ADV Business: Lesson 2: Describing Your Company & Industry
- Chetana Karla Shakti
- Jun 20
- 3 min read
ADV Business: Lesson 2: Describing Your Company & Industry
C1 Business English Blog
Why It Matters
Whether you’re networking, emailing a new client, or speaking at a conference, knowing how to describe your company and industry clearly is essential. It shows professionalism, builds trust, and gives others a snapshot of what you do.
This lesson will help you explain your organization’s mission, structure, and market using advanced yet clear language.
Key Vocabulary
Term / Phrase | Meaning | Example Sentence |
Headquarters | The main office of a company | Our headquarters are located in Munich. |
Subsidiary | A company owned or controlled by another | We operate as a European subsidiary of a U.S. firm. |
Sector / Industry | A branch of business activity | I work in the tech sector, specifically software development. |
B2B / B2C | Business-to-business / Business-to-consumer | Our company focuses on B2B solutions. |
Market share | The percentage of sales in a market a company controls | We’ve increased our market share by 12% this year. |
Revenue | The total income generated | Last quarter’s revenue surpassed projections. |
Flagship product/service | The main or best-known offering | Our flagship service is real-time logistics tracking. |
Target audience | The specific group a business aims to reach | Our target audience includes mid-sized retailers. |
Useful Phrases
🔸 Describing Your Company
We’re a [size] company based in [location].
We specialize in [area or product].
Our core business is…
We operate in the [industry/sector] sector.
We serve clients in [markets or regions].
🔸 Talking About Your Industry
The [industry] industry is highly competitive / rapidly growing.
Our market has seen major changes in recent years.
Trends in our sector include…
We’ve seen increased demand for…
Speaking Practice
Task A – Describe Your Company
Use this frame to speak for 1–2 minutes:
“I work for [Company], which is a [size/description] company based in [location]. We specialize in [product/service], and our clients are mainly [target market]. The company was founded in [year], and now we operate in [countries/regions]. Our flagship product is [product], which has helped us grow our market share significantly.”
Task B – Industry Analysis
Practice talking about your industry:
What are the key trends?
What are some challenges or innovations?
Where do you see growth potential?
Use these frames:
“One trend we’re noticing is…”
“A challenge we face in this sector is…”
“Our industry is moving toward more sustainable practices.”
Here’s a list of natural responses you can use in a business context when someone asks:
“Do you think other people feel the same way you do?”(especially in meetings, negotiations, or teamwork settings)
✅ Agreeing with Some Uncertainty or Soft Certainty
From what I understand, yes.
I believe so.
I think many people do, actually.
It seems that way.
To the best of my knowledge, yes.
I’ve heard similar opinions from others.
In my experience, that tends to be the case.
🤔 Being Diplomatic or Neutral
Possibly, but I wouldn’t speak for everyone.
Some might agree, but others may see it differently.
That depends on their role or perspective.
It’s hard to say — different teams have different priorities.
There’s probably a mix of opinions.
💬 Turning the Question Back
That’s a good point — what have you heard from others?
I’d be curious to know how others feel too.
Maybe we could ask the team to get a clearer picture.
Writing Task
Write a short company overview (100–120 words) you could use for your website or LinkedIn profile.
Example:
I work for NovaTech Solutions, a mid-sized software company based in São Paulo. We develop custom tools for the finance sector, helping clients manage data securely and efficiently. Our flagship product is a cloud-based analytics dashboard used by banks across Latin America. Founded in 2012, we’ve grown into a team of over 100 people and expanded operations into Argentina and Mexico.
Discussion Questions
How would you describe your company to someone outside your industry?
What makes your industry competitive or challenging?
How has your sector changed in the past 5–10 years?
Homework
Research a competitor’s company profile online. Write 5 useful phrases or vocabulary items they used.
Record yourself describing your company and your industry. Listen back: How clearly do you explain it?
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