Expressing agreement

Politely agreeing, disagreeing, suggesting  and  interrupting.

I usually see in my business English classes that many learners face difficulties when dealing with foreigners. Though they may get their meanings across, they often sound rude because of their word choices. 

Being polite means saying what you think indirectly. Even when you think someone is wrong about something, it is rude to directly contradict that person. 

You also have to be careful to notice when an English person wants to disagree, since you might think he is just discussing the subject, or even that he is agreeing with you. 

Take a look to the following expressions:

Strong Agreement	Weak Agreement
Definitely. Absolutely. Exactly. I agree 100%. I agree.	Maybe you're right. I suppose you're right. I guess you're right.

Polite ways to disagree

I’m not sure if I agree with that. I don’t think that’s necessarily true. I’m sorry but I have to disagree. Well, I think that... Polite ways to interrupt someone Excuse me, could I say something? Could I add something here? Could I interrupt you for a second please? Polite ways to suggest alternatives Why don't we....? Maybe we could....? Maybe we should...? It might be better if we.... How about....? Tips for teachers: Present four "package holidays" to your students (Tuscany, Cancun, The Himalayas, Disneyland) and tell them they were awarded with a holiday because of their efforts. The only condition is that they have to reach agreement and choose a destination (otherwise, they would lose the award). You can make it more challenging if you provide them with cards, indicating their preferences. for example: you love night life, you are not very keen on open air activities.// You love animals and being surrounded by nature.. // You get easily bored in the countryside // and so on Give your students cards with the expressions above (for example 6 per students). Give them a controversial topic (" more time is wasted during meetings than during any other business activity") . The students have to get rid of their cards by agreeing or disagreeing with their partners' opinions Think of situations where there might be different opinions: Your group is planning the company’s holiday party.  You must decide on the specifics of the party.  With your group, answer the questions below.  All members of your group must agree.   ·         At which local restaurant/bar/other location will the party be held?  ·         What type of entertainment will the party have — a DJ or a band?  If you choose a DJ, decide on what type of music he/she should play.  If you choose a band, decide what type of band you want. ·         What type of party favors (gifts) will the company give their employees?  Your budget is $30 per employee.  You and the members of your group are the managers of your department.  Employee morale is low.  You have asked upper management to do something to help.  They have given you a list of suggestions.  Choose two suggestions from the list.  Allmembers of your group must agree.  Try to convince your group members to choose the same options you want. Approved ideas from upper management: ·         Free catered breakfast every Tuesday and Thursday morning (juice, bagels, eggs, bacon, toast, coffee, etc.) ·         An additional paid mental health day per year ·         An annual paid weekend retreat for everyone in the department and their spouses ·         Shortened work days on the third Friday of every month — staff may leave at 3:30 PM instead of 5:00 PM ·         A paid happy-hour ($25 max per person) once a month for everyone in the department ·         A policy offering casual Thursdays and Fridays instead of just casual Fridays ·         Free gym memberships for all department members ·         A new policy that allows employees to bring their dogs to work  Hope you find it useful !