James开会总是踊跃发言，但此举却引来同事批评：Who does he think he is!（他以为他是谁啊！）原来是因为太多I recommend、My opinion is…外国人虽然讲话直接，但一谈到专业，就特别注意谦虚用语。
1 如果你想说“我建议……”“我认为……”
（×）I suggest / I think that…
（○ ）May I possibly suggest that…? / It seems to me that…
解析：在英文中，疑问句多半比肯定句来得谦虚，再加上possibly，语调就更显客气；此外，用seem就是告诉对方，随后的想法是主观判断，让语气不会显得自信专断。
例1：
May I possibly suggest that we go by train rather than car, so that we won't get stuck in traffic?（我想提个建议，是不是我们不要开车，改搭火车？这样就不会堵在路上。）
例2：
It seems to me that this marketing campaign is worth trying.（在我看来，这个营销案值得一试。）
2 如果你想说“你错了……”
（×）You are wrong because…
（○ ）Correct me if I'm wrong, but…
解析：事情出错，想纠正却不想伤和气时，可用“若我说错请指正，不过……”开头，听起来较不刺耳。
例：
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember that the proposal should be done by Wednesday.（若我说错请指正，但我记得提案应该要在周三前完成。）
3 如果你想说“我想谈的是……”
（×）I will give a lecture on…
（○ ）I would like to share with you…
解析：与其像老师一般给同事上课，不如改用分享，态度更亲切。
例：
I would like to share with you our strategy in dealing with this market segment.（我想和大家分享公司处理市场区域的策略。）