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1.1: Chapter 1 – Developing a Business Plan

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Page ID 21274

Lee A. Swanson
University of Saskatchewan

Learning Objectives

After completing this chapter, you will be able to

Describe the purposes for business planning
Describe common business planning principles
Explain common business plan development guidelines and tools
List and explain the elements of the business plan development process
Explain the purposes of each element of the business plan development process
Explain how applying the business plan development process can aid in developing a business plan that will meet entrepreneurs’ goals

This chapter describes the purposes, principles, and the general concepts and tools for business planning, and the process for developing a business plan.

Purposes for Developing Business Plans

Business plans are developed for both internal and external purposes. Internally, entrepreneurs develop business plans to help put the pieces of their business together. Externally, the most common purpose is to raise capital.

Internal Purposes

As the road map for a business’s development, the business plan

Defines the vision for the company
Establishes the company’s strategy
Describes how the strategy will be implemented
Provides a framework for analysis of key issues
Provides a plan for the development of the business
Helps the entrepreneur develop and measure critical success factors
Helps the entrepreneur to be realistic and test theories

External Purposes

The business plan provides the most complete source of information for valuation of the business. Thus, it is often the main method of describing a company to external audiences such as potential sources for financing and key personnel being recruited. It should assist outside parties to understand the current status of the company, its opportunities, and its needs for resources such as capital and personnel.

Business Plan Development Principles

Hindle and Mainprize (2006) suggested that business plan writers must strive to effectively communicate their expectations about the nature of an uncertain future and to project credibility. The liabilities of newness make communicating the expected future of new ventures much more difficult than for existing businesses. Consequently, business plan writers should adhere to five specific communication principles .

First, business plans must be written to meet the expectations of targeted readers in terms of what they need to know to support the proposed business. They should also lay out the milestones that investors or other targeted readers need to know. Finally, writers must clearly outline the opportunity , the context within the proposed venture will operate (internal and external environment), and the business model (Hindle & Mainprize, 2006).

There are also five business plan credibility principles that writers should consider. Business plan writers should build and establish their credibility by highlighting important and relevant information about the venture team . Writers need to elaborate on the plans they outline in their document so that targeted readers have the information they need to assess the plan’s credibility. To build and establish credibility, they must integrate scenarios to show that the entrepreneur has made realistic assumptions and has effectively anticipated what the future holds for their proposed venture. Writers need to provide comprehensive and realistic financial links between all relevant components of the plan. Finally, they must outline the deal , or the value that targeted readers should expect to derive from their involvement with the venture (Hindle & Mainprize, 2006).

General Guidelines for Developing Business Plans

Many businesses must have a business plan to achieve their goals. Using a standard format helps the reader understand that the you have thought everything through, and that the returns justify the risk. The following are some basic guidelines for business plan development.

As You Write Your Business Plan

1. If appropriate, include nice, catchy, professional graphics on your title page to make it appealing to targeted readers, but don’t go overboard.

2. Bind your document so readers can go through it easily without it falling apart. You might use a three-ring binder, coil binding, or a similar method. Make sure the binding method you use does not obscure the information next to where it is bound.

3. Make certain all of your pages are ordered and numbered correctly.

4. The usual business plan convention is to number all major sections and subsections within your plan using the format as follows:

1. First main heading

1.1 First subheading under the first main heading

1.1.1. First sub-subheading under the first subheading

2. Second main heading

2.1 First subheading under the second main heading

Use the styles and references features in Word to automatically number and format your section titles and to generate your table of contents. Be sure that the last thing you do before printing your document is update your automatic numbering and automatically generated tables. If you fail to do this, your numbering may be incorrect.

5. Prior to submitting your plan, be 100% certain each of the following requirements are met:

Everything must be completely integrated. The written part must say exactly the same thing as the financial part.
All financial statements must be completely linked and valid. Make sure all of your balance sheets balance.
Everything must be correct. There should be NO spelling, grammar, sentence structure, referencing, or calculation errors.
Your document must be well organized and formatted. The layout you choose should make the document easy to read and comprehend. All of your diagrams, charts, statements, and other additions should be easy to find and be located in the parts of the plan best suited to them.
In some cases it can strengthen your business plan to show some information in both text and table or figure formats. You should avoid unnecessary repetition , however, as it is usually unnecessary—and even damaging—to state the same thing more than once.
You should include all the information necessary for readers to understand everything in your document.
The terms you use in your plan should be clear and consistent. For example, the following statement in a business plan would leave a reader completely confused: “There is a shortage of 100,000 units with competitors currently producing 25,000. We can help fill this huge gap in demand with our capacity to produce 5,000 units.”

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6 Teaching Business English Lesson Plans for All Learner Levels

Krzl light nuñes.

May 31, 2022

From learning corporate terms to mastering expressions for negotiating, Business English is brimming with topics on how students can thrive in the workplace. Teaching each concept, however, requires thorough planning and choosing the most effective materials and methods. Whether you’re new to teaching professionals or are a seasoned Business English teacher looking to design better classes, here are some teaching Business English lesson plans you can use for different types of learners.

Learn more about what teaching Business English entails.

Table of Contents

What are some tips for teaching Business English lessons?

Before you get started in mapping your Business English classes out, here are some pointers to keep in mind when specializing in this ELT niche :

Make sure that you know your students’ backgrounds. Where do they work? What are they responsible for? How do they use English at work? Conduct a needs assessment before launching into your course.
Get your learners comfortable before you start your lessons by using icebreakers , Business English games , and other warm-up activities .
Provide vocabulary and practice activities that students will be able to use at their actual jobs.
Prioritize skills that your learners need at work. If they often meet with offshore clients, for example, business meeting phrases should be one of the first lessons you teach.
Better define your lesson objectives and teaching strategies by making use of Bloom’s taxonomy , which classifies cognitive skills.

Consider these additional strategies, from the Bridge Specialized Certification in Teaching Business English course , when planning your overall curriculum, as well as your individual lesson plans:

Business English lessons for beginners

These free Business English lesson plans are great for professional students with a lower level of English. They can be used in both online and in-person classes.

Find out how to get a job teaching Business English.

Lesson plan #1: Types of companies

Lesson topic: Types of companies

Lesson objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe different types of companies and say the products or services each one produces or provides.

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PowerPoint slides containing 10 logos of different companies and pictures of different types of companies

Lesson plan #2: Staying at a hotel

Lesson topic: Staying at a hotel

Lesson objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to make requests and ask for information in a hotel.

PowerPoint slides containing a list of expressions for booking a room, checking in, and asking about hotel services
An audio file or video of a hotel receptionist and guest ( like this one )

Business English lessons for intermediate learners

The following teaching Business English lesson plans are great for intermediate learners who already have a thorough understanding of basic English concepts.

Lesson plan #3: Modals of obligation, necessity, and prohibition

Lesson topic: Modals of obligation, necessity, and prohibition

Lesson objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to talk about the rules in their workplace using the modals of obligation, necessity, and prohibition.

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Lesson plan #4: Making a request by email

Lesson topic: Making a request by email

Lesson objectives : By the end of the lesson, students will be able to write a formal email to make a request.

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An example of a professional email chain

In a recent BridgeUniverse Expert Series webinar , panelists discussed how Business English teachers can tackle the topic of writing business emails with their students. For additional lesson plan ideas, check out what these experts had to say:

Business English lessons for advanced learners

Lastly, these teaching Business English lesson plans should ideally be used with advanced students who are looking to take their language skills to the ultimate level: fluency.

Lesson plan #5: Working with people from different cultures

Lesson topic: Working with people from different cultures

Lesson objectives : By the end of the lesson, students will be able to talk about their experiences working with people from other countries and give advice on cross-cultural work relationships.

Handouts (or PowerPoint slides) of the article “10 Ways to Work Effectively Across Cultures”

If you’re struggling when it comes to incorporating classroom tasks like those outlined in these free Business English lesson plans, take a look at the following video from the Specialized Certification in Teaching Business English course . It offers tips for conducting task-based learning in a Business English classroom:

Lesson plan #6: Creative presentations

Lesson topic: Creative presentations

Lesson objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to present a product, a service, or an idea creatively.

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Teaching professional students is one of the most rewarding ELT niches to pursue, as these students are highly motivated individuals. With the right teaching Business English lesson plans, you can be sure you’re meeting stakeholder expectations and helping your students succeed.

Learn the 21st-century skills and tools you need to effectively teach English to professionals by earning Specialized Certification in Teaching Business English.

Back in her hometown in the Philippines, Krzl worked as a writer at a TV station before moving to Chile. After she completed her TESOL certification, she worked for language institutes and then decided to become an independent English teacher to business professionals. When she’s not giving classes, she’s either surfing along Chile’s long stretch of coastline, traveling, or practicing photography by the beach.

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Teaching adults

English for business

Here you can find a wide range of full lesson plans to use in your business English classroom. All of our lessons are designed around functional skills for business learners and can be used to complement your course curriculum, giving students an opportunity to develop their English language and skills in motivating and enjoyable ways. Written by business English language teaching experts from around the world, our lesson plans are easy to use and aim to give your students the skills and confidence they need to enjoy learning English.

Meetings 1: Getting down to business

The beginning of a meeting presents a major dilemma: is it better to get straight down to business, or is it important to allow or even encourage small talk? The texts in this lesson present arguments from opposing viewpoints, which may help students to question their own assumptions. The lesson goes on to introduce useful language for both small talk and getting down to business, with practice in the form of role-plays.

Negotiations 1: Building relationships

When we think of negotiations, we tend to focus on the hard negotiating skills connected with bargaining. In fact, many professional negotiators will confirm that the most important skill is effective relationship building.

Socialising 1: Breaking the ice

For many people, the idea of walking into a room full of strangers and trying to socialise with them can be terrifying, especially if you have to use a foreign language. The barriers to ‘breaking the ice’ in a situation like this are just as much psychological as linguistic, which is why this lesson aims to get students thinking about the situation (through a quiz-based discussion and jigsaw reading) as much as speaking and practicing the skill of starting conversations with strangers.

Meetings 2: Getting involved in meetings

Many learners of English worry about their mistakes and allow their insecurities to prevent them from participating in meetings fully. This lesson provides reassurance that such insecurities are very common and normal. It also presents some strategies for increasing their confidence and ability to participate actively in meetings in English. The lesson also warns students that they themselves are responsible for overcoming this barrier to communication. There is also some guidance for learners with the opposite problem: overconfidence and dominance. It is suitable for a wide range of professional contexts, not just businesspeople.

Socialising 2: Keeping conversations going

After struggling to break the ice, the next obstacle is to keep the conversation going beyond the initial conversation. For this reason, this lesson aims to provide students with a bank of around 15 questions that they would feel comfortable asking in a conversation with a new acquaintance. They will also learn more general techniques involving different types of questions and the skill of turn-taking. Finally, they will practise all the skills from the lesson in a role-play game.

Meetings 3: Managing a meeting

This lesson focuses on two important aspects of managing a meeting: setting up the meeting with a series of emails, and keep the meeting under control. Two other important parts of managing a meeting, introducing the meeting and closing the meeting, are covered in lessons 1 and 5.

Negotiations 2: Positions and interests

The key to successful negotiation is preparation and research. This means finding out exactly what you want from the negotiation, and why you want it. This lesson includes a discussion, vocabulary input, a reading activity, useful language for negotiation, team problem solving and a role play in pairs.

Meetings 4: Brainstorming and evaluating

Since its development in the 1950s, brainstorming has become one of the most common techniques used in meetings to generate ideas. However, despite its clear benefits, the technique has its faults and many improvements have been suggested and analysed. This lesson aims to provide practice of brainstorming at the same time as exploring possible improvements. The second half of the lesson focuses on the necessary follow-up to brainstorming: evaluating ideas. This means the lesson covers two of the key language functions of meetings: making suggestions and agreeing/disagreeing.

Negotiations 3: Questioning and clarifying

In a negotiation, it’s very important to know when to speak, when to ask and when to shut up and listen. In this lesson students rank and discuss the stages of negotiation, do a reading activity and look at negotiations vocabulary, examine question types, then finish with a role play to practise clarifying, summarising and responding.

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Business Planning - Introduction

Last updated 22 Mar 2021

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The business plan sets out how the owners/managers of a business intend to realise its objectives. Without such a plan a business is likely to drift.

The business plan serves several purposes:it

(1) enables management to think through the business in a logical and structured way and to set out the stages in the achievement of the business objectives.

(2) enables management to plot progress against the plan (through the management accounts)

(3) ensures that both the resources needed to carry out the strategy and the time when they are required are identified.

(4) is a means for making all employees aware of the business's direction (assuming the key features of the business plan are communicated to employees)

(5) is an important document for for discussion with prospective investors and lenders of finance (e.g. banks and venture capitalists).

(6) links into the detailed, short-term, one-year budget.

The Link Between the Business Plan and the Budget

A budget can be defined as "a financial or quantitative statement", prepared for a specific accounting period (typically a year), containing the plans and policies to be pursued during that period.

The main purposes of a budget are:

(1) to monitor business unit and managerial performance (the latter possibly linking into bonus arrangements)

(2 )to forecast the out-turn of the period's trading (through the use of flexed budgets and based on variance analyses)

(3 )to assist with cost control.

Generally, a functional budget is prepared for each functional area within a business (e.g. call-centre, marketing, production, research and development, finance and administration). In addition, it is also normal to produce a "capital budget" detailing the capital investment required for the period, a "cash flow budget", a "stock budget" and a "master budget", which includes the budgeted profit and loss account and balance sheet.

Preparing a Business Plan

A business plan has to be particular to the organisation in question, its situation and time. However, a business plan is not just a document, to be produced and filed. Business planning is a continuous process. The business plan has to be a living document, constantly in use to monitor, control and guide the progress of a business. That means it should be under regular review and will need to be amended in line with changing circumstances.

Before preparing the plan management should: - review previous business plans (if any) and their outcome. This review will help highlight which areas of the business have proved difficult to forecast historically. For example, are sales difficult to estimate? If so why? - be very clear as to their objectives - a business plan must have a purpose - set out the key business assumptions on which their plans will be based (e.g. inflation, exchange rates, market growth, competitive pressures, etc.) - take a critical look at their business. The classical way is by means of the strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) analysis, which identifies the business's situation from four key angles. The strategies adopted by a business will be largely based on the outcome of this analysis.

Preparing the Budget

A typical business plan looks up to three years forward and it is normal for the first year of the plan to be set out in considerable detail. This one-year plan, or budget, will be prepared in such a way that progress can be regularly monitored (usually monthly) by checking the variance between the actual performance and the budget, which will be phased to take account of seasonal variations.

The budget will show financial figures (cash, profit/loss working capital, etc) and also non-financial items such as personnel numbers, output, order book, etc. Budgets can be produced for units, departments and products as well as for the total organisation. Budgets for the forthcoming period are usually produced before the end of the current period. While it is not usual for budgets to be changed during the period to which they relate (apart from the most extraordinary circumstances) it is common practice for revised forecasts to be produced during the year as circumstances change.

A further refinement is to flex the budgets, i.e. to show performance at different levels of business. This makes comparisons with actual outcomes more meaningful in cases where activity levels differ from those included in the budget.

What Providers of Finance Want from a Business Plan

Almost invariably bank managers and other providers of finance will want to see a business plan before agreeing to provide finance. Not to have a business plan will be regarded as a bad sign. They will be looking not only at the plan, but at the persons behind it. They will want details of the owner/managers of the business, their background and experience, other activities, etc. They will be looking for management commitment, with enthusiasm tempered by realism. The plan must be thought through and not be a skimpy piece of work. A few figures on a spreadsheet are not enough.

The plan must be used to run the business and there must be a means for checking progress against the plan. An information system must be in place to provide regular details of progress against plan. Bank managers are particularly wary of businesses that are slow in producing internal performance figures. Lenders will want to guard against risk. In particular they will be looking for two assurances:

(1) that the business has the means of making regular payment of interest on the amount loaned, and

(2) that if everything goes wrong the bank can still get its money back (i.e. by having a debenture over the business's assets). Forward-looking financial statements, particularly the cash flow forecast, are therefore of critical importance. The bank wants openness and no surprises. If something is going wrong it does not want this covered up, it wants to be informed - quickly.

Strategic planning
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Business plan

Marketing planning (revision presentation).

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20+ Great Business English Topics and Lesson Activities

For Business English students, it’s important that ESL lessons are based on the needs of their day-to-day work.

They want to practice situations taken from their professional environment, and discuss real-life Business English topics.

Some are: making phone calls, being able to hold and carry on conversations, speaking with colleagues, preparing and giving presentations, or negotiations.

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Coming up with creative activities and finding good topics for your lessons can be tough and time-consuming.

The Business English activities in this post will save you time and effort in making quality content for your lessons.

Business english: 20+ activities for ESL Lessons

About the Business English Topics And Activities

Topic: airbnb business travel, topic: commuting to work, topic: big business (amazon, coca-cola, netflix, etc.), topic: artificial intelligence and future technology, topic: music, bonus activity.

Lessons including well-designed activities will prepare your students for their professional lives and give them the necessary skills and vocabulary needed to communicate effectively in English.

The 20 activity suggestions you’ll find in this post relate to the topics of business travel, commuting to work, big business, artificial intelligence, technology, and music.

The activities you can do on these business English topics are from specific lesson plans based on videos , which come equipped with a range of different printable Business English worksheets , conversation topics, speaking exercises, listening activities, and writing exercises for adults.

Below are some examples of activities from these lessons that can help your Business English students improve their communication skills.

Airbnb has been expanding their services to open up the market for business travelers.

They are simplifying the process of booking and launched some tools which automatically organize your business trip expenses. This new business travel program is coming out strong.

Phone Calling
Writing Accommodation Descriptions
Leaving Reviews
Mobile App Concepts
Debate With Hotel Owner
Comparing and Contrasting

This topic works especially great with Business English lessons in the real estate, hospitality, or mobile app industries, but also in general for any businessmen or women who have to travel for their jobs.

This is an especially engaging Business English topic for a few reasons: it’s controversial (hotel owners aren’t happy about AirBnB) and it’s a hot topic (more and more people are choosing Airbnb over hotels).

Airbnb is a relatively new global powerhouse, revolutionizing the hospitality industry the same way that Uber revolutionized the taxi industry.

Activity: Phone Calling

Put students in pairs or a group. Assign each student a different role from the roles below, or they can choose one.

Students have to imagine that they are Airbnb hosts who just hosted:

A small group of middle-aged business travelers
A small group of young adult party travelers
A small family of 4 with young children
An individual traveler who came with his dog

Students then ‘call’ their ‘friends’ (another student in the class) to either leave a voicemail or talk about the experience (or complain about the experience!).

They should describe how the experience was as the host for these types of travelers:

What was different about hosting each of their stays?
Was it positive or negative and why?
Did anything good, bad, surprising, or unusual happen during their stay?

You could even have them imagine what could be a positive and negative experience for hosting these types of travelers.

You could even get a bit more creative with this one by assigning a pair of students a role from the list above, and they have to call the ‘host’ (their partner) and ask them questions or make special requests about their stay, e.g:

Am I allowed to bring my dog to your property?
Is there a nice cafe in the area where I can bring my laptop to do work?
We have a baby who cries a lot during the night. Will this bother you?

Even though with Airbnb, you would probably just message the host online, but in this case, you can make it a phone call to practice speaking.

Activity: Writing Accommodation or Property Descriptions & Reviews

Students work with a partner or group and imagine they are Airbnb hosts offering a special, exotic, or unique type of accommodation rental.

They should discuss and agree on the type of home rental they have to offer, where in the world it is, and create their own online listing for this rental on Airbnb.

In the listing, they should explain what type of rental it is, the location, the check-in and check-out procedure, a description and special features of the accommodation, and other housing details and rules.

Make students offer something different or special about their property – something they wouldn’t get somewhere else. Remember, they want to sell the experience!

Students then present their accommodation profile description to the other students in the class and then give their listing to another student or group.

The other student or group then makes a detailed review for that listing, imagining they actually stayed there.

Activity: Creating Mobile App Concepts in the Sharing Economy

Put students in pairs and give them a list of other mobile apps in the sharing economy.

Neighborgoods

Based on the name of the app, students have to discuss and explain what they imagine the concept of the app to be and how it works.

After students work together for a couple of minutes, go around the class and ask them to report their answers. If they’re not able to imagine what it might be, you can just tell them.

Ask them questions like:

Would this type of app be useful for you? Why or why not?
Which app from this list would help you the most?

Try to create an in-depth class discussion about all of these apps.

For the apps listed above specifically, you can discuss things like:

If parking is a problem for your students (JustPark)
What they do with their dog when they go on a trip (DogVacay)
If they would be interested to drive with a stranger for many hours (BlaBla Car)
If they’ve ever eaten at someone’s home, from another country or culture (HomeDine)

Then, students can either work with the same or different partners to create their own concept for a mobile app in the sharing economy.

They should focus on things like:

The special features of the app
What problem it solves / Why it’s a good idea
How it works
What problems could happen when people use your app

An alternative to this one is I’ve also had students imagine that they were the founders of Airbnb, and they have to come up with their own detailed story behind the establishment of the company, which turned out to be a fun activity.

Activity: Debate Between AirBnB Representative and Hotel Owner

Put students in pairs or two small groups and they prepare for a debate.

One student or group takes the position of an AirBnB company representative and the other takes the position of a Hotel Owner.

Each side must prepare, defend, and present their positions to the other groups, presenting information about…

Why they believe their accommodation service is better (at least 3 advantages of your service) Students must talk about the top reasons to stay in a hotel over Airbnb, or vice versa.
If you think Airbnb should be legal or illegal and why (obviously the AirBnB rep will say it should be legal and the hotel owner will say it should be illegal)
The positive impact your service has on society and the economy
What actual people and guests have said about your accommodation services

You can refer to this article to help students talk about Airbnb versus hotels if they are having trouble coming up with ideas.

Your role as the teacher will be the moderator during the debate – generating follow-up questions for the students or groups when they present their sides. Keep the debate clean and flowing smoothly.

Activity: Comparing and Contrasting (Hotels vs. AirBnB or Uber vs. Taxi)

If for any reason you don’t want to make this an official ‘debate,’ another thing you could do is just make it a general, in-depth class discussion, conversation, or compare & contrast about the advantages and disadvantages of staying in Airbnb in comparison with hotels.

Make sure students talk about their own experiences.

Transition the discussion to the conflict between Uber and Taxi, because they are facing a similar conflict for similar reasons.

If your students enjoyed the discussion about AirBnB and hotels, an interesting follow-up lesson topic for you might be about a businessman who is building hotels designed for outer space .

Many businessmen and women in the modern world have to commute for hours and hours per week to their jobs or for work purposes. Sitting in the car or public transit like this can really have a negative impact on one’s overall lifestyle.

Telling a Story
Commenting on YouTube
Expressing Frustrations or Complaining
Talking About Lifestyle & Daily Routines

The reason this topic works so well in Business ESL lessons is that it reaches such a wide spectrum of people.

Everyone who has a job as an employee in a company, a school, a factory, etc has a unique situation. All Business English students usually have a lot to say about their experience commuting (or home office if they have that privilege!).

Activity: Telling a Story

Students work in pairs.

Student A: This student imagines that he/she spends a lot of time commuting and is very pessimistic about the situation.

This student believes that they have the worst commute in the world. Describe the situation in detail. The student should complain about it as much as possible and why they hate it so much.

They should take notes on:

Where you live
Your daily routine
Where you go to work
What’s so bad about the commute / What are the conditions of the commute
How commuting makes you feel

The student then has to tell one negative story that they have had during their commute.

Student B: This student imagines that they spend a lot of time commuting but is very optimistic about the situation.

This student loves the situation that they have. They should discuss and explain in detail why they have the best commute in the world, talk about it as much as possible and why they enjoy it.

Also, they take notes on:

They tell one positive story that they’ve had during your commute.

After the students write notes for their roles (give them a few minutes), have them describe their situations to their partner.

They should listen to their partner’s situation carefully because they should then report the details of their partner’s situation back to the class!

Activity: Commenting on YouTube

At the beginning of the video, the reporter complains about her long daily routine and commute, and then she says to the audience:

“Before you go and post that comment telling me to ‘move closer’, you need to see that I’m not the only person doing this.”

In pairs, students should come up with a response that the following type of people would write or say to the reporter in the YouTube comments section, e.g:

What could be a rude response to that statement in the comment section of the video?
What could be an empathetic response to that statement in the comment section of the video?
What could be a funny response to that statement in the comment section of the video?

Another activity you could do is give students some imaginary comments to that video, and then the students have to write responses to these imaginary comments. You can make it a speaking or writing activity.

For example, here are a few possible comments to that video:

Comment #1:

“Americans are completely crazy and lazy. You drive these huge cars to work and in reality , you don’t need to. Look at the Netherlands and Denmark – they have very efficient bicycle transport systems and bicycles are much more environmental. It’s stupid to drive everywhere.”

Comment #2:

“The best solution to this problem is self-driving cars. Our tax money should go more to support the production of self-driving cars. That way when people commute they can do productive things. The solution to public transit is getting better wifi connections on the subways and buses.”

You can instruct one student to write a response which agrees with each comment, and the other student to write a response which disagrees with each comment, something along those lines.

Activity: Expressing Frustrations & Complaining

Put students in pairs, or in two groups. You’ll distribute to each student pair or group two cards which read:

A: Riding on public transport
B: Driving in a car

Students must work together to come up with a list of all the things that frustrate them, annoy them, stress them out, or make them angry while (1) riding on public transport and (2) driving a car.

The group which comes up with the most things in the time limit (3 minutes should be good) wins.

This activity usually works really well because everyone gets angry, stressed, frustrated, etc. at some point while driving a car or riding public transportation.

A lot of good vocabulary can also come out of this one. You can even teach a couple of fun phrasal verbs related to driving when you talk about this topic:

Cut (someone) off – “I hate when I’m driving and someone cuts me off and then I have to slam on my brakes.”
Pull (someone) over – “I hate when I’m driving only a little bit above the speed limit and a police officer pulls me over.”
Freak out – “I hate driving with my father. He always drives aggressively and freaks out about small things.”
Run over – “I hate when I run over a nail or a sharp object and my tire goes flat.”
Hold (someone) up – “I hate when traffic holds me up and makes me late for work.”

You can use this activity for teaching students other terminology that is useful for expressing complaints or frustrations:

I get frustrated when…
I get all stressed out when…
It gets me so worked up when…
It pisses me off when…
I totally freak out when…
I lose my mind when…
It drives me nuts when…

Have students then use these expressions to talk about their frustrations commuting or about their job in general.

Activity: Talking About Lifestyle, Commuting, and Employment Situations

Spending hours commuting and then hours at the office has become so integrated into the modern working world that it can have quite a profound impact on our quality of life and lifestyle, which is why it’s good to talk about in a language lesson.

Here’s an activity you can do that will give your students a good opportunity to talk about their lifestyle, commute, and employment situation.

It’s also simple, easy to prepare, and generates quality conversation.

Print a number of statements on cards and give them to the students or write them on the whiteboard in class.

Put students in pairs or groups. Have them discuss if they think the following statements are generally true or false and why:

People are generally happier if they travel to work by car instead of public transportation.
In the USA, people generally commute to work or school by train or bus.
10 days of paid vacation per year is fair from an employer.
Regular exercise helps people deal with stress from work.
People are more productive if they have a 4-day working week instead of 5.

Put students in pairs or groups. Have them discuss if the following statements are true or false for them personally and have them explain why:

There is a positive working atmosphere at my job.
I am satisfied with my work-life balance.
Every day I eat a balanced and healthy breakfast before work.
When I commute to work I try to be productive on the way.
I prefer working from home rather than going to an office.
I spend too much time at work socializing with my colleagues.

Speaking about daily routines is also a great activity if you’d like to focus on the present simple as a grammar point for your lesson.

Using big companies and corporations as a topic in your Business English lessons is practical for obvious reasons and you can make it fun too for your students.

It’s especially great to use big business as a topic if you actually have adult students who work in big companies, but they’re also applicable topics for students who have their own business or who work in smaller companies.

History & Fun Facts
Developing a Product
Making Slogans
Analyzing the Impact of Technology on Jobs

Activity: History & Fun Facts About Big Companies

As a lead-in or warm-up exercise to a lesson about big business, you can search and find some fun or interesting facts or history about the companies.

One quick activity you could do to lead to a topic is a simple fill-in-the-blank that looks something like this:

Below are 5 interesting facts about Amazon. Let the students fill in the blanks with words that they think fit.

The founder Jeff Bazos wanted to name the company Amazon which has products from ‘A to Z’ symbolizing a large size, just like the Amazon ________________________ .
Amazon.com started as a bookstore in Jeff Bazos’ ________________________ .
The combined ________________________ of Amazon’s warehouses is enough to hold more water than 10,000 Olympic pools.
Today Amazon has more than 350,000 ________________________ .
One of Amazon’s first offices had a ________________________ which employees would ring every time a sale was made.

Below are 5 interesting facts about Coca-Cola. Fill in the blanks with words that you think fit.

The Coca-Cola ________________________ is recognized by 94% of the world’s population.
The word “cola” is derived from the kola ________________________ , which contains caffeine and can have medicinal value.
Coca-Cola can be a good ________________________ for insect bites on your skin.
Coca-Cola spends more money on ________________________ than Microsoft and Apple combined.
A few people once tried to sell the Coca-Cola ________________________ to Pepsi, but they were reported to the FBI.

A fun activity you can follow up with this one is instruct students to research any big business they have in mind and search for some fun facts about that company or the story behind how it started.

If they can’t think of one, you can give them a list of the biggest or most well-known companies in the world.

Have them give a few-minute presentation in the following lesson about the start or history of the company and a few fun facts about it. This is also good for developing presentation skills for adults in English.

They can use the questions below to help them give their presentation:

Who started the company and when? How did the idea originate?
What were some important moments in the company’s history?
What are some of the company’s most successful products or services? Describe them in detail.
What’s special or different about this company compared to the competitors?
What are some fun facts about your company?

Activity: Developing a Product

Amazon launched a prototype store called ‘Amazon Go’ in December of 2017 – it’s a type of grocery store where you can go shopping and add things to your virtual cart so that you don’t have to wait in line or check out.

You add the products to your shopping cart and you can just leave the store, and Amazon will automatically charge your account.

They have developed other types of products and services over the years that have been successful, such as the Amazon Kindle (E-Reader) and Amazon Echo (voice-controlled smart speaker/personal assistant).

In this activity, what you do is have students work together on product development for Amazon or for another big company.

Students work with a partner or group. They imagine to be product developers for Amazon and create two of their own products, or services provided and sold by Amazon.

They should discuss and create names for the products or services, which industry the products or services are in, and then write a description for each explaining how it works, what problem it solves, what’s so special about it, as well as what problems they have experienced in the development.

It can be a special kind of mobile app, tech gadget, clothing item, or something else.

Of course, it doesn’t necessarily have to be from Amazon. You can have students choose another company.

One way you could get your students to come up with a good idea is instruct them to think of some brands that they generally buy, and then brainstorm what products they think would be cool to have from those brands.

Or you can have them think of some problems or frustrations they have in their daily life and what product or service would solve those problems for them. In the case of Amazon Go, the problem was that people hate waiting in lines at supermarkets.

Remind students that it doesn’t have to be realistic, it can be something imaginary.

Most of your students who will do this activity probably haven’t developed a product before. Keep it basic, simple, and fun, and it should go ok.

You just want students to be creative and work together to make something special.

One time I had a group who made a personal assistant who did all of his presentations for him because he hated public speaking, which I thought was pretty funny.

Students should then present their new product to the other students or groups.

Activity: Making Slogans

This is a straightforward activity and easy to assign and it works great with any student who is in marketing. Students also tend to have fun with it.

Basically, all you need to do is assign students to make a slogan for whatever company or brand you’re discussing.

One thing I’ve done to make it interesting and add a little twist to it is to have students make a list of good and bad slogans for one company.

That one has definitely brought a couple laughs to the lesson, especially for the bad slogans.

Here are a few examples I’ve gotten from students for bad company slogans for Coca-Cola:

“Feed your sugar addiction.”
“Put on the big pounds.”
“Teeth are overrated.”

Anyway, give them some examples of some real slogans that have already existed for the brand before they make their own.

A few actual ones for Coca-Cola are:

“Open Happiness”
“Life Tastes Good.”
“Taste the Feeling.”

The advantage of having students make their own slogan or quote is that it lets student use creativity. When students have to think creatively, they’re forced to use important vocabulary terms and language structures in a special kind of way.

In any case, have your students share and present their slogans and quotes to the other students in the class.

Another great type of ESL group activities are information gap activities. Get 10 ideas here.

Activity: Analyzing the Impact of Technology on Jobs

Another great theme and activity that comes from a discussion about companies like Amazon, is analyzing the impact of technology on jobs.

That’s one big criticism of concepts like Amazon Go that I’ve discussed with my students. The more jobs that robots do for us, the more jobs they take away from humans (Amazon Go takes jobs away from cashiers).

One activity you could do on this is to have students brainstorm and come up with two more jobs, companies, or businesses that have been taken over or lost to technological advances.

Students should specify the name or type of the technology, which industry it is in, and three general impacts of this technology (can be positive or negative impacts).

Two examples I remember hearing from students was about VHS and video rental stores being lost to online streaming services like Netflix, and driving jobs being lost to self-driving cars.

Technology : Online streaming

Industry : Entertainment

It put VHS video rental stores out of business
It makes people lazier because they don’t go to the video store anymore
Illegal online pirating of films and TV becomes easier

Technology : Self-driving cars

Industry : Automotive

Less need for delivery drivers, truckers, and taxis
Fewer accidents on the road because machines are more precise than humans
People can focus on other things in the car if they don’t have to concentrate on driving

You can give these examples to your students if they don’t think of them.

You can also give students the task of coming up with two jobs where it could be very difficult for technology to take over. Which jobs do you think technology couldn’t do in the future? Students should specify why it would be difficult to take over these jobs using this technology.

Doing an ESL lesson activity about the impact of technology on jobs leads us to the next point: Artificial intelligence and future technology, which has its feet in many industries and certainly draws interest from Business English students.

Interview With a Humanoid Robot
Making a Sci-Fi Film Plot
Forming Opinions

This topic works especially great with Business English lessons in the IT or programming industry, but also in general for any businessmen or women who use technology regularly for their jobs.

This is an especially engaging Business English topic for a few reasons – it can get a little dark (a humanoid robot which can communicate freaks people out a bit!) and it’s also relevant – artificial intelligence and machine learning is making its way into a lot of industries, products, and software these days.

It’s interesting when the stuff that used to be sci-fi stuff turns into reality, and that’s what you want to focus on in your Business English lessons.

Activity: Interview With a Humanoid Robot

Watch the video about Sophia the robot with your students.

Basically, what students do is make an interview with her.

Sophia the robot makes for a great English lesson, period. Students are usually quite intrigued by “her” and there are so many different directions you can take this lesson.

After watching the video, instruct each student to create and write five extra questions that they would want to ask Sophia. (Questions which are not in the video interview).

After they are finished making their questions, they ask their partner the questions they made. Students then answer their partner’s questions from the perspective of Sophia the robot.

Here are some words or topics students could either use in their questions or use just as general topics to help them make their questions:

After a student answers each question, their partner should try to ask a follow-up question or two – a question you ask on the spot based on the answer you get.

Explain the concept of a follow-up question to your students and show them examples:

Original question : “What emotions do you feel?”

Answer : “I feel curious.”

Follow-up question : “Why do you feel curious?”

Answer : “I feel curious because I want to know why I was created and why I’m different than normal humans.”

Follow up question : “Can you imagine why you were created?”

Having students ask follow-up questions is great practice for developing interview and conversational skills because they have to think on their feet without time to prepare.

Activity: Making a Sci-Fi Film Plot

Watch the sci-fi short film about ‘Sight Systems’ which forecasts the evolution of ‘Google Glasses’ and Virtual Reality (which are also great topics to discuss in your Business English lessons).

After you watch the video with your students, a fun activity you could have your students do is to imagine that they are directors creating the next scenes to the short film they just watched about Sight Systems.

They should work in pairs and discuss and write what the next five scenes will be. Have them describe the scenes in detail and explain what happens in each scene.

Students then share what they came up with the other students in the class.

After this, put the students back together and they should come up with a short plot for a similar type of short film that they saw.

The plot must focus on the dangers of future technology. Alternatively, you could give them the option of creating a movie plot focusing on the bright sides of technology.

Activity: Forming Opinions and Interview Quotes

This activity can actually be applied to a range of different topics.

Put the students in pairs and have them imagine to be speaking from the perspective of the following companies or people.

Students have to make an opinion from the standpoint of each company or person.

Gas Company
Electric Car Company
Solar Panel Company
Environmental Activist
Auto Technician
Car Consumer

For the people above, you could have students imagine they were interviewed about their thoughts on electric charging highways.

What do they think about electric highways? Do they support or oppose them? Let them explain their opinion.

Then they have to agree on what would be the most important quote or statement from that interview.

Give students some useful phrases for expressing opinions to help them make their opinions or quotes, which are at least three sentences long and they explain their opinion.

You could give students an ideal example quote from an interview with an Environmental Activist:

“In the long-term, electric charging highways will be a great solution for decreasing pollution because it promotes the consumption and usage of electric vehicles, which are much better for the environment than gas-powered vehicles. However, in the short-term, electric charging highways could produce a negative impact on the environment because of the intense construction work that will be needed to create these highways all across the country. Therefore, I see a positive long-term effect and a negative short-term effect.”

You want your students to form something similar for each of the roles, then students should present the opinions or quotes they made together to the rest of the class.

Doing ESL lesson activities about music is fun and there’s a lot of different directions you can take this topic in a lesson.

Music is also a big business with all of the jobs in music production, sound technology, festivals, online streaming services like Spotify, and these days even vinyl is making a comeback.

Organizing an Event
Making a Business Plan
Giving a Presentation

This topic works especially great with Business English lessons in the music industry, but also in general for any businessmen or women who use are interested in music.

This is an especially engaging Business English topic for a few reasons – people love music and it’s a big part of life for many people.

Activity: Organizing an Event

Have students work with a partner. They should imagine they are event organizers and are planning a festival concept for next summer.

They want to make it even better than the Belgian festival “Tomorrowland” and the most luxurious festival in the world.

What luxuries will there be? What special things can be added, implemented, planned, organized, or done in order to create a better festival experience for the guests?

Students should discuss these points together. They can use the discussion questions below to help them:

What special luxuries, things, offers, products, facilities, and features you will provide?
What will be different about the campsite? How will you make it better than Dreamville?
Describe the atmosphere. What’s unique about the stages and performances?
Describe the security concept. How will you make the event safe and what are the policies?

Students should then give a presentation about their festival concept to the other groups and describe in as much detail as possible what the festival will be like.

After hearing from the other groups, students can discuss which festival concept was the best and why and give advice about what might help their festival to be better.

Activity: Making a Business Plan

Students work together with a partner or group. They imagine that they are opening a vinyl store in their town. They must make a business plan and a to-do list.

Watch the video “Czech businessman leads vinyl revival” here.

They can answer these questions in their business plan:

What is the name of your vinyl shop?
Other than vinyls, what will you need to get started?
How will your vinyl shop stand out from the competition?
Describe what kind of theme or atmosphere the shop would have. How would you decorate the shop/front window?
Describe your ideal kind of customer or target market.
Describe your ideal kind of employee or shop assistant.
What could be some clever ways to advertise your shop?
What will be the biggest challenges of opening the shop?

Students can then present their business plan to the other students in the class.

Activity: Giving a Presentation

Students work with a partner or group. They imagine they are giving a presentation to a group of vinyl fanatics.

They should choose from one of the topics below they’d like to do a presentation about, or they can also make their own topic.

They should prepare and give a one-minute presentation to the other groups on their chosen topic.

Even if they don’t know much about the topic, you can just instruct them to be as creative as possible and come up with some interesting things to talk about.

Here are the topics they can choose from:

How to create a sustainable future for vinyl
The guide to shopping for and listening to vinyl like a pro
The future of music
Why the age of vinyl in the 70s beats today’s digital age
The steps to starting up a successful vinyl shop

You can have students do research on the internet if they have access.

You can also give students the choice to also come up with their own idea for a presentation, anything in the music sector. It doesn’t have to be specifically related to vinyls.

The most important thing is that students have a structure for their presentation, have researched important information about it, and teach the class something interesting.

You can also have students include one of each of the following things in their presentation:

A problem (Music has become too digital in modern ages.)
A statistic or fact (Over 7.6 million vinyls were sold in the US in 2018.)
An opinion (We believe that vinyls will continue to be popular for years.)
A quote (Zdenek Pelc said, “If people like something, they need something touchable.”)

This one last bonus activity you could do will help your students develop the skills they need for business and professional reasons.

Have them give a “show and tell” presentation or just simply talk about three gadgets, tools, products, services, etc they’ve bought in the recent past related to one of their personal interests.

Have the students teach the class either how to use this product or service, how it works, why they bought it, what the features are, what problem it solves for them, etc.

Here are some actual examples from my students, which you can show your students to give them an idea of what you’re looking for:

A new running watch
A subscription to Netflix
A Nintendo NES Classic Edition
A new bicycle helmet
A portable speaker

All of these activities referenced are meant to be engaging for your adult students in Business English lessons, but the most effective way to do them is with the full lesson plans via the links above.

Watching the videos with your students should generate extra discussion and give you extra content to work with.

Find more resources and ideas for your ESL lessons here.

3 thoughts on “20+ Great Business English Topics and Lesson Activities”

Brilliant content. Relevant topics and articles with comprehensive structural lesson plans. Thank you.

Practicing the business English lessons in he student life can be very helpful in longer run. This helps in the proper development of the individual for professional world. Thanks so much for sharing this!

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Executive English: 4 Business English Lesson Plans That Turn Students into Influencers

Building confidence in business is a lifelong gift you can give your students.

Never again will they clam up when coworkers make chit-chat.

No longer will their voices lose power during interviews and meetings.

Taking your ESL students to the next level in their careers is rewarding for not only your students, but for you as well. It gives you, their ever enthusiastic teacher , a great sense of accomplishment.

You will see your business English students blossom, get promoted, develop confidence and take on different professional personas—ones loaded with strength and self-assurance.

Crafting exceptional and informative business English lesson plans is the first step to your students’ success.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

The Cornerstones of Business English Lessons

If this is your very first time developing plans for business English classes , we have you covered here.

One of the most essential aspects in developing ESL business English lesson plans is to get to know your students and find out the information needed to make the lesson practical for them .

If you have a student working in corporate marketing, then a business English lesson pertaining to accounting would be almost useless. Knowing your students, their careers and needs will help you connect with them in an informative, concise way. Your lessons will be useful to them outside of the classroom, building more confidence on their professional paths, whatever those might be.

So, you should know the following about every student:

Where they work
What their job responsibilities are
What they do on a normal day at the office
When and how are they exposed to English at work (email, meetings, calls, conferences, etc.)

These questions are essential to building a lesson plan your students will enjoy!

Give your students a survey on the first day of class that asks these questions and more like them, then save the completed surveys in your teaching binder or folder.

Take the following lesson plans, combined with the specific information about your students, to create targeted lesson plans students can use in their everyday professional lives and to better their career prospects.

4 Business English Lesson Plans That Promote Rapid Career Growth

Each of these lesson plans is built on the PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production) method of creating plans for language lessons. You can learn more about how this works (and how to create your own from scratch) here!

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language lessons.

1. Breaking the Ice

In your students’ business lives, breaking the ice in their native tongue is terrifying enough at times.

Imagine the anxiety and stress having to break the ice in English must induce.

This does not need to be the norm. You can give your students the essential ESL skills they need to feel confident and to succeed. After all, speaking English and speaking (any language) at work is mostly about confidence, and the role of psychology is almost as important as knowing the right words and grammar to use in these situations.

This English lesson plan focuses on starting a conversation, ending a conversation and general role playing for students to hone what they have learned. Let’s take a look at what this lesson will contain and how to present your business English lesson plan material.

Presentation

This lesson plan’s presentation will consist of useful phrases. You will present to your class the essential knowledge they will need to make ample English small talk in any and all business situations .

An excellent place to start is with the actual phrase “breaking the ice.” What do they think this phrase means? What are some examples of “breaking the ice” with coworkers? You will elicit answers from your students and discuss some ways they think they can “break the ice” in a business situation—or examples of when they have done this in the past.

You will also discuss other important phrases, useful for opening a business conversation in English.

Here are a few example phrases you can use in your lesson:

Hello, my name is ______, are you enjoying your evening?
Where are you from?
What company do you represent?
How long have you worked here/there?
Which department do you work in?
How do you like your job?
Did you catch the morning lecture?
Do you mind if I join your group?

After you share and discuss these quick little door openers, you can move on to excellent ways to end a business conversation in English. Many of your students use these in their native language already, so, in my experience, they will catch on fast.

Here are a few conversation closers you will share with your students in the presentation:

It was nice to talk to you, I must excuse myself.
Great to meet you, do you have a card? (or, here is my card).
I must be going, I see my boss signaling toward me.
Thank you, it was nice to meet you and we should discuss this further later.
Do you have LinkedIn? Let’s connect there to continue our conversation.

These conversational wrap-ups are great for your students and will eliminate those awkward moments of saying goodbye in business settings.

When your students have listened and understand the phrases, you can move into this practicing stage.

You will have all the phrases you discussed cut into two parts a set for each pair of students. Once your students are paired up, you will distribute the mixed up parts of the phrases and they will work together trying to piece each phrase back together.

This jigsaw of sorts will allow your students to communicate and discuss which section goes with which, further creating the phrase in their mind. For example, one piece of paper will contain “Did you catch… ” and your students will try to match it with ” …the morning lecture?”

Go over which combinations are correct and take questions, then have the students copy down the correct phrases in their notebooks for future reference.

Once all pairs have matched and discussed the jigsaw business English phrases, they are ready for a more practical exercise.

Each student will be given a card you have made with their occupation, company, the lecture they attended and a few family/hobby details. Students will then be paired up. The pairs will change every five minutes and the students will have an opportunity to break the ice, discuss a few topics and end the conversation.

You can float around the room and make sure the conversations are on track, while answering any questions which may arise.

All in all, this is a wonderful business English lesson plan with communication, collaboration, vocabulary and self-expression at the core.

2. Involvement in Meetings

Business meetings are an essential part of business and there are often several meetings held within an average work week.

Participation in business meetings can be another daunting engagement your students may currently try to avoid. Your students need to be prepared and have the business English skills necessary to participate with confidence and increase their chances for recognition, responsibility and promotion.

This business English lesson plan can help them understand the importance of meeting involvement while gaining the ESL skills they need to be successful in all areas of life.

Preparation

Yup, one extra P is here!

For this business lesson, you will need to craft a well-organized worksheet to help guide your students in the right direction.

The worksheet will contain two parts. Part one will have useful words, phrases and lead-in sentences commonly found in business meetings, while part two of the worksheet will have two different role playing scenarios your students will use in their mock meetings.

Your first objective will be to ask your students about business meetings they have been involved in or their concepts of a normal business meeting.

Many of your students will have had some type of meeting experience, but maybe not in English. You should draw from their previous experiences and allow them to describe it and discuss it in English. Next, you will discuss several business English phrases used in meetings. You can get more great phrases to introduce from this post .

Here are a few great examples to put into your presentation and worksheet:

Could you please clarify what you mean?
Can you please speak up a bit, I can’t hear you very well?
Please continue, I apologize for interrupting.
What if we… ?
What would you think about…?

You and your class will discuss these phrases as a class and you will give examples of how each could be used.

In this step of your business English lesson plan, you will organize the class into small groups. The size of each group depends on your class size, of course.

Then you will hand out the worksheet and allow your students to practice using the new business meeting phrases with one another. Give them time to discuss the phrases amongst themselves and ask you any questions they may have.

Once all practice has been enthusiastically carried out, it is time to let the role playing commence!

Part two of the worksheet will be the guide to a specific business meeting scenario. For example, if you want your students to brainstorm a few marketing strategies for a certain product, you will give them a product to discuss in a meeting scenario.

“The meeting will be centered around new marketing strategies for Starbucks coffee.

What can you and your team come up with during this meeting?

Take notes, deliver concise ideas and support each idea with why you think this idea is effective.”

Let your students loose to collaborate and participate in a mock meeting using the new business English phrases discussed in the presentation and practice stages of your lesson plan. This activity will give your students key business meeting phrases, collaboration, English expression of ideas and also allow them to gain more confidence for practical use.

3. Questions in Negotiation Situations

Negotiations are another key aspect of business English.

Many business English students shy away from their native language style of negotiating when it comes down to trying to negotiate in English. Developing confidence is essential in negotiations and, if your students possess this key element, they will have more success at the negotiating table.

This business English lesson plan will give your students the four steps of negotiation and how to embody each step when at the office.

In order to ask the right questions in negotiation, your students must first know the cycle of a negotiation. You will present each step and discuss them as a class, giving examples or answering important questions.

These are the steps of negotiation to cover in your lesson plan:

1. Exploration . This is when two parties explore what each offers, expects and hopes to obtain in the negotiation.

2. Bidding. The bidding stage is when exploration is complete and one of two parties offers and exchange for goods or money.

3. Bargaining. This is an essential stage, when both parties negotiate until a satisfactory term is met.

4. Settling. Settling is essentially the finalized agreement. This is the handshake and signing of contracts stage.

Each stage is important and knowing the right questions to ask in each stage is also very important for your students to understand.

After the stages are discussed and fully understood, you can partner your students up and have them brainstorm questions that would be useful in each stage. For example:

“What warranty or guarantee does your company offer on this particular product?”

This question is a perfect Exploration question used to get the facts and details out on the table. Your students will brainstorm essential questions for each stage of negotiation together. This will create collaboration and develop ideas useful for the practice stage.

You could even craft a worksheet about the above stages, along with useful questions and answers, to help guide your students during the lesson.

With your students still in pairs, they will be given a role-play scenario in which one is the buyer and the other is the seller. Your example role-play will look something like this:

Seller: You are the representative for a groundbreaking MP3 player similar to the iPod. You must convince your buyer to sell your product and not the others.

Buyer: You see potential in the new music product, but you are still uncertain about making the switch in products and need to get more information.

This role playing scenario will follow the four stages of negotiation and your students will use the questions they brainstormed while practicing to have a successful negotiation which may or may not lead to a successful Settling stage agreement.

4. Meeting management

Meeting management in business is another important task your students may need more confidence and ESL skills to perform.

This practical exercise is the next step up from getting involved in a meeting, since your students will now plan and guide a business meeting in class.

This business English lesson plan will allow your students to practice emailing, collaboration and build confidence to guide and keep other members of a meeting on track.

Your students will need the key aspects of email structure to allow them to email colleagues effectively and efficiently to get the meeting time, date and location set.

Before introducing any new material, ask your students to write a short email inviting a colleague to join a meeting. Afterwards, have each student read theirs aloud. You can use their emails as a guide to introduce the proper email language necessary for landing a business meeting.

Here are the essential aspects of a well-developed email for planning a business meeting:

Project details and objectives
Q & A about the project
Brainstorming and collaboration to make project a success
Important points to note

This short and concise email format will be a great template not only for the lesson, but for them to also use in a more practical business situation. You can also give great examples on the board or in a slideshow to really allow your students to soak up the new information.

Once your students have crafted their own emails without any instruction on proper language, and have then watched your presentation of relevant words, phrases and grammar, they are ready to do some more serious email drafting.

Put them into small groups and let them discuss, collaborate and craft their new business meeting emails to one another in the group.

Each student will write an email using the business meeting email format, addressing it to another student in their group. The receiving student will then write a reply to the email as well.

Your students have crafted emails and invited others to their meetings. Next, they will each take turns running the meeting and keeping everyone on task.

You will give each student a meeting topic and let them present the project details and objectives before opening the floor up for Q & A from other meeting members. For example:

“Introduce a new MP3 player which rivals the iPod to your meeting members. It costs less, holds more music, comes with better headphones and also has an interactive touch screen. Your team must brainstorm new ideas to market this product.”

Each student will have an opportunity to introduce a new product and run the meeting accordingly. They will learn valuable communication skills, writing , leadership skills and also develop more confidence when taking charge in a business meeting scenario.

So, as you can now see, business English lesson plans are excellent to have in your teaching arsenal.

They are perfect for your pre-intermediate to advanced level students who have a career (or are preparing for a future career) in the corporate world.

These lesson plans are simply essential for ESL students looking to make a shift and move into the business sector of employment, seeking promotion within their company or generally wanting to build more confidence when speaking to foreign clients and colleagues.

These business English lessons will give your students the important resources needed to be successful in their career and beyond.

Plan those lessons well, with their needs in mind, and hand them the keys to success!

Stephen Seifert is a writer, editor, professor of English and adventurer. With over 7 years of teaching experience to students worldwide, he enjoys the many aspects of culture and traditions different from his own. Stephen continues his search for writing inspiration, boldly enjoying life to the fullest.

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Category: Business

Discussing how business works

This lesson set lets students work on their Business English and provides useful vocabulary as well as plenty of activities to practise it.

Company roles

Dive into the world of different job roles with this lesson! Students practise phrases related to the topic, discuss their personal experiences, watch a promo video for a company and imagine starting a business.

The digital Revolut(ion)

With this lesson, students talk about online services and learn vocabulary related to the topic. They also discuss their own experiences, watch a video about a successful neobank, and discuss the features of digital businesses.

Forming logical arguments

In the first lesson of this set, students learn and practise conjunctions while talking about argumentation. Then, they further practise the conjunctions while using arguments to discuss some moral dilemmas.

Prioritizing and to-do lists

With this insightful lesson, students practise vocabulary to talk about priorities, watch an explainer video about the Eisenhower Matrix and discuss time management. They also give advice on how to organize tasks.

Office, remote or hybrid?

With this up-to-date lesson, students discuss work life after lockdown and practise vocabulary to talk about workplace changes. They also watch a news video about companies changing the way they work and discuss different work models.

How to deal with misunderstandings

With this speaking lesson, students discuss situations that might cause misunderstandings, watch a short and funny ad and analyse tips on how to avoid miscommunication.

Phone communication skills

The lessons in the set cover the topics related to phone communication. In the first lesson students talk about things one should and shouldn’t do when on a business phone call, and in the second lesson they practise phone conversations and talk about challenges of talking on the phone.

Talking about work tasks and skills

The lessons in this set allow students to learn useful structures and vocabulary to be able to talk about their tasks, skills and motivation more fluently. The tasks in the lessons also let students apply previously learnt materials.

Talking about advantages and disadvantages

In the first lesson, students learn language to talk about advantages and disadvantages. In the second lesson, they practise the target language while talking about a topic of interest.

Getting to know new students (A2)

This lesson set is designed to give you an opportunity to learn more about your new beginner (A2) students: their work, hobbies, and experiences.

As you can see in the slide (giving presentations)

Step into the world of presentations with this handy lesson! Students explore vocabulary for structuring presentations, read the text of a presentation and watch a video on how to communicate ideas clearly.

When familial meets professional

In this lesson, students reflect deeply on work-family dynamics, explore nuances of nepotism, and enrich vocabulary through engaging discussions. Students also listen to excerpts from a podcast to spark critical thinking.

collocations related to business and investment

Would you invest in a franchise?

With this lesson, students master key collocations to talk about business and investment, analyze the franchise business model, and enhance listening skills with an informative video about McDonald’s.

Meeting people

Use this lesson set with your new students. First, students talk about the first week at a new job and about first impressions. Then, you can practise starting and maintaining conversations or talk about being good listeners and practise asking follow-up questions.

As per my last email…

Dive into the intriguing world of emailing and talk about what annoys people the most. With this lesson, students expand their vocabulary, express irritation, and analyze real-life situations.

Agreeing and disagreeing with others

This lesson set is designed not only to teach students how to agree and disagree with each other but also to have more practice while discussing a topic of your choice.

vocabulary to talk about higher education

Is a degree worth it?

Engage your students in a discussion on the ins and outs of higher education. Explore education and career-related vocabulary and work on comprehension skills by watching a news report on the job market.

Course Plans

English For Business

Type of English

Lesson time

I want to learn

RESOURCES FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

Provide a comprehensive course with our ESL worksheets. Each of our evolving course plans and worksheet series can be followed systematically or you can select lessons to use as supplementary material.

Business English

English for Business

Intermediate (B1-B2)

Level: Intermediate (B1-B2)

This course plan helps learners improve their English for business or work. A diverse range of topics, language areas and activities are covered. The course plan can be used as a supplementary resource or as a standalone course.

This lesson teaches expressions for first-time introductions. Through listening and role play, students learn how to introduce themselves to a colleague or business associate and make appropriate small talk. This worksheet is suitable for the first lesson of a business English course, and provides a good opportunity for the student(s) and teacher to get to know each other.

In this updated version of our classic lesson plan, students learn useful vocabulary to talk about their company and job, including expressions for describing a company’s history, location, size, market position, financial results and strategy. Students listen to or watch an animated video of three co-workers talking about their work. They learn how to talk about their job responsibilities and what they like/dislike about their work. This worksheet is particularly suitable for the first or second lesson of a business English course.

This lesson has been updated. The theme of this lesson is what makes a successful entrepreneur. Students read an article that discusses whether entrepreneurs are born with certain character traits or develop the necessary skills over time. Vocabulary for describing entrepreneurial activity and personality is studied, and students have an opportunity to share their opinions on the topic.

by Gillian Smylie

In this lesson, students learn and practise vocabulary related to job titles and career paths.

This lesson teaches learners how to avoid causing offence by expressing themselves in a more tactful, diplomatic way. After studying a variety of adjectives for describing different attitudes, the students learn how to use special ‘softening’ structures through reading, language practice and role play.

This lesson is based on an article that discusses why job applicants are increasingly lying on their CVs/résumés and how employers are trying to deal with the problem. Lesson activities include a game in which students write down and read out sentences about their own educational and professional background, and their partners try to guess if they are lying or not.

In this lesson, students learn vocabulary for describing areas of an office, shop or factory and practise giving a tour of their workplace using a variety of useful expressions.

In this lesson, students read about a survey on men and women business owners and learn some new adjectives for describing character traits. The worksheet includes a grammar exercise on the structure verb + object + infinitive/-ing.

This lesson plan is a great way to develop students' ability to talk about people’s personality and character traits at work. The worksheet presents a variety of adjectives for describing qualities and flaws, as well as additional expressions for describing typical office personalities.

Need to fill up 15 minutes of an intermediate business English class? Use this lesson filler to teach your students ten common expressions used in spoken English.

This lesson teaches useful expressions for starting and ending a phone call. Through listening and role play, students learn a variety of ways to answer the phone, introduce themselves to the receiver, ask to speak to someone, state the reason for calling and end a phone call.

This lesson teaches useful language for taking and leaving messages during a business call. Through vocabulary, listening and role-play exercises, students learn how to leave a message for someone, take down a message from a caller and exchange information on the phone.

This lesson teaches useful vocabulary for learners who need to write emails in English. The worksheet presents the differences between formal, informal and neutral email styles, and there are a number of writing exercises in which the students practise using different levels of formality.

In this lesson, students read an article on the benefits and drawbacks of the coffee shop as a place for work and business. In the grammar section of the worksheet, students practise using the present perfect for describing recent changes, changes over time and situations that have continued until the present. At the end of the lesson, the class shares their own opinions about working in cafes.

In this lesson, students learn and practise vocabulary related to tasks and time management.

In this lesson filler, students practise handling phone call interruptions. The worksheet presents a number of practical expressions which can be used to encourage the caller to be quick, persuade the receiver to listen as well as diplomatically avoid speaking to the caller.

This theme of this lesson is corporate health. Students read an article about a company that is attempting to improve the well-being of its staff and listen to two corporate health experts commenting on the firm’s health initiatives. In the grammar section of the worksheet, the present simple, present continuous, present perfect simple and past simple are reviewed. This is followed by a discussion on corporate health initiatives.

This lesson plan is suitable for students who deal with accounting issues, especially those who need to prepare or interpret financial statements in English. This worksheet presents vocabulary related to a company’s balance sheet and profit and loss statement . For teachers who are unfamiliar with accounting terms, we have included additional notes in the key to help clear up any confusion.

This lesson plan is based on an article about how bad debt is affecting small businesses in the UK and what they can do about the problem. The worksheet focuses on reading and vocabulary work, rounding off with some sample expressions for chasing payments via email.

This worksheet covers a range of vocabulary for talking about salary and pay. The lesson plan rounds off with a discussion activity in which students put the target language into practice.

This lesson plan covers vocabulary for talking about meetings. Students learn a number of terms for describing the different types and purposes of meetings as well as problems and other issues related to organised discussions.

This lesson teaches useful expressions for students who need English for business meetings and discussions. Through reading, language practice and role-play, students learn how to structure an argument with linking words and phrases as well as respond to opinions using a variety of techniques for agreeing and disagreeing.

In this lesson, students read about how a successful British co-operative is managed. The worksheet includes vocabulary work and a grammar review exercise on the present perfect.

This lesson teaches useful expressions for discussing problems and possible solutions. Through listening and role play, the students learn how to make, ask for and respond to suggestions in a variety of ways. The lesson plan includes an animated video version of the dialogue.

Technology has been developed to allow passengers to use their mobile phones safely on planes. Students read an article about the different attitudes among business travellers towards this development. In the grammar section of the worksheet, the first and second conditionals are studied and practised. Students then discuss the lesson topic and debate the pros and cons of in-flight mobile phone use.

Upper-intermediate (B2-C1)

This lesson teaches useful expressions for learners who need to chair meetings in English. After studying vocabulary for describing the skills and roles of a chairperson, students listen to a dialogue in which the managers of a language training centre discuss their company’s advertising strategy. Key expressions used by the chairperson of the meeting are studied. At the end of the lesson, the students role-play a meeting, taking turns to chair the discussion. In this updated version of the lesson plan, there is a fun animated video which can be played instead of the audio.

In this lesson, students learn how to talk about visual representations of statistics and describe trends using combinations of nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives.

Students briefly discuss their own experiences of presentations before identifying types of diagrams often used in presentations and their functions. They listen to a business presentation and identify and practise a range of functional language for structuring presentations. The lesson includes vocabulary development and a presentation activity which can be extended to include preparation of slides with visual aids. Students should prepare and practise their presentation as homework and deliver it in another lesson. The materials also include an optional extension activity relating to what can go wrong with a presentation.

by Stephanie Hirschman

This lively lesson plan presents 16 common phrasal verbs used in business. These business English phrasal verbs are presented in their natural context. There are two speaking activities in which students interview each using the target language. For larger classes, there is a 'Find someone who' activity at the end of the worksheet. This is the business English version of our general English worksheet Phrasal verbs 1 .

In this lesson, students learn important vocabulary for project management, including describing the progress of a project, key stages and useful terminology.

In this lesson, students read an article about mistakes that job candidates make on their CVs and the consequences of these errors. The worksheet activities focus on vocabulary, comprehension and speaking.

In this lesson, students read about some unusual incidents that have happened during job interviews, according to a survey of HR managers in the US. The worksheet focuses on vocabulary and speaking.

In this lesson, students learn how to talk about work clothing and dress code. The worksheet includes a recent news report about a London receptionist who was sent home for not adhering to her company's dress code policy.

The theme of this lesson is marketing in a recession. The worksheet is suitable for people who are responsible for marketing in their companies or who work for marketing agencies. Students read an article about successful marketing strategies for businesses during an economic downturn and learn a variety of terms for describing different marketing tools, strategies and concepts. At the end of the lesson, students talk about how the global economy has affected their or their clients’ approach to marketing.

This lesson plan is designed to get your students talking about marketing . The worksheet covers modern methods of marketing , including social media marketing, email marketing, internet advertising and search engine optimization. The lesson can be used to stimulate a lively debate among the students on traditional vs. online marketing.

Students learn how to present an idea to their colleagues or associates and persuade them to support the proposal. The worksheet focuses on listening comprehension, vocabulary, and speaking.

In this lesson, students read an article about a Canadian company that has been cashing in on China's pollution crisis. The worksheet includes a two-part grammar exercise on infinitive clauses.

This lesson teaches a variety of useful terms for learners involved in sales. Through vocabulary and role-play exercises, the students learn how to describe the benefits of their product/service and make an effective sales pitch in English.

This lesson introduces students to negotiating in English. Common terms for describing different points of discussion and negotiating positions are studied. Students then share their own experiences and opinions on a number of negotiation issues. In the second part of the lesson, there is a listening and role play activity in which useful expressions for negotiating are studied and practised.

The theme of this lesson is celebrity endorsement. Students read about the benefits and drawbacks of companies associating their brands with celebrities. Students learn key vocabulary related to marketing and advertising, and useful expressions for developing an argument are also studied. During the lesson, several aspects of the worksheet topic are discussed.

The theme of this lesson is handling complaints in business. Students study a text on the importance of welcoming customer complaints and dealing with problems promptly. Through listening and role play, the students learn useful expressions for making complaints, apologizing and taking action.

In this lesson, students learn vocabulary covering all aspects of trade fairs. Exercises cover reasons to attend, preparation, items to take, and questions that company representatives should ask during a trade fair. There is also an activity to write a follow-up email to a potential customer.

In this lesson, students read an article about innovative methods, ideas and devices designed to improve motivation among office staff. Students also learn how to speculate and make predictions with a variety of different structures. The lesson rounds off with a discussion activity on the worksheet topic.

This worksheet presents vocabulary related to product innovation and development. A variety of terms are introduced for describing the pre-launch stages of a new product as well as adjectives and expressions for describing technological innovation. The lesson plan includes discussion ideas and should be particularly useful for students involved in market research and/or product development.

This 6-page lesson plan is based on an article about the future of the music streaming sector. The worksheet covers a broad range of activities, including reading, vocabulary work, grammar practice (relative clauses) and speaking.

The theme of this lesson is outsourcing. Students read an article about how rising wages and a stronger currency are affecting the Indian outsourcing industry. In the grammar section of the worksheet, the difference between the present and past perfect is studied. At the end of the lesson, students talk about the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing.

The theme of this worksheet is business travel. Students read a traveller's tips on how to handle a long-distance business trip. The lesson activities focus on vocabulary, comprehension and speaking.

In this lesson, students learn and practise vocabulary related to business ethics and conduct.

This lesson plan is based on an article about changing shopping habits among consumers in the UK. The worksheet includes a grammar exercise on tenses for describing changes.

This lesson is based on an article on a dispute between the McDonald's fast food chain and the Italian city of Florence. The worksheet focuses on vocabulary development, reading comprehension and speaking.

Thinking of calling in sick? Under a new Belgian proposal, you will be obliged to remain at home for a medical check-up. In this lesson, students read about and discuss this proposal. The worksheet rounds off with a vocabulary exercise on common ailments and remedies.

The first of a two-part lesson plan that looks at the causes and impact of stress in the workplace. Students read about how stress is affecting small and medium-sized businesses in the UK. The lesson rounds off with a grammar exercise on reported speech in which students complete a stressful negotiation dialogue using the target language structures.

The second of a two-part lesson plan that looks at the causes and impact of stress in the workplace. Students read about and discuss how small and medium-sized businesses can reduce stress among employees. The lesson rounds off with an exercise on expressing future probability.

This worksheet is based on an article on job dissatisfaction and typical signs that show that someone may want to change their career path. The lesson focuses on reading, vocabulary and speaking.

This lesson is based on an article on the nascent space tourism industry. The text focuses on the different companies that will be operating in this market, including Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, as well as the future costs and environmental impact of commercial space flights. In the grammar section of the worksheets, reported statements and questions are studied and practised. At the end of the lesson, students discuss whether they believe space tourism could become mass market.

The theme of this lesson is e-commerce. Students read an article on the changing shopping habits of British consumers and the development of online retailing. Tenses for describing trends are studied and practised in the grammar section of the worksheet, followed by an end-of-lesson discussion on Internet buying habits in the students’ own countries.

The theme of this lesson is international investment. Students read an article about the investment potential of Iraq and study vocabulary related to infrastructure and development. In the grammar exercises, students practise asking each other for information using subject and object questions. At the end of the lesson, the class discusses their own countries’ potential for foreign investors.

In this lesson, students learn and practise vocabulary related to the economy.

In this lesson, students read an article about how young men in Britain now earn much less than those from the previous generation. The worksheet includes reading and speaking activities, vocabulary and a grammar exercise on present perfect vs. past simple.

Students follow a short business scenario based on a salary review. The worksheet focuses on past, present and future verb tenses (PPF) and vocabulary development and offers practice in listening comprehension and speaking.

By Stephanie Hirschman

In this lesson plan, students read an article about the trend in the UK to have more than one job or business. Exercises focus on key words, phrases, and collocations. Students discuss the topic at the end of the lesson.

Students read about Uber's legal problems in this lesson plan, concentrating mainly on the decision that Uber can no longer call itself an 'information service'. There is an activity on legal terms, plus exercises on key vocabulary and collocations from the text. The worksheet ends with a role play activity where students debate the temporary ban on Uber that happened in Italy.

Level: Upper-intermediate (B2-C1)

This lesson teaches expressions and techniques for making conversation. The students study vocabulary for describing different types of social interaction as well as typical conversation openers and responses. Through listening and role play, the learners practise greeting each other and making small talk.

The topic of this lesson is the importance of understanding the cultural etiquette of different countries. The lesson introduces idioms concerned with etiquette and behaviour such as go Dutch, follow suit, return the compliment. Present modal verbs for advice, possibility and necessity are revised and past forms are introduced and practised. Finally, students get to talk about the cultural etiquette of their countries and their experiences doing business in a cross-cultural environment.

This lesson teaches language for sharing opinions during business meetings and discussions. Students listen to or watch an animated video of a teleconference involving the board members of an IT distribution company discussing a proposal to expand their business. After studying the key expressions from the dialogue, students role-play a management meeting in which they practise exchanging their own opinions and ideas.

The theme of this lesson is customer service. Students read an article about the opinions of business travellers on the customer service at hotels in different parts of the world. Words and expressions for describing customer service are practised. In the grammar section of the worksheet, tenses for describing a past experience are studied. At the end of the lesson, students talk about their own customer service experiences.

In this lesson, students learn useful language for handling and solving problems at work. Vocabulary for describing different types of problems and solutions is studied. Students then listen to several dialogues and study the expressions used by the speakers to declare and diagnose a problem as well as make suggestions and take action. At the end of the lesson, there is a role play activity in which the language from the lesson is put into practice. There are two animated videos which can be played instead of the dialogue or given to the student(s) as material to take away.

The theme of this lesson is work stress. Students read an article about an unusual method of relieving stress involving volunteers from Madrid. In the grammar section of the worksheet, reduced relative clauses are studied and practised. At the end of the lesson, there is a speaking activity in which the students discuss different stress relief methods.

This lesson teaches useful words and expressions for writing emails in English. The lesson warms up with a vocabulary exercise in which the students study some common terms for describing emails and email features, e.g. attachment, read receipt, disclaimer, etc. The worksheet then presents a variety of words and expressions that can be written in formal or informal style. This language is put into practice at the end of the lesson.

The theme of this lesson is networking. Students read an article on the benefits of making useful connections in business and how to be a good networker. In the grammar section of the worksheet, a variety of structures with ‘get’ are studied and practised. At the end of the lesson, students talk about the usefulness of networking in their businesses, careers and in job hunting.

This lesson plan looks at the benefits of working at home compared with office work. Students read an article about Yahoo!'s controversial decision to ban staff from working remotely.

In this lesson, students learn how to manage a phone conversation in English. Vocabulary for describing telephone behaviour is studied. Students then listen to a phone call and study the expressions used to direct and change the topic of the conversation. The language from the lesson is put into practice during a telephone call role play.

The theme of this lesson is business ethics. Students read an article about a UK chocolate company called Montezuma’s, whose founders decided to put ethics at the heart of their business. The lesson introduces a number of common phrasal verbs, which are studied and practised. Finally, students discuss attitudes to ethics in their own businesses and countries.

This lesson teaches students useful vocabulary for talking about competition in business. Learners listen to a talk about the rivalry between Burger King and McDonald’s, learn collocations with the word ‘competition’ and study competition idioms. The worksheet finishes with a speaking activity.

In this lesson, students read about how the modern office environment has changed and the innovative workplace practices of Google, Facebook and other big tech companies.

In this lesson, students learn how to query figures in English. Vocabulary for describing different numerical mistakes is studied. Students then listen to a phone call in which the speakers report and explain errors. The key expressions used for reporting an error, quoting a discrepancy, explaining an error and promising action are studied and practised.

This lesson plan is based on an article about 'mumpreneurs' -- women who combine being a mother with running a business. The worksheet comprises of reading, speaking and vocabulary activities, including an exercise on phrasal verbs. An American English version called 'Mompreneurs' is included.

In this lesson, students learn 13 common idioms used in Business English. The worksheet also provides opportunities for speaking practice.

The topic of this lesson plan is predictive shopping -- how technology companies are predicting buyers' behaviour by collecting data. Students read about a method developed by Amazon called 'anticipatory shipping'.

In this follow-up to our popular lesson plan Business idioms , students learn 13 more English idioms used in business. The worksheet focuses on vocabulary and speaking practice.

The theme of this lesson is the global financial crisis. Students read an article on how the economic downturn was affecting Britain in 2008. A number of economic terms are introduced, and a variety of structures for predicting and speculating about the future are studied and practised. Students discuss how their countries have been affected by the crisis.

This lesson plan introduces students to 18 common phrasal verbs used in a business context. These phrasal verbs are presented in their natural context. The lesson plan includes a speaking activity in which students interview each using the target language.

Students read about how the furniture chain IKEA has impacted the way people shop. The worksheet focuses on vocabulary, reading comprehension, grammar and speaking.

The topic of this reading and discussion lesson is coupon marketing and the American internet company, Groupon. Students read an article about Groupon’s business model and its impact on the UK's discount marketplace. This is followed by a speaking activity in which students discuss Groupon's recent troubles and the drawbacks of the discount voucher business model.

This lesson teaches useful language for learners who need to negotiate in English. After studying vocabulary for describing the different stages in a negotiation, students listen to two extracts from a negotiation and study the tactics and key structures that are used by each side to make proposals, bargain, and reach a deal. At the end of the lesson, the students role-play a negotiation using the language from the lesson.

How can comedy be useful in a business environment? That's the topic of this lesson plan. Students read an article on the benefits of improvisational comedy in business and discuss whether learning improv would be useful in their professions.

In this lesson, students learn general expressions for discussing and selecting suitable candidates for a job. The worksheet is especially useful for students who work in human resources or management.

In this lesson, students learn words and phrases related to leadership and being a manager. Students read an article about what makes a good manager and practise vocabulary for positive and negative leadership qualities. They also learn management verbs and discuss what being a manager is like.

This lesson focuses on a video entitled ‘5 ways to create stronger connections.’ The speaker looks at small ways we can enhance our business relationships. Exercises focus on idiomatic language, related vocabulary and comprehension exercises. Discussion looks at ways that the ideas presented in the video can enhance the student’s working relationships.

by Joe Wilson

Note: appropriate for strong intermediate (B2)

Linguahouse.com is in no way affiliated with, authorized, maintained, sponsored or endorsed by TED Conferences LLC.

The theme of this lesson is what makes a country attractive to potential investors. Students read about the investment potential of Germany and learn a variety of important terms for describing a nation’s economy. At the end of the lesson, students discuss the investment potential of their own countries using vocabulary from the worksheet.

In this lesson, students read an article about the investment potential of Africa. The worksheet includes several vocabulary and discussion activities.

In this lesson, students watch David Grady talk about how bad, inefficient and overcrowded meetings negatively affect businesses and employees. The worksheet focuses on listening, vocabulary and speaking.

In this lesson, students learn useful words and phrases for talking about advertising methods and promotional strategies.

The theme of this lesson is employee misconduct. Students read an article about how companies in the UK deal with employees who have committed offences at work and in their leisure time. Terms for describing different offences, crimes and aspects of the legal system are studied. In the grammar exercises, the students review and practise the first, second, third and mixed conditionals. At the end of the lesson, the class discusses the worksheet topic.

In this lesson, students learn how to describe different types of corporate crime and read about big corporate scandals including Enron, Worldcom and Parmalat. There are plenty of opportunities for discussion.

Students read an article about a case of bullying at an Australian workplace. The lesson covers some key vocabulary related to law as well as a discussion activity designed to get students talking in depth about the issue.

This lesson teaches the vocabulary and grammar necessary for taking meeting minutes in English. Students listen to a dialogue of a meeting and read an extract from the minutes. After studying the vocabulary and grammar used in the text, they practise reporting statements and taking minutes.

The theme of this lesson is company dress code. Students read a short article about the changing attitudes towards employee dress code among businesses in the UK. In the grammar section of the worksheet, the passive voice is reviewed. This is followed by a discussion on the issues raised in the article and the general attitude to company clothes policy in the students’ own countries.

This lesson plan is the first of a two-part worksheet series based on an interview recorded in 2007 with the British entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin business empire, Sir Richard Branson. In this extract from the interview, Branson talks about the foundations of his empire, what the Virgin brand stands for and what drives him to launch new businesses.

Disclaimer: At 06.55, Sir Richard makes a joke that some teachers or students might find to be inappropriate.

In the second part of our Richard Branson interview series, Branson jokes about some of his business ventures, including his Virgin Galactic space tourism business. He recalls a daring hot air balloon flight and talks about his adventurous spirit.

This lesson plan covers a range of vocabulary for talking about general areas of IT, including software, hardware, web hosting, web design and troubleshooting.

The theme of this lesson is the growth of the social networking tool Twitter . Students watch Evan Williams, co-founder of Twitter, talking about the reasons for Twitter’s popularity. Several idioms and phrases related to launching a business are studied. In the grammar section, emphatic structures used by the speaker are studied and practised. Finally there is a discussion activity on Twitter and how social networking tools can be used in business, as well as an optional video-based exercise for more tech-savvy students.

The theme of this light-hearted lesson is office jargon. Students read a satirical article on everyday business clichés used in the modern workplace. There is a speaking activity at the end of the lesson in which the students describe situations that illustrate particular clichés and discuss the use of business jargon in their own countries. The worksheet works well with advanced, good-natured classes.

In this lesson, students watch speaker Richard St John talk about the road to success.

In this third part of our Business Idioms lesson plans, students learn 13 more English idioms used in business. The worksheet focuses on vocabulary and speaking practice.

In this lesson plan, students read about bitcoin and its part in illegal trading on the internet. Activities cover key words, phrases, and understanding the text. There is also an exercise on adverbs. The lessons ends with a speaking activity for students to discuss the topic.

Level: Pre-intermediate (A2-B1)

Pre-intermediate (A2-B1)

In this dialogue-aided lesson, students listen to an employee being interviewed about her company. They then practise using the questions and key vocabulary from the dialogue to talk about their own companies.

Students learn how to meet and greet visitors in a business/work situation. In this updated version of the lesson plan there is an animated video that can be used for the listening activity.

In this business English version of our video-aided lesson plan Present review , students review the present simple and present continuous tenses. The worksheet is suitable for classroom practice or homework.

In this lesson, students learn how to describe colleagues and people at work using a variety of adjectives and expressions.

In this lesson, students read an article about how skipping lunch can affect productivity and wellbeing in the workplace. The worksheet includes an activity on the use of can/can't for talking about ability and possibility.

In this business English version of our video-aided lesson plan Past review , students review the past simple and past continuous tenses. The worksheet is suitable for classroom practice or homework.

Students read about and discuss the benefits of working in teams. The lesson focuses on vocabulary and speaking.

In this lesson, students read a text about the pros and cons of working in an open-plan office. The worksheet focuses on vocabulary and speaking. There is also an exercise on linking words and phrases.

Students learn how to describe office devices and machines. The worksheet presents key structures for describing how something works as well as expressions for explaining common problems.

In this lesson, students learn key vocabulary for office stationery, supplies and equipment. The worksheet includes a speaking activity and several image-based exercises.

In this lesson filler, students listen to a dialog between two work colleagues. One of the speakers has forgotten several items in his office and tries to explain where they are. The lesson rounds off with a role play activity in which students then practise using prepositions and expressions of place.

In this lesson, students read about the lifestyle of certain Google employees who have reportedly been living on the company's premises. The worksheet includes several vocabulary exercises and a discussion activity.

In this business English version of our lesson plan Present perfect practice , students study the past simple and past participle forms of common irregular verbs and practise the present perfect with 'since', 'for', 'ever' and 'never'.

In this lesson, students learn how to write emails for their work. The worksheet compares formal and informal styles of writing.

Students learn how to exchange and read information on the phone, including numbers, dates, email addresses, website URLs, prices, and other information.

In this lesson, students learn and use vocabulary connected with time management. Learners look at tips, prioritise tasks and discuss how good they think they are at time management.

Questions can be especially tricky for lower level learners. This business English version of our simple lesson plan Asking questions is designed to build the students' confidence when using question structures.

In this dialogue-based lesson, students listen to a short market survey interview with a consumer about her opinions on consumer electronics brands. The focus is on the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives. At the end of the worksheet, there is a role play in which students interview each other.

In this pre-intermediate+ lesson plan, students learn and use vocabulary related to marketing. Activities cover digital and offline marketing, marketing tips and common collocations. At the end of the lesson, students answer questions about marketing where they work.

Students learn how to manage a business meeting, including agreeing/disagreeing with propositions, arriving at a consensus, confirming a decision and closing the meeting. The lesson focuses on listening and practical, functional vocabulary.

In this video-aided lesson plan, students review the structures going to , will and the present continuous for talking about the future. The worksheet is suitable for classroom practice or homework.

In this lesson, students read an article about pros and cons of Sweden's six-hour work day. The 5-page worksheet includes a grammar activity on reported speech.

This pre-intermediate+ lesson plan covers vocabulary for talking about work pay. There are exercises on salary collocations, work benefits and how to read a payslip. The lesson finishes with questions for students to talk about pay in their own countries.

In this dialogue-aided lesson plan, students learn key vocabulary used for appraising performance. The lesson rounds off with students doing a performance review in pairs.

In this lesson, students read an article about the phrases that they should avoid using in their careers. The worksheet includes a grammar exercise on should/shouldn't + infinitive for giving advice and expressing expectation. The lesson recycles some of the vocabulary covered in the worksheet Describing colleagues .

In this worksheet, students learn and practise vocabulary connected with finance. Activities cover key verbs and nouns, financial businesses, and banking collocations.

Students learn how to negotiate in English. The lesson plan includes a short negotiation dialogue and focuses on vocabulary, listening comprehension, and role play.

This is the business version of our grammar lesson plan First Conditional Review . The worksheet is suitable for classroom practice or homework.

In this lesson, students read about UK businessman Richard Branson's ideas. The worksheet includes a grammar exercise on defining relative clauses with 'who', 'which', 'that', 'whose' and 'where'.

In this audio-based lesson plan, students learn how to describe a procedure. The worksheet focuses on vocabulary, listening comprehension, and speaking practice.

In this business English version of our popular lesson filler 'Learning English', students learn how to say the letters of the alphabet, how to ask about the meaning and spelling of unfamiliar words and how to describe different parts of speech (nouns, verbs, prepositions, pronouns adverbs). There is a pairwork activity in which partners take turns to ask each other questions about the English terms for common items found in an office.

Students learn how to tell stories and anecdotes, including how to use linking words and phrases to connect different facts.

: ESL Business English Lesson Plans

B1: esl business english.

Try our TEFL business English lesson plans today. Explore a wide range of Business English topics including; writing emails, job interviews, marketing, presentations, management and more!

Why is Business English important?

Many ESL students require business English lesson to progress in their careers, or to get a new English speaking job. Therefore, it is important to deliver specific business English lessons that cover vocabulary and grammar that is used in business. Furthermore, these business English lesson plans present the perfect opportunity to talk about cultural and etiquette differences in the corporate world.

Is there a Business English curriculum?

Yes, all TEFL business English lesson plans are presented in a clear curriculum for all ESL Pals members. Our business English curriculum covers important business topics and vocabulary that all students need to know to be able to work in an English speaking environment. Our curriculum will save you 100s of hours of planning!

What business English topics are covered?

If your students are looking to improve in all aspects of business English, you have come to the right place! At ESL Pals , we use videos and articles to introduce and dissect interesting topics. Through these videos and articles, we uncover essential vocabulary and grammar, while using fun, engaging exercises to practice the four skills; reading, speaking, listening and writing.

What is included in these ESL business English lesson plans?

ESL Pals don’t just provide a single lesson plan to members. We provide our members with a student version and teacher; the teacher version contains answers and teaching advice. Furthermore, each ESL lesson plan contains homework which is related to the topic of lesson, meaning students can continue to study in their free time. All TEFL business English lesson plan are available to download in PDF format, and new ESL lesson plans are added weekly!

B2: ESL Business English

ESL Pals has detailed TEFL business English lesson plans. Business English lesson plans include; marketing, sales, retirement, sustainability + more!

What ESL business English topics are covered?

A wide range of business English topics are covered throughout this B2 intermediate level, and all topics are relevant to the English speaking corporate world. Whether your business students need help with; communication, interviews, productivity, giving feedback, marketing or sales we’ve got you covered.

What type of exercises are used in these ESL business English lessons?

If you are looking for fun, engaging TEFL business English lesson plans that will enable your students to progress, you have come to the right place! All TEFL lesson plans use a thought-provoking video or article to explore a relevant topic, with a grammar point linked to the topic at hand. ESL business students will learn all relevant vocabulary related to the topic, before practicing the four skills through a range of exercises such as; role plays, sentence completion, case studies, comprehension questions and much more!

Are there business English homework tasks given?

Yes, all TEFL business English lesson plans from ESL Pals contain detailed, topic-related homework tasks. For progression, it is crucial that all ESL students practice in their free time, therefore ESL Pals have provided homework tasks in all lessons. Furthermore, completed homework provide the perfect introductory warm-up task for the next lesson, making ESL Pals ’ business English curriculum flow seamlessly.

Can I try a free TEFL business English lesson plan before purchase?

C1: esl business english.

ESL Pals ' advanced business English lesson plans topics include; data, job interview practice + more! Try our TEFL business English lesson plans today!

Why should I buy an ESL Pals subscription?

If you want to spend less time planning and creating teaching materials, you have come to the right place! Here at ESL Pals , we have awesome TEFL business lesson plans ready to use, saving you endless hours of planning. Each lesson plan teaches all necessary vocabulary, through an interesting subject, ensuring your ESL business English students can flourish in the English speaking corporate world. With an ESL Pals , you can say goodbye to planning - we plan, you teach!

Is there a business English curriculum?

At ESL Pals , we have structed our advanced business English lesson plans into an easy-to-use ESL curriculum. This step-by-step guide allows your students to navigate through the tricky world of business English jargon and idioms with ease. Each class is equipped with fun, educational activities which allows them to practice to the four skills.

Are ESL business lesson plans downloadable?

Yes, just like our free lesson plans, all ESL business lesson plans are available to download in PDF format for members of the ESL Pals community. Once downloaded, members can use the lesson plans over and over again – save lots of time from planning! For each class, there are student and teacher versions available to download, and every lesson plan contains a detailed homework task.

How long are the business English lesson plans from ESL Pals ?

With an ESL Pals subscription, you will never have to create advanced business English teaching materials again, as each lesson is equipped with detailed exercises all linked to an engaging video or article. Our advanced business English lesson plans last an absolute minimum of 1 hour, with some lasting over 2 hours. The longer lesson plans are perfect to split over two classes, meaning you can solidify students’ understanding of particular topics.

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Bringing immersive learning to life with tech-centric lesson plans

How verizon innovative learning hq helps a rhode island after-school program teach with ar, vr, and more..

According to Juan Rodriguez, Winner’s Circle XR Academy founder, the Verizon Innovative Learning Immersive Media lessons “serve as an excellent introduction for students to the design-thinking process and allows them to explore projects related to [sustainability].” Photo credit: Kieran Kesner

The after-school program is provided by Winner’s Circle XR Academy , a nonprofit that aims to empower students in underserved communities through work with advanced technology and dynamic STEAM education. Juan Rodriguez, Winner’s Circle founder and executive director, incorporates Verizon Innovative Learning HQ’s free lesson plans into the nonprofit’s curriculum, providing STEM education to over 200 Rhode Island students every school year. These resources are part of Citizen Verizon’s goal to provide 10 million youth with digital skills by 2030, offering educators nationwide with free access to hundreds of tech-focused lessons across all subjects that innovate classroom learning.

Rodriguez, who is also a high school teacher, says the Verizon Innovative Learning HQ materials allow him to better tailor his lessons to the needs of his students. He is using Immersive Media VR-specific lessons in his curriculum, modifying to celebrate students’ identities and cultures. The lessons teach middle school students digital storytelling, interactive experience creation, and AR and VR design through four hands-on units.

“We have some students who might be engaging with this technology for the first time, and they’re not sure how to approach it. But after they [get started], they’re excited. Their eyes light up,” Rodriguez says. “We’re teaching students how to become content creators. We’re letting them know, ‘You can create your own story — you don’t have to let someone else tell your story.’”

Winner’s Circle XR Academy brings advanced technologies and STEAM topics to six middle schools across Providence, Rhode Island. Photo credit: Kieran Kesner

Rodriguez recalls a past student who, during the VR lesson, shared his story through an immersive experience based on a family trip to Cambodia.

“He added all these different elements — the animals he saw there, the temples — and he brought the characters to life,” Rodriguez explains. “He shared this with his peers, and now his peers are learning about Cambodia. They get to see what Cambodia looks like from his perspective, and it’s fully interactive.”

Being able to create using technology was one of the main draws for Winner’s Circle instructor and mentor Imani Dukes to participate in the nonprofit’s after-school program when she herself was in high school. Now, as a college junior studying computer science, Dukes is sharing her interest in STEM (she plans to go into gaming) with the students she mentors at Sophia Academy.

Imani Dukes, a former Winner’s Circle XR Academy participant, is now an instructor and mentor with the organization and aspires to have a career in the gaming industry after college. Photo credit: Kieran Kesner

“I was eager to become an instructor so I could spread the word about this technology, especially to girls of color,” Dukes says. “There are only a few who look like me in the gaming industry, so it is my goal to discuss how important and intriguing technology is to the younger generation. I love being able to mentor the students and see them grow and succeed in life.”

At Sophia Academy, Dukes says, “the students are ecstatic to be in the program, learning something new about AR and VR technology and applying that knowledge to their own experiences, all while having a safe space and non-judgement zone to talk and be themselves.”

One of these students is seventh grader Herianna Frias Garcia. She has been active in the program, also participating in the Winner’s Circle MindBlast XR Hackathon, a competition where middle school students in Rhode Island use XR technology to bring awareness to social justice issues.

Herianna Frias Garcia, a student at Sophia Academy, has been active within the after-school program, participating in the Winner’s Circle MindBlast XR Hackathon. Photo credit: Kieran Kesner

“My favorite part of the program is learning more about [the things] I’m interested in,” Frias Garcia says, highlighting her enthusiasm for 3-D modeling and the immersive world of VR. “I like seeing all the games people have made.” The prospect of using VR technology to bring her creations to life has also sparked a dream for her future. “I would like to design buildings using VR,” she says.

Through the use of innovative technology, Verizon Innovative Learning HQ lessons, and creative methods of engagement, these educators hope to both cultivate and diversify the future of STEM, ensuring that students like Frias Garcia are equipped with the skills and opportunities needed to thrive in the digital economy.

“It’s rewarding to see our efforts empower students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, to explore this industry and contribute to the next generation,” Rodriguez says. “At Sophia Academy, we're observing that the students feel empowered. Their mentor is helping them build confidence, fostering a belief that they can be successful in any STEM career they choose to pursue.”

To access free learning apps , lesson plans and professional development courses aligned to microcredentials , visit Verizon Innovative Learning HQ .

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I planned on confronting my absent father about his parenting. But when I asked to hear his side, I learned a powerful lesson.

My father was absent throughout most of my life, so I went to Ghana to confront him about it.
In Ghana, I learned about my father's past and understood his perspective for the first time.
Although we will never be close, the conversation healed our relationship and taught me empathy.

A few years ago, I visited my father in Ghana and asked to hear his story about why he was an absent parent . This conversation helped me heal, forgive, and transform how I view disagreements today.

At the time, I had a lot of built-up resentment and anger toward my dad. In my mind, he stopped making a meaningful effort to see me or show up for me after he remarried. He and his new family lived in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Finland — while my mom, my brother, and I initially struggled with being unhoused and being on welfare here in the US.

I dealt with a lot of feelings of rejection , which I'd reflected on and worked through in therapy during my 20s. But in my 30s, it all came back, and I needed to deal with it head-on.

I decided to meet with my father to talk things through

There were times when I'd be driving, and I'd find myself weeping, questioning what I'd done to cause him not to fight for me. It was clear his rejection of me was still affecting the way I move about the world.

During a leadership training program, my cohort and I discussed our origins. I shared with the cohort that I had an upcoming trip to Ghana, and I had plans to confront my father.

Politely, a cohort member raised their hand. "Hey, what would it look like if you took a different approach?" he asked. "We all have empathy for each other because we know each other's stories."

I felt my heart rate quicken and my jaw clench in defensiveness. Despite my defensiveness, his words planted a seed that I brought up with my therapist. Together, my therapist and I started preparing for how I would turn my "confrontation" into a "conversation" with my father.

I also asked my father to share his experiences growing up

My father grew up in Ghana, and his own father was only a kid at the time. My father also left his entire family for boarding school at 14 years old, and at 16, he left Ghana to come to the US.

Hearing this story, a lump formed in my throat as I felt — for the first time — empathy for my dad. I wonder how he felt as a little boy.

Fully immersing myself in my dad's story wasn't easy. It was challenging to remove my biased perspective of anger and distrust. I pushed myself to engage from a place of curiosity and ask him questions as if I was a student.

Hearing my dad's story helped me understand

At the end of our conversation, I told my father I disagreed with his approach but understood how he arrived at his conclusion. We hugged, and my father told me he was proud of me, which I never heard growing up.

This conversation did not transform us into a father-son duo holding hands and walking into the sunset. My dad's decision not to fight for a place in my life robbed both of us of father-son experiences that we can never get back.

However, this conversation gave me access to my heritage, Ghana, which I'd previously avoided. This allowed me to get involved in social entrepreneurial projects, like working with an elementary school and hiring and training Ghanaian staff members.

It also gave me access to an incredible mentor, my father . Previously, I avoided my dad. Now, I actively seek him out, particularly when I need feedback on a project.

Perhaps most importantly, this conversation taught me a profound lesson I now apply to every area of my life. I learned that when we do not seek to understand and respect the person we disagree with, it only hurts us.

That day, if I had chosen to confront my father from a place of vitriol and anger, his rejection would still haunt me, and I would have never learned the powerful lesson that every person has a story that shapes who they are today.

Watch: I was assaulted by a Met Police officer at 14, I now train them. Here's how police racism works

Main content

School district implements lesson plan for elementary students about pronouns

DEWITT, Mich. ( WILX /Gray News) – A public school district in Michigan is planning on teaching elementary students about pronouns in an effort to help all students feel understood and included.

The new lesson plan in DeWitt Public Schools will explore pronouns through discussion and literature.

A statement from district superintendent Dr. Shanna Spickard reads:

“This lesson is to emphasize the importance of inclusivity, which is a core value of the district. The mini-lesson is not designed to challenge or alter family beliefs, instead, it aims to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment.”

However, the lesson plan is sparking debate across the community with opposing views from parents.

Brandi Strahan, a parent whose kids attend DeWitt Elementary Schools, said she believes elementary school is too young for a discussion about pronouns.

“They don’t need to learn, you know, about anything that’s personal or sexualized or, you know, gender-specific, at five years old,” Strahan said. “Those are my babies, and that’s my right and my husband’s right.”

She continued, “They don’t know who they are yet. They’re still growing. They don’t know anything other than love.”

On the other hand, a former DeWitt parent said she likes the idea of the new lesson plan, saying it would have helped her child in the past.

The parent, identified only as Janna, said her son may have been better understood by his peers growing up if there had been school lessons about pronouns and gender identity.

“When my kid was young, I thought [gender nonconformity] was just a phase,” Janna said. “I thought everybody was doing it, and I thought it was the new hip thing until my kid tried taking his life because he wasn’t understood and wasn’t accepted.”

Janna said ultimately, she hopes the lesson would help every child feel accepted.

“Even if people don’t understand it, it’s all about inclusion and, you know, making every kid feel safe and welcome in any district,” she said.

In the letter sent to parents by the DeWitt School District, the lesson will start in the coming weeks. Parents have until Thursday to opt their kids out of the lesson or to request a more in-depth look at the lesson plan.

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IMAGES

Business Plan for Kids: A Sample Outline and Research Guide
Business Studies Lesson Plan For B.Ed
Business Plans
Sample Business Writing Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan Writing Essentials Business English
Principles Of Business Marketing And Finance Lesson Plans

VIDEO

Business Plan Guideline Series episode 4: Financial plan and Marketing Analysis
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Strategies Revealed in Business Plans and Manuals
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Create business plans for startup#business #youtubeshorts #guidance
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COMMENTS

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