This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction for students and professionals who are studying English for business or workplace communication and covers both spoken and written English. Based on up-to-date research in business communication and incorporating an international range of real-world authentic texts, this book deals with the realities of communication in business today. Key features of this book include: use of English in social media that reflects recent trends in business communication; coverage of the concept of communicative competence; analysis of email communication; introduction to informal English and English for socialisation as well as goodwill messages, such as thank you or appreciation messages, which are a part of everyday interaction in the workplace; examination of persuasive messages and ways to understand such messages; an e-resources website that includes authentic examples of different workplace genres and a reference section covering relevant research studies and weblinks for readers to better understand the topics covered in each chapter. This book goes beyond the traditional coverage of business English to provide a broad and practical textbook for those studying English in a workplace setting.

This book contains business communication information that may not have been taught in college–information that has been accumulated over years of business experience and teaching. Anyone can read these brief tips to learn how to better communicate in business while saving the time that might have been invested in reading many books. The tips cover the fundamental areas of writing, speaking, and interpersonal communication, as well offer general business communication advice. Each tip is a practical application that can be implemented immediately. Each tip is also illustrated by a story from the author’s work life in various industries. Lastly, the book also lays a foundation for an understanding of how the brain influences all communication.

In spite of the day-to-day relevance of business communication, it remains underrepresented in standard handbooks and textbooks on applied linguistics. The present volume introduces readers to a wide variety of linguistic studies of business communication, ranging from traditional LSP approaches to contemporary discourse-based work, and from the micro-level of lexical choice to macro-level questions of language policy and culture.