This course complements and is the continuation of English: Writing. Its main aim is to integrate theoretical knowledge, both previously acquired and new, with the practical skills of understanding and producing the spoken language. Further aims deriving from this are as follows:
- To provide students with language models (structures and lexis used in Business English) suitable for different professional situations related to the advertising and PR sectors (mainly business meetings and presentations) and opportunities to practise different types of interaction and talk about topics related to professional and non-professional life (Social English). - To improve students’ ability to understand the spoken language.
- To foster students’ ability to use language functions effectively: to express and ask for ideas, opinions, wishes; to negotiate, to solve problems, and so on.
- To help students to develop verbal communication strategies.
- To improve grammatical accuracy, fluency and pronunciation. A large part of the course is devoted to fluency activities which are carried out in pairs or groups and involve discussions of topics previously suggested by the students
- To increase students’ awareness of the cultural factors associated with the need to communicate effectively with professionals from around the world, with special emphasis on the Anglo-American model of verbal interaction.
- To encourage students to become as involved as possible in their own learning process.
- To foster students’ autonomy as well as the ability to work in groups.

To achieve these aims the course has been divided into 2 blocks, which are:
i) business meetings.
ii) presentations.

Each block contains specific learning activities which are directly related to the topic dealt with, as well as more general activities which continue throughout the course: talking on the telephone, social English and grammar and lexis.

The methodology used is very active and all the learning activities require a high level of participation from students, so attending classes is recommended. The standard of English is B2 / upper- intermediate (equivalent to Cambridge First Certificate in English).