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Global English statt Buzzwords: Was Markus im Meeting lernte

Global English statt Buzzwords: Was Markus im Meeting lernte

Global English statt Buzzwords: Was Markus im Meeting lernte

Der Moment, der alles veränderte

Markus umklammerte den Konferenztisch. Seine Hände waren feucht. Auf dem Bildschirm: sechs Kollegen aus Singapur, Polen und Frankreich – wartend.

Seine PowerPoint-Folie zeigte: „Operational Optimisation Synergies”. Doch plötzlich fühlten sich die Worte wie eine Falle an.

Der alte Markus

Jahrelang glaubte er: „Wer klug klingt, spricht kompliziert.” Er büffelte MBA-Vokabular*, zwang jeden Satz in perfekte Grammatik, brauchte Stunden für E-Mails. „So kommunizieren Profis“, dachte er.

Der Moment der Wahrheit

Nach seinem Vortrag: Stille. Der Kollege aus Singapur runzelte die Stirn: „Could you… explain that in simpler terms?” Die Kollegen aus Polen tippten nebenbei Nachrichten. Markus spürte, wie sein Herz raste.

Haben sie mich nicht verstanden?

Die Einsicht

Später zog ihn seine irische Kollegin Niamh beiseite. „Markus, your ideas are brilliant – but they’re drowning in words nobody actually uses.

Dann zeigte sie ihm ihre Notizen: „We can cut costs here → Save 20% → More budget for R&D“.

Drei Sätze. Klar wie Wasser.

Die Erkenntnis

Abends las Markus seine alten E-Mails. Lange Sätze. Komplizierte Wörter. Passivformen. Ein „as per my last communication“, wo „as we discussed” völlig gereicht hätte.

Er hatte geschrieben, um zu beeindrucken.

Der neue Markus

Eine Woche später stand er wieder vor der Gruppe.

Here’s how we save money,” begann er.

Einfache Folien. Klare Verben. Keine „synergies“.

Als die Kollegin aus Frankreich nickte und sagte: „Now that makes sense,” wusste Markus: Global English wirkt. Und zwar sofort.

Das Ergebnis

Heute coacht Markus sein Team genauso:

Wenn Deine Oma und Dein Chef Deine Worte verstehen, hast Du gewonnen.

Markus klingt heute nicht einfacher. Er klingt klarer – und dadurch kompetenter. Seine Ideen ertrinken nicht mehr in Wörtern, die niemand benutzt.

Probieren Sie das aus

Nehmen Sie Ihren letzten komplizierten Satz und schreiben Sie ihn als Kette: Was → Ergebnis → Nutzen. Genau wie Niamh: „Cut costs here → Save 20% → More budget for R&D.
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💬 Wer ist Ihr innerer Markus? Sprechen Sie, um zu beeindrucken – oder um verstanden zu werden?

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* diese typischen Business-Ausdrücke, die in Management-, Consulting- und Strategie-Kreisen ständig benutzt werden

“How’s your week going so far?” – why this question works

“How’s your week going so far?” – why this question works

Most meetings start the same way.

A few comments about the weather. A quick complaint about traffic. Then everyone gets down to business.

There’s a better opener:

How’s your week going so far?

It’s simple, but it gives people something real to answer.

Instead of jumping straight into the agenda, you give the other person space to share what’s actually happening in their world. Maybe they’re having a great week. Maybe they’re dealing with a deadline. Maybe they just got back from vacation.

You learn more in 30 seconds than you would from five minutes of small talk.

You don’t need to be naturally chatty to use it. Just ask the question and pay attention to the answer.

One genuine exchange can make the rest of the conversation easier, more productive and more human.

Quick win

Try it before your next meeting:

How’s your week going so far?

Then listen. And see where it takes you.

💬 Do you have a go-to opening question?

Stop apologising for your English – here’s why

Stop apologising for your English – here’s why

Sorry for my English” sounds polite. To you. The listener hears something different.

They hear, “Don’t trust what I’m about to say“.

They weren’t thinking about your English until you mentioned it.

The apology doesn’t protect you from judgement. It invites it. You’ve framed your own words as unreliable before anyone else had the chance.

The listener who matters most is you. And you’ve just told yourself, again, that you’re not quite ready.

Skip the warning. Start with your first sentence.

Quick win

Next time the apology forms, let it go. Begin with what you want to say. The English will follow.

💬 Have you noticed yourself doing this?

The phrase that replaces “ASAP” – and actually works

The phrase that replaces “ASAP” – and actually works

“ASAP” shows up in emails, Slack messages and meeting notes every day.

It also has a downside: it can make people feel pressured.

When people feel pressured, they often slow down, push back or deprioritise the request.

Try this instead:

Whenever you get a chance, ideally today.

The message stays clear. The urgency is still there. But it sounds like a request, not an order.

That small shift matters, especially when you’re working across teams, companies or cultures. “ASAP” can sound stressful. The alternative gives context without creating tension.

A simple test:

The next time you need something quickly, write:

Whenever you get a chance, ideally today.

See what comes back.

💬 Do you have a phrase you use instead of “ASAP”?

You can’t translate a CV word for word. The German version and the English version are two different documents.

You can’t translate a CV word for word. The German version and the English version are two different documents.

I’ve been working through a mentee’s CV. She’s an experienced language trainer, sharp, thoughtful and clearly good at her work. Her German CV was strong.

The English version had spelling mistakes, inconsistent formatting and phrases that no English-speaking reader would use naturally. Her language level was fine. She had translated from German rather than written it in English.

German CVs are usually organised by date and focus on facts. English CVs often focus more on what you achieved and the effect you had.

Once she saw it as a rewrite rather than a translation, the whole thing became easier.

If you have an English CV, a LinkedIn profile or a website, read it as if you’d written it from scratch in English.

Would it still say the same things, in the same way?

PS: By the way – I built a small free tool this week for language trainers who want to write on LinkedIn but don’t know where to start. If you know one, you might like to pass it on: https://postbuilder-for-trainers.netlify.app