EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

English Well Spoken

Conversation Topics for Business English Students

The EWS Executive Holistic Programme has been designed specifically for Business
students; structured around both the needs of the student and the company.

At English Well Spoken we believe that learning through conversation is the most natural way
to learn a language. We have a holistic approach, which involves learning through intuition
based on the specific needs of the student. Not only is this method highly effective but enjoyable
too.

Below are some topics that Business English Students might find useful to discuss in lessons.
1. Businesses
2. Negotiations/Trattative
3. Job Interviews/ Interviste di lavoro
4. Working abroad/Lavorare allestero
5. Crisis Management
6. Leaders
7. Business Presentations/Presentazione del lavoro
8. Meetings
9. Terminations
10. Managers
11. Small Businesses
12. Work Appraisals
13. Retirement
14. Work Experience
15. Overtime
16. Business Trips
17. Competition
18. Risk Management
19. Investing
20. Colleagues
21. Hard Times
22. Raises
23. Sales
24. Customers
25. Customer Service
26. Marketing
27. Consulting
28. Rules and Regulations

1
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

Executive Holistic Programme un corso progettato per le esigenze aziendali ed

strutturato in base alle esigenze degli studenti e dell'azienda stessa.

Ad English Well Spoken crediamo che l'apprendimento tramite la conversazione sia il modo pi
naturale per imparare una lingua. Abbiamo perci un approccio olistico che comporta imparare
attraverso l'intuizione e che si basa sulle specifiche esigenze degli studenti, ed il nostro metodo
non solamente molto efficace, ma anche divertente.

Abbiamo elencato qui sotto alcuni argomenti che chi studia inglese per business potranno
trovare utile discutere durante le lezioni.

1. Businesses
2. Trattative
3. Interviste di lavoro
4. Lavorare allestero
5. Crisis Management
6. Leaders
7. Business Presentations/Presentazione del lavoro
8. Meetings
9. Terminations
10. Managers
11. Small Businesses
12. Work Appraisals
13. Retirement
14. Work Experience
15. Overtime
16. Business Trips
17. Competition
18. Risk Management
19. Investing
20. Colleagues
21. Hard Times
22. Raises
23. Sales
24. Customers
25. Customer Service
26. Marketing
27. Consulting
28. Rules and Regulations

2
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

1. Businesses

Talking about other businesses is, essentially, talking business. Other businesses could
be friends, foes, inspirations or anything else. A simple topic, yet such a deep one.

What can businesses do to succeed?

What is your idea of a business?
What businesses are successful in your country/industry? Why?
Why do you think some businesses fail?
Business is a combination of war and sport. Do you agree? Why/why not?

1. Businesses

Che cosa pu fare l'attivit per avere successo ?

Qual la vostra idea di business ?
Quali attivit hanno successo nella vostra azienda ? E Perch
Perch alcune attivit falliscono ?
Il business una combinazione fra guerra e sport Siete d'accordo ? Perch non siete
d'accordo?

2. Negotiations

No verb goes with the word business better than negotiation. Some could say
negotiations are business. Its a good topic that has students speaking about any and all
kinds of negotiations.

How good are you at negotiating?

What are some good negotiation tactics?
Do you do negotiations in your work, personal like or while shopping?
What have you had to negotiate for in your life? (Examples: House, car, items at
a bazaar)
Do you think men or women are better at negotiations? Why?

3
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

2. Trattative

Siete bravi a negoziare ?

Quali sono le migliori tattiche di trattativa ?
Negoziate durante il lavoro, durante la vita privata o negli acquisti ?
Per che cosa avete dovuto trattare nella vostra vita ? ( Esempio: Casa,
macchina, acquisiti in un bazar.

3. Job Interviews

Unless your students got a job hookup from a friend or a family member, chances are
they have something to say about job interviews. They are the first dates of the
business world and this topic gets some good chatter going. A few great questions are:

How do you feel about job interviews?

What is the most important part of a job interview?
What advice do you have for a successful interview?
What questions are common in job interviews in your company/industry/country?
What was the worst interview you have ever had?

3. Interviste di lavoro

Cosa pensate delle interviste di lavoro ?

Qual la parte pi importante di una intervista ?
Quali consigli potete dare per sostenere una intervista di successo
Quali sono le domande pi comuni per le interviste nella vostra
azienda/industria/paese?
Quali sono state le peggiori interviste che abbiate fatto ?

4
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

4. Working Abroad

Some students, especially if they need English for work, may have had some
experience working in another country or even have some colleagues who are working
abroad. This topic is good since working abroad becomes more and more relevant in
this day and age.Have you ever worked in another country?

What difficulties can working abroad have?

If you could choose, where would you like to work abroad?
What work experience have you had with colleagues from abroad?
What are some cultural differences between your country and foreign countries
your company does business with?

4. Lavorare all'estero

Quali difficolt ci sono nel lavorare all estero ?

Se poteste scegliere dove vi piacerebbe lavorare ?
Quali esperienze avete avuto con colleghi di altri paesi ?
Quali sono le differenze culturali fra il vosro paese e quelli con cui la costra
azienda lavora ?

5. Crisis Management

An inevitable topic in the world of business, students do enjoy sharing views on crises.
They can share their thoughts, questions and opinions about responding to all kinds of
crises. Unless a particular crisis is hitting their country terribly hard, where some may
feel sensitive about the topic, its an excellent topic to speak about. How do you manage
crises?

What kinds of crises occur in your workplace?

What sorts of crises have affected your country?
What is your backup plan for a major crisis?
What have you learned from past crises?

5
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

5. Crisis Management

Che tipo di crisi ha subito la vostra azienda ?

Quali sono stati gli effetti della crisi nel vostro paese ?
Qual il vostro piano per una crisi di maggiore entit
Cosa avete imparato dalla crisi passata ?

6. Leaders

Leaders are the coaches of business. They provide guidance and wisdom to many.
Your students may feel inspired by some notable leaders, or they may look up to
leaders in their respective countries, companies or industries. They may even dream of
becoming leaders themselves. Get students talking about what kinds of people are best
equipped to lead businesses. Some questions to ask are:

What is your definition of a leader?

What makes an excellent leader?
How is the leadership in your company/industry/country?
Describe the best leader you have worked for/with.
How good of a leader do you believe you are?

6. Leaders

Qual la vostra definizione di leader

Cos che rende buono un leader
Com la leadership nella vostra azienda/industria/paese
Descrivete il miglior leader con/per cui avete lavorato
Ritieni di poter essere un buon leader ? Quanto ?

6
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

7. Business Presentations

In this day and age, presentations are everywhere thanks to modern technology.
Theres a good chance that not only do your students have something to say about
them, but they may have to give some at their job. Questions you could give them are:

What makes a good presentation?

What makes a bad presentation?
Do you have to give any presentations at work? If so, what are they about?
How do you feel about giving presentations?
How do you feel about watching presentations?

7. Presentazione del lavoro

Cos che rende buona una presentazione

Cos che rende cattiva una presentazione

8. Meetings

Unless your students work an hourly position, they more than likely have meetings and
talking about meetings is a nice topic since its so relatable. Great questions include:

How often do you have meetings at work?

Do you like meetings at work? Why/why not?
What is often discussed at your meetings?
What are the advantages/disadvantages to having meetings?
If you must have a meeting, lose the chairs. Do you agree? Why/why not?

7
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

9. Termination

This is the getting dumped experience of the workforce, but its something thats a part
of business. If students want to speak better business English, navigate tough interview
questions and plan their careers, then it would behoove them to practice talking about
getting terminated. A few good questions could be:

Have you ever been terminated?

How does one get terminated at your job?
Have you ever had to terminate anyone?
How can you prevent getting terminated?
If you were terminated, what would you do?

10. Managers

Slightly different (or vastly, depending on your work) than leaders, managers are
something that everybody has something to say about. Love them or hate them, theyre
an essential subject to discuss in business. Perhaps some of your students are
managers themselves. You could ask:

What do you think about your manager(s)?

What qualities make a good manager?
How does your manager spend their time?
How can a manager motivate employees?
What is your managers managing style?

8
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

11. Small Business

Small businesses are the cornerstone of growing enterprises and thanks to e-commerce
they are on the rise. A few questions to ask the class could be:

Are small businesses common in your country?

What challenges do small businesses have in your country?
What are some successful small businesses in your town/city?
How can a small business become successful?
If you had a small business, what kind would it be?

12. Work Appraisals

Any decent company gives their employees a sort of appraisal every so often, so its a
good topic to discuss since appraisals are made to improve the quality of the
employees work. You could ask things like:

Do you have performance reviews in your company? How often?

How do you feel about them?
What do your performance reviews cover?
How important do you think appraisals are?
What happens if you have a good/bad appraisal?
How do you feel about feedback about yourself?

9
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

13. Retirement

Even though retirement is the end of the road for business and a long way down the
road for some students, its a good topic to discuss since it affects everybody
eventually. Great questions could be:

What is the retirement age in your country?

What do people in your country usually do once they are retired?
Where do retired people usually live in your country?
What are the advantages/disadvantages to retirement?
What do you think you will do when you retire?

14. Work Experience

Everybody talks about his or her work experience and it helps them with who they are in
their career today. Some great questions are:

What work experience do you have?

How did you like your previous work?
What can you gain from work experience?
What have you learned from your work experience?
What have you learned about yourself?

10
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

15. Overtime

Overtime is as enjoyable as it is avoidable. Unfortunately, its inevitable but most

students will have a thing or two to chime in with about overtime. Good questions could
be:

How much overtime do you usually work?

How do you feel about working overtime?
What is the overtime policy like in your company?
Describe the worst overtime experience you have ever had.
What is a solution to reducing overtime?

16. Business Trips

Business trips, whether they be domestic or international, are more and more common
these days and are a good topic to discuss. After all, most likely your students that go
on business trips need to speak English! You could ask:

Do you go on business trips at work? Where?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of business trips?
What advice do you have for somebody traveling for business?
Where would you like to go on a business trip? Why?
What do you think is the future of business trips?

17. Competition

If your students want to speak business English well, then theyll need to talk about
competition. The competition is everywhere and is a great topic to really scope out how
your students feel about business in general. Great questions could be:

Who exactly is your companys competition?

What advantages/disadvantages does your competition have?
How can your company overcome the competition?
How competitive is your industry?
How competitive are you in general? Why?

11
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

18. Risk Management

Most students should be familiar with risk and hopefully more familiar with how to
manage it so its a fine topic to incite some quality discussion. Great questions are:

What risks does your company come across?

How does your company handle these risks?
What situation could be a big risk to your company?
What is your plan in case you come across a risk?
Does your company have a contingency plan?

19. Investing

Investing is an important topic that many business English students know a fair deal
about, depending on their business. Its a relatable topic that could be of special interest
to some students. You could ask questions like:

What is your opinion on investing?

What investments do you have? Why?
Are you a conservative or risky investor? Why?
What do you consider to be a bad investment? Why?
If you had $1000 to invest, what would you do?

20. Colleagues

Everybody has something to say about colleagues and talking about them can help get
students talking about more personal things, which can really help them exit their
comfort zones. A few good questions could be:

What do you think about your colleagues?

What are some common problems with colleagues?
Have you ever had any challenging situations/altercations with your colleagues?
Do you spend time with your colleagues outside of work? Why/why not?
Who is your favorite colleague? Why?

12
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

21. Hard Times

Unfortunately, hard times are quite prevalent these days. But talking about them is good
for business since it could expand your students knowledge of current events. You
could ask questions like:

What hard times is your industry/country going through?

What hard times have you experienced?
What have you learned from hard times?
What are the benefits of hard times?
Tell me about what you did when you went through some hard times.

22. Raises

Everybody loves raises, but talking about them (especially with a superior) is a different
story. Amongst classmates though, talking about raises can bring up some interesting
chatter. Questions like these are good:

How often do you get a raise at your job?

What does it take to get a raise at your job?
What advice do you have for someone who wants a raise?
Do you think raises are important? Why/why not?
Do you deserve a raise? Why/why not?

23. Sales

Some may say that business is sales and they just might be right. Sales are to business
as education is to knowledge. Talking about sales is an important skill in business
English, especially if some students need to sell in English. A few great discussion
questions are:

13
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

Have you ever worked in sales?

How good of a salesperson are you? Why/why not?
What makes a good salesperson?
What is the sales process like in your company?
What strategies do you think are good for sales?

24. Customers

But alas, there cant be salesor business for that matter!without customers. Since
everyone has been a customer on more than a few occasions in their lives, its a great
topic for students! Questions like these work well:

Who are the customers for your company/industry?

As a customer in general, what do you usually expect?
How do you gain more customers?
How do you lose customers?
The customer is always right. Do you agree/disagree?

25. Customer Service

Customer service is also another aspect of business that both salespeople and
customers know a thing or two about. Its a fantastic topic that can bring some
enlightening discussion. You can ask questions like:

What is your definition of customer service?

What is excellent customer service?
What is poor customer service?
Have you ever had to deal with customers? How was it?
How do/would you deal with customer problems?

14
EWS Conversation Topics for Business English Students

26. Marketing

Marketing is an essential field in the world of business and many students enjoy talking
about the diverse subject. You could ask questions such as:

What is your understanding of marketing?

What is your companys target market?
What kind of marketing does your company use?
In your opinion what forms of marketing are the most/least successful?
What kind of marketing is successful in your country?

27. Consulting

Many companies, big and small, have experience with consultants and its an important
topic in the world of business improvement. Some great questions could be:

What is your definition of consulting?

What is your opinion of consultants?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of consultants?
What area of advice are you an expert at? Why?
Sometimes you need a consultant to tell you the obvious. Do you
agree/disagree? Why?

28. Rules & Regulations

Rules and regulations are literally everywhere in the business world and they could
present some useful and interesting information. You could give the students questions
like:

What rules and regulations exist at your job?

What happens if you break any of these rules?
How do you feel about the regulations at your job?
Why do you think rules and regulations exist?
Have you ever had any problems with rules and regulations?

15