This document discusses the importance of relevance and motivation in teaching Business English. It explains that Business English students want or need to learn the material for their jobs, but can lack motivation. Lessons must be directly related to students' work to keep them engaged. The document advocates using authentic materials from students' workplaces and tailoring lessons to their specific communication needs to maximize relevance and motivation. It stresses that the teacher's goal should be helping students succeed.
2. What is Business
English all about?
Business English is typically taught to business
people who need to use it in their daily
duties. Sometimes they purposefully take such a
course to help improve their performance on the
job, other times they are required to take it and aren't
always happy about being in your classroom. In
some countries their performance in the English
classroom and successful completion of a certain
number of courses is a requirement for moving up
the career ladder.
3. MEANS
what this all means is that the people in the
classroom WANT or NEED or are REQUIRED to
learn Business English. Motivation can be an issue in
the classroom as students are often required to take
classes early in the morning, before their regular
duties begin, or late in the day following a full day of
work. Sometimes you will even hear tummies
rumbling as they hope to get home to dinner soon
4. This MOTIVATION issue means that
lessons NEED to be - MUST be -
RELEVANT to what students do on a
daily basis.
5. RELEVANCE is a critical issue
in Business English
There are many unskilled EFL teachers
who will say that Business English is
just like teaching any other English
class, except you put it in a business
context.
6. Half-way Right . . .
Those who suggest that you simply change "The pen
is on the desk" to "The report is on the photocopier"
probably have not spent much time in a Business
English classroom, nor have they been successful at
it. Nonetheless, there are many
teachers, websites, and even lesson books that
suggest that approach. They are missing the boat in
motivating their students . . .
7. RELEVANCE =
MOTIVATION
After you spend a long day at work, how would you like
to spend another hour - or two - in a
classroom? With, "The report is on the photocopier"?
Think of the frustrations of the day, demanding and
difficult clients and customers, unreasonable supervisors -
and now you have to deal with that English teacher!
But . . . if a student's lesson is directly related to their
work and their success, there will be a team of people
EAGER for assistance in that classroom.
8. Relevance
"Realia" or "authentic materials" are what create relevance in the Business
English classroom. Teachers should talk to students, ask them what they
need help with. Ask them about difficult conversations they have had and
what the problem might have been. Ask them about writing they need to
do, emails they must answer - and then fit your course book and lessons
into their specific needs.
Students should be encouraged to bring their email, correspondence and
reports to the instructor so they can devise lessons and tasks for everyone to
work on - that are relevant to their work place.
Because much business communication is confidential - or product
information is proprietary - students should block out confidential
information. NO ONE wants photocopied handouts to get someone fired.
9. GET ON THE TEAM
If a teacher's PERSONAL GOAL is to help students
succeed, students quickly get that the teacher is on
their team. Students quite easily pick up if their
teacher is there just for the money, just for the "gig" -
or to REALLY help them.
Teaching is "helping profession" - when a student's
interests are at heart, you will surprised how much
fun can be had and how well classes will go.