You might already think like a senior - it’s time to speak like one.

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Discussing Trade-Offs

Sentences: Pay attention to prepositions when making comparisons.

• We prioritised speed over simplicity.

• It’s a trade-off between innovation and speed.

• Redesigning the UI will come at a cost.

Speaking: Use this structure when describing your decision making process in meetings.

1. We needed to improve [issue].

2. We considered [option 1] or [option 2].

3. We ended up choosing [option].

4. We understand that this sometimes comes at the cost of [tradeoff].

Vocabulary: Stale data
→ data that is not up to date
(We usually use stale when talking about food that isn’t fresh anymore, e.g. stale bread).

Q&A

A reader asked: “What can I say when I don’t understand someone in a meeting?”

Good question - this happens to everyone! Native speakers too.

• Ask politely: “Sorry, could you say that again?”

• Clarify meaning: “When you say ___, do you mean ___?”

• If you have already asked twice and still don’t understand: “Sorry, I’m still not following. Could you maybe explain it another way?”

MORE RESOURCES

• Want to build your business vocabulary quickly? Learn 50 new business English phrases used daily by native speakers

• A list of movies, TV shows and Youtube channels to watch to improve your business English

• Read our guide on how to learn English for software engineering

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