You can walk the walk but it’s time to talk the talk – business style. Business language skills are critical in the modern era of globalisation and increased competition. Gaining competency over this particular skill will allow you to communicate with your peers, supervisors and clients easily and clearly, bringing you greater productivity and confidence.
Here are 5 ways you can quickly and easily improve your business language skills:
Increase Your Vocabulary
Improving your vocabulary is key in mastering specific words used in business language. You can easily improve your vocabulary through online training software. Another great way to expand your business vocabulary is by writing business letters. This is ideal as you can send them to both customers, and other businesses you might deal with on a regular basis, and thus you can start to broaden your vocabulary in the process.
Another hot tip is to research the terminology used in the specific field that you are currently employed in. Learning commonly-used business idioms and abbreviations will definitely help you broaden your business language skills and improve your confidence.
It is important that you adopt an inquisitive approach towards learning, and find the meaning of any business word that you are currently unfamiliar with. A business dictionary can prove to be particularly helpful, since you’ll be able to find the complete meanings for new terms and their relevant usage within business communication.
Read Business-Related Material
Reading isn’t just confined to student life. The most successful businessmen and women are constantly reading and learning. So, how can reading business related material help you with your business language skills? Well, staying abreast of industry updates will help you understand any changes in the business environment and keep up with changes in terminology. This knowledge can prove to be particularly helpful when you are communicating with third parties or working on customer contracts. Here are some great publications to help you on your way:
The Australian Business Review
The Business Spectator
Harvard Business Review
Smart Company
Business Review Australia
Australian Financial Review
Watch Business-Oriented Programs
Watching television programs that focus on business and politics is an excellent way to improve language skills. Just think… Sky News Business Channel, The Business (ABC News), Q&A and more! These shows are often hosted by experts in the field and can prove to be an important source of information and knowledge as well as vocabulary terms. Business terminology is naturally used on these programs so listening to or watching these programs will not only allow you to become familiar with new words, it will also assist you in understanding the correct pronunciation and usage. Watch and learn!
Practice makes perfect
There isn’t much point in learning new business terminology if you don’t practice the new terminology in your daily communications.
Next time you start a conversation with a colleague try to use as many relevant new words as possible. Also try adding recently learned business terminology to the presentations you give, so that you are able to gain confidence in your ability to use the terminology.
If you want to be the next big thing, you need to know the theories and strategies to succeed. Our flexible courses in Business and Management are designed to give you the skills, knowledge and confidence to take the lead in life. We have course in a range of business areas including Human Resource Management, Marketing, Project Management and more!
About the Author: Nicole Schaerer
Nicole Schaerer is Ivy College’s vibrant Content Marketing Executive. A young gun with a curious mind, she has over 4 years’ experience in Marketing. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science and a Diploma of Marketing, she is always looking to learn something new. Nicole has a passion for writing and producing great content while also obsessing over TV shows, celebrities and really cute photos of puppies on Instagram.
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