Five Customs That Catch Business Travellers Off Guard
Grammar: Present Simple
A Business English English lesson exploring business.
What's in this lesson
A Business English ESL lesson on business, practising present simple. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: Five Customs That Catch Business Travellers Off Guard
Roughly 70 percent of international business deals that fail do so not because of price, product, or contract terms — but because of a cultural misconception that neither side recognised in the room. The protocol around how people greet, eat, negotiate, and disagree varies so significantly across countries that even experienced professionals make costly mistakes. Understanding these differences is not a soft skill. For many companies, it is a competitive advantage.
Vocabulary
- misconception
- protocol
- seniority
- formality
- rapport
- cross-cultural
- etiquette
Grammar: Present Simple
- Present simple
- She works in Seoul and manages three teams. — use for routines and general facts
- a / an with job titles
- She is an engineer. He is a manager. — a before consonant sounds, an before vowel sounds
Discussion questions
- If you arrived at a business meeting tomorrow in a country you had never visited, what is the first thing you would check?
- What would you do if a new colleague from another culture behaved in a way that seemed rude to you?
- Imagine you could choose one country to build your entire career in — which would it be?
Five Customs That Catch Business Travellers Off Guard
Grammar: Present Simple
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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