starting a business esl lesson plan

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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.

Research and insight

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11 Engaging Business English Lesson Plan Ideas for Teachers

Business English can have a reputation as…a little boring. Isn’t business the same way? All offices and paperwork, offices and emails?

While yes, you do need to learn all of those things to be successful in the business world (and therefore, you need to learn all of those in business English classes ), you’ll be happy to know that your business English lesson plan ideas don’t need to be boring at all!

To help you out, I’ve compiled this list of business English lesson plan ideas to make your lessons engaging, useful, and interesting. Essentially: not boring!

Some extra tips for teaching business English

Before we jump into our business English lesson plans, there are a few things to keep in mind when you’re planning! First, make sure to know where your students are at—some kind of assessment so you know their approximate English levels is a great start.

You will also want to tailor your lessons to provide vocabulary and skills for your students’ specific jobs and businesses. Finally, at the beginning of each lesson, make sure to start with an icebreaker or game! I’m tellin’ ya—English comes much easier when it’s fun to learn!

1. Business English A to Z

Level : All levels Objectives : To target potential areas of improvement, to assess student knowledge, to introduce new vocabulary Materials : Whiteboard, timer, individual pencil and paper

“Business English A to Z” is a great lesson that can be adjusted for all levels, and is especially ideal for assessing student knowledge and introducing basic business English vocabulary. It’s also a fun icebreaker and can be used to introduce a variety of different themes and business English lesson ideas.

To begin, write the letters from A to Z on a whiteboard or a chalkboard, with plenty of space. Have the students write out all the letters of the alphabet in their notebooks or on a piece of paper, and begin the timer. The students have five minutes (or more or less, depending on the class—that’s your call!) to list common business English words for each letter.

When the time’s up, students share what they’ve come up with for each letter, while you write them out below their corresponding letters on the board. The student who has the most words per letter wins!

2. Business English Definitions Race

Level : Easily adaptable to all English levels Objectives : To introduce new vocabulary, review previously learned vocabulary, and assess student knowledge Materials : Whiteboard or chalkboard (or paper in a pinch), writing implements (markers, pens, chalk), buzzers, list of business English words and their definitions

Also an engaging icebreaker or assessment, the “Business English Definitions Race” can be used to introduce or review business English vocabulary. Split the class into teams, and give each team a buzzer or a pen, depending on the format you choose.

For the teams with buzzers, you’ll read out a common business English word, and whoever answers first, and correctly, gets the points. (Keep a tally on the board!).

You can also write the full list of words on the board ahead of time, and have the teams line up and take turns filling in the proper definitions next to the corresponding word. Whichever team gets the most definitions wins!

3. Job Interview Role Play

Level : Can be adapted to different levels, but some conversational English knowledge is necessary Objectives : To practice interview questions and responses, to review English grammar and sentence structure Materials : None necessary, could provide notecards with sample jobs or sample questions, or a video of a sample interview

The “Job Interview Role Play” lesson plan, while more easily adapted to advanced English and above, is useful for anyone learning business English.

As a lead into the lesson, you can have two students practice what they think a typical interview looks like, or show a video of a sample interview. Then, split the class into pairs, and have each student take a turn being interviewed, and being the interviewer.

Depending on the level, you can provide notecards to pass around, filled with sample questions for the interviewer, or with job ideas to give guidance on what students could be “applying” for. The interviews should include greetings, common questions, and typical farewells.

4. Staying In a Hotel

Level : Intermediate to advanced English Objectives: To learn common phrases and vocabulary needed for hotel stays and general travel Materials : Whiteboard or notecards for target words and phrases, audio file with an example of hotel receptionist and guest

Many people in business have to travel frequently, and if a student is learning business English, there’s a chance they might need to travel to English-speaking hotels. This lesson, “Staying in a Hotel,” will introduce all the phrases and vocabulary needed for hotel stays in the English world.

Begin with an audio file of a guest checking into a hotel and speaking with the receptionist. Have the students parse out common words and phrases to write on the whiteboard, before splitting them into pairs to practice checking into a hotel.

5. Making Slogans

Level : Intermediate to advanced English Objectives: Review of common business English vocabulary, practice writing and reading English Materials : Paper, pencils

“Making Slogans” gets students to use their creative sides while also reviewing and learning business English vocabulary.

To begin, have the class share any famous business slogans they can think of (write them on the board if you wish). Split the class into groups (ideally three or more), and have them brainstorm new slogans for a business. The businesses can already exist, or the students can make up a new business.

For example, students could think of a new slogan for a common worldwide brand, like McDonald’s. They could also brainstorm slogans for a broader business, like a restaurant, or for the businesses they currently work for.

6. Resumé/CV Preparation

Level : Advanced beginner and above Objectives : To practice writing and reading resumes or CVs Materials : Various examples of resumés or CVs (preferably hard copies), paper, pencils/pens

An essential skill in business (and in the world) is crafting a resumé or curriculum vitae (CV). That’s generally how you get jobs, after all! For this lesson, share a few examples of resumés via PowerPoint or slides, and then pass out some hard copies of different types of resumés or CVs.

Using these examples, each student will then practice writing out their own resumés, either on paper or on their computers (if they have them).

Be on hand to answer questions, help with formatting, or to discuss issues as they come up.

7. Guess the Brand Bingo

Level : All levels Objectives : To identify businesses, discuss effective branding, practice English listening skills Materials : Images of common brand logos on worksheets in different grid patterns, answer key for teacher

“Guess the Brand Bingo” is an engaging lesson for students to delve deeper into the business world. In addition to practicing their English listening, students can discuss common brand logos and what makes them effective, learn English names for businesses, and consider what makes these businesses stand out.

Pass out the bingo worksheets to each student, then, using your answer key, say the name of the business. The student needs to find the brand icon on their sheet and mark it off. Whoever gets four or five in a row first, wins! Just make sure to check their icons with the ones you’ve listened to make sure they got them correct!

8. All About Meetings

Level : Upper intermediate and above is best, although can be adapted to lower levels Objectives : To practice a typical business meeting, reinforce common business English and meeting culture Materials : Whiteboard with common meeting phrases, video clips of meetings

Meetings are kind of a necessary evil in the business world (and maybe the world, in general). Although nowadays many meetings are conducted online via Zoom or other chat programs, students still need to know how to conduct a meeting or take part in one, in English.

Begin the lesson with a discussion of what happens in meetings, common phrases students need to know, and video or audio clips of meetings. Then have the students break into groups and have a pretend meeting, where they greet everyone, introduce themselves, and discuss what the “meeting” will cover.

9. Writing Emails Race

Level : Can be adapted from advanced beginner and above Objectives : To introduce and review typical business English email structure and vocabulary Materials : Email template, timer, small writing papers, and pens

Emails! Another necessary evil in the workplace. Also, a very efficient, useful way to communicate with colleagues all over the world.

For the “Writing Emails Race,” put an email template on the board (on a slide or a PowerPoint). Discuss the common phrases and vocabulary seen in most emails, then pass out small pieces of paper. In pairs, students will then practice writing emails back and forth, complete with sample email addresses and subjects.

After several practice rounds to make sure each student understands the format, start the timer! The pair that writes the most emails back and forth, that are also grammatically correct, wins.

10. Guess the Job

Level : Can be adapted from advanced beginner and above Objectives : To practice speaking and reading business English, to introduce new vocabulary Materials : Notecards with different jobs

For “Guess the Job,” students will each get a notecard filled out with a different job. Students will then walk around the room, trying to guess the jobs on each other’s notecards. Students must ask questions to figure out the various jobs.

This lesson can be adapted to different levels using more complicated jobs, such as “teacher” and “doctor” versus “chief financial officer” and “software engineer.” Don’t forget to mill around and check pronunciation and grammar as the students chat, while making notes on any discussion points for later.

11. Surveys, Graphs & Charts

Level : Best for intermediate and above Objectives : To practice conversational English, to familiarize the student with surveys, graphs, and charts Materials : Graph paper, markers, pens, regular paper

This final lesson plan, “Surveys, Graphs & Charts,” is ideal for several lesson periods.

Begin by splitting each student into groups. The groups then need to come up with a survey for the rest of the class. Depending on the level, it can be an easier question, such as eye color, or it can be more tailored to business English, such as how many hours a week they work, or even more complicated.

The students must then design the survey and administer it to the rest of the class. After all the members of the class (themselves included) have filled out the survey, the groups will then analyze the results. Using the results, have the groups make a chart or a graph (or both) and then present it to the class.

This lesson is an ideal business English lesson plan, and it includes conversation, numbers analysis, information discussion, and presentation skills.

There you have it! 11 engaging business English lesson plans to spice up your lessons, without sacrificing the essential vocabulary, grammar, and themes necessary for fluency.

If you’re an ESL teacher , what lessons would you add to this list? If you’re a student, which of these sounds like the most interesting class? Let’s discuss in the comments below.

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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!

If you’re after an easy and informative way to introduce the business world to your students, then be sure to check out FluentU.You’ll be able to showcase actually used business English in native contexts. Be sure to request a free trial to fully explore the FluentU program.

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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• General English
• Video series
• Word on the Street

Starting a Business

Have you ever wanted to start your own business? Joe meets young British people doing just that, and gets advice from entrepreneurs old and new, including Sir Richard Branson.

Watch the video and do the first Task . Then watch the video again and finish the Tasks . If you need help, you can read the Transcript at any time.

Preparation

Think about the following questions:

• Have you ever thought of running your own business?
• What advice would you give young business people?

Follow Joe as he learns what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

Joe : Golf is a sport played all over the world. But wherever you are, after you’ve hit your shot, there can be a long walk to go and get your ball. But now, there’s a new way to get around the golf course. You just hop on, and I’ll see you down there.

This simple idea, to make a small and lightweight golf cart which will fold and fit in the boot of the car, was invented by a British engineering student. Now, just a few years later, the RolleyGolf is being sold around the world. That student inventor is now an international businessman…

Joe : Hello!

Arnold : Hello!

Joe : …and the winner of several young entrepreneur awards.

So Arnold, how did you come up with the idea?

Arnold : RolleyGolf’s idea came up at university when I was studying design and we took that design to a golf course and discovered there was a niche in the market.

Joe : So you actually sold some before you’d even built them?

Arnold : Yes, we created one RolleyGolf, and on the basis of one RolleyGolf, we built many for clients.

Joe : And do you still play golf?

Arnold : It’s my major passion in life.

Joe : Well, let’s go!

Arnold : Let’s do it.

Joe : Arnold is one of thousands of young people in Britain with ideas for a new business.

One famous businessman who helps young people get started is Sir Richard Branson. He was once in Arnold’s position, facing the same challenges as a young entrepreneur. Now, he’s the head of the massive Virgin group, which includes mobile phone, media and travel companies. They sponsor Virgin Pioneers, which was set up to support young business people.

Joe : Sir Richard, as a businessman, what was it like for you when you started?

Sir Richard : Ah… It’s difficult… You know, 45 years ago when I started off in business, the word entrepreneur didn’t really exist, so for many years all that really mattered was the word survival. And I sort of threw myself in the deep end and had to fight to survive. And I suppose I was lucky to survive, and lucky that Virgin grew into the company it has today.

Joe : Do you think it’s a good time to start a business in Britain?

Sir Richard : I think it’s a great time to start a business anywhere in the world. If, you know, what is a business? A business is just coming up with an idea that’s going to make a positive difference to other people’s lives. If you’ve got an idea like that, you know, just do it.

Other young pioneers gave their advice too.

Entrepreneur 1 : My top tips for young entrepreneurs all over the world are to believe in yourself, be passionate about your idea, if you have a dream, you have to do everything in your power to make that happen.

Entrepreneur 2 : Surround yourself with people that can help lift you and your business higher.

Entrepreneur 3 : Meet as many people as you can. Talk to as many people as you can.

Entrepreneur 4 : Just get started as soon as possible. Start small, but do get started.

Joe : Arnold wanted to produce his golf cart in Britain. This was difficult, because a lot of companies these days manufacture their products in East Asia, especially China. Arnold's company now make around 50 of his products every single month, and many of the parts are handmade in this small workshop in South London.

Can I come in?

Michael Winch cuts and shapes many of the parts for the cart in his workshop.

Michael : What we do is we receive a piece of raw material and machine it and we make it into something which is more valuable than the original piece of material.

Joe : So it sounds like a lot of hard work, but do you enjoy it?

Michael : It’s great fun, yeah.

Joe : Arnold’s invention is now legal on the roads in Britain, so I’m sure he won’t mind if I borrow one to get home. See ya!

Watch Joe's documentary about young business people. Put the interviews in the correct order.

Watch the video again. Complete the paragraph about Arnold du Toit and RolleyGolf with the correct words.

Choose the correct tense, present or past, to complete the passive sentences from the video.

Can you remember the passive sentences from Task 3? Type in the correct forms of the verbs in (brackets).

Language level

Dear Team, could you give me some advice, please? ''Entrepreneur 2: Surround yourself with people that can help lift you and your business higher.'' Is there any type of inversion between the verb ''lift'' and the subjects ''you and your bussiness'', so he could also say 1)''...people that can help you and your bussiness lift'', or 2)''people that can help and lift you and your business'' Ι'm always a bit confused-maybe because of my native language-with this type of syntax: ''can help+(transitive)verb+object'', instead of ''can help+ object+( transitive)verb''. I wish I could find more stuff or theory with related examples. Thanks a lot for your priceless help, Nikos

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No, there's no inversion here, actually. "You and your business" is the object of "lift" rather than the subject. "Help lift" is a possible verb pattern (with the same meaning as "help to lift"). 

It's also possible to say something similar with the second syntax pattern that you mentioned --> Surround yourself with people that can help you and your business (to) lift higher .

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello nikoslado

I'd say that Joe used the continuous form here to show that this is something new or developing, which is one meaning that the continuous aspect commonly expresses. It would also be correct to use a simple form here, but the continuous one adds another layer of meaning.

All the best

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Starting A Business Lessons and Lesson Plans on Starting your own Business

Teach and learn starting a business basics and related principles.

Here students learn an introduction to starting a business and the various related terminology and vocabulary. Learn about part-time businesses, which business to choose, identify a market, and how much it will cost.

In addition, we also have included informative related articles.

Starting a Business Lessons and Worksheets

Starting your Part-Time Business

A lesson for students to learn about starting their own part-time business.  Learn about different business ideas, and explore personal interests and abilities to help choose the right business.

Which Business to Choose? A lesson for students on deciding which business to choose.  Learn to distinguish between businesses that produce a product and those that provide a service, understand resources needed, and potential markets.

How much will it Cost? Learn about the costs of starting and running a business.  Learn about fixed costs, variable costs, and the concept of break even point.

Knowing your Market Introduction to basic marketing strategy and understanding a target market.  Identify products and services and learn how pricing affects marketing strategy.

Is My Business Successful? Learn how to determine if a business is successful.  Topics include gross profit, net profit, and percent profit.

The Paperwork of Business Learn about the paperwork of business. Understand the use of invoices, receipts, and quotations, and how to fill in these forms.

Starting your Business: Prototypes and Service Demonstrations

A classroom economy lesson on starting a business.  Students will start their business by designing prototypes and working on service demonstrations.

Business Expenses

Learn about many of the costs and expenses associated with starting a business.  Explore business licenses, locations, patents, taxes, and partnerships.

INFORMATIONAL ARTICLES

I Want to Start My Own Business... or Do I?

Here are some questions to first ask yourself to see if you are ready to start your own business.

Tips on Starting a Home Business

So you want to start your own home based business?  Here are some tips and advice to help you get started.

Home Based Business Ideas

With self-motivation and discipline, you can start a home business.  Here are some work ideas for your own home business.

Starting a Business Checklist

Here is a checklist to help you with starting your own business.

8 Tips on Writing a Home Business Plan

It's always a good idea to write a business plan before starting a new business.  Here are some quick tips to help.

Easy and Inexpensive Ways to Promote your Small Business

Ways to inexpensively promote your small business, or home based business.

5 Simple Home Business Relationship Building Strategies

Some simple ways to help build relationships with your customers for your home or small business.

Simple Facts about Starting your Own Business

Careful planning and preparation can make the transition from conventional employment to self-employment less stressful and strenuous.

BUSINESS PLANS

Business Plan Writing and Information

Information and resources on writing business plans.  Learn about setting business goals, marketing, and related strategies.

Careers, Work, Business Skills, Jobs

Helpful career, work, and business information. Advice and tips to help you with your own career and work skills.

Back to more Career, Job, and Business Skills Lessons

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Startup Companies ESL Lesson Plan

Bolt: the fastest-growing tech company in europe, student level.

Downloads: 1420

Video Length: 1:54

Updated on: 06/13/2023

Lesson Time: 1–2 hrs.

Unlocking this lesson costs 1 credit and will give you full access to the printable lesson plan, interactive lesson plan, and teacher's guide. Click here to get credits.

Startup Companies ESL Lesson Plan Description

Objective & overview.

This startup companies ESL lesson plan contains activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials for B1 intermediate students. It covers speaking, listening, and grammar, with a focus on startup-related topics. Students discuss startups and famous companies, watch a video about Bolt to improve their listening comprehension and practice asking questions in English. The lesson ends with a communicative task where students describe their chosen startup and engage in conversations about it. This Startup Companies ESL lesson plan helps students in real-world business situations. It helps them improve their vocabulary, feel more confident when talking professionally, and form questions correctly.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

To start this Startup Companies ESL Lesson Plan, students discuss startups in depth , what startups do and their experiences with startups. Then, students talk about famous startups like Spotify , Tesla , and Duolingo , among others, focusing on their products and services. This leads to a discussion about the characteristics that make startups successful. Lastly, students talk about successful startups in their country and around the world. They share their own experiences. The aim of this lesson stage is to improve students' English speaking skills by engaging them in conversations about interesting and relevant startup topics.

VIDEO & LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Students move on to view a promotional video about the company Bolt . They focus on understanding details like Bolt's business lines, company growth, and employee roles. Students identify key topics from the video. Then, they answer short questions about Bolt, like what it does and how it has grown. After answering, they watch the video again to check their understanding. This helps students improve their English listening skills and learn about real business topics.

DISCUSSION & QUESTION FORMATION

After watching the video, students first discuss a Bolt commercial. They talk about what the commercial means and if they want to work at a startup like Bolt. This discussion helps them practice speaking English. Next, they learn about making questions in grammar. They create questions about Bolt's business and what its employees do. This helps students learn how to ask questions in English, using examples from startups.

INTRODUCE YOURSELF — COMMUNICATIVE TASK

In this activation, students choose a real or imaginary startup and describe it. Then, they imagine working for this startup and meeting someone from another startup. They introduce themselves and discuss their companies, covering topics like company background, job roles, products, growth, and work experience. Students use prompts like "We are..." and "I joined..." to help with their discussions. This task helps them practice speaking English in a business setting, using what they've learned about startups.

Benefits of using this startup companies ESL lesson plan:

Engaging and Relevant Topics : Students engage in discussions about startups, famous companies, and successful startups in their country and globally. This relevance makes the lesson interesting and meaningful, encouraging active participation.

Practical Question Formation : The lesson plan includes a focus on grammar related to question formation. Students practice creating questions about Bolt's business and employee roles, enhancing their ability to form questions correctly in English.

Prepation For Business Scenarios : The communicative task requires students to describe their chosen startup, discuss job roles, products, growth, and work experience. This application of language skills in a business scenario prepares them for real-world interactions.

If you're an ESL teacher looking for an engaging ESL lesson plan for your B1 Business English students, our Startup Companies ESL lesson plan is the perfect choice! Download it now to make teaching about startups fun and effective.

Video Description

Lesson activities.

Startup Companies, Success

Sequencing Topics, Short Answers

Startups, Verbs

Question Formation

Introduce Yourself & Your Company Role Play, Quiz & Review, Lesson Reflection

Lesson Topics

Startups, Companies, Success

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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.

• A physical or virtual whiteboard
• 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.

• Handouts (or PowerPoint slides) of the some of the points from this article on company policies

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.

• PowerPoint slides showing expressions for writing formal emails
• 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.

• Five different simple objects (a ball, a bag, etc.)
• Equipment to play a video

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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Steps to starting a business

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Steps to starting a business: Lesson plan

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Business start up planner

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Starting a business handbook

This lesson is designed to introduce students to the process of setting up a business and explore what it means to be enterprising. For students who are interested in becoming business owners, this lesson is a good introduction to important enterprise skills.

The first activity can be delivered as an introduction to setting up a business. The second activity can be covered in one session, or it can be delivered as a longer-term business project or series of sessions, allowing the concepts to be explored in more depth.

By the end of the lesson students will be able to:

• Understand the skills needed to be enterprising and their strengths in these areas
• Identify the seven key steps to setting up a business and how to apply these
• Demonstrate how to plan and pitch a business idea

The Starting a business handbook includes the student sheets for this lesson, with useful tips and relevant websites to refer to in future. It can also be used independently by students who are keen to plan their future business ideas in more depth.

Explore this topic further and visit BBC Teach where Radio 1 DJ Greg James brings the concept of different company types to life at a music festival in a series of short films.

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Why not try one of these next?

Enterprise project challenge

Challenge your students to creatively solve issues set by real entrepreneurs with the Enterprise project challenge.

Problem solving

Help students develop problem solving skills utilising a clear 6-step process adapted from computational thinking used for coding.

Self confidence lesson

Help students to overcome challenges and think confidently. This lesson will help your student learn how to do this.

Discussing how business works

LESSON SET OVERVIEW

With this lesson set, your students will:

• learn business-related vocabulary ,
• watch and discuss videos ,
• talk about challenges different businesses might face,
• reflect on the topic of competition in business , 
• work with case studies . 

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

This is a lesson set. Use the lessons in the set in the suggested order. Learn more about sets here.

Each lesson in the set is also a standalone lesson.

There’s no business without challenges

Before class, students revise synonyms to the word ‘company’ and learn useful business collocations (e.g. keep up with demand, source something locally, find a niche in the market ). In class, they discuss what challenges different businesses might face and watch a series of short interviews . The lesson also includes two case studies that students analyse in groups.

Competition in business

Students learn business-related vocabulary (e.g. fill a niche, compete, win in the market, monopoly ), watch a video about competition, read and discuss the story of Nokia , and work with a case study . Encourage students to use the vocabulary from Lesson 1 in ex. 3 (slide 10) and in ex. 8, 9 (slides 20, 22).

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Browse other sets for this level

Making comparisons

This lesson set provides opportunities to practise making comparisons and discuss interesting and relatable topics for intermediate learners.

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.

Expressing opinions (B1)

In the first lesson students learn and practise functional language useful when giving opinions. The language is then used in the second lesson to discuss different ideas.

Storytelling

The set was created to provide revision and practice of three past tenses (Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect) and let students practise storytelling.

What if…? Talking about hypothetical situations

The lessons in the set provide introduction to Second Conditional as well as plenty of controlled and free practice of the structure.

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.

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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)

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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.