This lesson will focus on using a variety of expressions related to competition.
This lesson will help you use these idioms describing competition. You will also have the chance to talk about your own experiences and share your opinions.
The topic is competition, which should be a familiar subject for most students.
Guide to Business Idioms
Why idioms?
Idioms bring up a lot of pre-packaged imagery. They are emotive and they resonate with native speakers.
Don't over-use them, but on the other hand, a well-placed idiom will bring your language to life.
Warm Up
- Be quick & interesting.
- Note idioms the student uses unprompted.
- You may say, "That was a clear answer, but it wasn't very emotive/engaging/interesting. Let's add an idiom or two to spice it up!"
- Praise or recommend good spoken grammar:
- use of contractions (it isn't, they're, etc...);
- short, active sentences (clear spoken English often employs such language);
- emphatic language.
Language section
You may take multiple classes for this.
- Encourage short answers, but don't move too quickly (find a balance).
- Focus on the phrase at hand.
- Make sure the student is confident with each one before moving on.
- Encourage the student to express themselves using their own experiences or knowledge as much as possible.
- Model the target language as much as possible.
What is your company's main competitive advantage?
This warm-up should take 2–3 minutes.
Example:
The concept of competitive advantage is quite simple. It is something you, your company, or your client possess that provides you with some kind of edge over your competition. It may be:
- a physical asset (we have factories in 30 countries);
- a skill-set (the best programmers may be at Google); or
- a culture (The English Farm supports skills-sharing in workshops, round tables, and open communication).
Please match each image to an expression below. Your instructor has an example and a question regarding each expression.
- cut-throat—competing in a fierce and intense way.
- to play hardball—to behave in an unpleasant, threatening way so that you get what you want.
- two can play at that game—when someone does harm to you, you can do the same to them.
- the survival of the fittest—only the strongest people continue to exist or be successful.
- the law of the jungle—people who care only about themselves will be most likely to succeed.
A: |
B: |
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C: |
D: |
E: |
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Spend as long or as short a time as necessary on each phrase, but make sure the student can use it smoothly before moving on. The student should rephrase the "Practice" sentence with the target idiom, and then answer the "Question" using the target idiom.
1. (A) cut-throat (adjective)
E.g.: It’s very stressful to work in the cut-throat world of international finance.
Practice: Mobile communications is an industry with intense and fierce competition.
→Example answer: Mobile communications is a cut-throat industry.
Question: How competitive is the industry that you work in?
→Example answer: My industry is definitely competitive, but I don’t think it’s as cut-throat as other industries, such as advertising.
2. (D) to play hardball
E.g.: In pay negotiations, it is common for workers’ unions to play hardball with management.
Practice: Our competitors were threatening our market share so we decided to make sure we got what we wanted.
→Example answer: Our competitors were threatening our market share so we decided to play hardball.
Question: In your industry, is it common for companies to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals?
→Example answer: It can happen that companies play hardball, but generally speaking, we follow unwritten rules and play fair.
3. (C) two can play at that game
E.g.: So, our main competitor is trying to headhunt our executives? Well, two can play at that game.
Practice: Haywu have reduced the price of their mobile phones. Okay, we can do the same.
→Example answer: Haywu have reduced the price of their mobile phones. Okay, two can play at that game.
Question: Can you think of a situation where your company did the same thing as a rival?
→Example answer: I can’t think of a specific example but it’s common for my company to react to the moves of a competitor. If they do something to harm our business, two can play at that game.
4. (B) the survival of the fittest
E.g.: In many areas of business, only the strongest companies continue to operate. It’s the survival of the fittest.
Practice: In the tech world, the most powerful companies will carry on and the weaker ones will disappear because only the strongest can survive.
→Example answer: In the tech world, the most powerful companies will carry on and the weaker ones will disappear because it’s the survival of the fittest.
Question: Can weaker firms continue to exist in your area of business?
→Example answer: Generally speaking, in my area of business, both more- and less-powerful companies can continue to operate, so it’s not really a case of the survival of the fittest.
5. (E) the law of the jungle
E.g.: In the years before strict regulation of the financial industry, it was the law of the jungle.
Practice: Some economists believe that in capitalist systems, only people who care about themselves will succeed.
→Example answer: Some economists believe that in capitalist systems, it’s the law of the jungle.
Question: In the modern business world, do you think that companies have to be selfish in order to succeed?
→Example answer: To be honest, I really don’t think it’s the law of the jungle nowadays. Businesses are much too concerned about their public image to behave that way.
A. Complete the anecdote
Read each section and choose an appropriate idiom from the list above.
- Business markets need tight regulations; otherwise, companies will do whatever they want and it will be…
- In this industry, companies are constantly trying to find ways to beat each other. The competition is…
- We will always take urgent action if one of our competitors tries to take some of our market share. If they make a move, well,…
- In a hostile takeover, the acquiring business will sometimes behave quite unpleasantly. It’s quite common for them…
- In any competitive industry, some companies will succeed and others will fail. It’s…
B. Discussion
Use idioms to discuss the following topics.
- How competitive is the industry in which you work?
- Are your main competitors expanding?
- How does your company react to changes made by its competitors?
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