Business Chinese for Professionals Level 1

Course Details

Mandarin Chinese plays an increasingly important role in today’s business and professional environment, particularly across Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and the wider ASEAN region. Many professionals recognise this importance but hesitate to start learning due to the perception that Mandarin is difficult, unfamiliar, or requires long term academic study.

This beginner-level programme is designed specifically to address those concerns. It provides structured exposure, guided practice, and repeated exercises in practical spoken Mandarin that is commonly used in daily and workplace situations. Rather than focusing on memorisation or grammatical theory, the programme emphasises functional communication and familiarity with the language.

Participants are gradually introduced to Mandarin sounds, sentence patterns, andcommonly used phrases through interactive activities, role plays, games, and scenario-based exercises. The learning environment is deliberately kept supportive and low-pressure, allowing participants to practise, repeat, and improve at a realistic pace.

By the end of the programme, participants will have built a solid foundation and meaningful exposure that enables them to attempt basic Mandarin communication with greater ease and awareness.
By the end of this 28-hour beginner programme, participants will be able to:

Learning Objectives

  • Recognise the relevance and practical value of spoken Mandarin in professional and business contexts
  • Understand and apply basic Mandarin sentence patterns used in everyday interactions
  • Participate in simple conversations related to greetings, introductions, numbers, time, money, and food
  • Ask and respond to basic questions commonly used in workplace and client-related situations
  • Demonstrate increased familiarity with Mandarin pronunciation, rhythm, and structure through repeated exposure
  • Identify personal learning gaps and appropriate next steps for continued Mandarin development
  • The learning outcomes are intentionally framed around exposure, participation, and foundational ability, ensuring that expectations remain realistic and achievable for complete beginners

Course Outline

Session 1 (2 Hours): Greetings & Basic Introductions

Focus: This session introduces participants to the sounds, rhythm, and basic sentence flow of Mandarin through commonly used greetings and introductions. The focus is on listening, imitation, and controlled speaking so learners become familiar with how Mandarin is spoken in real interactions. Emphasis is placed on recognition and repetition rather than accuracy, allowing beginners to ease into spoken Mandarin without pressure.

This session focuses on building initial familiarity and comfort with the topic through guided exposure and repeated practice. Participants are introduced to commonly used language elements in a structured and supportive manner, allowing them to hear, recognise, and attempt usage without pressure. Emphasis is placed on understanding patterns, sounds, and context rather than accuracy or memorisation, ensuring beginners can participate actively and progress at a realistic pace.

Participants will be exposed to and practise:

  • Common greetings (formal and casual)
  • Introducing name, role, company, and location
  • Polite expressions used in first meetings

Activities:

  • Guided role-play introductions
  • Video and audio listening exercises
  • Group repetition and paired practice

Training Outcomes:

  • Participants can attempt simple greetings in Mandarin
  • Improved familiarity with basic conversational flow
  • Reduced hesitation when starting a conversation

Session 2 (2 Hours): Introduction to Chinese Characters

Focus: This session focuses on helping participants understand the logic behind Chinese characters so that written Mandarin feels less intimidating. Learners are exposed to how characters are constructed, why stroke order matters, and how meaning is represented visually. The emphasis is on recognition and basic writing awareness rather than memorisation or writing proficiency.

This session focuses on building initial familiarity and comfort with the topic through guided exposure and repeated practice. Participants are introduced to commonly used language elements in a structured and supportive manner, allowing them to hear, recognise, and attempt usage without pressure. Emphasis is placed on understanding patterns, sounds, and context rather than accuracy or memorisation, ensuring beginners can participate actively and progress at a realistic pace.

Participants will be exposed to and practise:

  • Basic character structure and logic
  • Common strokes and stroke order
  • Recognition of frequently used characters

Activities:

  • Character storytelling
  • Simple writing and matching games
  • Visual recognition exercises

Training Outcomes:

  • Participants understand that characters follow patterns
  • Improved recognition of basic written Chinese
  • Reduced fear of Chinese writing

Session 3 (2 Hours): Numbers in Daily Communication

Focus: This session focuses on familiarising participants with Mandarin number sounds and patterns as they appear in everyday and workplace situations. Learners practise recognising, saying, and responding to numbers through structured activities, enabling them to process numerical information more comfortably in real contexts such as dates, phone numbers, and quantities.

This session focuses on building initial familiarity and comfort with the topic through guided exposure and repeated practice. Participants are introduced to commonly used language elements in a structured and supportive manner, allowing them to hear, recognise, and attempt usage without pressure. Emphasis is placed on understanding patterns, sounds, and context rather than accuracy or memorisation, ensuring beginners can participate actively and progress at a realistic pace.

Participants will be exposed to and practise:

  • Numbers (single, double, hundreds)
  • Phone numbers
  • Days and months

Activities:

  • Number games (e.g. Bingo)
  • Phone number exchange practice
  • Calendar-based exercises

Training Outcomes:

  • Participants can recognise and say basic numbers
  • Improved understanding of numerical information

Session 4 (1 Hour): Numbers Practice Lab

Focus: This practice-focused session reinforces previously introduced number concepts through repetition and guided drills. The emphasis is on strengthening recall and listening recognition so participants become more comfortable processing numbers at a natural speaking pace.

This session focuses on building initial familiarity and comfort with the topic through guided exposure and repeated practice. Participants are introduced to commonly used language elements in a structured and supportive manner, allowing them to hear, recognise, and attempt usage without pressure. Emphasis is placed on understanding patterns, sounds, and context rather than accuracy or memorisation, ensuring beginners can participate actively and progress at a realistic pace.

Activities:

  • Guided drills
  • Short speaking rounds

Training Outcomes:

  • Stronger recall of numbers
  • Increased ease through repeated exposure

Session 5 (2 Hours): Money & Market Situations

Focus: This session focuses on applying number knowledge to simple transactional contexts commonly encountered in daily life and work. Participants are exposed to basic money-related vocabulary and sentence patterns used when asking prices, handling amounts, and making simple purchase-related enquiries. The emphasis is on practical exposure rather than negotiation mastery.

Participants will be exposed to and practise:

  • Counting money
  • Asking for prices
  • Simple buying and discount enquiries

Activities:

  • Market-style role play with props
  • Buyer–seller exercises

 

Training Outcomes:

  • Participants can attempt basic transactional conversations
  • Better understanding of money-related vocabulary

Session 6 (2 Hours): Time & Appointments

Focus: This session introduces participants to how time-related expressions are used in Mandarin, particularly in workplace scheduling and appointment contexts. Learners are guided to recognise and practise common sentence patterns for asking and telling time, supporting clearer understanding of schedules and meeting arrangements.

Participants will be exposed to and practise:

  • Asking and telling time
  • Setting appointments 
  • Common office time expressions

Activities:

  • Office scenario role plays
  • Appointment scheduling exercises

Training Outcomes:

  • Improved familiarity with time-related expressions
  • Reduced confusion in scheduling contexts

Session 7 (2 Hours): Integrated Role Play Practice

Focus: This session focuses on integrating previously learned content into simple, structured interactions. Participants practise combining greetings, numbers, time, and transactional language in guided role-play scenarios, helping them experience how individual elements come together in real communication.

This session focuses on building initial familiarity and comfort with the topic through guided exposure and repeated practice. Participants are introduced to commonly used language elements in a structured and supportive manner, allowing them to hear, recognise, and attempt usage without pressure. Emphasis is placed on understanding patterns, sounds, and context rather than accuracy or memorisation, ensuring beginners can participate actively and progress at a realistic pace.

Activities:

  • Mixed scenario role plays
  • Group practice with trainer guidance

Training Outcomes:

  • Participants can combine learnt elements in simple conversations
  • Improved overall comfort with spoken Mandarin

Session 8 (1 Hour): Food, Colours & Cultural Awareness

Focus: This session exposes participants to commonly used social language related to food and everyday interactions, alongside basic cultural awareness. The focus is on understanding how simple expressions are used in informal yet practical contexts, supporting smoother social and client interactions outside formal meetings.

Participants will be exposed to and practise:

  • Ordering food
  • Asking for the bill
  • Common colours
  • Basic cultural differences

Activities:

  • Restaurant role play
  • Cultural discussion and quizzes

Training Outcomes:

  • Improved social communication exposure
  • Increased cultural awareness

Session 9 (2 Hours): Question Construction – Part 1

Focus: This session focuses on helping participants recognise and practise basic Mandarin question structures used in workplace communication. Learners are introduced to how question words interact with simple sentence patterns, allowing them to construct multiple questions through guided exercises. The emphasis is on structural awareness and repeated exposure rather than spontaneous questioning.

Participants will be exposed to and practise:

  • Basic Mandarin question structures
  • Who / What / When / Where / Why / How
  • Workplace-related question vocabulary

Activities:

  • Sentence pattern exercises
  • Guided question-building activities
  • Scripted role plays

Training Outcomes:

  • Participants practise constructing approximately 50–60 basic questions
  • Improved understanding of how Mandarin questions are formed
  • Reduced hesitation when attempting questions

Session 10 (2 Hours): Question Expansion – Part 2

Focus: This session builds on earlier question structures by expanding combinations and variations through structured practice. Participants are guided to manipulate familiar patterns to generate a larger volume of questions, strengthening familiarity with question flow and improving ease of recognition and usage.

Participants will be exposed to and practise:

  • Combining sentence patterns to form multiple question variations
  • Asking simple follow-up and clarification questions

Activities:

  • Group question-generation exercises
  • Scenario-based practice
  • Controlled repetition rounds

Training Outcomes:

  • Participants practise over 100 basic question constructions
  • Improved familiarity with question flow and structure
  • Strong foundation for future conversational development

Session 11 (2 Hours): Question Practice & Application

Focus: This session focuses on applying question structures within simple workplace scenarios. Learners practise listening to and responding to common questions, helping them adapt to more natural conversational pacing while still working within guided and controlled activities.

Activities:

  • Workplace simulations
  • Listening and response exercises

Training Outcomes:

  • Participants can recognise and respond to common questions
  • Increased exposure to real conversational pace

Session 12 (1 Hour): Consolidation & Practice Lab

Focus: This session reinforces learning from the question modules through repetition and guided review. The emphasis is on consolidating patterns, clarifying common errors, and strengthening overall familiarity before moving into more professional communication contexts.

Activities:

  • Review drills
  • Guided speaking practice

Training Outcomes:

  • Reinforced learning through repetition
  • Clear identification of personal improvement areas

Session 13 (2 Hours): Saying “No” Politely in Mandarin

Focus: This session introduces participants to polite refusal structures commonly used in Mandarin professional settings. The focus is on recognising tone, phrasing, and context rather than delivering nuanced refusals, ensuring learners understand how politeness is conveyed linguistically and culturally.

Participants will be exposed to and practise:

  • Common polite refusal structures
  • Tone and context awareness

Activities:

  • Scenario role plays
  • Guided sentence practice

Training Outcomes:

  • Participants can attempt polite refusals
  • Improved awareness of professional tone

Session 14 (2 Hours): Client-Specific Workplace Phrases

Focus: This session focuses on exposing participants to workplace phrases relevant to their specific job functions. Learners practise recognising and attempting commonly used expressions in phone calls and basic enquiries, improving familiarity with language they are most likely to encounter at work.

Participants will be exposed to:

  • Phone conversations
  • Handling basic enquiries

Activities:

  • Phone role plays
  • Industry-relevant scenarios

Training Outcomes:

  • Participants practise language relevant to their work context
  • Improved workplace applicability

Session 15 (2 Hours): Extended Workplace Practice

Focus: This session provides extended practice to reinforce client-specific language through repetition and guided correction. The emphasis is on integration and consistency, allowing participants to stabilise previously introduced structures in a work-related context.

Activities:

  • Revision and role play
  • Trainer-guided correction

Training Outcomes:

  • Improved sentence accuracy through practice
  • Better integration of learnt content

Session 16 (1 Hour): Final Review & Personal Action Plan

Focus: This final session focuses on reviewing key language patterns and reflecting on individual learning progress. Participants are guided to recognise what they can now attempt comfortably and to identify practical next steps for continued Mandarin exposure and development.

Activities:

  • Overall revision
  • Personal learning reflection

Training Outcomes:

  • Clear understanding of achieved level
  • Personal action plan for continued learning

Who Should Attend

This programme is suitable for:

Course Methodology

Learning Progression

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Business Language Skills

For Details About The Course

TFG Bliss Innovations is an HRD Corp-registered, corporate training provider based in Kuala Lumpur, specialising in Communication, Business Language, and Digital Transformation program for Malaysian organisations.

At TFG Bliss Innovations, we don’t just train – we empower businesses to thrive in an evolving  corporate landscape

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