To celebrate The English Center's 17th birthday this May, we've put together exactly 17 tips — one for every year we've been helping professionals find their voice in English. They're practical, targeted, and based on real patterns we see in professionals every day.
Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA
Director, The English Center
May 2026
If you take only one piece of advice from this entire list, make it this one.
Speaking more slowly than feels natural is the simplest and most immediately actionable change we give our students — and it works fast. The moment you slow down, you become easier to follow. Your words sound clearer, your ideas sound more structured, and you give your listener time to process what matters.
Many professionals believe fluency equals speed. In reality, speed often reduces impact. When you speak quickly, you compress sounds, swallow word endings, and rush transitions — even if your grammar and vocabulary are strong.
What to do instead:
Slow down most at structure points:
A well-placed pause does two things: it signals to your listener that something important is coming, and it gives you a moment to compose your next thought.
Pausing feels unnatural at first, especially if silence makes you uncomfortable. But if you take note of what makes a great speaker so effective, you’ll notice how consistently they use pauses to build anticipation and drive home the point.
What to do: Before you make a point, take a breath. One second of silence before a key message can make it land twice as hard. Giving a presentation? When you step onto the stage, pause and look at the audience before you begin speaking.
English is a stress-timed language. That means intonation — the rise and fall of your voice — carries meaning, not just emotion. Flat intonation makes it harder for listeners to follow you. Misplaced stress can actually change the meaning of what you say.
In the example below, we see one sentence which can convey 5 very different meanings, depending on intonation.
“I didn’t say he stole the money.”
“I didn’t say he stole the money.”
“I didn’t say he stole the money.”
“I didn’t say he stole the money.”
“I didn’t say he stole the money.”
“I didn’t say he stole the money.”
Using intonation effectively signals confidence, not just in your speaking ability but in the truth or value of what you’re saying.
What to do: Identify the key word in each sentence and stress it. Let your pitch fall at the end of statements. Rising intonation on a statement makes it sound like a question (and that quietly undermines your authority).
Waiting until your English is "perfect" before speaking confidently is a trap. Perfection is not the goal. Impact is.
The question to ask yourself is not "Was that grammatically correct?" but "Did my message land?"
What to do: Shift your benchmark. After a meeting or presentation, ask yourself: Was I clear? Was I understood? Did I move things forward? That's what matters.
Long, complex sentences are hard to deliver fluently and equally hard to follow. When you're speaking, shorter sentences give you more control, and they're easier on your listener.
What it often sounds like: "So what I wanted to say is that I think we should probably try to move forward with the plan, but of course there are still a few things we need to look at before we can really commit to anything."
What works better: "I think we should move forward. There are a few things to check first. But the direction is clear."
What to do: Aim for one idea per sentence. If a sentence has more than two clauses, consider splitting it.
Writing out and memorizing a full script feels safe, but it rarely works in real conversations. You can't predict what others will say, and if you lose your place, you lose your confidence.
Instead, think of phrases as Lego blocks you can use to build your points appropriately in any situation.
What to do: For your next meeting or presentation, prepare three to five phrases for each stage: opening, making points, handling questions, and closing. Practice them until they feel natural — not scripted.
Over-explaining is one of the most common spoken English habits we see in professionals. It often comes from wanting to sound thorough or precise. In practice, it dilutes your message and tests your listener's patience.
What to do: Lead with your point. Pause. Add detail only if your listener asks for it. Resist the urge to qualify everything.
Try this: Answer a question in one sentence. Stop. Let the silence work for you.
Broad, flexible words like thing, stuff, get, do, make, or good are useful when you’re still getting to grips with English. But for advanced speakers, vague language is a limitation. It can make you sound less decisive and less professional than you actually are.
At an advanced level, the goal is conciseness: to say more with fewer words. One of the fastest ways to achieve this is by upgrading to stronger verbs.
Compare these:
"We need to deal with the things that are causing the delay." (11 words, vague)
"We must resolve the bottlenecks." (5 words, precise and professional)
What to do:
Instead of "making it better," try “optimizing”. Instead of "giving a talk," try “delivering a presentation”. Specific verbs reduce your word count while increasing your authority. Precision in your language signals precision in your thinking.
The beginning and end of any conversation or meeting carry disproportionate weight. A strong opening signals confidence and sets the tone. A clear close ensures people leave knowing what happens next.
These moments are also highly predictable, which makes them easy to prepare ahead of time.
What to do: Build a personal set of phrases for opening and closing. Practise them until they feel automatic. A few examples:
Disagreeing in a second language is uncomfortable for many professionals. Without the right phrases, you may stay silent when you shouldn't — or come across as more blunt than you intend.
Useful phrases:
What to do: Choose two or three phrases that feel natural to you. Practise them out loud until they're ready to use.
Signposting means guiding your audience through your presentation with clear verbal markers. It tells people where you are, where you're going, and what's most important.
Without signposting, even well-prepared content can feel hard to follow.
Examples:
What to do: Map out your next presentation and add a signpost at every transition. Your audience will thank you.
Asking for clarification may be uncomfortable, but in professional settings it’s essential that everyone is on the same page. The problem is that many non-native speakers either avoid asking altogether, or ask in a way that sounds unsure, or gives the impression they weren’t paying attention.
Professional phrases:
What to do: Replace vague responses like "Sorry?" or "What do you mean?" with structured clarification questions. It sounds more confident and assures the other person that you’re taking their point seriously — while avoiding misunderstandings.
Direct translation from your native language into English, word for word, often produces sentences that are technically understandable but not quite right. Over time, this can become a persistent habit that limits your fluency.
This is particularly common for Dutch speakers, where sentence structure, word order, and idiom often differ significantly from English.
For example: 'Ik heb het rapport geschreven" translates word for word to "I have the report written," which is of course incorrect.
What to do: Instead of translating, learn English in chunks — fixed phrases, collocations, and sentence patterns that you can use directly. The more you train yourself to think in English, the more natural your spoken English will become.
Many learners focus on individual sounds — the th, the short i, the v versus w — and while these matter, they're not the main reason communication breaks down. Rhythm, stress, and spoken patterns have a much bigger impact on how natural and clear you sound.
What to do: Instead of drilling isolated sounds, practice full phrases and sentences with natural stress and rhythm (ie. prosody, the music of language). Shadow native speakers. Focus on how English flows, not just how individual words are pronounced.
You can read more about prosody here.
Strong spoken Business English is built on a foundation of well-chosen phrases. These are the expressions that come quickly, sound natural, and make you sound like someone who knows exactly what they're doing.
Categories worth building:
What to do: Start a phrase bank — a simple document or notebook where you collect and review useful expressions. Add to it regularly. Review it before important meetings or presentations.
Recording yourself is one of the most effective — and most avoided — self-improvement tools available. It's uncomfortable, but it's also invaluable to your progress in spoken English.
Listening back lets you hear what others hear: your pace, your filler words, your intonation patterns, and the moments where your message loses clarity.
What to do: Record a one-minute spoken summary of something work-related. Listen back. Notice what you'd change. Repeat weekly.
Most feedback non-native speakers receive focuses on grammar. While grammar matters, it's rarely the main reason communication breaks down in professional settings. Clarity, structure, and delivery matter far more.
Asking specifically for feedback on clarity — not just correctness — gives you much more actionable insight.
What to do: After a presentation or important meeting, ask a trusted colleague: "Was my message clear? Was anything hard to follow?" That kind of feedback is where real improvement starts.
You don't need to work on all 17 of these at once. Pick one. Practice it deliberately for a week. Then move to the next.
Small, consistent changes to your speaking habits will take you further than any amount of grammar study. The goal is clear, confident, impactful communication, not perfection.
If you are looking for personalized, private training to improve your professional English, our Spoken Business English Course is perfect for you!
You can work with a professional native-speaker trainer and get real-world practice at our locations in:
Amsterdam (near Vondelpark or Central Station)
Amstelveen (easy parking, quiet setting)
The Hague (Zuid-Holland’s choice for English training)
Hoofddorp (close to Schiphol, central, accessible, modern)
Prefer a virtual course? Contact us about English Center courses online
About the author:
Brenda de Jong-Pauley is the founder of The English Center in the Netherlands, where she has worked with international professionals since 2009. Originally from the United States, she lives and works in the Netherlands, supporting professionals in developing clear, confident English for real business situations.
Brenda holds a Master’s degree in Psychology (focused on persuasive communication) and a Bachelor’s in Education. She specializes in high-level business communication and spoken English.
Edited by A. Roberts, BA, English Trainer.
The English Center is a CEDEO-recognized training provider, working with professionals and teams from international and Dutch companies and municipalities.
People mumble when speech loses physical clarity — the mouth barely moves, consonants lose definition, vowels become compressed, and words blur together. It is one of the most common communication problems in modern English, and it affects native and non-native speakers alike. The causes are usually physical and behavioral, which means they are also trainable.
Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA
Director, The English Center
May 2026
Most people assume mumbling is caused by a strong accent, poor English, shyness, or nerves. In many cases, the real problem is simpler than that. And some native English speakers are dramatically harder to understand than advanced second-language speakers.
Understanding why people mumble usually comes down to a combination of low mouth movement, weak consonants, compressed vowels, excessive speed, and weak rhythm. Small changes in articulation, pacing, and vocal clarity can dramatically improve intelligibility — often within weeks.
Mumbling is not the same as having an accent. It is also not the same as natural connected speech.
Many highly intelligible speakers use connected speech constantly — "gonna," "wanna," linked sounds, reduced sounds, fast rhythm. That is normal spoken English.
Mumbling is different. Mumbling happens when speech loses clarity, articulation, energy, and structure. The result is speech that sounds muddy, swallowed, compressed, and difficult to process.
As communication coaches, we often hear comments like:
"I know he's intelligent, but I can barely understand him."
That is an intelligibility problem, not an intelligence problem.
If you're not sure whether this applies to you, our post on why you're hard to understand in English covers the broader picture — including delivery, language choices, and communication intelligence.
Mumbling usually comes from physical and behavioral speaking habits — not from lack of intelligence or English ability. In some cases, it may also reflect a deliberate — if unconscious — choice of register. Speaking in a relaxed, low-energy way can signal ease and informality, the linguistic equivalent of showing up in jeans and sneakers. In certain British social contexts, compressed and understated speech signals class and insider status. And anyone who has spent time around teenagers will recognise the performance of disengagement — vocal energy withheld as proof of not caring. In all three cases, withholding clarity is a kind of social signal. The problem is that it transfers the burden to the listener, which is the opposite of good communication. Here are the most common reasons why people mumble.
This is one of the biggest causes of unclear speech. Some speakers barely move their lips, jaw, or tongue. As a result, consonants and vowels are never fully formed.
Signs to watch for: speech that sounds trapped in the mouth, weak consonants, blurred word boundaries, low vocal projection.
Fix: Use slightly more physical energy when speaking. Focus on opening the mouth more, shaping vowels clearly, and allowing consonants to "pop." A mirror can help — many people are surprised by how little their mouth actually moves. You don't need exaggerated stage pronunciation. You simply need clearer sound formation.
Consonants carry a huge amount of intelligibility information. If they disappear, listeners lose critical sound cues.
Common problems: weak final consonants, softened T and D sounds, disappearing consonant clusters, blurred word endings.
Example: Compare "projec" with "project," or "nex week" with "next week." Small consonant losses can dramatically reduce clarity.
Fix: Think about lightly energizing consonants rather than hitting them aggressively. Clear speech is not harsh speech.
Some speakers reduce nearly every vowel toward a neutral "uh" sound, creating speech that sounds flat and indistinct.
Example: When vowels lose contrast, "ship," "sheep," "chip," and "cheap" can begin to sound dangerously similar.
Fix: Good articulation is not about sounding dramatic — it is about preserving useful sound contrast. Listeners need acoustic contrast to process speech efficiently.
Fast speech reduces precision, articulation, and listener processing time. Many professionals speed up unconsciously when they feel nervous, think quickly, or speak passionately.
Fast speech often feels fluent to the speaker but exhausting to the listener.
Fix: Slightly slower speech almost always sounds clearer, calmer, and more authoritative — especially in meetings and presentations.
English depends heavily on stress patterns. Listeners use stress to identify important words, key ideas, and sentence structure. When stress disappears, speech becomes harder to follow.
Example:
Flat rhythm: "we need to review the numbers before friday"
Clearer rhythm: "We NEED to review the NUMBERS before FRIDAY."
Fix: Don't try to stress every word equally. English is a contrast-based language — some words carry more communicative weight than others.
Stress and intonation are so central to intelligibility that they deserve their own deep dive. Our post on prosody in English is a good next step if you want to go further on this.
Some people are difficult to understand not because of pronunciation, but because they overload listeners with information. Long, tangled explanations reduce clarity quickly.
Example: "So basically what happened was after we reviewed the timeline and spoke with the client and looked at the previous report…" — the listener gets lost before the main point arrives.
Fix: Lead with the conclusion first, then explain. In professional communication, clarity usually improves when structure improves.
Modern communication habits may actually be encouraging unclear speech. Possible reasons include constant online meetings, poor microphones, multitasking while speaking, reduced face-to-face communication, and compressed social media speech patterns.
Many people now speak with less projection and less physical energy than previous generations. This becomes especially problematic on Zoom and Teams calls, where microphones already reduce speech clarity.
Different English-speaking cultures often prioritize different speech habits — pace, articulation, rhythm, vowel clarity, consonant precision. Understanding why people mumble in some contexts and not others often comes down to these cultural and phonetic differences:
Insight: Good intelligibility is usually less about accent and more about articulation, pacing, rhythm, and listener awareness. A strong accent can still be extremely clear if those foundations are stable.
Once you understand why people mumble, the fixes become much more straightforward. Improving clarity usually doesn't require perfect pronunciation — it requires better speaking habits.
Move your mouth more — use slightly more physical energy when speaking.
In general, pop your consonants — especially T, D, K, P.
Shape your vowels clearly — preserve sound contrast.
Slow down slightly — especially in professional communication.
Use pauses — pauses improve structure and give listeners time to process.
Improve sentence stress — help listeners identify the important information.
Record yourself — most people are unaware of how unclear they sound until they hear themselves.
Watch great speakers — notice their mouth movement, pacing, pauses, consonant clarity, and vocal energy.
The goal is not perfect pronunciation. The clearest speakers are not always the most "native sounding." They are usually the most listener-aware.
Mumbling is not just a pronunciation issue. Or a second language issue. Understanding why people mumble reveals a combination of physical speech habits, weak articulation, poor pacing, low speech energy, and unclear communication structure.
The good news is that these are trainable skills. Small changes in mouth movement, consonant clarity, pacing, rhythm, and structure can dramatically improve intelligibility — often within weeks.
If you'd like personalized help with any of the above, our English Accent Training is designed specifically for professionals who want to communicate with more clarity and confidence.
About the author:
Brenda de Jong-Pauley is the founder of The English Center in the Netherlands, where she has worked with international professionals since 2009. Originally from the United States, she lives and works in the Netherlands, supporting professionals in developing clear, confident English for real business situations.
Brenda holds a Master’s degree in Psychology (focused on persuasive communication) and a Bachelor’s in Education. She specializes in high-level business communication and spoken English.
Edited by A. Roberts, BA, English Trainer.
The English Center is a CEDEO-recognized training provider, working with professionals and teams from international and Dutch companies and municipalities.
Do people ask you to repeat yourself? Or worse — do they just look confused, or quietly switch off? If you've ever wondered why you're hard to understand in English, the answer is probably not your grammar or vocabulary. More often, it's a lack of clarity.
Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA
Director, The English Center
Published May 2026
The biggest intelligibility blockers fall into four areas: sound (articulation, pronunciation), delivery (pace, pauses, intonation), language choices (structure, length, jargon), and communication intelligence (audience awareness, politeness, body language). Fix those, and your English becomes immediately easier to follow.
The real issue is not your CEFR level. It's your clarity. Many professionals already operate at an intermediate to advanced level — they know the words and the grammar rules. What breaks down is how those words are delivered and structured in real time.
Clarity is a performance skill. You can think of it as an art form.
Everything in this article comes directly from coaching sessions with advanced professionals who use English as a second language every day.
In a recent session, a client told me about a colleague he finds very hard to understand — especially in international video meetings. He assumed it was the colleague's accent. But as we explored the issue, the real culprit became clear: it wasn't the accent at all. It was articulation.
I suspected this when I asked whether the colleague tends to move his mouth much when he speaks. My client's response was immediate: "Yeah. That's exactly it. He mumbles."
Most professionals don't struggle to be understood because their English isn't good enough. They struggle because their delivery makes their English hard to process. And while we can't help the mumbler — he's not our client — we can help you become aware of the habits that may be quietly undermining your own intelligibility.
Clarity is essential, but it’s only one part of the puzzle. To build confidence and speak English fluently, see our 10 practical fluency tips.
What's happening: Sounds are not fully formed. Everything sounds muddy and trapped.
Fix: Practice overarticulating. Grab a mirror and watch as you put your mouth to work. Say: "Next week, we need to present the project results" — first with exaggerated articulation, then in your usual delivery. Find the happy medium between the two.
Insight: Most articulation issues are not language problems — they're physical habits. If the mouth doesn't move, the sound can't be properly produced. It's like trying to dance with your feet tied together.
What's happening: Your first language influences your sounds, stress, and rhythm. This can reduce intelligibility even when your grammar and vocabulary are strong.
Fix: Focus on word stress, sentence stress, and key sounds — not perfection. Prioritise getting the English "music" right, and you'll be much better understood.
Insight: Listeners don't struggle primarily because of mispronounced sounds. They struggle when stress and rhythm are off. That's job one.
Here's a quick illustration of just how much stress matters. Take this sentence and read it with completely flat intonation first:
"I didn't say he stole the money."
Now shift the stress each time, following the italics below — and notice how the meaning changes with each version:
Six words. Six completely different meanings. That's the power of stress and intonation.
It's also worth correcting common sound substitutions — for example: ship and sheep, rice and lice, wine and vine. Small sound differences that carry big meaning.
Stress and intonation are so central to intelligibility that they deserve their own deep dive. If you want to go further on this, our post on prosody in English is a good next step.
What's happening: No pauses create a wall of sound. Poorly placed pauses break meaning.
Example: "What we need to do is review the numbers and the timeline and the risks and also the budget…"
Fix: Pause between ideas, not inside them. Use pauses to signal structure and give listeners time to process what they're hearing.
What's happening: Too fast is hard to process. Too slow loses energy.
Fix: Speak at a controlled, steady pace. Slightly slower is usually better.
What's happening: Rising intonation makes statements sound like questions. Flat intonation makes speech monotonous.
Example: "We finished the report?" — said as a statement, but sounds like a question.
Fix: Use falling intonation for statements, and vary your pitch to highlight key points.
What's happening: "Um," "uh," "like," "you know" — used too frequently, they erode authority and slow comprehension.
Fix: Replace fillers with silent pauses. This immediately increases both clarity and authority.
Insight: Fillers are rarely about missing vocabulary. They're usually a pacing and confidence issue.
What's happening: Restarting sentences too often breaks flow and loses the listener.
Fix: Finish the thought. Correct yourself only if the meaning is genuinely affected.
What's happening: Ideas are not logically ordered.
Example: "So what I mean is like the thing from yesterday it was not really clear and we should maybe…"
Fix: Use a simple structure: point → explanation → example.
Insight: If your thinking is unclear, your sentence structure will be unclear. Language exposes thinking very quickly.
What's happening: Long sentences are hard to process in speech.
Fix: Keep sentences short and complete. One idea per sentence.
What's happening: Too much technical language excludes listeners.
Example: "We need to optimize the cross-functional alignment to leverage scalable outcomes."
Fix: Use jargon only when necessary. Prefer clear, shared vocabulary.
What's happening: Figurative language can confuse international listeners.
Fix: Use idioms sparingly. Clarity comes first.
What's happening: Indirect phrasing reduces impact and can obscure responsibility.
Fix: Prefer active voice. "We decided…" instead of "It was decided…"
What's happening: No signposting makes it hard for listeners to follow your logic.
Fix: Guide your listener explicitly:
What's happening: Using the same style for every listener, regardless of context.
Fix: Adjust your speed, vocabulary, and level of detail based on who you're speaking to.
What's happening: Excessive hedging reduces clarity. Too little softening sounds abrupt.
Fix: Aim for direct and respectful — a clear message with light softening where needed.
What's happening: Non-verbal signals conflict with your message.
Fix: Keep gestures simple and aligned with what you're saying. Maintain steady eye contact.
What's happening: Too much detail hides the main message.
Example: Answering a simple question with a long explanation before ever stating the conclusion.
Fix: Decide the one thing your listener must understand — and lead with it.
What's happening: Too soft, too loud, or inconsistent volume forces listeners to work harder.
Fix: Aim for a stable, medium volume. Your listener should never have to adjust to you.
What's happening: No clear start, no clear takeaway — the listener doesn't know where they are in your message.
Fix:
Clarity is not about saying more. It's about deciding what matters — and leaving the rest out.
You don't need perfect English. You need clear, controlled, listener-focused communication.
Most professionals improve fastest not by learning more English, but by using what they already know with more precision and intent.
Apply these consistently, and your English becomes easier to understand — often within weeks, not months.
If you'd like personalized help with any of the above, our English Accent Training is designed specifically for professionals who want to communicate with more clarity and confidence.
One topic from this list deserves its own conversation: mumbling. The causes are more surprising — and more fixable — than most people expect. We'll be going deeper on that soon.
About the author:
Brenda de Jong-Pauley is the founder of The English Center in the Netherlands, where she has worked with international professionals since 2009. Originally from the United States, she lives and works in the Netherlands, supporting professionals in developing clear, confident English for real business situations.
Brenda holds a Master’s degree in Psychology (focused on persuasive communication) and a Bachelor’s in Education. She specializes in high-level business communication and spoken English.
Edited by A. Roberts, English Trainer.
The English Center is a CEDEO-recognized training provider, working with professionals and teams from international and Dutch companies and municipalities.
Living in the Netherlands and traveling through Japan taught me more about both countries than I ever expected, including the fascinating story of how deeply they are connected.
Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA
Director, The English Center
Published July 2025
Speak with a teacher first. Practical advice, no sales pressure.
Are you an intermediate or advanced learner who's looking to improve your Spoken English? Check out our Private Personalized English Courses.
Exploring Nagasaki on my second trip to Japan with my fiancé, we took a short walk from our hotel to the artificial island of Dejima — the historic home and trading post of Dutch merchants, during sakoku, Japan's long period of self-imposed isolation, when the Netherlands was the only European nation permitted to trade.
At just 15,000 square metres, Dejima was home to around 20 Dutch traders, officials, interpreters, and even livestock: chickens, cows, pigs, and at one point, an elephant. A single guarded bridge connected the island to the mainland. Between 1641 and 1854, that bridge was also Japan's only link to the Western world.
We enjoyed a quiet nighttime stroll around the tiny island, rebuilt in traditional methods and furnished with European comforts — spacious tatami rooms with antique desks and chairs where you'd normally expect a kotatsu — marvelling at the significance of this place in the lasting friendship between Japan and the Netherlands.
The evidence of that friendship is not confined to Dejima. Earlier that day, we'd been admiring a set of porcelain sake cups in an antique shop. The owner insisted they were Delftware — though upon later research, having already purchased them, we suspect they were Japanese-made. We don't mind either way. But the difficulty in telling them apart speaks volumes about the influence of Japanese style and craftsmanship on Dutch porcelain.
The Dutch market loved Japanese ceramics, and Japan happily increased production to keep up with exports. When a restaurant host asked where we were from and we replied "Oranda" (Holland), he delightedly pointed out a painting of Dutch ships in the lobby, asking if we'd visited Dejima yet, or Huis Ten Bosch — a Dutch theme park complete with windmills and canals, fittingly located in the same Nagasaki Prefecture.
The Dutch influence extends well beyond Nagasaki. Vincent van Gogh was profoundly inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, and their mark on his work is unmistakable. You even see it in modern pop culture. While Nijntje (Miffy) certainly looks right at home among the likes of Hello Kitty, her popularity among Japanese consumers feels like yet another small nod to this centuries-long friendship.
As a South African expat living and working in the Netherlands — and a lover of all things Japan — I am nonetheless an outsider and an observer of both cultures. I find the relationship fascinating.
Let's start with directness. As a private English trainer, I work a lot with Dutch businesspeople, and Dutch directness is always an important topic. The Dutch say exactly what they mean — no padding, no softening, no reading between the lines. For Brits and Americans, who tend to wrap difficult messages in layers of diplomacy (or "verbal bubblewrap," as I like to call it), this can take some getting used to. Japanese communication sits at the other end of the spectrum, often prioritising harmony to a degree that can make directness feel almost impolite. If Dutch is a straight line, English is a gentle curve — and Japanese, at times, is a very elegant detour.
Japanese workplaces also tend to be notably hierarchical, with long hours often worn as a badge of honour. The Dutch, by contrast, are relaxed about authority and fiercely protective of their free time. These are real differences. But they're also part of what makes my experience of both places so rich — each culture holds up a mirror to the other, and I find myself more curious and more self-aware for having spent time in both.
I never take for granted how accessible Japanese culture is to me here. In late winter, I paid a visit to Lodder Bonsai in Harmelen — a fourth-generation family nursery near Utrecht, Europe's leading bonsai specialist since 1896. That was the start of a new hobby.
Closer to home, I delight in the sakura lining the streets of Amstelveen and Hoofddorp each spring. I love that I can pick up my favourite Japanese snacks at the local Asian supermarket — even if the Euro price makes them a more occasional treat than they were at my third konbini visit of the day in Japan. (Like every foreign visitor, I simply cannot get over the joy of Japanese convenience stores.) These small things are daily reminders that Japanese culture isn't something I have to travel 10,000 kilometres to access, but woven into the neighbourhood I live and work in. Working with students from Amstelveen's Japanese expat community makes that connection feel personal in a way I genuinely treasure.
As the sakura comes into bloom at Amstelveen's Kersenbloesempark, I find myself thinking about that little bridge at Dejima. The cherry blossom, in Japanese tradition, is a symbol of new beginnings and the beautiful impermanence of things. But some things are less impermanent than others. The friendship between Japan and the Netherlands has outlasted empires, survived isolation, and quietly woven itself into the fabric of daily life in ways that are easy to miss. It's worth taking a moment to notice. In a world that has never truly been free of war and conflict, our long-standing friendships are worth protecting and celebrating.
Ready to polish your business English? Our private, personalized business English courses help you communicate with clarity and confidence in any professional setting.
You can work with a professional native-speaker trainer and get real-world practice at our locations in:
Amsterdam (near Vondelpark or Central Station)
Amstelveen (easy parking, quiet setting)
The Hague (Zuid-Holland’s choice for English training)
Hoofddorp (close to Schiphol, central, accessible, modern)
Prefer a virtual course? Contact us about English Center courses online.
About the author:
Alexandra is an English trainer from South Africa, now living and working in the Netherlands. She holds a BA in English Literature.
Brenda de Jong-Pauley is the founder of The English Center in the Netherlands, where she has worked with international professionals since 2009. Originally from the United States, she lives and works in the Netherlands, supporting professionals in developing clear, confident English for real business situations.
Brenda holds a Master’s degree in Psychology (focused on persuasive communication) and a Bachelor’s in Education. She specializes in high-level business communication and spoken English.
The English Center is a CEDEO-recognized training provider, working with professionals and teams from international and Dutch companies and municipalities.
Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA
Director, The English Center;
A. Roberts, BA
English Trainer
April 2026
Why bother with storytelling? Facts inform. Stories connect.
A well-told story makes you memorable and persuasive — in interviews, presentations, meetings, or casual conversation.
For private, personalized training in this essential skill, consider Business Storytelling Coaching.
Speak with a teacher first. Practical advice, no sales pressure.
30–60 seconds. Maximum 90. A tight story is a strong story.
S — Situation — Set the scene. Make it visual.
P — Problem — What was the challenge, tension, or dilemma?
A — Action — What did you (or someone) actually do?
R — Result — What happened?
Optional extras
Hook — Open before Situation: give away the climax, then build back up to it.
Example: “AI stole my job, and transformed my career. Here’s what happened.”
Choices — Add before Action: what were the options? What was at stake?
Insight — Add after Result: what's the takeaway?
*”Kill your darlings” is a fun way of saying cut out the bits that you love, but don’t add any real value to the overall piece.
Ready to polish your business English? Our private, personalized business English courses help you communicate with clarity and confidence in any professional setting.
You can work with a professional native-speaker trainer and get real-world practice at our locations in:
Amsterdam (near Vondelpark or Central Station)
Amstelveen (easy parking, quiet setting)
The Hague (Zuid-Holland’s choice for English training)
Hoofddorp (close to Schiphol, central, accessible, modern)
Prefer a virtual course? Contact us about English Center courses online.
About the author:
Brenda de Jong-Pauley is the founder of The English Center in the Netherlands, where she has worked with international professionals since 2009. Originally from the United States, she lives and works in the Netherlands, supporting professionals in developing clear, confident English for real business situations.
Brenda holds a Master’s degree in Psychology (focused on persuasive communication) and a Bachelor’s in Education. She specializes in high-level business communication and spoken English.
The English Center is a CEDEO-recognized training provider, working with professionals and teams from international and Dutch companies and municipalities.
This International Women's Day, we're not writing another guide for women. We're talking to the men — with practical, honest advice on what workplace feminism for men actually looks like, from the women who work alongside them every day.
Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA
Director, The English Center
April 2025
Are you an intermediate or advanced learner who's looking to improve your Spoken English? Check out our Private Personalized English Courses.
Speak with a teacher first. Practical advice, no sales pressure.
Every International Women's Day, the internet fills up with advice for women. Lean in. Speak up. Negotiate harder. Work on your confidence. And look, we're not dismissing any of that. Building confidence and taking up space are real, valuable skills, and we work on them, too.
But here's what we're tired of: the idea that workplace inequality is primarily our problem to solve.
For decades, most "women's empowerment" advice has been aimed squarely at women. The self-help shelves are full of it. And while personal growth matters, there's something a little off about a system that responds to structural inequality by handing women another to-do list.
We didn't build the structures that hold us back. So this year, we're talking to the men. Not to lecture, but because the male allies who actually get it are the ones who make the biggest difference. And most of them just need a nudge in the right direction.
Consider this your nudge.
A note before we go further: At The English Center, most of our trainers are women, and our founder Brenda de Jong-Pauley has been building this company since 2009. So when we say "we" in this post, we mean it. This one comes from experience.
Also: This post focuses primarily on the dynamic between men and women in the workplace, but we know that's not the whole picture. Non-binary, gender-nonconforming, and female-presenting colleagues navigate all of these same dynamics, and often more. When we say "women" throughout this post, we mean everyone who experiences the workplace that way. We see you, and this is for you, too.
When women feel undervalued at work, we're often told we have "imposter syndrome", as if the problem is a glitch in our thinking rather than a pattern in our environment. But if your ideas are regularly talked over, your promotions keep going to someone else, and your wins quietly get absorbed into the team's success, feeling like an outsider isn't irrational. It's a perfectly reasonable response to an unreasonable situation.
The ally* move here isn't to tell us to "be more confident." It's to look at the room and ask: is this actually a fair environment? Confidence grows naturally when the system supports it. So instead of pointing us toward another workshop, try changing what's happening in the meeting.
*Ally: A person who belongs to a dominant or privileged group but who actively supports and advocates for the rights, inclusion, and equity of a marginalized or underrepresented group. Being an ally is an ongoing process of learning, listening, and taking action to help dismantle systemic barriers.
Here's something we notice a lot in professional settings: men tend to state opinions as facts. It's often unconscious, but it shapes the entire dynamic of a conversation.
"That won't work."
"The market doesn't want this."
"This is the best approach."
These aren't facts. They're perspectives. Opinions. And when information is stated in the present simple, opinions can sound definitive and factual — even when they’re just opinions. Discussion can be shut down before it starts.
The fix can be found in "I statements" and "hedged language." These don't make you sound weak. They make you sound like someone who's thought carefully but is still open to opposing opinions.
Instead of:
“That won’t work.”
Try:
“I’m not convinced that’s the right direction — can we dig into why?”
Instead of:
“The market doesn’t want this.”
Try:
“My read on the market is different. I’d like to look at the data together.”
Instead of:
“This is the best approach.”
Try:
“I think this is our strongest option — here’s my reasoning.”
One sounds like a closed door. The other opens a conversation. And incidentally, women are often criticized for using hedged language and told it makes them sound unconfident. Maybe the problem was never the hedging. Maybe it was always the double standard.
We've all been in that meeting. A woman makes a point, the room moves on, and then — five minutes later — a man says essentially the same thing and suddenly it's a great idea.
The fix is simple and costs nothing. When you hear a good idea get overlooked, bring it back: "I want to return to what [Name] said earlier — I think that's a really good point." Credit stays where it belongs. Everyone notices. It matters more than you think.
Someone has to book the meeting room, chase the signatures, organize the team lunch, and remember that it's someone's birthday. And somehow, that someone is almost always a woman.
These tasks aren't trivial, they just don't show up on a performance review. They eat into the time we could be spending on the work that actually gets us promoted. Researchers call them "non-promotable tasks," and studies consistently show they fall disproportionately on women.
But here's what makes it sting a little more: for many of us, this is the second shift.
At home, the mental load — the appointments, the grocery lists, the school admin, the birthday cards, the knowing-that-we're-running-low-on-everything — still falls predominantly on women, whether or not we also work full time. We're not just managing our careers. We're managing everyone else's lives at the same time, largely invisibly, largely without acknowledgment.
So when we walk into the office and find ourselves volunteered (again) to take the notes, order the sandwiches, and coordinate the leaving gift for someone we barely know, it's not a small thing. It's the same old story, just with a different backdrop.
And while we're on the subject — a quick word about weaponized incompetence. That's when someone does a task so badly, or with such theatrical helplessness, that they never get asked to do it again. Loading the dishwasher "wrong." Buying the wrong thing at the grocery store. Sending an email that somehow makes everything worse. It can be unconscious, but the effect is the same: the task lands back on her. Every time. If you recognize this pattern in yourself, that's actually a great first step. The second step is to just... learn how to do the thing.
The fix at work is simple: don't wait for someone to volunteer. Step up and say "I'll take the notes today" or "I'll handle the logistics." It won't solve the bigger picture overnight. But it's one less thing, and one less thing genuinely matters.
This one's important, and we're going to be direct about it.
When a woman tells you that something you said or did made her feel dismissed, undermined, or uncomfortable, the most common response is: "I didn't mean it like that."
We know. We believe you. But here's the thing: "I didn't mean to" is not an apology. It's a defense. It centers your feelings at exactly the moment that hers need to come first.
Intent matters, but impact is what people actually live with. When someone tells you that your words landed badly, the goal isn't to explain yourself. It's to listen.
So instead of: “I didn’t mean it like that — you’re reading too much into it.”
Try: “I hear you. That wasn’t my intention, but I can see how it came across that way. I’ll be more mindful.”
No drama. No groveling. Just take accountability.
Some of the most important moments for being a male ally happen nowhere near the office — in the group chat, at a bar, at a dinner with friends. And that's often where it's hardest to say something.
We're not asking you to deliver a TED Talk every time someone makes a questionable joke. But silence tends to read as agreement. A simple "Come on, that's a bit much" or a deadpan "I don't get it — what's funny about that?" is usually enough. Forcing someone to explain a sexist joke is one of the most effective ways to end one.
The same principle applies at work. If a colleague describes a woman as "difficult" or "too emotional," push back with a sincere, "What do you mean by that? When Mark does the same thing, we call it strong leadership." You don't have to make it a big moment. Just don't let it slide.
Here's something we want to acknowledge: a lot of men genuinely want to practice workplace feminism but aren't sure how. And many are so afraid of coming across as patronizing, performative, or (let's say it) creepy, that they overcorrect in the other direction entirely. They become distant and overly cautious, even cold.
We get it. But that overcorrection has its own cost.
When men become so cautious that they stop engaging with female colleagues naturally — no jokes, no casual conversation, no spontaneous coffee invites — they create an invisible wall. (Bad enough that we have a glass ceiling, now walls, too?) And behind that wall, women get quietly excluded from the informal moments where relationships are built and careers actually advance. Nobody intended it, but everyone feels it.
Here's the thing: we don't want to be objectified, and we don't want to be ignored. We want to be colleagues. We want to be included in the banter, the brainstorming, the after-work plans. We want you to feel comfortable talking to us (and yes, joking around with us) the same way you would with your guy friends.
Because here's the honest truth: the way you act with the guys shouldn't be offensive to women. If it is, that's worth reflecting on. But if it isn't? Relax. We want in on that too.
A useful gut-check: "Would I say this to Dave?" If yes — a genuine compliment, a joke, an invitation to grab lunch — go ahead. The standard shouldn't change based on gender.
And on compliments specifically: there's a real difference between "You look great today" and "That presentation was really sharp — the way you handled the Q&A especially." One notices her appearance (which could be fine, if you’re already on good terms). The other comment frames her as a professional. We notice the difference, and while the first depends on our level of friendship, the second is always appreciated.
The men who worry most about coming across as performative are, in our experience, the ones least likely to be. The fact that you're thinking about it at all is a pretty good sign.
When men quietly slip out for a school pickup or a doctor's appointment (framing it as "a quick errand" or "an external meeting") it reinforces the idea that serious professionals don't have caregiving responsibilities, which makes it harder for us to be honest about ours without being judged for it.
If you're leaving for your kid's soccer game, just say so. "I'm heading out at three for the school run — back online at six." It sounds small, but every time a man normalizes it, it gets a little easier for the rest of us to do the same.
There's an important difference between mentorship and sponsorship. Mentorship is giving advice. Sponsorship is putting your name behind someone when they're not in the room.
Professional women are often over-mentored and under-sponsored. If a new project comes up and you immediately think of a male colleague, pause for a second. Is there a woman on your team who's equally — or better — qualified? Say her name out loud in that meeting. "I've been watching how [Name] handled the [Project]. I’m confident she's the right person for this." That's the kind of workplace allyship that actually moves careers forward.
We'll keep working on our confidence, our negotiation skills, our leadership presence. We're not stopping any of that.
But we'd love it if we didn't have to do all of that and fix the room at the same time.
This International Women's Day — don't just buy us flowers. Help us rearrange the furniture.
Ready to polish your business English? Our Spoken Business English courses help you communicate with clarity and confidence in any professional setting.
You can work with a professional native-speaker trainer and get real-world practice at our locations in:
Amsterdam (near Vondelpark or Central Station)
Amstelveen (easy parking, quiet setting)
The Hague (Zuid-Holland’s choice for English training)
Hoofddorp (close to Schiphol, central, accessible, modern)
Prefer a virtual course? Contact us about English Center courses online.
"Workplace Feminism for Men” was written by Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA, Director, The English Center, and Alexandra Roberts, BA, English trainer, for International Women’s Day, March 2026
About the author:
Brenda de Jong-Pauley is the founder of The English Center in the Netherlands, where she has worked with international professionals since 2009. Originally from the United States, she lives and works in the Netherlands, supporting professionals in developing clear, confident English for real business situations.
Brenda holds a Master’s degree in Psychology (focused on persuasive communication) and a Bachelor’s in Education. She specializes in high-level business communication and spoken English.
Edited by A. Roberts, BA, English Trainer.
The English Center is a CEDEO-recognized training provider, working with professionals and teams from international and Dutch companies and municipalities.
The Davos address by Mark Carney was widely praised not because it was stylistically ornate, but because it was rhetorically controlled. The speech was calibrated for a skeptical, high-status, multilingual audience fluent in geopolitical risk and impatient with empty idealism.
Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA
Director, The English Center
February 2026
For advanced professionals working in international environments, this is precisely the context that matters. Senior stakeholders do not reward passion alone; they reward structure, intellectual credibility, and disciplined framing. Mastering these elements is essential for any executive looking to command a room.
What follows is a structured analysis of the rhetorical devices for business speaking that Carney deploys. We provide direct references to the speech and clear explanations of each device’s function, illustrating how these sophisticated techniques can be applied to elevate your own formal business communication and presentations.
Are you an intermediate or advanced learner who's looking to improve your Spoken English? Check out our Private Personalized English Courses.
Speak with a teacher first. Practical advice, no sales pressure.
Source: Václav Havel, The Power of the Powerless
Watch in the speech: 4:41
“Every morning, this shopkeeper places a sign in his window: ‘Workers of the world unite’… Havel called this ‘living within a lie’.”
“Friends, it is time for companies and countries to take their signs down.”
Device: Extended metaphor / framing metaphor
/ɪkˈstɛndɪd ˈmɛtəfɔːr/
Definition:
A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a discourse.
Why it works:
Carney anchors an abstract geopolitical argument in a concrete, repeatable image. The “sign in the window” becomes shorthand for ritual compliance, performative sovereignty, and moral avoidance disguised as pragmatism.
Once introduced, the metaphor recurs throughout the speech (“keeping the sign in the window”, “taking the sign out of the window”), allowing the audience to follow complex arguments without cognitive overload. This is not decoration; it is structural framing.
Application for advanced presenters:
In high-level presentations, complexity is unavoidable. A well-chosen controlling metaphor can function as cognitive infrastructure. Rather than repeating technical detail, you can return to the image. The metaphor becomes the architecture through which the audience processes complexity.
“The end of a pleasant fiction and the beginning of a harsh reality.”
“We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.”
Device: Antithesis
/ænˈtɪθəsɪs/
Definition:
The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel phrases or clauses to emphasize a conflict or choice.
Why it works:
Carney repeatedly forces binary choices: fiction versus reality, transition versus rupture, performance versus sovereignty. Antithesis sharpens stakes and removes the option of gradual drift—an option elite audiences often prefer.
Application:
In boardrooms, ambiguity often survives because it is linguistically convenient. Antithesis removes that comfort. When you articulate two mutually exclusive frames, you clarify strategic choice. This is especially powerful when alignment or decisive action is required.
“The strong can do what they can, and the weak must suffer what they must.”
Device: Classical allusion
/ˈklæsɪkəl əˈluːʒən/
Definition:
An implicit reference to a historical, literary, or biblical figure or event, used to ground an argument in shared cultural knowledge.
What an allusion is:
An allusion is an indirect reference to a well-known person, text, event, or historical idea, made without explanation, relying on the audience’s prior knowledge to recognize and interpret its meaning.
Who Thucydides was:
Thucydides was a 5th-century BCE Greek historian and General, best known for The History of the Peloponnesian War. He is widely regarded as the founder of political realism for his unsentimental analysis of power, fear, and self-interest in international relations.
The line Carney invokes comes from the Melian Dialogue, where Thucydides presents a stark claim: in a world without enforceable rules, power determines outcomes. The passage is often cited to justify geopolitical fatalism.
Why the allusion works here:
By referencing Thucydides, Carney signals historical literacy and intellectual seriousness. Crucially, he does not endorse Thucydidean fatalism. He frames it as a worldview being reasserted — and then challenges its inevitability. The allusion establishes credibility first, then opens space for rebuttal.
Application:
Used carefully, allusion signals intellectual depth without extended exposition. In senior contexts, referencing a shared intellectual framework can elevate a discussion and position the speaker within a tradition of serious thought. The key is restraint: credibility first, argument second.
“First, it means naming reality.”
“It means acting consistently…”
“It means building what we claim to believe in…”
Device: Anaphora
/əˈnæfərə/
Definition:
The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses to build rhythmic momentum and emphasis.
Why it works:
This marks a shift from diagnosis to prescription. Repetition at the beginning of clauses creates rhythm, authority, and clarity. It presents the path forward as structured and finite, not aspirational or vague.
Application:
When transitioning from analysis to action in a presentation, controlled repetition signals decisiveness. It prevents the conclusion from dissolving into abstraction. Anaphora turns strategy into a sequence.
Examples appear throughout:
“Finance, health, energy and geopolitics.”
“Energy, food, critical minerals.”
“Capital, talent… and a government with immense fiscal capacity.”
Device: Tricolon
/ˈtraɪkoʊlən/
Definition:
A rhetorical term for a series of three parallel words, phrases, or clauses that provide a sense of completeness and structural stability.
Why it works:
Triads are cognitively satisfying and rhetorically stabilizing. Carney uses them to make lists feel complete and decisions appear grounded. These triads blend material power with normative commitments, reinforcing his theme of “value-based realism.”
Application:
In executive settings, long lists weaken impact. Condensing complexity into disciplined triads conveys control. It suggests that the speaker has already filtered the noise and identified the structural components of the issue.
“This is not sovereignty. It’s the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination.”
Device: Redefinition / antanagoge
/ˌæntænəˈɡoʊdʒi/
Definition:
A figure of speech where a point is clarified by first stating what it is not, thereby stripping away false assumptions or criticisms.
Why it works:
Rather than defending a contested concept, Carney strips away its false versions. The audience is forced to reassess assumptions they may be invested in. This is rhetorically high-risk, offset by concrete examples that follow.
Application:
When terminology is politically or strategically loaded, redefining by negation can reset the frame. However, it must be supported by evidence. Without follow-through, it sounds provocative; with structure, it sounds clarifying.
“We are building that strength at home.”
“And we are rapidly diversifying abroad.”
“We’re doing something else.”
Device: Parallelism
/ˈpærəlɛlɪzəm/
Definition:
The use of successive verbal constructions that correspond in grammatical structure, sound, or meaning to convey order and inevitability.
Why it works:
Parallel sentence structures convey coherence and inevitability. The speech feels less like persuasion and more like briefing — a deliberate choice for an audience of policymakers and executives.
Application:
Parallelism gives strategic updates the tone of operational control. It creates the impression that the plan is already in motion, not merely proposed.
“Nostalgia is not a strategy.”
“If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”
Device: Aphorism
/ˈæfərɪzəm/
Definition:
A concise, memorable statement that expresses a general truth or astute observation in a compressed, authoritative form.
Why it works:
These lines are designed for recall and repetition. Aphorisms travel well across media, survive translation, and reduce complex positions to portable truths.
Application:
Senior professionals benefit from developing disciplined, memorable formulations of their core messages. A well-constructed aphorism extends the life of a presentation beyond the room.
“This is not naive multilateralism.”
Device: Prolepsis
/proʊˈlɛpsɪs/
Definition:
A figure of speech in which the speaker raises and answers an anticipated objection before the opponent or audience can voice it.
Why it works:
Carney names the criticism before it can be made. By anticipating objections, he neutralizes them and reassures skeptical listeners that the strategy is grounded in realism rather than wishful thinking.
Application:
In high-stakes presentations, resistance is predictable. Addressing counterarguments proactively demonstrates strategic awareness and strengthens authority.
“We are taking the sign out of the window.”
Device: Ring Composition
/rɪŋ ˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən/
Definition:
A structural technique where the narrative or argument returns to its opening image or theme, creating a sense of closure and cohesion.
Why it works:
The speech ends where its central metaphor began. This creates narrative closure and thematic coherence. The audience leaves with an image rather than a policy table.
Application:
Returning to an opening frame signals structural discipline. It leaves audiences with intellectual cohesion rather than informational residue.
Carney’s rhetoric succeeds because language, structure, and audience psychology are aligned. There is no ornamental excess. Each device serves a strategic function: to make candour sound responsible rather than reckless.
For advanced international professionals, the lesson is not to imitate style, but to study architecture. Authority in formal speaking does not arise from volume or charisma. It arises from control, of structure, of framing, of anticipated resistance.
Ready to polish your business English? Our Spoken Business English courses help you communicate with clarity and confidence in any professional setting.
You can work with a professional native-speaker trainer and get real-world practice at our locations in:
Amsterdam (near Vondelpark or Central Station)
Amstelveen (easy parking, quiet setting)
The Hague (Zuid-Holland’s choice for English training)
Hoofddorp (close to Schiphol, central, accessible, modern)
Prefer a virtual course? Contact us about English Center courses online.
About the author:
Brenda de Jong-Pauley is the founder of The English Center in the Netherlands, where she has worked with international professionals since 2009. Originally from the United States, she lives and works in the Netherlands, supporting professionals in developing clear, confident English for real business situations.
Brenda holds a Master’s degree in Psychology (focused on persuasive communication) and a Bachelor’s in Education. She specializes in high-level business communication and spoken English.
Edited by A. Roberts, BA, English Trainer.
The English Center is a CEDEO-recognized training provider, working with professionals and teams from international and Dutch companies and municipalities.
Image Credits
Header image: "Address by Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026" by World Economic Forum is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Language requirements in Dutch job interviews are often assessed in context rather than as isolated skills. Candidates may be expected to operate smoothly across English and Dutch and respond clearly under time pressure. This means that a formal B1 or B2 level does not always translate into strong interview performance: answers can be accurate yet unfocused, hesitant, or difficult to follow, which is why interview-specific preparation matters. See our full guide on preparing for a job interview in English. Preparation that focuses specifically on how language is assessed in interviews—rather than on general language study.
Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA
Director, The English Center
January 2026
Are you preparing for a job interview? Our Job Interview Coaching will help you make the best possible first impression.
Liever in het Nederlands lezen? Bekijk Sollicitatiegesprek Engels: 1-op-1 coaching
One of the most common sources of confusion for job seekers in the Netherlands is language expectations. Many candidates ask the wrong question:
“Do I need English or Dutch?”
The more accurate question is: “What level of English and Dutch is expected for this role—and how will that be tested in the interview?”
Across most professional jobs, employers generally assume solid English (typically B1–B2) as a baseline, while B1 Dutch is increasingly treated as an integration threshold in client-facing, regulated, or mixed Dutch–international teams. Even when vacancies don’t spell this out, interviews often do—through language switches, small talk in Dutch, and close attention to how clearly and confidently you communicate.
English is not a formal legal requirement for most jobs in the Netherlands, but in practice it is widely expected. For many professional roles:
As a result, employers generally assume that candidates can:
In CEFR terms, this usually means B1–B2 as a practical minimum, with B2 preferred in business, technical, and client-facing roles. “Perfect English” is seldom required—but unclear, hesitant, or disorganised communication is often noticed during interviews.
At the same time, many roles in the Netherlands now explicitly require Dutch at B1 level, even when English is used regularly at work.
This is especially common in:
B1 Dutch does not mean fluency. It signals that you can:
Employers increasingly treat B1 Dutch as an integration threshold, not a communication luxury.
Even when a vacancy mentions only one language, interviews often reveal broader expectations. Common scenarios include:
This means candidates are often evaluated on how they operate across languages, not just in one.
There is no universal language rule in the Dutch labour market. Expectations vary by sector, company size, and role. However, several patterns are consistent:
According to labour market insights and recruiter reporting in the Netherlands, including Nationale Vacaturebank, language and communication mismatches remain a common reason for unsuccessful hiring processes—not because candidates lack qualifications, but because employers see higher risk.
If you are preparing for job interviews in the Netherlands:
For a full guide on how to prepare for a job interview in English, see How to Prepare for a Job Interview in English.
You do not need perfect English or fluent Dutch to get hired. But you do need to communicate clearly, confidently, and professionally at the level the role requires. That expectation is now a standard part of the Dutch hiring process.
Are you preparing for job interviews in the Netherlands?
Our Job Interview Coaching in English helps professionals prepare clearly and confidently for interviews conducted in English or bilingual settings.
About the author:
Brenda de Jong-Pauley is the founder of The English Center in the Netherlands, where she has worked with international professionals since 2009. Originally from the United States, she lives and works in the Netherlands, supporting professionals in developing clear, confident English for real business situations.
Brenda holds a Master’s degree in Psychology (focused on persuasive communication) and a Bachelor’s in Education. She specializes in high-level business communication and spoken English.
Edited by A. Roberts, BA, English Trainer.
The English Center is a CEDEO-recognized training provider, working with professionals and teams from international and Dutch companies and municipalities.
Job interviews in the Netherlands in 2026 are more competitive and more structured than before. Employers still assess technical fit, but interviews increasingly evaluate how candidates communicate, reason, and collaborate. Whether your interview takes place in English or Dutch, these expectations now play a central role in hiring decisions.
Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA
Director, The English Center
December 2025
Speak with a teacher first. Practical advice, no sales pressure.
Are you preparing for a job interview? OurJob Interview Coaching will help you make the best possible first impression.
Liever in het Nederlands lezen? Bejijk Sollicitatiegesprek Engels: 1-op-1 coaching
The Dutch job market in 2026 is tighter, more selective, and more deliberate than it was just a few years ago. Employers are hiring, but they are investing more time upfront to reduce the risk of poor hires.
As a result, job interviews have changed. They are no longer just a confirmation of qualifications, but a structured evaluation of how candidates operate in real working environments.
Whether your interview takes place in English or Dutch, the underlying expectations are largely the same. Employers assess how clearly you think, explain, and interact. For many candidates, this means performing well in both languages—English for international communication and Dutch for integration, collaboration, or client-facing situations.
This article explains:
This article is relevant if you:
You do not need to be actively focused on language improvement to benefit. Many candidates only realise communication and language are being assessed once interviews begin.
There are more qualified candidates per role than before. Employers compare not just experience, but how clearly candidates explain themselves and their relevance for the job. Being “good enough” rarely stands out.
Demand remains strongest in:
Interview expectations in these sectors are typically high, regardless of interview language.
Recruiters want clear answers to practical questions:
These answers must be structured, concise, and credible—often delivered under time pressure.
Referrals, conversations, and visibility still matter more than volume. Informal conversations increasingly act as pre-interviews and may take place in English or Dutch.
In many professional roles, English is assumed in interviews. Candidates are expected to explain their experience clearly and participate in discussion. In practice, this usually means at least B1–B2 level English, with higher expectations in business, technical, and client-facing roles.
At the same time, many employers now explicitly require Dutch at B1 level, even when English is used day to day. This is common in client-facing roles, public or semi-public organisations, regulated sectors, and mixed Dutch–international teams.
B1 Dutch signals functional independence rather than fluency. Candidates without it often face a narrower interview pool.
Customisation is expected—not just in content, but in tone and precision. This applies equally to spoken answers during interviews.
Successful candidates apply selectively and prepare deliberately. Interviews reward structured thinking, not emotional momentum.
Technical competence determines eligibility. Communication, collaboration, and adaptability are assessed directly or indirectly in nearly every interview.
By 2026, employers generally assume candidates meet the technical baseline. Interviews are increasingly used to assess how candidates work in real conditions, often across more than one working language.
Employers look for candidates who can:
Unclear communication is viewed as a practical risk, not a minor weakness.
As routine tasks are automated, interviews focus on reasoning. Candidates are asked to explain decisions, reflect on mistakes, and work through scenarios clearly and logically.
Most roles involve cross-functional teams. Interviews assess how candidates listen, respond, and disagree. These behaviours are inseparable from communication skills.
Employers expect roles to evolve. Candidates are asked how they handle change, learning curves, and uncertainty. Clear explanation matters more than perfect answers.
“Cultural fit” refers to working style: how candidates communicate under pressure, receive feedback, and contribute to team dynamics. According to Nationale Vacaturebank, mismatches in these areas remain a major reason for unsuccessful hires.
In 2026:
Candidates who prepare only for what they say often underestimate how they are evaluated. Those who prepare for communication tend to perform more consistently across interviews, probation, and day-to-day work. That overlap reflects how hiring in the Netherlands actually works today. For a practical guide on how to prepare for a job interview in English — including answer structure, STAR stories, and spoken delivery — see How to Prepare for a Job Interview in English.
Are you preparing for job interviews in the Netherlands? Our Job Interview Coaching in English helps professionals prepare clearly and confidently for interviews conducted in English or bilingual settings.
About the author:
Brenda de Jong-Pauley is the founder of The English Center in the Netherlands, where she has worked with international professionals since 2009. Originally from the United States, she lives and works in the Netherlands, supporting professionals in developing clear, confident English for real business situations.
Brenda holds a Master’s degree in Psychology (focused on persuasive communication) and a Bachelor’s in Education. She specializes in high-level business communication and spoken English.
Edited by A. Roberts, BA, English Trainer.
The English Center is a CEDEO-recognized training provider, working with professionals and teams from international and Dutch companies and municipalities.
Can't find your words when you need them most? Learning key business English phrases for meetings will help you speak fluently and confidently in most professional settings. From formal client presentation meetings to casual team discussions, this phrase bank includes exact phrases for agreeing, disagreeing, making suggestions, and leading effective conversations.
Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA
Director, The English Center
November 2025
Are you an intermediate or advanced learner who's looking to improve your Spoken English? Check out our Private Personalized English Courses.
Why choose The English Center for your training?
We are CEDEO-erkend and get excellent Trustpilot reviews for our Business English courses in Amsterdam.
Before we dive into the phrases, let's clarify the main types of meetings you might participate in:
Mastering business English phrases for meetings means knowing how to contribute effectively. Here are essential phrases for participating in discussions.
Formal:
Informal:
Formal:
Informal:
Formal:
Informal:
Formal:
Informal:
If you're leading a meeting, these business English phrases will help you maintain control and keep discussions productive.
Pro Tip: Use chair as the standard, modern term. It’s concise, gender-neutral, and widely accepted. Chair can also be used as a verb (“Who will chair the meeting?”). Use “chairperson” for formal or traditional contexts.
Formal:
Informal:
Formal:
Informal:
The rise of remote work means we all need to master virtual meeting etiquette. Here are essential phrases for online meetings.
Understanding when to use formal or informal business English phrases for meetings is crucial for professional success.
Use formal language when:
Use informal language when:
Pro tip: When in doubt, start with a formal tone and then adjust, if needed, based on the tone others set.
Mastering business English phrases for meetings takes practice. Try incorporating a few new phrases into your next meeting, and pay attention to how native speakers navigate different situations. Remember, confidence comes from preparation – knowing these meeting phrases will help you contribute meaningfully and professionally in any business setting.
The key to success is not just memorizing these phrases, but understanding the context in which to use them. Whether you're participating in a formal board meeting or a casual team catch-up, having the right business English phrases at your fingertips will boost your confidence and professional credibility.
Ready to polish your business English? Our Spoken Business English courses help you communicate with clarity and confidence in any professional setting.
You can work with a professional native-speaker trainer and get real-world practice at our locations in:
Amsterdam (near Vondelpark or Central Station)
Amstelveen (easy parking, quiet setting)
The Hague (Zuid-Holland’s choice for English training)
Hoofddorp (close to Schiphol, central, accessible, modern)
Prefer a virtual course? Contact us about English Center courses online.
Since 2009, thousands of learners have trusted our courses
What do our clients think about us? Just click the TrustPilot icon to read some reviews
Or click the CEDEO-erkend logo to see us at the CEDEO site.
About the author:
Brenda de Jong-Pauley is the founder of The English Center in the Netherlands, where she has worked with international professionals since 2009. Originally from the United States, she lives and works in the Netherlands, supporting professionals in developing clear, confident English for real business situations.
Brenda holds a Master’s degree in Psychology (focused on persuasive communication) and a Bachelor’s in Education. She specializes in high-level business communication and spoken English.
Edited by A. Roberts, BA, English Trainer.
The English Center is a CEDEO-recognized training provider, working with professionals and teams from international and Dutch companies and municipalities.
