If you teach English for professional purposes, the aim is usually to prepare your learners to successfully communicate in the workplace. Most participants will have a series of communicative events which they need to take part in through the medium of English and, particularly with in-company learners, it becomes important to move away from just talking about their job and focus on helping them to do their job in English. Creating authentic and relevant communicative activities can sometimes be a challenge however. Claire Hart will share ideas on creating effective activities which enable learners to rehearse the communicative events they take part in during their working lives, leaving you with a 5 step plan you can use with your own learners.

1. CREATING
COMMUNICATIVE
ACTIVITIES
English360 Community Webinar – Claire
Hart

2. Communicative activities
Doing business in English, not just
talking about business in English

3. Five Steps
1.
Communicative
event analysis
2.
5. Feedback/
Communicative
post-task
event selection
4. Student-
3. Language
driven
input
simulation

4. 1. Using communicative tasks to
identify needs

5. 1. Using communicative tasks to
identify needs
Describe a process at work
1.
2.
3.

6. Production process- Business Frameworks
Paul Emmerson
http://learn.english360.com/courses/view/2730

7. 1. Communicative event
analysis
 What do you...?
 Who do you...?
 How often do you...?
 Why do you...?
 What´s your role...?

8. What...? Explain how to process a
contract
Who...? Colleagues from home & abroad
How often...? About once a month
Why...? Processing is always done in
English
Your role...? Trainer/ guide

9. Manfred the milling shop
manager
Has contact with:
 other managers in his department
 colleagues in other countries
 suppliers from other countries
 customers in other countries

10. 2. Prioritising communicative
events
What factor should impact the most when we
prioritise communicative events?

11. English360 needs assessments

12. 3. Language input
Making a phone call to a
supplier
1. Asking for information
2. Making requests
3. Negotiating

13. complaints
- Business Contacts, Carl
Dowse
http://learn.english360.com/courses/view/17
4

14. Self-authored activities

15. 3. Language Input
Taking part in an
international meeting
1. Active listening
2. Making suggestions
3.Talking about the future

16. 4. Student-driven simulation
RELEVANT
AWARE ALERT

17. 5. Feedback / post-task
 How do you do feedback?
 Have you tried recording learners or having
them record themselves?

18. Thanks for coming along...
Please stay in touch:
clairehart@gmail.com
businessenglishlessonplans.wordpress.com