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In terms of motivation, Individuals like these with connecting dispositions, seek out others both inside and outside organizations to help find solutions to challenges. Therefore they want to build new knowledge and capabilities in order to help the company holistically. They want to make a magnificent impact in a particular area and this could be languages in order to communicate effectively with their clients.
This commitment provides focus and structure for people’s efforts, unlike some normal students. The business learner constantly probes and tests boundaries.
In terms of time, they want to push themselves to the next level as soon as possible in order to improve performance and seek a better position within the organization. In addition, the organization requires that lessons are done within a certain period and delivery must be provided as soon as possible. The pressure is part of the journey within the organization and therefore they do not have an option.
In terms of the interest in languages, well it goes without saying, it is the company that demands it. The clients they may deal with may speak different languages due to perhaps being an international company. Besides, there are also many different cultures that work in an international organization nowadays and therefore correspondence and understanding are vital to bringing about a cohesive and respectful environment.
Business learners’ motivation doesn’t differ that much from that of other learners, in the sense that their motivation is basically extrinsic, as that of many others. Business learners typically have less time than other learners, and they are very goal-oriented. If a learner is enrolled to the course by the company, the risk is that he/she will see it as compulsory, and his/her motivation may suffer from this. So, it is important to engage these learners by using concrete examples and showing them how linguistic skills can improve their professional life.
Business learners are part of ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSE courses or classes. They have a specific goal, based on their field which could be financial, accounting, custom services, and some others. These learners also have little time for theirs lessons since they are busy people. Trainers also have to adapt and get used to possible last minute cancelation fo classes because of a meeting. Some of them could also be one-to-one classes.
In this case they really need the language to be promoted or to fit into the position they have in the company where they work, so they will always need to advance and it is their job the main motivation.Business learners and general learners are the same – they are on the whole, learners. Business learners have a completely different purpose for learning a new language. Their motivations and reasons for taking up a language course may differ from general learners. Although the levels may be the same, the context may be different as well. They are taught how to speak the TL and how to use the TL for specific business related situations. Business learners are taught in the context for which they would use said TL. So this includes making presentations, writing e-mails, representing their company at conferences and of course, business related terms. They have a very packed schedule, so for them, learning a language is an essential albeit an additional skill they can use to help them move up the corporate ladder. They are already used to working with time constraints in their everyday activities, so learning a language within a short time comes easily to them. Usually, when it comes to learning English, most people who are taking up a Business Language course already have their basic knowledge down pat. It’s easier for the trainer to deep dive into the business aspect of the language to help them achieve their goal and get quick results. Perhaps they need the language because of a promotion, or they need to communicate with an international branch or maybe they’ve been looking for more opportunities overseas. This gives them that extra edge.
I dont really think that business students are necessarily more motivated than other learners. While communication skills are essential for getting ahead at work, and learning business English will help them work more effectively and open up new career opportunities these type of students not always have the needed motivation, as these classes may come as a mandatory action at work.
Added to this, is time availability: Business learners have almost always, very little available time. Our planning shouls be done by taking into account many other factors concerning these situations.
It is important to plan lessons that includes business vocabulary and termsinology, of course, but also aiming at their needs and availability in all aspects.
Regarding interest, it may differ, but its usually the case that people believe that tearning several languages will open up new career opportunities for them or at least help the broaden vocabulary and culture, if not ahave a direct effect on their line of work. So, I believe business learners can be more motivated, while their schedule is tight, so trainers should help them to improve their language in short period of time, as they probably are interested in languages but dont have all the free time they would like.
Our work here gets a bit tougher but wes should be able to transform that motivation and push forwards.Business learners may have different motivations for learning a new language than other adult learners. Many students may start learning another language due to being interested in that specific language, or for travel/family reasons. It is usually important for the progress of the student that they come to class wanting to learn the language. This can become difficult if the student is only doing it because of work, and does not necessarily have any interest in it. That being said, work can also be a powerful motivation. It may make the student want to progress even more and really work on learning the language. It really depends on the student, and what level they need to get to/what is required by their job. Sometimes, business students have to have very specific goals and their time in the classes may be limited. Given this, it is important to set the focus and steadily progress to where they need to be. This can be tough on the student if there is a time limit and they do not feel that they are progressing quickly enough.
Language classes may also be tough on the business learner who has maybe never really studied a language before, or feel that they are bad at it. An interest in languages is usually important to ensure they continue to come to classes/study, but not every business learner will have that interest. It is important to stick to a clear goal for their business needs, and work towards it, with the student feeling that they are making improvements with each class.As far as I can imagine, buisness learners might have a lower motivation in learning a new language or expand their knowledge of a language with new vocabulary than people who would learn only by curiousity and the wish to learn a new language or a specific language they’re interested in. The vocabulary that buisness learners learn is rather work-specific than usable in other contexts so that means that it would only affect their work life but not their private life. Even though, I would not say that they have low motivation to learn, because the lessons are paid by the boss in order to improve your language skills which already should be motivation but also better language skills and better communication skills can on the long run lead to a promotion.
However, the time that buisness learners put in the improvement of their language skills might be a lot lower than other lerners’ because they often work full-time jobs and the lessons are paid by the boss but in their free time after a long day of work they might not want to put extra effort in language learning. Their time is very limited and their free time as well, thus I can imagine that the lesson time in many cases is the only time that the learners are willing to learn.
The interest in language depends very much on the personality but I guess that buisness learners are often not interested in the language itself but only in communicating with it on a regular base. The necessity for their work is their motivation rather than the interest in the language.Business learners very often must learn the language because they need it for their job, and this can make them a bit less motivated compared to the ones who have spontaneously chosen do it. Sometimes they are not really interested in the target language, but as they have to travel abroad, talk with customer, welcome foreign guests coming to visit the company, make presentations or negotiations or take guests to dinner or other, very often the company force them to attend a language course, during working timne or in their spare time after work, and this can prove to be a major obstacle in their attitude against the language. In this context it becomes crucial to focus on their real neeeds concerning the language, much more than with usual learners ; it is important to make them feel they are not wasting their time but using it for somethimg they need and that can be a good chance to try a new interesting experience. The lessons should be goal oriented, very dynamic and feed something new every time in a continuous discussion and role play.
Business learners are more internally motivated and self-directed than other learners. Their language needs are likely to arise from a changing workplace, or market. Often, they need to engage with associates customers who speak a different language. The role of the instructor is to engage with them in the process of inquiry, analysis, and decision-making. They have a rich store of experience and knowledge that they can draw from, and their language needs may need to be tailored to specific situations. A trainer should discuss their goals and needs with them and plan their lessons to suit the individual learner. An adult can retain information more easily if it relates somehow to their previous experience or current situation. The business learner is interested in acquiring a skill for a particular purpose, and needs to acquire knowledge that will apply to their immediate circumstances, so that practical knowledge is more important to them than academic or theoretical. Business learners should be respected as mature accomplished individuals, and acknowledged as participants in development of their curriculum.
I think business learners differ from others because they are more goal-oriented and therefore more motivated. They have specific language needs and they need to mainly work on their production skills to improve their work performance. The trainer needs to focus on the vocabulary and structures that are typical of the field and try to recreate certain situations (for example giving a presentation or making a phone call) so that learners can practice in a realistic environment.
As far as time is concerned, it is generally running short for business learners. They need to get straight to meeting their objectives without wasting precious minutes and money provided by their company. Of course, this is not always the case. It is possible for the trainer to insert activities with a certain amount of generic vocabulary to give a different pace to the sessions.
I am not sure whether business learners are genuinely interested in learning the language or whether they are motivated by external reasons such as getting a promotion or landing a new job. This depends on each individual.Regarding motivation, business learners might differ from other learners as they might not really be interested in the language itself, i.e. their motivation can be merely their need, but this doesn’t mean that they are not as motivated as other learners.
Taking time into account, what is typical of a business learner is their lack of time outside class time. This again doesn’t mean that other types of learners are freer or that all business learners are fully booked, but this is a matter that should be considered when assigning so-called homework to business learners. It must not be forgotten that for someone whose motivation mostly derives from need and not from interest, doing assignments is not usually a priority.
Considering the two points mentioned above, one might come to the conclusion that business learners have no interest in learning languages, but that is a false assumption. There are definitely business learners who are enthusiastic about the language itself, and have never had a chance to learn it. If you are lucky enough to have business learners who have both the need and the interest, then I must say that they will certainly make time for every homework assigned.Business learners – Usually older , more goal oriented most likely more impatient as this is a skill set they need to obtain quit quickly, so time is of the essence this is also career driven, as the company that they work for might insist on more proficient
Learners- Can be older or younger , motivation is different as there might be a slower paceI would first as a introduction get the foundation right with the learner first by eliciting and feeding with material that will grab and hold interest and get the learner to feel comfortable and open up and most keep LTT up
then as the skill set increases with accuracy and fluency I would then introduce subject material pertaining to the learner and what she or he needs to accomplish
The business learners are often more motivated than others, as their language skills are needed to do their job in a company or organisation. Perhaps this is a step up in their career and could involve a posting abroad.
The business learner could, however, feed that the language course has been “forced” upon them by their employer, and they might not be so keen themselves. This could be the case with learning Danish where the learner could argue that English would be sufficient.
For certain business learners often have a time constraint. The class might be held within office hours, and if they are often tied up in meetings, they might have to cancel attending class.
It would certainly be an advantage that business learners have a certain interest in learning a new language, but their profession might deal with something quite different: engineering, building construction, science etc. and they find language learning difficult, e.g. pronounciation. Musicians and other people in the cultural sector would probably have less difficulties learning languages.Business learners may differ a little bit from other students first because they are entitled to learn or improve a language by their entreprise and it’s obvious that it is a company’s requirement. I would divide this group in two main categories of students. In the firs one , you can find those who need to swiftly dominate a language as they are expecting a promotion or moving to a foreign country when working for an international organization. Those need to be deeply involved in the programme through an intensive course as their motivation is high. They want to reach an upper level as soon as possible to improve performance and get the position they are looking for.
The second group is slightly different. Though the company also pays for classes, the goal is not as high as the former one. Most of them consider the offer as an opportunity to improve a language. Even though they are goal-oriented, they are not very keen on including a too time-consuming activity to their already tight schedule, because if they feel that it is not only compulsory but also stressful they may suffer from this pressure and give up.
The teacher will have to deal with all these perspectives, motivating those who are about to relinquish and keeping in mind that good communication is essential to create a cohesive and consistent environment.
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