Building Confidence in High-Stakes Meetings • BEP 157
The Business English Podcast

Building Confidence in High-Stakes Meetings • BEP 157

2026-02-27

Rob recounts a tense boardroom pitch where Josh, a non-native English speaker, nearly loses the room after a small phrasing mistake, then recovers and earns executive trust by using rehearsed responses and a calmer delivery.

The episode then offers a practical framework for building a meeting-ready toolkit: prepare and practice in advance, avoid apologising for English mistakes, buy time when needed, prioritise clarity over jargon or direct translation, and avoid pleading for understanding.

00:00 Boardroom Pressure Cooker
02:39 The Slip Up Moment
03:23 Bootcamp Rehearsal
04:59 Back in the Hot Seat
05:26 Winning the Q and A
07:46 Three Power Phrases
09:45 Principles to Sound Confident
11:14 What Not to Say
11:55 Final Confidence Challenge

No. of episodes
159
Latest episode
2026-04-20

Where can you listen?

The Business English Podcast helps professionals to communicate more effectively, more confidently and with more impact. With professional content, rich in Business English vocabulary, expressions and conversation, the Business English Podcast is a great resource for all professionals. Improve business listening, speaking and writing skills, through interviews and masterminds with professionals from across industry. Whether for presentations, public speaking, negotiations or networking, the Business English Podcast has the tactics and techniques to help professionals communicate at their best!

Episodes