( B2-C1 ) Pré-Expert B2-C1 — Leçon 3

Advanced Professional Communication

Meetings, proposals, diplomatic requests, constructive feedback and difficult conversations in an international workplace.

Communication professionnelle avancée · Leçon 3 / 20

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( 01 ) Introduction

🎯 Objectifs de la leçon

10 objectifs · 75–90 minutes

Cette troisième leçon du parcours Pré-Expert B2-C1 travaille la communication professionnelle avancée : réunions, propositions, demandes diplomatiques, feedback constructif, désaccord professionnel et gestion des conversations difficiles.

Communiquer avec aisance dans un environnement professionnel international.

Participer activement à une réunion.

Présenter une idée de manière structurée.

Faire une proposition professionnelle.

Demander des informations avec diplomatie.

Donner et recevoir un feedback constructif.

Exprimer un désaccord professionnel.

Gérer une conversation difficile.

Reformuler un message pour éviter un malentendu.

Adapter son registre au contexte professionnel.

( 02 ) Vocabulary

📚 Advanced Professional Vocabulary

A. Personnes et organisation

professional communication

communication professionnelle

workplace

lieu de travail

colleague

collègue

supervisor

responsable hiérarchique

manager

executive

cadre dirigeant

department

service / département

team member

membre de l’équipe

stakeholder

partie prenante

client

supplier

fournisseur

partner

partenaire

B. Travail et réunions

meeting

réunion

agenda

ordre du jour

minutes

compte rendu de réunion

deadline

échéance

priority

priorité

workload

charge de travail

responsibility

responsabilité

assignment

mission confiée

objective

objectif

target

cible chiffrée

performance

C. Évaluation, propositions et ressources

feedback

retour / feedback

evaluation

évaluation

appraisal

entretien d’évaluation

proposal

proposition

recommendation

recommandation

requirement

exigence / besoin

resource

ressource

budget

procedure

procédure

policy

politique interne

strategy

stratégie

D. Verbes professionnels (1)

coordinate

coordonner

delegate

déléguer

supervise

superviser

facilitate

faciliter / animer

implement

mettre en œuvre

prioritize

prioriser

allocate

affecter (des ressources)

negotiate

négocier

recommend

recommander

propose

proposer

address

traiter (un problème)

resolve

résoudre

clarify

clarifier

E. Verbes professionnels (2)

confirm

confirmer

follow up

assurer le suivi

escalate

faire remonter

anticipate

anticiper

assess

évaluer (une situation)

evaluate

évaluer (un résultat)

monitor

suivre / surveiller

improve

améliorer

streamline

rationaliser / simplifier

enhance

renforcer

ensure

garantir

acknowledge

accuser réception / reconnaître

accommodate

tenir compte de / satisfaire

F. Exemples en contexte

Could you follow up with the supplier and confirm the new delivery date?

Pourriez-vous faire le suivi avec le fournisseur et confirmer la nouvelle date de livraison ?

We need to prioritize the deliverables and reallocate resources.

Nous devons prioriser les livrables et réaffecter les ressources.

The issue was escalated to the executive committee last Friday.

Le problème a été remonté au comité de direction vendredi dernier.

I'd like to acknowledge the team's effort before we address the delay.

Je souhaite saluer l’effort de l’équipe avant d’aborder le retard.

Streamlining the approval procedure would enhance our reactivity.

Simplifier la procédure de validation renforcerait notre réactivité.

The appraisal focused on performance against the agreed targets.

L’entretien d’évaluation a porté sur la performance au regard des objectifs convenus.

( 03 ) Expressions

💡 Expressions professionnelles

A. Prendre la parole en réunion

I'd like to add something here.

Prendre la parole poliment pour compléter un propos.

If I may, I'd like to make a suggestion.

Demande implicite de permission : registre formel en réunion.

I'd like to draw your attention to...

Attire l’attention sur un point précis, sans interrompre brutalement.

Could we go back to the previous point?

Recentre la réunion sur un sujet non résolu.

I'd like to clarify one point.

Annonce une clarification avant qu’un malentendu ne s’installe.

B. Proposer

I'd like to propose that we...

Introduit une proposition formelle (subjonctif : that we review…).

One possible approach would be to...

Présente une option parmi d’autres, ton non directif.

I would suggest considering...

Suggestion prudente, très courante en contexte international.

Perhaps we could...

Proposition douce, laisse la décision au groupe.

It might be worth exploring...

Ouvre une piste sans s’engager sur sa faisabilité.

C. Exprimer un désaccord professionnel

I understand your point, but...

Reconnaît l’argument avant d’objecter.

I see where you're coming from, however...

Marque l’empathie puis introduit le désaccord.

I'm not entirely convinced that...

Désaccord atténué : on doute sans rejeter.

I have some reservations about...

Exprime des réserves de façon professionnelle.

I'd look at it slightly differently.

Propose une autre lecture sans contredire frontalement.

D. Donner un feedback constructif

One area that could be improved is...

Feedback constructif : la voix passive dépersonnalise la critique.

I'd encourage you to focus on...

Oriente vers une action plutôt que vers un reproche.

One thing I'd suggest working on is...

Suggestion d’amélioration formulée avec tact.

Overall, the results are encouraging, although...

Feedback équilibré : positif d’abord, réserve ensuite.

( 04 ) Grammar

🧠 Grammar – Demandes, passif et conditionnels

Ces cinq structures permettent de demander sans imposer, d’exposer un fait sans accuser, de rapporter une information non confirmée et de raisonner sur des hypothèses.

A. Modal verbs for professional requests

Could you possibly send me the updated figures before Friday?

Could you possibly… : demande très polie, registre professionnel.

Would you mind reviewing the draft before the meeting?

Would you mind + verbe en -ing : demande atténuée.

We should probably confirm the deadline with the client first.

Should exprime une recommandation, probably l’adoucit encore.

You may want to check the figures before circulating the report.

You may want to… : conseil non imposé entre collègues.

We'll need to reallocate resources if the delay continues.

Will need to : nécessité présentée comme une conséquence, non comme un ordre.

B. Polite requests

I was wondering whether we could postpone the review.

Prétérit de politesse : I was wondering rend la demande moins directe.

Would it be possible to extend the deadline by one week?

Structure impersonnelle : on interroge la faisabilité, pas la personne.

I'd appreciate it if you could confirm by tomorrow.

Formule écrite très courante pour une demande ferme mais courtoise.

Do you happen to know who is responsible for this budget line?

Do you happen to know… : demande d’information adoucie.

C. Passive voice

The deadline has been postponed by two weeks.

Passif : l’action compte plus que l’auteur, et on évite d’accuser.

A new procedure is being implemented across all departments.

Passif au présent continu : processus en cours.

The delay was caused by a late delivery from our supplier.

Passif + by : on précise la cause sans personnaliser le reproche.

All requests must be approved by the department manager.

Passif avec modal : must be + participe passé.

D. Passive reporting structures

It is said that the client is considering other suppliers.

Reporting passif impersonnel : It is said that + proposition.

The project is believed to be two weeks behind schedule.

Sujet + be believed to + infinitif : information non confirmée.

It has been reported that costs have risen by ten per cent.

It has been reported that… : source non nommée, registre formel.

The supplier is understood to have missed several deadlines.

be understood to have + participe : fait passé rapporté avec prudence.

E. Advanced conditionals

If we reallocate two developers, we will meet the revised deadline.

First conditional : condition réaliste → conséquence probable.

If the client agreed to a phased delivery, we could reduce the pressure.

Second conditional : hypothèse peu probable ou diplomatique.

If we had anticipated the supply problem, we wouldn't be in this position.

Mixed conditional : cause passée → conséquence présente.

Had we been informed earlier, we would have adjusted the schedule.

Inversion sans if : registre très formel, fréquent à l’écrit professionnel.

( 05 ) Conversation

💬 A Difficult Professional Meeting

John

Thanks for making time, Mary. I'd like to draw your attention to the Aldridge project.

Merci d’avoir pris le temps, Mary. Je voudrais attirer votre attention sur le projet Aldridge.

Mary

Of course. I assume this is about the schedule.

Bien sûr. Je suppose que c’est au sujet du calendrier.

John

It is. The delivery has been postponed by two weeks, and the client has asked for an explanation.

En effet. La livraison a été repoussée de deux semaines, et le client a demandé des explications.

Mary

I'd like to clarify one point first. The delay was caused by our supplier, not by the team.

Je voudrais d’abord clarifier un point. Le retard a été causé par notre fournisseur, pas par l’équipe.

John

I understand your point, but the client doesn't distinguish between us and our suppliers.

Je comprends votre point de vue, mais le client ne fait pas la différence entre nous et nos fournisseurs.

Mary

That's fair. Having said that, the risk was flagged in the minutes three weeks ago.

C’est juste. Cela dit, le risque avait été signalé dans le compte rendu il y a trois semaines.

John

It was, and I should have escalated it sooner. Could we go back to the resourcing question?

En effet, et j’aurais dû le faire remonter plus tôt. Pourrions-nous revenir à la question des ressources ?

Mary

Certainly. Two key team members are seriously overloaded at the moment.

Certainement. Deux membres clés de l’équipe sont sérieusement surchargés en ce moment.

John

I was wondering whether we could reallocate someone from the support team.

Je me demandais si nous pourrions réaffecter quelqu’un de l’équipe support.

Mary

One possible approach would be to bring in a contractor for the integration phase.

Une approche possible serait de faire appel à un prestataire pour la phase d’intégration.

John

I have some reservations about that. It would push the budget up by around ten per cent.

J’ai quelques réserves à ce sujet. Cela augmenterait le budget d’environ dix pour cent.

Mary

I'd look at it slightly differently. A penalty clause would cost us considerably more.

Je verrais les choses un peu différemment. Une clause de pénalité nous coûterait bien plus cher.

John

That's a valid argument. If we secured the budget, could you supervise the contractor?

C’est un argument valable. Si nous obtenions le budget, pourriez-vous superviser le prestataire ?

Mary

I could, provided that someone else takes over the weekly client reporting.

Je le pourrais, à condition que quelqu’un d’autre reprenne le reporting client hebdomadaire.

John

Agreed. I'd like to propose that we present a revised timeline to the client on Thursday.

D’accord. Je propose que nous présentions un calendrier révisé au client jeudi.

Mary

Would it be possible to send the figures to me tomorrow? I'd like to check them first.

Serait-il possible de m’envoyer les chiffres demain ? J’aimerais les vérifier d’abord.

John

Absolutely. And one thing I'd suggest working on is our early-warning process.

Tout à fait. Et une chose sur laquelle je suggérerais de travailler, c’est notre processus d’alerte précoce.

Mary

I agree. If we had anticipated the supply problem, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Je suis d’accord. Si nous avions anticipé le problème d’approvisionnement, nous n’aurions pas cette conversation.

Questions de compréhension

1. Why has John asked for the meeting?

2. What does Mary clarify at the start?

3. What reservation does John express about hiring a contractor?

4. How does Mary counter that reservation?

5. What condition does Mary set before supervising the contractor?

Score : 0 / 5

( 06 ) Listening

🎧 Professional Communication Under Pressure

Écoutez le texte (2 à 3 minutes, voix masculine standardisée), puis répondez aux 5 questions.

1. When is communication really tested, according to the speaker?

2. Why is avoidance a mistake?

3. Why is the passive voice useful under pressure?

4. What is the third failure described?

5. What combination defines effective professionals?

Score : 0 / 5

( 07 ) Reading

📖 Communication as a Professional Skill

Organisations routinely describe communication as a soft skill, a phrase that quietly suggests it matters less than technical expertise. Yet when projects fail, the post-mortem rarely identifies a lack of technical competence. It identifies a warning that was not escalated, a requirement that was never clarified, a meeting in which nobody said what they actually thought. Communication is not an accessory to professional work; it is the mechanism through which that work is coordinated.

Part of the difficulty is that professional English operates on two levels at once. The surface level carries information: the delivery has been postponed, the budget has been exceeded. The second level carries the relationship: how much responsibility is being attributed, how much room the other person is being given to respond. A message can be perfectly accurate and still damage a working relationship because the second level was ignored. This is why experienced professionals invest so heavily in structures that seem indirect — I was wondering whether, I have some reservations about, one area that could be improved.

Indirectness, however, is a tool rather than a default. Requests that are hedged to the point of ambiguity create a familiar problem: everyone leaves the meeting satisfied and nothing happens, because no one was actually asked to do anything. The skill lies in calibrating the two levels separately. The tone can be soft while the content remains exact: I'd appreciate it if you could confirm the revised figures by Thursday is courteous, but it names an action, an owner and a date.

Cross-cultural settings raise the stakes further. In some working cultures, a direct statement of disagreement is efficient and expected; in others, it is read as an attack. What travels well is a middle position: acknowledge the other viewpoint explicitly, attribute problems to situations rather than people, and close with a concrete proposal. That pattern is understood almost everywhere, and it explains why the ability to say I see where you're coming from, however, in this case I'd look at it slightly differently is worth as much in an international career as any technical qualification.

1. What is the main idea of the text?

2. What do project post-mortems usually reveal?

3. What are the 'two levels' of professional English?

4. What problem does excessive hedging create?

5. What does the author's reasoning suggest about cross-cultural communication?

Score : 0 / 5

( 08 ) Speaking

🗣️ Speaking Practice – Professional Communication

Répondez à chaque question dans un registre professionnel, enregistrez-vous puis réécoutez-vous.

How do you prepare for an important meeting? / Comment préparez-vous une réunion importante ?

Exemple : I review the agenda, identify the decisions required and prepare one concrete proposal for each.