Let’s talk about business English, and how English proficiency can help you excel.
1.) What career are you in?
2.) What goods or services does your company or field provide?
3.) How will improving your business English help you at work?
4.) What specific business English skills do you need to work on?
5.) What are your career goals?
Select the topic that you want to work on today!
WRITING
Resumes and Cover Letters:
A short guide to writing resumes and cover letters
Essays:
Essay writing
Emails:
A customer complaint – Put the sentences of the email in order. (Intermediate/Advanced)
Inappropriate emails – How would you rewrite the emails to be more appropriate? (Advanced)
Letters:
Complete the business letter – A phrasal verbs gap fill (Advanced)
SPEAKING AND CONVERSATION
A business dialogue – Add the correct forms of ‘be’ and ‘do’. (Pre-intermediate)
Brainstorming side hustles – A speaking activity about side hustles.
Job Interviews – Behavioural interviewing roll-play
BUSINESS SKILLS
Brainstorming – How to guide
Charts and Graphs – Vocabulary and essay writing practice exercise
FULL LESSON PLANS
Finances and Saving Money – A lesson plan (All levels)
Finances and Loans – A lesson plan (High intermediate/Advanced)
Job Interviews – A lesson plan (Advanced C2)
Labour Unions – A lesson plan (Advanced C1-C2)
Leadership Styles – A lesson plan (High Intermediate/Advanced B2-C2)
Making Difficult Decisions – How do you make decisions?
Media and Business Conversation Lesson – General overview (High Intermediate/Advanced B2-C2)
Shrinkflation and Skimpflation – A listening, reading, and speaking lesson (B2-C2)
Small Talk – A lesson plan (High intermediate/Advanced)
SWOT Analysis – A lesson plan (High intermediate/Advanced)
Renewable Energy – High Intermediate/Advanced)
Unintended Consequences – (High Intermediate/Advanced)
WRITING
Writing Emails:
Exercises for email and letter writing
Linking word practice
LISTENING
Try the Black Friday Listening Quiz! - A 5 minute listening activity and quiz (Advanced)
Business English listening exercises – Comprehension activities from ESL Lounge
Freakonomics Radio – Fabulous, free Podcasts on a wide variety of topics related to economics
Ted Talks – Business section
SPEAKING
Employment Preferences – Put the options in order conversation activity
Business English Role Plays – Scenarios from R2G
READING
Asking about Salary – A reading and comprehension activity (C1-C2)
Investopedia – Lots of interesting articles to learn about the economy
Business Magazine – British Council’s online business magazine
Free Book Center – Full books on a variety of Business topics
The iEconomy: Award winning series of articles on business and technology
Trade and Industry Development – The latest news in business related fields
CULTURE
Negotiations across Cultures – Try the quiz!
Articles about Doing Business across Cultures – A collection
GENERAL BUSINESS ESL
JimmyESL – 20 business English lesson plans on interesting topics
Business English – resources from English Club
Road to Grammar – a great collection of resources
Ashhurst UK Building Your Personal Brand – A self-paced course that you can take in and outside of class time, to practice listening, writing, and conversation
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY FOR BUSINESS
Speakspeak – Exercises by level
Longman Dictionary – Business terms
MORE RESOURCES
Nasdaq – What’s happening in the stock market?
You might also be interested in technology.