Business English · C2

C2 Executive Communication

Executive-level English for strategic positioning, board communication, complex negotiation, nuanced leadership, crisis communication and high-precision professional writing.

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Module 1 — Executive framing

Define the decision before the detail

At executive level, framing determines what the discussion is about. Compare: Should we spend more on retention? with Which investment best reduces customer-value erosion over the next 12 months?

Module 2 — Strategic brevity

Say less, preserve meaning

Executive concision is not simplification. It removes detail that does not change the decision.

Verbose: “What we have seen over the course of the last three months is a gradual but noticeable increase…”
Executive: “Churn has risen steadily for three months.”

Module 3 — High-stakes negotiation

Position, leverage and optionality

Separate stated positions from underlying interests. Preserve optionality with language such as We could consider X provided that Y… and That would require movement on….

Module 4 — Boardroom challenge

Disagree without destabilising the room

I think we may be conflating two issues here. / I'm not disputing the trend; I'm questioning the causal interpretation. / Before we commit, I'd like to test one assumption.

Module 5 — Crisis communication

Facts, uncertainty, action

Communicate what is known, unknown and being done. Do not fill uncertainty with speculation.

A robust crisis update distinguishes verified facts from working hypotheses.

Module 6 — Strategic writing

Executive summaries

An executive summary should communicate the issue, significance, recommendation, evidence, risk and decision required—without forcing the reader through the whole document first.

Module 7 — Nuanced leadership

Authority, tact and accountability

Strong leadership language can be direct without being aggressive: We need a clear owner for this by close of business. / I want the disagreement surfaced now rather than deferred.

Module 8 — Rhetorical control

Contrast, concession and emphasis

The issue is not whether the strategy is ambitious; it is whether the organisation can execute it at the required speed. Such structures sharpen strategic distinctions.

Final task

Prepare an 8-minute board recommendation on a contested strategic decision. Include a one-sentence thesis, three evidence points, one material uncertainty, one counter-case and a precise decision request.

Source note

Original Corrigan School teaching material. Communicative aims are aligned with CEFR professional-language progression and informed by established business communication practice. Explanations, cases and exercises are newly written.