Course Description
[Home] [Programmes] [Seminars] [Find a Course] [In-house Training] [British Chamber] [Schedules] [News] [Jobs] [Contact Us] [Links] [Team] [Satisfied Customers]
English for Business
The English for Business Course has five levels: Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate and Advanced. It is designed to meet the needs of adults who require English for their careers. This is a course designed to meet the practical learning needs of those wishing to communicate in the business world. The course focuses on the key areas of business communication (telephoning, meetings, presentations) and, while all four of the learning skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) are extensively practised, the emphasis is on listening and speaking – the two most used skills in the business environment.
The course uses authentic English materials from real companies to ensure the relevance and usefulness of the course. By using a host of role-plays and conversation-based activities, the course aims to fully utilise the students’ own professional expertise; that is, the students relate the language being studied to their own business experiences and ideas, thus encouraging full participation and contribution to the course. This combination of learning, coupled with the students’ actual experiences, allows for a very positive outcome because it encourages ‘real’ communication.
Each student will be provided with a student’s book, while the teacher will have access to a teacher’s book, a workbook – providing many supplementary ideas – and an audio-cassette. Furthermore, the teacher will be able to draw on the considerable resources of the ECC library in order to supplement the course with extra ideas, as and when required.
Elementary
At this level, students are introduced to basic tenses, functions and structures. The language-orientated course gives the students thorough practice in the basic structures and skills needed to develop a sound base for the study of English. The basic language is presented in a variety of business contexts, thus giving a directly relevant meaning to professional learners.
Students will cover the following functions at elementary level: greetings and introductions, telephone conversations, meetings and negotiations, socialising, business letter writing and giving opinions. On completion of this course, students will have a sound grasp of the rudiments of the English language and will be able to communicate effectively in the business environment.
Pre-intermediate
During this course, students will revise all of the main structures of the English language. They will focus on the key areas of business interaction such as telephoning, holding meetings, presenting materials, business correspondence, negotiation skills and requesting information.
While all four language skills are practised on this course, greater emphasis is placed on listening and speaking. On completing this course, the students will have extended their range of vocabulary, and will be familiar with many aspects of English grammar. They will have also gained a greater confidence in their ability to communicate within a business environment in English.
Intermediate
Students will be very familiar with the English language at this level, and so, in this course, emphasis is placed not only on grammar revision, but also on the functions and uses of English. The course provides extensive practice for the student in real-life situations and role-plays.
Students will cover materials in the following areas: telephone skills, conversations, business correspondence, negotiation skills, presentations, meetings and socialising.
On completion of this course, students can expect to be accomplished users of the English language, capable of using and understanding complex structures in a variety of business situations.
Upper-Intermediate
Again, students at this level will be very familiar with the English language at this level. The course is designed for professional people from all areas of business.
It follows a communicative, functional approach and extends this with the development of business skills appropriate to the needs of upper-intermediate students
The course is structured around theme-based units (e.g. Performance and Trade) which focus on real business situations, both formally inside the workplace and informally on social occasions. Special emphasis is placed on cultural awareness, which is often a difficult area for students at this level.
Advanced
This course is based around eight international case studies for advanced learners of business English. In each case, extensive input material builds a realistic and motivating business problem, culminating in a challenging and authentic simulation or assignment.
Numerous key areas of business language are covered, such as presentations, negotiations, management meetings, technical briefings and informal socializing.
Tasks are designed to develop the communicative skills needed to perform
in business at the highest level.