How to Motivate Business English Students From a Company

The fastest-spreading language in human history is English! It is spoken at a useful level by some 1.75 billion people worldwide says an online article from the Harvard Business Review in 2015. In almost every country companies need to act international or do have contact with clients and employees with different backgrounds. The pressure of a company to deal with in its business, with the support of its employees, on a common language is extremely high to resist this global market next to its competitors.

This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sonja Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.

The Essence of the Question

This means that the motivation for companies is huge to support their employees and assure they have the knowledge and the confidence to operate in English.

But due to the time - the employees need for the job, families, and friends or a lack of interest, the company itself needs to provide an efficient and doable opportunity to develop and learn these skills and motivate them to acquire the business English they need.

The motivation of the company is clear. English in a company enables them to act worldwide within the market or with customers, stay up-to-date with global knowledge and use professionals with different backgrounds. To keep it efficient an inside English course could be one of the best solutions to reach these goals.

But to motivate unique employees is different. A company can easily force its employees to participate in training, in spite of everything it is a main part of the teaching to motivate each one of them and keep this motivation during this process.

Also Read: Top Tips for Teaching in English-Speaking Countries | ITTT | TEFL Blog

Why is motivation so important?

To meet the management /company goals is only one reason to motivate an employee. If they are motivated it can lead to increased productivity and allow an organization to achieve higher levels of output. Motivation in a learning process improves a deeper knowledge, makes a process much faster and easier and can infect a general interest for development. Motivation provides as well happiness, reduce health issues and make us more loyal to the source it’s given.

Why is it different to motivate these students than in another group?

As a teacher, we should be aware, that the students may be tired after their job. Activities where the employees have to move and feel some action could be helpful. Assure that the classroom has enough fresh air and open the windows. The chance is big, that the employees have an age range between 18 – 55 years, they could be in different departments and aren’t at the same level.

To find out if anyone feels ashamed or embarrassed in front of someone with a different step on the hierarchy is pretty important.

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What kind of learning style and learning ability each of us has should we know as soon as possible?

All these points can be evaluated before and at the beginning of a course. After the initial testing and a need analysis combined with a personal interview, a teacher can find out how to reach the individual hopes, needs, and dreams to motivate each one of them.

How do I reach the individuals?

In personal conversations we can find out about each position and which English is already used and which is required to develop. If personal hobbies or interests are part of the course it can keep and lift the motivation to stay on track. To give feedback about personal progress and evaluation is as well an important part. Another way to motivate someone is to show the employees, what a personal benefit an English training provides. Not everyone is aware that better English knowledge can open a horizon for further career steps, new friendships, abilities to travel or new hobbies. It increases there opportunities if they have ambitions to grow inside or outside the company. They can see it as a personal investment for their development.

Also Read: 3 Ways to Overcome Stressful Situatuins

How can I motivate the whole group?

If we know about the different levels, we as a teacher can adjust within the syllabus at which level we have to approach- so everyone can follow. Together in the group, we can find common goals. A true project within the company can provide the interest and use of the English they need. To strength the group motivation we should build up a rapport, sometimes this doesn’t exist even if they are all working in the same company, but maybe not in the same departments or projects. If we have fun, it’s so easy and increases our willing and motivated to learn more, for this reason, we should choose often games with a learning background.

Force the relationships between you as a teacher and the colleagues and build up the rapport.

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In general, we can remind ourselves, so the students do not lose their motivation:

• Do not overcorrect
• Don’t just work with the book
• Produce a relaxed and supportive atmosphere
• Praise and encourage
• Be sensitive with everyone

Here some general ideas and game examples which could be used for the syllabus, so it’s easier for the students to stay motivated:

• Class communication activities
• Team Building games
• Use practical material from the company
• Class Fun: Use Social Media, like Posts, Blogs
• Authentic Magazines of the business area
• Favorite Songs and Music (for listening – reading skills)

Also Read: 5 Ways a Teacher Can Perform in the Classroom

Games like:

• Scrabble
• Categories
• Charades
• Hangman
• Tongue twister

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My thesis about motivation in Business English is, that this sector provides English teacher one of the highest levels of motivation we could create within our students. If we keep in mind how important motivation can influence the way of learning, we can get out the biggest reward of our teaching for the employees, the companies and of course for ourselves.

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