Ким И.А.

Таразский государственный университет им. М.Х. Дулати

Teaching Business English for communication in a social context

At present time the English language has been spread all over the world, acquiring even more popularity due to its wide use in the sphere of science, culture, technology and business. It is supposed that the role of the English language will greatly increase and it will be used in different spheres of human communication, especially in business. That is why much attention should be paid to “Business English” as one of the subjects in the curriculum in higher educational institutions. This is a course where traditional language teaching needs to be complemented by subject matter aimed at preparing students to fulfill their expectations with respect to their English skills.

In the process of studying business English students keep mastering their English in terms of grammar, lexis, listening, reading and oral communication but within business context. In so doing they are aimed to pave the way to more specialized material being involved in different activities.

Planning the course of Business English it is important to connect activities according to relevant topics; it helps the students to reinforce their understanding. Thematic units create broader context within which students can learn language and allow concentrating their attention on content and communication.

The course of business English can successfully include such activities as role-playing, language games, information gaps and problem solving tasks and case study. Being involved in these activities, students develop the basic skills of oral communication in a social context, which in its turn requires interpersonal communication skills, when the speakers can express their own ideas and exchange information. For this purpose there exist different activities, which imply a transfer of given information from one person to another. Oral communication in a business context may involve different kinds of a telephone conversation. The following situations can be suitable here: arranging a meeting, leaving a massage for somebody, making an appointment, discussing different types of business affairs, in other words dealing with a business partner. The given activity is not a complicated one, but it can be of much interest for students as it is close to a real situation which can take place every day. Such tasks can make the course of Business English more stimulating that is why it is necessary to apply different collaboration activities, which can take many forms. They are designed to encourage learners to practice communication strategies. According to the British linguist Clark J. there exist seven broad communicative activities, which should enable students: to solve problems through social interaction with others; establish and maintain relationships and discuss topics of interest through the exchange of information, search for specific information for some given purpose, process it and use it

Another activity, which can be applicable at the lessons of Business English, is “Case study”. Case study in its general understanding is an imitation interactive method which is aimed at teaching students on the basis of real or imaginary situations. The main task of any case study is not only to teach students to acquire knowledge, but also to form new qualities and skills. Using this method the teacher helps students analyze the information, sort it for solving different tasks, spot the main problems, generate alternative ways of their solution, assess them and work out the program for future actions.

For the first time this method was applied in Harvard School of Business in 1924. The main peculiarity of the method was that students studied the cases which had happened in the past business practice. They had to think of the possible ways of its solution. Having analyzed hundreds of cases they were able to solve the real problem facing it in real life. The emphasis was made on the independent work of students in the process of which they studied a lot of practical material. The teacher usually tried not to answer students’ questions, instead of this he himself asked questions, thus encouraging discussion.

To use this method for the teacher is rather complicated as it requires the knowledge in business sphere and it can be frustrating for him. But the choice of cases depends on him and it is reasonable to select the cases which are not very specific and can be adapted to English language learners. The teacher should not reject this method as it can develop students’ critical thinking, improve their communication skills and allow them to work in a team while taking common decision, develop their ability to persuade and to listen and to be listened, thus developing their ability for reasoning.

No doubt that application of case study method in the English learners’ classroom demands a lot of prior preparation. Students should learn the business terms which could be used in the process of the case study, revise some relevant grammar material and familiarize with the problem, which is studied in the case, collect some facts, learn about the economic situation of the discussed period, using Internet, magazines and newspapers.

Before working on the case it is important to read it in class, paying attention to the lexical and grammatical difficulties they can cause for students. Be sure that they can understand relevant information which could be used in the analysis. The teacher can ask questions, which help students in understanding the material.

It is supposed that the students have already known some basic accounting and clearly understand the situation. While answering these questions, students will find the solution of the case. This case can be used at the beginning of the course of Business English as it is rather simple and can serve as introduction to more complicated cases which require a lot of thinking on the one hand and a lot of information and knowledge in business on the other hand.

This activity involves much preparation. The first stage is introduction of the case; the second stage is reviewing relevant vocabulary. It is supposed that the students have acquired the necessary terminology at the previous lessons as it is better to hold the case study as the final activity of the topic. And the last stage is brainstorming and discussion. In order to use this activity it is necessary to divide the students into small groups and brainstorm the case. The activity may involve using factual information and formulating arguments to justify one’s position. A large number of solutions can be possible, so encourage students to offer their decisions, even if they are silly. Explain them that any solution is acceptable, it may happen that the best one may be the craziest. This activity is very exciting and stimulating. The students by means of the English language try to express their ideas and defend them. It allows them to communicate with each other in an attempt to find the best decision.

In conclusion we can say that these activities stimulate students’ interest; they search for the information, process it and use it in a definite way. They recognize the value of English geared to the needs of their future job. In comparison with all-purpose courses of English, Business English is a link between the common use of the language and the professional context; it is relevant to their professional activities.

Bibliography

1. Dick Allwright & Kathleen M. Bailey, 1994 “Focus on the Language Classroom» Cambridge University Press

2. D. Nunan, 1993 “Designing Tasks for the communicative Classroom” Cambridge University Press

3. Donald Adamson, 1991 “Starting English for Business” Cambridge University Press

4. Allwright, D., 1988 “Observation in the language classroom” London: Longman

5. Blair, R. W., 1982 “Innovative Approaches to Language Teaching” Newbury House