Designing Business English Programmes 1

8/13/2019 Designing Business English Programmes 1

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Designing Business English programmes 1

Submitted by TE Editor on 13 May, 2009 - 1!02

This is the "irst o" three arti#les on designing Business English programmes to suit students$needs% &s you all 'no(, "or the past se)eral de#ades, English has gro(n into the primary

language "or international #ommuni#ation% *ust li'e people, #ompanies in today$s e#onomy "indthat their primary sour#e o" #ompetiti)e ad)antage lies in the 'no(ledge they posses, so they are

in)esting more and more on training their sta""% +o(adays, people not only need to 'no(English, but they need to de)elop a range o" #ommuni#ati)e language #ompeten#es in order to be

able to per"orm their ob-related tas's properly% They usually lin' their English studies to their

area o" epertise and the attention be#omes more "o#used on language as a tool "or#ommuni#ation rather than on language 'no(ledge as an end in itsel"%

So, i" you (ant to pro)ide them (ith the ser)i#e they need, you need to get to 'no( the

organi.ation that re/uests your ser)i#es, its #ulture, its global situation% ou (ill also ha)e to get

to 'no( the parti#ipants o" the #ourses, their strengths, their situations, their needs, their learning

styles%

et$s see some steps you #an "ollo( (hen designing business English #ourses to help your

students bridge the English s'ills gap%

denti"y students$ needs! needs analysis

De"ine programme goals and obe#ti)es o" the instru#tion

Syllabus design!

identi"y topi#s, themes, situations

design learning a#ti)ities and tas's

de"ine types o" assessments

Sele#t suitable material

ourse deli)ery

4rogramme e)aluation

n this arti#le (e (ill loo' at the "irst and se#ond points% n the se#ond arti#le syllabus design(ill be de)eloped and in the third (e (ill loo' at the last three points%

denti"y students$ needs

5hy do you need to do so6 ou must remember that the #ourse has to "ul"il your students$epe#tations, and they (ant a #ourse that relates to their pro"essional language needs%

Be"ore you #an start deli)ering the #ourse, you ha)e to gather in"ormation on!


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5here they are #on#erning English, their language #ompeten#e

5here they need to be, (hat language s'ills your students need in order to per"orm their

ob-related tas's properly%

n order to #olle#t this in"ormation you (ill need to hold inter)ie(s (ith your students and in

many #ases (ith the people in #harge o" 7uman 8esour#es "rom the organi.ation re/uesting yourser)i#es% 8egarding their #urrent language #ompeten#e you #an as' your students to "ill in the

anguage 4assport de)eloped by the oun#il o" Europe as part o" the anguage 4ort"olio%

ou #an do(nload it "rom the "ollo(ing sites!

(((%#oe%inttdgport"oliode"ault%asp6l:e;m:main this #ould be

tas'-based as a (ay o" a#tually testing their English (hile #arrying out tas's that re"le#t real-li"e

situations%

The results should be #he#'ed against a list o" #an do statements or pro"i#ien#y guidelines!

The ommon European =rame(or' ?E=@ de)eloped by the oun#il o" Europe

?http!(((%#oe%intTDAinguisti#&D8E


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Do(nload an eample o" a "orm "or needs analysis%

&s you 'no(, people ha)e di""erent learning styles and there are a number o" di""erent (ays to

loo' at them% ou #an ta'e a loo' at some arti#les #on#erning that here!http!(((%tea#hingenglish%org%u'thin'arti#leslearning-styles-tea#hing

De"ine programme goals and obe#ti)es o" the instru#tion

The goals should pro)ide a #lear de"inition o" the purpose o" the programme> they should be a

guideline "or you, the students and the organi.ation re/uesting your ser)i#es%

ou #an establish these goals in terms o" etension or di)ersi"i#ation o" #ommuni#ati)e language#ompeten#es, or in terms o" the enri#hment o" strategies, or in terms o" the "ul"ilment o" tas's%

They are determined by the in"ormation you gathered during the needs analysis%

Some eamples o" goals are!

To be able to (rite e""e#ti)e business reports To build up students$ #on"iden#e and pro)ide them (ith language resour#es to parti#ipate

in business meetings

To use the language "leibly and e""e#ti)ely "or so#ial and pro"essional purposes%

Cbe#ti)es result "rom an analysis o" the goals into their di""erent #omponents% They are

statements o" more spe#i"i# purposes% deally, these obe#ti)es should meet SM&8T #riteria!

Spe#i"i#

Measurable

&ttainable

8ealisti#

Time bound - limited to a #ertain period o" time

The obe#ti)es lay the "oundation "or the organi.ation o" the tea#hing a#ti)ities, so they simpli"y

the #ourse planning, the sele#tion and preparation o" material% =ollo(ing the eamples abo)e,

goals and obe#ti)es #an be des#ribed!

Aoal!

To be able to (rite e""e#ti)e business reports

Cbe#ti)es!

To be able to (rite a report (hi#h de)elops an argument systemati#ally (ith appropriate

highlighting o" signi"i#ant points and rele)ant supporting detail%

To e)aluate di""erent ideas or solutions to a problem%
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/needsanalysis.pdfhttp://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/learning-styles-teachinghttp://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/needsanalysis.pdfhttp://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/learning-styles-teaching


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To ha)e a su""i#ient range o" language to be able to gi)e #lear des#riptions, epress

)ie(points and de)elop arguments%

To ha)e a good range o" )o#abulary "or matters #onne#ted to their "ield and most general

topi#s% To be able to )ary "ormulation to a)oid "re/uent repetition%

Aoal!

To build up students$ #on"iden#e and pro)ide them (ith language resour#es to parti#ipate

in business meetings

Cbe#ti)es!

To be able to intera#t (ith a degree o" "luen#y and spontaneity that ma'es regular

intera#tion, and sustained relationships (ith English spea'ers /uite possible (ithout

imposing strain on either party%

To be able to highlight the personal signi"i#an#e o" e)ents and eperien#es, a##ount "or

and sustain )ie(s #learly by pro)iding rele)ant eplanations and arguments%

To be able to use phrases and epressions to state and as' "or opinion, interrupt and

handle interruptions, as' "or and gi)e #lari"i#ation, delay de#isions, emphasi.e a point,

summari.e (hat has been said, end the meeting%

n this #ase you (on$t be able to state a measurable obe#ti)e #on#erning building up students$

#on"iden#e% ou #an per#ei)e it, but not measure it%

The ommon European =rame(or' pro)ides a #ommon basis "or the epli#it des#ription o"obe#ti)es%

on#lusion

Designing business English programmes is a #omple tas', but by "ollo(ing #ertain steps (e

(ill be able to do so% n this part o" the arti#le (e ha)e dis#ussed the signi"i#an#e o"understanding the language needs o" our students and ho( (e #an "ind that out% 5e ha)e also

loo'ed at ho( (e #an de"ine the goals and obe#ti)es o" the programme% n the se#ond part o" the

arti#le, (e (ill loo' at syllabus design in more depth%

8e"eren#es

A Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching,

Assessment- oun#il o" Europe ?2001@ ambridge ni)ersity 4ress% English Next- Da)id Araddol ?200F@ British oun#il

Curriculum Deelopment in Language Teaching- *a#' % 8i#hards ?2001@ ambridge

ni)ersity 4ress%

!econ" Language Teaching # Learning- Da)id +unan ?1999@ 7einle ; 7einle

4ublishers%


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Teach $usiness English- Syl)ie Donna ?2000@ ambridge ni)ersity 4ress%

%ow to Teach $usiness English- E)an =rendo ?200G@ 4earson Edu#ation imited

Mer#edes Hiola Deambrosis, Dire#tor, D ontent English

The plan and (or'sheets are do(nloadable and in pdf"ormat% " you ha)e di""i#ulty

do(nloading the materials see the do(nload se#tiono" the 7elp page%

opyright - please read

&ll the materials on these pages are "ree "or you to do(nload and #opy "or edu#ational use only%ou may not redistribute, sell or pla#e these materials on any other (eb site (ithout (ritten

permission "rom the BB and British oun#il% " you ha)e any /uestions about the use o" these

materials please email us at! tea#hingenglishIbritish#oun#il%org

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/designing-business-english-programmes-1
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Designing Business English Programmes 1