Business English Basic
Business English Basic
Business English Basic
Vocabulary
Telephoning
Presentation
BUSINESS
ENGLISH 1
Introduction to Business English
A2 +
CEFR:
A2 - B1
DURATION:
24 Weeks
Course Description
If you are learning English for your job or career, then the Business English Course is for you! It will help
you communicate better in everyday professional situations. This intermediate-level English course
contains 30 lessons focusing on essential vocabulary and practical phrases for the workplace.
The lessons contain video, audio, and text, and there are also plenty of exercises to help you review and
practice your Business English.
The course is divided into three sections:
Business English Basics
Week
Section
Topic
Week 1 Week 8
Week 9 Week 16
Week 17 Week 24
I work at
I work in
I work for
I work with
Youre going to learn when to use each preposition.
I WORK IN
I work in (a place):
I work in an office.
I work in a school.
I work in a factory.
I work in (a city/country):
I work in Paris.
I work in France.
I work in (a department):
I work in sales.
I work in (a general area):
I work in finance.
I work in consulting.
LETS REVIEW:
I work at (a company).
Im going to resign.
Quit is informal, resign is formal, and leave can be formal or informal.
When an old person decides to stop working, the verb for this is retire. In most countries, people retire around
age 65.
Dialogue
This is a conversation between Mark the manager and Jen the new employee.
Mark: Good to see you again Jen.
Jen: Thank you Mark. Good to be here.
Mark: Here is your ID to enter the office. Dont forget it!
Jen: I wont, thanks.
Mark: Let me show you around. The bathrooms are near the reception.
Jen: Where is the boardroom and meeting room?
Mark: They are across from the rest area.
Jen: Is there a pantry here?
Mark: Yes, there is. It is next to the rest area. There is a fridge and sink there.
Jen: Where are our seats?
Mark: Down the hallway and on the left. Lets go over there now.
Jen: Great, thank you.
Practice Drills
Basic Directions
1. Left / Right
2. On the left / right.
3. (Straight / Just go) down the hall / corridor / hallway.
4. Turn left / right.
5. (Just) passed / after the pantry.
6. Take the elevator / escalator to the third floor.
*Tip: Use the map above and your finger to have the student guess the right choice.
Questions Practice (Excuse me, do you know where _______ ?)
1. Excuse me, do you know where the bathroom?
2. Sorry, do you know where meeting room 109 is?
3. Hey Dave, do you know where Tonys office is?
4. Sorry Tom, do you know where the printer room is?
5. Hi Jennifer, do you know where the security and post room is?
*Challenge; Answer with directions and have the student repeat them back.
Follow with your finger on the map (starting point: Reception).
1. Have the student explain how to get to the bathroom.
2. Have the student explain how to get to the pantry.
3. Have the student explain how to get to room #1.
4. Have the student explain how to get to the board room.
5. Have the student explain how to get room #11.
*Tip: You can reverse the exercise after.
Role Plays
One person is the manager, one person is the new hire.
Explain the map above.
Describe your current office.
Describe your dream office.
Describe your current environment layout.
Draw a layout on paper and have the student describe it.
Prep Talk
Do you like your company floor layout? Why, why not?
Does your company often do desk shuffles?
What kind of seating arrangement do you prefer? Cubicle. open, private office, or?
Dialogue
This is a conversation between Scott the manager and John the new employee in HR.
Scott: Good to see you again John. Here, this is your temporary security badge.
John: Thanks Scott, I have been looking forward.
Scott: Our department is on the 12th floor. Lets head up there now. Swipe your badge on the turnstile to get
in.
(After riding the lift)
Scott: When you get out the elevator, just turn right and enter the doors. Youll need your ID to get through.
John: Sure no problem. What if I forget?
Scott: Youll need to talk security on the ground floor. Theyll issue you a temporary ID. Right so over here
turn left. This is our department. We also need special security clearance to enter so you will need to swipe
your badge again. Your desk is just down this hall and on the left. You can find me in my office across from
your cubicle. Stop by anytime. My door is always open. Let me know if you have any problems too. Cheers.
John: Thanks Scott, I appreciate that.
Dialogue Check
1. What was John issued?
2. Which floor is their seating on?
3. What do they swipe their ID on?
4. What do they need to enter the department?
5. Where does Scott sit?
Practice Drills
Basic Directions
1. Head up to the 12th floor.
2. Make a quick right after the pantry.
3. After the first room, turn left.
4. It is just around that corner.
5. Take the escalator and its right there.
6. Soon as you exit the door, you will see in on the right.
Questions Practice (Could you tell me where _______ ?)
1. Excuse me, could you tell me where the bathroom?
ASKING FOR THE CALLER'S NAME AND NUMBER:Could I have your name and number, please?
Could you give me your name and number, please?
CHECKING THE INFORMATION:Could you spell that, please?
Can I just check that again, please?
Could you repeat that, please?
Introducing
yourself
Asking to speak
someone
Connecting
with
someone
Making special
requests
Hello? (informal)
Thank you for calling Boyz Autobody. Jody speaking. How can I help
you?
Doctor's office.
Hey George. It's Lisa calling. (informal)
Hello, this is Julie Madison calling.
Hi, it's Gerry from the dentist's office here.
This is she.*
Speaking.*
*The person answering says this if the caller does not recognize their
voice.
Is Fred in? (informal)
Is Jackson there, please? (informal)
Can I talk to your sister? (informal)
May I speak with Mr. Green, please?
Would the doctor be in/available?
Just a sec. I'll get him. (informal)
Hang on one second. (informal)
Please hold and I'll put you through to his office.
One moment please.
All of our operators are busy at this time. Please hold for the next
available person.
Could you please repeat that?
Would you mind spelling that for me?
Could you speak up a little please?
Taking a message
someone
Can you speak a little slower please. My English isn't very strong.
Can you call me back? I think we have a bad connection.
Can you please hold for a minute? I have another call.
for
Leaving a message
with someone
Confirming
information
Listening to an
answering machine
Leaving a message on
an answering
machine
Finishing a
conversation
7. call back
1. hold on
means wait
8. pick up
means to answer a call / lift the receiver to take a
call
4. get through
Hold on means wait and hang on means wait too. Be careful not to confuse hang on with hang
up! Hang up means finish the call by breaking the connection in other words: put the phone down.
Another phrasal verb with the same meaning as hang up is ring off, but this isnt as commonly used as
some of the other phrasal verbs listed above.
The opposite of hang up / ring off is ring up if you ring somebody up, you make a phone call. And if
you pick up the phone (or pick the phone up), you answer a call when the phone rings.
Hang on a second
If you are talking to a receptionist, secretary or switchboard operator, they may ask you to hang on while
they put you through put through means to connect your call to another telephone. With this verb, the
object (you, me, him, her etc.) goes in the middle of the verb: put you through.
But if you cant get through to (contact on the phone) the person you want to talk to, you might be able to
leave a message asking them to call you back.
Call back means to return a phone call and if you use an object (you, me, him, her, etc.), it goes in the
middle of the verb: call you back.
This script was created by a cost-reduction company for use with C-level executives and can easily be
adapted to virtually any product or service.
By the way, the most important part of this post is the final word of warning--so be sure to read all the way
to the bottom.
Here's the script, with explanations of each element:
Hi, John. Jim here from Acme Cost Control.
Identify yourself immediately, or the contact will hang up on you.
Did I catch you at an OK time?
This question demonstrates respect for the person's time and an understanding that your phone call is not
the only thing on his or her plate for the day. You may feel that asking this question sets you up to hear a
no, but don't worry: Whether someone says yes or no or "No, but go ahead," the next statement makes
the response entirely moot.
John, I'm sure you're busy and I want to respect your time, so I'll be brief.
This statement still allows you to continue regardless of how the person initially responded to you, rather
than scheduling another time to call. This is a good thing, because you've finally got a prospect on the
phone, so the last thing you want to do is hang up and attempt to catch him or her again.
The reason for my call is this. We just saved Universal Transport an additional $12 million in shipping costs, so I
thought it was important enough to let you know, since every company has an obligation to their customers and
shareholders to reduce expenses.
The purpose of these sentences is to create a compelling reason for the person on the other end to
continue the conversation. Note that you've said nothing abouthow the benefit was achieved. At this point,
the customer doesn't care about your specific product; the customer only wants to know what to expect if
the conversation continues.
Now, you may be wondering if we can do this for you, too. Well, depending on what you're currently doing, I don't
know if you have a need for our services.
This eliminates a potentially adversarial posture, lowers the person's resistance, and brings down his or
her guard. It lets customers know you're not trying to force down their throat something they may not need
or may not be ready for.
But with your permission, let's talk for a few minutes to determine if there is anything we're doing that you could
benefit from.
This statement opens up a dialogue so you can get permission from the prospect to have a preliminary
conversation.
Would you be comfortable spending just a few minutes with me on the phone now, if I stick to this timetable?
This establishes a timeline, letting the prospect know that you're taking accountability for the length of the
call, that you respect the person's time and won't keep him or her on the phone.
Once you have gotten permission to continue, you now have a prospective customer engaged in a
conversation with you--and you can then determine whether there's a good fit.
Remember: Have a Conversation
One final, important note: Do not read the script, under any circumstances. Instead, practice the script as
written, and then practice it from memory--so that the words emerge naturally, as if you just thought of
them, the moment you began speaking.
This is what great stage actors do. They rehearse until the words are "part of them"--then, when they
speak lines they've spoken on stage 100 or even 1,000 times before, each performance seems fresh and
exciting.
Also, when you ask a question as part of the conversation, stop and actually listen to the customer. Don't
plow through like a carnival pitchman. This is about having a conversation, not about getting the words out
of your mouth.
SUMMARY
To sum up
So to summarise the main points of my talk
Just a quick recap of my main points
INVITING QUESTIONS
Does have anyone have any questions?
I will be happy to answer your questions now
If you have any questions, please dont hesitate to ask
If you have any further questions, I will be happy to talk to you at the end.
CONCLUSION
Id like to conclude by
That brings me to the end of my presentation, thank for listening / for your attention.
Thank you all for listening, it was a pleasure being here today.
Well thats it from me. Thanks very much.