Name: How to Give a Project Update in English at Work
Uploaded: 2025-11-26T01:01:57.000Z
Duration: 15 min 23 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

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Have you ever been in a meeting where it was your turn to give a project update?

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And in an effort to be clear and include all the details, your update sounded like this.

We've been working hard on the design phase.

There were some issues with the supplier, but hopefully that'll be resolved soon.

And then someone interrupts and says, wait, are we behind schedule or not?

It's frustrating to get interrupted, and even more, it's discouraging to be interrupted because your update was unclear.

You are familiar with this project, you've been doing the work, but

in that moment, your update was not understood by your listeners.

If that has ever happened to you, this is what we're going to change in the lesson today.

Even more, if you've ever felt unsure of what to say in a project update or or how to say it clearly in English, this video is going to solve that problem.

You're going to learn how to give an update that's organized, easy to follow, and sounds professional.

Now, before we get into this strategy, I want to say this.

If giving project updates in English makes you feel flustered, you're not alone.

Many of my students, especially those who are thoughtful, careful with their words, and

who want to say things just right, tell me that updates are one of the hardest parts of speaking English at work.

When you're sharing an update, there's pressure to sound informed, organized and professional.

But if you're nervous or translating in your mind as you speak, it's easy to start rambling over, explaining over, or using vague language.

That's why I want to share a simple three part structure that's going to help you feel prepared, organized and confident, so that when it's your turn to speak, you'll know exactly what to say.

Now, before we get there, I want to talk a little bit more about why these updates feel so frustrating in the first place and highlight what exactly might be going wrong.

To do that, let's take a look at a typical project update.

This is the kind of update I hear from my students before we work on structure and clarity.

We've been working really hard on the project and the team has been putting in extra hours.

We had some issues with the supplier last week, but hopefully that will be resolved soon.

We're trying to finish the design phase and maybe we'll be done by next week.

There's still a lot to do on the research section and we might need some additional Resources.

It's not a grammar mistake, but it is hard to follow.

And when we make our listeners work hard to understand us, they often leave with more questions than answers.

First, the speaker starts with way too many details.

There's no clear summary or main point at the beginning, so the listener doesn't know what to focus on.

Second, the language is vague and uncertain.

Words like hopefully, maybe we're trying to.

Even if the speaker knows what's happening, this language makes it sound unclear or even unprepared.

Third, the update jumps from one idea to another.

It goes from supplier issues to timelines, to research needs, all in one paragraph.

And finally, there's no clear action or request.

The team listening to this update doesn't know what they're supposed to do next or what the speaker needs from them.

And this is what leads to that awkward moment in the meeting when someone interrupts to ask, so, are we behind schedule or not?

And the good news is we can, by using a simple structure that helps your listener understand you immediately.

So now that we know what often goes wrong, I want to show you what's possible for you when you have a clear, confident way to express your ideas.

To do that, I want to tell you a story about my student, Mary.

She joined a workshop with me because she had just accepted a new part time position.

Her role involved joining online meetings in English and she was nervous.

She told me, I've never done this before.

I don't know how to introduce myself clearly or how to support someone else's idea in a discussion.

But after just one session, she felt completely different.

I asked clarifying questions, I stayed focused and everything felt smoother because I knew how to organize my thoughts clearly.

That's exactly what I want for you, and it's what this framework is going to help you do.

To start, I want you to think about your project update like a set of IKEA instructions.

If someone handed you a pile of wooden pieces, screws and paper instructions with no photo on the box, how would you know what you're building?

That's what happens when we give too many details before the main point.

They're trying to put the pieces together in their minds without knowing what the final result should look like.

Here's your simple three part structure you can use to give clear, confident project updates in English.

Whether you're in a team meeting, a one on one with your manager, or speaking to a group for the first time, the first step is to start with the headline.

Just like a news article or a blog post, the headline gives others the main point right away.

It tells your listener exactly what's happening so they're not left wondering.

And in English speaking workplaces this is expected.

We usually share the status first and then explain the details.

Your headline should be just one or two sentences that answer this question.

What's the status of the project right now?

So to do that, here are some phrases you can use to get you started.

First, the project is on track to meet the deadline or we're facing some delays due to X.

we're running into an issue with let's take a closer look at one of those.

In an example, before we implement this structure, an update might sound like this.

We've been working really hard on the app development.

Testing hasn't started yet, but there are some fixes causing delays.

And then after we put this structure in place, we're facing some delays with the app development project due to bug fixes.

The second version is focused, clear and easy to follow.

It gives your listener a clear picture of what's happening right away.

I want you to think of a project you're working on right now.

How could you share a status in just one sentence?

Or if you're watching this, you can also share it with me.

In the comments I want you to think about what would your headline be?

And once you've got your headline, you're ready for step two how to organize your details in a way that keeps your listener engaged and informed.

In English speaking culture, after you've shared your headline, then your listener is ready for more information but not too much and not all at once.

To make your update easy to follow, organize your details in this order.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

How to Give a Project Update in English at Work

technique

progress

practice

vague