Why do we talk about Business English, isn’t English just English? This is a question that causes some disagreement among teachers and learners. It’s true, the language is one for whichever context you need to use it. However, you might have also heard that the more specific you are, the more you narrow down your needs and goals, the easier it will be for you to reach them.
This guide will help you improve your Business English skills and you will be able to witness your own improvement day by day.
1. Make a personalized list
We’ve heard that lists are useless because studying things by heart, I mean, when you memorize things it’s likely that you will forget them. However, if such list contains words and expressions that you use daily in your workplace, it’s going to be useful.
Here’s how you can do it:
Think of 10 terms or expressions that you use daily or frequently at work. You can include the translation, if there is one AND if it helps, but most importantly, you should include one example that is relevant to you. This is the best way of remembering it.
Here’s an example with my field of expertise: teaching.
| WORDS/EXPRESSIONS | TRANSLATION | EXAMPLE |
| Schedule (verb) | Plannen | We can schedule our lessons on a weekly basis. |
| Reach goals | Om doelen te bereiken | I will help you reach your language goals. |
| Feedback | feedback | You will receive constructive feedback. |
| Tailor-made | Op maat | All the courses I offer are tailor-made. |
Hands on!
I invite you to do yours and add new words or expressions so you can expand your list and why not use it as a cheat sheet when needed.
2. Use every opportunity to learn
Business English is about what happens at work, right? Then use every single opportunity to learn.
You’ve got a meeting? Take notes while you’re taking part in it (if you’re not talking, of course) so that you can do some research afterwards.
How?
- When someone says a word or expression you know but you hardly ever use: write it down.
- When you want to say something but don’t do it because you’re afraid you will not say it correctly: write it down.
- When you read a word or expression you don’t understand on a slide someone is sharing: write it down.
Then you can use your own notes to learn from and it will be useful as it will help you prepare yourself better for the next meeting.
3. Read articles related to your field of expertise
It might be quite obvious but I can assure you just a few people do this and it could be of great help.
Do you work in finance? Then read this section on the paper.
Maybe you work on customer service? Type ‘tips and tricks for people working on customer service’.
You work on sales? Search for things such as ‘the secret to be the best salesperson’.
Nowadays, in the Internet era, it’s not hard to find a reliable resource to read from. Although not everything that is available online is worth reading, there are countless options and you will definitely come across terms and expressions you may often use or could use at work.
This is maybe an overlooked but useful option and social platforms for professionals (such as LinkedIn) are also worth checking: what are your fellow colleagues sharing? What sort of language or jargon do they use? You can always learn from others who are on the same boat.
4. Immerse yourself
Many think that if we don’t live in the country where the language is spoken it’s difficult to immerse ourselves but that isn’t true.
Immersing yourself in the language implies doing as many things as possible in the target language – the language you’re learning.
What should you do then?
Reading: We’ve covered that in the previous point. Important reminder though: do not always use the same source. Read from different sources: online articles, an actual newspaper if possible or a magazine, old emails from clients, etc.Listening: There are podcasts everywhere nowadays, even for professionals. You can check out the British Council and choose the one of your interest.
YouTube is another option. You can always find TED Talks which are actually great because there are speakers from all over the world so it will help you refine your listening skills and be exposed to various accents.
Speaking: If you’re already working in an international environment, take every single opportunity to communicate in English. When you grab a coffee, while having lunch, whenever there’s a chance to chat with one of your colleagues, do so!
Writing: Reports, emails, memos. That is what you may need to write in English at work. However, take every other opportunity to use the language in different contexts. Although the sort of language may differ from that one you need to use in the workplace, having the habit of writing in English is great and you will even hesitate less when having to write something more formal in a professional setting.
If you’d like to have someone to put the things that you do on your own into practice, to give you professional feedback and guidance, you can always check language training so that you can actively start working towards your language goals.
The best part? In customized language trainings, the material we use is that one YOU need to use at work. We of course do not display names of confidential information but we work with real things you encounter in your job: real emails, real reports, real products, real notes that you yourself took during the meetings.
Because we’re not talking about a General English Course where we talk about movies or the weather (which is perfectly fine in a different context), we are talking about a personalized plan that guarantees that the topics discussed in our sessions are those you’re trying to get familiar at work. By doing this, you can better prepare and anticipate how you would react or what you would say in the next presentation, phone call or even when chit chatting with a colleague in the corridor. Would you like to have a chat with me to see how I could help? Book a free Let’s Talk
