Business English Topics for Debate/Discussion

1. Multinationals do more harm than good.

2. Multi-level marketing is a legitimate business model.
3. We need a minimum wage so that companies dont take advantage of their employees.
4. Human Resources shouldnt be allowed to ask questions about an applicants marital status,
religion, age, medical history, or immigration status.
5. Companies shouldnt look at prospective employees social media profiles.
6. Casual dress codes are beneficial for the company.
7. Companies should have strict policies against dating at work.
8. Open floor plans are better than cubicle farms.
9. GMOs have made the world a better place.
10. Happy employees do a better job.
11. Its okay for bars, restaurants, casinos, and other businesses in the service sector to only hire
attractive employees.
12. Social media sites should be blocked at work.
13. The lingua franca for doing business should be English and more companies should demand
English proficiency from their employees.
14. Employees that work from home are more productive.
15. Companies should be allowed to drug test their employees.
16. An MBA is worth the cost.
17. Non-financial incentives are better motivators than financial incentives.

18. Pay-day loans need to be regulated by the government.

19. Corporations should not be allowed to make large campaign contributions to political candidates.
20. Pro sports leagues should not have a non-profit status.
21. Men should be given more time off for paternity leave.
22. We need laws to regulate the unpredictability of part-time schedules.
23. Companies should be forced to provide health care to full-time employees.
24. Companies should be forced to provide health care to part-time employees.
25. Prescription drug companies should be allowed to advertise directly to consumers.
26. We need laws to ensure that women receive salaries comparable to their male counterparts.
27. There should be gender quotas for women on boards of directors.
28. Public funds should not be used for professional sports stadiums.

1. Success-Failure

How would you define success?

Do you have the same idea of success as your parents?

To what extent will your encourage your children to become

successful?

Do you think failures can contribute to a person's success?

Can you think of any famous people who encountered failure

before success?

2. Social Networking

What is social networking?

Can social networking sites be dangerous?

What precautions would you advise people to take?

Should the use of social networking sites be banned at work?

Are social networking sites changing our daily behaviour?

3. Diseases

What dangerous diseases are people scared of nowadays?

Should we be better-informed about the dangers of these

diseases?

What is the best way to stop diseases from spreading?

Which disease is it urgent to find a cure for?

4. News coverage in the media today.

What improvements would you make?

What is the most important current news story?

Do certain types of events get too much/too little coverage?

Is it important to keep up with current events?

5. Shopping on the internet

Do you often do your shopping online?

What do you buy online? :

- food
- clothes
- furniture
- services : airline tickets, theatre reservations, flowers,

greeting cards ...

- other

Are the prices the same as in the shops/agencies or less

expensive?

Have you ever had any disappointments or bad surprises?

What are the advantages of shopping online?

What are the dangers?

What advice would you give future online shoppers?

6. Politicians' personal lives.

Does a politician's personal life have an effect on their ability to

do their job?

Do you think the media pays too much attention to politicians'

personal lives?

Do certain types of media give too much coverage?

Information concerning personal lives circulates quickly on

social networks.
Is this good or bad?

7. History for future generations.

You are asked to select a number of objects to represent life at

the beginning of the 21st century.
The idea is to help future generations better understand how we
lived and what major events affected us.
What objects would your choose and why?

8. Technology

What technology would it be difficult to live without today?

Has technology changed our everyday lifestyle?

What technology, if any, has made our homes more

comfortable?

Has technology changed education methods?

Will online education one day replace the classroom?

9. Travelling has become easier and cheaper. What has it changed in

people's lives :

speed, comfort, health, family relationships, etc.

work/employment

holiday habits

way of life/standard of living in certain countries

10. Describe the best or worst trip you ever took :

Where did you go?

Did you travel alone or with a group?

What did you do / what had you intended to do?

What made it your best (or worst) trip?

What advice would you give someone planning the same sort of
trip?

11. Work

Do human beings need to work to be happy?

What motivates people to work long hours?

Can perks (or fringe benefits) compensate for a boring job?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of working from home?

How do people find a balance between work and personal life?

What would make you leave your job?

In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?

12. Is life today better than in the past? Think about the following :

Education - employment - job satisfaction

Health : prevention, treatment, new discoveries, social security,

etc.

Comfort : standard of living (housing/transport/leisure)

Violence

Social issues : single mothers, unmarried couples,

homosexuality ...

13. Inventions

What invention has had the greatest impact on our lives?

Are there some things that never should have been invented?

Do some countries encourage inventors more than others?

14. What are the 5 most important decisions in a person's life?

After making suggestions and defending their ideas, the group retains
five and decides on the order of importance.

15. It is impossible to have a successful career and a happy family life.

You have to choose one or the other. Do you agree?
16. Careers today : how to advise young people

How important is it to have a good (well-paid/secure) job?

What advice would you give a young person today?

Would you encourage your children to accept a job in another

country?

Would you be disappointed if your children

left school early?

chose a manual job?

17. The internet is already an essential communication tool in today's

world.
The first and most popular use is the email.

What others can you think of?

Has fraud increased since the arrival of the internet? How?

What steps would you advise to protect data and privacy?

What do you think the internet will be used for in the future?

18. Recent physical achievements (crossing the Atlantic, mountain

climbing, etc.).

How many can you think of?

Which achievement was the most impressive?

Are the world's best athletes present at the Olympic Games?

What do you think of 'extreme' sports (bungee jumping,

tightrope walking...)?

19. Has violence increased in recent years?

What are the causes (unemployment, poverty, minority issues,

tv series,
poor parenting ...?

What are the effects on young children?

What could be done to reduce violence?

Is the increase in violence a worldwide phenomenon?

20. The effects of medical and scientific progress :

health (prevention, treatment, organ transplants, rare diseases,

etc.)

beauty (plastic surgery, dental care, etc.)

comfort in the home

Useful Expressions for Discussion and Debate

Giving an Opinion

Asking for an Opinion

In my opinion
I think
The way I see it

What do you think?

According to

Do you agree?

As far as Im concerned

What are your thoughts on this?

Agreeing
I completely agree. (strong)
Youre absolutely right. (strong)

Disagreeing

I couldnt agree more. (strong)

I completely disagree. (strong)

Exactly.

I totally disagree. (strong)

Youre right.

I disagree.

I agree.

Thats not always true.

I guess so. (weak)

Thats not always the case.

You could be right. (weak)

Im not so sure about that. (weak)

You may have a point there. (weak)

I dont know if I agree with you. (weak)

Acknowledging someones argument and presenting yours

I agree with you, but
That may be true, but
I see your point, but
I guess so, but
Thats not necessarily true because
Not necessarily because

Countering Directly
But
But why?
But if
But what about

Interrupting
Sorry to interrupt, but
Can I add something?
Sorry, you were saying (after interrupting someone)
Please let me finish (after being interrupted)

Redirecting
Lets get back to
Getting back to
You were saying that