EnglishClub

Have you ever studied business English? If so, you’ve likely learned very formal vocabulary and structures. 

Perhaps you’ve tried to take those lessons out into the world and use them with native speakers. However, before you got the chance to open your mouth, you noticed something: the English-speaking professionals around you DO NOT SOUND LIKE A TEXTBOOK!

The fact is that in many professional contexts, natives will tend to be more informal — with coworkers, long-term clients, peers at networking events, and even new connections at industry conferences. 

One very specific way you can sound more natural and informal, just like a native, is by using sports idioms. These phrases abound in the business world, from the top of the corporate ladder to the new intern on his or her first day. Thus, if you are unfamiliar with these idioms and their meaning, you may not be able to connect to others and build stronger professional relationships.

You may look at this list and wonder, “Hey, aren’t these mainly American idioms?” The answer is yes, but, although many of these sports idioms are American in origin, they have become more and more common all over the world. 

Yet another reason to learn today’s vocabulary is that using idioms is an effective way to get your point across in a way that is more memorable than literal language. These phrases paint an image for the listener, and this person will be more likely to want to listen and engage with you.

Sports Idioms for the Business World

hit it out of the park– Do or perform something extremely well

• Wow, Tom, you really hit that presentation out of the park. Everyone loved it!

down for the count– Unable to continue

• I heard that company had to declare bankruptcy. It seems they’re down for the count and will close very soon.

throw a Hail Mary– Try something, out of desperation, that has almost no chance at success

• I could not find anyone to create the website I wanted. Finally, I just threw a Hail Mary and called my cousin, who’s into computers. I got lucky on that one, and our new site looks great! 

benched– Taken out of something, like a team or project 

• If you show up to work late more than twice, the boss will bench you. You’ll get no new client referrals after that. 

in my/your wheelhouse– Within one’s area of expertise or talent

• Sales is not really in my wheelhouse, but if no one else is willing to try, I’ll meet with Mr. Johnson about the new products.

minor league / major league– (Minor) Having little influence or power; (Major) Having a lot of influence or power

• I think selling to individuals is real minor league stuff. If you want to make real money, you need to be selling to other businesses.

drop the ball– Make a mistake; Not take care of one’s responsibilities

• Sorry, guys, I dropped the ball on that one. I was supposed to get Miss Plinth to sign the contract before today, and I completely forgot.

a slam-dunk– Something that is certain

• Charles is a slam-dunk for VP. I know for a fact that the big boss has wanted to promote him for months.

throw a curveball– To surprise or introduce something unexpected

• She really threw me a curveball when she wanted the documents all translated into Chinese and Japanese. Good thing it’s so easy to hire translators these days!

the ball’s in their/your court– It’s their / your responsibility now

• Listen, I already sent them a counteroffer. I’m not going any lower than that price. The ball’s in their court to decide.

• Choose four idioms that you want to use from today’s lesson.
• Write them down, with their definitions.
• Then, write your own sentence using each of the idioms.
• Read these sentences out loud.

Recommended reading and listening:

• Step Up To The Plate and Learn Baseball Idioms In English
• Try for a No to Get a Yes in Business English
• More sports idioms
• Sports idioms

Photo courtesy Biser Todorov (adapted)

What makes Business English different? If you’re learning for your job and career you want to get more fluent quickly.

If you work in an English speaking job or you are looking to develop an English speaking career, there are a number of challenges. Firstly, low-level English can leave you tired. Conferences and meetings are difficult with international clients, and business correspondence takes longer than in your native language. Language courses outside the office are not always possible. On the positive side, you are in an English-speaking environment, so there are good opportunities for practice. So what can we do to structure a plan of study and make the learning process easier?

Getting organised and having a plan for study is important. It can be a very simple thing like buying a specific notebook for writing down vocabulary and expressions that you want to learn. Having good habits for learning is important. So, giving some time every week to study is a good strategy. Do you have one hour to give? Or 10 minutes a day? For some people, there is free time on the train on the way to work, or times in the office when study is possible.

Managing time and planning how you are going to study is as important as ‘what’ you study. When reading texts for work, highlighting vocabulary and expressions you want to learn can help you focus your time. You don’t have to do much; smaller amounts of time can be very effective: just looking over notes for 10 minutes can be very effective if done every day.

When learning vocabulary and expressions it is good to learn words in ‘chunks’. A chunk is simply 2 or 3 or more words together. For example, it is better to learn the expression ‘strategy meeting’ or ‘team meeting’ than the single word ‘meeting’. Even better is to learn a sentence ‘we’ll discuss this at the upcoming strategy meeting later in the week.’ It helps to look at your notes at the end of the day and read through the new vocabulary and expressions. As you continue with this kind of study, you can add other words under specific headings.

During the work day there are many opportunities to read and make notes about different topics. Many people are working on the computer for most of the day, which gives people the chance to study at the same time as working. Making a few notes through the day will help increase energy levels and make you feel more in control of the learning process.

Some essential business topics at the current time include the following:

• Social Media Marketing
• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
• Human Resources
• Consulting and Consultancy Companies
• Leadership Skills
• Soft Skills and Communication Skills
• Change Management
• Startups

Knowing more vocabulary about specific business areas helps you become more fluent and confident.

Some people say that grammar is not so important in Business English as in general English. I would disagree. Learning good grammar increases your interest and ‘feeling’ for the language. The more you recognise and note correct English, the more you develop a feeling for what is right, and what sounds good. The same learning process can be used as with vocabulary: sentences that you want to focus on can be noted in a notebook to be re-read later in the day.

Outside of work, there are many hours that we spend watching films and reading. Reading in English for enjoyment is important here. After watching a film or reading a book for 30 mins, writing down some notes is a great practice. But we can also listen more carefully to the language our colleagues use in meetings. If we give ourselves goals for the language we want to use, a weekly team meeting is a great time to study English and practice the language we have noted.

In my experience a 1:1 teacher who can correct you and give you feedback on your level of English is very important for reaching higher levels. When you are already fluent, you still need help and correction to reach higher levels. I am in the same situation with German. At B2 level there is still a long way to go: Conferences and longer meetings in German are a challenge; Social events can be difficult. At level C1 you can speak fluently and understand native speakers, but you will still get tired and feel lost.

So to sum up, beyond Reading, Speaking, Grammar, and Writing in my view there are 4 deeper areas to focus on:

• Getting organised and making notes
• Practising the language you want to focus on
• Reading for work and for pleasure
• Getting specific feedback on mistakes

There is also a hidden benefit of learning English for your work. Soft skills are increasingly important in the modern world. Through the focus on high-level English in the workplace, learners have the possibility of becoming just as good communicators as native speakers: language challenges can therefore open up opportunities for personal and professional growth.