This lesson will focus on using a variety of expressions related to success.
This lesson will help you use these idioms describing success. You will also get a chance to talk about your own experiences.
The topic is success, which is hopefully 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 natural. Let's add some natural expressions using the phrases in the Language section."
- 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.
How do you measure success?
This warm-up should take 2–3 minutes.
Here are some ideas of ways to measure success.
- Profitability.
- Number of customers
- Satisfaction of customers/employees
- Level of learning and knowledge.
- How you spend your time—are you enjoying your life? Time is the most limited resource we have.
Please consider each expression and match them to the images. Your instructor has an example and a question regarding each one.
- plain sailing—easy, without problems.
- strike gold—do, find or make something that will be very profitable or successful, sometimes by chance.
- stop at nothing—not allow anything to stop you achieving your aim.
- (the) light at the end of the tunnel—the end of a difficult process.
- set your sights on [something]—decide that you will achieve some goal.
- sow the seeds of success—start a process which will produce success in the future.
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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. (B) plain sailing
E.g.: I don't think we will have any problems with this project. It will be plain sailing.
Practice: The interview was really easy.
→Example answer: The interview was plain sailing.
Question: What do you find easy in your job?
→Example answer: I have to make slides for presentations, and now that I know what to do, it's plain sailing.
2. (C) strike gold
E.g.: When the scientist invented a new, smaller micro-chip that would revolutionise digital technology, he knew he had struck gold.
Practice: Bill Gates ensured his success when he came up with Windows.
→Example answer: Bill Gates struck gold when he came up with Windows.
Question: Sometimes people can become successful through luck. Can you give me an example?
→Example answer: When my uncle bought a farm, he didn't realise there was a huge oil deposit in the ground. He really struck gold there.
3. (D) stop at nothing
E.g.: He doesn't care what he has to do. He will stop at nothing to become CEO of the company.
Practice: Some people are determined to reach the top and won't let anything stand in their way.
→Example answer: Some people will stop at nothing to reach the top.
Question: How important is ambition in your industry?
→Example answer: It's important to co-operate with your colleagues, but some people will stop at nothing to become successful.
4. (A) light at the end of the tunnel
E.g.: I know this has been a long and hard process, but we have nearly finished, and it's all going to be okay. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Practice: The team were encouraged when they reached the final stages of the difficult project.
→Example answer: The team were encouraged when they could see light at the end of the tunnel.
Question: How do you feel when you come to the end of a problematic project?
→Example answer: When I work on a particularly long or tiring project, it feels great when I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
5. (F) set your sights on something
E.g.: She set her sights on becoming a doctor when she was still in junior high school.
Practice: The CEO decided to achieve market domination inside three years.
→Example answer: The CEO set his sights on market domination inside three years.
Question: Have you ever made a decision to achieve an ambition?
→Example answer: I set my sights on getting a job with this company when I left university, and I was happy when they offered me a position.
6. (E) sow the seeds of success
E.g.: Hiring the best people for the job is one way to sow the seeds of success.
Practice: We tried to make sure the start-up would be successful in the future by making a detailed business plan.
→Example answer: We sowed the seeds of success for the start-up by making a detailed business plan.
Question: How important is a good education?
→Example answer: If you get a good education, you sow the seeds of success.
A. Complete the anecdote
Read each section and choose an appropriate idiom from the list above.
- The CEO had a reputation for being determined to succeed at any cost. People said that he would fire his best people, steal from his competitors and even break the law to gain an advantage in the market. Some people have limits, but this man would…
- The early stages in the development of a new company are very important in terms of ensuring the future of the business. Hiring the right people and giving them the right environment to express themselves is one way to…
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The pharmaceutical company invested a lot of money in R&D, hoping that their researchers would one day develop a drug to cure the common cold. If they could find such a cure, the company would make a huge profit on their investment. So they kept going year after year, in the hope that they would eventually…
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Ambition is an important factor in success, so it is vital that you choose your path carefully, and make a rational decision. Some targets cannot be reached, so it’s not a good idea to choose something unrealistic to…
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The government announced that there were signs that the recession was coming to an end after many years of economic hardship. They were careful to say that there was still a long way to go, but the good news was that they could see…
- The new computer system was very confusing and slow. The IT department explained that difficulties like this are very common and reminded the designer that they had been warned that learning how to use the new software wouldn’t be…
B. Discussion
Use idioms to discuss the following topics.
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Is it possible to be too ambitious?
- How does your company maintain its market position?
- Describe one difficulty and one easy thing about your last project.
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Images:
Daniel Büscher via Pixabay
Boston Public Library via Flickr
Luke Stackpoole via Unsplash
Kasuma via Pexels
Mostafa Meraji via Unsplash
Binyamin Mellish via Pexels