Study English by listening: The best 5 business podcasts

Podcasts have become more and more popular over the last couple of years. For language learners, they offer a unique opportunity – total immersion in English, exposure to a range of accents and a wide choice of topics.

But with thousands of episodes released each week and each episode lasting up to an hour it can be hard to know what to listen to.

We’ve narrowed down the options to what we believe to be the 5 best business podcasts. We’ve found ones that offer practical ideas, professional development and real-world insight into business – all while helping you study English by listening.

1) Business Wars

Business Wars explores the competition between some of the world’s most famous companies. In particular, it examines how strategies, decisions and innovations have shaped their success.

Episodes have covered well-known business rivalries like Nike versus Adidas, Coca Cola versus Pepsi and Xbox versus Playstation. The stories demonstrate how competition drives change, and how companies respond to this pressure by adapting their products and adjusting their advertising.

As well as giving you tips on building brand loyalty in challenging markets, Business Wars is full of persuasive language. Try pausing after you listen and using some of the phrases you’ve picked up to describe your own business.

2) How I Built This

This podcast is one of our top recommendations to study English by listening, with two new episodes per week and interviews with the founders of well-known companies and brands. It’s a great resource for business founders and start-ups.

In each episode of How I Built This, entrepreneurs share how their business started, the obstacles they faced and the lessons they learned along the way. They talk about moments of uncertainty, failed ideas and the financial risks that they took before achieving success. As such, the podcast is a great example of how to tell a compelling story about your business in English – not just convey information.

3) All-In Podcast

The All-In Podcast is a weekly podcast that explores developments in technology and global business trends. It’s mainly focused around business in the United States.

The podcast is hosted by experienced investors and entrepreneurs. Their discussions often cover topics such as the future of work, financial markets and emerging technologies. Some of the episodes also analyse major news stories and consider how they might affect companies and industries now and into the future.

All-In Podcast is a great option if you want to challenge your listening skills with fast discussions. Try to summarise each speaker’s point of view at the end to test how well you understand what they were speaking about.

4) Badass Women in Business

This podcast explores the experiences of female founders through interviews and conversations. Some of the topics include leadership, entrepreneurship and career growth from the perspective of different women in business.

Previous episodes have focused on challenges such as building networks and accessing funding for start-ups, while other episodes have celebrated the achievements of female-run organisations. They’re often a great way to get more exposure to more diverse opinions about business in English and see how to approach topics from different angles.

5) The Marketing Book Podcast

The Marketing Book Podcast takes a different approach compared to the other podcasts mentioned. Each weekly episode features an interview with the author of a marketing book, and explores the key ideas and strategies from their work. This format allows listeners to quickly understand new marketing concepts, from customer behaviour and brand storytelling to digital marketing and communicating a message to your audience.

Many experts explain complex ideas. As a quick follow-up task, see if you can explain a new business idea you’ve learned about to a friend in one or two sentences.

A bonus podcast – Morning Brew Daily

For something a bit different, try listening to shorter podcasts more frequently instead of longer, weekly episodes. The Morning Brew Daily is one of the best daily business podcasts out there, with a quick overview of what’s going on in the world of business and technology. Each episode only lasts up to 30 minutes, which makes it easy to listen to on a commute or while having your own daily brew (cup of tea).

How to study English by listening to business podcasts

Listening to business podcasts is an effective way to improve your English language skills. You can hear authentic conversations and colloquial language in real-world contexts, and build your business English vocabulary. Understanding real workplace communication can help you boost your confidence and develop your active listening skills.

Check out our British Council English podcast for advice and inspiration from our teachers, such as tips on what to do when you don’t understand someone in English!

To make the most of listening to these 5 best business podcasts:

• Turn listening into a routine: Regular exposure to authentic English in context helps you to gradually build your listening skills. You could listen daily or weekly, and at a time that suits you.
• Focus on what you’re listening to: Remember that active listening requires you to concentrate fully on what you hear. If possible, avoid multitasking while you listen.
• Reflect on what you heard: While listening, take notes on the key points or the things that interest you, and summarise them after you’ve listened. That way, you can find it easier to retain any new language for you to use in your own business context.
• Support listening with other resources: You can read relevant online business articles and blogs that contain some of the new language you’ve learnt – for example, how to negotiate in business in English.

From the best business podcasts to real business communication

Listening to podcasts is a flexible way to fit learning into your working day and an effective way to help you develop professionally. The best business podcasts can help you stay informed about global business trends and learn more about topics that interest you, while improving your English skills at the same time.

Whether you’re a business owner, entrepreneur or simply interested in all-things business, these podcasts can help you at any stage of your business journey.

Want to put your business English into practice? Book a free trial and check out our latest course offer.