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Business learners are different from other language learners in some important ways. First, they usually have specific reasons tied to their jobs for learning a new language. This can be a strong motivator because they want to improve their qualifications and move up the career ladder. However, it can also be a bit tough if they feel they are only learning the language because they have to, not because they want to.
Second, business learners often have limited time for language classes. Their companies often pay for these classes, but they can only attend during specific slots in their busy schedules. This can be a challenge, especially when trying to coordinate with other learners who have different schedules.
Lastly, their interest in language may be more focused on using it for work rather than exploring it for its own sake. They see language as a tool to help them in their careers, so their approach is more practical.
Business learners are motivated mainly by a very clear and well-defined goal. They think that learning a language is something like a well-designed business plan, where if you follow specific steps, you arrive at a specific goal. When learning languages, it doesn’t always work this way. Learning a language is much more like a dance, more or less like tango. People learn and acquire languages differently, and with business clients, the trainer should break down the small steps to the big aim so that they can suit the learner(s). However, within their ‘business’ motivation, there might also be a personal one but most probably, as business clients get paid by their company, they might never voice it.
When it comes to time, business clients follow the principle ‘Time is money’ and they would like to receive the most for the least time possible. Thus, their lessons must be as practical as possible, where the trainer could use a lot of role-plays. Also, I have noticed that business learners do not like homework, or at least, do not like homework which is discussed in class. In certain groups of business clients, there might be people of different hierarchy and the trainer should be very, very careful and delicate when correcting, asking questions, or making comments.
The last point, interest in languages, is a point that can create certain problems for the trainer if a business learner comes and openly declares, ‘I hate English but I must learn it for my job.’ The trainer should see such statements as absolutely normal; we are all different and everyone has their own interests. In such a case, I always try to understand what interests and hobbies the business learner has and I am doing my best to allure the learner to get interested in the language because of the opportunities it gives. A small trick that has always been useful for me is telling about an imaginary personal experience. Here it is: my first foreign language was Spanish, I loved it and adore it now. I studied English because I had to, but I didn’t particularly like it. However, upon finishing school, I decided to study Archaeology in the US. To be able to study there, I had to pass exams in English, uffa, a language that was very far away from my heart. But, I loved my archaeology so much that I did everything possible to end up in the US. Thus, even for business learners, it must be clear that working with a language is not an aim, it is ONLY the means to a goal they have set for themselves.Business learners and corporate clients have differing motivations for learning business English. Each individual has a unique approach to this opportunity, but we can assume that they fall into certain categories. For example, a business learner could be very interested in learning business English, as they need the information to be able to communicate more easily in their work environment, at meetings, when sending e-mails etc. Improving their level of business English would give them more capacity and confidence in this area. This in turn could allow them opportunities for a different position in the company, which needed a certain level of English, or a promotion.
On the other hand, if an English business training course is imposed on an employee, by their company but the individual does not see the necessity for following the training, they could be less motivated. This could be exasperated if they do not have a good understanding of English and do not feel as ease in the lesson.
Time is also a huge factor for those who are motivated as well as for those who are not. For those who are motivated, it can be difficult to stop their working day in order to fit in the lesson, particularly if their important meeting is running late or if they have not completed an urgent assignment.
For those who are less motivated, they feel that their time is precious and see little point in ‘wasting’ it in a business English lesson.
Interest in learning languages is also an important element and is in line with motivation. Some individuals are not at all interested in learning languages. This could be due to a bad experience at school or university. They could have had a difficult relationship with a particular teacher, or it could because of a certain teaching method which did not promote enthusiasm. A person who is not at all interested in learning languages will find it a struggle to be motivated.
There is also the aspect of travel which has an influence on a person’s interest in languages. An individual who likes to travel to different countries and enjoys foreign culture will be more inclined to want to improve their language skills. People who are not interested in foreign travel and languages are less likely to find a language course appealing.
A person’s interest in learning, broadening their education, and training courses in general will of course be a deciding factor as to whether they will be inspired by learning business English.
Motivation and interest are also linked to lesson content. This could work in opposite ways. A person could be more interested in learning business English as it is related to their profession and useful. A person could be less interested in business English if their main attraction to languages is based around travel, in which case they could be uninspired by the vocabulary and content of a business English level.
As we can see there are numerous influences which affect a persons motivation for learning business English, all of which should be taken into consideration when conducting lessons.Business learners are just like other learners with the only difference that ones they have learned to speak the language properly, they need to add in words that they can use at work.
So once the business learners get to a good level instead of doing a random lesson on any subject, it’s better to start choosing the lesson according to what they would need to work with.
So for example instead of doing a lesson on “what is your favorite planet”, you would rather do it on “traveling for business duties”, or anything that can relate with what they do as a living.Learners of Business English generally want to achieve a high level of communication proficiency in business contexts involving the various aspects and tasks of a typical company department, like marketing, sales, purchases, finance, accounting/administration, production, logistics, technical support, international distribution, quality.
In each of these contexts a specific and technical vocabulary is used, that first requires a very good knowledge of general English and second, a learner’s clear objectives and motivation.
Usually, a trainee needs a course of Business English for the following reasons:
• career advancement
• request from the Board in view of a promotion or a salary raise
• need to acquire more confidence in the management of people and things
• new and more complex assignments
• job change or relocation abroad
• development of specific skills in the workplace
• request of an International certificate, like the BEC (Business English Certificate)
• personal need to expand one’s own professional network
• request from a US government agency for a work visaMoreover, a business learner usually has a deadline within which the certifcate or certification process must be concluded. It often happens that an intermediate learner needs to achieve an advanced Business English level in 3 months or even less.
In this case, having clear in mind the period of time available to achieve this goal, the trainer has to customize the lesson based on the timespan allotted (2 or 3 times a week / 1h or 1.5h), the learner’s proposed place of learning (office in the company/ Inlingua classroom/ online), the learning priorities (topics / skills / Inlingua materials / the learner’s company materials).Business trainees show an interest in English and foreign languages in general because the latter can guarantee success, profitability and extended social interaction in an extremely competitive global environment.
In other words, they can also help a learner develop his/her own soft and hard skills.Soft skills which refer to interpersonal abilities and professional traits determining how a person interacts with others are important for building brand awareness and improving marketing strategies as well as developing customer relations. They involve social skills and emotional intelligence. The more business English the learner masters, the more he/she will be able to collaborate, communicate, solve problems, manage time and lead people successfully and efficiently.
On the other hand, learning Business English can also strengthen a learner’s hard skills, that is his/her own specific business capabilities, like knowledge of office administration software, bi- or multillingualism, project management, data analysis, social media marketing.
In short, learning Business English is an ongoing process that ensures a learner’s self-improvement and self-development in personal and professional terms.
In what ways do business learners differ from others?
motivation
time
interest in languagesMotivation: Their motivation is strictly focused on objectives/targets. It is for this reason that, I believe and guess that, due to this push to learn a langauge, it has to do with a professional and business orientation, which forces them to strive harder during the learning process. I also believe since the courses have been modelled for that specific aim, based on accurately or tailor-made for the purpose for which student´s are related with. In other words – I dare to say – the motivation of business learners are closely tied the specific learning target and the academic tools/resources used so they feel related, and thus making the learning process a faster one.
Time: It follows a bit to what I´ve just mentioned in the previous paragraph about motivation. So since their courses are tailor-made in relation to the trade-field they belong to, I guess that the learning process time-wise, will eventually be faster than just a general English course.Interest:Same is with the leve lof interest. Their focus will be exceptionally high, as they know this will have a positive impact in whatever their business trade is. The learning process thus making lessons more fun and easy-flowing.
Business learners can be very different from other learners. Their motivation differs from many other learners because they often have very specific language goals and a short time to achieve these goals. They are highly motivated learners because advancement in their careers may depend significantly on their language skills.
Business learners often have time constraints on learning the language. They often want to learn/improve their language skills with a specific date in mind e.g. a job interview/promotion opportunity, they may have been moved abroad for work.Motivation:
When speaking of business learners, we are looking at adults. These adults want to learn English with a specific goal in mind. Each person to themself has different motivational aspects in their life. Motivation for business students would be more professionally centred rather than personally although it might also play a big role. Business students could be taking these classes as they might be in line for a promotion and it is a required aspect, some might take it to better communicate or understand their clients and express themselves while other might really just be doing it to create as many opportunities for themself as possible. Their attendance on the other hand might be more consistent as it’s not only a personal decision but also something that influences or is required from the professional aspect they are in.Time: Time wise the class hours would be as mentioned more consistent, but not only that, the students will also be more tied. They might not have as much free or flexible timing as other students. When mentioning this I think it’s also important to keep in mind (not saying that it doesn’t mean as much to personal use learners,) but seeing that the business learner is so goal driven with regards to possibly achieving something or striving for progress in the professional environment, there’s a lot more pressure on the business student to achieve success so their class time would be extremely valuable to them and they would most probably want to make the most of every minute of their lesson and have plenty of learning opportunities.
Business learners’ motivation, time, and interest in languages can differ from others. Other learners may be full time students and have the time to dedicate more time outside the class to study the language. Meanwhile, business learners may have less availability to do so since they work full time and may even have a family. In addition, their interest in learning that language is related to their work, meaning that the trainer must make sure that the lessons are useful to them. Whether they want to learn to get a promotions, change/apply for a job, or be able to communicate to a larger clientele, they all need to learn set skills and vocabulary. Since improving in their job is a high need, they have a high motivation and interest to learn
Those Ss interested in taking business English have got different motivation of learning English due to the specific purposes that they have. Their aims could be considered differently such as communication in English, presentation, attending a seminar or conference and etc. Hence, those teachers who would like to teach business English requires being self-conscious, dedicated and punctual. Ss for learning business English are often busy because of their careers. Thus, sometime they participate to the lessons irregularly. For avoiding facing this situation, teacher should motive the learners by finding out what are their goals and weaknesses and have them improve. And also, teacher should be available in the evenings and especially weekends in order to have lessons with them. Because as it has been mentioned before, the Ss are busy to come for the lessons flexibly.
Consequently, teachers should be pay attention about the Ss desire carefully so as to get them motivated for the lesson. And try to use the materials which are completely related to their purposes.
Usually business learners’ motivation to learn is linked to their current position or perhaps advancing in the workplace, so their goal is different to a learner who wants conversational English for a holiday. Their time can be limited, learning within their work hours or workplace environment, so the deadline to learn might be short, but being able to confidently communicate with clients is a big motivation.
All learners have different types and levels of motivation, but business students tend to have more of it, because their learning path is related directly to their job’s goals and purposes. They also have less time, which means they expect to learn the target language efficiently and effectively in all the lessons. Therefore, the trainer needs to create a specific curriculum, including the functional language related to the learners’ work position and to their personal strenghts/weaknesses. They can have a high level of interest, depending on their preferences, but since learning the language is important for their job, they don’t really have much of a choice. So, if a learner feels forced by the company they work for, it will be necessary to implement different techniques to link some of his/her hobbies into the learning path.
Business learners may have specific business-related goals, such as improving communication with international clients, negotiating deals, or participating in zoom meetings. Their motivation may be closely tied to their professional advancement and success. Therefore they may be more interested in acquiring language that directly applies to their work, such as writing business emails, making presentations, or engaging in negotiations. Time could also be a higher priority or consideration for them – in general – compared to non-business learners. But this can be a helpful motivating factor and actually result in them reaching specific language goals quicker. Deadlines in their professional life will provide deadlines for their learning experience and hopefully these two factors will have a net positive effect on their drive to improve.
Actually, there is not much difference between bussines learners and normal learners who are interested in a language. Of course, bussines learners have a different background as they themselves know how the structure of a business works. Here it is important to mention and take into account that business learners use a different kind of language. Of course, there are different directions in which these learners go, not all business language is the same. There is a different vocabulary and a different idiom that is used, but the motivation behind learning a language has the added route of career development. The time of a business learner is limited, often they only have time quite early in the morning or late in the evening, whether it is the weekend or not is usually irrelevant.
Business English learners have different goals and motives than those learners that aren’t. they have more of a motive and are more impatient as they are usually in a hurry to learn the English language as they need it for business connections. They would like to progress faster by having another skill for international business purposes which is very important, also the job that they want needs people to speak English. each learner has its own motivation but also holds its own certain level of motivation.
however, business learners often have less time to learn a language, but each one chooses their time on how long and how fast they would like to learn the language.
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