Why Most Business English Materials Miss the Mark
Open any Business English textbook and you'll find the same units: 'At a Meeting,' 'Making a Presentation,' 'Telephone English.' Written in 2010. Using examples about fax machines.
Today's professionals need different skills. They write Slack messages, join Zoom calls from their kitchen, send emails that need to sound confident but not aggressive, and present to international teams who speak 6 different first languages.
The best Business English worksheets use the student's ACTUAL workplace communication. That's where DrillKit shines — paste a real email thread, a meeting transcript, or a Slack conversation, and generate exercises from authentic workplace language.
5 High-Impact Business English Exercises
1. Email Tone Transformation
Give students a blunt email: 'Send me the report. I need it today.' They rewrite it professionally: 'Would you be able to share the report by end of day? I'd really appreciate it.'
Give students a blunt email: 'Send me the report. I need it today.' They rewrite it professionally: 'Would you be able to share the report by end of day? I'd really appreciate it.'
2. Meeting Language Gap-Fill
Use actual meeting transcript excerpts with removed phrases: 'I'd like to ___ (move on to) the next point.' 'Could I ___ (come in) here?' 'Let me ___ (sum up) what we've discussed.'
Use actual meeting transcript excerpts with removed phrases: 'I'd like to ___ (move on to) the next point.' 'Could I ___ (come in) here?' 'Let me ___ (sum up) what we've discussed.'
3. LinkedIn Post Writing
Students draft a professional LinkedIn post about a topic in their industry. Teaches formal-but-personal register.
Students draft a professional LinkedIn post about a topic in their industry. Teaches formal-but-personal register.
4. Diplomatic Disagreement
Pairs practice disagreeing without saying 'I disagree.' Phrases: 'I see your point, however...' 'That's an interesting perspective. Have you considered...?' 'I'd look at it slightly differently.'
Pairs practice disagreeing without saying 'I disagree.' Phrases: 'I see your point, however...' 'That's an interesting perspective. Have you considered...?' 'I'd look at it slightly differently.'
5. Jargon Decoder
Give students sentences full of business jargon: 'Let's take this offline and circle back after we've moved the needle on our core deliverables.' They rewrite in plain English.
Give students sentences full of business jargon: 'Let's take this offline and circle back after we've moved the needle on our core deliverables.' They rewrite in plain English.
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Teacher Tip
"Ask professional students to bring one real email or Slack message from their week (anonymized). Use it as class material. Nothing motivates a business English student more than improving language they'll use tomorrow morning."
Frequently Asked Questions
What CEFR levels need Business English?
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Business English is most relevant from B1 upward. Below B1, focus on general English foundations. At B1+, students have enough grammar to start learning professional register and workplace-specific vocabulary.
Can I use DrillKit for Business English?
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Absolutely. Paste any workplace text — emails, meeting notes, Slack messages — and DrillKit generates exercises targeting professional vocabulary, formal register, and workplace collocations.