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Business English Articles

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Business English is quite simply the English you need to conduct business in a professional manner. It provides you with the skills to write emails, produce reports, make presentations, negotiate with clients, participate in meetings and conferences, write letters and deal with clients on the telephone and in a face-to-face situation.

Who needs a Business English course?
No matter where you live, if you want to get ahead in business you’ll need a working knowledge of English. So, the simple answer is anybody wanting to improve their career prospects needs a Business English course.

How can I improve my English for work?
There are many different ways you can improve your English, including watching English TV shows, having conversations with native speakers and reading English magazines. However, when you are looking to improve your English for work, it is best to make sure that the English you use is professional and business orientated.

Is English the language of Business?
Current figures show that there are 350 million native speakers of English, spreading into at least 100 territories. English has become the main language in the UK, Australia, the USA and South Africa.

Benefits of having a good command of English.
If you choose to change careers, you’ll be able to use your vastly improved written English skills to prepare flawless applications that’ll impress your potential employers. Once you’ve gained an interview you’ll have the chance to impress again with your confidence and fluency in spoken English.

Why good English will help you shine.
Good English is vital for good business. It will help you to: avoid mistakes – if you can make yourself easily understood in English and you can easily understand when others speak to you in English costly mistakes will be avoided, avoid misunderstandings – being able to use good English will mean you don’t have embarrassing misunderstandings with important clients, colleagues or employers.

How do I write a business letter?
Writing excellent business letters is essential. A clear, concise and coherent letter prevents costly misunderstandings and embarrassment. Business letters usually follow a standard format. This ensures that they are easy to write and easy for others to recognise. It also makes it quicker and easier when you want to write more letters.

How to study
Home-study is great! It allows you a huge amount of flexibility so you can fit your study in around your other daily activities. But, it also means you can choose to do no study at all if you just don’t feel like it! So, it is essential that you learn how to plan your time to ensure that you make your study sessions as effective as possible.

Cornell Method of Taking Notes
The Cornell method was devised in the 1950’s by Cornel University lecturer Walter Pauk. It involves condensing and organizing notes using a specific page layout and the completion of several steps.

Study skills
Time is precious, so if you want to make the best of the time you’ve dedicated to studying it’s best to learn what works for you. Some of you will know exactly what you need to do to learn a new piece of information – others have no idea.

Mind mapping
Mind mapping is a two dimensional graphic system of note taking. It is highly effective at helping you remember ideas and solve problems. It is a great way to break up large, complex subjects into smaller more manageable chunks.

Outlining
This is a simple method that involves making lists of the different points related to the central topic and is probably the method you are most familiar with. The main points are numbered, alphabetised or highlighted using bullet points or dashes.

What is a memo?
What is the role of a memo within the office? Well, first it’s important to remember that memos are usually meant for use only within the office and are sent through the internal mail system of the company.

How to set SMART goals
Whether you realise it or not, when you decide to do something you automatically set yourself a goal. Goals can be set for the smallest to the largest of tasks. For example, something as simple as deciding to put your shoes on and go to the shop for a loaf of bread before your favourite soap comes on the television is setting yourself a goal.

Correct business email etiquette
Over the last few years it has become more and more accepted for us to communicate using email. It allows us to contact people from all over the world, at the click of a mouse, and is now considered to be as legitimate as a letter.

10 tips to make your covering letter for your CV look the business!
First let’s think about why we need a covering letter. A CV is pretty impersonal and does not give you the chance to show your personality at all – it is simply a statement of facts about your achievements.

Top Tips for Writing a Press Release
Before explaining how to write a great press release, it’s helpful to know what purpose they serve. Once you know that, it’ll be much easier for you to grasp what details need to be included to make it effective.

Could a Clear Desk Policy Help You?
You may think that having a clear desk will do nothing to help your productivity, but you’d be wrong. Having a clear desk can help you organise not only your work, but your mind as well, so that you get the most out of the time spent at your desk – whether that’s working from home, in an office or studying.

How to Chair a Meeting Successfully
The key to any successful meeting is a competent chair person. But, if you were asked to perform the role, would you know what to do? If you don’t, read on to learn how to make any meeting a success.

What is the right level of formality when sending a work email?
This is a fairly simple question to answer – your business emails should, on the whole, be formal. There are times when you can be a little less formal, but until you know when these are, it’s best not to be too familiar.