Catherine Nickerson

Research and Client-Based Projects

This chapter will: Show how to develop a needs analysis based on sound research principles; Examine a number of different client-based projects that have taken a business discourse approach to teaching; Discuss different ways in which business discourse research can be used in the classroom; Present a case study that illustrates how business discourse projects can be incorporated into teaching practices together with a set of tasks related to the use of business discourse research in the classroom and a set of further readings.

Consultancy-Based Projects

This chapter will: Show how consultancy work can inform business discourse teaching; Discuss how needs analysis and communication audits can be used to generate recommendations for teaching and training; Profile a number of consultancy-based business discourse projects and show how they have informed training and course development; Provide a case study, together with a set of tasks appropriate for the business discourse classroom, and a set of further readings.

Interviews with Business Discourse Teachers

This chapter will: Present practical insights into business discourse teaching on the basis of interviews with a number of prominent business discourse teachers who have also been active as researchers and consultants; Consider some of the ways in which they have used business discourse research in their teaching and incorporated new media and digital technologies; Highlight their views on what they expect to be important areas and themes in the field of business discourse in the future; Provide a set of further readings.

Case Studies in Teaching

This chapter will: Present a final set of three teaching case studies to illustrate the points that we have made throughout this volume; Discuss extensive tasks designed for business students to enable them to practise and develop the skills of negotiating, relationship-building, decision-making, and problem-solving, as these are used by business professionals; Conclude with recommendations for further readings based on research into spoken and written business discourse.

Learners and Business Discourse Learning Outcomes

This chapter will: Identify different types of learners and how to evaluate their needs; Discuss how to define a set of learning outcomes and how to assess them; Show how to move from the workplace to the classroom using a research-based approach aimed at understanding more about a set of learners and how they engage with business discourse; Provide a case study that illustrates how to approach specialized professional discourse, together with a set of tasks related to learners and learning outcomes, and a set of further readings.

Business Discourse Teaching Materials

This chapter will: Identify a number of published materials that have taken business discourse research into account in presenting their approach to teaching; Look at how to evaluate published materials and decide if they are appropriate for a given set of learners; Speculate on the future of business discourse teaching materials and what they are likely to focus on; Present a case study that shows how teaching materials can incorporate research ideas on business discourse, together with a set of tasks related to the development of materials, and a set of further readings.

The Future of Business Discourse Teaching

This chapter will: Explore ways in which new media and digital technologies are shaping business communication and highlight the importance of digital communicative competence for learners and teachers; Discuss ways in which the digital workplace can be brought into the business discourse classroom; Discuss the role of Business English and other business languages in international business and what this means for business discourse teaching; Consider how the multicultural workplace can inform business discourse teaching; Provide a case study that illustrates some of the above developments, together with a set of tasks appropriate for the business discourse classroom, and a set of further readings.

What Is Business Discourse Teaching

This chapter will: Define business discourse teaching as it will be referred to in the rest of this book; Discuss the most important approaches that have been taken in business discourse teaching; Give a geographical overview of how business discourse teaching has evolved around the world; Provide a case study that illustrates one approach to business discourse teaching, alongside a set of tasks related to the business discourse classroom and a set of further readings.

Research Methodologies and Business Discourse Teaching

This chapter will: Define English for specific purposes and indicate the specific ways in which it has been influential on business discourse teaching; Discuss the most relevant approaches to genre analysis that have been used in business discourse teaching; Explore the most relevant approaches to critical discourse analysis and organizational rhetoric for business discourse teaching; Identify the most relevant aspects of multimodal discourse analysis for business discourse teaching; Provide a case study that illustrates the use of one approach to business discourse teaching, showing how practitioners can incorporate it into their classroom- or consultancy-based ideas.