PHASE 8

Business English Teacher Training (BETT)

Introduction

This aspect deals with BUSINESS ENGLISH WRITING SKILL. This skill is
important because it too demands the ability to CONVEY THOUGHTS,
IDEAS IN A MANNER that would appeal and create an impact. There would
be an element of conveying power be it speaking , writing, it SHOULD have
the power to CRACK A DEAL AND CLOSE THE DEAL on a positive note. This
would require the ability to COMPREHEND. This module deals with the
VITAL ELEMENT. Business ENGLISH TEACHER TRAINING is all about
learning the TECHNICALITIES OF WRITING skill. It has a certain pattern
and the trainer needs to IMKPART that knowledge in the mind of the
trainees. How to interpret the documents is a vital aspect. How to take
notes, how to address emails , understand the differences between fax and
letters all these aspects are not TRIVIAL and THEY ARE IMPORTANT
aspects to ponder. It’s important to have the KNOWLEDGE and IT’S MORE
THAN WHAT MEETS THE EYE. How to interpret the contract, memos the
participants need to have all the important information and hence the
TRAINER NEEDS to make the TRAINEES get ACQUAINTED WITH THE
NECESSARY SKIULL SET. The module has information on how to write a CV
and guide the learners in a manner that would help them to PROJECT
T5HEIR SKILL SET in a manner that it would generate results.

Business writing

Written communication is an integral part and a key skill in daily

business activities, applicable to vast range of situations. The skill
provides invaluable medium of storing records and other information
enabling communication across time and space, throwing challenges
markedly different from spoken interaction. Writing, that is not usually

spontaneous and near-instantaneous, can be

considered easier than speaking. It gives time to ponder and decide a
reply with comparatively

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more ease. Speaking is more natural. But writing, which involves
planning and organization, linking paragraphs and sentences together,
knowledge of spelling, punctuation, word order, word choice etc, is
more contrived; a skill that needs to be learnt and acquired.
Over the past few decades of research on to training, writing to second
language learners, a number of issues have appeared, some of which
remain controversial in spite of reams of data on second language
writing. Here is a brief look at some of the issues.

 Composing vs. writing

Viewed simplistically, written language is simply the graphic

representation of spoken language, and written performance is
much like oral performance, the only difference lying in graphics
instead of auditory signals. However today, the view is
completely different

The process of writing requires an entirely different set of

competencies and is fundamentally different from speaking. The
permanence and distance of writing, coupled with its unique
rhetorical conventions, indeed make writings as different form
speaking as swimming is from walking.

Written products are often the result of thinking, drafting and

revising procedures that require specialized skills, that is not
always developed naturally. The upshot of the compositional
nature of writing has produced writing pedagogy that focuses
trainees on how to generate ideas, how to organize them
coherently, how to use discourse markers and rhetorical
conventions to put them cohesively into a written text, how to
revise text for clear understanding on how to edit text for
appropriate grammar, and how to produce a final product.

 Process vs. product

Recognition of the compositional nature of writing has changed

the face of writing classes. Writing trainers were mostly
concerned with the final product of writing: the essay, the
report, the story, and what that product should “look” like.
Compositions were supposed to

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 a. meet certain standards of prescribed English rhetorical
style,
b. reflect accurate grammar, and
c. be organized in conformity with what the audience would
consider to be conventional.

A good deal of attention was placed on “model”

composition that trainees would emulate and on how well
a trainees’ final product measured up against a list of
criteria that included content, organization, vocabulary
use, grammatical use and mechanical consideration such
as spelling and punctuation.

In the due course of time, we have become better attuned to the

advantage given to learners when they were seen as creators of
language, were allowed to focus on content and message, and
when their own individual intrinsic motives were put at the
centre of learning. This process approach to writing instruction
does the following:

d. focus on the process of writing that leads to the final

written product;
e. help trainees writers to understand their own composing
process
f. help them to build repertoires of strategies for previewing,
drafting and rewriting;
g. give trainees time to write and rewrite;
h. place central importance on the process of revision;
i. let trainees discover what they want to say as they write;
j. give trainees feedback throughout the composing process
(not just on the final product) as they attempt to bring
their expression closer and closer to intention;
k. encourage feedback from both the instructors and peers.
l. Include individual conferences between trainer and
trainees during the process of composition.

The current emphasis on process writing must of course be seen

in the perspective of a balance between process and product.
The product is, after all, the ultimate goal; it is the reason that we
go through the process of prewriting, drafting, revising and
editing. Without the final product firmly in view, we could quite

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 simply drown ourselves in a sea of revisions. Process is not the
end; it is the means to the end.

 Differences between L1 & L2 writing

It is imperative for the trainers to understand that there are

many differences between the L1 & L2 writing. Research reveals
that L2 writers does less planning, they are less fluent (used
fewer words), are less accurate (made more errors), and less
effective in stating goals and organizing material. Differences in
using appropriate grammatical and rhetorical conventions and
lexical varieties were also found, among other features.
Therefore:

a. it is important to determine appropriate approaches to

writing instructions for L2 writers in different contexts,
b. writing trainers need to be equipped to deal effectively
with the socio-cultural and linguistic differences of L2
trainees, and
c. The assessment of L2 writing may need to take into
account the fundamental differences between most L1 and
l2 writing.
 Authenticity

Very little authentic, actual writing is done by an average college

educated person in Western society. In the era of electronic
communication (video, phone, computer etc.) we are less and
less called upon to compose. But writing is a way of life. In
vocational-technical English (business English), trainees need to
fill out forms, write simple messages write certain conventional
reports (e.g. a bid on a contract, an inspection report, a business
email) and at the most creative end of the continuum, write a
brief business letter.

Another way to look at the authenticity issue in classroom

writing is to distinguish between real writing and display
writing. Real writing is when the reader doesn’t know the
answer and genuinely wants information. In many academic /
school contexts, however, if the instructor is the sole reader
writing is primarily for the display of a trainees’ knowledge.
Written exercises, short answer essays, and other writing in test
situations are instances of display writing.

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 Therefore if ESL courses strive to be more content-based, theme-
based or task-based, trainees are more likely to be given the
opportunity to convey genuine information on topics of intrinsic
interest. But display writing is not totally unjustified. Writing to
display one’s knowledge is a fact of life in the classroom, and by
getting your trainees to perform well in display writing
exercises, they can learn skills that will help them to succeed in
further academic pursuits.

 The role of the trainer

As trainees are encouraged (in reading) to bring their own

schemata to bear on understanding text and in writing to
develop their own ideas, offer their own critical analysis, and
find their own “voice”, the role of trainer must be on of facilitator
and coach, not an authoritative director and arbiter.
As a facilitator, the trainer offers guidance in helping trainees to
engage in the thinking process of composing but, in a spirit of
respect for trainees’ opinion, must not impose his or her own
thought on trainees writing.

Approaches to training writing

There are many theories on training the skill of writing:

 Process approach: Some trainers see writing as problem-

solving process which can involve brainstorming ideas,
structuring the selected ideas, drafting and redrafting, getting
feedback from peers and so on. Trainers can guide the learners
through these various stages in a writing task, helping them to
master the variants. This method probably works best with
higher-level trainees who already have a reasonable command
of the language. However the trainer can anytime impart
valuable feedback, acting as language resource, helping the
learner to develop as a writer. Such feedback can include advice
on dealing with the various stages of the process or on issues of
language (such as appropriate or accurate use of expression,
lexis or grammar) as well as providing an overall evaluation of
the end result.
 Genre (or text) approach: The theory where texts of certain
type, e.g. letters, have the same kind of purpose as each other
and show similar language and features. Letters are different, in

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 these terms, from reports, which in turn are different from
agendas. A genre like letters can be divided into sub-genres like
letters of persuasion, letters of enquiry, letters of confirmation,
and so on. Some trainers argue against a genre approach, saying
that the notion of genre is too vague to be of practical use to the
trainees. After all every letter is unique and has its own specific
characteristics. Others argue that the theory of genre is useful
for trainers and learners alike because it gives learners
something concrete to aim for.

In a genre approach, learners are given the chance to study

model texts, and to base their own writing on what they have
noticed in the texts, allowing far more creativity. Yet, since for
most business English learners writing is instrumental (focusing
on achieving a particular goal or an outcome), this is probably
not a major issue, particularly with lower levels. Indeed, it is rare
to find even native-speaker business people starting from
scratch (how many contracts are written without reference to
previous ones, for example?)

Of course it is likely that trainers will combine elements of

process and genre approaches when designing lesson activities.
Learners may be given the opportunity to focus on particular
features, for example, and will then be asked to compose their
own versions.

The structure of writing

Irrespective of the approaches of training, writing-skill aims at

elements of structure – how paragraphs and sentences work together.
The processes are through:

o Ensuring coherence, which involves creating a logical argument

or sequence that makes sense to the reader.

Look at the following letter, and work out the best order for the
paragraphs.

Dear Ms Lee,

I also checked the dates for the travel and accommodation

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costs you mentioned. The trip actually took place after the 5
contract between JK Holgings and our client was signed. In
paragraph 4.2 it states that our agreement terminates when a
contract is signed between JK Holgings and the client.
Therefore we cannot reimburse expenses for any expenses
which occurred after the contract was signed.

I trust this matter will not jeopardize our business relationship.

We were very satisfied with your sales engineers’ performance, 6
and we fully intend to use your services again in the future if at
all possible.

Such accusations are not to be taken lightly, particularly as we

at JK Holgings pride ourselves on treating our clients and 3
partners fairly. For this reason I have closely examined your
complaints.

Thank you for your letter of June 28. I am deeply concerned

that you feel your sales engineers have been unfairly treated by 1
JK Holgings.

My investigation of your complaints led me to conclude that JK

Holgings is not obliged to make the payments that you request. 4
Let me begin by examining the non-payment for the
presentation. I examined our agency agreement, and un
paragraph 2.1 it clearly states that this kind of expenditure is
deemed to be compensated by the commission paid to your
company. Accordingly we cannot pay you extra for this
presentation.

In your letter you said that you felt unfairly treated for two
reasons. Firstly, you stated that JK Holgings refused to pay for a 2
market analysis presentation your company gave to a potential
client on our behalf. Secondly, you said that JK Holgings refused
to reimburse your company for travel and accommodation
expenses.

Yours sincerely,

7
Graham Thorpe

o Cohesion, decides how sentences connect with each other to

form a sense of unity. This is done through various grammatical
devices, such as conjunctions and pronouns, as well as lexical
items.

Work on the new communication facility at Sanzia Junction started in

January. The foundations were competed in February, and most of the
equipment had arrived by the end of March. Additional equipment,
including transmitter components, was delivered throughout the
months of April and May, and took two weeks to assemble.
Commissioning took place in the final week of July, in time for
President Kanaso’s opening ceremony on August 1. Unfortunately the
transmitter was totally destroyed in November’s earthquake.

The context of writing

Business English must relate appropriately to its setting – context. The

writer therefore needs to consider the audience, the purpose of the
document, and the expected response and explains why business
English trainers often integrate writing skills into activities which are
also designed to address other skills (simulations and case studies are
typical of this). The focus is on the outcome of the task, rather than the
production of the documents as an end in itself.

 Audience – The audience of a particular piece of writing might

come from a diversified cross section, belonging to a cultural
context different from that of the writer. And what works in one
cultural setting may not work in the other. For example,
commonly starting off the paragraph with a topic sentence as a
prelude to the content is considered to be a good practice in the
West; however in many Asian contexts it is more common to
lead up to topic gradually.
o Audiences may also come from a different professional
context.
o Knowing the audience will also affect the style of the letter;
is it to be formal or informal, for example? A letter written
to the favorite client and to the best friend at work would

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 be remarkably different, even if the message is essentially
the same.
o Furthermore, international business documents need to be
kept as simple as possible if the audience is not as
proficient at English as the writer.
 Purpose – The practical intent of the letter is of key importance.
o Acceptability in the business world is rarely judged by
grammatical niceties, but by its utility. Therefore the trivial
grammatical or structural mistakes in a letter do not
matter much in the reality. Business people are more likely
to read an email and say, ‘Great, we’ve got the contract’,
rather than, ‘This email is unacceptable – it’s full of
mistakes’. From a business perspective, therefore it’s not
really worth spending much time behind grammatical and
structural perfections. Some companies have a policy
about the quality of their email, preferring sped and
efficiency to linguistic accuracy (particularly with internal
emails). From a feedback perspective, red-inking every
mistake on a practice letter may have the effect of
destroying a learner’s confidence – exactly the opposite of
what trainers are trying to do. However, some documents
like contracts & minutes are required to be very precise.
o The intensity of accuracy is also determined by the
purpose of the document.
o It also depends on the training context. A trainer working
with pre-experienced university learners who are
preparing for a written business studies exam may have to
take a very different approach from that of the in-company
trainer who has to deal with the everyday practicalities of
business.
o Another considerable point is the degree of vagueness of
the language in the document. Sometimes writing has to be
very precise; it is no good giving the wrong amount of
money in a price quotation, for example, or supplying
incorrect delivery dates. But sometimes sentences like, ‘It
looks like we should be finished by the end of June’, can be
far more flexible if something goes wrong. Writers do not
always wish to commit themselves in writing.
 Response: Writing evolves with a specific desire for response.
The anger or stress emanating from a letter of complaint would
make it far more direct and impolite, compared to the one
written with a separate objective and mindset. For an effective
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 piece of document, it is necessary for the learners to think from
the readers’ perspective and ask, “How would I respond if I had
received this document?”

These questions might help a business English learner to assess

response:

oWhat is the relationship between me and my reader (or

between the companies we work for)? (long term, short
term, customer, partner etc.)
o What are the main issues at stake? (loss of business,
profits, details on a project, loss of trust etc)
o Is there enough information? Will my reader know what I
need or want them to do?
 Sample activities for training business writing

Here is a typical activity, designed to focus learners’ attention on

different genres in business writing. It was written for a group of
learners whose job involved daily interaction with customers on
matters of spare parts delivery.

oPaired crosswords
o Connecting the email.
 Ways to adapt and use authentic documents:
o Gap-fill (remove words which learners could guess from
the context, or which they need to focus on, or which form
part of useful lexical phrases).
o Mixed or jumbled text (or phrases).
o Divide a number of sentences into two parts, and then ask
learners to find the matching sentences halves
o On a letter, write a few notes on what sort of response is
required (e.g. ‘Tell them we can’t deliver before June 6’, or
‘inform them that the quality wasn’t good enough’, and so
on). Learners write a follow up letter.
o Change style from formal to informal.
o Edit text to find or correct errors.
o Summarize.
o Comprehension questions.
o Put all the verbs into infinitive form and ask learners to
correct.
Ask learner to give an oral report on the contents (with or
without notes).
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Note-taking

It involves practicing the difficult skill of writing while listening and/or

speaking. It is an important skill for most trainees working in the field
of international business because they are bound to need to take notes
at meetings or presentations conducted in English, in the future if not
immediately. Since notes taken will not be read by anyone else their
purpose is to be functional, not beautiful, but it is probably easiest if
trainees take notes in the language of the meeting, i.e. English, or if
they use an ‘international’ note-taking system which will not
necessitate ongoing translation.

In order to provide useful guidance and practice for trainees it is

necessary to find out first, how notes are usually written up in the
trainees companies because this may affect the style of note-taking and
the level of detail recommended. Minutes of meetings and visit reports
for example, can vary tremendously from company to company. If
trainees cannot bring in sample copies of relevant paperwork or have
little information about their future work situation, it is sensible to
stick to general guidelines.

 Text rebuilding: Working in groups of an ever decreasing size,

trainees reconstitute texts from their notes. This is good
confidence-building exercise which grades the task of taking
notes effectively. If performed badly, this activity also makes
clear the need for more focus on note taking.
 Phrased jigsaw notes: Trainees take notes using phrases or
single words written on small pieces of paper. The focus is not
on speed of writing but on listening for key points, then
extrapolating the rest of the text.
 Noting notes: Trainees share abbreviations for notes and
develop new symbols for use in emergencies! The non-language-
based shorthand encouraged through this procedure is
particularly useful because it means that trainees will not have
to translate back and forth as they participate in meetings. Not
translating means that trainees should find, note-taking easier.

METHOD – Noted Meetings

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Trainees make notes when listening to recordings of meetings, then
write either minutes or follow up memos.

Language any

Level upper-intermediate and above

Time 40 minutes

Preparation
Find a recording of a meeting (in a course book) which you think will
be of interest to your trainees.

Procedure

1. Ask trainees what type of writing they need to do after attending

meetings. (Note that they are likely to need to write minutes,
memos or e-mails.) Tell them that they are going to practice
taking notes in preparation for this kind of writing. Encourage
them to consider what the purpose of the minutes, or the follow-
up memos would be, and who might read them and why.
2. Play trainees recordings of meetings and get them to take notes
for minutes, follow-up memos or e-mails. Give trainees 10-15
minutes to write up minutes, memos or e-mails (on OHTs if
possible) after listening once only.
3. Get trainees to compare their minutes, memos or emails.
4. Play the recording of the meeting again and give feedback on
trainees’ writing as appropriate. Focus trainees’ attention on the
following areas:
o Accuracy of content – i.e. did they listen carefully enough?
o Grammatical errors which could cause confusion
o Cohesion of the text overall – i.e. does it fit together and
make sense?
o Consistency of grammar when bullet points are used
o Stylistic consistency
5. Give trainees the option of improving their initial version for
homework.

Correspondence

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Correspondence includes writing letters, emails, mobile phone text
messages and faxes. It is normally interactive, expecting a reply. This is
different from other documents like contracts, reports, or minutes,
which are statements that do not require a written reply. It is
important to note that different forms of correspondence are not
necessarily separate genres, merely modes of delivery. Letters can be
faxed, or sent by email. However it is probably true to say that some
emails share characteristics traditionally associated with spoken
conversation. Likewise, faxes can vary; sometimes they consist of
formal letters or forms, perhaps with scribbled notes on them as a
method of reply, at other times they may take the form of a memo.

There are various types of written correspondences. It’s difficult to

cover such variants in great depths in the course books , therefore lists
of useful phrases are included and practiced, with specific attention
towards appropriate layout and style. The variants can be –

o Scribbled notes
o Informal emails
o Formal legal contracts
o Multitude of different types of letters and commercial
documents dealing with issues such as enquiries, offers, orders,
acknowledgements, delivery, payment, delays , complaints,
credit, job applications, insurance, making arrangements and so
on.

Often commercial correspondence uses specialist terms/jargons for

better understanding, which trainers have to master as well for
relevance and authenticity. For example, Inco terms (International
commercial terms) such as EXW (ex-works), or FOB (free on board), or
CIF ( Cost, Insurance , and Freight) are standard trade definitions
published by the International Chamber of Commerce, and are very
common in commercial correspondence. The business English trainers
instructing business correspondence would command respect if

conversant with the common terms and jargons.

Setting the right tone in a letter or even an email is often difficult for
many native speakers, and learners. This is hardly surprising when

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topics could include such tricky issues as late payment, defective
goods, contract interpretations, announcing redundancies, and so on.
One way to work on this language is to do consciousness-raising
activities where the learners are given the chance to focus on specific
aspects of language use in authentic documents.

Method -

Note the example activities, using an extract from some formal

correspondences.

You will be interested to know that I recently met with Kavin Lee, who
informed me that you are now acting as agents on behalf of his
company. You will no doubt already be aware that he is very satisfied
with your efforts.

However, this is clearly a breach of our agreement, which was that you
would act as our exclusive excusive agents until January 2007. I
therefore require your written assurance that your business
relationship with Kavin Lee will cease forthwith, and that you will
honor our agreement in future.

If you are unable to comply with this reasonable request, then I feel I
have no option but to terminate our agreement in accordance with
Clause 13b.

I look forward to receiving your reply by June 14.

 Ask learners to describe the function(s) of each paragraph, and

identify the key words and phrases. Finish off with a class
discussion.
 Remove key words/ phrases from letters. Ask learners to
complete it (an alternative is to add extra words/phrases, and
ask learners to delete them).
 Ask learners (having read the letter)to work in pairs and re-
create the letter (without access to the original). Compare the
result with the original.
 It is now August 15, and no reply has been received. Ask the
learners to write a follow-up letter.
 Ask learners to write two possible replies: the first is an apology,
and the second a request to terminate the agreement. Compare
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 the results, focusing on tone and style. If you can get hold of the
original reply, so much the better.

Treatments for correspondence:

E-mails – Email is used increasingly in international business to

replace letters, faxes, memos and even telephone calls, partly because
it is convenient and expensive and partly because e-mail is so easy to
use within a networked system. The style of writing can vary as much
as for letters and faxes (depending on relationship of correspondents
and the purpose for writing) but is usually much more informal than in
other types of written communication. Headings are usually put in
automatically by the computer so are little cause for concern!

Method – E-mail exploration

Trainees search for an e-mail message which is hidden in seeming

gobbledygook.

Language any

Level elementary and above

Time 5 minutes

Procedure

Show trainees a copy of the e-mail. After asking them how they would
feel if they got this kind of e-mail –so as to help less confident users of
English to feel they are not alone when intimidated – ask the trainees
to find the message. Getting trainees who are not yet using e-mail to
locate the message should reassure them that they will be able to cope,
even if messages seem complicated at first sight!

A ‘hidden’ e-mail message

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16
BUSINESS ENGLISH THINK SPOT

 Consider your audience carefully. How much do they know and

how much do you need to tell them ?
 Consider your aim in giving the presentation. Discard any
material which doesn’t directly help you to achieve this aim. If
something is not directly relevant , it is likely to distract your
audience and dilute your message.
 Make your message easy to understand by organizing your
material carefully and using visual aids at appropriate moments
 Check your knowledge how to use any equipment which you plan
to use.
 Be confident! Don’t make excuses for your English or your
ignorance. Say what you can and be honest. Encourage
constructive discussion.

He needs to help trainees to refine their non-linguistic skills , as well

as their linguistic skills; body language , planning and the effective use
of visual aids are all as important as language. The trainer should also
help trainees to avoid being a ‘bad audience’ through intention or poor
, or offensive , body language because attending presentations might
provide excellent opportunities for making contacts or building
rapport.

Faxes- Faxes are well-established means of communication in modern

business. They are likely to continue to be used widely because of their
speed, convenience and flexibility. Apart from the time it takes to
actually prepare the message, they are as fast as a telephone call to
send and – because of their speed- are relatively cheap. They are more
convenient than e-mail (though more expensive) because any sheet of
paper (if A4 size) can be put through a fax machine, and they can be
used by companies with no computer or Internet connections. They
are also flexible in as much as they are capable of sending both text
and graphics (in any format). No special hardware and software is
required to prepare a document which includes graphs, photographs o

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diagrams; these simply need to be photocopied on to a sheet of A4
paper.
The format used for faxes varies widely but will mainly be dictated by
a company’s preference or the software used to generate the faxes.
There are certain practical considerations which affect some aspects of
the layout, e.g. the need to know how many pages are being sent and
the need to specify senders’ and receivers’ telephone numbers in case
of failed transmission.

The style of text in faxes is similar to that used in letters but can
sometimes be much more informal. This informality comes from the
speed – and consequent feeling of informality – of the technology. As
already mentioned the formulaic expressions (e.g. Many thanks for
you…of…) which are so common in letters are also used in faxes, so it
is essential that trainees become familiar with these.
Also draw trainees’ attention to the following points if they are
unfamiliar with faxes:

 Addresses are not always written out in full in the same way in
faxes as in letters.
 Each page of a fax will be clearly numbered.
 Faxes sent through a normal fax machine will include a full
signature, not just initials.
 Faxes sent though a modem will not include signatures because
of the difficulty of ‘getting then into’ the computer!
 Handwritten faxes may also be acceptable in some lines of
business or in certain situations because faxes are primarily
used to transmit written messages quickly.
 Impression are made when sending faxes, as with any other type
of business communication so care about details may be equally
important when sending faxes!

Method – Fax philosophizing

Trainees consider the differences between faxes, letters and old-

fashioned telexes so that they have a better understanding of why the
convention and style are as they are in faxes.

Language any

Level intermediate and above

Time 10 minutes
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Procedure

1. Write the words fax, letter and telex on the board or show
photos of each on OHTs. Ask trainees to consider the differences,
first in pairs and then as a class. Elicit or point out that:
o The price of a fax is dependent mostly on the number of A4
pages sent but that any amount of information can be
transmitted on any one sheet of A4. Make sure that
trainees are aware of how this differs from the cost of
sending a telex, where every character (i.e. letter, space or
number) costs money, so that abbreviations became
common.
o Since the ‘transmission’ of faxes is much faster than letters,
the language in faxes is often (but not always) more
informal.
2. Show trainees the sample fax and invite comments about the
layout. Make sure that they are aware of the other points about
faxes mentioned, especially the need to include telephone
numbers and number of pages on faxes in case of failed
transmission.

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20
Memos - Old-fashioned paper memos, although still used in some
companies, have been phased out by many companies in favor of faster
and more convenient e-mail. However, written messages are still
frequently sent around within companies so ‘message-writing
practice’, which can be thought of as messages sent on paper or e-mail,
still need to be done by most Business English trainees. Even trainees
who think of e-mail messages as nothing more than written out
comments or spoken messages might do well to consider how the
quality of internal communications can and does affect relationship
and promotion prospect of individuals, not to mention the efficiency of
a company’s day to day business. Poorly written internal messages can
result in a great deal of lost time, confusion or bad feeling. The
procedures in this section will help your trainees to improve the
effectiveness of their writing.

The format, style and organization of memos can vary enormously,

mainly because of the influence of corporate culture but also because
memos can be used to communicate with one or many people who
may be of similar or very different status. On public Business English
courses perhaps ask trainees to use a particular format, style and
organization in class practice, adapting this as much as possible to
trainees’ needs; encourage them to find out what is required or
preferred by their company too, if they are already working. When you
are training in-company find out as much as possible about the format,
style and organization of memos written within that particular
company and ask trainees to adapt these; also make trainees aware of
anything which sees unusual just in case trainees even move to a
different company.

A worksheet for MEMO NOTES

BUSINESS ENGLISH THINK SPOT

What is a memo?

A memo – or ‘memorandum’, to give it its proper name – is a form of

written business communication. Memos are passed internally, within
a company. They never go out to clients. For this reason they differ

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from other forms of written business communication which are sent to
clients and other parties not directly employed by the same company.
However, although less formal than some correspondence to clients,
memos are serious documents which are almost always carefully filed.
They are not like telephone messages or quick notes to colleagues
about lunch plans or tennis matches!

Every company may have its own in-house rules for writing memos and
the format may vary slightly but, generally speaking, the following are
some basic rules:

 Memos always have a subject heading and this must be written

clearly.
 They are only about one subject.
 They need to be clear ad concise.
 They should not be longer than one page.
 Names are kept brief (e.g. P Jones, rather Mr. P Jones – even Peter
is possible!). In some companies, positions (e.g. Sales Manager)
are used instead of names.
 No addresses are used (although sometimes departments may be
included).
 They do not have full greetings or closings.
 A company will often insist that employees use a certain style of
language. For example, however inelegant it may sound, some
multinationals insist that all memos begin ‘This memo
recommends the purchase of …’ or ‘This memo summarizes the
conclusion of the recent meeting held between staff in Logistics
on 3.4.08.’
 They are usually initialed by the sender – not signed in full.

TASK 1 Can you think of some practical reasons for these basic
rules?

Answers:

 Memos always have a subject heading so that people can

immediately see what they are about. People may postpone
reading a memo if the subject seems unimportant.

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  They are only ever about one subject so that they are easy to file.
 They need to be clear and concise because people are busy. If
they are not clear the message won’t get through and no action
will be taken.
 They should not be longer than one page because people are
busy.
 Names are kept brief because they are internal documents.
 No addresses are included because everyone can easily find out
where individual employees work. (There will always be an
internal list giving this information.)
 They do not have full greetings or closings because they’re
internal documents.
 This is probably so as to make memos more comprehensible!
 They are usually just initialed by the sender – not signed in full –
so as to save time.

TASK 2 A possible correct order for Memos:

 The name of the person to whom the memo is sent.

 The name(s) of anybody else who will receive a copy of the
memo.
 The name of the person sending the memo
 The date
 The subject heading
 A brief introduction to the memo, either giving background
information or the main point of the memo.
 The body of the memo
 The conclusion or recommendations
 A request for cooperation
 A deadline
 The initials of the sender.

Answers for the worksheet

TASK 1 Some practical reasons for the basic rules:

a. Memos always have a subject heading so that people can

immediately see what they are about. People may postpone
reading a memo if the subject seems unimportant.

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 b. They are only ever about one subject so that they are easy to file.
c. They need to be clear and concise because people are busy. If
they are not clear the message won’t get through and no action
will be taken.
d. They should not be longer than one page because people are
busy.
e. Names are kept brief because they’re internal documents.
f. No addresses are included because everyone can easily find out
where individual employees work ( There will always be an
internal list giving this information).
g. They do not have full greetings or closings because they’re
internal documents.
h. This is probably so as to make memos more comprehensible!
i. They are usually just initialed by the sender – not signed in full –
so as to save time.

TASK2 A possible correct order:

i) The name of the person to whom the memo is sent.

b) the name(s) of anybody else who will receive a copy of the memo

f) the name of the person sending the memo

d) the date

k) the subject heading

a) brief introduction to the memo, either giving background

information or the main point of the memo

c) the conclusion or recommendations

h) a request for cooperation

e) a deadline

g) the initials of the sender

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Method – Memo notes

Trainees consider the conventions used for memos before using them
in an experimental memo.

Language any

Level intermediate and above

Time 15 minutes

Procedure

1. Give trainees a copy of the worksheet; ask them to consider their

answers in pairs before feeding back as a class. Encourage
trainees to guess answers, giving reasons, before you supply the
answers.
2. Ask trainees to write a memo about one of the following topics:
o The facilities provided for lunchtime in the trainees’
company
o The inadequate air conditioning provided in the offices or
factory
o The provision and use of company cars

Contracts

Written contracts are inseparable components of business world,

drafted normally by legal experts. These are agreements formed with
the objective of reducing misunderstanding and providing formal
record for reference – crafted necessarily on fine nuances of language.
Though the learners are not directly involved in composing contracts,
they might often have to read and interpret them, forming contract-
related correspondences and amendments.

Contracts can be interpreted differently by different cultures. In some

parts of the world, contracts are seen as binding documents, detailing
and concluding an agreement. In other countries, they may be seen as
a commitment to do business together and nothing more. Things can
be changed if the situation alters.

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Contracts normally include some or all of the following elements:

 Introduction with definitions and names of various parties.

 A time frame for the agreement
 Terms of payment and delivery.
 Responsibilities and undertakings of each party.
 Insurance details in case of problems.
 Dispute resolution or arbitration arrangements.
 Appendices and other accompanying documents.

Typically, language learning work on contracts involves using

worksheets (created by the trainer or from a course book) in order to
practice particular lexical items. Other contract-based activities may
combine reading and writing skills with listening skills; for example,
the learner reads through a contract and then listens to a recorded
discussion before making some amendments. Or contracts may be
used in negotiation role-plays, where the two sides clarify issues or
negotiate changes.

Reports

Reports are documents which:

 Offer the reader the result of an enquiry of some sort (such as

research, technical inspection, and visit and feasibility studies)
 An account of some event(s). They may be written for experts or
lay persons.
 They tend to have a standard format in most institutions
 Can be anything from a long memo (i.e. a single page) to a
50page, well organized and formulated analysis of a particular
situation.
 Irrespective of length, reports can effect enormous change so
they are extremely important to trainees.

While training or report-writing , the most important area to focus on

is probably organization of materials, especially if trainees are unused
to western form of content organization. The trainees would require
continuous encouragement as the task of writing a report can be
rather overwhelming! They should be able to relate each report in the
context of their company’s politics and its desire for positive change.
The trainer must discover the local policy, and get examples of
authentic reports of the type required. If this is not possible, then there

26
are numerous examples on the Internet. Word-processing software
(such as MS Word) sometimes includes handy templates of documents
in report format.

Trainees must also take care to gear their message to their reader(s)
and differentiate clearly between fact and opinion. Obviously, the
consequence of suggesting something is fact, when it is merely opinion,
could be far-reaching and could cause bad feeling if found out!
Reports normally start off with a title, names of authors and addresses,
and a purpose statement giving the reason they were produced. The
body of the report is likely to include paragraphs on background,
methodology of the enquiry, results, discussion, conclusion and
recommendation. A report may also include appendices, a list of
references, and an index.

Some notes for trainees about reports –

BUSINESS ENGLISH THINK SPOT

Why are reports important?

…..and why are they difficult to write?

Reports are important because they often influence decision made, so

can have far-reaching effects. However, they are difficult to write
because they usually involve collecting, summarizing and organizing
large quantities of information and making recommendations which
make sense. Selection of information is probably the most important
part of writing a report. The reader(s), as well as the purpose behind
the report, must be remembered at all times and irrelevant or
unnecessary detail omitted.

Typically, reports include the following sections: Introduction, Findings

(body), Conclusion, Recommendation….although these headings may
not be used. If very long, the body will subdivide into many sections
and paragraphs or section will be numbered carefully for ease of
reference.

In addition to long, analytical reports ( which may be written annually

or in order to analyze problem situations) there are other types of

27
report, e.g. visit reports (written by sales people about visits made to
clients), personnel reports (which help Human Resource Managers to
keep track of employees’ performance and attitudes) and weekly or
monthly reports (which will provide an update on work done for
supervisors and other senior staff).

The language used in any report should be clear and succinct. No extra
phases are to be added for mere impression building and opinions
should not be disguised as fact. The key to success when writing
reports is to communicate messages clearly.

The following activities can be done to practice report writing skills,

and which require minimum preparation on the part of the trainer:

 Gap-fill – Remove paragraph headings or key words from

important paragraphs (such as the introduction or conclusion)
of a company report, and ask learners to replace them, either
with their own version or with the original words (which are
provided, mixed up).
 Summary – As learners to read a report (English or in their own
language) ad produce a one-page executive summery (in
English).
 Comparing – Obtain examples of different reports (from the
learners or the internet), and ask the learners to compare
various aspects (such as overall structure, phrases used in the
introduction/conclusion, how reference is made to information
in appendices, and so on). Finish off by asking learners to select
ten useful phrases which they might like to use in their own
reports.
 Oral account to written report – A member of the class speaks,
describing an event (such as an accident, a visit, the introduction
of a new product) which they have been involved in, or which
they have heard about. The rest of the class ask questions and
tae notes as necessary, and then write a brief report on the
event. Finally, learners compare reports, and produce a new
(improved) report as a team effort.

Skill Practice variants

 Trio problem exchange – Working in groups of three, each

trainees read texts about problems in international corporations.

28
 Then they tell each other about the problems and discuss
possible courses of action which might reinstate the
corporation’s positive public image. Finally they prepare reports
which present recommendations for course of action.

Method – Problem Creation

A possible problem situation for which a report might be needed is

elicited from trainees. This is a good way of eliciting typical problem
areas without making trainees feel exposed.

Language any

Level upper-intermediate and above

Time 20 minutes

Procedure

1. Tell trainees they are going to imagine a problem which might

occur within a company. Ask trainees to prepare a mind map or
diagram for a situation, using the following instructions:
o Draw three or four simple faces.
o Add details, e.g. a moustache or earrings, to give each face
more character.
o Give each face a name and job title, imagining that the
people all work for the same company.
o Discuss with the person sitting next to you some typical
next to you some typical frustrations each person might
experience at work.
o Draw some speech bubbles for each person and fill each
speech bubble with any comments or question which you
think appropriate for each person. You don’t need to write
in English if you don’t want to!
o Again, working with your partner, discuss the attitudes of
the other characters to each speech bubble.
o Finally, select or refine one of the problem areas you have
identified among this particular group of people, making
note under the faces to help you remember the details
later on.

29
 Note that much of what trainees suggest is likely to come from
their own experience – and this may even be very obvious! Don’t
point thus out because the whole point of making the problem
‘fictitious’ is to give trainees the feeling that they are not having
to expose their real-life problems. If trainees accuse each other,
remind them (jokingly) that the situations are fictitious, however
similar to reality they may seem; even if this is not true, your
light hearted reminder should take away some of tension among
trainees.

2. Next, using an example situation of your own (with cartoons on

board, on OHTs or on handouts), demonstrate how a plan for a
report might result from the cartoons. While you are doing this,
elicit the main points about writing reports, e.g. the need to
consider the reader(s), the relevance of items to be included,
organization of points, etc.
3. Get trainees to write out similar plans for their own reports in
pairs. Whole reports or simply their introductions or conclusions
can be written up in class, either in one big group or in smaller
groups. If smaller groups are used trainees will be able to
compare and evaluate each other’s writing. Final reports can be
written up for homework.

Variation
Use case studies from business books or video clips to establish
problems and elicit the main points from trainees before getting them
to plan a suitable outline for a report.

 Diagram development – This procedure helps trainees to focus

on explaining diagrams clearly – before doing the same thing in
writing, as they might in a report. The initial presentations help
to liven up a class which has been engaged in a lot of stodgy
report writing practice.
 Reporting bias – By examining reports from different
newspaper on the same story, trainees become more aware of
how newspaper (or journalist) tries to influence the readers’
perception of facts.
 Evaluation reports – Trainees prepare and write report on the
course they are on. This is a useful exercise because the subject
is non-specialized but useful and all trainees also have access to
the same information

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CVs

The curriculum vitae (called a resume in the US), is a vital document

for the learners. The composition of the same can also be difficult to
get right.

 The style and effectiveness of the CV depends on who is going to

read it. This can be especially problematic in an international
setting. No hard and fast rules exist, and yet decisions have to be
made about length, type (most CVs are chronological or
functional), what personal information to be included and so on.
 Secondly, there is often conflicting advice from so-called
‘experts’, so what the trainer advices may be in direct conflict
with advice that the learner has just downloaded from the
internet.
 Thirdly, CV writing is influenced by level within a company.
High-level executives have CVs that look different (and not only
with respect to content) from workers on the shop floor.
 With CVs, it is important to recognize that no one size fits all.
However sometimes it is possible to find out what a particular
company actually wants in a CV (they can probably provide a
particular standard). Institutions like the European Commission
have created a standard document for use in Europe. Again,
Microsoft Word comes complete with standard template formats
which are commonly used.

The covering letter accompanying a CV present the applicant’s offer of

his/her professional qualities and its prospective benefit to the
company, he/she is applying to. Such letters can be practiced quite
successfully using a genre approach. Other activities include working
on the necessary lexis.

The following exercise is for CV writers (particularly those aiming at a

job in the US). The verbs are to be used with a positive connotation to
describe their achievements.

31
Here is a list of possible verbs to use on your CV. Write four
statements describing your achievements in the last year.
(like this: I designed a technical modification which enabled the
production line to increase its output by 12%.) created conducted
coordinated improved designed assisted provided addressed
established solved

Agendas and minutes

Agendas form the list of issues or items generally planned pre-meeting,

to be covered and discussed in a meeting. The minutes on the other
hand are the written records that would succeed a meeting.
Irrespective of the style adapted, the basic function is to record
decision made and summarize and demarcate person as per
responsibilities and time allotted. Formal minutes may include:

 Name of attendees
 Apologies (from those absent)
 Review of minutes of previous meetings
 Summary of discussions
 Record of proposals, decisions made and voting details
 Action points and responsibilities
 Details of next meeting

An organization normally has three variant of minutes, each

completely individual in terms of style and detail:

 Minutes written to record internal meetings; these are attended

by company personnel, and are strictly for internal usage. These
can be quite informal and may take the format of action notes
(simply recording names of who is doing what by when).
 Minutes written to record meetings with outside agencies
(customers or partners), but for internal use only. These will
often include subjective comments.
 Minutes written to record meetings with outside agencies
(customers or partners), but for shared use or publication. These
are often the most formal, and may form the basis for
negotiations or contracts.

Agendas also come in many shapes and sizes, but may include all or
some of the following:

32
  Objectives
 Location
 Start and end times
 Breaks
 Details of participants, including names of chair and person
responsible for minutes
 Items to be discussed (with presenters’ name and time
allocated)
 Details of any preparation required
 Additional information or appendices

Learners can practice writing minutes while doing role-plays designed to

practice meeting skills. They can produce minutes independently of each
other and then compare their results

33
34
Writing for the internet

Internet being an inseparable part of contemporary business world,

employees is expected to be satisfactorily conversant with it and the
specific principles for writing on web. With increasing demand for
business communication, both internally (as an intranet within a
company) and externally via the World Wide Web, the employees need
to involve in internet based activities ranging from composing
newsletters to updating or uploading new information on product,
process, competition, market update etc. on the corporate site. The
writing techniques are supposedly different from those of other
business documents; design and layout plays more explicit role with
necessary links to audio or video materials, or to other websites.
However, the need to write simple, clear English is also still there.

 Learners can produce their own websites, serving as records of

their learning progress or bringing to forefront, the real-life
requirements (e.g. producing a departmental flier from the
Motivation Team about in-house celebration of New Year or mail
from the marketing department on special offers for the
customers)
 Some groups, familiar with html (a programming language
which instructs the computer how to display a particular page)
or commercially available software packages can use their
knowledge to create personalized Internet pages.
 Other learners lacking adequate expertise and technical
knowledge can alternatively produce written texts on a
presentation program like MS PowerPoint™ that can be
uploaded as and when necessary.

The final decision of distributing and planning tasks however depends

upon the trainer’s own ability, interests, and available resources to a
large extent.

Skill Practice variants – group-wise:

35
Company history – Learners refer to a number of company websites
taking notes on the company history as presented therein.
Subsequently, a website is planned, in pairs, based on the learning and
guidelines. The website would showcase the learners’ own company
history (it is more appropriate for pre-experience learners to research
a company and then produce a website or to invent a company).
Learners can visit each other’s websites, comparing results and voting
on the best effort. Optionally as a single group, they can also combine
the best features working together a specific goal.

Presenting the class – A website can also be planned with the idea
presenting the class. Learners may take own photographs, produce
short written statements on their objective of learning English, likes
and dislikes about the classes, views on learning a foreign language.
The website design can also incorporate information like ‘Tips on how
to learn a language’, ‘The aim and syllabus of the ongoing course’,
‘Glossaries of new words and phrases’ learnt or examples of their
written work.

CONCLUSION

This book has catered all the vital aspects of BUSINESS ENGLISH
TEACHER TRAINING SKILLS that are important. It has aimed to gear
the learners in the direction that would make the participants
understand the relevancies, the backdrop of the communication
process to understand how each skill merges when it comes to
matching it with the requirements that are related to the BUSINESS
needs. The world of BUSINESS is ever-changing and this book is an
example of this. We hope that our learners are benefitted from this
book.

THANK YOU!!!

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