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Timing can be one of the main challenges for business learners. They don’t usually have the same amount of time as other learners, and for this reason it is imperative to understand their needs as quickly as possible, to be able to address them promptly. Motivation can be really high in some business learners, but it can also penalize them when they are faced with disproportionate expectations from their employers to reach demanding goals in a short time.
Time: These laerners could have really busy schedules and every minute of the class counts, so trainers should design a lesson where he/she can develope and do his/her best to get the goal! It could also carries out some last minute cancelation due to they may have meetings or lots of work.
Cultural consideration: It is important to act naturally with persons of the other culture, while recognizing and accepting their different reactions to specific topics, I would suggest to check the vocabulary and expressions to be taught previously so as to avoid uncomfortable situations (depending ob the culture).
Specific needs: Business learners have specific vocabulary and expressions to be taught, so trainers should focus on that and of course, eventually go in and out to practice the language as well.
Socialising and Networking, Specific Needs, Professionalism characterise a business language learner.
One of the most important points to take into consideration while characterising a business learner is that they have taken up this course to be able to speak the TL professionally by the end of it. So, in addition to learning all the business related vocabulary, it is also important to remember that the learner has to be able to use them in the right context. When it comes to business language, it’s not just about having knowledge of it but also implementing it in their interpersonal skills. Business language learners have specific needs, for example, they need to learn Banking English or maybe they have taken up this course because they have to attend a very important international convention or even because their newly acquired position requires them to have a specific skillset. They also need to learn how to socialise and network amongst their peers within the industry to make connections. This is how one would move up the corporate ladder. It’s also important for the learner to use the TL in the context of professionalism, this includes a plethora of skills including writing e-mails, attending interviews, making presentations, to name a few.The business learner is a language learning trainee with specific needs and well-established goals. He is a professionally educated learner with high expectations, lots of responsibilities, little free time, and great urgency to master the language skills needed at work. Some of the most important points when teaching business learners are:
Time: Because business learners are very busy professionals, time is a crucial point to consider when it comes to teaching business learners. Organization, clarity of contents, preparation of teaching resources, and well-structured lesson plans are vital to ensure learning goals.
Specific needs: The business learners come to the language class with specific and identified needs. They vary from one learner to another depending on the business field they work in and on their position at work as well as their professional careers. If we could sum up them we could say their needs are mostly using the target language clearly and accurately.
So the methodology for teaching business learners should be designed to meet the specific needs of the learner. The popular principle of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is “Tell me what you need English for and I will tell you the English that you need”. This principle applies to all language teaching. Business language teaching, in general, should be oriented to fulfill the learners’ needs.
Objectives: The business learners focus on developing communicative competence in a specific discipline such as technology, human resources, human resources, banking, finance, marketing, insurance, international trade, commerce, etc. These learners are objective-oriented which is why planning and time are pivotal for reaching their goals.
When talking about business learners we can conclude that the objectives, the content, the materials, the teaching, and the assessment practices are based on an identified set of specialized needs.
Time, pofessionalism specific needs
These three I believe to be the most characteristic of the business learner.
Their time as mentioned before, is more probably limited, boud to a tight schedule and not flexible enough for extra practice and/or homework.This comes against their need for professionalism. This includes tacher and learner as well. Their need to be and sound professional, to learn the language and to use it, use it well and correctly in the right situation, etc.
But also on the side of the teacher: our need to be professional while teaching, the language choices, not leave thing to change, etc. The needs before and during class are pretty speciffic if not demanding.Talking about needs, theirs is probably the most specific. The use of english in business has clear goals and limitations too. They have an aim in mind, the books got at a certain pace and around certaing topics, so the class has to be more than polished towards that.
I think the points stated are all very important. It really depends on the situation. Much of the time, the specific needs of the learner, time, and professionalism need to be considered. Professionalism is usually important in business contexts. Business English is usually much more formal than general English. As stated in previous discussions, time is very important. Time limits can place a lot of pressure on the learner as well as the trainer. Even after a few classes, the learner may feel that they are not progressing as they need to be/are where they need to be for the requirements of their job. The trainer must always remain mindful of the specific needs of the learner, and the goals they have set. The classes need to be focused on those goals and have set objectives. This will help the progress, even if there is little time to learn.
1- Time: this can be a variable factor between students of business English and other students of habitual English. Since there may be much more to accomplish in a shorter period of time.
2- Professionalism is very important for a business English student, they need to know how to behave in various work situations and have a formal language to express themselves.
3- Objectives: are those points that will serve as a guide on the way to the business process. These are important because they turn visions into sharply defined goals. Therefore, students of business languages should focus their efforts on learning the English language to deliver, favor and help the company in order to satisfy the needs of the client.
In my opinion the most important things to take into consideration when working with a business learner are:
– Time, first of all. They have many things to learn in a very little time because usually the company expects them to know wht is necessary for their specific work very fast. So the trainer must concentrate as many things as he can in a short time, reducing TTT at the same time.
– Objectives: it happens very often that for business learners the language is not a personal interest but a means to perform their work better, as for example talking with clients aroiund the world, meeting them, make negotiations, explain products. Inn this context, it is important to motivate them but first of all to focus on their objectives. Meeting needs can often excite interest as well
– Cultural considerations: when teaching to a learner it is important to take into consideration his origins, his culture, because the way to treat a topic could be very different
– Professionalism: it is crucial to teach the right behaviour and language to be used with colleagues, foreign customers, directors or othersOne characteristic of business learners that distinguish them from general English students are limits in the amount of time they have to achieve their language goals, because of both professional and personal demands on their time. A business student may need to work overtime and not be able to attend a lesson, or may have to care for a child due to a family member’s inability. Such limitations can seriously impact a learner’s ability to aquire a language. Pressure from within an organization to achieve results can also create deadlines for the learner that make the learning process more challenging, as she may need to demonstrate results before she is capable.
Another characteristic of a business learner is that they have rich professional lives with social connections within their own organizations and within the community at large. These relationships can enhance or hinder the learner’s progress. They can help a learner practice the language as it is acquired, and give a context to which instruction and learning materials can be tailored. In a group of learners who work together professionally, interpersonal relationships can serve to facilitate learning when there is an existing rapport between the them. On the other hand, personal relationships can become a distraction in the class setting, and personal differences between learners can break down the communication process.
Yet another characteristic of business learners that is different are their personal objectives. Business learners have specific needs that usually arise from changes in their professional needs, or in the their business market. They may need to engage with associates or customers who speak a different language, or they may be required by their employer to learn a language because of acquisition or expansion into international territory. Their needs are more specific than those of general English learners, and can apply to a particular field, industry, department, country, or profession. Business learners need to acquire professional, technical, or diplomatic language specific to their profession or industry. A dialogue should be established with the learner to help identify specific areas of interest or necessity. A need analysis can also be used in order to tailor the learning material to best suit them.I think the main three characteristics of a business learner are the last three on the list: accountability, specific needs and professionalism. The other factors (time, socializing and networking, cultural considerations, political correctness, objectives) involve all kinds of adult learners.
More specifically, accountability is the ability of the learner to show results at the end of the course and take responsibility for what he or she has achieved. In the eyes of the company this is the fundamental factor.
Specific needs: every business learner has specific needs according to the line of work he or she belongs to. These needs are usually translated into certain skills and objectives that the trainer cannot ignore.
Professionalism: this is strongly linked to accountability. It is the ability of the learner to carry on confidently and politely, to speak timely and to the point, to give an above-standard performance on the job.Socializing and networking, cultural consideration and political correctness are the three factors that cannot be separated or forgotten in business English. Business learners who need to learn another language are those whose business is obviously international and in order to do business internationally, one needs to be constantly socializing and networking with business people from other countries and this, in turn brings up the issue of cultural differences and political correctness, i.e. as a business person, one needs to be aware of the cultural differences such as proxemic distance (personal spacing) which are both personally and culturally defined, in order to avoid misunderstanding. Being politically correct falls in the same category, as choosing one’s words and behavior carefully when dealing with people from other countries and cultures is one of the main factors of accomplishing successful business internationally.
THESE ARE THE IMPORTANT FACTORS
SPECIFIC NEEDS: this could be critical in the learning process as the objective could be to write an email or learn how to start a meeting or something as simple as booking a flight, the trainer would have to access the goals that the learner needs and trainer must be prepared for this
TIME: time is of the essence, business learner will most likely need a specific time frame to achieve a certain goal
PROFFESIONALISM: it is of the upmost importance to be able to conduct and teach professionalism to this specific learner , what to say ? what not to say in a corporate environment
Time
As said before the business learner will often have limited time to devote to the language learning. Therefore it is important that the teaching is very focussed and efficient. If the teacher knows that the learner will not have time to do homework, then the teaching must take this into consideration.
Professionalism
In a business context it is important to give a professional impression and to many language errors can have a negative effect, but written and oral. The teacher must make sure to correct errors that are often made by the learner, and especially point out if these errors can create misunderstandings.
Cultural considerations
As part of the language learning, specific cultural issues must be included. When it comes to English, this is the universal language that is used in so many cultural environments, but for smaller language areas, the culture is an important aspect of the language and the language then also key to understanding the culture.Business learners are generally highly motivated as the company allows them to improve a foreign language.
So we have to take into consideration three main factors: time, cultural considerations and special needs.
Time is to take particularly into account when teaching business English as you will have much less time than with a regular student.
Cultural considerations can be linked to a Business course, but not necessarily. This will depend on the students’ job or position, if they ofen travel abroad and who do they deal with.
Specific needs will also have to be taken into consideration, it’s why the teacher will have to customize the learning goals of the lesson by addressing specific content in order to achieve specific purpose.As for any other learners, the business language learners are motivated by the urgent needs to communicate clearly with their pares in the target language and know the culture and costumes of the foreign country in a way to be able to socialize and negotiates with customers and clients.
The language skill learned in a regular course (writing, speaking, listening, reading) are fundamental to communicate with persons of interest in the target country and allows the learners to know about their costumes and the way they conduct any negotiation.
Of course, any learner expects to learn the target language as quick as possible because of the need of doing the business. So the interest for learn the target language could be higher than for other learners
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