Communication is KEY in Business English

I LOVE teaching and really enjoy helping my students to learn a new language.

When I started teaching, I soon realised that my students didn’t all have the same learning needs. One person might need help with conversation so that they could become part of the community and enjoy living in the UK. Another student might need a specific level of English to get a job in the UK – perhaps one that they have already been doing successfully in their own country but their level of English is holding them back.

Then there’s business English – for people who need to take part in meetings, give presentations, speak confidently on the phone, find the right words to use in emails to clients and just communicate effectively with their fellow colleagues.

Gosh! I thought to myself - to teach Business English, I need to create different lessons from the English I have already learned to teach through my CELTA course. Those skills are great for teaching general English but the approach to Business English is very different.

So I invested in a 30 hour advanced business English course and immediately realised that what I should be concentrating on most was communication!

In business English, the emphasis is on being understood rather than being completely accurate.

I learned the importance of a detailed needs analysis to find out exactly how I could help each student. I was already using a placement test to see what level my students were but now I focused on WHY my students wanted to learn English and how and when they needed to communicate in their jobs.

Well! The course material was so good that I started using it with my students before I even completed the course.

I was also encouraged to design and write my own course as one of my assignments.

Here are some examples of “signposting” phrases for presentations:

Sequencing:

• Let's move on to . . .

• That brings us to . . .

Giving Reasons:

• This is why . . .

• The main reason is . . .

Generalising:

• Generally

• As a rule

Highlighting:

• In fact

• In particular

Giving Examples:

• For example

• Such as

I have helped my students re-write their CVs and this has enabled them to be chosen for interviews.

I have helped my students with presentations and they have been congratulated by their bosses.

I have found this area of teaching so satisfying because I can make such a difference.

My students love it too! ;)

Ros

#AudienceEngagement #Blog