6 NEW English IDIOMS Business English Vocabulary
Hey there I’m Emma from mmmEnglish!
In this lesson, we’re going to get down to business,
knowing some of the idioms used in a professional
context is going to help you to sound more
relaxed and natural in the workplace.
And of course, help you to understand what the heck
everyone else is talking about!
So today, I’ve got five useful idioms for you
that are commonly used in a professional context
- a business context.
And that means they’re perfect and fantastic to use
in an interview as well, so stay tuned!
Now I always tell my students one of the best ways
to learn and remember English idioms
is to link them to a memory or an experience in your life.
That way, when you think about the idiom
or you hear it somewhere
you connect it with the personal moment in your life
and experience.
And when you think about the experience, it helps you to
think about the idiom as well.
Now you don’t have to learn and remember
every idiom in English, but you should learn
some common ones that you can actually use
to talk about your life.
I’m going to tell you a story.
My first job out of university
was with a huge corporate company.
I was an intern.
I thought it was going to be photocopying and stapling
and getting cups of tea for my boss.
But at the time that I started, my department was really
understaffed.
They just didn’t have enough people to manage
the workload.
So I really got thrown in the deep end.
Within weeks of starting, I was writing reports and I was
making presentations to the management team
which was kind of cool but a bit scary.
So in this idiom, the ‘deep end’ is referring to
the deepest part of a swimming pool
where often your feet can’t touch the ground.
So if someone throws you or pushes you into the pool,
that’s a bit of a shock, isn’t it?
You can’t feel the ground.
So you’re thrown in the deep end when you’re
put into a new or a difficult situation
without any preparation.
And this often happens in the workplace, doesn’t it?
Sarah’s been so stressed lately. She started a new job
last month, but they’ve really thrown her in the deep end.
I’m not afraid of being thrown in the deep end.
I think it’s the best way to learn!
Now I don’t want to throw you in the deep end
on your first day, but
do you think you could make a presentation to the CEO
by the end of the week?
A similar idiom is to be ‘out of one’s depth’
and it has a similar meaning because it’s an
uncomfortable place.
Again,
thinking about the deep end of your swimming pool,
your feet can’t touch the ground and you have to swim
to keep yourself alive, right?
My brother loves the company that he works for
but he feels a little out of his depth in the finance team.
Now when you start a new job, maybe a new role or a
position in your company
or you start working for a new company,
it usually takes some time to learn the ropes.
So this means to learn the basic tasks
that allow you to do your job well and efficiently.
You know, like how to use the photocopier,
how to use the company’s email system,
who to call if your computer won’t start,
who you report to
and which meetings you need to attend
- all of the simple things
take a week or two to get used to
when you start a new job.
How’s the new job?
It’s going well! I’m still learning the ropes,
but my colleagues are really great.
You’ll also hear people say
“I’ll show you the ropes”
which means that they’ll show you how things
are done, the standard, normal way that things are done.
So note that if a person has been working at their job
for over a month, this idiom isn’t really relevant anymore
because they’ve already learnt the basic tasks
they need to do their job.
Now, once you’ve had your job for a while,
it might be time to focus on
climbing the corporate ladder.
So this idiom talks about the progression of roles
through a career,
starting with an entry-level job, an internship
or a position straight out of university.
But over the years, you get promotions,
you switch companies,
you become known in your industry,
you work your way up to better and better opportunities.
You get paid more, you have more responsibilities,
you’ll be a manager and then one day
maybe even the CEO!
So this progression is called
‘climbing the corporate ladder’
Tim climbed the corporate ladder quickly.
He became a partner at the company
by the time he was 26.
But James has never been
interested in climbing the corporate ladder.
I feel inspired by women who climb the corporate ladder
and raise a family at the same time.
Amazing!
People who think outside the box are usually
pretty valuable employees
because they think creatively and they solve problems
in non-standard ways.
So they think outside or beyond the normal
or standard way of thinking which often leads
to really interesting, creative solutions to problems.
We need to think outside the box
and find a different solution.
Steve’s probably the most creative guy on the team
- he’s always thinking outside the box.
Now in Australia, you’ll often hear this expression as
‘thinking outside the square’
It’s the same thing.
Are you the type of person
who thinks outside the square?
Last one, a ‘steep learning curve’.
Now this is a brilliant idiom to use
during a job interview
- so was the last one actually -
but this one is a brilliant idiom to use
during an interview or a speaking exam.
So use it when you’re reflecting or thinking about some
of the challenges that you’ve overcome in the past.
So it could be relating to work or even life experiences.
So it’s used when someone has to learn something
really quickly, usually just by giving it a shot,
by doing their best and then
learning from their mistakes.
So using this idiom to describe an experience
that you’ve had helps to show that you’re not afraid
of hard work or challenges and that you’re willing
to build new skills and overcome problems.
So it’s a really handy one to have!
For many international students,
studying in an English-speaking country can be a
steep learning curve.
Going from employee to business owner
was a really steep learning curve for me!
It’s still steep actually, I’m only about here!
So that’s it! Six new business idioms for you.
I’m sure that you can think of some others as well
that relate to jobs and business.
So if you can, pop them in the comments below
and share them with everyone.
And of course, I always, always love to see you
actually using the English that I teach you.
So take a moment right now
to write a sentence using one of the idioms
that you’ve learned today and add it to the comments.
I’ll check it for you but you’ll also get to see
how the idioms are being used in lots of different
examples from all of your peers.
Once you do that, then come over here,
keep practising with me. Try out this lesson here
or maybe even that one.
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Bye for now!