ELOQUA · Professional

Business English Communication

Meetings, email, presentations and the small talk that decides whether the deal happens.

Level	CEFR B1–C1
Guided learning hours	45 hours
Duration	15 weeks · 1 × 2 hours per week
Independent study	22 hours recommended
Delivery	Live online, small group or one to one
Entry requirements	CEFR B1 or above.
On completion	ELOQUA Certificate of Completion with a communication skills profile.

Course learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

CLO1

Open and sustain professional conversation with colleagues and clients from other cultures. (Apply)

CLO2

Write business email, a one-page proposal and an executive summary that achieve their purpose. (Create)

CLO3

Participate in and chair a meeting, including interrupting, disagreeing and agreeing actions. (Apply)

CLO4

Deliver a structured presentation with supporting data and handle unprepared questions. (Create)

CLO5

Negotiate using conditional language, and conduct a difficult conversation without damaging the relationship. (Apply)

CLO6

Assess your own spoken output for intelligibility and correct the features that most reduce clarity. (Evaluate)

Scope & sequence

Unit	Focus	Language	Skills	Assessment	Hours
1. First impressions and small talk	Introductions, the first three minutes of any meeting, and why small talk is not small.	Openings; question forms; safe topics across cultures	Speaking, Listening	Recorded networking simulation	3
2. Email that gets a reply	Subject lines, the first sentence, requests, follow-ups and chasing without irritating.	Directness calibration; request structures	Writing	Three emails, marked on outcome not grammar	3
3. Telephone and video calls	Poor connections, unfamiliar accents, and taking control of a call that is drifting.	Clarification; repair strategies; summarising	Listening, Speaking	Live call simulation	3
4. Participating in meetings	Getting the floor, interrupting politely, and being heard when you are not the loudest person there.	Interruption; agreement and disagreement; signposting	Speaking, Listening	Assessed meeting contribution	3
5. Chairing a meeting	Agendas, timekeeping, drawing out a quiet participant and closing with clear actions.	Managing turn-taking; summarising decisions	Speaking	Chair a 20-minute meeting	3
6. Presenting with structure	Opening, three points, close. Slides that support you instead of replacing you.	Signposting; emphasis; rhetorical patterns	Speaking	Five-minute presentation	3
7. Handling questions	Hostile questions, questions you cannot answer, and buying time honestly.	Deflection; commitment and non-commitment; bridging	Speaking, Listening	Q&A under pressure	3
8. Numbers, data and charts	Saying large numbers correctly, describing a trend, and making a chart mean something.	Quantity; trend verbs; approximation	Speaking, Writing	Data commentary	3
9. Reports and proposals	Executive summaries, recommendations, and writing for someone who will read only the first paragraph.	Concision; recommendation structures	Writing	One-page proposal	3
10. Negotiation	Opening positions, conditional bargaining, walking away and closing.	Conditionals; concession; firmness without rudeness	Speaking, Listening	Recorded negotiation	3
11. Difficult conversations	Complaints, apologies, performance conversations and saying no to someone senior.	Softening; face management; assertive structures	Speaking	Roleplay with feedback	3
12. Cross-cultural business	Directness, hierarchy, silence and humour across the markets you work in.	Pragmatics; intercultural repair	Listening, Speaking	Case study	3
13. Networking and relationship building	Conferences, LinkedIn messages, and following up so the contact is still warm in March.	Relationship-building language; follow-up conventions	Speaking	Networking simulation	3
14. Your professional voice	Pronunciation for intelligibility rather than accent removal: stress, rhythm and the sounds that cost you clarity.	Word and sentence stress; intonation for meaning	Speaking	Recorded pronunciation profile	3
15. Integrated business simulation	A full scenario: brief, meeting, proposal, presentation and negotiation across one session.	Full-course consolidation	Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking	Integrated simulation + skills profile	3
Total contact hours					45

Fees

Format	Package	Fee
Small group	Full course — group of 6	$1,320
Small group	Per week — join at any point	$95 /wk
One to one	One to one — per hour	$110 /hr

ELOQUA · Level 3, 120 Edward Street, Brisbane QLD 4000 · study@eloqua.edu
This document is generated from the live course record on 2 September 2026 and supersedes earlier versions.