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Business Conversation: 32 Business English Topics to Get Students Thinking

Teaching business English is more or less the same as teaching standard English —with a few twists and tweaks.

Usually you’ll start with advanced students who need English for work-related purposes.

But what to talk about? The business section of the newspaper? Their company’s financial state? The economy?

This is where I come in to help you with my magical list of 32 business English conversation topics to start off the class with a bang.

These business English topics and questions are great for sparking more in-depth conversations and debates .

After the discussion, you could seamlessly jump into textbook material , creating a harmonious rhythm in your business English class!

1. English for Work

2. businesses, 3. negotiations, 4. job interviews, 5. working abroad, 6. company culture, 9. business presentations, 10. meetings, 11. conferences, 12. termination, 13. managers, 14. small business, 15. work appraisals, 16. retirement, 17. work experience, 18. overtime, 19. business trips, 20. competition, 21. risk management, 22. investing, 23. colleagues, 24. hard times, 27. customers, 28. customer service, 29. marketing, 30. consulting, 31. business ethics, 32. rules & regulations.

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Students are often asked why they are learning business English, and being able to discuss this in a clear and informative way will do wonders for their confidence. Here are a few questions:

Do you think English is the global business language?
How often do you use English in your career?
Do you feel more comfortable calling or emailing someone in English?
Do you think English will get you promoted?
Have you ever felt nervous speaking to foreign colleagues or clients in English?

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?

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 life 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?

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?

It can be very helpful to show your students actual videos of interviews to give them a better idea of what to expect. For example, you can use FluentU to show them the job interview scene from “The Pursuit of Happyness,” starring Will Smith, and help them pick out some key interview vocabulary:

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?

Company culture is an essential aspect to any company, and your students will need to understand the value of a good company culture versus a bad one. Here are some questions to try out:

Do you believe that company culture is important? If yes, how do companies steer clear of negative company culture?
What is the company culture of your company?
Do you think your company could create a more positive, well-rounded company culture?
What are some of the perks in your company?
What perks or benefits do you look for in a prospective company’s culture? Why are these important to you?

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?

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?

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?

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?

Many students may well have an important conference in the very near future and want to prepare. Networking, detailed job descriptions, presentation discussions, gathering information and the general culture exchange are all key areas of a professional conference. Here are some questions:

How would you open a conversation with someone in English at a conference? Is it any different in your native language?
Do you normally see all the presentations at a conference? What are some good and bad reasons you might miss a presentation or two?
Do you find it more challenging making small talk or discussing business at conferences? Why do you think that is?
Do you go out of your way to meet new people at conferences, or do you stick to your pack of colleagues? What are some great reasons to meet new people?
Are there parties at conferences? Any good stories?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?
What have you learned from your work experience?
What have you learned about yourself?

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?

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?
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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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.

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?

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?

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?

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 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?
Can you think of any companies known for their exceptional customer service?

Marketing is an essential field in the world of business and many students enjoy talking about this 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?

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”?
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?

Your eager business English students have most likely studied a bit of business ethics in their native language, so why not bring it to life in English? Environmental issues, labor rights, health and wellness are all components of business ethics. You can ask these questions:

What are “business ethics” and how do they affect your community?
Would you consider your company ethical? Are there any business practices you disagree with?
What are a few companies that have been known for bad business ethics? How about good ones?
How often do you talk about business ethics with colleagues or managers?
How can companies improve their business ethics?

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 according 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!

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The 70 Best Business Topic Ideas for Presentations and Research Papers for College Students

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Education is not just about listening to instructors expound on theories and learning from their lectures. A good part of life for college students also revolves around doing presentations and writing research papers; therefore, you will need to acquire an excellent research topic about business.

Business topics for presentations and research papers range from traditional ideas, such as business management and economics, to more modern topics, such as digital transformation and e-commerce. In any case, a good research paper and presentation topic will be meaningful, timely, and interesting to an audience.

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A research paper is a good measure of a student’s understanding of the topic. It allows them to apply what they learned by tackling certain subjects relevant to their course. By developing their ability to communicate through oral and written exercises, research papers shape the accuracy and integrity of your thoughts. Let us help you find the right research topic about business!

Why Choose the Right Business Topic Ideas?

A great business research paper requires a topic that is relevant and one that will distinguish it from other papers. While business is prevalent in society and the global stage in general, it is still not that easy to frame a topic that will be fresh and applicable to today’s world.

After all, thousands of research have already been done when it comes to business. It can be a real challenge to find something that has not been studied yet or add anything new and valuable to those that already exist. But it is indeed possible to look into the present situations and developments and identify new angles from existing research to make it applicable in the modern age.

Choosing the right business topic ideas will give you an easier time when you need to do research and start writing it. A good topic considers your field of interest and your subject, leading you to a research paper that will not only help you acquire the best grades but also expand and test your knowledge and research skills. And because writing a research paper should factor in social impact, it requires extensive and consistent study as opposed to sporadic and casual reading.

Tips for Picking the Best Business Topic Ideas

When starting a research paper or class presentation, the most challenging part is always getting started. It is ideal for students to develop the skill of producing a good research topic. These tips might help.

Brainstorm for ideas on your field of study. You can do this by asking the right questions, such as “ What problems do businesses face these days?” You can also get inspiration from the news regarding business, finance, and economics.
Prepare a list of keywords and concepts to choose from. Use this to form a more focused research topic as well.
Read up on the chosen keyword or concept. When you’ve decided, start to learn more about it by reading the background information for a good overview.
Give the topic a greater focus but be careful not to make it too broad or too narrow. To be sure, keep the subject limited in the areas of geography, culture, time frame, or discipline.

Business Topic Ideas for the Different Fields of Business

Business communication.

It is common for information to be shared between the company and its employees or the company and its customers. Effective communication within or outside of the business is vital for a company to function. Business communication is a continuous process that can be done in many ways and various channels.

When a business has good communication with its internal and external affairs, it can run smoothly. It is vital in transmitting information that can impact the industry and its success. For business communication students, finding a topic that can best suit their research papers is not that hard when they understand its importance and how it can affect the running of a business.

Here is a list of topic ideas that can help business communication students:

The different ways men and women communicate in the business environment
The effects of good business communication on business development and growth
Communication and its relation to marketing effectiveness
How effective communication can help in dealing with global companies
The theories of communication and their different roles in the corporate world
How communication influence decision-making within the company
The effect of communication in overcoming business challenges
Effective communication skills in the management sector
Convincing customers to buy products through good communication
How business communication and effective marketing go hand in hand

Business Administration

When it comes to business administration programs, students are required to think of research topics that resolve a particular subject in an area of specialization. The issues are not expected to be broad or new; instead, they must be able to get the message across regarding the areas covered by the degree program. It can be ideas on business management, leadership skills, communication methodologies, business policies, trade, and commerce, or financial management.

Here are some of the relevant and exciting topics for business administration:

How does management affect an organization’s performance?
The effects of advertisement on consumer behavior
In what ways can human resources promote industrial harmony?
The Impact of staff motivation incentives on productivity
The everyday challenges of small and medium enterprises at the start of trade
Short-term management and its risks
How does corporate sustainability affect the organizational process?
Weighing the pros and cons of startup and established companies
The strategy of corporate sustainability
The roles of budget analysis and budgetary controls on an organization’s operation

Business Ethics

There is a connection between ethics and global business. Two of the essential foundations of global commerce are business ethics and corporate responsibility. Studying Business Ethics is vital for many Business majors. This is where they learn how businesses should treat their employees and other organizations in global and local contexts.

Today, the business environment has changed drastically, owing mostly to government policies and political stability. To keep up with the current dynamics, ethical principles and moral-ethical problems must be advanced.

Courses related to business ethics must carefully choose topics that address common issues and improve businesses in terms of ethical practices. Some of the ideas students can explore for Business Ethics research and presentation include:

The impact of gender discrimination on employees’ performance
The effects of a company’s environmental practices on consumer trust
Examine the repercussions of abuse of laborers in the construction industry
The connection between profit-seeking and product quality
Misleading advertisements and their impact on consumers’ trust levels
The importance of trust in modern economics
How do companies make a difference to global problems?
Are companies accountable when consumers misuse their products?
The ways a company can create a healthy and more balanced work environment
Does workplace diversity play an important role in productivity?

Small Business

he evolution of small businesses in the digital era is an interesting study for many Business major students. It is true that big companies and organizations can shell out massive amounts for advertising and brand enhancement, but they can still lose out to small businesses, especially in niches like flower shops, coffee houses, and bakeries.

That is only one aspect of small businesses. There are many more areas that students can explore to understand the issues and ideas that surround small companies and their ability to compete with their giant counterparts. Take a look at some of these research topics:

What struggles do small business owners encounter in marketing?
Digital marketing and its impact on small businesses
How should small companies deal with a crisis?
Is relationship building important for small businesses?
The common products that consumers purchase from small companies
The impact of online marketing strategy on conversion and revenue growth
The challenges of starting a small company
How can small companies contribute to global change?
The effect of a business plan on small business growth
Finance models for different spheres of small business

Business Management

As one of the most significant tasks for many businesses and organizations, business management focuses on planning and organizing. Like the Business Administration programs, Business Management includes marketing, accounting, economics, and finance as its core subjects.

Professors often give research assignments to business students to measure their analytical skills and understanding of supervising a business or managing people.

We’ve gathered some of the most interesting research topics for Business Management courses:

How did the rapid technological developments revolutionize marketing?
What is sustainable development and what is its impact on modern businesses
Frugal innovations to help small to medium businesses create value for profits and return?
Why companies should enshrine corporate social responsibility
Keeping the balance between employee expectations and the organization’s profit
The role of financial managers in maintaining records of business expenses
How does employee motivation increase the earnings of organizations?
The importance of a digital marketing strategy to small businesses
Understanding the process of taxation and its relation to the profit of the business
How to handle a crisis in an organization

Global Business

The age of globalization has dawned, and businesses must adapt to the changes and repercussions it brings. Globalization has a way of influencing the trends in the market and how companies should approach consumers. It can also determine the emerging marketing methods that can contribute to the success of an organization.

Students who study global business aim to understand how companies around the world are connected. When they look at the industry from an international perspective, they will be able to navigate the impact of boundaries and cultures on the operation and management of global companies. Developing a global mindset is essential.

Keep these ideas in mind when exploring topics for their research paper:

The challenges of company expansions to different countries
Examining world markets and how they benefit from globalization
How does globalization affect consumer behavior
The rise of the foreign exchange market in the era of globalization
Going digital and its effects on international business
The influence of culture on marketing and branding
The advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing the business
The many ways for foreign companies to handle scam
How can war impact company profits around the world?
The different structures suitable for international business

Business Law

Also known as mercantile law or commercial law, business law governs the dealings between people and commercial matters. It can be divided into two areas. One is the regulation of commercial entities with a basis on laws of partnership, company, and bankruptcy.

The other is the regulation of commercial transactions through the laws of contract. Students who are in the field of business law must know how to stop problems before they can hurt the organization or bring about legal repercussions.

Searching for topics in this field can be daunting but doable. To inspire students, we have listed down some ideas that can help them with their research and presentation:

The various ways a company can curtail harmful human behaviors in the workplace
Examining the effectiveness of penalties on serious work infractions
How companies offer treatment in cases of workplace accidents
When are data confidentiality policies applicable in a business?
The lawful ways to regulate online gambling websites
The importance of copyright and trademark on businesses
A comparative analysis of business laws in the Western and Eastern World
How do laws impact e-Commerce?
The implications of data privacy on businesses and consumers
Looking at data privacy laws from an international perspective

When the most viable picks for research topics have been provided, it is time to choose the most suitable one for a specific area of specialization and field of interest. A careful study of the issue at hand and selecting a topic that encompasses the academic course or specialization will do the trick.

While you are at it, it is vital to find the balance between a relevant and original topic and an interesting one. Remember, a presentation and research paper do not have to be uninteresting to be effective. Your selected research topic about business is important, so choose wisely. Pick something that you are interested in, and the rest will follow.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the basic things to know about delivering a successful presentation.

Have Effective Content: Make sure the content of your presentation is relevant, organized, accurate, and concise. Use visuals and examples to support your points.
Practice: Take the time to practice your presentation. Practicing out loud may help you identify any issues in the presentation, as well as anticipate how your audience may respond.
Engage your Audience: Establish a connection with your audience by using eye contact, gestures, and speaking clearly.
Use Visual Aids: Incorporate visuals like PowerPoint slides, posters, and other props to make your presentation more dynamic.
Be Positive: Present your material with enthusiasm and confidence. Even if you don’t feel confident in what you’re presenting, practice your material until you feel more comfortable.

What are the top components of a business presentation?

Visuals: Visuals such as slides, graphs, diagrams and videos help draw and keep the audience’s attention and ensure that the message is clear.
Content: Content is the main part of a business presentation and is made up of talking points, summaries, facts and figures.
Delivery: Delivery refers to the style and method used to present the content and visuals. This includes the presenter’s body language and vocal delivery.

What must be avoided in any presentation?

Rambling or becoming distracted
Being overly verbose or using unduly complicated language
Reading from written notes most of the time
Not rehearsing and/or not knowing the material
Not engaging with the audience
Glancing at the slides too often
Focusing on slides with too many words or too much detail
Apologizing for the presentation
Failing to make connections and summarize key points
Talking too quickly or loudly

Watch this YouTube video for examples of do’s and dont’s:

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Rowan Jones Chief Editor

120 Presentation Topic Ideas Help You Hook Your Audience

Updated: January 15, 2024

Published: August 09, 2023

Cooking is easy. The puzzle is figuring out what to eat. As soon as you know that, you can get started. The same holds for presentations. The sooner you can whip up a good, informative, and catchy topic, the easier the rest of the process becomes.

man presents presentation topics to a group

Pick a good topic that resonates with you and your audience to set a strong foundation. But select the wrong topic, and it becomes difficult to connect with your audience, find mutual interests, or hold their attention.

So, let’s learn how to develop thought-provoking and relevant topics for your presentations. You’ll also find some best practices to make your presentation memorable.

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Table of Contents

How to Choose a Great Presentation Topic in 5 Steps

120 presentation topic ideas, 5 presentation tips.

How to Choose a Great Presentation Topic. Be novel. Begin with the end in mind.

4. Choose an appropriate presentation style.

There are many ways to present a topic. Your personality, the topic at hand, and your audience’s personas will help you determine which style would best fit you and your audience.

Select a presentation style that will communicate the main idea clearly and have a lasting impact on your audience.

For instance, explore a freeform style presenter by Sir Ken Robinson.

5. Engage with your audience.

Work on your presentation skills to make a strong connection with your audience, get through to them and leave a mark.

Think of the presenter as the link between the topic and the audience. A strong or a weak presenter can make a difference between a presentation being a thriving success or a boring failure.

Hone your skills by engaging and interacting with your audience. Make them feel like a part of the presentation and not just spectators. 70% of marketers have found presentations with interactive content to be more effective than those without.

Here are a few ways you can make your presentation interactive:

Start your speech with uncommon questions to your audience. Involve them from the get-go, like ask to raise their hands if X.
Make eye contact to build credibility and show confidence. Don’t stare at your slides or notes. Smile occasionally and talk to the audience directly.
Have an active and confident body language. Don’t stand in the same place the entire time. Move around the stage.
Don’t be monotonous. Speak as you would to a colleague — with enthusiasm.
Ask close-ended questions in between to keep the audience engaged without losing time. Address them using their names to keep things interesting.
Share personal experiences and stories that your audience will find fascinating and relatable.
Practice thoroughly before you present so you’re fluent with the material and delivery.
Energy and excitement can be quite contagious. Make sure you exude enough to spread some to your audience.

Feeling Inspired Yet?

Now you have all the right ingredients for choosing amazing topics and a hundred ideas to drive inspiration from. So, go ahead and start cooking presentations that will blow your audience away.

Don’t forget to choose a super-relevant topic and add meaty information. Do it with excitement to make it enjoyable for you and your audience. Best of luck!

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101+ Business Conversation Topics & Workplace Conversation Starters

Starting conversations in a business setting can be challenging, especially if you’re new to the company or meeting new colleagues for the first time. But, having engaging conversations can help build relationships, foster collaboration, and create a positive work environment.

This page contains over 101 interesting, fun and engaging business conversation topics and workplace conversation starters that are great for breaking the ice.

You know what they say, the most important aspect of any business or workplace is the people.

And, the key to building strong relationships with those people is communication.

But, let’s be real, sometimes starting conversations in a business setting can feel awkward, especially if you’re new to the company or meeting new colleagues for the first time.

I remember when I first started my job and I was intimidated by the thought of striking up conversations with my colleagues. But, with time and experience, I learned the importance of building relationships and the impact it has on our work environment. And, the great news is, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Starting meaningful conversations with your colleagues can help build relationships, foster collaboration, and create a positive work environment. Whether it’s discussing current events, sharing your interests and hobbies, or talking about your weekend experiences, there’s always a way to make connections.

To help you break the ice and start meaningful conversations, here are some ideas:

Business Conversations Topics & Workplace Conversation Starters

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing our industry right now?
What do you think are the most important skills for success in our field?
What was the most valuable project or assignment you worked on in the past year?
What do you think are the best ways to stay motivated and productive in the workplace?
What was the last professional development course or training you attended?
What is your favorite aspect of our company culture?
What do you think are the best ways to collaborate and communicate effectively with team members?
What was the most interesting idea or suggestion you heard at the last company meeting?
What do you think is the most important goal for our department or company right now?
What was the most innovative solution you have seen or been a part of in our workplace?
What do you think are the most important qualities for success in your role?
What was the most meaningful feedback you have received from a coworker or supervisor?
What do you think are the biggest opportunities for growth or improvement in our workplace?
What was the last project you worked on that was outside of your comfort zone?
What do you think is the most important factor for success in a team setting?
What was the most memorable team-building activity you participated in?
What do you think is the best way to balance work and personal life?
What was the most challenging obstacle you have overcome in your career so far?
What do you think are the most important values for success in the workplace?
What was the most valuable lesson you have learned in your career so far?
What do you think are the most important changes that need to be made in our industry?
What was the most interesting new technology or tool you have learned to use in the workplace?
What do you think is the most important factor for success in a leadership role?
What was the most inspiring presentation or lecture you have attended in your field?
What do you think are the biggest challenges facing our company in the next year?
What do you think are the biggest opportunities for our company in the next five years?
What was the last decision you made that you are particularly proud of?
What do you think is the most effective way to resolve conflicts within a team?
What was the most valuable feedback you received from a customer or client?
What do you think is the most important factor for success in a customer-facing role?
What was the most creative solution you have implemented in your role?
What do you think are the biggest challenges facing our department in the next year?
What was the most important lesson you learned from a failure or setback in your career?
What do you think is the most effective way to manage time and prioritize tasks?
What was the most challenging project you have been a part of and how did you overcome the challenges?
What do you think is the most important quality for success in a sales role?
What was the most meaningful recognition or award you have received in your career?
What do you think is the most effective way to manage stress and maintain work-life balance?
What was the most memorable experience you have had with a coworker?
What do you think is the most important factor for success in a project management role?
What was the most valuable advice you received from a mentor or supervisor?
What do you think is the most effective way to build trust and rapport with coworkers?
What was the most challenging customer or client situation you have faced and how did you handle it?
What do you think is the most important factor for success in a virtual or remote work setting?
What was the most valuable feedback you received from a manager or supervisor?
What do you think is the most effective way to stay current and informed in your field?
What was the most valuable collaboration you have had with a coworker or team?
What do you think is the most important factor for success in a cross-functional role?
What was the most valuable learning experience you have had in your career?
What do you think is the most effective way to manage change and handle transitions in the workplace?
Who do you admire the most in our industry and why?
Why do you think our company is unique compared to others in our field?
How do you think technology is changing the way we do business?
When was the last time you tried something new in your role?
Where do you see yourself in five years professionally?
Who has been the biggest influence in your career so far and why?
Why do you think it’s important to continuously learn and grow in your role?
How do you manage your workload and prioritize tasks?
When was the last time you took a risk in your career and what was the outcome?
Where do you think our company should focus its efforts in the next quarter?
Who do you rely on most for support in your role?
Why do you think teamwork is crucial for success in the workplace?
How do you handle difficult conversations or conflicts with coworkers or customers?
When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone in your role?
Where do you see the biggest opportunity for growth in our department?
Who has been the most supportive coworker you have worked with and why?
Why do you think effective communication is important in the workplace?
How do you maintain work-life balance?
When was the last time you received feedback from a coworker or supervisor that you found particularly helpful?
Where do you see the biggest challenge for our industry in the next year?
Who do you think has been the most innovative leader in our field?
Why do you think it’s important to stay positive and motivated in the workplace?
How do you approach problem-solving and decision-making in your role?
When was the last time you received recognition for a job well done?
Where do you think our company can improve in terms of inclusivity and diversity?
Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in this field?
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing our industry right now?
Why do you think it’s important to have a positive attitude at work?
When was the last time you took a break to recharge and refresh?
Where do you turn for inspiration and motivation when you’re feeling stuck?
How do you handle stress and pressure in your role?
Which project are you most proud of and why?
Who do you think has the most innovative ideas in our department?
What do you think is the most important quality for success in your role?
Why do you think it’s important to be adaptable and flexible in the workplace?
When was the last time you collaborated with a coworker on a project?
Where do you see the biggest opportunity for personal growth in your career?
How do you prioritize your workload and manage your time effectively?
Which coworker do you admire the most and why?
Who do you think is the most effective leader in our company and why?
What do you think is the biggest opportunity for our company in the next year?
Why do you think it’s important to communicate effectively with coworkers and customers?
When was the last time you received feedback that challenged you?
Where do you turn for support when you need help in your role?
How do you maintain a work-life balance that works for you?
Which skill do you think is the most important for success in the workplace?
Who do you think has been the most successful team you have been a part of and why?
What do you think is the most effective way to stay organized and efficient in your role?
Why do you think it’s important to build and maintain strong relationships with coworkers?
How do you approach goal-setting and achieving success in your role?

Wrapping Up

Well, there you have it folks! A variety of ideas for conversation starters within a business setting.

Whether you prefer discussing current events, sharing your interests and hobbies, or talking about your weekend experiences, there’s something for everyone.

So, next time you’re in a business setting, don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation with your colleagues. You never know what kind of connections you’ll make or what kind of impact it’ll have on your work environment.

And, the best part is, it’s easy and enjoyable!

So, go ahead, give it a shot. Start a conversation with a colleague today and see where it takes you.

And, if you have any other favorite conversation starters in a business setting, I’d love to hear about them.

About The Author

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211 Business Topics For Research Paper [Updated]

Are you looking for intriguing business topics to explore in your research paper? Whether you’re a student delving into the world of business studies or a seasoned professional seeking fresh insights, selecting the right topic is crucial. In this blog, we’ll walk you through a diverse array of business topics for research paper. From management strategies to emerging trends like sustainability and digital transformation, there’s something for everyone. Let’s dive in!

What Are The Characteristics of Business Research Topics?

Table of Contents

Business research topics possess several key characteristics that distinguish them from other types of research topics. These characteristics include:

Relevance: Business research topics should address current issues, trends, and challenges facing the business world. They should be of interest to academics, practitioners, and policymakers alike.
Practicality: Business research topics should have real-world applicability and relevance to industry practices. They should offer insights that can be implemented to improve organizational performance, decision-making, and strategy.
Interdisciplinary Nature: Business research often draws from multiple disciplines such as economics, management, marketing, finance, and psychology. Topics should be interdisciplinary in nature, incorporating insights from various fields to provide comprehensive analysis.
Data-Driven: Business research relies heavily on empirical evidence and data analysis. Topics should lend themselves to quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method research approaches, depending on the research question and objectives.
Innovation and Creativity: Business research topics should encourage innovative thinking and creative problem-solving. They should explore emerging trends, disruptive technologies, and novel approaches to address business challenges.
Ethical Considerations: Ethical considerations are paramount in business research. Topics should adhere to ethical principles and guidelines, ensuring the protection of participants’ rights and the integrity of research findings.
Global Perspective: Business research topics should consider the global context and implications of business decisions and practices. They should explore cross-cultural differences, international markets, and global trends shaping the business landscape.
Impact: Business research topics should have the potential to generate meaningful insights and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field. They should address pressing issues and offer practical solutions that can drive positive change in organizations and society.

By embodying these characteristics, business research topics can effectively address the complexities and challenges of the modern business environment, providing valuable insights for academic scholarship and practical application.

211 Business Topics For Research Paper

The Impact of Leadership Styles on Employee Motivation
Strategies for Managing Multicultural Teams Effectively
The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership Success
Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses on a Limited Budget
The Influence of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Behavior
Brand Loyalty: Factors Influencing Consumer Purchase Decisions
Ethical Considerations in Advertising Practices
Financial Risk Management in Multinational Corporations
Corporate Governance and Financial Performance
The Role of Financial Derivatives in Hedging Market Risks
Success Factors for Startups in Competitive Markets
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Key Drivers of Economic Growth
Challenges and Opportunities in Scaling a Business Globally
Ethical Dilemmas in Business Decision-Making
Corporate Social Responsibility Practices and Brand Image
Balancing Profit Motives with Social and Environmental Concerns
The Business Case for Sustainability Initiatives
Renewable Energy Adoption in Businesses
Circular Economy Models and Business Sustainability
The Impact of Digital Technologies on Traditional Business Models
E-Commerce Trends and Consumer Preferences
Cybersecurity Challenges in E-Commerce Transactions
The Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace
Strategies for Promoting Gender Equality in Leadership Roles
Addressing Unconscious Bias in Recruitment Processes
The Impact of Remote Work on Employee Productivity
Flexible Work Arrangements and Work-Life Balance
The Role of Corporate Culture in Employee Engagement
Talent Management Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Top Talent
Performance Appraisal Systems: Best Practices and Challenges
Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
Employee Training and Development Programs
Change Management Strategies for Organizational Transformation
Crisis Management and Business Continuity Planning
Supply Chain Resilience: Lessons Learned from Disruptions
Sustainable Sourcing Practices in Supply Chain Management
Inventory Management Strategies for Reducing Costs
Logistics Optimization for Efficient Operations
The Impact of Globalization on Supply Chain Networks
Strategic Alliances and Collaborative Partnerships in Business
Mergers and Acquisitions: Drivers and Challenges
Corporate Restructuring Strategies for Turnaround Success
The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Building Customer Trust
Reputation Management in the Digital Age
Crisis Communication Strategies for Managing Reputational Risks
Customer Relationship Management: Strategies for Enhancing Customer Loyalty
Personalization Techniques in Marketing and Customer Service
Omnichannel Retailing: Integrating Online and Offline Channels
The Future of Brick-and-Mortar Retail in the Digital Era
Pricing Strategies for Maximizing Profitability
Revenue Management Techniques in Hospitality Industry
Brand Extension Strategies and Brand Equity
Customer Experience Management: Best Practices and Trends
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Business Operations
Machine Learning Applications in Marketing and Sales
Automation and Robotics in Manufacturing Processes
Blockchain Technology: Opportunities and Challenges for Businesses
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in Marketing
Data Privacy and Security Concerns in the Digital Age
The Role of Big Data Analytics in Business Decision-Making
Predictive Analytics for Sales Forecasting and Demand Planning
Customer Segmentation Techniques for Targeted Marketing
The Influence of Cultural Factors on Consumer Behavior
Cross-Cultural Marketing Strategies for Global Brands
International Market Entry Strategies: Modes of Entry and Risks
Exporting vs. Foreign Direct Investment: Pros and Cons
Market Entry Strategies for Emerging Markets
The Impact of Political and Economic Factors on International Business
Foreign Exchange Risk Management Strategies
Cultural Intelligence and Global Leadership Effectiveness
The Role of Multinational Corporations in Economic Development
Corporate Governance Practices in Different Countries
Comparative Analysis of Business Laws and Regulations
Intellectual Property Rights Protection in Global Business
The Influence of Cultural Differences on Negotiation Styles
Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions: Legal and Cultural Challenges
International Trade Agreements and Their Impact on Businesses
The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Sustainable Development
Corporate Philanthropy and Social Impact Investing
Microfinance and Economic Empowerment of Women
Entrepreneurship Ecosystems and Innovation Hubs
Government Policies and Support for Small Businesses
Venture Capital Financing and Startup Growth
Crowdfunding Platforms: Opportunities for Entrepreneurs
Social Entrepreneurship: Business Models for Social Change
Innovation Clusters and Regional Economic Development
Angel Investors and Their Role in Startup Funding
Technology Incubators: Nurturing Startup Innovation
Intellectual Property Rights Protection for Startup Innovations
Business Model Innovation: Disrupting Traditional Industries
The Impact of Climate Change on Business Operations
Green Technologies and Sustainable Business Practices
Carbon Footprint Reduction Strategies for Businesses
Environmental Management Systems and Certification
Corporate Reporting on Environmental Performance
Circular Economy Business Models: Closing the Loop
Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices
The Role of Renewable Energy in Achieving Carbon Neutrality
Smart Cities and Sustainable Urban Development
Green Building Technologies and Sustainable Construction
The Influence of Cultural Factors on Entrepreneurship
Gender Differences in Entrepreneurial Intentions and Success
Social Capital and Networking for Entrepreneurial Ventures
Family Business Succession Planning and Governance
Corporate Entrepreneurship: Fostering Innovation Within Organizations
Franchising: Opportunities and Challenges for Entrepreneurs
Online Platforms and the Gig Economy
Digital Nomads: Remote Work and Entrepreneurship
The Sharing Economy: Business Models and Regulation
Blockchain Applications in Supply Chain Traceability
Cryptocurrency Adoption in Business Transactions
Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and Tokenization of Assets
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and Its Implications for Traditional Banking
Smart Contracts and Their Potential in Business Operations
Privacy-Preserving Technologies in Data Sharing
Cryptocurrency Exchanges: Regulation and Security Issues
Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and Monetary Policy
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Financial Services
Robo-Advisors and Algorithmic Trading in Wealth Management
Fintech Startups and Disruption in Traditional Banking
Peer-to-Peer Lending Platforms: Opportunities and Risks
Digital Identity Management Systems and Security
Regulatory Challenges in Fintech Innovation
Financial Inclusion and Access to Banking Services
Green Finance: Sustainable Investment Strategies
Socially Responsible Investing and ESG Criteria
Impact Investing: Financing Social and Environmental Projects
Microfinance Institutions and Poverty Alleviation
Financial Literacy Programs and Consumer Empowerment
Behavioral Finance: Understanding Investor Behavior
Risk Management Strategies for Financial Institutions
Corporate Fraud Detection and Prevention Measures
Financial Market Volatility and Risk Hedging Strategies
The Role of Central Banks in Monetary Policy Implementation
Financial Stability and Systemic Risk Management
Corporate Governance Practices in Banking Sector
Credit Risk Assessment Models and Default Prediction
Asset Allocation Strategies for Portfolio Diversification
Real Estate Investment Strategies for Wealth Accumulation
Commercial Property Valuation Methods
Real Estate Crowdfunding Platforms: Opportunities for Investors
Property Management Best Practices for Rental Properties
Real Estate Development and Urban Planning
Mortgage Market Trends and Homeownership Rates
Affordable Housing Initiatives and Government Policies
The Impact of Interest Rates on Real Estate Investments
Sustainable Architecture and Green Building Design
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Tax Implications
The Influence of Demographic Trends on Housing Demand
Residential Property Flipping Strategies and Risks
Health and Wellness Tourism: Trends and Opportunities
Medical Tourism Destinations and Quality of Care
Wellness Retreats and Spa Resorts: Business Models
The Impact of Technology on Healthcare Delivery
Telemedicine and Remote Patient Monitoring
Healthcare Data Security and Privacy Regulations
Healthcare Financing Models: Insurance vs. Out-of-Pocket
Value-Based Healthcare Delivery and Payment Models
Healthcare Workforce Challenges and Solutions
Healthcare Infrastructure Development in Emerging Markets
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Diagnosis
Precision Medicine: Personalized Treatment Approaches
Pharmaceutical Industry Trends and Drug Development
Biotechnology Innovations in Healthcare Solutions
Mental Health Awareness and Support Services
Telehealth Adoption and Patient Engagement
Chronic Disease Management Programs and Prevention
Health Information Exchange Platforms: Interoperability Challenges
Patient-Centered Care Models and Outcomes
The Influence of Healthcare Policies on Access to Care
Human Resource Management in the Hospitality Industry
Employee Training and Development in Tourism Sector
Quality Service Delivery in the Hotel Industry
Revenue Management Strategies for Hospitality Businesses
Destination Marketing and Tourism Promotion Campaigns
Sustainable Tourism Practices and Eco-Friendly Resorts
Technology Integration in Travel and Tourism Services
Cultural Heritage Tourism and Conservation Efforts
Adventure Tourism: Risks and Safety Measures
The Role of Online Travel Agencies in Tourism Distribution
Sustainable Transportation Solutions for Tourism
Food and Beverage Management in Hospitality Operations
Wellness Tourism: Trends and Market Segmentation
Airbnb and Short-Term Rental Market Dynamics
Wellness Retreats and Spas: Market Positioning Strategies
Community-Based Tourism Development Initiatives
Luxury Travel Market: Trends and Consumer Preferences
Aviation Industry Trends and Airline Marketing Strategies
Sustainable Event Management Practices
Convention and Exhibition Tourism: Economic Impact
Destination Management Organizations and Tourism Planning
Customer Relationship Management in the Tourism Sector
Online Reputation Management for Hospitality Businesses
Accessibility and Inclusivity in Tourism Infrastructure
Cultural Tourism: Heritage Preservation and Promotion
Agritourism: Farm-to-Table Experiences and Trends
The Impact of Climate Change on Tourism Destinations
Wildlife Tourism: Conservation and Responsible Practices
Wellness Tourism in Developing Countries: Challenges and Opportunities
The Role of Tour Operators in Sustainable Tourism Development
Virtual Reality Applications in Tourism Marketing
The Rise of Medical Tourism: Market Growth and Challenges
Responsible Travel and Ethical Tourism Practices
Event Marketing Strategies for Business Success
Sponsorship and Partnership Opportunities in Event Management
Technology Integration in Event Planning and Execution
Event Risk Management and Contingency Planning
Corporate Event Planning: Trends and Best Practices
Trade Show Marketing Strategies for Exhibitors
Sports Event Management : From Planning to Execution
Sustainable Event Certification Programs and Standards

How To Prepare Research Paper?

Preparing a research paper involves several key steps, from selecting a topic to writing and formatting the final document. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to prepare a research paper:

Select a Topic: Choose a topic that interests you and aligns with the requirements of your assignment or research objectives. Consider the scope of the topic, its relevance, and the availability of resources for conducting research.
Conduct Background Research: Read up on books and studies that talk about the same things you want to research. This will help you see what people already know, find out where there are still things we don’t know, and make your research questions or ideas better.
Develop a Research Question or Thesis Statement: Formulate a clear and focused research question or thesis statement that guides your study. Your research question should be specific, relevant, and capable of being answered through empirical investigation.
Create an Outline: Organize your ideas and research findings into a logical structure by creating an outline for your research paper. Outline the introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion sections, along with any subheadings or subsections.
Write the Introduction: Begin your research paper with an interesting introduction. Share some basic info about your topic, explain why your study is important, and clearly state what you’ll be focusing on in your research. The introduction should also outline the structure of the paper.
Review the Literature: Conduct a comprehensive review of relevant literature to provide context for your study, support your arguments, and identify gaps in existing research. Summarize key findings, theories, and methodologies from previous studies in your literature review.
Describe the Methodology: Clearly explain the research design, methods, and procedures used to collect and analyze data. Include details on the population/sample, data collection instruments, data analysis techniques, and any ethical considerations.
Present the Results: Report the findings of your study in a clear and concise manner. Use tables, graphs, or charts to present quantitative data, and provide descriptive analysis for qualitative data. Ensure that your results are relevant to your research question or thesis statement.
Discuss the Implications: Interpret the results of your study and discuss their implications that are for theory, practice, or policy. Analyze the strengths and limitations of your research, address any unexpected findings, and propose recommendations for future research or action.
Write the Conclusion: Summarize the key findings and contributions of your study in the conclusion section. Restate your research question or thesis statement, review the main points that you have discussed in the paper, and highlight the significance of your research in advancing knowledge in the field.
Revise and Edit: Review your research paper for clarity, coherence, and accuracy. Ensure that your arguments are well-supported by evidence, your writing is concise and precise, and your paper follows the appropriate style and formatting guidelines.
Cite Sources: Acknowledge the contributions of other scholars by properly citing their work in your research paper. Use a consistent citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) and include a reference list or bibliography at the end of your paper.
Proofread: Carefully proofread your research paper to correct any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. Pay attention to formatting details such as margins, font size, and line spacing to ensure consistency throughout the document.
Get Feedback: Seek feedback from peers, instructors, or mentors to improve the quality of your research paper. Consider their suggestions for revision and make appropriate changes to strengthen your arguments and clarify your writing.
Finalize the Paper: Make any final revisions or edits based on feedback and proofreading, and then finalize your research paper for submission. Double-check all formatting requirements and ensure that your paper is properly formatted and ready for submission.

Final Thoughts

Researching business topics offers a unique opportunity to delve into the complexities of the modern economy and explore innovative solutions to real-world challenges.

Whether you’re passionate about leadership, marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, or corporate social responsibility, there’s a wealth of knowledge waiting to be discovered. So roll up your sleeves, sharpen your analytical skills, and get ready to make your mark in the world of business research! I hope you find the best and most relevant answer to business topics for research paper.

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Best business topics (50 new prompts included).

So, you’ve decided to look for some original business topics. Congratulations! You are already on your way to a top grade. No matter how difficult your essay may seem, the topic you choose will significantly improve your chances of getting an A or and A+. The only problem is that finding exceptional business research topics requires a lot of time. You also need serious research skills, of course.

Why would you lose your time finding original business essay topics when you can just use one of our 50 sample topics? Remember, all of them are fresh and 100% original (at the time of writing). You can use any of our essay topics for free. Moreover, you can modify any of the topics as you see fit.

Why Business Topics Really Matter

But why do business topics for research paper matter so much? Well, the main reason students are constantly looking for the best topics is the grade. Professors award bonus points to students who manage to come up with something new. As long as you can intrigue your teacher and capture his attention, you will probably get a top grade.

Now, think about some good business persuasive speech topics. You do realize that good topics make your essay easier to write, don’t you? This is why they’re important after all. Some topics have plenty of information written about them on various places on the Internet. You don’t even need to visit the library.

Where to Find the Best Business Topics for Research Paper

Looking for the best business proposal topics? Or perhaps you need the latest business law topics for research paper. In either case, you need to be able to find the most interesting ones. Here are some of the best places to find top quality business topics:

The Internet. Of course, you can find plenty of topics online. However, keep in mind that many of them will probably be picked by your classmates as well. With strong research skills, you may find one or two though.
The local library. Just pick some articles or journals and read them. Find some areas that require further research and you have yourself some very nice topics.
If you need great business law essay topics, just read some interesting court documents. You can find plenty of them online.
You can ask people on social media, blogs or even forums. In many cases, industry experts will be more than happy to give you some advice and some pretty nice ideas.
Get in touch with an academic writing company . If you need the best business related topics, one of their professional writers can help you. Remember, these seasoned academic writers are exceptionally good at finding amazing topics (including business ethics paper topics).

50 New Business Topics for 2020

Business law topics.

Are you looking for new, fresh business law topics to write about in 2020? If so, why don’t you pick one of these awesome topics:

How can you protect yourself from termination?
The history of business law in the United States. (our top pick in business law paper topics)
How is copyright applied by entities in the US?
These are the 5 important laws that govern online advertising.
The 3 interpretations of the Law of Contracts in the US.

Business Research Topics for College Students

If you are a college student, you will probably be thrilled to see our business research topics for college students. All brand new and original:

Which is better, merging or being acquired?
Can turnover rates measure the loyalty to a company?
Can online course companies replace traditional schools?
How to engage your employees and retain them.
Why did the recession not affect the telemarketing industry?

Business Ethics Topics

There are hundreds, if not thousands of business ethics topics you can write about. However, to keep things original, we found a couple of new topics for you:

Surveillance vs. privacy at the workplace in the United States. (one of the best business ethics research paper topics)
Do companies unwillingly use child labor?
Fighting discrimination at the workplace in Mexico.
Can you sell a product when you can’t prove that it actually works?
Do promises hold any value without written contracts?

Business Communication Topics

Communication is a very important part of business. As such, we feel that our list of topics wouldn’t be complete without these business communication topics:

The effect of word of mouth on the restaurant industry.
Why loyalty programs are becoming increasingly effective.
The important attributes of an effective PR department.
Does direct marketing still work in 2020?
Are online ads actually hurting your business?

Controversial Business Topics

Controversies arise in business every day. But you probably don’t have the free time to keep an eye on all the latest controversies. Don’t worry; you can use one of our fresh controversial business topics:

Product testing on animals negatively affects a company’s bottom line.
Are biased responses influencing test marketing strategies?
How do climate changes affect companies in the US?
Large corporations are not affected by economic instability.
Should large businesses do whatever it takes to acquire smaller companies?

International Business Topics

Nowadays, companies are turning into corporations. International business is booming. Why don’t you write an academic paper on one of these international business topics:

The uses of social media in international business.
How important is strategic management for an international company?
What is shadow banking?
The mechanisms of the foreign exchange market.
The effects of e-commerce on international business.

Hot Business Topics

Do you want to surprise your professor? Do you want to get some bonus points? If you do, give our hot business topics a try:

The advantages and disadvantages of international business.
Can terrorism affect international business transactions?
Will globalization end in the near future?
How important is relationship marketing to companies?
Does your government make a good profit out of war?

Business Informative Speech Topics

Finding good business informative speech topics can be pretty difficult these days. Here are some our academic writers consider to be the best for 2020:

BRICS countries: what are they and how do they become BRICS?
Would international business work without online stores?
The best way to start an international business.
The methods used by IKEA to go international.
The effect of modern tech on the success of e-commerce companies.

Business Debate Topics

Who doesn’t like a good debate? Business debate topics are not easy to come by, we agree. However, we managed to put together of list of the best ones below:

The best way to start an e-commerce business.
What is the best product to sell in 2020?
Are men better than women at negotiating? (the best of all business speech topics)
Are job interviews really helpful for large corporations?
What do you think makes an exceptional leader?

Business Presentation Topics

When you need brand new business presentation topics that nobody thought about, you should definitely take a look at the following sample topics:

Defining the term “business credit guarantee”.
What is international trade and why is it important?
The differences between international business growth in the US and China.
The main things that will ruin a business presentation.
The advantages of having periodic meetings in the company.

Finally, the quality of your topics can make a huge difference. You can find amazing topics that can bring you the top grades you need. You just need to know where to look. And remember, you can count on an experienced academic writer even if you need some interesting research topics. Or just invest some time and effort into finding the topics yourself. It’s up to you.

20+ Great Business English Topics and Lesson Activities

For Business English students, it’s important that ESL lessons are based on the needs of their day-to-day work.

They want to practice situations taken from their professional environment, and discuss real-life Business English topics.

Some are: making phone calls, being able to hold and carry on conversations, speaking with colleagues, preparing and giving presentations, or negotiations.

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Coming up with creative activities and finding good topics for your lessons can be tough and time-consuming.

The Business English activities in this post will save you time and effort in making quality content for your lessons.

Business english: 20+ activities for ESL Lessons

About the Business English Topics And Activities

Topic: airbnb business travel, topic: commuting to work, topic: big business (amazon, coca-cola, netflix, etc.), topic: artificial intelligence and future technology, topic: music, bonus activity.

Lessons including well-designed activities will prepare your students for their professional lives and give them the necessary skills and vocabulary needed to communicate effectively in English.

The 20 activity suggestions you’ll find in this post relate to the topics of business travel, commuting to work, big business, artificial intelligence, technology, and music.

The activities you can do on these business English topics are from specific lesson plans based on videos , which come equipped with a range of different printable Business English worksheets , conversation topics, speaking exercises, listening activities, and writing exercises for adults.

Below are some examples of activities from these lessons that can help your Business English students improve their communication skills.

Airbnb has been expanding their services to open up the market for business travelers.

They are simplifying the process of booking and launched some tools which automatically organize your business trip expenses. This new business travel program is coming out strong.

Phone Calling
Writing Accommodation Descriptions
Leaving Reviews
Mobile App Concepts
Debate With Hotel Owner
Comparing and Contrasting

This topic works especially great with Business English lessons in the real estate, hospitality, or mobile app industries, but also in general for any businessmen or women who have to travel for their jobs.

This is an especially engaging Business English topic for a few reasons: it’s controversial (hotel owners aren’t happy about AirBnB) and it’s a hot topic (more and more people are choosing Airbnb over hotels).

Airbnb is a relatively new global powerhouse, revolutionizing the hospitality industry the same way that Uber revolutionized the taxi industry.

Activity: Phone Calling

Put students in pairs or a group. Assign each student a different role from the roles below, or they can choose one.

Students have to imagine that they are Airbnb hosts who just hosted:

A small group of middle-aged business travelers
A small group of young adult party travelers
A small family of 4 with young children
An individual traveler who came with his dog

Students then ‘call’ their ‘friends’ (another student in the class) to either leave a voicemail or talk about the experience (or complain about the experience!).

They should describe how the experience was as the host for these types of travelers:

What was different about hosting each of their stays?
Was it positive or negative and why?
Did anything good, bad, surprising, or unusual happen during their stay?

You could even have them imagine what could be a positive and negative experience for hosting these types of travelers.

You could even get a bit more creative with this one by assigning a pair of students a role from the list above, and they have to call the ‘host’ (their partner) and ask them questions or make special requests about their stay, e.g:

Am I allowed to bring my dog to your property?
Is there a nice cafe in the area where I can bring my laptop to do work?
We have a baby who cries a lot during the night. Will this bother you?

Even though with Airbnb, you would probably just message the host online, but in this case, you can make it a phone call to practice speaking.

Activity: Writing Accommodation or Property Descriptions & Reviews

Students work with a partner or group and imagine they are Airbnb hosts offering a special, exotic, or unique type of accommodation rental.

They should discuss and agree on the type of home rental they have to offer, where in the world it is, and create their own online listing for this rental on Airbnb.

In the listing, they should explain what type of rental it is, the location, the check-in and check-out procedure, a description and special features of the accommodation, and other housing details and rules.

Make students offer something different or special about their property – something they wouldn’t get somewhere else. Remember, they want to sell the experience!

Students then present their accommodation profile description to the other students in the class and then give their listing to another student or group.

The other student or group then makes a detailed review for that listing, imagining they actually stayed there.

Activity: Creating Mobile App Concepts in the Sharing Economy

Put students in pairs and give them a list of other mobile apps in the sharing economy.

Neighborgoods

Based on the name of the app, students have to discuss and explain what they imagine the concept of the app to be and how it works.

After students work together for a couple of minutes, go around the class and ask them to report their answers. If they’re not able to imagine what it might be, you can just tell them.

Ask them questions like:

Would this type of app be useful for you? Why or why not?
Which app from this list would help you the most?

Try to create an in-depth class discussion about all of these apps.

For the apps listed above specifically, you can discuss things like:

If parking is a problem for your students (JustPark)
What they do with their dog when they go on a trip (DogVacay)
If they would be interested to drive with a stranger for many hours (BlaBla Car)
If they’ve ever eaten at someone’s home, from another country or culture (HomeDine)

Then, students can either work with the same or different partners to create their own concept for a mobile app in the sharing economy.

They should focus on things like:

The special features of the app
What problem it solves / Why it’s a good idea
How it works
What problems could happen when people use your app

An alternative to this one is I’ve also had students imagine that they were the founders of Airbnb, and they have to come up with their own detailed story behind the establishment of the company, which turned out to be a fun activity.

Activity: Debate Between AirBnB Representative and Hotel Owner

Put students in pairs or two small groups and they prepare for a debate.

One student or group takes the position of an AirBnB company representative and the other takes the position of a Hotel Owner.

Each side must prepare, defend, and present their positions to the other groups, presenting information about…

Why they believe their accommodation service is better (at least 3 advantages of your service) Students must talk about the top reasons to stay in a hotel over Airbnb, or vice versa.
If you think Airbnb should be legal or illegal and why (obviously the AirBnB rep will say it should be legal and the hotel owner will say it should be illegal)
The positive impact your service has on society and the economy
What actual people and guests have said about your accommodation services

You can refer to this article to help students talk about Airbnb versus hotels if they are having trouble coming up with ideas.

Your role as the teacher will be the moderator during the debate – generating follow-up questions for the students or groups when they present their sides. Keep the debate clean and flowing smoothly.

Activity: Comparing and Contrasting (Hotels vs. AirBnB or Uber vs. Taxi)

If for any reason you don’t want to make this an official ‘debate,’ another thing you could do is just make it a general, in-depth class discussion, conversation, or compare & contrast about the advantages and disadvantages of staying in Airbnb in comparison with hotels.

Make sure students talk about their own experiences.

Transition the discussion to the conflict between Uber and Taxi, because they are facing a similar conflict for similar reasons.

If your students enjoyed the discussion about AirBnB and hotels, an interesting follow-up lesson topic for you might be about a businessman who is building hotels designed for outer space .

Many businessmen and women in the modern world have to commute for hours and hours per week to their jobs or for work purposes. Sitting in the car or public transit like this can really have a negative impact on one’s overall lifestyle.

Telling a Story
Commenting on YouTube
Expressing Frustrations or Complaining
Talking About Lifestyle & Daily Routines

The reason this topic works so well in Business ESL lessons is that it reaches such a wide spectrum of people.

Everyone who has a job as an employee in a company, a school, a factory, etc has a unique situation. All Business English students usually have a lot to say about their experience commuting (or home office if they have that privilege!).

Activity: Telling a Story

Students work in pairs.

Student A: This student imagines that he/she spends a lot of time commuting and is very pessimistic about the situation.

This student believes that they have the worst commute in the world. Describe the situation in detail. The student should complain about it as much as possible and why they hate it so much.

They should take notes on:

Where you live
Your daily routine
Where you go to work
What’s so bad about the commute / What are the conditions of the commute
How commuting makes you feel

The student then has to tell one negative story that they have had during their commute.

Student B: This student imagines that they spend a lot of time commuting but is very optimistic about the situation.

This student loves the situation that they have. They should discuss and explain in detail why they have the best commute in the world, talk about it as much as possible and why they enjoy it.

Also, they take notes on:

They tell one positive story that they’ve had during your commute.

After the students write notes for their roles (give them a few minutes), have them describe their situations to their partner.

They should listen to their partner’s situation carefully because they should then report the details of their partner’s situation back to the class!

Activity: Commenting on YouTube

At the beginning of the video, the reporter complains about her long daily routine and commute, and then she says to the audience:

“Before you go and post that comment telling me to ‘move closer’, you need to see that I’m not the only person doing this.”

In pairs, students should come up with a response that the following type of people would write or say to the reporter in the YouTube comments section, e.g:

What could be a rude response to that statement in the comment section of the video?
What could be an empathetic response to that statement in the comment section of the video?
What could be a funny response to that statement in the comment section of the video?

Another activity you could do is give students some imaginary comments to that video, and then the students have to write responses to these imaginary comments. You can make it a speaking or writing activity.

For example, here are a few possible comments to that video:

Comment #1:

“Americans are completely crazy and lazy. You drive these huge cars to work and in reality , you don’t need to. Look at the Netherlands and Denmark – they have very efficient bicycle transport systems and bicycles are much more environmental. It’s stupid to drive everywhere.”

Comment #2:

“The best solution to this problem is self-driving cars. Our tax money should go more to support the production of self-driving cars. That way when people commute they can do productive things. The solution to public transit is getting better wifi connections on the subways and buses.”

You can instruct one student to write a response which agrees with each comment, and the other student to write a response which disagrees with each comment, something along those lines.

Activity: Expressing Frustrations & Complaining

Put students in pairs, or in two groups. You’ll distribute to each student pair or group two cards which read:

A: Riding on public transport
B: Driving in a car

Students must work together to come up with a list of all the things that frustrate them, annoy them, stress them out, or make them angry while (1) riding on public transport and (2) driving a car.

The group which comes up with the most things in the time limit (3 minutes should be good) wins.

This activity usually works really well because everyone gets angry, stressed, frustrated, etc. at some point while driving a car or riding public transportation.

A lot of good vocabulary can also come out of this one. You can even teach a couple of fun phrasal verbs related to driving when you talk about this topic:

Cut (someone) off – “I hate when I’m driving and someone cuts me off and then I have to slam on my brakes.”
Pull (someone) over – “I hate when I’m driving only a little bit above the speed limit and a police officer pulls me over.”
Freak out – “I hate driving with my father. He always drives aggressively and freaks out about small things.”
Run over – “I hate when I run over a nail or a sharp object and my tire goes flat.”
Hold (someone) up – “I hate when traffic holds me up and makes me late for work.”

You can use this activity for teaching students other terminology that is useful for expressing complaints or frustrations:

I get frustrated when…
I get all stressed out when…
It gets me so worked up when…
It pisses me off when…
I totally freak out when…
I lose my mind when…
It drives me nuts when…

Have students then use these expressions to talk about their frustrations commuting or about their job in general.

Activity: Talking About Lifestyle, Commuting, and Employment Situations

Spending hours commuting and then hours at the office has become so integrated into the modern working world that it can have quite a profound impact on our quality of life and lifestyle, which is why it’s good to talk about in a language lesson.

Here’s an activity you can do that will give your students a good opportunity to talk about their lifestyle, commute, and employment situation.

It’s also simple, easy to prepare, and generates quality conversation.

Print a number of statements on cards and give them to the students or write them on the whiteboard in class.

Put students in pairs or groups. Have them discuss if they think the following statements are generally true or false and why:

People are generally happier if they travel to work by car instead of public transportation.
In the USA, people generally commute to work or school by train or bus.
10 days of paid vacation per year is fair from an employer.
Regular exercise helps people deal with stress from work.
People are more productive if they have a 4-day working week instead of 5.

Put students in pairs or groups. Have them discuss if the following statements are true or false for them personally and have them explain why:

There is a positive working atmosphere at my job.
I am satisfied with my work-life balance.
Every day I eat a balanced and healthy breakfast before work.
When I commute to work I try to be productive on the way.
I prefer working from home rather than going to an office.
I spend too much time at work socializing with my colleagues.

Speaking about daily routines is also a great activity if you’d like to focus on the present simple as a grammar point for your lesson.

Using big companies and corporations as a topic in your Business English lessons is practical for obvious reasons and you can make it fun too for your students.

It’s especially great to use big business as a topic if you actually have adult students who work in big companies, but they’re also applicable topics for students who have their own business or who work in smaller companies.

History & Fun Facts
Developing a Product
Making Slogans
Analyzing the Impact of Technology on Jobs

Activity: History & Fun Facts About Big Companies

As a lead-in or warm-up exercise to a lesson about big business, you can search and find some fun or interesting facts or history about the companies.

One quick activity you could do to lead to a topic is a simple fill-in-the-blank that looks something like this:

Below are 5 interesting facts about Amazon. Let the students fill in the blanks with words that they think fit.

The founder Jeff Bazos wanted to name the company Amazon which has products from ‘A to Z’ symbolizing a large size, just like the Amazon ________________________ .
Amazon.com started as a bookstore in Jeff Bazos’ ________________________ .
The combined ________________________ of Amazon’s warehouses is enough to hold more water than 10,000 Olympic pools.
Today Amazon has more than 350,000 ________________________ .
One of Amazon’s first offices had a ________________________ which employees would ring every time a sale was made.

Below are 5 interesting facts about Coca-Cola. Fill in the blanks with words that you think fit.

The Coca-Cola ________________________ is recognized by 94% of the world’s population.
The word “cola” is derived from the kola ________________________ , which contains caffeine and can have medicinal value.
Coca-Cola can be a good ________________________ for insect bites on your skin.
Coca-Cola spends more money on ________________________ than Microsoft and Apple combined.
A few people once tried to sell the Coca-Cola ________________________ to Pepsi, but they were reported to the FBI.

A fun activity you can follow up with this one is instruct students to research any big business they have in mind and search for some fun facts about that company or the story behind how it started.

If they can’t think of one, you can give them a list of the biggest or most well-known companies in the world.

Have them give a few-minute presentation in the following lesson about the start or history of the company and a few fun facts about it. This is also good for developing presentation skills for adults in English.

They can use the questions below to help them give their presentation:

Who started the company and when? How did the idea originate?
What were some important moments in the company’s history?
What are some of the company’s most successful products or services? Describe them in detail.
What’s special or different about this company compared to the competitors?
What are some fun facts about your company?

Activity: Developing a Product

Amazon launched a prototype store called ‘Amazon Go’ in December of 2017 – it’s a type of grocery store where you can go shopping and add things to your virtual cart so that you don’t have to wait in line or check out.

You add the products to your shopping cart and you can just leave the store, and Amazon will automatically charge your account.

They have developed other types of products and services over the years that have been successful, such as the Amazon Kindle (E-Reader) and Amazon Echo (voice-controlled smart speaker/personal assistant).

In this activity, what you do is have students work together on product development for Amazon or for another big company.

Students work with a partner or group. They imagine to be product developers for Amazon and create two of their own products, or services provided and sold by Amazon.

They should discuss and create names for the products or services, which industry the products or services are in, and then write a description for each explaining how it works, what problem it solves, what’s so special about it, as well as what problems they have experienced in the development.

It can be a special kind of mobile app, tech gadget, clothing item, or something else.

Of course, it doesn’t necessarily have to be from Amazon. You can have students choose another company.

One way you could get your students to come up with a good idea is instruct them to think of some brands that they generally buy, and then brainstorm what products they think would be cool to have from those brands.

Or you can have them think of some problems or frustrations they have in their daily life and what product or service would solve those problems for them. In the case of Amazon Go, the problem was that people hate waiting in lines at supermarkets.

Remind students that it doesn’t have to be realistic, it can be something imaginary.

Most of your students who will do this activity probably haven’t developed a product before. Keep it basic, simple, and fun, and it should go ok.

You just want students to be creative and work together to make something special.

One time I had a group who made a personal assistant who did all of his presentations for him because he hated public speaking, which I thought was pretty funny.

Students should then present their new product to the other students or groups.

Activity: Making Slogans

This is a straightforward activity and easy to assign and it works great with any student who is in marketing. Students also tend to have fun with it.

Basically, all you need to do is assign students to make a slogan for whatever company or brand you’re discussing.

One thing I’ve done to make it interesting and add a little twist to it is to have students make a list of good and bad slogans for one company.

That one has definitely brought a couple laughs to the lesson, especially for the bad slogans.

Here are a few examples I’ve gotten from students for bad company slogans for Coca-Cola:

“Feed your sugar addiction.”
“Put on the big pounds.”
“Teeth are overrated.”

Anyway, give them some examples of some real slogans that have already existed for the brand before they make their own.

A few actual ones for Coca-Cola are:

“Open Happiness”
“Life Tastes Good.”
“Taste the Feeling.”

The advantage of having students make their own slogan or quote is that it lets student use creativity. When students have to think creatively, they’re forced to use important vocabulary terms and language structures in a special kind of way.

In any case, have your students share and present their slogans and quotes to the other students in the class.

Another great type of ESL group activities are information gap activities. Get 10 ideas here.

Activity: Analyzing the Impact of Technology on Jobs

Another great theme and activity that comes from a discussion about companies like Amazon, is analyzing the impact of technology on jobs.

That’s one big criticism of concepts like Amazon Go that I’ve discussed with my students. The more jobs that robots do for us, the more jobs they take away from humans (Amazon Go takes jobs away from cashiers).

One activity you could do on this is to have students brainstorm and come up with two more jobs, companies, or businesses that have been taken over or lost to technological advances.

Students should specify the name or type of the technology, which industry it is in, and three general impacts of this technology (can be positive or negative impacts).

Two examples I remember hearing from students was about VHS and video rental stores being lost to online streaming services like Netflix, and driving jobs being lost to self-driving cars.

Technology : Online streaming

Industry : Entertainment

It put VHS video rental stores out of business
It makes people lazier because they don’t go to the video store anymore
Illegal online pirating of films and TV becomes easier

Technology : Self-driving cars

Industry : Automotive

Less need for delivery drivers, truckers, and taxis
Fewer accidents on the road because machines are more precise than humans
People can focus on other things in the car if they don’t have to concentrate on driving

You can give these examples to your students if they don’t think of them.

You can also give students the task of coming up with two jobs where it could be very difficult for technology to take over. Which jobs do you think technology couldn’t do in the future? Students should specify why it would be difficult to take over these jobs using this technology.

Doing an ESL lesson activity about the impact of technology on jobs leads us to the next point: Artificial intelligence and future technology, which has its feet in many industries and certainly draws interest from Business English students.

Interview With a Humanoid Robot
Making a Sci-Fi Film Plot
Forming Opinions

This topic works especially great with Business English lessons in the IT or programming industry, but also in general for any businessmen or women who use technology regularly for their jobs.

This is an especially engaging Business English topic for a few reasons – it can get a little dark (a humanoid robot which can communicate freaks people out a bit!) and it’s also relevant – artificial intelligence and machine learning is making its way into a lot of industries, products, and software these days.

It’s interesting when the stuff that used to be sci-fi stuff turns into reality, and that’s what you want to focus on in your Business English lessons.

Activity: Interview With a Humanoid Robot

Watch the video about Sophia the robot with your students.

Basically, what students do is make an interview with her.

Sophia the robot makes for a great English lesson, period. Students are usually quite intrigued by “her” and there are so many different directions you can take this lesson.

After watching the video, instruct each student to create and write five extra questions that they would want to ask Sophia. (Questions which are not in the video interview).

After they are finished making their questions, they ask their partner the questions they made. Students then answer their partner’s questions from the perspective of Sophia the robot.

Here are some words or topics students could either use in their questions or use just as general topics to help them make their questions:

After a student answers each question, their partner should try to ask a follow-up question or two – a question you ask on the spot based on the answer you get.

Explain the concept of a follow-up question to your students and show them examples:

Original question : “What emotions do you feel?”

Answer : “I feel curious.”

Follow-up question : “Why do you feel curious?”

Answer : “I feel curious because I want to know why I was created and why I’m different than normal humans.”

Follow up question : “Can you imagine why you were created?”

Having students ask follow-up questions is great practice for developing interview and conversational skills because they have to think on their feet without time to prepare.

Activity: Making a Sci-Fi Film Plot

Watch the sci-fi short film about ‘Sight Systems’ which forecasts the evolution of ‘Google Glasses’ and Virtual Reality (which are also great topics to discuss in your Business English lessons).

After you watch the video with your students, a fun activity you could have your students do is to imagine that they are directors creating the next scenes to the short film they just watched about Sight Systems.

They should work in pairs and discuss and write what the next five scenes will be. Have them describe the scenes in detail and explain what happens in each scene.

Students then share what they came up with the other students in the class.

After this, put the students back together and they should come up with a short plot for a similar type of short film that they saw.

The plot must focus on the dangers of future technology. Alternatively, you could give them the option of creating a movie plot focusing on the bright sides of technology.

Activity: Forming Opinions and Interview Quotes

This activity can actually be applied to a range of different topics.

Put the students in pairs and have them imagine to be speaking from the perspective of the following companies or people.

Students have to make an opinion from the standpoint of each company or person.

Gas Company
Electric Car Company
Solar Panel Company
Environmental Activist
Auto Technician
Car Consumer

For the people above, you could have students imagine they were interviewed about their thoughts on electric charging highways.

What do they think about electric highways? Do they support or oppose them? Let them explain their opinion.

Then they have to agree on what would be the most important quote or statement from that interview.

Give students some useful phrases for expressing opinions to help them make their opinions or quotes, which are at least three sentences long and they explain their opinion.

You could give students an ideal example quote from an interview with an Environmental Activist:

“In the long-term, electric charging highways will be a great solution for decreasing pollution because it promotes the consumption and usage of electric vehicles, which are much better for the environment than gas-powered vehicles. However, in the short-term, electric charging highways could produce a negative impact on the environment because of the intense construction work that will be needed to create these highways all across the country. Therefore, I see a positive long-term effect and a negative short-term effect.”

You want your students to form something similar for each of the roles, then students should present the opinions or quotes they made together to the rest of the class.

Doing ESL lesson activities about music is fun and there’s a lot of different directions you can take this topic in a lesson.

Music is also a big business with all of the jobs in music production, sound technology, festivals, online streaming services like Spotify, and these days even vinyl is making a comeback.

Organizing an Event
Making a Business Plan
Giving a Presentation

This topic works especially great with Business English lessons in the music industry, but also in general for any businessmen or women who use are interested in music.

This is an especially engaging Business English topic for a few reasons – people love music and it’s a big part of life for many people.

Activity: Organizing an Event

Have students work with a partner. They should imagine they are event organizers and are planning a festival concept for next summer.

They want to make it even better than the Belgian festival “Tomorrowland” and the most luxurious festival in the world.

What luxuries will there be? What special things can be added, implemented, planned, organized, or done in order to create a better festival experience for the guests?

Students should discuss these points together. They can use the discussion questions below to help them:

What special luxuries, things, offers, products, facilities, and features you will provide?
What will be different about the campsite? How will you make it better than Dreamville?
Describe the atmosphere. What’s unique about the stages and performances?
Describe the security concept. How will you make the event safe and what are the policies?

Students should then give a presentation about their festival concept to the other groups and describe in as much detail as possible what the festival will be like.

After hearing from the other groups, students can discuss which festival concept was the best and why and give advice about what might help their festival to be better.

Activity: Making a Business Plan

Students work together with a partner or group. They imagine that they are opening a vinyl store in their town. They must make a business plan and a to-do list.

Watch the video “Czech businessman leads vinyl revival” here.

They can answer these questions in their business plan:

What is the name of your vinyl shop?
Other than vinyls, what will you need to get started?
How will your vinyl shop stand out from the competition?
Describe what kind of theme or atmosphere the shop would have. How would you decorate the shop/front window?
Describe your ideal kind of customer or target market.
Describe your ideal kind of employee or shop assistant.
What could be some clever ways to advertise your shop?
What will be the biggest challenges of opening the shop?

Students can then present their business plan to the other students in the class.

Activity: Giving a Presentation

Students work with a partner or group. They imagine they are giving a presentation to a group of vinyl fanatics.

They should choose from one of the topics below they’d like to do a presentation about, or they can also make their own topic.

They should prepare and give a one-minute presentation to the other groups on their chosen topic.

Even if they don’t know much about the topic, you can just instruct them to be as creative as possible and come up with some interesting things to talk about.

Here are the topics they can choose from:

How to create a sustainable future for vinyl
The guide to shopping for and listening to vinyl like a pro
The future of music
Why the age of vinyl in the 70s beats today’s digital age
The steps to starting up a successful vinyl shop

You can have students do research on the internet if they have access.

You can also give students the choice to also come up with their own idea for a presentation, anything in the music sector. It doesn’t have to be specifically related to vinyls.

The most important thing is that students have a structure for their presentation, have researched important information about it, and teach the class something interesting.

You can also have students include one of each of the following things in their presentation:

A problem (Music has become too digital in modern ages.)
A statistic or fact (Over 7.6 million vinyls were sold in the US in 2018.)
An opinion (We believe that vinyls will continue to be popular for years.)
A quote (Zdenek Pelc said, “If people like something, they need something touchable.”)

This one last bonus activity you could do will help your students develop the skills they need for business and professional reasons.

Have them give a “show and tell” presentation or just simply talk about three gadgets, tools, products, services, etc they’ve bought in the recent past related to one of their personal interests.

Have the students teach the class either how to use this product or service, how it works, why they bought it, what the features are, what problem it solves for them, etc.

Here are some actual examples from my students, which you can show your students to give them an idea of what you’re looking for:

A new running watch
A subscription to Netflix
A Nintendo NES Classic Edition
A new bicycle helmet
A portable speaker

All of these activities referenced are meant to be engaging for your adult students in Business English lessons, but the most effective way to do them is with the full lesson plans via the links above.

Watching the videos with your students should generate extra discussion and give you extra content to work with.

Find more resources and ideas for your ESL lessons here.

3 thoughts on “20+ Great Business English Topics and Lesson Activities”

Brilliant content. Relevant topics and articles with comprehensive structural lesson plans. Thank you.

Practicing the business English lessons in he student life can be very helpful in longer run. This helps in the proper development of the individual for professional world. Thanks so much for sharing this!

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May 25th, 2022

In its simplest form, business coaching is a partnership based on learning, self and professional-development, open communication, and mutual commitment. A great business coach enables you to form new habits which will help you to take more strategic business decisions, and ultimately align your goals and values with your actions. However, from an individual perspective, knowing exactly what to talk to your business coach about can be difficult. You may feel like you have so many areas to cover, you don’t even know where to start. But don’t despair. In this short guide we cover some of the most common areas within which a great business coach can help you develop and grow.

Top 10 Key Areas to Focus On

1. communication and presentation skills.

Have you ever felt like your communication and presentation skills could use some polishing? Even the most seasoned communicators and presenters often feel that these skills need continuous refinement. Session's business coaches are adept at guiding you to convey your message effectively and assertively .

2. Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the art of reading and responding to another person’s emotions appropriately, regulating one’s own emotions and feelings, and situational awareness. Session’s business coaches are equipped at helping you to build great relationships and choose the right moment to approach people and topics.

3. Leadership

Whether you’re a seasoned c-suite executive, or just getting started on your leadership journey, business coaching can help you to become a great leader with a sharpened toolbox which help you to engage, motivate, and empower your employees in the day-to-day business and in times of disruptive change and uncertainty.

4. Change Management

Effective leaders require the skills to manage change effectively. Talk to your business coach about change management, and learn how to master strategy implementation and get the buy-in and commitment from your team.

5. Resilience and Stress management

Does excess stress have a negative impact on your life? If so, resilience and stress management coaching can help you master healthy coping mechanisms. A business coach can guide you on how to stay calm and connected in the midst of turmoil and how to prevent stress from derailing into something toxic for you and others.

6. Identifying and Applying Strengths

Can you identify and apply your strengths to everyday business scenarios and challenges? And those of your team and team members? Business coaching helps you to discover how to bring your strengths to play in your everyday work and to amplify the strengths of others.

7. Improve Your Company and Team Culture

Think about your company and team culture - are there areas of improvement? By contributing to an inclusive, engaging and safe working environment, you will reap the benefits of a happier, more productive workforce. Talk to your business coach about strategies to improve your company culture.

8. Planning & Prioritizing

Do you get overwhelmed with duties and responsibilities? Do you often find that long-term strategy execution and vision gets overlooked, in the midst of ticking off your checklist and day-to-day duties? If so, you may need to speak to your business coach about planning and prioritizing.

9. Improve Self Confidence and Influencing Others

Do you doubt your abilities and have a hard time influencing others? If so, a business coach can help you take steps to improve your self-confidence. Speak to your business coach about developing your confidence, carrying yourself with poise, and believing in your own value and contribution.

10. Strategic Thinking

Have you often found yourself struggling to think strategically? A business coach can help you to think strategically , move your organization in the right direction, whilst serving the overall vision.

The prospect of engaging with a business coach may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Break down your coaching journey into key focus areas that you would like to concentrate your efforts on. Start with making a list of your top three areas of improvement, and continue expanding into more areas as your coaching journey unfolds. Curious to learn more about professional business coaching? Get in touch with the Session team to learn more about our coaching options.

Ready to get started? Put your learnings to work.

Growth Tactics

44 Small Group Discussion Topics to Keep the Conversation Going

Last Updated on November 6, 2023 by Milton Campbell

Small group discussions provide a platform for meaningful conversations and active participation. In this article, we will explore a range of engaging topics that will keep the conversation flowing and inspire productive discussions. Let’s dive in and discover some fresh small group discussion topics .

Benefits of Small Group Discussions

Enhanced Learning and Understanding

Small group discussions offer enhanced learning and understanding opportunities. When participants engage in active discussions, they can exchange ideas, ask questions, and bring different perspectives to the table. This dynamic interaction allows for a deeper exploration of the topic at hand, leading to a more comprehensive understanding for everyone involved.

Increased Engagement and Interaction

Unlike larger group settings, small group discussions provide a platform for increased engagement and interaction. With fewer participants, individuals feel more comfortable expressing their thoughts and opinions. This creates a supportive environment where everyone has an opportunity to contribute and be heard. As a result, participants are actively engaged in the discussion, fostering a deeper level of involvement and personal investment.

Creating a Stronger Sense of Community

Small group discussions help create a stronger sense of community among participants. By engaging in meaningful conversations , individuals have the opportunity to connect with others, share their experiences, and build relationships. These interactions form a supportive and inclusive environment where trust and respect are nurtured. The sense of belonging that emerges from these discussions strengthens the overall group dynamics , fostering a positive and collaborative community.

Ideas for Icebreaker Questions

Getting to Know Each Other

Icebreaker questions are a great way to kickstart conversations and get to know each other better. Start by asking simple and lighthearted questions, such as:

What is your favorite travel destination and why?
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
What is your favorite book or movie, and why does it resonate with you?

These questions help break the ice and create a welcoming atmosphere for open and honest discussions.

Sharing Personal Stories

Sharing personal stories can be a powerful way to foster connections and build trust within a small group. Consider asking questions like:

Share a memorable moment from your childhood that has had a lasting impact on you.
Describe a challenge you have overcome and how it has shaped your character.
Share a funny or embarrassing story that still makes you laugh.

By sharing personal stories, participants can bond over shared experiences and gain a deeper understanding of one another.

Discussing Hobbies and Interests

Engaging in discussions about hobbies and interests can bring out individual passions and create common ground. Here are a few questions to get the conversation flowing:

What is a hobby or interest that you are currently pursuing or would love to explore?
Share an activity or hobby that you find therapeutic or relaxing.
Is there a particular skill or talent you possess that you enjoy showcasing?

By discussing hobbies and interests, participants can discover shared passions, inspire each other, and form connections beyond the immediate topic at hand.

Selecting Engaging Discussion Topics

Current Events and News

Selecting discussion topics related to current events and news can help keep conversations relevant and engaging. Choose topics that are trending or have recent media coverage, such as:

Climate change and its impact on the environment
Technological advancements and their societal implications
Global health crises and their effects on communities
Social media and its influence on society
Political developments and their consequences
Space exploration and the future of space travel

By discussing these current events, participants can stay informed, exchange diverse perspectives, and deepen their understanding of the world around them.

Social Issues and Causes

Engaging in discussions about social issues and causes allows participants to explore important topics and promote awareness and understanding. Consider topics such as:

Gender equality and women’s rights
Racial justice and systemic inequities
Mental health stigma and support for those affected
Poverty and income inequality
LGBTQ+ rights and inclusivity
Access to education and quality healthcare

By discussing these social issues and causes, participants can gain insights into different perspectives, brainstorm solutions, and foster empathy and compassion.

Personal Growth and Development

Exploring topics related to personal growth and development can inspire and motivate participants to reflect on their own journeys. Consider topics like:

Goal setting and achieving personal milestones
Overcoming challenges and developing resilience
Self-care practices and maintaining a healthy work-life balance
Building healthy relationships and effective communication skills
Cultivating mindfulness and managing stress
Time management and productivity hacks

By discussing personal growth and development, participants can share strategies, learn from each other’s experiences, and support one another’s growth and well-being.

Arts and Culture

Exploring topics related to arts and culture can spark creativity and foster appreciation for different forms of expression. Consider topics such as:

Film and cinema: analyzing movies, discussing favorite genres or directors
Literature and books: sharing book recommendations, discussing favorite authors
Music and its impact: exploring different genres and their influence on society
Visual arts: discussing famous artworks, sharing personal artistic experiences
Cultural diversity and inclusivity in the arts
The role of art in promoting social change

By discussing arts and culture, participants can broaden their horizons, discover new perspectives, and deepen their appreciation for various forms of art.

Technology and Innovation

Exploring topics related to technology and innovation can ignite curiosity and discussions about the future. Consider topics such as:

Artificial intelligence and its ethical implications
The impact of automation on the workforce
Cybersecurity and protecting personal information online
Virtual reality and its potential applications
The role of technology in healthcare and medicine
Environmental sustainability through technology

By discussing technology and innovation, participants can stay informed about the latest advancements, debate the pros and cons, and envision the possibilities of a future shaped by technology.

Travel and Exploration

Engaging in discussions about travel and exploration can transport participants to new places and cultures. Consider topics such as:

Favorite travel destinations and experiences
Sustainable tourism and responsible travel practices
Cultural exchange and understanding
Adventure travel and pushing personal boundaries
Rediscovering local or lesser-known destinations

By discussing travel and exploration, participants can share stories, exchange travel tips, and inspire each other to embark on new adventures.

Tips for Leading a Small Group Discussion

1. Setting Clear Objectives and Expectations

When leading a small group discussion , it’s important to begin by setting clear objectives and expectations. Clearly communicate the purpose of the discussion and what you hope to achieve. By setting specific goals, participants will have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and can actively contribute to the conversation. For example, if the objective is to brainstorm solutions to a problem, clearly state that you want participants to generate creative ideas and encourage them to think outside the box.

2. Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment

To ensure a productive and inclusive discussion, it is crucial to create a safe and respectful environment. Foster a sense of trust and openness by encouraging all participants to share their thoughts and opinions without fear of judgment or ridicule. Use inclusive language and actively listen to each participant, valuing their input. Make it clear that everyone’s perspective is valued and that the discussion should be a space for respectful dialogue. By creating this environment, participants can freely express their ideas and engage in meaningful conversation.

3. Encouraging Active Participation and Listening

As the discussion leader, it is important to encourage active participation and listening from all participants. Rather than dominating the conversation, facilitate dialogue and give space for others to contribute. Use open-ended questions to encourage participants to think critically and share their insights. Actively listen to what participants say, paraphrase their points to ensure understanding, and provide positive reinforcement for their contributions. By fostering active participation and attentive listening, you create an engaging and inclusive atmosphere where all voices are heard.

4. Managing Time Effectively

Time management is crucial in leading a small group discussion. Set a schedule and allocate time for different discussion topics or activities. Clearly communicate the time limits for each segment and gently guide the conversation if it veers off track. Ensure that everyone has a chance to participate without the discussion dragging on excessively. Use time management techniques such as setting a timer or providing gentle reminders to stay on schedule.

5. Summarizing and Synthesizing Key Points

Throughout the discussion, actively summarize and synthesize the key points raised by participants. This helps keep the conversation focused and highlights important insights. By summarizing, you can clarify any misconceptions and provide a seamless flow to the discussion. Summarizing also demonstrates active listening and validates participants’ contributions. Use clear and concise language to ensure that the summary is easily understood and remembered by all participants.

6. Flexibility and Adaptability

Be prepared to adapt your plans and structure if the discussion takes unexpected turns. Flexibility is key when leading a small group discussion as new insights and ideas may emerge. Encourage the exploration of different perspectives and allow for organic discussions. It’s important to strike a balance between guiding the conversation and allowing for spontaneity and adaptability.

Remember, as the leader of the discussion, your role is to facilitate rather than control the conversation. Keep the paragraphs short and concise to enhance readability and engagement. Use an active voice in your communication to convey confidence and assertiveness in your role as the discussion leader.

In conclusion, by setting clear objectives, creating a safe environment, encouraging participation and active listening, managing time effectively , summarizing key points, and being flexible, you can keep small group discussions engaging and productive. Choose relevant topics to inspire creativity and foster connections among participants. Whether in a professional, educational, or social setting, these tips will help you create a vibrant space for collaborative dialogue.

13 Tips to Easily Lead a Successful Group Discussion

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99 Mindful Conversation Topics For Deeper Connections

Mindful conversation topics are perfect for deepening relationships and fostering meaningful discussions—whether with strangers, family members, romantic partners, or friends old and new. Whether you use a conversation deck , pull from the questions below, or create your own list, here’s to never wondering what to talk about again!

Have you had a good conversation lately? Jump to the comments below and share your favorite topics!

And for more everyday inspiration, subscribe to The Daily Good —a 30-second newsletter delivered to your inbox each morning with tips for self-care and sustainable living. 🌿

Conversation Topics For Anyone

1. Which scent do you find the most soothing?

2. What is a language you love to listen to even if you don’t speak or understand it?

3. Oceans or mountains? Why?

4. Describe the most captivating painting or artwork you’ve ever seen.

5. Do you remember the first novel you ever read? If so, what was it?

6. What is your favorite thing about your personality?

“What is your favorite thing about your personality?”

7. If you could have a fictional superhero for a best friend, who would it be?

8. What color would you choose to describe yourself?

9. What is something you have accomplished as an adult that your younger self would be proud of?

10. Is there a place in the world that you feel most represents who you are?

11. Where is one place you’d love to travel to again?

12. If your pet could talk, what would their voice sound like? What would they say about you?

13. What does your name mean?

14. What tasks make you feel like your best self?

15. What’s your Enneagram number and how does it influence your self-care practices?

16. Where do you feel most centered and happy?

17. What’s your favorite comfort food?

18. What do you wear when you’re feeling your very best, and why?

19. What is the best meal you’ve ever had, and what’s the best meal you’ve ever cooked for yourself?

20. What do you love most about your home ?

“What do you love most about your home?”

21. What’s a yearbook-style superlative you’d give to your high school self? What’s one for your current self?

22. What gives you goosebumps?

23. Do you know your astrology sign ? How about your birth chart?

24. How are you consciously practicing sustainability ?

25. Do you have any tattoos ?

26. Scuba diving or skydiving?

27. What are you most grateful for in this season of life?

28. Do you give back or volunteer with any organizations?

29. What’s your love language ?

Conversation Topics For Friends

30. What do you look for and need in your friendships ?

31. How do you feel that you best offer love and support to your friends?

32. Tell me about your childhood best friend.

33. When do you feel most authentically yourself?

34. What’s one form of self-expression you’ve been too hesitant to explore?

“What’s one habit you want to get rid of and one habit you want to keep?”

35. What’s one habit you want to get rid of and one habit you want to keep?

36. What was your first experience with sex like?

37. If you were to perform a duet with a famous musician, who would it be and why?

38. Do you have any recurring dreams ? If so, what do you think they are trying to tell you?

39. Who do you most admire, and how has that impacted the way you live your life?

Mindful Conversation Topics for Your Parents

40. What’s one thing you’d tell yourself at my age? What’s one thing your younger self would tell you?

41. What do you wish you’d known before having kids?

42. What was the first big purchase you made as an adult?

43. How did you know when you fell in love?

“What was the first big purchase you made as an adult?”

44. Have you kept any memorabilia from your childhood?

45. What do you miss most about being a child? A teenager? My age?

46. What about the current world would be most surprising to your younger self?

47. If you could travel back in time, which part of your life would you go back to?

48. Who did you vote for in past elections ? Why?

49. What are some of your favorite memories about your parents?

Conversation Topics For Kids

50. If you could have one cartoon character be your real-life best friend, who would you choose and why?

51. What’s your earliest memory?

52. What do you love most about school?

53. Who are your best friends?

“What does a perfect day with the family look like?”

54. What is your favorite season?

55. What superpower do you wish you had?

56. What do you want to be when you grow up?

57. If you could have any animal as a pet, which would you choose and why?

58. What does a perfect day with the family look like?

59. What do you love most about our house?

Conversation Topics For Date Night

60. How do you feel best supported in hard times?

61. What does “alone time” look like for you?

62. Dogs or cats (or rabbits)?

63. What do you wish people better understood about you?

“What does ‘alone time’ look like for you?”

64. What lessons from your childhood have most impacted your worldview?

65. If we could live in another country for a year (no strings attached), where would we go?

66. What do you love most about our relationship? What do you wish to work on ?

67. What small joys bring light to your day?

68. How can we better practice sustainability as a couple?

69. What’s a favorite memory you have of us together?

Conversation Topics For Siblings

70. What’s one of your favorite memories from our childhood?

71. What do you think everyone in the family will be doing 10 years from now?

“Which characteristics do you think you inherited from our parents?”

72. Do you have a morning routine ?

73. What was your favorite subject in school? Favorite teacher?

74. Which characteristics do you think you inherited from our parents?

75. If you could return to school, what would you study?

76. What Netflix show or movie are you watching?

77. What are you currently reading ?

78. What food reminds you most of home?

79. What do you love most about yourself?

Conversation Topics For Work

80. What accomplishments are you most proud of?

81. What projects are you working on right now that bring you joy?

82. How do you unwind after work?

83. Do you listen to any podcasts during your commute? If so, which ones?

“How do you track your work goals and accomplishments?”

84. What do you enjoy most about our company?

85. Where do you need support that you’re not getting it?

86. How do you track your work goals and accomplishments ?

87. Do you enjoy networking ? Why or why not?

88. What was your very first job?

89. What skills are you focused on cultivating right now?

Conversation Topics For Strangers

90. How are you truly doing ?

91. What’s one act of kindness you experienced today?

92. What do you do for enjoyment?

93. Do you recharge by being around other people or by spending time alone?

“What is the compliment you receive most often?”

94. If you had a day to yourself, what would it look like, where would you go, and what would you do?

95. What is the compliment you receive most often?

96. Do you collect anything?

97. What was the last movie you watched?

98. What’s one thing your loved ones would be surprised to learn about you?

99. If you woke up one morning and all your problems were solved, how would go about your day?

Kayti Christian (she/her) is a Senior Editor at The Good Trade. She has a Master’s in Nonfiction Writing from the University of London and is the creator of Feelings Not Aside , a newsletter for sensitive people.

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18 Discussion Topics for Work to Promote Team Building

You found our guide to discussion topics .

Discussion topics are ideas that can help colleagues start conversations with each other. For example, movie discussions, fun facts, and morning routines. The purpose of these topics is to create connections between colleagues. These prompts are also known as “friendly team discussion themes” and “fun office talk ideas.”

These discussion topics are similar to conversation starters , team building questions , and get to know you questions .

This list includes:

casual office conversation themes
conversation starters at work
engaging topics for coworkers
friendly team discussion themes
friendly work conversation themes
fun office talk ideas

Let’s get to it!

List of discussion topics for work

Whether you share your favorite book genre or swap coffee recipes, this list of discussion topics starts fun conversations.

1. Bucket List Items

Bucket list items are goals or experiences that individuals want to do during their lives. Sharing your bucket list can be a fun way to get to know your coworkers. Discussing bucket list items at work can reveal shared interests and goals. You can share dream destinations, adrenaline-pumping adventures, or personal milestones.

Here are some question examples:

What’s the number one thing you really want to do or experience in life?
Is there a place you’ve always dreamed of going to? Where and why?
What’s the most adventurous thing on your bucket list?
What special event would you like to attend?
What’s your dream living situation?

This topic will help you learn more about each other and can inspire you to add new items to your own list.

2. Pets and Children Stories

Stories about pets and kids are great friendly work conversation themes. When discussing pets, ask your coworkers about their beloved companions. Teams can share interesting stories, such as funny habits or adorable moments. Discussing different types of pets can be exciting, too, whether they are cats, dogs, birds, reptiles, or even more exotic animals. Stories about children can spark fond memories, funny moments, and parenting experiences. Colleagues who do not have kids can also focus on childhood memories instead.

What kind of pet do you have?
What’s your pet’s funniest habit?
What’s the funniest thing your kid has said to you?
What’s your favorite childhood memory?
When did your kid or pet get into the most trouble?

Sharing these stories can make colleagues laugh, creating a positive and friendly atmosphere.

Get our free team building toolbox

icebreaker games
bingo cards

3. Movie Discussions

Talking about movies at work is a fun way to connect with your colleagues. Whether you like funny, serious, or action-packed films, talking about movies helps you find shared interests. Folks can share their recommendations and talk about what they liked or did not like about films. This topic can lead to discovering new movies outside your usual choices.

What’s your favorite movie?
Who’s your favorite actor or actress?
What’s a classic movie you think everyone should watch?
Any upcoming releases you are excited about?
What’s your go-to movie snack?

Discussing movies at work builds relationships and creates a sense of camaraderie. Also, talking about films allows folks to analyze plots, characters, and filmmaking. This topic promotes critical thinking and strengthens relationships.

Read about how to do an office movie night .

4. Favorite Book Genre

One of the most engaging topics for coworkers is talking about your favorite book genre. Sharing the kinds of books you like can lead to interesting conversations. Whether you enjoy mysteries, science fiction, or romances, talking about books can create bonds.

Are you reading anything interesting right now?
Do you have a specific reading routine or a favorite reading spot?
What book has had the most significant impact on your life?
Are there any genres you haven’t read but would like to?
Is there a book-to-movie adaptation that you loved or hated?

Talking about favorite book genres at work can create a friendly atmosphere. This topic encourages book recommendations and chats about shared interests. Plus, learning about different genres can introduce you to new authors and styles.

Read about how to run an office book club .

5. Fun Personal Facts

Sharing fun facts about yourself is a great way to have friendly chats with your coworkers. This topic helps create a nice atmosphere at work and makes connections. You can talk about hobbies, talents, or unique experiences. By sharing these details, you give others a chance to relate to you and have interesting conversations. Be sure to ask colleagues thoughtful questions about themselves as well.

Here are examples of questions:

What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Can you share a funny childhood nickname or embarrassing moment?
What’s your secret talent?
What’s your guilty pleasure when it comes to snacks during work hours?
What’s the most interesting fact about your hometown?

By having this discussion, you can learn more about coworkers, which leads to future conversations. Plus, some of these skills may even be useful for projects you are working on.

Check out these facts of the day .

6. Music and Concerts

Talking about music and concerts with your coworkers is one of the most fun office talk ideas. You can discuss your favorite songs and concerts you have attended. Also, you and your colleague can discover new music together. This topic helps create a fun atmosphere at work and strengthens your relationships with your colleagues.

What’s the first concert you ever went to?
What’s your all-time favorite concert experience?
What’s the most unique or surprising music genre or artist that you enjoy?
What’s your guilty pleasure song?
What’s the next concert you’re planning to attend?

Discussing music is a nice way to take a break and make work more enjoyable. This talk is a great opportunity to explore new music and have fun conversations with your coworkers.

7. Morning Routines

Morning routines can be fascinating topics for casual conversations at work. Discussing how folks start their days can provide insights into their personalities. Some individuals swear by early morning exercise or meditation to jumpstart their day. Others prefer a slow-paced routine with a cup of coffee and a good book.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Do you have a favorite breakfast that you always look forward to in the morning?
What’s your go-to beverage to kickstart your morning?
How do you like to start your day to set a positive tone?

It is interesting to hear about the different strategies folks use to set themselves up for success each morning. Exploring morning rituals can help foster connections and promote a positive workplace atmosphere. Plus, you might learn a new trick or two to update your own morning routine!

Browse this list of morning messages .

8. Childhood Cartoons

Talking about childhood cartoons with your coworkers is one of the best conversation starters at work. Sharing memories of the shows you watched as kids can bring back fond memories and reveal shared interests. Discussing favorite characters, plotlines, and memorable moments can lead to lively conversations.

What’s your all-time favorite childhood cartoon?
If you could bring back any childhood cartoon for a reboot, which one would it be, and how would you update it?
Do you have a favorite cartoon theme song that you can still remember today?
Were there any cartoons that scared you as a child?
What’s a lesson you learned from a cartoon that has stuck with you?

This shared nostalgia can build rapport and create a friendly atmosphere. Additionally, these conversations provide insights into your coworkers’ backgrounds and interests. Talking about cartoons fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation for each other’s perspectives.

9. Fitness Goals

Setting fitness goals is a great way to prioritize your health. By defining clear objectives, you can stay motivated and track your progress. Fitness goals vary, such as improving endurance, building strength, or achieving weight loss. Discussing fitness goals with coworkers can be a fun way to connect. You can even organize a workplace challenge involving step counting or exercise targets like push-ups.

Do you prefer to work out in the morning or evening, and why?
What’s your favorite type of exercise or workout routine?
What are your favorite fitness tools?
How do you balance your fitness goals with other parts of your life?
What are your favorite fitness recipes?

This exercise fosters camaraderie and promotes a healthy lifestyle with teamwork and encouragement. Talking about fitness goals at work lets you share experiences, exchange tips, and seek support from colleagues.

Check out this list of office exercises .

10. Cultural Traditions

Cultural traditions can lead to engaging conversations among coworkers. Talking about these traditions helps you understand different values, beliefs, and customs. One example is discussing popular festivals or holidays celebrated in different parts of the world. Sharing stories about these celebrations boosts camaraderie and learning.

What’s your favorite holiday or celebration?
What’s your favorite dish from your culture?
Are there any specific customs you follow in your family?
Do you have a favorite childhood memory related to a cultural tradition?
Are there any unique sayings or proverbs from your culture that you like?

Another topic is traditional clothing from different cultures, like kimonos, sarees, or kilts. Discussing these outfits allows you to learn about their cultural significance. Food can also bring folks together. Conversations about cultural traditions create an inclusive environment.

Look at this list of more culture building activities .

11. Quotes or Mantras

Sharing quotes or mantras can add a positive touch to casual work conversations. Talking about quotes sparks interesting discussions and gives insights into folks’ values. You can simply ask your coworkers about their favorite quotes or mantras. Then, ask colleagues to explain why these words are meaningful to them. This topic can encourage teams to share a variety of wisdom and inspiration.

Do you have a favorite quote that you find inspiring?
Is there a saying or mantra you live by?
Have you ever used a quote to motivate yourself or others?
What’s a phrase that always makes you feel positive?
Do you have a go-to quote for tough times?

Discussing quotes or mantras promotes positivity, motivation, and personal growth in the workplace.

Here is a list of motivational quotes for work .

12. Coffee Recipes

Coffee recipes are a fun way to connect with coworkers who share a love for caffeine. Whether you need a morning boost or an afternoon treat, trying different coffee recipes can add excitement to your work routine. From classics like lattes to more adventurous options like mochas, there is a coffee recipe for every individual.

Do you prefer your coffee hot or iced?
What’s your favorite type of coffee bean or blend?
Do you add any special flavors or spices to your coffee?
How do you take your coffee when you need a pick-me-up during the day?
Have you ever tried a unique or unusual coffee recipe?

Discussing coffee recipes provides a chance to connect with coworkers. Folks can make each other’s recipes and enjoy drinking a cup of coffee together.

Check out this list of virtual coffee tasting experiences .

13. Signature Dish

A signature dish is a great way to start conversations and showcase your cooking skills. To discuss signature dishes, ask your colleagues about their specialties or the dishes they enjoy making the most. This topic offers a glimpse into personal tastes and creativity. In addition, teams get a chance to swap diverse culinary traditions.

What’s the one meal you’re really good at making?
Is there a specific type of cuisine you love to cook?
What’s the story behind your go-to dish? Why do you like making it?
Have you cooked your signature dish for friends or family?
Do you have a secret ingredient you always add to your dishes?

Sharing your favorite recipe or talking about unique ingredients can lead to interesting discussions. Folks can share the recipe’s origins and why it is special to them. This topic is likely to bring out colleagues’ passion for food. Exploring special recipes strengthens relationships and fosters camaraderie. Plus, you can gain inspiration for your next office potluck!

14. Motivational Moments

Discussing inspirational quotes and stories can be a fun way to uplift the mood. Teams can share their favorite motivational quotes or personal success stories.

What’s something that always inspires you to keep going?
Have you ever had a moment that made you feel really motivated?
Who in your life motivates you the most, and why?
What’s a small win that makes you feel accomplished and motivated?
Do you have a daily routine that helps keep you motivated?

By discussing these uplifting moments, you get to know your coworkers on a deeper level. This topic also creates an environment that promotes positivity and productivity.

Here are ways to motivate remote employees .

15. Career Goals

Setting career goals is a vital step for personal and professional growth. Career goals offer direction, motivation, and focus. These goals also act as a guide for evaluating progress and making decisions. When trying to connect with colleagues, you can ask them about their goals.

What job or position are you aiming for in your career?
Where do you see yourself in your career a few years from now?
Are there specific skills you want to develop for your job?
What motivates you to work towards your career goals?
Is there a dream company you’d love to work for?

This topic helps you get to know coworkers better. In addition, you may be able to help each other accomplish your goals.

Check out this list of goal setting activities .

16. Leadership Lessons

Talking about leadership lessons at work can be informative and interesting. When coworkers share insights and experiences, you can gain valuable knowledge about leadership. These discussions help you understand different leadership styles.

Can you share a lesson you’ve learned from being in a leadership role?
Is there someone whose leadership style has inspired you? What did you learn from them?
How do you handle challenges as a leader?
How does communication affect leadership?
Have you ever had to change your leadership style for different situations or team members?

One way to discuss leadership lessons is through storytelling. Coworkers can share personal stories or examples of great leaders they have encountered. Another idea to explore is the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership. Learning how leaders deal with emotional challenges can teach workers how to create a positive environment. Talking about leadership lessons can improve workplace skills and build connections.

Learn the best leadership tips .

17. Work Wins

Work wins is one of the top casual office conversation themes. Colleagues can share their professional achievements and celebrate successes. One way to approach work wins is by sharing memorable projects or tasks. Colleagues can talk about the challenges they faced and strategies they used. Another topic involves discussing professional growth and milestones.

What’s something at work that you’re proud to have accomplished recently?
Can you share a moment when your efforts led to success on a project?
How do you celebrate when you achieve a goal at work?
Have you received any positive feedback or recognition lately?
What’s a work-related accomplishment that brought you satisfaction?

Sharing these successes can encourage others in their personal development goals. Work Wins conversations provide an opportunity for learning from each other’s experiences.

Here is a list of team celebration ideas .

18. Community Causes

Talking about Community Causes is among the top friendly team discussion themes. You can learn about colleagues’ values, passions, and goals. Discussing these causes creates a sense of connection and collaboration at work. You might even find shared interests or opportunities for future collaboration.

Do you support any community causes or charities?
What inspired you to get involved in community work?
Is there a cause you’re passionate about supporting?
How do you stay informed about community needs?
What’s a cause you think more people should know about?

Talking about charities can inspire coworkers to volunteer together outside of work. This topic broadens horizons, introduces new perspectives, and encourages personal growth and empathy.

Check out this list of group volunteering ideas .

Final Thoughts

Having casual conversations with colleagues helps develop strong bonds. These talks create opportunities for folks to connect and foster an environment where the whole team feels valued and respected. Sharing experiences, perspectives, and interests improves collaboration. Whether you discuss work-related topics like career goals or simple preferences like coffee recipes, these topics will start interesting conversations.

Next, check out our posts on icebreaker questions , water cooler topics , and check-in questions .

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FAQ: Discussion topics

Here are frequently asked questions about discussion topics.

What are some good topics for casual work conversations?

Some good topics for casual work conversations include individual bucket list items, favorite movie discussions, or sharing information about cultural traditions.

How can you use discussion topics to create workplace connections?

Discussion topics can help create stronger workplace bonds by helping colleagues learn about each other’s shared interests.

What are the best conversation topics for professional settings?

The best conversation starters for professional settings promote open communication about work, such as work wins or career goals.

How can these discussion topics help in team building?

These discussion topics could help team members feel connected on a personal level. This feeling encourages better collaboration and communication.

What are the benefits of having casual conversations with coworkers?

Having casual conversations with coworkers strengthens bonds, fosters collaboration, and creates a positive work environment.

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Workplace Topics for Discussion: Engaging Conversations for Teams

Disclaimer : We sometimes use affiliate links in our content. For more information, visit our Disclaimer Page .

Effective communication and collaboration are critical to the success of any workplace. One way to achieve these goals is through engaging in workplace discussions that promote team collaboration and inspire thought-provoking conversations among coworkers. By fostering an environment of open communication, team members can develop stronger relationships and work together more effectively.

Whether it’s discussing new ideas, exploring different perspectives, or simply getting to know each other better, workplace discussions can have a positive impact on team dynamics. There is a wide range of workplace topics for discussion that can be explored to spark meaningful conversations and encourage deeper engagement among team members.

Key Takeaways:

Engaging in workplace discussions can promote team collaboration and inspire thought-provoking conversations among coworkers.
Open communication can help develop stronger relationships and lead to more effective teamwork.
Exploring a variety of topics can spark meaningful conversations and encourage deeper engagement among team members.

Workplace Topics for Discussion Engaging Conversations for Teams

Workplace Topics for Discussion (Conversation Starters)

Starting a conversation at work can sometimes be challenging, especially if you’re not sure where to begin. Here are some conversation starters that could help you break the ice and get to know your colleagues better:

What do you enjoy most about your job?
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Have you visited any interesting places recently?
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career?
What are your goals for the next year?

Remember to ask open-ended questions that encourage discussion and avoid sensitive topics that could make people uncomfortable. You want to promote positive communication and build relationships, not cause conflict or tension.

“Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.” – Jim Rohn

Keep in mind that workplace conversations can also help break down barriers and promote teamwork. By communicating openly and honestly with your colleagues, you can build trust and create a more productive work environment .

Employee Engagement Ideas

Employee engagement is a crucial aspect of any successful organization. Engaged employees are committed to their work, motivated to achieve their goals, and have a positive attitude toward their job and colleagues. Here are some ideas to help improve employee engagement :

Implement recognition programs: Recognizing employees for their hard work and contributions can go a long way in boosting engagement. Consider implementing a program that rewards employees for their achievements, such as Employee of the Month or quarterly bonuses.
Provide growth opportunities: Employees want to feel like they have room to grow within the organization. Offer opportunities for professional development, such as training sessions, mentorship programs, or tuition reimbursement.
Foster a positive work environment: A positive work environment can have a significant impact on employee engagement . Encourage teamwork, promote open communication, and maintain a clean and comfortable workspace.
Offer flexible work arrangements: Many employees value work-life balance and appreciate the option to work from home or have flexible hours. Consider implementing policies that allow for remote work or flexible scheduling.
Create opportunities for socialization: Team outings, company events, and team-building activities can help foster a sense of camaraderie and improve engagement. Encourage employees to participate in activities outside of work.
Provide regular feedback: Employees want to know how they’re doing and what they can do to improve. Managers should provide regular feedback and recognition for good work, as well as constructive criticism for areas that need improvement.

By implementing these employee engagement ideas, organizations can create a positive and engaging work environment that motivates and inspires employees to perform at their best.

Effective Communication in the Workplace

Effective communication is the cornerstone of a successful workplace. Without clear and open lines of communication, misunderstandings, mistakes, and conflict can arise, leading to decreased productivity and morale. However, by prioritizing communication and implementing effective communication strategies , teams can strengthen their relationships and work together more efficiently.

Active Listening

One of the most important components of effective communication is active listening . This means not only hearing what someone is saying but also fully understanding the message they are trying to convey. Encourage team members to ask questions, paraphrase what they have heard, and provide feedback to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Clear and Concise Messaging

Clear and concise messaging is also crucial in effective communication. Encourage team members to be direct and to the point in their communication, avoiding unnecessary jargon or filler language that can confuse or distract from the main message.

Non-Verbal Cues

It’s important to remember that communication isn’t just about words. Non-verbal cues such as body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions can also convey messages and affect how they are perceived. Encourage team members to be aware of their own non-verbal cues and to pay attention to those of others, ensuring that they are in alignment with their intended message.

Use of Technology

In today’s digital age, technology plays a vital role in workplace communication . Encourage team members to utilize tools such as email, instant messaging , and video conferencing to stay connected and share information, particularly if they are working remotely or in different locations.

Conflict Resolution Strategies

Workplace disagreements and conflicts are inevitable. However, it is important to resolve them in a constructive and collaborative manner that ensures a harmonious work environment. Here are some conflict resolution strategies to consider:

Listen actively: Hear the other person out and acknowledge their viewpoint.
Focus on the problem: Avoid personal attacks and focus on finding a solution to the problem at hand.
Collaborate: Work together to find a solution that benefits both parties.
Communicate clearly: Be clear and concise in your communication to avoid misunderstandings.
Be willing to compromise: Be open to finding a middle ground that both parties can agree on.

“Conflict cannot survive without your participation.” – Wayne Dyer

Remember, resolving conflicts in the workplace can lead to a more positive and productive work environment. Utilize these strategies and encourage open and respectful communication among team members.

Diversity and Inclusion Discussions

Diversity and inclusion are crucial elements in any workplace as they promote a sense of acceptance, respect, and belonging among team members. It is essential to initiate conversations that encourage understanding and value diversity. Here are some conversation starters:

“What does diversity mean to you?” “How can we ensure everyone feels included in our workplace?” “What can we do as a team to promote diversity and inclusion in our workplace?”

It is important to acknowledge and respect individual differences while promoting diversity and inclusion. Encouraging open and honest discussions can help dispel stereotypes, biases, and barriers that may exist in the workplace. Additionally, it can help foster a positive environment where everyone feels valued and motivated to contribute.

Incorporating diversity and inclusion training, workshops, and programs can also be effective in promoting understanding and inclusion in the workplace. These initiatives can enhance the team’s overall performance and create a positive work environment.

Leadership Development Topics

Leadership development is a crucial aspect of any successful team. By fostering growth and cultivating leadership skills , team members can learn to be effective managers and mentors, supporting their colleagues and promoting a positive work environment. Here are some thought-provoking conversation topics for promoting leadership development :

What qualities make a good leader?
How can we support each other in growing our leadership skills ?
What kinds of challenges have you faced as a leader, and how did you overcome them?
What steps can we take to promote inclusivity and diversity within our team?
How can we foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork?

By discussing these topics, team members can gain valuable insights into effective leadership strategies and can work together to build a more effective and supportive workplace.

Work-Life Balance Tips

As the line between work and personal life becomes increasingly blurred, maintaining a healthy work-life balance has become more important than ever before. Here are some tips to help you achieve the right balance:

Set boundaries: Establish clear boundaries between work and personal time by setting specific work hours and avoiding checking emails and messages outside of those hours.
Take breaks: Take regular breaks throughout the day to recharge your batteries, whether that means taking a walk outside or simply stepping away from your computer for a few minutes.
Prioritize self-care: Make time for self-care activities, such as exercise, meditation, or hobbies, to promote physical and mental well-being outside of work.
Delegate tasks: Learn to delegate tasks to others and avoid taking on too much work, which can lead to burnout and decreased productivity.
Communicate openly: Communicate openly with your team and manager about your workload and any challenges you may be facing, to ensure a supportive work environment that promotes work-life balance.

By implementing these tips and making work-life balance a priority, you can reduce stress, increase productivity, and improve overall well-being both in and out of the workplace.

Employee Recognition Ideas

Showing appreciation for employees’ hard work and contributions can go a long way in boosting morale and promoting productivity in the workplace. Here are some employee recognition ideas that can help foster a positive work environment:

Remember, employee recognition doesn’t have to be extravagant or costly. It’s the thought that counts, and showing appreciation for your employees’ hard work and dedication will go a long way in creating a positive and productive work environment.

Engaging in workplace discussions is crucial to promoting teamwork and collaboration among team members. By initiating conversations on thought-provoking topics, employees can improve their communication skills , build better relationships, and develop a more positive work environment.

Effective communication is key to resolving conflicts and boosting employee engagement. By providing recognition and appreciation for employees’ contributions, fostering a culture of inclusion and diversity, and promoting work-life balance, companies can create a workplace that values its employees and encourages growth and development.

In conclusion, by encouraging engaging workplace discussions and implementing strategies for effective communication, recognition, diversity, and inclusion, companies can create a positive and productive work environment that benefits both the employees and the organization as a whole.

What are the topics to chat about team?

What are appropriate workplace conversations, what are the topics for hr meeting, what is a list of topics to be discussed in a meeting, what are some professional development topic ideas for discussions, related posts:.

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Yellen to Visit China for Top-Level Economic Talks

The Treasury secretary plans to address a surge of Chinese green technology exports during meetings in Beijing and Guangzhou.

Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen standing in front of Chinese and American flags.

By Alan Rappeport

Reporting from Washington

Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen will make her second trip to China this week for high-level talks aimed at further stabilizing the relationship between the world’s largest economies as political rancor in the United States intensifies ahead of the presidential election.

During four days of meetings in Guangzhou and Beijing, Ms. Yellen plans to meet with representatives from American companies, Chinese students and professors, and China’s top economic officials. The trip comes as the Biden administration tries to balance a tougher stance toward China, including restricting access to American technology and retaining tariffs on billions of Chinese exports, while keeping regular lines of communication open and avoiding an economic war.

The Treasury Department announced the trip as President Biden and Xi Jinping, China’s leader, held a call on Tuesday on a variety of issues. In a statement after the call, the White House said Mr. Biden had raised concerns with Mr. Xi about China’s “unfair trade policies and nonmarket economic practices” that harm American workers and explained that the United States would continue to take steps to prevent Chinese access to advanced American technology that could threaten national security.

A senior Treasury Department official who previewed Ms. Yellen’s trip said it was taking place in the spirit of responsibly managing the economic relationship between the countries.

But concerns are growing within the administration over China’s strategy of ramping up exports of green energy technology like solar panels and electric batteries.

The official said the two sides were expected to have “frank” conversations about the Biden administration’s concerns about the impact of China’s excess industrial production on global supply chains for solar technology, electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries. They are also expected to discuss the global economy, efforts to curb drug trafficking and how to work together to fight climate change.

In China, Ms. Yellen will meet with Wang Weizhong, the governor of Guangdong Province; Vice Premier He Lifeng; former Vice Premier Liu He; and Pan Gongsheng, the governor of the People’s Bank of China.

Ms. Yellen visited China for the first time as Treasury secretary last July. As an economist who has argued against the merits of tariffs, she was received well by Chinese officials who consider her a voice of reason within the Biden administration.

Engagement with China is particularly challenging during U.S. election years, when Democrats and Republicans typically ratchet up anti-China sentiment. This year has been no different, with former President Donald J. Trump proposing additional and even higher tariffs on Chinese imports and Republicans urging more restrictions on Chinese investment in the United States.

At the same time, the Biden administration has been considering tariffs on Chinese imports of green energy technology and watching with concern as Chinese companies increase investments in Mexico to gain greater access to the American consumer market.

The White House has also been scrutinizing the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok and recently imposed sanctions on Chinese hacking groups . And the Treasury Department is developing a program that would restrict outbound investments in certain Chinese sectors that the Biden administration believes could threaten American national security.

Ms. Yellen’s trip to China last year yielded little in the way of major breakthroughs. But it led to a formal structure to ensure ongoing communication. Treasury officials said regular meetings between new economic and financial working groups would provide a format for both countries to communicate their policy concerns and help prevent relations from breaking down.

Mark Sobel, a former Treasury Department official, noted that the United States and China accounted for about 40 percent of global gross domestic product, making the relationship critical for the world economy. He suggested that beyond the macroeconomic issues, the two sides would discuss U.S. sanctions policy and the problem of low-income countries that owe debt to China.

Even if there are no major breakthroughs, Mr. Sobel said, the dialogue will be important.

“Even if the two sides disagree, and there is much that can go wrong in U.S.-China relations these days, the talks will help limit misunderstandings and provide the other side with context,” he said.

Alan Rappeport is an economic policy reporter, based in Washington. He covers the Treasury Department and writes about taxes, trade and fiscal matters. More about Alan Rappeport

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Repopulation Efforts and Creating Cultural Welcomes

CANFIELD, Ohio – In this excerpt from our Business Journal Roundtable Series on the topic of repopulation, our panelists discuss creating cultural welcomes in the Mahoning Valley.

“Even if you’re bringing in people from other parts of the country, we must make sure they have a cultural welcome – so that wherever they come from, even from other parts of the country, they feel welcome here. That could be their faith or their ethnicity, whatever,” says Lisa Long, financial resources development director and CEO-designate for the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.

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YCC Named to National Register of Historic Places

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Repopulation Efforts and the Importance of Legal Immigration

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GDC 2024: Key Takeaways for Games Startups and Developers

What You Need To Know

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2024, we witnessed the convergence of industry titans and emerging developers to share how they plan to usher in the next wave of innovation and collaboration in gaming.
The topics at the top of everyone's minds included AI and Web3, monetization strategies, and the rise of user-generated content.
Amid muted capital funding opportunities, the tone remained optimistic about the implementation of new technologies, game development strategies, and improvements in delivering memorable player experiences.

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2024 held in San Francisco from March 18-22 brought together industry giants, tech companies, and emerging developers to discuss the latest trends and challenges in the gaming industry. For games startups and developers, GDC 2024 offered valuable insights and takeaways that can shape their strategies and drive success. Fenwick’s Games Group was on the ground with clients who attended the conference. Here are some key takeaways from GDC 2024 and how they can benefit games startups and developers.

Embracing AI and Web3 : AI and Web3 emerged as prominent topics at GDC 2024, highlighting their potential in revolutionizing the games industry. While traditional game developers may still be in the early stages of adopting these technologies, the conference highlighted some of its rapid advancements and possibilities. Games startups and developers should keep a keen eye on these trends and explore how AI and Web3 can enhance their game development processes and create immersive player experiences.
Monetization Takes Center Stage : An increasing emphasis on monetization was evident at the conference, particularly for small and medium-sized publishers. Developers and studios continue to recognize the importance of effective monetization in transforming their projects from side-hustles to profitable ventures. GDC 2024 hosted discussions and panels focused on monetization strategies, offering valuable insights for games startups and developers on generating revenue and maximizing their potential.
Continued Challenging VC Market : While GDC 2024 displayed more positivity about VC funding as compared to GDC 2023, the sentiments continued to reflect a more muted VC funding environment for games. GDC 2024 also suggested a renewed focus on financing through traditional publishing deals, and increased interest in funding from Layer 1 and Layer 2 blockchain platforms and invigorated Web3-focused funds.
Harnessing the Power of User-Generated Content (UGC) : User-generated content (UGC) continues to shape the gaming industry, particularly in building communities and engaging players, and even giving players opportunities to become part of the commercial ecosystem. GDC 2024 showcased the significant impact of UGC on platforms like Roblox and Fortnite. Games startups and developers are considering incorporating UGC strategies into their games, leveraging the power of community-driven content creation to enhance player experiences.
The Rise of GDC as a Premier Showcase : GDC 2024 witnessed a significant shift, positioning itself as a premier showcase not only for game developers, but also for big tech companies. With nearly 30,000 attendees, it was exciting to see connections being made in real-time!

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The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a hearing for April 11 to discuss Medicare payment reform for radiologists and other physicians.

Titled “Bolstering Chronic Care through Medicare Physician Payment,” the event will feature several physicians. Among them are Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, CEO of the American College of Surgeons, and Steven P. Furr, MD, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

The American College of Radiology praised the hearing as a potential first step to address inadequate reimbursement levels under the federal payment program.

“The ACR is pleased that the Senate Finance Committee is acknowledging the need to address concerns related to physician payment in Medicare,” Executive VP Cynthia R. Moran told Radiology Business Friday. “As it has done for the last several years, the college will continue to work with the Finance Committee and the rest of Congress to ensure physicians have the resources they need to provide the best care to our nation’s seniors.”

Others slated to testify include Melanie Matthews, CEO of Olympia-based Physicians of Southwest Washington, and Amol Navathe, MD, PhD, a University of Pennsylvania professor of health policy and medicine and MedPAC commissioner.

The hearing comes amid growing calls from physicians and members of Congress to address Medicare’s inability to keep pace with the escalating cost of care. When adjusting for inflation, Medicare pay in radiology has decreased by $2.8 billion since 2005, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology last year. Efforts to move Medicare toward value-based care have only left radiology at a disadvantage, another recent analysis found.

Responding to these concerns, a bipartisan group of senators urged Congress to address lagging physician pay rates in February . The same month, lawmakers also launched a new working group to brainstorm long-term fixes.

“As the healthcare system has evolved since the inception of the Medicare program, the physician payment system has failed to keep pace with the actual cost of care and the improvements in new services and technologies,” senators wrote in a letter earlier this year. “Despite efforts like the 2015 Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, which made significant strides towards a value-based payment system, further action is needed to address reimbursement challenges and shift toward a system that aligns payment incentives with patient outcomes,” they added later.

The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. Eastern at the 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Find a livestream of the event and submit testimony here .

Radiologists at a clear disadvantage in medicare’s mips program, new study shows, senators press congressional leaders to address radiologist medicare pay cut, physician medicare payment reform the goal of new congressional working group, inflation-adjusted medicare pay in radiology has decreased by $2.8b since 2005.

Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.

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