5 Tips for Teaching Business English Learners

Business English learners can be critical and have high expectations of their teachers. In addition, they can sometimes be hurried (in class) because of deadlines or meetings. They’ll likely expect professionalism from their teachers—and why not: these learners are professionals. 

They may want to take charge of or give input into their learning though not intending to be rude. They will probably expect noticeable improvements since they operate with a business mindset. And they may not always be up-to-date on pop or modern culture.

Business English learners are typically seeking to develop their English skills for promotions, to gain more business, to survive in the global market, to entertain clients, to interact with customers or colleagues, or to connect with new markets, customers, or other business ventures. 

With those purposes in mind, we may want to conduct classes that meet their needs rather than simply entertain or teach them about the language. The following five tips can help you facilitate improved Business English class time. 

1. Be Professional

Treat business English learners with respect and courtesy. You can model it in your interactions with them during class. You’ll also want to teach them as adults with purposes as if their goals are your goals for them. Be professional, and everything else will fall in line.

2. Be Focused

Focus lessons on one point of the language, on the language they need, on the environments they encounter, and on helping them improve weak areas.

3. Have a Purpose

Find out what your business English students need and give it to them. Assess them and make suggestions. Ask them what they want from their classes and deliver it. Observe them and offer feedback. 

4. Keep Things Interesting and Relevant

They may not care about the latest TV show or pop songs. But they’ll likely be interested in talking about the latest trends in their business field. They may also be uninterested in talking about home life though personal interests may come up. Discover how to keep things real for them and use it toward their goals. 

You’ll want to bring them into the situations they encounter. Begin with a general sample of a setting they may be exposed to that includes fixed content and dialogue. For business or marketplace English clients that could be anything like job interviews, meetings, presentations, socializing, negotiating, and the like. The idea here is to warm them up to the language they’ll be using.

5. Help Them See Their Improvements

Business people are used to seeing results, so they look for results. They need to measure progress and know their investments are paying off. If they can see their improvements, you will likely make long-term and or satisfied customers. Simply telling them what they used to do and how it’s better now is a good place to start.

Final Thoughts

Remember, with business people, understanding them is the key to teaching them. If you know more about them, your lessons will be focused; they’ll have a purpose. Your lessons will be relevant and match them. Your speech will be courteous and model appropriate business language. Plus, your class members will feel as if they learned something. In the end, you’ll have satisfied clients.

END

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Author: Jerry S. [Updated from a previously written article.]

Author bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years and Senior TESOL Certificate Instructor affiliated with Midwest Education Group, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, ESL e-learning materials, academic papers, and more.

Photo by Adeolu Eletu on Unsplash

Dr Smith TESOL Tip 3

 

Shifting TESOL Perspectives in a Business Environment

Regardless of the acronym we use to describe the field we work in (TESOL, TEFL, TESL, …), it is, in essence, helping people achieve their English language goals—whatever form that may take. 

For some people we meet, it is to do well on an English proficiency test, so that they may study or work abroad. For others, it is to be able to do their jobs more efficiently. And still, for others, it is to simply be able to participate in the world of English language in the form of Hollywood movies, chatting with other English speakers, or simply as a way of learning about different cultures. Whatever the case, people come to us for help with their language goals, and pay for that help. 

In that respect, they are more than students—they are our customers. As customers, do they encounter a teacher who views her role as being the authority in class; a teacher who feels it is the ultimate goal of each class to finish the lesson; to focus on the procedural aspects of getting through the lesson, instead of the learner’s needs? A teacher who simply tells the learner what is right and wrong, black and white? Or, do our customers encounter a teacher who sees themselves as someone helping another achieve their English language goals?

We can view English language teaching from the three perspectives discussed below. 

Teacher Over Student

Figure 1 represents three perspectives on teaching. The first perspective views class members as simply students under my authority; students should listen to me and follow the lesson that I have been given to present. This teacher teaches the lesson as it is presented without deviation. 

Teacher to Learners

The second perspective views class members as learners who should learn English a certain way—the way I think they need to. And why not—I have studied and learned teaching methods, and the learner should follow my lead as I know what is best. 

Facilitator and People 

The third perspective views class members as people … people with human goals who are seeking the help of a professional to help achieve those goals. As such, this teacher collaborates and works with a customer, and adjusts the lesson to fit their needs. This teacher uses lessons as opportunities to assist people in meeting their goals. 

That being the case, we ought to exercise courtesy. Instead of teachers saying, tell me..., listen to..., look here..., say it like this..., you must..., and the like, we could say, can you tell me..., let’s listen to..., let’s look here..., you could also say it like this..., you may want to..., and the like. But that's another article. 

Think About It

A change in perspectives works for all of us. Rather than view class members as students only (which tends to have stereotypical connotations), we can view them as people with needs, as customers we serve, as fellow humans with personal goals. 

Remember, to facilitate rather than dominate, we want to establish a connection before expecting perfection from our students in a business environment. 

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Author: Jerry S. 

Author bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years and Senior TESOL Certificate Instructor affiliated with Midwest Education Group, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, ESL e-learning materials, academic papers, and more. 

Image created by author

Dr Smith TESOL Tip 1

 

Should Free-Talking Lessons Be the Norm?

 

Free-Talking Lessons vs. Focused Conversation Lessons. Image by author.

Free-talking lessons have their place, but should they be the norm? As much as possible, we should be guiding our learner-customers into what will help them most, not what is easiest to do. 

Over the course of my career as an English language teacher both independently and on various platforms, I’ve noticed teachers offering free-talking lessons increasing with greater frequency. 

As I dig into the history of each of my students, I often observe a commonality—that lessons often become free conversations. But I wonder how much of that is by student request, and how much of that is actually teacher prompted.  

I ask this because I’ve routinely encountered confused students in my classes who equate ESL conversation classes with free talking. Learners seem to be unaware that free talking may not be the best strategy for their English skills development. And they often comment that their teachers don’t usually get into regular lessons—apparently ignoring focused lessons in favor of free talking.

We Are the Professionals

As English language teachers, we’re professionals. Our students enroll in classes seeking help achieving their English language goals. That means, just like doctors treating patients and lawyers counseling clients, we guide learners into best practices to achieve sufficient English language acquisition to meet their goals. But, constant free-talking lessons may not be best practice.  

It’s safe to say that students enroll in English classes with the idea that they’ll have English “lessons.” As such, they can reasonably expect that you or the company you're with provides lesson materials that guide learners from BEG (A1) levels to ADV (C2). 

And, if we as teachers, follow that flow, we can provide specific goals for our students along with step-by-step progression. However, if we routinely offer free conversations while dismissing quality lessons for free talking, what does that say about our materials?

Focused Lessons Provide Structure

The image above (taken from a screenshot of an actual lesson where I addressed this subject) offers a visual on what follows. 

Targeted lessons and materials are often created by professional teachers or people who have backgrounds in the field of learning materials development. Therefore, these lessons typically focus on specific language topics and goals. 

Free conversation classes do not. They are exercises in randomness; that is, they’re more or less spent talking about nothing or about everything, but rarely about something—that is, there’s no language target. So, by the end of the class, what goal has been reached for the student to look back and say, “I’ve accomplished this today”?

Parts of a Whole

What many students need is structure. They need to build their vocabulary, expression, and understanding of grammar in specific areas. As they do it in one class, they build on it in another. That’s why we say language learning takes time. There aren’t any shortcuts. 

Language points are built upon language points until the language is acquired. In time, and after a number of lessons, they’ve built a foundation of skills that can be integrated into other lessons, and from which they can branch into others. 

Finally, after enough regular topical or focuses lessons, they will have built their skills sufficiently for the level they’re in and move on. They’ll be able to measure their progress and enroll in more lessons to achieve more advanced goals—it’s win-win for them and you!

Imagine for example, if a student repeatedly talks about the subject of travel in several free-talking lessons, they’ll have become fluent talking about travel, but what about any other area? How will they improve if they aren’t challenged outside of their comfort zones? 

Something to Consider

The beauty of focused lessons and targeted lesson materials is that in the hands of capable teachers, they can be utilized both communicatively and structurally to help learners improve. 

At the very least, if a student understands the merits of regular lessons, yet still chooses free talking, perhaps they could be guided to request specific topics. In that way, there would be something to talk about, focus on, and build on.

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Author: Jerry S. 

Author bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years and Senior TESOL Certificate Instructor affiliated with Midwest Education Group, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, ESL e-learning materials, academic papers, and more. 

Image created by author.  

Are You Teaching English As a Subject or a Language?

Are You Teaching English as a Subject or As a Language?

If you’re an ESL, EFL, or ESOL teacher, English is likely your first language or a strong second language. That means you probably studied English in primary and or secondary school. 

During those days, it may have been referred to as English class; more particularly, a subject class, much along the lines of other subjects such as math, science, and history classes.

In math class for example, you were taught:

• 1 + 1 = 2
• 2 x 2 = 4
• 24 ÷ 8 = 3
• 10 apples minus ½ = 5 apples

In science class, you were taught:

• Cells have a nucleus.
• Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius (at sea level).
• Mammals are warm-blooded creatures.

In history class:

• Alexander the Great was an exceptional military strategist.
• World War II began in 1939 and ended in 1945.
• NATO was formed in 1949.
• The Berlin wall came down in 1989.
• And the like.

Interestingly, in English class you were also taught a few facts:

• Basic parts of a sentence.
• Adjectives come before nouns.
• Prepositions have nouns as objects.
• The past tense is used to refer to an action that began and ended in the past.
• Etc.

There’s nothing wrong with learning facts; in fact (pun intended), we need rules to form the foundations of communication. But what often happens, is ESL teachers inadvertently bring this formal mindset to their classrooms—that English is a subject, instead of a language. 

The result is that instead of preparing students for life outside the classroom, we’re teaching them only academic points of the language. And you’ve probably encountered these types of learners. They can tell you much about English grammar, but when it comes to using English, they stumble or cannot express themselves.

That’s likely because they’ve been taught in terms of right and wrong, correct and incorrect language use and are too busy formulating “correct” sentences in their minds to be fluent. They’ve learned the "facts" of the structure of the language but haven’t been encouraged to use the language fluently. 

Instead, they’re drilled with the rules and pass tests instead of being shown the possibilities. English for them is more of a subject to be mastered than a language to be used. They must have picked that up from somewhere [smile].

Reflect on Your Practices

The following checks will help you determine if you treat your class as an English subject class or as a language class:

1. Do your class members sit in rows and receive your instruction?

2. Do you think in terms of correct or incorrect answers, mistakes, and errors?

3. Do learners pass or fail English language tests in your class?

4. Do your class members do well on tests and quizzes but cannot speak fluently?

5. Do you pounce on learners’ “errors” even while they’re speaking?

6. Do you often teach the “proper” way of saying things?

7. Do you use such expressions as, “you must say it like this,” “you mustn’t say it like that,” or “that’s not the proper way to say it,” etc.?

If these points ring true or sound familiar to you, it’s quite possible you’re treating your classes as English subject classes. As a result, your class members are learning about English but not necessarily learning to use English. 

To treat your ESL class as a language class, try the following ideas to sort of recondition your thinking:

1. Try viewing English as a language for communication.

2. Realize that there are multiple ways to express the same message (e.g., the elevator is on your right, the elevator is to your right, the elevator is on the right side, the elevator is on your right hand side, etc.).

3. Give your class members more opportunities to use English than to learn about it.

4. Try speaking in terms of, “I understood what you said quite well, but you can also say it like this.”

5. Offer ESL learners multiple options for how something can be expressed.

6. Seek to understand what a learner is saying and help them express it on their terms instead of what you think they should say.

7. Remember, when you treat English as a formal academic subject, your learners will too—they’ll clam up so as not to give the wrong answers. So, try creating an environment where expression is welcomed and feedback is provided in a gentle manner.

8. Show learners that even native speakers don’t use English perfectly. In fact, is there a perfect English?

If this already sounds like you, congratulations! You’re working with your class members toward them being able to use English.

Final Thoughts

We must remember that many, if not most of the people we teach need to use English to accomplish a goal. That goal could be anything from getting a good score on an English proficiency test, studying in an English-speaking country, working abroad, career advancement, professional development, business expansion, chatting with new friends in other countries, or even something as simple as wanting to enjoy Hollywood movies. 

Whatever their reasons, they need to be able to use English outside of our classrooms. That means, we need to prepare them for those times. The question is, are we?

If you put these ideas into practice, in time, you’ll find that you’ve transitioned from teaching English subject classes to English language classes. You may discover that your class members are becoming more confident and capable of expressing themselves.

Share your experience either as a student in an English subject class or teaching ESL classes.

END

This is an update of a blog post I wrote for OnTESOL several years ago. 

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Author: Jerry S. 

Author Bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, devotions, e-books, academic papers, and more. 

Photo by Sam Balye on Unsplash.