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B1-B2
Professional English

Business English Discussion Questions

15 questions60 minutes
  1. 1.Describe your ideal work email. What makes an email professional and easy to read?
  2. 2.Have you ever had to deliver bad news at work — to a client, a colleague, or a manager? How did you handle it?
  3. 3.How do you make a polite request in English at work? Can you give an example of a formal and an informal version of the same request?
  4. 4.Think about meetings in your culture. Are they formal or informal? How does this compare to meeting culture in English-speaking countries?
  5. 5.Have you ever misunderstood something in a professional English context — or been misunderstood? What happened?
  6. 6.English uses many euphemisms in business. For example, 'let someone go' means 'fire them'. Can you think of other examples? Why do you think businesses use softer language?
  7. 7.How important is it to follow up after sending an email or making a request? What phrases can you use to follow up without sounding aggressive?
  8. 8.What business collocations do you find most useful in your work? Are there any collocations in your language that do NOT translate to English?
  9. 9.How do you report progress to your manager or team? What tenses and phrases do you use?
  10. 10.Have you ever had to disagree with a colleague or client in English? How did you express your disagreement politely?
  11. 11.In what situations would you use 'could you' instead of 'can you'? Why does the modal verb choice matter in business communication?
  12. 12.How has working remotely changed the way people communicate in English at work? What new phrases or challenges have appeared?
  13. 13.What do you think is the most important skill in business English — writing emails, speaking in meetings, giving presentations, or negotiating? Why?
  14. 14.How do you prepare before sending an important business email in English? Do you use any tools, templates, or strategies?
  15. 15.If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to improve their business English, what would it be?