Business English
Business English that works in the meeting.
Online courses for professionals and teams: leading meetings, presenting, negotiating, writing emails. From level A1, in small groups or one to one, with material from your working day.
Topics
What you practise in the course
Leading and joining meetings
Agenda, moderation, interrupting politely, recording outcomes.
Presenting
Structure, transitions, explaining figures, handling questions confidently.
Negotiating
Arguing your position, wording concessions, saying no politely.
Emails and reports
Clear subject lines, the right tone, short and precise sentences.
Phone and video calls
Understanding accents and poor connections, asking back without hesitation.
Small talk and networking
Starting conversations, building relationships, intercultural confidence.
Industry English
English for your field
On request we work with the vocabulary of your field.
Method
How we teach
Business English is not learned from word lists. We work communicatively: you speak in every lesson, and the teacher corrects in a targeted way and gives concrete feedback. We build on situations from your working day and on authentic sources such as the BBC, The Economist and the Financial Times, as well as course books from Pearson and Oxford University Press.
We deliberately teach Business English from level A1. If you need English at work, you do not have to finish “school English” first. We make progress visible with the Common European Framework and the finer-grained Global Scale of English.
Presentation, negotiation or job interview: we prepare you for it in a targeted way.
Further reading
Articles on the topic
Process
Business English course: from first consultation to first lesson
A Business English course at choices® does not start with chapter one of a coursebook, but with your working day. Before the first lesson, we take a few steps to clarify what you or your team need to be able to do in English.
- Initial consultation: we ask about roles, tasks and occasions. Who gives presentations, who negotiates, who writes reports, who calls suppliers?
- Placement: an online test and a conversation with a trainer show the level on the CEFR and the Global Scale of English.
- Learning plan: the methodology team puts together modules, such as meetings, emails and small talk, and defines how progress will be measured.
- Trainer: we choose a trainer who suits the sector, level and learning style.
- Start: live video lessons with regular feedback and, for companies, reports to HR.
For companies, this process is part of our language courses for companies, supplemented for larger teams by a language audit.
Levels
Learn Business English at every level from A1 to C2
Business English is not a course that only starts at B1. Even people starting from scratch often need English at work very early on: to answer the phone, write a short email or find their way around an English-language system. That is why we teach Business English from A1 and link the basics to workplace situations from the very beginning.
| Level | Course focus | Typical outcome |
|---|---|---|
| A1 to A2 | introducing yourself and your company, numbers, dates, simple emails | You arrange a meeting and confirm it in writing. |
| B1 | phone calls, following meetings, giving opinions, standard correspondence | You give a progress update in a meeting. |
| B2 | presentations, discussions, complaints, reports | You present a project and handle questions. |
| C1 to C2 | negotiations, chairing, diplomatic language, style | You lead a negotiation and steer difficult conversations. |
The boundaries are fluid. What matters is that every lesson trains something you can use at work straight away.
Lessons
What an online Business English lesson looks like
Let’s take a double lesson on meetings for a group at B1/B2 as an example. The participants work in procurement at an industrial company.
Warm-up and analysis
The group describes their last meeting with a supplier: what went well, and where were they lost for words? The trainer collects the gaps, such as interrupting politely, asking for clarification or bringing a discussion back to the agenda.
Useful phrases
- Sorry to interrupt, but could I just add something here?
- Just to make sure I’ve understood correctly, you’re saying that …
- Shall we come back to the delivery schedule?
- Could we put that on the agenda for next week?
Simulation and feedback
This is followed by a role play based on a real procurement situation, such as a late delivery. The trainer gives feedback on language, politeness and impact. Finally, each participant writes two sentences they will use in their next real meeting. You will find more phrases in our article Leading meetings in English.
Mistakes
Common Business English mistakes made by German speakers
German-speaking learners often make the same mistakes in Business English. They are rarely dramatic, but they can come across as unprofessional or impolite. Here is a selection of what we work on specifically in lessons:
| Often heard | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I will become the report on Monday. | I’ll get the report on Monday. | become means “werden”, not “bekommen” (to get). |
| Please send me the informations. | Please send me the information. | information is uncountable. |
| We work on this project since March. | We’ve been working on this project since March. | Actions continuing up to now need the present perfect. |
| Please send it until Friday. | Please send it by Friday. | by gives a deadline, until a duration. |
| I want that you check the figures. | Could you check the figures, please? | Wrong structure and too direct. |
| We will eventually deliver next week. | We may be able to deliver next week. | eventually means “in the end”, not “possibly” (German “eventuell”). |
In correspondence in particular, tone determines impact. You will find templates and phrases in our article Writing emails in English.
Target groups
Business English training for teams, managers and specialist departments
Managers
For managers, impact is what counts: presenting persuasively, explaining decisions, staying clear in negotiations and delivering difficult messages diplomatically. This is usually done in one-to-one training, using material from upcoming meetings. Our article Negotiating in English covers strategies and phrases for when it matters.
Sales and customer service
Here the focus is on phone calls, quotations, complaints and small talk. Participants practise conversations until they can respond confidently even under time pressure.
Technical teams and IT
Developers, engineers and project managers often read English very well but are reluctant to speak it. The course concentrates on stand-ups, explaining technical matters to non-specialists and written documentation.
Assistants, administration and production
For these groups, we often start at A1 or A2. The focus is on emails, arranging appointments, welcoming visitors, safety instructions and understanding English-language forms and systems.
Formats
One-to-one Business English training or a small group?
One-to-one training is the most effective format. The whole lesson belongs to one person, content and pace are fully tailored to them, and scheduling is flexible. It is the first choice for managers and for anyone working towards a specific date.
Small groups suit teams with a similar level and shared tasks. Four people is the ideal, six the upper limit. Participants practise realistic conversations with each other and pick up specialist terms from one another.
Intensive training before a key event
If a trade fair, a pitch or an assignment abroad is coming up, we plan several lessons a week with a clear end point. Typical elements are presentation rehearsals or simulated negotiation rounds with feedback on language and delivery.
Prices
For individuals, from €49.99 incl. VAT per 45-minute lesson. For companies, from €40 net plus VAT per 45-minute lesson.
Measurement
Making Business English progress measurable
Whether a Business English course is working is something you should be able to see, not just feel. Alongside the CEFR, we use Pearson’s Global Scale of English, a scale from 10 to 90 on which even smaller steps become visible. We also agree objectives in the form of concrete tasks, such as giving a presentation without notes or responding to a complaint in writing.
Companies receive regular reports on attendance, progress and recommendations. Our Head of Studies, Łukasz Pakuła, has written a series of articles for Pearson on how to draw robust conclusions about the benefits from data of this kind, which we refer to above.
Transfer
Learning Business English online: from the lesson to the workplace
The biggest progress is made not in the lesson itself, but in the days that follow, when what you have learnt is put to use at work. That is why every lesson ends with a short transfer task that fits into your working day.
Examples of transfer tasks
- In your next Teams call, give at least one summary starting with So, to sum up …
- Write a real email to a customer and discuss the wording in the next lesson.
- Note down five technical terms from a current project and use them in your own sentences.
- Listen to a short English podcast about your industry and report back the three key points.
Your personal vocabulary list
Together with you, your trainer keeps a list of the phrases and terms you have worked on in the course. It is organised by situation, such as meetings, phone calls, emails or presentations, and serves as a reference before important appointments. That way, what you have learnt remains available after the course ends.
Concerns
Business English courses: common concerns
“My English is too weak for Business English.”
We start at A1. The basics and workplace situations can be combined from the outset, and that is exactly what keeps people motivated.
“I only need specialist vocabulary.”
Many people already know the technical terms. What is usually missing are the sentences around them: asking for clarification, disagreeing, summarising, chasing politely. That is where we focus.
“I’ve done courses before that didn’t help.”
Often the reason was groups that were too large, the wrong level or content unrelated to work. A needs analysis, placement, small groups and carefully selected trainers, with only 1 in 25 applicants passing our selection process, address exactly these issues.
Guides
Business English: 10 articles from our blog
Practical knowledge from our Head of Studies and the choices® team, matching this service.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
From which level can I learn Business English?
From A1. We combine the basics with work situations so that you benefit at work from day one.
How long until I can present confidently?
That depends on your starting level and the number of lessons. After placement we give you a realistic estimate.
Can we bring our own material?
Absolutely. Your presentations, emails and documents make lessons especially effective.
Do native speakers teach?
Many of our teachers are native speakers. All of them have passed our strict selection process.
How much does Business English cost?
Individuals from €49.99 incl. VAT, companies from €40 net plus VAT, per 45 minutes.
Will I learn British or American English?
We teach both British and American English and follow your counterparts: British English if you mainly work with the UK, American spelling, vocabulary and conventions if your partners are in North America. Above all, what matters is that you communicate consistently and in a way that is understood internationally.
Are there Business English certificates?
Yes, for example the Cambridge exams B1 Business Preliminary, B2 Business Vantage and C1 Business Higher. We prepare you for exams like these; you take the exam itself with an official exam provider.
How many lessons a week make sense?
For steady progress, we recommend at least two lessons a week. Before a specific event, intensive training with more lessons can be worthwhile.
Are grammar and pronunciation covered too?
Yes, but always in the context of workplace situations. We correct mistakes that affect understanding or impact, and we train clear, easily understood pronunciation.
Is the course suitable for freelancers and the self-employed?
Yes. The self-employed benefit particularly from one-to-one training, because scheduling is flexible and the lessons link directly to winning clients, writing proposals and client meetings. You can book on the terms for individuals or, if you have a registered business, on the terms for companies.
Can I combine several topics, such as emails and presentations?
Yes. Your learning plan is made up of modules that we weight according to your needs. If your responsibilities at work change, we adjust the plan.