English speaking guides for work
Each guide covers one situation, in enough detail to start speaking: a direct answer first, then the phrases, a full sample conversation, the same line at three levels, common slips and audio in four accents. They're for people who work in English as a second language, and they use the practice scenes and units in Before You Speak (开口前 kaikouqian).
Which guides are there?
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A 1:1 with your manager
What to cover in a 1:1: an update, bad news early, asking for help, your growth and next steps.
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Standup updates
What you finished, what's next, what's blocking you, and how to say a date is at risk, in a few short sentences.
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Speaking up in meetings
How to get in when nobody leaves a gap, ask about what you missed, buy time and confirm the next step.
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Politely interrupting
Which phrase fits which moment, how strong each one sounds, and how to move a side topic out of the meeting.
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Disagreeing politely
Acknowledge, say what worries you, offer another way: phrases from soft to direct, and what to say when they push back.
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Understanding Indian English accents
What to listen for, recordings to compare, words that differ, and what to say when you miss a number.
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Rehearsing a difficult talk with your boss
A delay, a raise, a target you can't hit: what to write down, what to say, and how to rehearse against pushback.
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Small talk at work
Answer with one detail, ask back, follow up and close politely: for Monday mornings, lunch and the two minutes before a meeting.
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Practising without a tutor
A 15-minute round built on one real situation, what each option gives you, and how to make a correction stick.
What's in each guide?
- A direct answerThe first few lines tell you what to say.
- A full conversationFrom the Before You Speak practice content, with the phrases worth keeping highlighted.
- The same line at three levelsClear, natural and compact. Get the clear version right first, then move up.
- Common slips, and whyToo vague, too late, too blunt, translated directly from Chinese, or a dropped word.
- Different accentsUS, UK, Australian and Indian voices, one click away. The voices are AI-generated.
- A way to practisePractice scenes you can read and hear without signing up, and a way to rehearse your own situation.
- Who wrote it and howEvery guide says what it's based on and where AI was used.
Want to rehearse your own situation?
Write down in Chinese what it's about, who it's with, what you want to say and the facts only you know. Before You Speak turns that into a practice scene in two or three minutes. When it's your turn, the other person stops and waits for you; afterwards you get at most two corrections, and they go into your review book.
Free sign-up, no card. The free plan has two live AI conversation rounds and three scripted sessions a week; your own scenes come with a 7-day free trial, and nothing is charged when it ends. For people living outside mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The app explains in Chinese; Chrome on a computer works best.