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Business English Warm-Ups

Communication-Focused Discussion Starters

Topic 01

Making a Sales Pitch

Pitching a product or service to clients, investors, or procurement teams.

Discussion

Opening Strong

  1. How do you typically open a sales pitch — with a statistic, a story, or a question? Why?
  2. What's the most important thing to find out about your audience before you pitch to them?
  3. How do you handle a prospect who seems uninterested in the first two minutes?
  4. What's the difference between selling features and selling benefits? Can you give an example from your industry?
  5. How do you close a pitch and move toward a next step without being too pushy?
Notes

Topic 02

Presenting at a Conference

Delivering a talk to a professional audience and managing the Q&A session.

Discussion

Stage Presence & Q&A

  1. What do you do in the first 60 seconds of a conference presentation to capture the audience's attention?
  2. How do you structure a 20-minute conference talk differently from a client presentation?
  3. What's your strategy when someone asks a question you don't know the answer to?
  4. How do you manage nerves before stepping onto a stage in front of a large audience?
  5. What makes a conference presentation memorable compared to a forgettable one?
Notes

Topic 03

Giving a Talk

Delivering a TED-style or lightning talk — short, focused, and story-driven.

Discussion

Short-Form Speaking

  1. What is the biggest challenge of having only 5–10 minutes to deliver a talk?
  2. How do you decide what to leave out when you have very limited time to speak?
  3. Why do the best TED talks tend to center on a single idea? Do you agree with this approach?
  4. How do you make a short talk feel personal and authentic rather than rehearsed?
  5. Have you ever given or attended a lightning talk? What made it effective or ineffective?
Notes