On teaching business class.

Once English business students start comparing themselves to other people writing or speaking the same phrases in English at work, they’ll feel they are reaching their functional fluency in the language. They will also feel much more confident about managing business internationally.

The successful Business English teacher probably needs to move her/his students towards the achievable before expecting the best. Materials should have a clear direction, using references to actual business scenarios. Games ought to be used much more sparingly, if at all. Conversations should shift from the typical topics of traveling, sports, shopping etc..  rather involve talk concerning, ongoing projects, workweek, odd or frustrating business issues for example. Try for example a fast review of the last week’s activities to warm up the students and put their brains at the English zone, if you can avoid it, spend as little time on trivial issues as possible.

Most importantly, the best Business English teachers will probably always be thinking about what the students in any particular class have to learn to do their job better in English. The student should feel comfortable and safe with language that is functional, this is more a process of elimination as opposed to addition. As teachers, we should be constantly on the lookout for trimming back on what is “fluff”. Studying two standard phrases asking for caution; for interrupting; agreement in meetings; carrying a message; requesting a favor; writing an email and so forth. Most of us practise some sort of English related communicative tasks while on the job, take some of these and convert them into language topics.

The simple phrases such as, “I’m sorry, he won’t be until three today” or “I’m sorry, what was that? I missed it” are said untold times but they still leave the speaker very easy to understand exactly because the phrases are so common.

Training adult students to speak English generally means helping them to work globally utilizing the English language.  It does not mean teaching them to write interesting essays or maintain a sparkling conversation beyond the limits of the usual small talk.  Companies invest heavily in getting their students to absorb the language, they have the right to expect that the teachers will focus on work-related language and practical skills as well any grammatical conditions or pronunciation that may interfere with their communication. Now, this may often be challenging for teachers, particularly if they normally teach younger or immigrant classes. Speak Proper, they’re paying you by the minute after all.

Source: Speak Proper Blog