Learn Business English Online
In the Business world they say ‘time is money’, and it’s true. But time itself is not a commodity that can be bought or exchanged. For many budding entrepreneurs who are trying to improve their English outside of their work schedule, it can be almost impossible to find the time to go to an English language school and take a course.
7 Fantastic Ways to Learn Business English Online
So if time is precious to you, here are 7 wonderful ways to learn Business English online anytime and anywhere in an interesting and educational manner.
1. Learn how to make amazing presentations by watching amazing presentations
Want to improve your listening skills, learn how to make presentations and learn something new in a genuinely interesting way? Then TED is for you. TED is an organisation that sends speakers all over the world to deliver dynamic presentations on a huge range of topics including Business, science and global issues. The speakers, including Richard Branson and Bill Gates, offer great examples of how to give formal presentations. The great thing for English learners is that TED talks are generally short (less than 18 minutes) and come with an English transcript so that you can look for vocabulary you didn’t hear or understand. Choose a Business topic, listen once and make notes, then compare your notes to the transcript.
2. Keep up to date with the Business World every day
If you’re already reading Business news in your own language, why not try to improve your listening skills by listening to a daily podcast of current and trending Business news topics in English? With the BBC’s Business Daily Podcast and Forbes’ Podcast you can listen either online or download the episodes onto your smart phone for your daily commute. The other advantage is that you can pause and rewind parts that you didn’t understand and listen to them again. It’s a great way to build your confidence for the next time you have a meeting or telephone call in English!
3. Read your way to success
One of the most important things for a Business English learner to do is to improve their industry-specific vocabulary, and this can be really difficult if you’re not living and working in an English speaking country. Reading is one of the best ways to discover new vocabulary because you can do it at your own speed, using a dictionary if you need to. Try searching one of the websites below for an article in your field of work, or something that looks interesting, and read the article for the main points. These articles will be rich with authentic words and expressions that are used every day in Business contexts, so search the article for important words and keep note of them. You’re sure to see useful phrases come up again and again.
4. Learn Business English while you Laugh
Instead of spending an hour watching your favorite TV programme in your own language, why don’t you use it to learn Business English online and be entertained at the same time? ‘The Office’ is a comedy show that originated in the United Kingdom and is famous for turning the most basic office interactions into pure comedy gold! There is also a series made in the USA for those who prefer to learn American English. Be aware that the situations and characters are most definitely the worst examples of how to behave in an office environment, but the vocabulary used in the programme is extremely useful. If comedy is not your thing, why don’t you try the series ‘The Apprentice’ for a dose of business reality.
5. Get your grammar up to speed
If you’ve ever read an email from someone in your own language that is full of grammatical errors, you will know how unprofessional it can be. Check that you’ve got your grammar right before writing your emails with this easy to use website full of Business English grammar exercises. Choose a specific grammar point to practice and test yourself by answering questions written for Business-specific situations and conversations. If you feel you don’t understand a grammar point very well, you can also review it with an in depth explanation from Perfect English Grammar. It’s all online so you can practice any time of the day!
6. Lower levels can still learn Business English online
If you’re not feeling quite ready to use the real English resources mentioned above, don’t worry – there are still great resources for improving Business English at a lower level. The BBC’s Learning English department has created a fantastic animated series for Intermediate (B1) levels called ‘English at Work’ which follows a set of characters dealing with everyday office situations. Each episode comes with a list of useful phrases that you will hear, as well as a listening challenge. Watch the animation with English subtitles to see how words and expressions are pronounced – you will soon feel more confident with your English.
7. Learn Business English online with a Native English teacher
While using these fantastic resources online is definitely going to help you on your way to reaching your English goals, one thing that can not be replaced is the opportunity to practice your English with a real life Native English teacher. There are so many things you can do in a lesson with a teacher that you cannot do on a website, such as doing a mock job interview, making a presentation or role-playing a real life work situation. Even more, a real teacher can give you immediate feedback and advice, correct your mistakes and help clarify things that you don’t understand. With an online teacher, you can quickly improve your Business speaking skills from any place and at any time you want.
