Everyday conversations (pdf) - American English. Business and Professional English Adrian Pilbeam, Nina O’Driscoll, Sara Helm, Rebecca Utteridge and A. Robin Widdowson This range of Market Leader specialist titles extends the scope of the Market Leader series and allows teachers to focus on the reading skills and vocabulary development required for specifi c areas of business.

• Business English Course For Beginners Pdf
• Free Business English For Beginners
• Business English For Beginners Pdf

Do you need to use your English skills for your job or business soon?

I’m just taking a guess, since you are reading this blog post.

I can also guess that you might be a little worried about using English for business.

Well, I have good news for you. In many ways, doing business in English can be easier than having a casual conversation in English.

Even though having conversations, surfing the internet and doing some casual reading in English can all be fun activities, a lot of different topics can come up. There is a lot of variety in vocabulary and grammar out there. You never know what to expect. Things can get confusing.

When you are speaking business English, you have a goal. You have some specific information to tell someone or to ask about. The person you are talking or writing to wants to reach the same goals as you. They want to solve the same problem that you want to solve. They want to share information with you. In a way, you are both on the same team and working together.

Since you probably have the same goals, you don’t have to worry as much about grammar or little mistakes. You can just focus on communicating well and getting the job done.

Before talking about ways to communicate effectively, let me tell you about the places and situations where you can expect to use business English. It can actually be very useful outside the office!

Types of Business English

Even if you do not need to use English for business every day, it can be useful for other reasons. For example, you might use business English when traveling or contacting customer support for a product you purchased. Many companies only offer customer support in English, so good communication skills can really help you get things done.

Business English at Your Job

If you are lucky enough to work for an international company, you may have to speak English to coworkers around the office, or even read and write memos in English so that everyone can understand.

Even if your company is not international, you may have to write emails or faxes to colleagues in other countries. When you travel or attend conferences, speaking good business English will help you make international business connections.

In some companies, you might even have a lot of customers who can only use English. People working in international sales may do what is called “cold calling” in English. That is when you call or contact people that you don’t know to sell them something or ask questions.

When you gain confidence, you can continue working towards becoming a business English rock star by strengthening your skills.

Business English at Home

It may seem strange to think that you can use business English at home, but there are a lot of chances to do this no matter where you live.

If you live in an international community, English can often be the “lingua franca,” or a common language with which everyone can communicate.

Even if you are living in a place where people do not usually use English, there are plenty of companies that only have customer service in English. When you call them for help, you will be able to explain your problem or question. Using a little business English can help you solve a problem, get a refund or get help with something.

As you can see, these days a little business English can be useful for anyone.

6 Simple Tips for Business English Beginners

Business English Course For Beginners Pdf

1. Relax

This is the most important piece of advice I can give to both beginners and advanced learners. You should always be thinking: “no sweat, no stress.” It is perfectly normal to be nervous when using another language, but being calm can help you think clearly and get the job done.

Remember that business English is a little different from the casual English you use with your friends. In fact, in many ways it can be easier. In a professional situation, communicating well is more important than getting every grammar detail right.

It is more important that you can express your ideas clearly and speak with confidence. That means you do not have to worry about details like pronunciation and when to use a comma. In business English you have a goal, a reason and sometimes a problem to work together to solve. Overwatch key activation download.

Just relax, breathe, feel good about yourself and keep talking.

2. Be direct

If you asked your friend to lend you a book and she gave you the wrong one, you might write her an email like this to tell her about it:

“Hey. How are you doing today? Lunch last week was great, let’s do it again soon. By the way, I hate to bother you about this, but the book you gave me last week was the wrong one. I already read that one. I hope it’s not too much trouble, but could you give me the other one when I see you at work tomorrow? Thank you!”

As you can see, it took a lot of words to be friendly and tell your friend that you got the wrong book. You were being very friendly and nice. This is great among friends, but it is better (and easier) to be direct in business English. For example, that same message sent to a business should look something like this:

“Good morning. We ordered a book from you last week. We received the wrong book and would like to exchange it. Please contact us as soon as possible.”

It is often said that “time is money.” This is very true with businesses. People working in business do not have time to read long emails with lots of nice words.

Writing direct sentences is a great way to save both time and money. It may not sound too friendly, but a direct message shows people that you respect and value their time. It is easy for a person reading a short, direct email because they can easily know the facts and work on solving the problem.

3. Keep it simple

When you talk to friends, you can joke and change the subject. In business English, it is best to be direct.

Don’t say anything extra. Stick to one topic at a time. Simpler words are usually better. Shorter sentences that have a clear focus are easier for everyone to understand. Luckily, you usually don’t need to use difficult TOEFL words in your business emails.

Also, you usually don’t need to repeat yourself, especially when what you need to say is simple and short. Repeating yourself can actually confuse people sometimes if they think you are saying something new. When you are communicating by email or in writing, they can always re-read what you wrote if they need to—but you want them to understand everything the first time.

If you use simple sentences and simple language, everyone will know exactly what you want. That means they will know exactly how they can help you, and they can start doing it faster.

4. Explain the topic you want to discuss

Life at a company can be very busy. People may not remember everything. It is always be helpful to remind them what you are calling or emailing to talk about!

“I’m calling about the email I sent you last Tuesday.”

“We ordered 25 pens. The order number is #1234-A…”

When you give a little information, everyone can follow the rest of what you say. They will understand the situation even if you get nervous or make a few mistakes. However, imagine getting a fax that just says:

“We need 2 more, you only sent 23.”

The message above is short and direct, but it is very confusing because we do not know what was ordered, when it was ordered or how to find that information easily. I am sure that the problem will be worked out in time, but it will be easier if everyone has all of the important information. This is why you should always start a conversation by clearly providing any important information about the topic of conversation.

This is especially important when using the phone and making business calls. Using business English on the phone can be the most challenging part of business English. However, if you keep all these hints in mind you will do fine.

4. Ask if you want to know something

Communication has to work both ways. If you don’t understand something, you can ask for more information. For example, let’s say that you get an email that says:

“We are not sure if we received it. Can you give us the POS?”

You might not know what they mean by “POS.” This means “Proof of Shipping” in this case. There is nothing wrong with asking them what it means. For example:

“Thank you for your response. Could you tell me what you mean by “POS”?”

There is no reason to worry about asking questions because everyone has the same goal and wants to solve the problem. Also, the next time someone asks you for a package’s “POS,” you will be ready.

5. Organize what you want to say

There are many ways to do this:

• When writing use bullet points (like I am doing now!).

• When speaking, you can use eye contact and even gestures to help people understand and remember what you are saying.

• If you ask questions, be clear and straight so that you can find out what you need. Ask one question at a time. Do not ask another question until you get the first question’s answer.

• If the email or conversation is long, you can briefly repeat the important points or questions at the end.

Using bullet points or a list the way I mentioned above is very useful when you have more than one question to ask or answer. It is perfectly fine to list numbers for the questions you need answered:

“I have three questions about our recent order:

1. When was the order sent?

2. What is the tracking number?

3. What is the next step if the item is lost?”

The above questions are very clear and should be very easy for someone to answer. Some people may even use your numbers to answer more clearly:

“The answer to question 2 is…”

6. Keep improving

It is a challenge to use English at work, but you can also improve very quickly. You can make a list of words you use often. You can copy the sentences that other people use and use them the next time. Use dictionaries. Use your best friend, Google, to find sample sentences you can use.

Continue improving your business English vocabulary, and don’t let yourself worry about little mistakes.

It is important to notice how you improve. This will give you even more confidence.

And always be proud of yourself for getting the job done…in English!

Jason Tomes is bilingual in Japanese and English. He has used his language skills to work in several different industries, and has also had the pleasure to teach both English and Japanese to students from multiple linguistic and cultural backgrounds, of ages ranging from 3 to 83.

Free Business English For Beginners

If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn English with real-world videos.

When it comes to business English, you may still be a beginner.

That is okay!

Everybody has to start somewhere.

Your coworkers who are fluent in English today have not been fluent their whole lives. Even the native English speakers had to study English for many years in school!

You may not even be sure about the difference between business English and “regular” English.

It is simple, really.

Business English focuses on vocabulary, phrases, grammar patterns and conversation topics you will likely hear at work or in business meetings.

To be a pro at using English at work, you will still have to continue to learn regular English. Studying business English will just help you learn business-specific things.

You can improve your workplace English by playing games online, watching the business news channel on television and other fun stuff. However, you need to make a game plan if you want to take your study of business English seriously. These tips can help you do that.

1. Get Some Basic Conversation Skills

Being good at English is about more than just talking. You have to be able to listen and comprehend what people are saying as well.

In the workplace, this means talking with colleagues, clients and vendors.

Here are some basic conversation skills that will help you improve your business English when speaking with people at work:

• Listen before you respond. A lot of people start thinking about their responses before another person is finished speaking. This is distracting, particularly when you are a beginner. You might stop paying attention to the person who is speaking, because you are too busy thinking about what to say! So, do not start stressing about what you will say until you hear everything that the other person has to say. Doing this will allow you to focus on what is being said and, hopefully, this will help you learn from the vocabulary and grammar they use. Try to understand their message completely. By understanding completely, it will be easier to think of an answer.

• Go slow. Now that it is your turn to talk, do not feel in a rush to speak. Think through what you are going to say, and try to include any newly learned vocabulary words and phrases for good practice.

• Ask for help. Most likely, the person you are speaking with is aware that you are not a native English speaker. Politely ask for help when you need it. Ask a colleague to clarify things you do not understand. Clarify means to explain something so it is clearly understood. You can also ask the person to help correct you when you make a mistake.

2. Practice at Home

If you want to improve your business English, you are going to have to spend time outside of your office hours doing so. This usually means practicing at home in your free time. There are many ways to do this:

• Listen to business conversations. You do not have to be around your colleagues to hear business talk. You can listen to great podcasts or watch the business channel. As far as TV goes, “The Profit” and “Shark Tank” are good choices for beginners.

FluentU is an especially helpful tool to hear real business English, the way native speakers actually use it. FluentU takes real-world English videos such as business talks, meetings and news, and turns them into language learning experiences.

It’s got a huge collection of authentic English videos, as you can see here:

FluentU even has an entire business category filled with authentic business-related videos, including everything from “Business Buzzwords” to “What Warren Buffet Thinks About Cash.” There are six language levels including lower intermediate and upper intermediate.

But you don’t just sit and watch the videos. FluentU transforms them into personalized language lessons.

You’ll find clickable subtitles as well as an integrated dictionary, review opportunities and progress tracking tools.

All you have to do is tap or click on one of the words in those subtitles to get more information. For example, if you tap on the word “brought,” you’ll see this:

Plus, these great videos are all accompanied by interactive features and active learning tools, like multimedia flashcards and fun games like “fill in the blank.”

It’s the perfect tool for intermediate business English learners to practice using the language just like native speakers do. You can check out the full video library online or on the FluentU mobile app.

• Review potential speaking topics. Study words and phrases unique for specific situations. For example, if you know that you are going to have a meeting about a product launch, then you will want to study relevant words. You will want to learn things like:

Positioning: How you want to present a product in the market.

Launch Date: The day that the product will be in the market.

Building Buzz: Getting people to talk about the product, usually before the launch.

• Practice in front of the mirror. Once you have learned some phrases, you need to practice them. If you do not have someone to practice with, you can stand in front of the mirror and talk to yourself! This way you can see how you come across when you are speaking English. How you come across is the way people see you and/or how they feel about you when you speak. Do you come across as nervous, shy or insecure? Try to change your posture and facial expressions so you look more confident!

3. Practice Reading and Writing

Business English is not all about speaking and listening during conversations.

Written English is likely to be more formal and perhaps include more difficult words. The only way to improve your English reading and writing for business situations is to do it more often. Luckily, you can practice reading and writing at your own pace, and take the time to learn all kinds of new words you read.

• Read and Write Emails. Ask a tutor to proofread emails for you and to point out your mistakes. You can do this before you send important emails. When you read emails sent by others, look up, write down and practice your writing using any unfamiliar words. This will help you build your vocabulary.

• Read Business Reports. Your company is likely to produce multiple reports throughout the year. Practice reading reports by reading those. You can also find reports produced by other companies on the Internet. Most companies make annual reports public in a PDF format.

Tip: If you find the reports too difficult, even reading information found on various company websites will help you learn basic information and vocabulary words.

If writing in English is a very important skill for your work, then you should consider taking a course specifically about writing in English. Inklyo is one top-quality resource for students of English, especially those who need to write for professional purposes. They offer both courses and books that are dedicated to writing topics, like sentence structure, grammar, punctuation and business writing.

4. Learn Common Business Phrases and Vocabulary Words

Make a list of around 15-30 words and phrases you have heard or read each week and focus on mastering them. If you try to learn more than that, you are more likely to forget what you have learned.

To jump-start your business English learning for this week, we have compiled some important words and phrases for you to learn:

Phrases

• Cut-throat: Very competitive and/or ruthless. In other words, only one or some will survive.

The recruitment process is very cut-throat. I don’t know if I’ll make it through round one.

• Hand-in-hand: Two things that go together well.

Our sales figures and marketing efforts go hand-in-hand. If we stop marketing, our sales are likely to drop.

• ASAP: This is an acronym for “As Soon As Possible.” Read either as Ay-sap or Ay-Es-Ay-Pee.

I need you to send me the sample pieces ASAP, so please don’t delay it any further.

• At stake: Something that is at risk or faces danger.

If this deal falls through then my reputation as the best salesman in the district is at stake.

• Raise the bar: Increase the standards.

His high performance will raise the bar for all of us.

Vocabulary

• Profit: The amount of money earned after subtracting spending such as operational costs.

Now that we sell more products, we are seeing higher profits.

• Loss: If a business does not earn back how much it spent, then it is a loss.

We had a big loss because we ordered 3000 books but we only sold 200.

• Competition: A business who is doing the same or similar kind of business as you.

That company sells the same kind of clothes as we do so they are our biggest competition in the area.

• Debt: Money you borrow and owe someone or a bank.

We will not take a loan bigger than $100,000 because I don’t want to have too much debt to pay off.

• Invoice: A bill that lists goods or services bought.

The invoice the graphic designer sent us for last month’s work totaled at around $2500.

• Promotion: Getting placed in a higher position at work.

I was a sales representative, but I got a promotion so now I’m the sales manager.

• Promotion: A discount or sale.

I got 30% off because there was a special summer promotion going on.

• Vendor: Someone who offers an item or service for sale.

We still have to pay the cement vendor who we used for the construction site on 5^th avenue.

• Contract: A legal agreement.

We made a contract with the vendor to use his services from now until July.

• Salary: The amount of money an employee is paid by a company.

Business English For Beginners Pdf

I won’t accept a salary that’s below $70,000 unless there are great benefits.

• Budget: The amount of income in a certain period of time, used to pay off expenses.

We have kept a good budget and never spend more than we make, so we aren’t in debt.

• Occupation: What a person does for a job.

I asked him his occupation and he said he was a lawyer at a big company.

By following these simple tips, you can start improving your business English today.

Make a plan and stick to it.

Soon, you will be a professional at using English at work.

If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn English with real-world videos.