Just choose the questions that are the right level of simplicity or complexity for your students based on your knowledge of their skills. You could even mix up the example questions any way you’d like. Ask the students these questions yourselves to get conversations started, or pass them out on worksheets for students to ask each other.
If you want to jump straight to downloading the conversation topics, you may scroll down to the end of the page. However, I would suggest you still read the first part of the post, which delves into how you can get the most out of your conversation practice.
Car number plate holder ebay. Here are the best practices:
![Conversation Conversation](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126414344/537797700.jpg)
How to get the most out of your conversation practice?
1. Pick the side you want to speak for
Most topics have two sides to argue on. You can pick either of the side – favor or against – or sometimes just take an entirely different direction. For example, if the discussion topic is ‘should laptops be allowed in classrooms?’ you can argue either in favor of the topic (allow laptops in classrooms) or against it (don’t allow laptops in classrooms).
2. Make a mental note of your regular mistakes few minutes before you start
Few minutes before the conversation begins, make a mental note of your regular 1-2 mistakes you won’t repeat. Even if you’ve to go slow or take other measures to curb these mistakes, do it.
3. Prepare a structure
Take even practice conversations seriously if you want to get better at speaking, because what you do in practice comes out in real situations as well. Prepare before opening your mouth to avoid rambling and frequent pauses. Get your thoughts organized in bullet points in the order you plan to speak. For example, if you’re speaking against allowing laptops in classrooms, following could be a structure for what you want to say:
- Laptops shouldn’t be allowed in classrooms [State what you stand for right in the beginning]
- Laptops distract even if the intention is to just take notes because users invariably drift to internet or offline games
- They also add to our screen-time, which is gathering menacing proportion these days
4. Support your argument
Add any statistic, expert opinion, quote, anecdote, or personal experience in support of your assertion (you need to think of them when preparing your structure as mentioned in the previous point). That’s how you strengthen your argument. For example, you can narrate your or someone else’s experience of how distracting use of laptop in the classroom was.
5. Listen
When the other person is speaking, don’t think of what you would say next. Listen. Listen. And listen. If you listen, you would be able to counter his point if you don’t agree with it or build on what he said if you’ve more to say on it. A good response takes cues from what the other person said and reacts to it, and doesn’t get fixated on what you’ve already prepared.
6. Review after the conversation ends
Most people just hang up after finishing the conversation, which isn’t the best way. After the conversation, you should spend few minutes analyzing what went right and what went wrong. Few areas of improvement would be obvious to you, but few can be discovered through feedback from the other person. Identifying your mistakes is gold. Work on them. That’s the fastest way to improve. If you don’t critique your performance and take corrective steps, your communication skills would barely improve even after years of practice.
Few logistical points to note on the topics that follow:
- Whereas most conversation topics are in the form of question (example: Should violent video games be banned?), some are statements (example: Real learning doesn’t happen in a classroom). Few end in three dots (example: If I were invisible for a day…), which means you can take the topic whichever way you want.
- Whatever the topic is, make sure to answer why you’re taking the stand even if it is not explicitly asked. Otherwise, your reply would end in seconds. For example, if you don’t answer ‘why’ for the topic ‘what is the best letter in English alphabet?’, you would finish in a blink.
- Try to have the conversation for at least five minutes, the longer the better.
Without further ado, here are English conversation topics arranged in three categories – beginner, intermediate, and advanced – depending on the difficulty level of the topic. You can either download the topics as a PDF (link at the end of the page) or bookmark this page on your browser to access the topics whenever you want to hold a discussion.
Beginner-level conversation topics
- Should cell phones be banned in classrooms?
- Should laptops be allowed in classrooms?
- Are single-sex schools more effective than co-ed schools?
- Are smartphone and television making children unhealthy, distracted, and irritable?
- Should we play sports that involve animals and make them uncomfortable?
- Should schools do away with uniform?
- Should time on social media sites be limited to an hour a day?
- Should violent video games be banned?
- Should homework in schools be done away with?
- Should animal dissections be banned in schools?
- Should attendance in college be made optional?
- My top-three foods. Why?
- My top-three movies. Why?
- My top-three travel destinations. Why?
- My three best friends. What do you like about them?
- My top-three movie stars. Why?
- My top-three sports persons. Why?
- My top-three sports persons who don’t play my favorite sport. Why?
- My top-three animals. Why?
- Which has been your most memorable vacation?
- What’s the best surprise you’ve received?
- When have you felt the most frightened?
- Which subject in your school or college days you disliked the most? Why?
- What has been your biggest success so far? What efforts you made to pull it off? How it changed your life?
- Which is the best season of the year?
- The most important lesson in life I’ve learnt so far is…
- Who has been the most influential person in your life? Why?
- Summer is the best and worst of times. Why?
- What are the three biggest problems your city faces?
- Three surprising things about me are…
- How do you plan a party?
- What is your dream job? Why?
- If you could have dinner with anyone, who would he/ she be? What ten questions would you ask?
- What is your favorite book? Why?
- Most successful person I know is…
- Most memorable moment of your life
- Worst moment of your life
- Should internet access be limited?
- Have you been bullied? How did you tackle it?
- What foods you’ll never eat? Why?
- What are the three things you’re scared of? Why?
- Movies are providing cues to people to commit crime. Should the movie content be regulated for this?
- Should physical education be compulsory up to High School?
- Should students be graded for their handwriting in schools?
Intermediate-level conversation topics
- Should animals be subjected to scientific and commercial tests?
- What impact does social networking sites have on society?
- Is the grading system used in colleges effective?
- Do celebrities have higher chance of getting away with crime than non-celebrities?
- Should nuclear energy be exploited for commercial purpose or abandoned because of associated risks?
- Are humans to blame for certain animal extinctions?
- Should we kill animals for food?
- Is peer pressure harmful or beneficial to individuals?
- Should cigarettes be banned?
- Do celebrities make for bad role models?
- Are credit cards worse than debit cards?
- Should zoos be banned because they keep animals in confinement?
- Should sex education be banned in schools?
- Are we too dependent on computers?
- Does money motivate people more than any other thing in the workplace?
- Is boarding school system better than day-school system?
- Will posting a student’s grades on a notice board motivate him to improve?
- How can bullying and ragging be stopped in schools and colleges?
- Are video games responsible for bad behavior among children?
- Which is better: daydreaming or night-dreaming?
- Is there life after death?
- If you could transform into an animal, which animal would it be and why?
- If you could go into past through a time machine, which era would you like to go into and why?
- Whom would you prefer to date – attractive and popular or intelligent and smart?
- Which is better to have as a pet – cat or dog?
- What is a better measure of success – money or wisdom?
- Is intelligence sufficient to achieve success?
- Is lying OK? If yes, when?
- What human quality do we need more in the world? Why?
- Does media influence how and what we think?
- Real learning doesn’t happen in a classroom.
- Should we be judged by how we dress?
- Should we be judged by how we speak?
- What would you do if you get one million US dollars?
- How would you spend three months on an uninhabited island with no escape? Describe your daily routine.
- Good grades matter.
- What would you do for living if you know you can’t fail in it?
- If I were invisible for a day…
- What are you grateful for?
- Are exams a good way to assess students? What could be other ways?
- Does life exist outside our solar system? Why? Why not?
- Is assassination of a dictator justified?
- How can one become millionaire?
- Are professional athletes overpaid?
- What are three keys to a happy life?
- Are Reality TV shows fixed?
- Is glass half full or half empty for you?
- If you become head of the government, what five steps would you take for the welfare of people?
- What twenty things can you make from snow?
- Three tips you would like to give to others on growing their money.
- If I was in charge of designing school’s curriculum, I would…
- Should religious places remain tax exempt?
- Should drinking age be lowered?
- Is chess a sport?
- Should performance-enhancing drugs be allowed in sports?
- Are standardized tests good or bad for education?
- Freedom of speech should be absolute without any restrictions.
- Citizens who do not vote in elections should be fined.
- Driving age should be lowered to 16.
- Cosmetic surgery should be banned.
- Internet should be censored.
- Beauty contests should be banned.
- Prisoners shouldn’t be allowed to vote.
- Obesity tax should be implemented to control obesity.
- Gambling should be banned.
- Corporal punishment in schools serves a purpose and shouldn’t be stopped.
- Performance by children shouldn’t be allowed on television.
Advanced conversation topics
- Should capital punishment be banned?
- Is global warming really an issue or just a hype by elitists?
- Is euthanasia justified?
- Is cloning animals ethical?
- Does God exist?
- Is torture by police justified for national security?
- Are beauty pageants a way to objectify women?
- Should animal safaris in the wild be banned because they’re intrusive?
- Should juveniles be tried and treated as adults?
- Is human cloning justified, and should it be allowed?
- Should companies market their products directly to children?
- Should libraries have banned books?
- Should humans eat to live or live to eat?
- Is it better to be honest and poor or dishonest and rich?
- Do nice people finish last?
- Should we spend on sending people to Mars or to more pressing needs such as eradicating poverty?
- Who would win the battle of the two big cats – tiger and lion?
- Will machines take over humans in 100 years?
- Which of the two – success or failure – teaches you the most?
- Are Batman, Superman, and Spiderman misleading idols?
- What is your biggest worry about your future?
- What is your biggest worry about your country?
- Should companies be allowed to market junk food?
- To err is human. To forgive is divine. Discuss.
- The more we communicate, the less we really say.
- Wisdom is not dependent on age.
- If I ruled the world…
- Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.
- You become the average of your five best friends.
- Would you want to become wise or intelligent?
- What is the best letter in English alphabet?
- Why are humans so interested in understanding the universe?
- Is capitalism the best political and economic system?
- Can renewable energy effectively replace fossil fuels?
- Should guns be easily available to adults for self-defense?
- Should government bailout banks when they face bankruptcy?
- Should dictatorship replace democracy in countries where progress is slow and corruption is significant?
- Advertising is harmful.
- All nations should have nuclear weapons.
- Developed countries should contribute more than developing countries to combat climate change.
- Billions of dollars shouldn’t be spent on Olympics and should better be spent on noble causes.
- Animals have rights.
- Newspapers will be a thing of past in twenty years.
- Bribery for safeguarding national interest is fine.
Do you want to say something?
Do you’ve a journey to share?
If you improved your English language skills – speaking, writing, or both – significantly, you can share your journey on this website and help other learners. Learn more.
What challenges are you facing?
What are the challenges you’re facing whiling learning English language? Which particular areas trouble you the most? Leave a comment below or write to me. I’ll try to answer as many as possible.
You can download a PDF version of the above list here:
Teaching business English is more or less the same as teaching standard English—with a few twists and tweaks.
Usually you’ll start with students who speak at a pretty advanced level and tend to want to gear their English towards business themes rather than general topics like planning their vacation, asking for directions or shopping for shoes.
Apr 05, 2013 Watch online Evil Dead (2013) on 123movies full movie free. Stream full movie Evil Dead online without downloading or registration - rank movie after you watched it online. Putlocker: Watch Evil Dead (2013) online full and free now: Five twenty-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin. When they discover a Book of the Dead, they unwittingly summon up dormant d. Evil Dead Mia (Jane Levy) is a heroin addict whose most recent overdose was nearly her last. Recognizing that she won't survive another, Mia's longtime friends Olivia (Jessica Lucas) and Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) take the troubled girl to her family's old cabin in the woods to quit cold turkey. Apr 05, 2013 Watch Evil Dead 2013 Full Movie Online Free.Five twenty-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin. When they discover a Book of the Dead, they unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival. Watch Evil Dead (2013) Full Movie Online Free, Download Free Movies Torrent 720P 1080P Five twenty-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin. When they discover a Boo. Free evil dead 2013 movie poster.
These students also tend to need English specifically for work-related purposes so they’d like to get their speaking skills refined, especially with regard to talking business.
But what to talk about? The business section of the newspaper? Their company’s financial state? The economy?
Well, sure, but that’s so broad, and where do you even start? This is where I come in to help you with my magical list of 28 business English conversation topics to start off the class with a bang.
As the teaching training you’ve had has taught you, it’s best to start the class with a warm-up, or something that can get some speaking started, and these topics will do just that. They’re also great for sparking more in-depth conversations and debates.
Along with the topics, I’ve included some example questions you could ask relating to each subject. The topics are quite broad, so feel free to adjust according to your class’s skill, rhythm and pace.
After the discussion, you could seamlessly jump into textbook material, creating a harmonious rhythm in your business English class!
1. Businesses
Talking about other businesses is, essentially, talking business. Other businesses could be friends, foes, inspirations or anything else. A simple topic, yet such a deep one. Some questions you could ask are:
- What can businesses do to succeed?
- What is your idea of a “business”?
- What businesses are successful in your country/industry? Why?
- Why do you think some businesses fail?
- “Business is a combination of war and sport.” Do you agree? Why/why not?
2. Negotiations
No verb goes with the word “business” better than “negotiation.” Some could say negotiations are business. It’s a good topic that has students speaking about any and all kinds of negotiations. You could ask questions such as:
- How good are you at negotiating?
- What are some good negotiation tactics?
- Do you do negotiations in your work, personal like or while shopping?
- What have you had to negotiate for in your life? (Examples: House, car, items at a bazaar)
- Do you think men or women are better at negotiations? Why?
3. Job Interviews
Unless your students got a job hookup from a friend or a family member, chances are they have something to say about job interviews. They are the “first dates” of the business world and this topic gets some good chatter going. A few great questions are:
- How do you feel about job interviews?
- What is the most important part of a job interview?
- What advice do you have for a successful interview?
- What questions are common in job interviews in your company/industry/country?
- What was the worst interview you have ever had?
4. Working Abroad
Some students, especially if they need English for work, may have had some experience working in another country or even have some colleagues who are working abroad. This topic is good since working abroad becomes more and more relevant in this day and age. A few good questions include:
- Have you ever worked in another country?
- What difficulties can working abroad have?
- If you could choose, where would you like to work abroad?
- What work experience have you had with colleagues from abroad?
- What are some cultural differences between your country and foreign countries your company does business with?
5. Crisis
An inevitable topic in the world of business, students do enjoy sharing views on crises. They can share their thoughts, questions and opinions about responding to all kinds of crises. Unless a particular crisis is hitting their country terribly hard, where some may feel sensitive about the topic, it’s an excellent topic to speak about. You could bring up questions like:
- How do you manage crises?
- What kinds of crises occur in your workplace?
- What sorts of crises have affected your country?
- What is your back-up plan for a major crisis?
- What have you learned from past crises?
6. Leaders
Leaders are the coaches of business. They provide guidance and wisdom to many. Your students may feel inspired by some notable leaders, or they may look up to leaders in their respective countries, companies or industries. They may even dream of becoming leaders themselves. Get students talking about what kinds of people are best equipped to lead businesses. Some questions to ask are:
- What is your definition of a leader?
- What makes an excellent leader?
- How is the leadership in your company/industry/country?
- Describe the best leader you have worked for/with.
- How good of a leader do you believe you are?
7. Business Presentations
In this day and age, presentations are everywhere thanks to modern technology. There’s a good chance that not only do your students have something to say about them, but they may have to give some at their job. Questions you could give them are:
- What makes a good presentation?
- What makes a bad presentation?
- Do you have to give any presentations at work? If so, what are they about?
- How do you feel about giving presentations?
- How do you feel about watching presentations?
8. Meetings
Unless your students work an hourly position, they more than likely have meetings and talking about meetings is a nice topic since it’s so relatable. Great questions include:
- How often do you have meetings at work?
- Do you like meetings at work? Why/why not?
- What is often discussed at your meetings?
- What are the advantages/disadvantages to having meetings?
- “If you must have a meeting, lose the chairs.” Do you agree? Why/why not?
9. Termination
This is the “getting dumped” experience of the workforce, but it’s something that’s a part of business. If students want to speak better business English, navigate tough interview questions and plan their careers, then it would behoove them to practice talking about getting terminated. A few good questions could be:
- Have you ever been terminated?
- How does one get terminated at your job?
- Have you ever had to terminate anyone?
- How can you prevent getting terminated?
- If you were terminated, what would you do?
10. Managers
Slightly different (or vastly, depending on your work) than leaders, managers are something that everybody has something to say about. Love them or hate them, they’re an essential subject to discuss in business. Perhaps some of your students are managers themselves. You could ask:
- What do you think about your manager(s)?
- What qualities make a good manager?
- How does your manager spend their time?
- How can a manager motivate employees?
- What is your manager’s managing style?
11. Small Business
Small businesses are the cornerstone of growing enterprises and thanks to e-commerce they are on the rise. A few questions to ask the class could be:
- Are small businesses common in your country?
- What challenges do small businesses have in your country?
- What are some successful small businesses in your town/city?
- How can a small business become successful?
- If you had a small business, what kind would it be?
12. Work Appraisals
Any decent company gives their employees a sort of appraisal every so often, so it’s a good topic to discuss since appraisals are made to improve the quality of the employee’s work. You could ask things like:
- Do you have performance reviews in your company? How often?
- How do you feel about them?
- What do your performance reviews cover?
- How important do you think appraisals are?
- What happens if you have a good/bad appraisal?
- How do you feel about feedback about yourself?
13. Retirement
Even though retirement is the end of the road for business and a long way down the road for some students, it’s a good topic to discuss since it affects everybody eventually. Great questions could be:
- What is the retirement age in your country?
- What do people in your country usually do once they are retired?
- Where do retired people usually live in your country?
- What are the advantages/disadvantages to retirement?
- What do you think you will do when you retire?
14. Work Experience
Everybody talks about his or her work experience and it helps them with who they are in their career today. Some great questions are:
- What work experience do you have?
- How did you like your previous work?
- What can you gain from work experience?
English Conversation Questions Pdf Online
- What have you learned from your work experience?
- What have you learned about yourself?
15. Overtime
Overtime is as enjoyable as it is avoidable. Unfortunately, it’s inevitable but most students will have a thing or two to chime in with about overtime. Good questions could be:
- How much overtime do you usually work?
- How do you feel about working overtime?
- What is the overtime policy like in your company?
- Describe the worst overtime experience you have ever had.
- What is a solution to reducing overtime?
16. Business Trips
Business trips, whether they be domestic or international, are more and more common these days and are a good topic to discuss. After all, most likely your students that go on business trips need to speak English! You could ask:
- Do you go on business trips at work? Where?
English Conversation Questions For Beginners Pdf
- What are the advantages/disadvantages of business trips?
- What advice do you have for somebody traveling for business?
- Where would you like to go on a business trip? Why?
- What do you think is the future of business trips?
17. Competition
If your students want to speak business English well, then they’ll need to talk about competition. The competition is everywhere and is a great topic to really scope out how your students feel about business in general. Great questions could be:
- Who exactly is your company’s competition?
- What advantages/disadvantages does your competition have?
- How can your company overcome the competition?
- How competitive is your industry?
- How competitive are you in general? Why?
18. Risk Management
Most students should be familiar with risk and hopefully more familiar with how to manage it so it’s a fine topic to incite some quality discussion. Great questions are:
- What risks does your company come across?
- How does your company handle these risks?
- What situation could be a big risk to your company?
- What is your plan in case you come across a risk?
- Does your company have a contingency plan?
19. Investing
Investing is an important topic that many business English students know a fair deal about, depending on their business. It’s a relatable topic that could be of special interest to some students. You could ask questions like:
- What is your opinion on investing?
- What investments do you have? Why?
- Are you a conservative or risky investor? Why?
- What do you consider to be a bad investment? Why?
- If you had $1000 to invest, what would you do?
20. Colleagues
Everybody has something to say about colleagues and talking about them can help get students talking about more personal things, which can really help them exit their comfort zones. A few good questions could be:
- What do you think about your colleagues?
- What are some common problems with colleagues?
- Have you ever had any challenging situations/altercations with your colleagues?
- Do you spend time with your colleagues outside of work? Why/why not?
- Who is your favorite colleague? Why?
21. Hard Times
Unfortunately, hard times are quite prevalent these days. But talking about them is good for business since it could expand your students’ knowledge of current events. You could ask questions like:
- What hard times is your industry/country going through?
- What hard times have you experienced?
- What have you learned from hard times?
- What are the benefits of hard times?
- Tell me about what you did when you went through some hard times.
22. Raises
Everybody loves raises, but talking about them (especially with a superior) is a different story. Amongst classmates though, talking about raises can bring up some interesting chatter. Questions like these are good:
- How often do you get a raise at your job?
- What does it take to get a raise at your job?
- What advice do you have for someone who wants a raise?
- Do you think raises are important? Why/why not?
- Do you deserve a raise? Why/why not?
23. Sales
Some may say that business is sales and they just might be right. Sales are to business as education is to knowledge. Talking about sales is an important skill in business English, especially if some students need to sell in English. A few great discussion questions are:
- Have you ever worked in sales?
- How good of a salesperson are you? Why/why not?
- What makes a good salesperson?
- What is the sales process like in your company?
- What strategies do you think are good for sales?
24. Customers
But alas, there can’t be sales—or business for that matter!—without customers. Since everyone has been a customer on more than a few occasions in their lives, it’s a great topic for students! Questions like these work well:
- Who are the customers for your company/industry?
- As a customer in general, what do you usually expect?
- How do you gain more customers?
- How do you lose customers?
- “The customer is always right.” Do you agree/disagree?
25. Customer Service
Customer service is also another aspect of business that both salespeople and customers know a thing or two about. It’s a fantastic topic that can bring some enlightening discussion. You can ask questions like:
- What is your definition of “customer service”?
- What is excellent customer service?
- What is poor customer service?
- Have you ever had to deal with customers? How was it?
- How do/would you deal with customer problems?
26. Marketing
Marketing is an essential field in the world of business and many students enjoy talking about the diverse subject. You could ask questions such as:
- What is your understanding of marketing?
- What is your company’s target market?
- What kind of marketing does your company use?
- In your opinion what forms of marketing are the most/least successful?
- What kind of marketing is successful in your country?
27. Consulting
Many companies, big and small, have experience with consultants and it’s an important topic in the world of business improvement. Some great questions could be:
- What is your definition of “consulting”?
![Conversation Conversation](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126414344/496392805.jpg)
- What is your opinion of consultants?
- What are the advantages/disadvantages of consultants?
- What area of advice are you an expert at? Why?
- “Sometimes you need a consultant to tell you the obvious.” Do you agree/disagree? Why?
28. Rules & Regulations
Rules and regulations are literally everywhere in the business world and they could present some useful and interesting information. You could give the students questions like:
- What rules and regulations exist at your job?
- What happens if you break any of these rules?
- How do you feel about the regulations at your job?
- Why do you think rules and regulations exist?
- Have you ever had any problems with rules and regulations?
So there you have it, a vast list of various topics that are great for business English students.
Although it’s preferable (and likely) that your students already have jobs to answer these questions but since these topics are so relatable and general, it shouldn’t be a problem to start off the classes with some simple questions on such topics.
You could even choose the topics in accordance to the current business news and mix the questions up a bit. The best piece of advice is to make it relatable, relevant and remarkable this way the students have something to say and never lose interest.
So, let’s talk business!
Oh, and One More Thing…
Another great conversation starter to consider is FluentU. FluentU takes real-world videos and turns them into personalized language learning lessons for you and your students.
It’s got a huge collection of authentic English videos that people in the English-speaking world actually watch on the regular. You’ll find documentaries, interviews, movie trailers, music videos, commercials, TED Talks and much, much more.
On FluentU, all the videos are sorted by skill level and are carefully annotated for students. Words come with example sentences and definitions. Students will be able to add them to their own vocabulary lists, and even see how the words are used in other videos.
For example, if a student taps on the word “brought,” they’ll see this:
Plus, these great videos are all accompanied by interactive features and active learning tools for students, like multimedia flashcards and fun games like “fill in the blank.”
It’s perfect for in-class activities, group projects and solo homework assignments. Not to mention, it’s guaranteed to get your students excited about English!
If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to teach English with real-world videos.