Professional English Communication

Cards · 52

Touch base

To make brief contact to update or confer. Example: Let us touch base on Monday morning to review the new client proposal.

Circle back

To return to discuss an unresolved topic later. Example: I need more data on that, so let us circle back to this agenda item next week.

Bandwidth

The mental or physical capacity to handle work. Example: I do not have the bandwidth to take on an additional project this quarter.

Action item

A specific task assigned to an individual or team. Example: Her primary action item from the meeting was drafting the revised timeline.

Deliverable

A tangible or intangible good or service produced as a result of a project. Example: The final client report is our key deliverable this month.

Align on

To reach agreement or mutual understanding. Example: We need to align on our quarterly targets before presenting to executive leadership.

Move the needle

To make a noticeable or significant difference. Example: Our new social media campaign really helped move the needle on user engagement.

Boil the ocean

To attempt something excessively ambitious or impossible. Example: Let us focus on core features first rather than trying to boil the ocean.

Low-hanging fruit

Easy tasks or quick wins that require minimal effort. Example: Fixing broken website links is low-hanging fruit that immediately aids user experience.

Streamline

To make a system or process more efficient. Example: Automating invoice processing will streamline our monthly billing cycle.

Pivot

To fundamentally change direction or strategy. Example: When market demand shifted, the company decided to pivot to a software-as-a-service model.

Drill down

To examine or analyze something in greater depth. Example: Let us drill down into the regional sales figures to identify our weak spots.

Take offline

To discuss a topic privately outside of a meeting. Example: That technical issue only affects two of us, so let us take it offline.

Ping

To send a brief digital message or alert. Example: Ping me on Slack once the staging server deployment is finished.

Hard stop

A firm time limit when someone must end a meeting. Example: I have a hard stop at three o'clock to join a customer interview.

Onboarding

The process of integrating a new employee or client. Example: Our structured onboarding program helps new hires become productive quickly.

Pain point

A persistent problem or inconvenience faced by users. Example: High checkout cart abandonment is the primary pain point for our e-commerce users.

Stakeholder

A party with an interest in the outcome of a project. Example: We invited every department stakeholder to provide input on the new system.

Core competency

A defining strength that gives a business advantage. Example: Rapid custom hardware prototyping remains our company's core competency.

Buy-in

Approval and support from relevant parties. Example: Getting early leadership buy-in is essential before rolling out company-wide policies.

Ballpark figure

A rough numerical estimate. Example: Could you give me a ballpark figure for the total redesign budget?

Bottleneck

A point of congestion that slows an entire process. Example: Manual quality assurance testing has become a severe bottleneck in releases.

Synergy

Combined interaction that produces a greater total effect. Example: The merger created powerful operational synergy between marketing and sales.

Scalable

Capable of coping well with increased workload. Example: Cloud infrastructure allows our platform to stay scalable during peak usage.

Ramp up

To increase output, speed, or production. Example: Production must ramp up significantly to satisfy anticipated holiday demand.

Keep in the loop

To inform someone regularly of ongoing developments. Example: Please keep me in the loop regarding client negotiations this week.

Table a topic

To postpone discussing a subject until later. Example: Due to time constraints, let us table the budget review until Thursday.

Play devil's advocate

To present a counterargument to test an idea. Example: To play devil's advocate, what happens if our primary supplier raises prices?

Deep dive

An in-depth, thorough analysis of a topic. Example: Tomorrow we will conduct a deep dive into customer retention statistics.

Sign-off

Official approval or agreement on a plan. Example: We need formal legal sign-off before publishing the partnership agreement.

At capacity

Unable to accept more work or users. Example: Our fulfillment center is currently running at capacity to ship pre-orders.

Elevator pitch

A short, persuasive summary of an idea or product. Example: Prepare a two-minute elevator pitch to present to venture capital investors.

Best practice

A method accepted as superior to alternatives. Example: Conducting code reviews before deployment is standard engineering best practice.

Paradigm shift

A fundamental change in basic concepts or practices. Example: Remote work created a massive paradigm shift in corporate culture.

Benchmark

A standard or reference point for comparison. Example: We benchmark our customer response times against the industry's top competitors.

Due diligence

Comprehensive appraisal before entering an agreement. Example: Our financial team conducted thorough due diligence prior to the acquisition.

Scope creep

Uncontrolled expansion of project deliverables. Example: Without clear guidelines, scope creep can double the estimated delivery timeline.

Value proposition

The innovation or service that makes a company attractive. Example: Our primary value proposition is offering enterprise-level security at low cost.

Run point

To take the lead role on a task or project. Example: Maria will run point on coordinating logistics for the annual sales retreat.

Sanity check

A quick assessment to confirm that an idea makes sense. Example: Let us do a sanity check on these cost projections before sending them to finance.

Push back

To resist, dispute, or question a suggestion. Example: The engineering team had to push back on the unrealistically short deadline.

Heads-up

An advance warning or notification. Example: Thanks for the heads-up about the server maintenance scheduled for tonight.

On the radar

Noticed or being considered for future action. Example: Upgrading our payment gateway is definitely on the radar for next quarter.

Wheelhouse

One's area of specific expertise. Example: Drafting complex commercial contracts is right in David's wheelhouse.

Wrap up

To conclude or finish an activity. Example: Let us spend the final five minutes to wrap up our progress updates.

Holistic approach

Considering all interconnected parts of a system. Example: We need a holistic approach to workplace wellness, including mental and physical health.

Reach out

To contact someone for assistance or collaboration. Example: Feel free to reach out to human resources if you have questions on benefits.

Game changer

An event or development that changes a situation dramatically. Example: The introduction of the new automated diagnostic tool was a total game changer.

Hit the ground running

To start a new activity quickly and successfully. Example: Thanks to thorough documentation, the new developer hit the ground running.

Cut corners

To do something poorly or cheaply to save time/money. Example: We cannot afford to cut corners when designing safety-critical software.

Back to the drawing board

To start over after a previous attempt failed. Example: Since the client rejected our initial layout, it is back to the drawing board.

Take ownership

To accept personal accountability for an initiative. Example: We want team members who take ownership of mistakes and actively fix them.