Learn to identify and frame business problems, needs, and opportunities using persuasive language that influences executive decision-making and drives action.
This is Lesson 9 of The English Farm's professional course on business presentations. Learn how to identify and frame business problems and opportunities persuasively through our specialized professional English training.
Identify the need, problem and opportunity in the following scenarios.
- The company’s store visits have fallen by 28% compared to last year. Online sales are no longer growing. The CEO says, “We don’t know what to focus on next.”
- The company has grown quickly, but more big clients are leaving. The support team is struggling to keep up, and product updates aren’t happening regularly.
This analytical thinking is a core skill we develop in our Professional English Courses for business professionals.
Learning to frame problems professionally is essential when you learn professional English at an advanced consulting level.
How would you phrase these problems to an executive? Use the following structure to rephrase your responses above.
The client is currently facing [problem]. In order to [need], we see an opportunity to [opportunity].
“Sales are down. There's a decline in revenue. Use more digital channels.”
“The customer service team is too small. Customers wait longer. Scale through automation.”
“They aren’t using digital marketing. We're not expanding reach and improving lead generation. Create a pilot program.”
To be persuasive while identifying needs, problems and opportunities, you need to be able to phrase sentences in certain ways. These professional English techniques help you sound confident and strategic when presenting to senior leadership.
Look at the three sentences above and phrase them using the following:
- Present Perfect (e.g.: “The company has experienced a 20% drop in foot traffic.”)
- Passive Voice (e.g.: “Resources are being stretched across multiple priorities.”)
- Cause and Effect (e.g.: “Because in-store traffic is down, digital must compensate.”, “Due to inconsistent product updates, clients lose trust.”)
- A persuasive modal (e.g.: "We need to prioritize.", "The client should consider automation.")
Scenario Recap: You’re giving a 10–15 minute presentation to senior stakeholders to persuade them to move forward with your team’s digital expansion recommendation. Using the data below, persuasively frame the need, problem, and opportunity using strong, confident business language.
You can now identify problems and frame opportunities using persuasive professional language. These professional English skills will help you present strategic insights that influence executive decision-making.