During your sessions with 1to1PROGRESS you are learning a whole new array of business related vocabulary, phrases and typical expressions. Why not turn to actors between your lessons to further improve? They can help you get comfortable with what you have learnt in context!
My favourite “corporate themed” movies and series will help you practice your listening skills, and if you turn the subtitles on your reading skills will improve too! But remember, you can’t just watch the movie for this to work; you have to study it for the method to be really effective.
Here are some great movies and series to improve your business English!
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“Thank You for Smoking” – In this motion picture, Nick Naylor’s job is to manipulate laws and people to keep the tobacco industry profitable! Things take an odd turn when he comes face to face with a major antagonist… Ideal for terms relating to lobbying, debates, marketing and advertising.
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“The Social Network” – A somewhat loose biography film based on the early days of Facebook and how it was put in place by a group of college students. Ideal for Start-up jargon, information technology vocabulary and tech phrases.
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“The Company Men” – This picture depicts the events in the life of a corporate employee following redundancy during the recession. Ideal for Human Resources vocabulary and phrases.
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“The Good wife” – This drama series focuses on a woman, whose husband, the former Cook County, Illinois State’s attorney, has been jailed following a notorious political corruption and sex scandal. She returns to work as a litigator (8) after thirteen years as a stay-at-home mother. Ideal for people interested in legal, politics and technology with references to bitcoins, viral marketing and NSA surveillance.
- “Mad Men” – Set in 1960s New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising, an ego-driven world where key players make an art of the sell. Ideal for advertising, sales, negotiation and persuasion techniques.
There are plenty more films and series that you can watch to improve your language skills, but I’m sure that you have some ideas of your own. All you need to do now is draw up a list and carve out the time to settle down and learn…
Melanie Hall – 1to1PROGRESS Educational Manager