Communication

A selection of business English discussion questions.

See more business English discussion topics

  1. Would you say that good communication is central to your job?
  2. Do people communicate well in your company? How could it be improved?
  3. What is the secret to successful communication in the workplace?
  4. How important is small talk in a business situation? Do you use it?
  5. Are formal meetings a good way to communicate?
  6. Do you answer phone calls and emails during your days off?
  7. Do you feel comfortable when talking on the phone in English?
  8. In general, is it better to text or call a business partner?
  9. Do you ever write letters as part of your work? Why don't you use email instead?
  10. Has electronic communication made the workplace more or less stressful in general?
  11. How important is it to be concise when communicating with business partners?
  12. How do you think workplace communication will change in the future?
PDF (Individual)
General
PDF (Pairs)
General
PDF (Threes)
General
PDF (Cards)
General
How to use the communication ESL discussion questions

It is recommended that you download the communication ESL discussion questions in PDF format using one of the links above. The best way to encourage classroom interaction is to download and print the communication discussion questions in the 'pairs' or 'threes' PDF format and then divide the questions by cutting along the dotted lines. This allows students to take turns asking and answering the communication discussion questions in groups of two or three. Alternatively, you could use the 'cards' format to distribute the questions to any number of students to ask and share.

It is advisable to prepare students for using these discussion questions by first introducing them to the topic of communication in an interesting and engaging way. An anecdote, quiz question or a related image or video could all be used to achieve this. Depending on the level, it may also be necessary to pre-teach any challenging vocabulary related to communication contained in the discussion questions.

For more ESL discussion questions, see this site's main page. There are discussion questions on a range of topics including general, grammar and business English topics.

For further information about the site and its author, see the about page.