Business English can feel like its own language sometimes. Even if you have a solid educational background in English and you’ve had a lot of practice in it, speaking English exclusively in a professional setting could introduce you to many unfamiliar words and phrases.
If it makes you feel better, your colleagues who are native English speakers say business jargon drives them a little crazy sometimes, too. However, that doesn’t change the fact that we all need to know at least a little business English in order to perform our jobs and build our careers.
But what if we told you that there’s a simple tip that makes learning business English easier — and it’s even kind of fun? So what is this magic tool? Binging on Netflix or another streaming service. Seriously! Today we’ll share with you some of our favorite shows for learning business English, plus some strategies to speed up your learning.
Why Does Watching TV Help with Learning English?
You may be curious about why shows and movies are such a powerful tool for mastering English. First, they tell stories — and we humans are wired to love stories.
Think about it: Kids get fluent when we read them stories and tell them stories about things like family memories. TV is like storytime for adults. Bonus: When a show or movie tells an unforgettable story, you are also more likely to remember the English vocabulary used in the podcast.
Shows and movies are also conversational. In fact, they’re built on dialogue — and can give you knowledge you can apply to your conversations at work. Watching a popular show can even be a great conversation starter with your English-speaking co-workers. You can all compare notes about the plot twists in each week’s episode.
Stream Your Way to Business English Fluency
If you’re at a B2 level of fluency or higher, you should be able to follow movies and shows like these that take place in a business environment:
- “The Office.” There’s no better show to start our list with. Yes, a lot of silly situations happen on “The Office.” But many of those situations are grounded in real-life business situations.
- “Silicon Valley.” If you work in technology, this comedy uses the lexicon of startups. (Just don’t follow the characters’ lead on how to run a business.)
- “Succession.” Business intrigue is the heart of this much-lauded drama. Since there’s a lot of jargony dialogue and it moves pretty quickly, this show is a good choice if you have a higher level of English fluency
- “Shark Tank.” This long-running competition show features real-life business titans and aspiring entrepreneurs.
- “WeWork, or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn.” A great business documentary can be every bit as riveting – and as handy for learning business – as a series.
- “The Big Short.” Understanding all of the English-language dialogue in this movie about the 2008 financial crisis is basically like earning a business degree.
One more quick note on these recommendations: We made this list based on what was available on streaming services at the time we wrote this article. As you know, services frequently change what shows or movies they have available. So be sure to check for update information if you’re having trouble finding something you want to watch.
English Exercises Using Shows and Movies
So many of the professionals we’ve worked with have successfully used streaming programs like the ones above to dramatically improve their business English skills. Simply watching shows in English is beneficial in itself: The more time you spend with English, the faster you will gain fluency. But there are a few ways you can accelerate your learning even more:
As you’re watching, use an app like Otter.ai to create a transcript of the dialogue. Print the transcript, and then spend five minutes reading it. Highlight words and phrases that are new to you or that you’ve heard at work but aren’t sure how to use in conversation.
Once you’re finished highlighting, take a little time to investigate what those words and phrases mean. If you are working with an English instructor, bring your highlighted transcript to your next class. You could also ask a friend at work.
Either way, be sure to show the native speaker the full transcript so that they understand the context of the word or phrase you’re asking about.
You might be wondering why you can’t just Google this information. Well, you could, but you might get a secondary or outdated definition or explanation. That’s why we always suggest taking your questions to native English speakers. If you do need to use an online resource, we recommend wordreference.com instead of Google or another online dictionary. This site is made by real people who understand context.
After you learn the meaning of the word or phrase, try to use it at least 10 times this week, even if it’s only when you’re talking to yourself.
As you watch a streaming program, pause periodically to repeat what the speaker is saying. Try to capture their pronunciation, tone and intonation. Do this for five minutes. If you hear something interesting or different, bring it to your private English lesson to discuss.
Want to Improve Your Business English? We Can Help!
If you are looking for more ways to improve your business English, we invite you to learn more about Fluency Corp by reading our client testimonials and case studies, or exploring what makes our proprietary Bellieu Method unique and effective.
We’d also love to talk with you about how English language training can support your unique goals. To open the conversation, get in touch with us now.
