Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
- Describe people's appearance, clothing, personality, professional qualities, roles, and expertise appropriately in business contexts.
- Introduce and identify colleagues, clients, managers, and business partners.
- Use appropriate professional vocabulary and expressions to describe people.
- Distinguish between objective, subjective, positive, neutral, and potentially inappropriate descriptions.
- Avoid descriptions that may sound rude, discriminatory, overly personal, or unprofessional.
What Does "Describing People" Mean in Professional Communication?
In everyday English, we talk about physical appearance, age, clothes, personality, habits, and interests. In business communication, descriptions focus strictly on information relevant to the professional situation.
"She's quite short and has long black hair. She's very friendly."
"She's a project coordinator in our marketing department. She's highly organized, approachable, and very experienced in managing international projects."
Framework & Areas for Describing People
A complete and robust professional description follows this structured formula:
Identity + Role + Appearance + Professional qualities + Personality + Expertise + Communication style
"I'd like to introduce Sarah. She's our new Marketing Manager. She's the woman wearing the navy blazer. She's highly organized, very approachable, and has extensive experience in digital marketing."
Describing Identity, Job Positions & Relationships
Core expressions to introduce colleagues, identify team members, and explain professional connections.
Identity Expressions
- • "He is our sales manager."
- • "I'd like to introduce our new director."
- • "Have you met David from Finance?"
- • "She's responsible for international partnerships."
Positions & Relationships
- • Manager, Director, Coordinator, Specialist, Consultant
- • "She's my direct supervisor."
- • "He's one of my team members."
- • "She's our main client contact."
Appearance, Hair & Clothing
Physical and clothing descriptions are useful for identification at networking events and conferences. Avoid unnecessary judgments (e.g., instead of "fat", use "larger-built").
Height & Build
Tall, short, average height, slim, athletic, well-built, medium build.
Hair & Features
Short, curly, straight, bald, gray hair, beard, glasses, name badge.
Professional Clothing
Suit, blazer, white blouse, striped tie, business-casual attire, name badge.
Grammar Focus: Have/Be & Relative Clauses
Master the correct grammatical structures when describing physical traits versus professional responsibilities.
Use BE for:
Height + Build + Characteristics
"He is tall. She is slim."
Use HAVE/HAS for:
Hair + Eyes + Beard + Features
"He has short black hair."
Use RELATIVE CLAUSES:
"She's the manager who oversees the sales team."
Personality, Competence & Expertise
Communicate workplace habits, competence, and specialized knowledge using precise professional vocabulary.
Personality & Work Habits
Organized, punctual, reliable, efficient, detail-oriented, proactive, approachable, diplomatic.
Competence & Expertise
Experienced, knowledgeable, skilled, qualified, proficient. "She specializes in corporate communications."
Communication & Leadership Styles
Describe how colleagues communicate and manage teams effectively.
Communication Styles
Clear, concise, articulate, persuasive, diplomatic, direct, reserved.
Leadership Styles
Supportive, strategic, decisive, collaborative, motivating, results-oriented.
Situational Models & Professional Tone
Avoid insulting language. Always replace unprofessional terms with constructive equivalents for performance reviews and meetings.
| Appropriate / Professional | Potentially Inappropriate / Avoid |
|---|---|
| Experienced professional | Old / Old-fashioned |
| Approachable & supportive | Cute / Beautiful / Handsome |
| Direct communicator | Rude / Bossy |
| He could be more proactive. | He's lazy. |