10/20/2014

Evan Frendo
“Business discourse is all
about how people
communicate using talk or
writing in commercial
organisations in order to get
their work done.”

So you want to
teach business Bargiela-Chiappini et al, 2007:3
English?

English

English Business
English

English English

Business English
Business English

Financial English

Financial English English for a

group of
accountants in a
company

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 10/20/2014

English Business English

Business English Financial English

English for a group

Financial English of accountants in a
company

English for a
group of English
accountants in a
company

Researcher: How does

Client: How does
this add value to
Perspectives this data contribute to
my research?
Teaching contexts
the company?

Teacher: Can I use Tertiary

Testing organisation:
this activity with
How can I measure
language
my next class? education
competence?

Adult Corporate
Publisher: How education training
Learner: Is this can I sell as many
going to help me Training provider: books as possible?
do my job better? How do I get more
students in the class?
Chan & Frendo, 2014

Tertiary Adult education

Typically pre- Language schools

experience
Typically extensive
Professional training
English?
Mixed groups
“Window” on
General business
the business
English
world

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 10/20/2014

Multinational
Corporate training • 48 major facilities in Germany, 204 worldwide
• 400,000 employees worldwide
• Industrial engineering / healthcare / infrastructure projects
Multinational
• 48 major facilities in Germany, 204 worldwide
• 400,000 employees worldwide
• Industrial engineering / energy / healthcare / infrastructure projects
• Training department
• 100 trainers (20 full time in-house trainers)
The family owned company
• 4 locations in Germany, 47 worldwide
• Intensive / extensive / seminars / online
• 20,000 employees worldwide – Level / topic / communication skill
• Automotive
– Special courses
The subsidiary • Materials – used to be developed in-house – now
• 1 facility in Germany (manufacturing plant)
• 2,000 employees
a mixture of course books and in-house
• Pharmaceuticals

The family owned company

Assessing • 4 locations in Germany, 47 worldwide
• 20,000 employees worldwide
trainer General • Automotive
Results training
quality competence
• Company “academy”
• One person coordinates English
Specific
Awareness training • 10 part-time freelancers
competence
• Intensive / extensive courses
Co- • Materials designed by trainers / course books
operation

The subsidiary What does a Business English teacher

• 1 facility in Germany (manufacturing plant)
• 2,000 employees
• Pharmaceuticals
need to know?
• How to do a needs analysis
• One full time trainer, in house. One part time.
• Develops materials as needed. Otherwise
course books.
• Courses offered according to needs identified
in job descriptions, and analysis of key
processes
• Occasional seminars with specialist trainers

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Finding the gap

It’s not about “native Where Where
they are they need
speaker” English! now to be

(whatever that is …) Gap

Beginner Advanced
Communication

What does a Business English teacher

Coursebooks
need to know?
• How to do a needs analysis
• How to design a course
– Knowledge of commercially available materials
– Principles of course design
– Materials development

IT company – these materials What does a Business English teacher

were developed for a group
of German programmers
working on software for a
steel mill in Korea.
need to know?
• How to do a needs analysis
• How to design a course
– Knowledge of commercially available materials
– Principles of course design
– Materials development
• How language and communication work

Here are some in-house

materials I designed –
can you guess the type
of company the
students came from?

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 10/20/2014

Spoken interaction Written communication

emails (easily the most
common)
technical reports / test results
progress reports / updates
technical specifications
agendas / minutes / action
notes
checklists
schedules
contracts
handbooks / manuals /
software guidelines
briefing notes

What does a Business English teacher

Client relationships
need to know?
• Understanding
• How to do a needs analysis benefits and costs of
• How to design a course language training
– Knowledge of commercially available materials
– Principles of course design • Working with different
– Materials development stakeholders
• How language and communication work • Behaving as a
• Experience of business world professional
– Communication skills (presentations, negotiations etc)
– Business content • Thinking about
• How to teach adults and use their expertise yourself as a solution
• How to adapt to various contexts provider

Books about teaching business English

Books
about
the
language
of
business
English

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 10/20/2014

Finding work Network

Decide what
type of business Tertiary Adult education
Corporate
English you training
would like to do

Find out about What

Who? Where? qualifications /
possible What? experience do
Get qualified
employers they require?

Network
Conferences / Teacher
Network Social media
workshops associations
Network

Further reading
Books on methodology

Donna, S. (2000). Teach Business English, CUP.

Ellis, M., & Johnson, C. (1994). Teaching Business English, OUP.
Frendo, E. (2005). How to Teach Business English, Longman.

Business English publishers

http://www.cambridge.org
http://www.deltapublishing.co.uk
http://www.macmillanenglish.com
http://www.oup.com
http://www.pearsonELT.com

Teacher associations

http://www.besig.org
http://www.tesol.org
http://www.asiatefl.org

Teaching certificates
So you want to
Cert IBET http://www.trinitycollege.com
LCCI FTBE http://www.lcci.org.uk/teaching-qualifications.asp
teach business
English?

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 10/20/2014

Business English teaching

is booming.

There has never been a

better time!