Business English students rarely want English in the abstract.
They want to participate in meetings, explain results, negotiate, deliver presentations, write clearly and communicate with international colleagues.
AI can help teachers create professional scenarios that resemble the learner actual work.
Begin with the communicative situation
A useful Business English lesson should start with a real task, such as:
- Presenting quarterly results
- Explaining a delay
- Disagreeing diplomatically
- Negotiating a deadline
- Interviewing a candidate
- Giving performance feedback
- Responding to a dissatisfied client
The vocabulary and grammar should support the task rather than become disconnected lesson components.
Create realistic role-plays
Provide AI with:
- The student industry
- Their role
- The other participant role
- The problem
- The desired outcome
- Useful target language
Example prompt
The student is a customer success manager speaking to a client who is considering cancellation. Create a role-play requiring clarification, empathy, negotiation and a proposed action plan.
Adapt authentic professional content
AI can help simplify or analyse:
- Reports
- Presentations
- Emails
- Meeting notes
- Job descriptions
- Industry articles
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Develop lessons around individual professionals
A banking executive and a software engineer may have the same CEFR level but require different vocabulary, scenarios and communication strategies.
An AI lesson planner for individual learners, such as Lesson Mate AI can use saved student information to generate personalized ESL activities and lessons connected to professional goals.
Practise functional language
Business communication is highly dependent on function. Useful categories include:
- Interrupting politely
- Clarifying
- Summarizing
- Hedging
- Challenging an idea
- Buying time
- Recommending
- Expressing uncertainty
- Escalating a problem
Ask AI to create several levels of formality and explain when each expression is appropriate.
Use AI to prepare, not to eliminate spontaneity
The best Business English lessons leave room for real communication.
Use AI to build the scenario and prepare supporting language. During the lesson, allow the student decisions and responses to change the direction of the activity.
