business english has increased in demand throughout the world as the global economy becomes more inter-dependent, the universal
business language used is
english. Companies are looking further afield to find new
business and the need to communicate effectively in the
business language, has never been more important.
business english teachers need a slightly different approach to their subject than other teaching groups, as most
business students requirements may not match what they actually need. The
teacher may need to slip into the role of facilitator, working with clients to understand their learning styles, to discover their specific needs and immediate objectives and to help them set achievable targets.
The
teacher needs to establish what the student's competency level is before starting classes,
business english classes are often a mixture of competency levels, comprising of departmental staff from secretaries to directors, who all have different learning agendas. The
teacher should carry out a needs analysis exercise to establish very clearly, what the students' feel they need to learn and are looking to achieve from the class.
Needs Analysis is critical in establishing what the student wants from their course, the
questions asked should cover: previous learning experience, job responsibilities, situations where they would communicate in
english, language areas they feel they need to improve, any specific vocabulary they may need and what they expect from the course.
business english is needs driven as nearly all students have a motivation for learning which can be very specific. For example, the Customer Services Manager has a very important presentation he has to make to a group of
english clients in two months time.
Most individuals will want to be able to use the language learnt in context, both professionally and possibly socially. They may already know the
business vocabulary relative to their company or to the industry they're in, they need to learn how to use that vocabulary at the right time, in the right situation. Teaching
business english can be more a question of teaching general
english grammar and vocabulary to be used in the right
business situation.
Having established the individual student`s competency level and their personal
needs analysis, the
teacher should use their first group lesson to negotiate collectively, areas of group overlap, group priorities and specific priorities individuals may have. The
teacher can then start to weave together, the group's objectives with the appropriate general
english and start formulating lesson plans. If planned and prepared properly, it should be possible to map out the first ten lessons in advance, highlighting the relevance of each lesson to the group`s priorities.
businesses have targets and objectives and they expect
business teachers to work to the same criteria.
teachers of
business english will need to review continually, the course objectives to make sure they`re on track, and that the aims of each lesson are highlighted before the class. Individuals can be assessed during the course to ensure that their personal needs are being addressed, and probably at the end of the course, the
teacher will be asked to produce an end of course report detailing
individual evaluation, test scores, attendance record, course contents and suggestions for future work.
The goal should be to expose the student`s to as much
english as possible to effectively use the learned language in a
business related situation. To teach
business english effectively,
teachers need to plan and prepare each step of the way, be flexible and expect the unexpected.