In the world of business, there are many things which affect your performance and success. Good communication and interaction lie at the heart of a successful company and this means that having good business English skills is essential – so how can you achieve this? Here are 7 simple ways:
1. Know what you want
Knowing what you want to get from your time learning English will help clarify how you expect to get there and can prove a great way of spurring you on when times get a little tough. If you focus on language that is useful to you in your business you will be more motivated and successful.
This process of setting goals should also incorporate a rough idea of how long it will take you to reach your target. Neither your target nor the amount of time you expect it to take should be unrealistic, as this may hamper your progress and lessen your willingness to learn.
2. Don’t just listen – watch!
A good ear for the English language will only get you so far and you’ll need your eyes if you’re going to continue improving your business English skills.
This is due to the way in which non-verbal communication, such as gestures and body movement enhance our everyday understanding of other people. Make sure you study body language to help you along your way.
3. Find someone to talk to
Finding a partner that will help you by spending a little time conversing with you in English each day or each week is a great way of practicing your new skills. Choose someone with an understanding of business terminology and try and involve yourself in the language as much as possible.
4. Sign up for an English course
There is a huge variety of different types of English language courses available for those willing to learn. They range from individual language training, with either a face-to-face tutor or communication over the internet, to group lessons and even online video seminars.
It may take a little time to find the right course for you, but if you explore the options available and speak to those already involved, you are sure to find one which is perfect.
5. Try social media
One of the best ways to learn English is by using social media tools to express your interest in business ideas or other hobbies. A blog allows you to circulate your ideas outside of the workplace in a fun and informative way, while improving your communication skills at the same time.
Twitter is also a great tool for learning business terms as its character limitation ensures you are precise and exact in your correspondence.
6. Enjoy learning vocabulary
Language is a fascinating subject and is especially intriguing when it comes to building a varied vocabulary. Explore the ways you can use different words when you first learn them and only use specific terms if you are confident of their meaning.
Business terminology can often be problematic to learn as many of the terms are similar. This means it will pay you to keep a list of terms and try to memorize a set amount each week until you are familiar with them and their meanings.
7. Immerse yourself!
Lastly, the best way to learn business English is to throw yourself in at the deep end and immerse yourself in the language. This means you should use your new skills and interact with colleagues using the correct terminology as much as possible.
Author | Contributed from Linguarama – Business English Courses, a leading language course provider in the UK, with offices and training centers all across Europe.
I'm an avid fan of your blog, and the content is always top notch - great reading. I'm always impressed with the variety of content and the way you get all the important steps outlined for processes, but still manage to keep it short and simple - few people do that quite as well.
Mike Purvis
Andy Fletcher
Todd Gross
The best way to learn and improve any language is through practice and immersion. I always find myself improving on a foreign language whenever I take a trip to a non-english speaking country. Even if it’s a short one or two week vacation, I come backling with a spackling more foreign language skill.