7 Tips For Teaching Business English Like A Professional

But first things first, a very common question we get asked is: Can I be a Business English teacher if I have no business experience?

And the answer: Yes!

TEFL teachers often teach topics we have no knowledge of – global warming, technology, medicine – but we don’t question our ability to do that. But Business English seems to be so foreign and unknown that many teachers don’t believe they can teach it.

First of all, you don’t need to know terminology relating to business. Well, you do, but you can learn that. You also don’t need to know exactly how a particular industry, or commerce in general, works. After all, you’re not going to do their job for them! 

Not convinced? Let’s look at this in more detail.

What are the basics of teaching Business English?

In other words, what does a Business English teacher do?

Your Business English class depends entirely on your students. You may be teaching a team of accountants from Hong Kong, a CFO from France, or the HR department of a German company. Each class has their own needs, and they might not be what you think.

The usual topics for a Business English class are:

• Writing emails
• Speaking on the phone
• Dealing with customers
• How to participate in meetings
• Conducting and having interviews
• Giving presentations
• Negotiating
• Presenting in a meeting or conference
• Writing reports
• Jargon specific to an industry

Business English teachers teach not only language but culture too. Culture is an integral part of any business dealings. You may be asked to focus on the social and cultural side of things. 

Many businesspeople need to communicate regularly with people from other countries, using English as the language of communication. Because of this, they need to be able to have small talk and chat in a social setting as well as communicate appropriately in a business context.

Top tips for teaching Business English

To share our top tips for teaching Business English, we thought we should bring in a, uh, professional to help us out.

We asked TTA alumna Natalie for some of her top tips for teaching Business English. Natalie has a wealth of experience in teaching Business English. With more than 2,000 hours of TEFL experience, as well as decades of business experience, we couldn’t think of a better TEFL teacher to share their wisdom.

Natalie in Business English teacher mode[/caption]

Natalie says: 

Because I am passionate about both business and teaching I tend to put my hand up at every available opportunity – no matter the task, I love living different experiences.

Natalie, what words of wisdom have you got for us?

1. Fake it til you make it

• Turn your classroom into a boardroom.  Your setting should be minimalistic and professional.  Of course you should dress the part too.  You need to exude the confidence of the Business Executive that you are.
• The Teacher – Business Student relationship should be on a level playing field.  Don’t allow yourself to be intimidated by a person of authority or even possibly, someone of high public ranking.  Whilst your student may be an authoritarian in his / her working environment, in the classroom you need to take charge.  Don’t allow yourself to be bullied.  Create a space of mutual understanding and respect.

2. A needs analysis is essential

• Find out what your students’ wants and needs are, so that you can focus your lesson preparation on the specific areas which they would like to strengthen.
• Business travel and social interaction may also play a role in your students’ business endeavours, so prepare your student for various scenarios such as getting lost in an airport, or taking a taxi to the hotel.  

Read more: How To Make A Needs Analysis Questionnaire For ESL Students

3. Be professional

• The Golden Rule for any form of teaching is ‘KEEP IT INTERESTING’, and Business English is no exception.  In fact, this is probably one of the most interesting sectors of teaching….so go ahead and enjoy it.  Whilst professionalism is always the number one priority, a bit of humour is good for the soul – and the relationship.

4. Be motivational

• The majority of students are challenged by a lack of confidence when communicating with native English speakers, especially during high level meetings.  Reassure your students that they will be respected for their attempts to communicate in English.  If there is anything which they don’t understand, they simply need to ask – professional people know how to behave and understand the challenge of communicating in a foreign language. It’s highly unlikely that anyone will ignore their questions or treat them with disrespect.  You can reassure them that if any of their communications are not clear, they will be asked to clarify and be assisted in reaching said clarity.

5. Use authentic texts

• While your task is predominantly to ensure that your student has a better command of the English language, it certainly supports your journey if you understand their business to a degree.  Show a genuine interest and try to apply scenarios and exercises which you envisage to be suitable to their environment.

Read more: Authentic Materials: How To Find Them And How To Use Them

NOTE:  In my experience students often do not want to share details about their business as I assume confidentiality agreements may be in place.  Simply continue with general business lessons.  They may not be as effective, but again, remember this is predominantly about improving their English.

• Students may also require help with designation- or industry specific English.  If it’s for an industry which you are not au fait with, do your homework and create suitable vocabulary lessons to address this need.
• Of course Business English also has its fair share of English jargon and slang.  Teach these words and phrases to your students, so that they are not left sitting in the boardroom in front of top level executives wondering what a ‘bar’ or a ‘K’ is.  
• With business travel comes a fair amount of (usually tiring) entertainment which includes social small talk.  Hosts usually plan entertainment or dinners for guests as a welcoming and hospitable gesture.  Prepare your student for business travel- and social interaction challenges such as these. 

Read more: Authentic Texts: How To Find Them And How To Use Them

6. Teach language as an afterthought

• This might sound counter-intuitive, but in the EFL classroom we focus on teaching language for communication. What this means is that in our lessons we focus on the communicative needs of our learners and teach the language needed for those purposes. Focus first on meaning, and then focus on form.

7. Don’t only teach language

• One of the most important aspects of business (if not, the most important) is the building of relationships.  Include this topic in one of your planned lessons and demonstrate this action throughout your time with your student.

• Your student presumably deals with people from different nations and different cultures.  Include lessons which address the different business behaviours, offensive phrases and other cultural traditions.  The understanding and respecting of cultures can certainly make or break business relationships.

Those are great tips. Thanks, Natalie!

Teaching Business English online

Business English is a fast-growing industry, but teaching Business English online is massive. Business English learners make up a large portion of online learners, presumably due to the constraints of full-time employment. Teaching Business English online is a bit more flexible than teaching in-person or in-company because students can be more flexible around the employment.

Read more: What Are The Requirements For Teaching English Online?

Many consider Business English as one of the most in-demand niches within English language teaching. So this could be the perfect opportunity for you right now!

If you know you’re interested in teaching Business English or if you’d like to upskill yourself with the hopes of attracting Business English clients, The TEFL Academy offers a Top-Up Course: Teaching Business English which is exactly what you need!