English for Effective Business Communications

Overview

Class Central Tips

In this course, we will delve into some business topics that illustrate how all company departments and teams need to work together to be successful. We will have some interesting topics learning vocabulary and ideas about human resources, management, and marketing. All of these departments need to work well together to avoid confusion and to be productive and efficient. We will also cover the very important topic of balancing our work tasks and our life outside of work. You will also learn about the language skills of passive voice, non-count nouns, making recommendations, and using dates and numbers in business situations.

Syllabus

Human Resources

This week, you’ll learn about human resources—the ways that companies recruit, hire, and train their employees. We’ll think about how companies attract and keep the best people to make their organization successful and learn about job interviews and how to do well if you’re being interviewed. You’ll also hear a human resources professional discuss current trends and challenges in this important field. Finally, you’ll learn how to use passive voice sentences in many business situations.

Management

Management of people and teams is the focus of this week’s lesson. You will read about a challenge for a general manager and listen to passages about meetings and staff recognition. Through these passages, you will reinforce your management related vocabulary in English. You will also learn about how to use count and noncount nouns in business communication.

Marketing

Marketing is our topic for this week. Analysis, planning, and promotion are major activities for a marketing team. We will read about basic ideas of marketing and listen to passages about the promotion and placement of products. We will also learn about how to speak, read, and write about numbers in American business contexts.

Work-Life Balance

This week, we’ll look at some very current topics in the world of work. You’ll learn about the benefits to both companies and employees when workers balance their lives to avoid stress and burnout. We’ll hear about why many companies are turning to remote or hybrid work and how this is becoming a part of the future of work. You’ll also learn useful ways to consider possible options and make recommendations.