Introduction to Teaching Business English

Summary
Inthismodule,wewillconsiderhowteachingBusinessEnglishisdifferenttoteachingstandard
GeneralEnglishclasses.WewilllookatthetypesofstudentthatwanttolearnBusinessEnglish,the
varietyofdifferentteachingcontextsfromclassroombasedlessonstodistancelearning,theroleof
theteacher,theneedtopresentlanguageincontextandspecificbusinesscommunicationskills.

Objectives
Bytheendofthismodule,youwill:
HaveaclearerunderstandingofhowlearningandteachingBusinessEnglishdiffersfromGeneral
English.
Haveconsideredarangeofdifferentteachingcontextsfromclassroombasedlessonstodistance
learning.
HaveaclearerunderstandingoftheroleoftheBusinessEnglishteacher.
Haveagreaterunderstandingoftheneedtopresentlanguageincontextandfocusonspecific
businesscommunicationskillswhenteachingBusinessEnglish.
Site: PremierTEFL
Course: 30hrTeachingBusinessEnglish
Book: IntroductiontoTeachingBusinessEnglish
Printedby: MesutYayla
Date: Wednesday,7September2016,8:11AM

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Table of contents
1WhatisSpecialaboutBusinessEnglish?
2BusinessEnglishteachingcontexts
3DistanceLearning
4ReflectiveTask2
5TheBusinessEnglishteacher
6BusinessEnglish
7Teachingbusinesscommunication
8Linguisticcompetence
9Discoursecompetence
10Interculturalcompetence
11References
12FurtherReading
13UsefulWebsites

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1 What is Special about Business English?
Englishisusedmoreandmoreasalanguageofcommunicationamongbusinessprofessionalsfrom
differentcountries.Theselearnersneedtobefamiliarwithspecificvocabularyandfunctional
languagetouseinbusinesssettings,includingmeetings,negotiating,bargainingandsoon.Many
businessprofessionalsfromdifferentfields,suchasaviation,useEnglishasthegloballanguageof
communication.TheselearnersarealsohighlymotivatedtoimprovetheirEnglishinspecificareasso
theycanprogressprofessionally.AsthesestudentsarelearningEnglishforspecificpurposes,lessons,
syllabi,materials,andoftentheteachingrole,needtobeadaptedtocaterforthesespecificneeds.
TheBusinessEnglishlearner
InordertodescribeaBusinessEnglishlearner,itisfirstimportanttodefinewhatwemeanby
businessandhowpeoplecommunicatewithintheworldofbusiness.

ReflectiveTask1
Howdopeoplecommunicatewithintheworldofbusiness?WhatdostudentsofBusinessEnglish
needtoknowinordertocommunicateeffectivelyusingEnglishwithintheworldofbusiness?

Businesscanbedefinedas:(1)
Buyingandsellingorexchangingandexploitingresourcesandcapabilities.
Usingthelanguageofcommerce,finance,industryandprovidinggoodsandservices.
Peopleworkingtogethertoaccomplishsomethingtheycannotdoasindividuals.
Cooperation,negotiationandconflict.
Persuadingandunderstanding,powerandcontrol,findingsolutionstoproblems.
BusinessEnglish,therefore,iscommunicationwithotherpeoplewithinaspecificcontext.Business
EnglishlearnersstudyEnglishforthefollowingreasons:
ItmaybeacompulsorypartoftheircurrentjobtoensuretheirEnglishisproficientenoughto
fulfilltheirdutiesandresponsibilitiesusingEnglishasagloballanguageofcommunication.
SomelearnersmayviewlearningEnglishasaninvestment.BetterEnglishmayleadtoahigher
paid,moreresponsiblejobwithintheirindustry,
SomelearnersmayhavespecificneedsandothersmayjustwanttoimprovetheirEnglishwithin
thecontextofbusiness.
Somelearnersmaybeattheendoftheirworkingliveswhileothersmaybejuststartinganewjob
orcareer.
DespitethewidevarietyofBusinessEnglishlearners,itispossibletogrouptheselearnersinto
differentcategories:(2)
Experience
PreexperiencedlearnersTheselearnershavelittleornoexperienceofthebusinessworld.They
aretypicallylearningBusinessEnglishbecausetheywanttofollowabusinesscareer.Becauseof
theirlackofexperience,theywillneedtheteachertoprovideawindowonthebusinessworldas
wellasteachingthemEnglish.
JobexperiencedlearnersTheselearnersknowalotaboutbusinessandtheirownjobsandhave
precisenotionsaboutwhytheyneedBusinessEnglish.Theydonotneedorexpecttheteacherto
helpthemunderstandtheworldofbusiness,justhelpthemtocommunicatemoreeffectivelyusing
English.
GeneralbusinessexperiencedTheselearnersmayhaveacertainamountofworkexperiencebut
arelearningEnglishtomoveintoanewjoborforaspecificpurpose.

Level in the organisations hierarchy Chat

 Learnersatdifferentlevelsinacompanymayhavedifferentlearningneedsandpreferences.For
example,seniormanagersmayneedspecifictraininginspecificskillssuchaspresentingor
negotiating.Theymayrequire1to1classes.Morejuniorstaffmaynothavesuchpreciseneeds
andmaynothaveasmuchinfluenceonhowtheirtrainingismanaged.
National culture
Differentculturesmayhavedifferenttraditionsandvaluesregardingtrainingandeducation.They
mayrequireslightlydifferentcoursestotrainthemtointeractwithintheglobalwordofbusiness.

Need
SpecificneedsSomelearnersmayhaveveryspecificneedsdependingontheirjoborprofession.
Forexample,somelearnersmayneedtrainingonhowtoansweracustomertelephonehotline.
Theselearnerswillneedafocused,tailormadecourse,probablyina121setting.
GeneralneedsSomelearnershaveageneralaimtoimprovetheirEnglishbecausetheyfeelitis
therightthingtodo.Theywillrequirealessfocusedcourse.
SharedneedsSomelearnersmayworkfordifferentfirmsbutsharejobcharacteristicstheycan
allidentifywith.Examplesofsuchrolesincludesecretaries,accountantsortechnicians.Itmaybe
possibletoteachtheselearnersinagroupusinganagreedsyllabus.
Language level
Learnersmayalsobegroupedtogetheraccordingtolanguageproficiency,forexample
beginners,intermediateandadvanced.Duetothenatureofbusinesscourses,itisnot
uncommontoteachmultilevelgroupsofBusinessEnglishlearners,forexampleIntermediate
(B1)andUpperIntermediate(B2)learnersinthesameclass.Teachersshouldbeawareofthis
possibilityandconsiderplanningmultilevelactivitiestocaterfortheirlearners.

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2 Business English teaching contexts
BusinessEnglishteachersgenerallyworkwithinoneormoreofthefollowingcontexts:(3)
EducationinstituteYoungadultsareoftentaughtinaninstitutionaleducationalenvironment
suchasaschooloruniversity.Teachingmayinvolveusingavarietyofwrittenandoraltextsand
testssothatgradescanbegiven.Learnersmayhavecertainexpectationsandfeelingsaboutthe
class.Forexample,theymayexpecttheteachertobeanexpertinbusinessandmaynotfeelthat
learningEnglishisasimportantastheirothersubjects.Suchclassesmaycontainlearnerswith
differentlanguagelevelsandskills.Itcanbedifficulttofocusonspecifictargetneeds.However,
itispossibletouseawiderangeofgeneralbusinesscoursebookswiththesegroupsoflearners.
PrivatelanguageschoolIndividuallearnersorcompaniesmaypaytostudyataprivatelanguage
school.Theteachingmaytakeplaceintheschoolspremisesoratthecustomersworkplace.
Learnersmayrangefromprivateindividualswantingtoimprovetheirjobprospectstolarge
corporationswithemployeesallovertheworld.Theymaybetaughtinclassesorina121
context.
IncompanyThisinvolvesworkingattheclientspremisesandcanvaryfromacoupleofhours
aweektoafulltimejob.LearnerswillhaveaclearideaofwhytheyneedEnglish.Teacherswho
workfulltimeforaspecificcompanywillgettoknowthecompanysneedsreallywell,havetheir
owntrainingroomandhaveaccesstocompanyresources.
121Theseareprivatelessonswithoneteacherandonestudentandarequiteacommon
arrangementinBusinessEnglishteaching.Itcaninvolvepreparingalearnerforaspecificproject
orhelpingwithtaskssuchaspresentations,correspondenceandreports.Unlikegroupteaching,
theteacherisabletofocusonthelearnersneedsandthelearnerbecomesthemainresource.The
teachersroleistofocusonthelearnersneedsandassistthemwithspecificneeds.Forexample,
ifastudentneedstogiveapresentationinEnglish,assistingthelearnerinvolvesmorethan
correctinggrammaticalandlexicalerrors.Itmayalsoinvolvehelpingthelearnertoplanthe
presentationandreviewwhatisneededindifferentparts.
121lessonsmayinitiallyappeardauntingandnewteachersoftenfallintothetrapofassumingthe
learnerwantsmaximumeffortandinputfromtheteacher.However,thisisnotthecase.Aswithall
languageclasses,itisimportanttovaryactivitiesandgivelearnerschancetothinkabouttasksand
focusonstudentcentredcommunication.Ifyouteacha121classoveralongperiodoftime,you
areoftenabletobuildarapportwiththeclient.

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3 Distance Learning
Distancelearningreferstoanysituationwhentheteacherandlearnerarephysicallyseparated.
Varioustypesofmediacanbeusedfrompaperbasedtoelectronicresources.Theprinciplesof
effectiveteachingandlearningremainthesamei.e.thecommunicativeneedsaswellasthetarget
discourseareparamount.Distancelearningcanvaryfromstandardcoursesusedwithallclientsto
tailormadecoursesdecidedbytheteacherandlearner.
Distancelearningcanbe:(4)
SynchronousCommunicationhappensinrealtimewithpeopleinteractingviathetelephoneor
onlinechatting.
AsynchronousCommunicationhappensinstageswithonecommunicationeventfollowing
anotherseparatedintimei.e.viaemail.
OpenlearningThelearnerhasagreaterdegreeofautonomyintermsofwhatiscoveredonthe
course,howitislearnedandwhenitislearned.

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4 Reflective Task 2
ReflectiveTask2
Inyouropinion,whataretheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofdistancelearning?

Theadvantagesofdistancelearninginclude:
FlexibilityTeachersandlearnerscanchoosethetime,pace,locationandcontent.Thisisahuge
advantageforbusybusinessprofessionals.Forexample,abusyexecutivewhosejobrequiresher
toflyaroundtheworld,mayfinditdifficulttoattendregular,fixedlanguageclasses.However,
shemaybeabletoschedulelanguageclassesatdifferenttimesdependingonherdiary.
CostDistancelearningcoursesareoftenLearnersoftenlearnduringtheirowntimeandthereis
noneedtoprovideclassrooms.Theproductionofelectronicmaterialsischeaperthanpaperbased
materials.
LearnerfreedomLearnersmaychoosetofocusoncertainmodulesoractivitiesdependingon
theirspecificlearnerneeds.Itallowsthemtodivertfromamorelockstepapproach,typicallyused
intraditionallanguageclassrooms,inwhichalllearnersgothroughacertainsetofactivitiesatthe
sametime.
Disadvantagesinclude:
CommunicationproblemsSomecomputersystemsneedthelearnertohaveacertainamountof
technicalcompetence.Theremay,therefore,beteethingproblems.
LearninginisolationSomelearnersfindworkinginisolationfrustrating.Someactivities,like
groupwork,willbedifficultorimpossibletosetup.Itmayalsobehardertogaugestudent
progress.
MateriallimitationsTeachersoftenneedtousematerialswithspecificandexactanswersso
learnerscanchecktheanswersthemselves.
LackofcommunicationTobecomeeffective,learnersmustbeexposedtolanguageandbegiven
thechancetouseit.Exposurecanbeprovidedthroughdistancelearningthoughmayfailtotake
intoaccounttheinteractivenatureofcommunication.
Adaptingyourteachingtoadistancelearningcontext,however,willhelptoworkaroundthese
issues.Thefollowingtechniquescanhelptoprovidemotivationtostudentsinadistancelearning
context:(5)
WraparoundmaterialsTeacherscanprovideshortwrittentextsbeforeactivitiestoprovidethe
supportnormallyprovidedbytheteachersoralinstructionsinclass.Thesecanbesimple,written
inaconversationalstyleandmayevenbewritteninthelearnersownlanguage.
FeedbackThemainadvantageofteacherinvolvementistoprovidethespecificandtargeted
feedbackthatisdifficultforselfstudymaterialstooffer.Feedbackcouldbegivenbyoccasional
visitstothelearner,commentswrittenonapieceofworkorsuggestionsaboutwhatthelearner
mightliketodonext.Itisimportanttoensurethatwrittenfeedbackispersonalisedasmuchas
possiblesoitfeelsthatthespeakeristalkingdirectlytothestudent.
Theuseofthetelephoneorvideocallscanalsohelptoputteachersandstudentsindirectcontact.
Teachersandstudentscouldusethetelephonefortutorialsortodiscussassignments,plansortopics.
Theuseofphoneorvideocallscanalsobeusedtocreatetheinteractionnecessaryforeffective
languagelearning.Thefollowingactivitieswillgiveyouanideaofwhatispossibleviathetelephone
orvideocalls:
TakingmessagesonthetelephoneYoucanpractiseunderstandingtelephonemessagesby
carryingoutaroleplayinwhichyouleaveamessageforyourstudentandaskthemtorespond
appropriately.Forexample,youcouldaskthemtogiveyouaquotationonaquantityoftheir
productsandsoon.
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CheckingandclarifyinginstructionsCallyourlearneranddictateatext.Thelearnerneedsto
writethetextandsendittoyou.Youcandofurtherlanguageworkbyaskingthestudenttorevise
thetextoranalysethelanguage.
WorkingwithspecificauthenticdocumentsGiveyourlearneradocumentfromtheirworkplace
thenphonethemandaskspecificquestionsaboutthedocument.
SocialinteractiononthetelephoneCallyourlearnerandcarryoutarangeofsocialinteractions
withthem,forexampleinvitingthemtoaparty,askingtheiropiniononsomethingsandaskthem
forinformation.
RoleplayingcustomerphonecallsLookatthetypesofletterswhichmayresultinaphonecall
fromtheclientscustomer.Roleplaythesephoneconversations,givingfeedbacktothestudent
aftertheroleplayhasended.

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5 The Business English teacher
Inmostfieldsofteaching,theteacherknowsmoreaboutthesubjectthanthelearner.However,in
BusinessEnglish,therelationshipismoresymbiotic:theteacherknowsmoreaboutlanguageand
communicationbutthelearnerknowsmoreaboutthejobanditscontent.
BusinessEnglishteachersoftenneedtomakeinformeddecisionsaboutlanguageandlanguage
learning,selectingmaterialsandresourcesthatareappropriateforlearnersfocusingonimproving
specificlanguageskills.Theyneedcredibility,professionalismandanawarenessofthebusiness
world.Theymustalsoneedtobeabletoadapttodifferentteachingcontextsandbewillingtolearn
aboutspecificareasofbusinesssotheyhaveagreaterawarenessofhowtheycanhelptheirstudents.
BusinessEnglishteachersmaybeknownastrainers,coachesorconsultantsforgoodreasons:(6)
TrainerIntheworldofbusiness,trainersarecommon.Trainingisjoborientated.Trainersare
oftenviewedaspeoplewhoarerequiredtochangeapersonsbehaviourorabilitytodoaspecific
job.Whileateacherishelpingastudentlearnalanguageforavarietyofpurposes,atraineris
trainingalearnertobehavelinguisticallyandpragmaticallyinacertainway.
CoachAcoachhelpsalearnertakeadvantageofthelearningopportunitiesintheirworking
environment.Acoachhelpsalearnertobetterunderstandtheirstrengthsandweaknessesandplan
accordingly.
ConsultantAconsultantisanexpertwhoisbroughtinbecausehisorherskillsarenotavailable
intheorganisation.InBusinessEnglish,thisexpertisemayincludetheabilitytoanalyse
communicationandcommunicationneedsandtorecommendtrainingsuppliers.

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6 Business English
ThelanguageofBusinessEnglishcanincludethefollowing:
GeneraloreverydayEnglishusedinthecontextofbusiness
Englishforspecificpurposes(ESP)
GeneralBusinessEnglish
BusinessEnglishincludessomelanguagewecanidentifyaseverydayEnglish.Forexample,consider
theexchangebelow:(7)
A:Excuseme
B:Hi.CanIhelpyou?
A:Yes,Imlookingforroom235,Mr.Jenkinsoffice.
B:Itsjustroundthecorner,overthere.
Dependingonthecontext,theexchangecouldtakeplaceinavarietyofdifferentsettings.For
example,astudentoraparentcouldbevisitingtheheadmasterofaschool.However,iftheexchange
takesplacewithinabusinesscontextbyabusinessperson,itbecomesBusinessEnglish.For
example,theexchangecouldbeabusinesspersonvisitingasuppliersfactory.Youwillfindthenthat
thesamefunctionsandlanguagecanbetaughttoagroupofgeneralEnglishstudentsorBusiness
Englishstudentsthroughdifferentcontexts.
However,somebusinessprofessionalsuselanguageinotherways,lessfamiliartooutsiders.They
usespecialistwordstomakecommunicationwithinaspecificgroupeasierandmoreefficient.Every
professiondoesthisandpeopleusespecificlanguagetocommunicateindifferentcontexts.For
example,intheteachingprofession,termssuchasengaginglearners,lexicalsetandschemataare
usedtocommunicatewithinthecontextofteaching.Whilethesetermsarefamiliartothoseinvolved
inthefieldofeducation,theymaybeunfamiliartothosenotinvolvedinthisfield.
Businesscommunitiesarenodifferent.Forexample,accountantsusethelanguageofaccounting
(specificlexis)totalkaboutaccountingmatters(specificcontexts).Salesengineersusespecific
languagetodiscusstheirproductspecifications.Thesetwobusinesscommunitiesprobablywillnot
understandeachothersspecialistvocabulary.
ThetermEnglishforSpecificPurposes(ESP)isusedtodescribelanguagethatisinaccessibleto
peoplewhoarenotmembersofaparticularlanguagecommunity.SomeexamplesofESParebelow:
Canwetalkaboutgearingafterlunch?(accounting)
WevehadsomeSF6leakage.(powerindustry)
Weneedtorevisittheescalationclause(realestate)
ThereisalsosomelanguagewhichisclearlyBusinessEnglish,usedbyprofessionalsinarangeof
differentindustries,butwhichcanbeunderstoodbymostproficientusersofEnglish.Considerthe
exchangebelow:
Saleshavefluctuatedrecently.
Haseveryonehadalookattheminutes?
Theyveterminatedthecontract.
ThislanguageisoftendescribedasgeneralBusinessEnglishandisthesortoflanguagefoundinmost
generalBusinessEnglishcoursebooksorinbusinessjournals.BusinessEnglish,therefore,isan
umbrellatermforamixtureofgeneral,everydayEnglish,generalBusinessEnglishandESP.Itisnot
limitedtowordsandphrasesthatonlyappearinspecialisedbusinessworlds.

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BusinessEnglishisalsodistinctiveaslanguageisusedinarangeofdifferentspecificbusiness
contextsforbusinessaims.Businesspeopleuselanguageinarangeofdifferentcontexts,including
thefollowing:
Socialising
Makingpredictions
Analysis
Negotiating
Buyingandselling
Writing
Persuading
Makingcompromises
Telephoning
Marketing
Interviewing
SkillinusingBusinessEnglishisnotlimitedtochoosingtherightwordsandphrases.Forexample,
presenters,negotiatorsandtelephoneoperatorsusecertaintechniquestogettheirmessageacross.
BusinessEnglishusers,therefore,needtoknowthewordsbutalsotheskillsinordertodotheirjob.
TheyneedEnglishtodobusinessandnotjusttalkaboutbusiness.BusinessEnglish,therefore,is
taughttogetherwithbusinesscommunicationskills.
BusinessEnglishsyllabitendtofocusonfunctions,relatedtolanguageneedsfordifferentbusiness
settingsanddiscourses.Examplesinclude:
Conductingandparticipatinginmeetings
Negotiatingandbargaining
TelephoneEnglish
Givingpresentations
Closingadeal
Writingemails
Writingareport

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7 Teaching business communication
AsBusinessEnglishisnotonlyaboutlanguagebutlanguageuse,theteachingofBusinessEnglish
hasbeeninfluencedbyapproachesandmethodspromotingcommunicativecompetence.Language
learnersneedtobeabletousethelanguageinreallifesituations.BusinessEnglishteachers,
therefore,needtofocusonthreedifferentkeycomponents:(8)
LinguisticCompetence
DiscourseCompetence
InterculturalCompetence

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8 Linguistic competence
Linguisticcompetencedescribestheuseofbasicelementsthatgotogethertoformlanguage,e.g.
vocabulary,grammarandphonology.Adeeperunderstandingoftheroleoflexisinrecentyearshas
influencedtheteachingofBusinessEnglish.Forexample,chunksoflanguagesuchashowdoyou
docanbetaughtasalexicalchunkratherthanagrammaticalstructure.Thesechunksoflanguage
canbeusedbybusinessprofessionalsinarangeofdifferentsituations.Examplesoflexicalchunking
usedintheteachingofBusinessEnglishincludethefollowing:
Multiwordunitsg.howdoyoudo
Sentenceheadersg.Whatsthematterwith,Idontthinkits
Phrasalverbsg.startoff,bringup
Collocationsg.smallprint,haveameeting
Idiomsg.missedtheboat,inthedrivingseat
Wordfamiliesg.writealetter,postaletter
Colligationsorwordsthatoccurinaparticulargrammaticalpatterne.g.letterofapplication,
letterofcomplaintBUTEuropeanmarket(notmarketofEurope)
AnotherrecentdevelopmentthathasaffectedtheteachingofBusinessEnglishinparticularisthe
appreciationthatthereisadifferencebetweenspokenandwrittengrammar.Learnersneedto
understandthatiftheyusewrittengrammarrulesinconversationalspeech,theirlanguagemaysound
stiltedorunnatural.ThisisimportantforalllearnersofEnglishbutitisparticularlyimportantfor
BusinessEnglishstudentssotheycancommunicateeffectivelyinspeechandwritingtoachievetheir
businessaims.
Spokengrammarisnormallyusedinrealtimeinteractionandhasthefollowingfeatures:
Differentwordorderrules
Contractionsg.wont
Hesitationsg.erm
Repetitionandellipsis
Incompleteutterances
Frontingandtaggingg.Thetape(fronting).Yeah,wegotityesterdayIthinkitwas(tagging).
Discoursemarkersg.OK
Backchannelingg.uhhuh,yeahtosignalagreement
Phonologicalfeatures,suchasstress,rhythmandintonationareusedtoconveymeaning.Body
languageandnonverbalcommunicationisalsoimportant.

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9 Discourse competence
Discoursecompetencedealswithlanguageinuse.Itdescribeshowpeopleinteractwitheachother
withinacontext.Examplesincludenegotiations,correspondencesandpresentations.Business
discoursecompetencereferstothespokenandwrittencommunicationfoundwithintheworldof
business.
Participantsindiscoursecommunicatewithindifferentcontexts,followingdifferentdiscourses
requiringdifferentstrategies.Onestrategyistheuseofregister,thedegreeofformalityorspecificity
usedwithindiscourse.Forexample,aninformalchatinacafewouldusecolloquial,everyday
languagewhilebusinessprofessionalsattendingaformal,businessmeetingwoulduseformal
languageandspecificlexis.
Theconceptofgenreisusedtodistinguishbetweendifferenttypesoftexts.Forexample,adifferent
writingstylewouldbeemployedinaninformalmemowhencomparedwithaformalletterof
complaint.
Discoursecanbespokenorwritten.Spokendiscourseisoftenviewedasmoreimportantinthe
BusinessEnglishclassroomandoftenfocusedoninBusinessEnglishtraining.Thereasoningbehind
thisisthatspokendiscourseismoreimmediateandurgent.Thelearnerhaslesstimetothinkabout
whatheneedstosaycomparedtowrittendiscourse.
Thesociologicalapproachtoanalysingspokendiscourseiscalledconversationanalysis.Interaction
isseenasadynamicprocesswithcertaincharacteristics.Spokeninteractionhasastructurewith
participantstakingturnstospeakandtherearerulesaboutwhatisorwhatisnotallowed.For
example,participantsareoftenexpectedtolistentoeachotherandstoptalkingwhenanother
participantistalking.Thisisknownasturntaking.
Conversationsalsohaveopeningandclosingsequences.Forexample,atelephoneconversationoften
startsoffusingsomeofthefollowingcomponents:
Answeringthecalle.g.Hello
Identificationrecognitione.g.ItsAndyhere
Greetingse.g.howareyou?
Initialenquirye.g.Imcallingtoseeif
Thelanguageusedalsodependsontherelationshipbetweenthecallerandreceiver.Itisimportantto
practiseturntakingandopeningandclosingsequencesinclasssostudentsunderstandspoken
discoursestructure.

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10 Intercultural competence
Culturecanbedescribedasattitudes,behaviour,beliefsandvalues.Itisinfluencedbydifferent
factors,includingenvironment,gender,family,ageandethics.Itislearned,notinheritedand
manifestsitselfininteractionbetweenpeople.Whilesomeculturaldifferencesmaybeobviousand
superficial,othersarehiddenandnotsoobvious.
Therearedifferenttypesofculture,includingnational,ethical,organisationalandprofessional.
Stereotypesareoftenusedtodescribeculturalgeneralisations.Forexample,itmaybeusefultobe
familiarwiththeconceptoffacewhenteachingAsianstudentsordealingwithAsianbusiness
professionals.Faceisaconceptdescribingapersonsworth,selfrespectanddignityandmayaffect
theactionsofindividualsfromthatpartoftheworld.Forexample,Asiansmaybelesslikelytobe
willingtomakemistakesinspeechoutoffearofappearingincorrect.
Whilestereotypesareuseful,thereisadangerofassumingthateveryoneinaparticulargroupbehaves
inexactlythesameway,makingnoallowanceforindividuality.Itisimportant,therefore,toaskyour
studentsquestionsabouttheirculturalnormssoyoucangaugehowtobesthelpthemtobecome
competentusersofEnglishintheinterculturalbusinessenvironment.Forexample,aJapanese
businessprofessionalmayneedcoachinginturntaking,ensuringthattheyareabletoexpresstheir
pointofviewatarelevantpointintheconversationinsteadofsittingbackandwaitingforsilenceas
maybetheircustom.
Interculturalcompetenceincludestheabilitytodealwithandbesensitivetodifferencesinhowother
culturesdothings.Fromabusinesspointofview,theaimistorecogniseandutilisethosedifferences
tobetterunderstandhowtocooperateandcommunicatetogetherinordertoachievetheirbusiness
aims.

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11 References
1.Frendo,E(2005)HowtoteachBusinessEnglish,Pearson,EssexUK
2.Ibid
3.Ibid
4.Ibid
5.Ibid
6.Ibid
7.Ibid

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12 Further Reading
Frendo,E(2005)HowtoteachBusinessEnglish,Pearson,EssexUK
Emmerson,P(2007)BusinessEnglishHandbookAdvanced,Macmillan

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13 Useful Websites
BritishCouncilresourcesforteachingBusinessEnglish
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/teachingadults/resources/englishbusiness

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