Syllabus – “Communication Doping” business English course
Communication Doping is an English language course focused on speaking skills, with the aim to prepare students for the confident use of English in the workplace. We have developed our own specialized methodology to achieve this.
Our communication-centred lessons follow a thematic thread that helps students acquire the language proficiency needed for their work. When designing the course, our aim was to create a system in the course of which:
A continuous path of development is provided for our students, depending on their current level.
Our students can always improve and add to their existing knowledge and skills.
The structure of the course material is logically based on the level of proficiency where the student starting the course stands.
After the online written test, as well as the verbal assessment conducted by one of our native speaker teachers, we have established the students’ current proficiency levels, on the basis of which we placed them into the groups.
Our courses are currently offered at 3 levels: B1, B2, and C1. We determine which level your current knowledge places you at by way of written and verbal assessments.
We usually recommend that students complete two (or sometimes, on the basis of the teacher’s opinion, more) [HP2] modules at a given level before proceeding to the next level.
Each of the modules has its own thematic range, and in the following we have summarized what you can learn about from week to week at each level, in case you attend the “Communication Doping” business English course.
This way you can see, for example, that in case you arrive with a B1 level of language proficiency, what the themes covered in the 2 different course periods are before moving to the B2 level.
You can view the themes covered at 3 different levels. Further, 4 different modules belong to each level, from which it is worth completing two or three before proceeding to the next level, in order to ensure that students have a gradual and thematically diverse path of development during the course.
This means a total of 12 modules with different themes offered at the 3 levels of language proficiency. In the following you can see, in a weekly breakdown, the content offered in the various modules.
Please pick which level’s modules you’d like to check!
C1 proficiency level – First module
The module number of the given level (in this case, e.g. C1 level, first module) is for reference only. The modules do not build upon each other and are not different in their level, and therefore, it is not necessary to complete them in a certain order, but are interchangeable in the learning process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOXPvQcWlJw
Week 1 – Networking
This lesson will focus on the benefits of making useful connections in business and how to be a good networker. Students will have the opportunity to talk about the usefulness of networking in their careers, exchange advice and network with their co-students.
Week 2 – Correspondence
This lesson focuses on the effective use of both Formal and Informal Business English and the practical application of these forms. Students will be analysing emails and looking at good writing techniques. They will also have the opportunity to practice conference calls.
Week 3 – Coping With Pressure
Through articles and videos, the students will be provided with conversational themes upon which they will be asked to deliver both opinions and solutions based around stress. Students will be looking at useful conjunctive patterns and how to structure an argument effectively.
Week 4 – Start-Ups
A discussion and vocabulary based lesson, students will look at the challenges start-ups face. They will be analysing why start-ups succeed or fail and have the opportunity to pitch their own ideas for investment.
Week 5 – Leadership and Management
What makes a good leader? What qualities do many successful leaders share? In this lesson students will be able to develop useful phrases for effective management. They will also be able to test their leadership abilities in challenging group tasks.
Week 6 – Advertising and Promotions
With a focus on using analogies efficently, students will have the opportunity to develop skills of simple explanation. Through analysis of real stratergies used in advertising and promotions, the students will be able to practice simplifying complex topics.
Week 7 - Assessment Centre
An opportunity to practice your job interview technique in our very own assessment centre. Students will be applying for an exciting job opportunity, with a chance to use and review the grammar and vocabulary developed in the previous six weeks.
Week 8 - Liason and Delegation
Through interactive activities and coaching students will be able to improve their reporting technique. Focusing on reported speech in real world situations, students will be fully engaging with the grammar and practicing thier reporting skills.
Week 9 - Translation
With a focus on translation into English, students will discuss the issues translators face and the importance of subtext in Business English. With a series of entertaing activities, students will have the opportunity to translate their L1 into English and learn how to be effective translators.
Week 10 - Terms and Conditions
For many, the wording of contracts can be very confusing. With a focus on prepositions and conditionals, students will be able to build an understanding of contract English and have the opportunity to draft a contractual agreement.
Week 11 - Diplomatic Relations
With a focus on International Businesses, Taxation and Negotiation, students will have an opportunity to discuss international issues. With an introdcution to useful strategies and phrases, students will be engaging with one another in lively debates about real world issues.
Week 12 - Presentations
Students will focus on further developing their presentation skills. They will be focusing on time keeping, structure, body language, constructive criticism and using advanced vocabulary. This will be achieved by presenting a well-prepared presentation to the class and receiving feedback from other members of the class.
C1 proficiency level – Second module
Week 1 – Small Talk and Socialising
Students will study expressions and techniques for making conversation. They will be focusing on vocabulary for describing different types of social interaction as well as typical conversation openers and responses. This will be achieved through listening activities and role-play.
Week 2 – Effective Communication
With lots of exposure to different accents and listening exercises, the students will be able to develop their listening skills and will be taught useful techniques to transfer into their everday lives. There will also be discussion on how businesses can promote communication skills and what it takes to be an effective communicator.
Week 3 – Workplace Equality
Listening, writing and interactive communication skills will all be increased in this topical themed lesson. With the opportunity to build on skills developed in the previous lesson, students will be able to practice their English in a range of engaging topics. The effect of such discussions aim to minimise typical mistakes and the improveme overal confidence.
Week 4 – Identifying Potential
How can we identify the next big thing? How do you measure a businesses potential? In this lesson we are analysing charts and graphs and using a range of grammatical tenses effectively to present information and convey ideas. Ultimately working as a group to identify potential business opportunites.
Week 5 – Problem Solving
Good problem solver’ is a common trait in CV’s but how do you know if you are or aren’t? In this lesson we focus on team work and communication as students solve a series of problems both practical and interpersonal. With a focus on useful mediation techniques, this interactive lesson allows students to assess their strengths and weaknesses in English.
Week 6 – Competition
Focusing on the competitive nature of business, students will learn useful idioms, phrases and strategies to structure arguments. Referencing case studies of real legal cases, students will be able to develop their English in debate and improve their communication skills through discussion.
Week 7 – Assessment Centre
An opportunity to practice your job interview technique in our very own assessment centre. Students will be applying for an exciting job opportunity, with a chance to use and review the grammar and vocabulary developed in the previous six weeks.
Week 8 – Pricing and Estimation
How do we put a value on something? How would you evaluate the worth of a company? In this lesson we look at useful adverbials and word stress to analyse data and present ideas. Students will have the opportunity to dive into the psychology behind pricing and the English attached to it.
Week 9 – Environmental Issues
In a wide-ranging discussion-based lesson, students will have a chance to discuss and debate environmental issues in business. Building on the previous lesson with a focus on conditionals and infinitives, students will have the chance to structure reports and develop short presentations.
Week 10 – Influence and Persuasion
With a focus on the world of influencers and sales techniques, we discuss how individuals gain influence and how this can be transferred into the workplace. Through useful phrases, grammatical patterns and pronunciation, students will have the opportunity to practice persuasive techniques and become influencers themselves.
Week 11 – Consulting
This lesson focuses on expressing expertise with key vocabulary and referals. Utilising grammatical tenses effectively students will be practicing how to demonstrate their know-how in English so that they can better communicate with native speakers.
Week 12 – Executive Decision Making
This lesson compounds the key skills and vocabulary developed throughout the course through a fun team based activity. Students will be required to develop a concept, negotiate and make executive decisions with an emphasis on teamwork and effective communication.
C1 proficiency level – Third module
Week 1 - Interviews
Students have the opportunity to orientate themselves to the course and practice job interview techniques. Taking on roles of both interviewer and interviewee, the group will have the opportunity to learn more about each other and practice this essential skill in English communication.
Week 2 – Goal Setting
With a focus on future tenses, this lesson explores the ways in which we use these grammar patterns in Business English. Going beyond the standard grammatical rules, we look at ways to recalibrate goals and read into subtext.
Week 3 – Culture in Business
In this lesson we take a look at International business and the cultural differences that can affect understanding. Students will learn to identify different phrases and meanings used by L2 English speakers. Students will also have an opportunity to practice listening to international accents and develop their understanding.
Week 4 – Negotiations
From company mergers to requesting a pay rise, negotiations are an integral part of business communication. This is an in depth look into the phrasing and strategy of negotiations. Students will be learning new techniques in effective questioning and have lots of opportunity to practice negotiating in class.
Week 5 – Statistics
Focusing on useful vocabulary and grammatical accuracy, this lesson assists students with interpreting and reporting charts, graphs and statistics. Through case studies of the tourism sector the students will be able to identify real trends and patterns and present them in a business environment.
Week 6 – Ethics
Debating and structuring arguments is an essential skill for anyone who is passionate about their work. In this week students have the opportunity to develop their phrasing and strategy when using English to discuss complex issues.
Week 7 – Assessment Centre
An opportunity to review everything we covered in the course in our very own assessment centre. Students will be applying for an exciting job opportunity, with a chance to use and review the grammar and vocabulary developed in the previous six weeks.
Week 8 – Research & Development
R&D is at the forefront of innovation in business, but do businesses allocate enough energy into this process? In this lesson we look at the necessary skills required for scaling and drafting an R&D project. Focusing on project management skills and effective communication.
Week 9 – Managing Uncertainty
Nothing is certain in business and in this lesson we develop ways to manage that uncertainty. Through useful phrases and idioms students can develop their ability to advise and inform. By encountering complex business scenarios the group will have the ability to express opinion and manage the unmanagable.
Week 10 – Fiscal Controlling
Whilst the financial department may not be the most glamorous aspect of your company, it is undoubtedly one of the most important. In this lesson students will be discussing resource management and the initiatives implemented by international companies. With an emphasis on decision making and justification, the group will be expanding their management skills into unfamiliar territory.
Week 11 – Legacy Planning
Often, the most difficult aspect of any management role is entrusting responsibility to another party. How do we do this on a company-wide scale? How can a business ensure that its standards and practices will be sustained when they focus on other areas? In this lesson, students will have the opportunity to incorporate everything they have practiced in the course.
Week 12 – Presentation Skills
Students will focus on further developing their presentation skills. They will be focusing on time keeping, structure, body language, constructive criticism and using advanced vocabulary. This will be achieved by presenting a well-prepared presentation to the class and receiving feedback from other members of the class.
C1 proficiency level – Fourth module
Week 1 - Q&A Mastery
Whether they are at the end of a presentation or just part of the weekly stand up meeting, Question and Answer sessions can be tough to deliver in English. In this lesson, students get a chance to get to know their classmates in detail, whilst practing techniques to master any difficult question.
Week 2 - HR & Recruitment
Looking at the vocabulary and phrasing of this sector, students have the opportunity to sit in the recruiters chair and take part in the recruitment process. With a focus on the methodology and reasoning of a HR department, students will have the opportunity to analyse CVs and observe interviews.
Week 3 - Developing Markets
Identifying potential in a developing market requires an understanding of what had happened in the past, what has been happening up to now and what will be happening in the future. In this lesson students will be analysing an established market and drawing comparisons to their own fields through use of the perfect tense.
Week 4 - Motivating Colleagues
In this lesson we look at ways to get the most out of your team and how employee motivations have changed over the years. With practice using mixed conditionals, students will be identifying and developing ways to motivate a workforce.
Week 5 - Economics
With a focus on vocabulary and discussion, students will be examing how we can visualise and express complex systems like economics. Students will have a chance to form their own metaphors and better communicate the complex processes in their line of work.
Week 6 - Pitching Ideas
Focusing on structure and strategy, students will receive coaching on ways to pitch their ideas in a multitude of situations. By developing their comprehension and communication skills, students can apply these techniques in their day to day lives, whether they are suggesting a new idea for the office or asking their boss for a promotion.
Week 7 - Assessment Centre
An opportunity to review everything we covered in the course in our very own assessment centre. Students will be applying for an exciting job opportunity, with a chance to use and review the grammar and vocabulary developed in the previous six weeks.
Week 8 - Data Analysis
Identifying trends and simplifying large amounts of data can be a crucial skill in any field. In this lesson we will be focusing on ther terminolgy of graphs and spreadsheets and looking at ways we can apply this data to support our ideas.
Week 9 - Instruction & Processes
Giving clear instructions and describing a process can be difficult task, especially when others may have a differing interpretation. In this lesson we focus on ways to clearly explain complex tasks through conjuctive phrasing and word order. Students will have an opportunity to practice discussing their own field related processes and reasoning.
Week 10 - Conceptualisation & Design
Formulating ideas and communicating them so your audience sees them in exactly the same way as you is a difficult task in any language. In this lesson students will have the chance to conceptualise both concrete and abstract designs and communicate them effectively using focused grammar and advanced adjectives.
Week 11 - Mindful Management
In this lesson students will get lots of practice phrasing and rephrasing statements in sensitive situations. By developing their tone and pacing, students will have the opportunity to naturalise their English whilst simultaneously developing their soft skills.
Week 12 - Executive Decision Making
This lesson compounds the key skills and vocabulary developed throughout the course through a fun team based activity. Students will be required to develop a concept, negotiate and make executive decisions with an emphasis on teamwork and effective communication.
B2 proficiency level – First module
The module number of the given level (in this case, e.g. B2 level, first module) is for reference only. The modules do not build upon each other and are not different in their level, and therefore, it is not necessary to complete them in a certain order, but are interchangeable in the learning process.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpYLAOe_oFc
Week 1 - Work Experience
Focus: Asking and answering questions
Students will review past tense forms in order to be able to correctly talk about past work experience. By studying past forms, examples in articles, and through role-plays in the class, the students will be able to better describe their previous experience.
Week 2 - Formal Emails
Focus: Writing emails
Students will be taught intermediate formal e-mail structures along with intermediate conjunction. They will become confident in writing and replying to intermediate e-mails based on a variety of topics. This will be achieved by eliciting key phrases and then using these key phrases in a variety of exercises.
Week 3 - Project Management
Focus: Discussing and presenting
Students will learn important vocabulary for project management. They will successfully be able to describe the progress of a project, key stages and useful terminology. This will be achieved by studying key terminology and in-class activities.
Week 4 - Negotiations
Focus: Negotiating a merger
Students will strudy the intermediate level vocabualry needed to conduct effective negotiations. Via videos, articles and role-plays, the students will have first hand experience of using key phrases and techniques useful to all fields of negotiation.
Week 5 - Statistics
Focus: Presenting and interpreting graphs
Via vocabualry worksheets and visual demonstrations, students will learn how to understand and talk about statistics. With an aim of making them confident enought to talk about statistics in their own work place, role-plays will be used to allow students to build their confidence and practice their new vocabualry.
Week 6 - Information Technology
Focus: Pitching ideas
In this lesson, students look at basic technology and inventions. Students will be able to discuss the impact technology is having in today’s society. This will be taught via articles and speaking activities.
Week 7 - Assessment Centre
Focus: Job interviews
Students will complete a range of assessment centre tasks and complete job interview roleplays.
Week 8 - Job Loss
Focus: Persuading and convincing
In this lesson, students will discuss the issues surrounding job loss and redundancy, and how social media has affected the job market.
Week 9 - Corporate Whitewashing
Focus: PR
Students will discuss how PR is used by companies to spin events in their favour. They will look at case studies and practice writing press releases.
Week 10 - Writing Reports
Focus: Repeating and rephrasing speech
Students will look at the different kinds of reporting that are widespread in the business world. They will learn how to rephrase and report speech and discuss which language is appropriate.
Week 11 - Working Abroad
Students will focus on the trials and advantages of working in another country. They will discuss some case studies and use conditional language to discuss their work possibilities.
Week 12 - Presentations
Focus: Student choice
Students will focus on developing their presentation skills. They will be focusing on timekeeping, structure, body language, constructive criticism and using advanced vocabulary. This will be achieved by presenting a well-prepared presentation to the class and receiving feedback from other members of the class.
B2 proficiency level – Second module
Week 1 - Small Talk
Pupils will be able to converse in a range of different situations, using idioms and understanding the nuances of verbal communication.
Week 2 – Team Building
Students will learn the right way to communicate in a more formal setting. They will discover how to interject and respond appropriately, as well as learning some frequently used collocations.
Week 3 – Formal Complaints
Students will discuss how to deal with complaints – both making and responding to. They will approach dealing with difficult customers and getting the best out of uncomfortable situations.
Week 4 – Phone Calls
Students will learn how to correctly approach phone and conference calls. They will be able to ask for information in various ways and learn strategies to cope with unexpected problems
Week 5 – Culture in Business
This lesson will focus on the myriad ways in which different cultures conduct business. We will look at problems that can arise due to cultural misunderstandings and ways to deal with foreign clients and coworkers.
Week 6 – Work-Life Balance
In this lesson, students will discuss the hot button topic of work/life balance. They will reflect on their own situations and discuss ways in which a better balance could be achieved. Media and discussion tasks will enable them to better convey their ideas.
Week 7 – Assessment Centre
Students will complete a range of assessment centre tasks and complete job interview roleplays
Week 8 – Social Media
In this lesson, students will explore the fast-growing world of influencer marketing. They will discuss issues of authenticity and fraud and try to spot the fakes.
Week 9 – Accents
Student will undoubtedly have to work with people from different countries at some point in their career. This lesson will teach them how to understand some common English accents, including American, RP and Scottish, as well as regional dialects.
Week 10 – Questioning and Clarifying
In this lesson students will use sentence stress and questioning techniques to get the full picture from an uncooperative business partner. They will look at evasive language and omission.
Week 11 – Sealing the Deal
In this lesson students will look at the final stages of a business deal, where the pressure is on and tempers run high. They will learn about different techniques used to seal deals and get the most from a negotiation.
Week 12 – Executive Decision Making
This lesson compounds the key skills and vocabulary developed throughout the course through a fun team based activity. Students will be required to develop a concept, negotiate and make executive decisions with an emphasis on teamwork and effective communication.
B2 proficiency level – Third module
Week 1 – Job Interviews
As an introductory lesson, students will learn about their classmates via the practice of interview questions. In practical, oral based lessons, the students confidence of asking and answering interview based questions, their understanding of interview techniques, and their field of vocabulary, will all be increased.
Week 2 – Personal Development
This personalised module will allow the student to talk specifically about their own careeers, responsibilities, and goals. Specially designed job portfolios will be created through interaction with their partners, suggestions by their teachers, and via their own increased knowledge of the area.
Week 3 – Discussions
Students will study expressions for business meetings and discussions. They will learn how to structure an argument with linking words and phrases as well as respond to opinions using a variety of techniques for agreeing and disagreeing. This will be achieved through language practice and role-play.
Week 4 – Creative thinking
A vocabulary and discussion based module, students will work together on vocabualy sheets to increase their knowlegde of adjective and phrasal specific language. Working in groups they will look at concepts of mind maps and blue sky thinking. Informal meetings and presentations will also be practiced, allowing the students to increase their confidence and oral skills.
Week 5 – Sales pitch
Students will study persuasive and descriptive sales vocabulary. They will work on developing their organisation, teamwork, time keeping and speaking skills. This will be achieved by creating a sales pitch in groups and delivering it to the class.
Week 6 – Brands
Students will study key vocabulary related to marketing and advertising. They will confidently be able to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of branding. This will be achieved by studying key vocabulary, reading articles and visual aids.
Week 7 – Assessment Centre
Students will complete a range of assessment centre tasks and complete job interview roleplays
Week 8 – Stress
Students will study vocabulary and phrases related to stress in business. They will read about the causes of stress.
Week 9 – Risk
Students will study vocabulary and phrases related to risk in business. They will read about successful and not-so-successful risky enterprises and participate in role plays.
Week 10 – Productivity
Students will discuss the future of business productivity, including remote working, home office and changing attitudes towards the 9-5 grind.
Week 11 – Your Data and You
Students will discuss the world of big data. This lesson will focus on the personal information that is taken, stored and sold everyday and its ethical implications.
Week 12 - Presentations
Students will focus on developing their presentation skills. They will be focusing on time keeping, structure, body language, constructive criticism and using advanced vocabulary. This will be achieved by presenting a well-prepared presentation to the class and receiving feedback from other members of the class.
B2 proficiency level – Fourth module
Week 1 - Networking
Students will gain an introduction to the course (and each other), learning valuable networking techniques. They’ll get a grasp of useful new vocabulary and have a chance to use it in a role play situation.
Week 2 - Public Relations
Students will study PR disasters of the past and learn how companies use different techniques to convey their message to the public. They will solve tricky PR problems and learn effective communication techniques.
Week 3 - Technical Talk
Students will enter the world of buzzwords and jargon. How does business change language? How can a noun become a verb? How do prefixes and suffixes affect meaning?
Week 4 - Organising Events
It’s time to organise! Students will plan an event and deal with a range of logistical problems. They’ll learn the language of logistics and perfect their conditional tenses.
Week 5 - Conflict Resolution
Reporting speech is a vital skill that students will uncover this week. They’ll learn to resolve personal problems and report them accurately. Vital for HR professionals.
Week 6 - Market Research
Brands, logos, slogans…this lesson covers them all. Students will test their knowledge of the world’s most famous companies and learn how they brand themselves effectively. They’ll explore different types of market research and conduct their own.
Week 7 - Assessment Centre
Students will complete a range of assessment centre tasks and complete job interview roleplays
Week 8 - The Future of the Workpace
The world of work is changing, and students will need to keep up with these changes. This lesson allows them to make predictions, forecast change and plan the perfect office.
Week 9 - Generations in the Workplace
The changing world of work brings its own challenges and generational divides have become a battleground. This lesson allows students to dissect stereotypes and argue their side of the debate. They’ll also look at how different verb patterns can influence the meaning of a sentence.
Week 10 - Emotional Intelligence
A key concept in the modern workplace, EQ is changing the way we interact and behave in the office and beyond. This lesson will focus on appropriacy, effective communication and discussion feeling and emotions in a calm and mannered way. We’ll also look at indirect questions.
Week 11 - The Future of English
English is changing, and we need to change with it. In a world of jargon, techspeak and emoji, it’s important to keep up. This lesson will expose students to a range of developing communication and see if they can make sense of it.
Week 12 - Executive Decision Making
This lesson compounds the key skills and vocabulary developed throughout the course through a fun team based activity. Students will be required to develop a concept, negotiate and make executive decisions with an emphasis on teamwork and effective communication.
B1 Proficiency Level – First Module
The module number of the given level (in this case, e.g. B1 level, first module) is for reference only. The modules do not build upon each other and are not different in their level, and therefore, it is not necessary to complete them in a certain order, but are interchangeable in the learning process.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYcEd9sHlf0
Week 1 – Job Interviews
Students will be introduced to basic job interview questions. They will become confident in creating specific answers to these questions. This will be achieved through the study of template answers and various role play situations.
Week 2 – Emailing
In this lesson students will be taught basic formal and informal e-mail structures along with basic conjunction. This will ensure they will feel confident in writing and replying to basic e-mails. This will be achieved by eliciting key phrases and then using these key phrases in a variety of exercises.
Week 3 – Professions
In this lesson students will look at various types of profession, the skills and characteristics needed for such roles, and how to describe such a job. They will also look in more detail at their own profession, theri responsibilites, and the key phrases they use on a daily basis.
Week 4 – Business Travel
From looking at the vocabulary associated with daily trips to and from the office, to looking at the esential phrases needed for planning and organising business trips, the students will role play crucial business travel situations in order to prepare them for real-life situations. They will not only learn to book and reserve flights and hotels, but also to work as a team to plan flawless business trips.
Week 5 – Economics
This economics themed lesson will give students the vocabulary they need to discuss economical trends and patterns. They will also look at key grammar rules that can be used to describe the rise and fall of economic fluctuation. Furthermore, listening and meeting role plays will give them real life pratice of economic themed interactions.
Week 6 – Problems and Suggestions
Students will learn basic expressions for discussing problems and possible solutions. They will learn how to make, ask for and respond to suggestions in a variety of ways. This will be achieved through role-play and classroom based activities.
Week 7 - Assessment Centre
The assessment centre lesson is composed of job interview practice, group activities, a mid-course grammar and vocabulary test, and a student-focused improvement section. The assessment will allow the teacher to offer useful feedback on individual student improvement, areas that must be looked at in more detail, and advice for further progression.
Week 8 - Climbing the Corporate Ladder
During this lesson, students will activate vocabulary associated with promotions, positions within a company, the useful phrases and key vocabulary utilised when asking for pay raises or job advancement. They will also study how language can be made less direct and more diplomatic through essential expressions, all of which will be activated through group, student-student, and student-teacher exercises.
Week 9 - Customer Service
With a focus on how language can be modulated through modal verbs and key expressions, students will look at the correct and incorrect ways to interact with customers, improving client communication: both in the written and spoke forms, and learning useful expressions to make their language less direct and more polite.
Week 10 - Leader or Boss
In a discussion based lesson, where the language of opinion and idea-sharing will be the central theme, and where videos and listening exercises will challenge student idea, tips on improving management and leadership skills will also be shared.
Week 11 - Adverstising
Via gap-fill exercises, class discussion, videos and listenings, the students will create a broader knowledge of the key words associated with the advertising industry. They will present ideas relating to the adverts used in their own fields, as well as working together to create mini ad campaigns for various products. The key vocabulary will focus on the skills of speculation and deduction.
Week 12 - Presentations
As an empowering, course encompassing finale, the students will be asked to create their own business-themed presentations. The vocabulary and phrases for this will have been looked at in the four previous lessons, allowing the students the skill-set to independently work on the creation of a practical, confidence-building presentation. They will be given detailed feedback on their presentations, as well as being asked to participate in QnA sessions for other student’s presentations.
B1 Proficiency Level – Second Module
Week 1 – Intro to Business English
This lesson will focus on the key differences between general and business English. It will identify key verbs used in the business world, examine how business langauge can differ depending on tone, word choice, modal verbs, and grammar choice. It will focus on diplomatic and indirect phrases and activate this through role plays and discussion.
Week 2 – Small Talk
The students will see how small talk can be a useful tool in business networking, making contact with new clients, speaking unofficially about their jobs, and also how to write follow-up emails having met new and useful contacts in the business world. They will watch videos that identify how small talk can be beneficial when looking for new jobs, interacting with colleagues on a daily basis, and speaking more confidently about their positions.
Week 3 – CV Creation
Each aspect of the essential English language CV will be examined and discussed. This will help to activate the students’ ability to discuss both their present and past roles, thier soft skills, experience, qualifications and key attributes. As well as creating an English CV, it will offer useful phrases for job interview or role negotiation practise.
Week 4 – Colleagues
This lesson will focus on interection with colleagues in the work place, increase the students vocabulary of adjectives, comaratives, and superlatives. It will also focus on listening and comprehnsion skills, put the students into a business meeting environment, and increase their overall workplace vocabulary.
Week 5 – Telephone Skills
The students telephone skills will be significantly improved through realistic roleplay scenarios. They will be furnished with essential phone vocabulary, discuss tips for speaking confidently in both one-to-one and teleconferane situations, and examine typical problems that people face when speaking on the phone. A stress of improved pronunciation and diction skills will be placed on the lessons.
Week 6 – Finance
A vocabulary based lesson, prior knowledge of financial terminology, essential for all business roles, will be not only tested but improved upon. Through listening exercises, digital tests, and team discussions, phrases and key words will be activated and placed into the long term memory. Intermediate grammar structures of financial trends will also be a key part of the lesson.
Week 7 – Assessment Centre
The assessment centre lesson is composed of job interview practice, group activities, a mid-course grammar and vocabulary test, and a student-focused improvement section. The assessment will allow the teacher to offer useful feedback on individual student improvement, areas that must be looked at in more detail, and advice for further progression.
Week 8 – Reports and Summaries
An intermediate understanding of relative pronouns, the passive voice, and clear sentence structure will be taught in this lesson. Learnt orally and in a communicative style, this will ultimately allow the students to create professional written reports and summaries, essential for business roles and positions. There will also be a focus on adverbs of opinion, useful not only for written reports but meeting and discussion situations.
Week 9 – Professional Changes
Grammatical structures such as the present perfect, the present perfect continuous, and future tenses will be explored in this lesson. This will allow students to correctly talk about changes in their professional field, work roles, and ongoing projects. There will also be an increase in business verbs of change, as well as a focus on prefixes and suffixes.
Week 10 – Technology at Work
Key vocabulary of technology-based words, through listening, gapfill, and communication-based exercises, will be elicited, taught, and activated in this lesson. This will allow the student to confidently speak about tech problems, tech advantages, and the machinery and equipment they use on a daily basis.
Week 11 – Entrepreneurship
By working both individually and in small teams, students will be encouraged to utilise “out of the box” thinking in order to create small/medium business and product ideas. They will learn how to pitch their ideas, talk in detail about areas such as financing, advertising, audience targeting, and product presentation. There will also be elements of negotiation and selling discussed and activated during the lesson.
Week 12 – Big Business
Angol Intezet’s own “Big Business” role play game will bring together all elements of the course. Through this interactive speaking activity, students will work together to develop new business ideas, face the typical challenges of said business, hold mini-meetings about their company, and follow a step-by-step scenario where all aspects are business are looked at. This will not only review all factors looked at in the course, but act as a final assessment for the student, who will then be given detailed feedback about their language improvement.
B1 Proficiency Level – Third Module
Week 1 - Job Interview
Students will be introduced to basic job interview questions. They will become confident in creating specific answers to these questions. This will be achieved through the study of template answers and various role play situations.
Week 2 – Business Plans
This lesson will focus on a student’s ability to make business plans and appointments in formal situations. There will be an emphasis on the correct use of future tenses, correction of the incorrect use of WILL, and an increase in polite vocabulary from this subject. Students will work in pairs to discuss their current business plans, while also working in groups to role play planning meetings.
Week 3 - Sales
As well as increasing the students’ overall knowledge of the vocabulary of sales and selling, this lesson will focus on the traits of a good sales person, the persuasive language used when making deals, and, through role plays and listening exercises, will activate their passive knowledge of this field.
Week 4 – Negotiations
Following on from the sales lesson, the students will now take a deeper look at the art of negoatiating. They will learn the key phrases essential for making business deals, talking about the price and terms and conditions of a product of serive, and through multiple group roleplays, they will learn to actively use these phrases in business scenarios.
Week 5 - Culture in Business
Through worksheets, listening exercises, and videos, the students look at how different cultures approach work scenarious. They will look at the language which is needed to appear polite and formal in different countries, while also examining conditional scenarios and “If” clauses.
Week 6 – Innovation
In his lesson, students will talk about innovative business ideas, products and services. They will look at the language used to describe modern or outdated technology and ideas and, though group role plays, hold mini-meetings to create new and exciting business proposals.
Week 7 – Assessment Centre
The assessment centre lesson is composed of job interview practice, group activities, a mid-course grammar and vocabulary test, and a student-focused improvement section. The assessment will allow the teacher to offer useful feedback on individual student improvement, areas that must be looked at in more detail, and advice for further progression.
Week 8 – Past Achievements
By focusing on the past achievements of well-known and succesful business people, the students will learn key phrases to allow them to fluently discuss their own key achievements. These phrases will be valuable in job interviews and promotion situations, as well as making them more confident when speaking about their previous fields of work.
Week 9 – Intro to Business Ethics
In this introductory lesson to business ethics, ideas of what is right or wrong in the corporate world will be discussed. There will be a strong emphasis on interactive communication and, through group debates, the students will learn to share their own ideas, while formally listening to a disagreeing with others. This lesson will also increase the vocabulary of phrases in this field.
Week 10 – Communication is Key
This lesson will emphasise the need for clear and concise communication in the business world. Through articles and listening exercises it will highlight how important it is to understand others and to be understood yourself. The lesson will elicit key phrases for clarifying statements, politely asking for more information, and for making oneself clear.
Week 11 – Dealing with Disaster
In this lesson, the student will discuss the many ways in which a business can fail, what may have caused that failure, and how such issues can be avoided in the future. It will look at the language of speculation and deduction, while also reviewing reported speech.
Week 12 – Presentations
As an empowering, course encompassing finale, the students will be asked to create their own business-themed presentations. The vocabulary and phrases for this will have been looked at in the four previous lessons, allowing the students the skill-set to independently work on the creation of a practical, confidence building presentation. They will be given detailed feedback on their presentations, as well as being asked to partcipate in QnA sessions for other student’s presentations.
B1 Proficiency Level – Fourth Module
Week 1 - Networking
Students will learn formal and informal ways of introducing themselves and their companies to peers within their field. They will study key phrases to break the ice in varying networking situations, as well as how to follow up face-to-face networking with emails and other forms of written contact.
Week 2 - Tasks and Responsibilites
Week 3 – Work-Life Balance
Through the use of articles and videos, students will discuss the priorities of business people in the modern world. They will be taught key discussion phrases that will allow them to competently put across their ideas on this subject, while at the same time role playing business meeting situations involving the theme.
Week 4 - Team Management
Students will be introduced to several management styles, the key vocabulary used within these styles, and several common idioms relevant to managerial situations. Students will then activate these techniques and key phrases through team management activities and tasks.
Week 5 – HR and Recruitment
This module will study the essential vocabulary and phrases relevant to the roles of HR and recruitment. This will include techniques for job candidate selection, CV checking, dealing with internal staffing issues and more. Articles, listenings, and role plays will be used to increase students’ confidence and understanding in this area of business.
Week 6 - Analytics
Through the use of articles and worksheets, students will be introduced to pre-intermediary elements of analytics, allowing them to discover, interpret, and communicate about meaningful patterns in the data used within their specific field of work.
