Who is this for?

If you are a non-native-English speaking professional looking to improve your communication with British English contacts then you have come to the right place.

British English is a coded language and can be baffling to non-native speakers. As in any language it incorporates social norms and cultural references which is unique to the country and culture. It can be hard to excel even when working in the same country. Having someone to explain the intricacies works miracles.

How can I help?

As a British person who has a long history of building relationships in a diverse range of sectors in the UK I am able to help you to build relationships and explain the ‘odd’ responses you may be getting from your British contacts.

I am expert at building relationships with a wide variety of people from all backgrounds. Having managed teams of volunteers at festivals, who I had never met before, to deliver the highest level of stage management and venue management, I know how to bring people together quickly. Having resolved conflicts between individuals and institutions, I know how to understand contributing factors and diffuse situations with diplomacy. I have many examples of building strong relationships both within organisations in the UK and between stakeholders and organisations.

How it works

I will first need to understand the barriers that you are facing and what you are looking for help with. Once this has been established, we will discuss a defined period of time where I will work with you on specific pieces of communication. This might be just one contact that you select for us to look at, or we might take a broad approach and look a selection of correspondence. Over this time, you will learn how the British mind works and how to both understand what is being communicated and express yourself in your communications to have the effect that you are looking for.

• Initial meeting to discuss the barriers

• Regular meetings for a specified period to work on the identified areas

• Conclusion of period

Fee

The fee is quoted on an individual basis for the whole service. Part service or hourly consultancy is not available however the scope of the service is flexible based on your needs and budget. 

Recognise this?

That’s something we can consider.

You may have suggested a service or an approach to an issue and expected a clear response only to be met with this phrase or something similar. Confused and frustrated? They might have an issue that they are finding difficult to bring up e.g. a budgeting issue or perhaps it is an outright no, but they don’t want to explain the reasons why.

With the context and the rest of the message, I can identify what is actually being said and advise you on how to respond to move this forward.

Yes, it would be great to set an in-person meeting. I will get back to you.

They don’t come back to you with any suggestions. Have they forgotten or is there another reason that they don’t want an in-person meeting? They might be uncomfortable hosting or may not be ready for you. Or it could be something else entirely. I’ll show you how to get to the bottom of this one in a way that doesn’t create tension.  

You are the professional

A response to a choice that your client is being asked to make. You need to know what they actually want and you are faced with this phrase. Best case, they genuinely trust you to make a decision for them because you know them well. Worst case, they disagree with your recommendation but will not commit to a decision and will blame you if it goes wrong.