1. Understanding and Teaching
Professional Communication
Gabrielle Jones
Language and Culture Symposium
Ulm University, University of Stuttgart, German University of Cairo
11 December 2012

2. • O’Connor Language and Communication for
Business – Ulm
• Teacher training, materials development,
client support
• MA TESOL and Applied Linguistics

3. Presentation outline
1. Influence on business language
2. Scope of professional communication
3. Professional communication and culture
4. Addressing change

4. Language Change in Business
New markets
1.BRIC economies
2.Deregulation and internationalisation
• Finance and commodities
1.Labour

5. Language Change in Business
Social Media
1.Internet-based communication
2.Relationship-building ethos
3.Markets as ‘conversations’
• 130 - million blogs
• 8% - businesses
• 52% - new customers
http://www.cluetrain.com/book/markets.html
http://technorati.com/blogs/directory/

6. Language Change in Business
Professional Ideology
1.‘New work place order’ – Democratisation of
discourse,
Geis, Brown and Wolfe, 1990
2.Conversational discourse in professional setting
3.Recruitment
90% of 500 US companies:
‘Professional communication skills vital’
Nunan, D. 2005

7. Professional communication
1. Main channel for completing tasks
2. Frontstage or backstage
3. Transactional or relational
4. Downward Upward Lateral

8. Professional Communication
Genres
Written Spoken
•Emails •Meetings
•Blogs •Presentations
•Proposals •Appraisals
•Reports •Customer service
•Text messages interactions
•Newsletters •Negotiations
•Orders •Complaints

9. Influencing factors - workplace
culture
• Nationality •Influences
• Gender behaviour
• Power •Shapes
communication
• Uncertainty
•Confusing to
• Politeness
outsider
• Age and seniority
• Company tradition

10. Business English Professional
Communciation
• Areas of business • Business skills
• Fixed situations • Learner-specific
• Rigorously divided • Multi-level approach
levels
• Based on knowledge • Based on language
of business knowledge
• Generic materials • Authentic materials

11. Changes in teaching
1. Knowledge – business, genre, culture
2. Vocabulary
toxic assets – web traffic - sustainability
3. Different Englishes
4. Methodology: skills based approach
5. Technology
6. Working lives

12. Addressing change

13. Professional
Communication
=
Language and Culture
Challenge and Change

14. • Bargiala-Chiappini, F. and Nickerson, C. (1999) Business writing
as social action. In Bargiala-Chiappini, F. and Nickerson, C.(Eds),
Writing Business: Genres, Media and Discourses.
London:Longman, 1-32.
• Geis, F., Brown, V., and Wolfe, C. (1990). Legitimizing the leader:
endorsement by male versus female authority figures. Journal of
Applied Psychology, 20.12: 943-70
• Levine, R., Locke, C., Searle, D., and Weinberger, D. (2000). The
Cluetrain Manifesto – the end of business as usual. New York:
Basic Books
• Nunan, D. (2005)The Evolution of Technology and the Value of
Online English Language Learning,
http://www.globalenglish.com/m/dl/whitepapers/PrinciplesW
hitepaper.pdf
• Schnurr, S. (2012). Exploring Professional Communication,
Language in Action. London: Routledge