Business English is far more social than it sounds. People communicating in an office don’t just talk about accounting and finance. They chat about where to go for lunch, small talk on the elevator and “what’s the deal with new boss? Here are some tips on how to approach studying business English:
- The most effective way to approach business English as an area of study is to first consider what kinds of situations you want to be successful in. If you work in IT, for example, you might want to skip the section on customer service.
- Next, think of the specific skills you need to work on. Do you want to write a killer email or are you struggling with listening & speaking.
- Finally write out a plan with clearly defined goals of the demonstrable skill you want to be in command of.
Small talk is a good place to start. You’ll need these skills if you have a job interview in English, work at an international company or want to do some networking.