Written by Chris Titus, CFA

One key to effectively teaching any subject is connecting with your student. And, in order to do that, you must first understand your student. Once you understand them, you can then develop memorable lessons that are interesting and engaging. In this article, I intend to provide some insights into how business people think and how you can leverage that in your classes.

Executives at a bank, advertising agency, and manufacturing company have seemingly nothing in common. A bank executive is concerned with yield curves, credit risk, asset-liability management, and so on. An advertising executive is concerned with brand management, target audiences, and marketing channels. And, the manufacturing executive is concerned with raw materials, labor management (unions), and six sigma quality. Does this mean you need to tailor your lessons to each student? Unless you have been hired to teach a specific topic, it is not necessary.

So, what do these people have in common? Let's start with their background. In today's world, it is likely they have all completed an undergraduate and/or a graduate business program. It is also a good assumption they were required to take 'foundation' courses - marketing, finance, organizational behavior (human resources), operations management, IT, and other business-related functions. All of these courses lead up to a final course typically called Business Policy or Strategy. This is the mother of all business courses. This is the course in which all of the previously mentioned disciplines come together.

Students are given case studies, typically from Harvard Business School, that focus on specific problems within a company or industry. The possible solutions can draw upon any or all of the above disciplines. Many students find this to be the most interesting and taxing course of the curriculum. Lecturers enjoy putting students in the 'hot seat' during these classes. As such, it is ill-advised to be unprepared. Groups put forth their solutions and a battle of witts quickly ensues as they defend their theories. This is where a student can feel like a CEO, Donald Trump, or Warren Buffett for the day.

So, now we know a thing or two about executives. Like all students, they enjoy problem solving. However, they really enjoy solving the problems of business. This also allows them to fantisize, making for more memorable lessons. It doesn't matter that the problem is not specifically related to their discipline. And, sometimes it is better that way.

Lastly, not everybody can be the CEO. In fact, there is typically only one per company. Having worked at a few large companies, I've met all types of people. Many of them ended up in jobs far from where they envisioned themselves after business school. As a result, they feel stuck. For this reason, the fantasy aspect of case studies are very effective. It enables them to have that career they dreamt about in business school, even if only for an hour.

So, how can you create your own case packet on a daily basis? It is really quite simple. I do it everyday for my business English lessons on LingoPass! First, I surf the site of a business newspaper or magazine and scan the headline. I recommend the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times. You are sure to find two or three articles that will provide a nice discussion. I find the best articles are those that describe a predicament or looming decision. Examples include:

• XYZ company shakes up senior management in a push to re-position the company
• Falling U.S. dollar weighs heavily on foreign imports
• ABC Corp plants its flag in China in a bid for global dominance.
  

Notice how the titles alone offer enormous opportunity for a rich discussion. A lot of imagery is found business idioms - shake up,weighs heavily, and plants its flag. Next, I read through a first few paragraphs to see if it is well-suited to my conversation classes. I make a list of the words and concepts to be pre-taught. Then, I plan the direction of the class through questions prepared ahead of time. Often, I ask the student to discuss the cascade of events that might follow a problem. Similar to playing chess, you need to think a few moves ahead by planning questions for the different twists and turns their answers could take. Then, I ask the student to pretend they are one of the main players and tell me how they would solve the problem or stem the cascade of events to follow. For example:

You are ABC Corp's chief marketing officer for today, the person responsible for establishing the business in China. What are three things you need to consider when entering the Chinese market?

Possible answers might include - demographic differences (age, income, etc.), culture differences, market structure (business is conducted differently in different regions), and government bureaucracy. Additional questions would follow from these answers. They may discuss other benefits of operating in China, such as manufacturing or another aspect of the business.

Possible answers can usually be found in the article. However, executives will not be looking to you for answers. They will look to you for help in expressing their own answers. The important and easier part is finding the right questions to ask.

Business English students from all levels within their respective organizations have provided very positive feedback related to this style of lesson (references 1 and 2). I hope this helps you out on those days when you are in a jam and cannot think of something creative. Just remember, the Internet is at your disposal and you aren't expected to know all the answers.

LingoPass! offers business English classes at affordable rates taught by a native speaking executive in the United States. Students can participate in our free business language exchange that utilizes this style of teaching. Teachers and schools can join our affiliate program and earn money selling our business English lessons. Visit: LingoPass! (http://www.lingopass.com).