Polish up your business English with an app

You’re in a Teams meeting, and your coworker is presenting your latest project to some international colleagues in English. Soon, it’ll be your turn to speak. Your palms are sweating, your heart is pounding and you’re going to have to find the right words and somehow get them in the right order. Where on earth is that mic button again? Where did these others learn to speak English like that? At least this is a remote meeting.

Sounds familiar?

More and more jobs these days require English language skills, and it always feels like others are more proficient than you are. It’s quite common to set the bar a little too high, even if our language skills are already good. We often think that our spoken language must be perfect before we dare utter a word.

The reality is, however, that you can’t learn anything without practice. Speaking a foreign language requires learning the basics and building a good vocabulary, but above all it requires practice, practice and more practice. If you were better at it before and have since become rusty, the game is by no means lost – you can revive forgotten language skills.

Improve your English and succeed at work

Often the key to what seems like an almost impossible task – improving your language skills as an adult – lies in finding a study method that suits you and your situation best. One that fits into your everyday life and doesn’t require loads of scheduling but still delivers results and helps you achieve your goals. One that gives you the freedom you need but still helps you progress in your studies.

The WordDive language learning app is like having a language teacher up your sleeve: a supportive professional who demands some effort but allows you to improve your language skills wherever and whenever it suits you best.

Next up is motivation. Set as concrete an objective as possible for your studies – for example, to deal with a work situation in English.

This may include:

•   writing emails, summaries or reports
•   giving presentations and speeches to the public
•   advising and serving customers in English
•   having discussions or negotiations in meetings
•   making small talk in the break room
•   answering calls in English
•   networking in English at events in your field.

You should also set a time limit for your goal. For example: “In six months, I can attend my company’s weekly meeting in English without having to worry about being able to answer questions.”

With your goals clear in mind, it’s time to get down to business: check out WordDive’s English course package and start learning. You’ll find business language courses mainly at intermediate and advanced levels, but it might also be a good idea to start at beginner level, where you’ll learn the basics of English as well as common phrases that will help you speak more fluently.

All levels are included in the subscription for a language, so you can try one level at first and switch to another if you find the tasks too easy or too difficult.