, babe. Espresso or nada.

OH YES! We are ready to rock it with Buffi!

“Let’s create new corporate communication strategies in English!”