Business idioms, phrasal verbs and workplace jargon
A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 5 details that are specific to your organisation.
- Length
- 30 min
- Lessons
- 6 lessons
- Frequency
- At onboarding for international hires
- Last reviewed
- 21 Oct 2026
A client email says "let's circle back"
Try it: this is one of 15 interactive activities in the course.
What's included
Three pieces that work together
Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.
Self-paced course
Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.
- 6 lessons, about 30 minutes
- Sorting activity, scenario, process, flashcards and quizzes
Live session deck
An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.
- 10 slides
- Poll, quiz, word cloud, scale slides
- A closing slide for your contacts
Two surveys
Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.
- Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
- 30-day check-in
- Anonymous by default
- Results feed your next refresher
Learning objectives
At the end of this course, learners can
Each objective and the lesson that covers it.
| ID | Objective | Source | Where it's covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| TO 220.0 | Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessment | - | Whole course |
| SO 220.1 | Understand idioms for starting, stopping and delaying | Business communication skill (none) | Whole course |
| SO 220.2 | Use common phrasal verbs for projects and meetings | Business communication skill (none) | Whole course |
| SO 220.3 | Choose when to use jargon and when to use plain words | ISO 24495-1:2023 Plain language [source: report anchor, unverified] | Whole course |
| SO 220.4 | Ask what a phrase means without losing face | Best practice | Whole course |
| SO 220.5 | Keep a personal list of phrases you have learned + your info | Employer's glossary your company glossary link | Whole course |
Your part: what a template can't do for you
- Your workplace details: fill in the 5 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
- Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.
Course outline
6 lessons, about 30 minutes
Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.
1What did my manager just say?
3 pages
7 min
What did my manager just say?
3 pages
2Idioms for starting, stopping and delaying
2 pages
5 min
Idioms for starting, stopping and delaying
2 pages
3Phrasal verbs for projects and meetings
2 pages
5 min
Phrasal verbs for projects and meetings
2 pages
4Jargon you can use, and jargon to avoid
2 pages
5 min
Jargon you can use, and jargon to avoid
2 pages
5Asking what a phrase means without losing face
2 pages
4 min
Asking what a phrase means without losing face
2 pages
6Final assessment and next steps
2 pages
4 min
Final assessment and next steps
2 pages
Live deck and surveys
10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop
Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
- Overall rating 5 stars
- Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
- What was most useful? multi-select
- Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
- Which part is still unclear? multiple choice
- How confident are you now? 1-5 scale
- Which phrase do you still not understand? open text
- I feel able to ask a colleague what a phrase means. 1-5 scale
- One thing we should change or add open text
- Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
- Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
- How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
- Do you know where to find the phrase list? yes / no / not sure
- A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
- Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking
Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.
Make it yours
5 fields to fill in, and you're ready
Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.
- Ld contact
{{LD_CONTACT}} - Company glossary link
{{COMPANY_GLOSSARY_LINK}} - LMS or record system
{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}} - Survey 2 URL
{{SURVEY_2_URL}} - Course URL
{{COURSE_URL}}
FAQ
Common questions
Can I run business idioms, phrasal verbs and workplace jargon training online?
Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.
How often is this training needed?
At onboarding for international hires, as a short add-on to a vocabulary course, and before working with native-speaking clients.
Who needs this training?
Non-native English speakers who work with native-speaking colleagues and clients (B2 to C1); run by L&D with HR and global team leads.
What records should I keep?
Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.
Can I edit the content?
Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.
Related templates
Often taught together
Business english core vocabulary for the working day
Non-native English speakers · Core workplace English
Everyday english for frontline and New international staff
Newly arrived or frontline employees · Core workplace English
Ready to run it?
Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.