The ESL Breakroom - Business Class Language Solutions

Weren’t able to make it to last week’s IATEFL Besig’s annual conference for Business English trainers in Stuttgart, Germany? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

Listen to Episode 29 to get the low-down.Business Class’s founder, Daphne Chisholm-Elie, was there presenting her latest CPD Program, Training as an Agile Project, and came by to fill us in on the hot topics and industry buzz at this year’s event.

Needless to say, the topic on everyone’s mind this year was AI and Daphne brings us some heartening news on that front.And speaking of conferences, if you are in France, the TESOL France annual conference is taking place soon! Mark your calendars for November 17-19th.

Hear more about it in our latest episode!

In Episode 28 of the Business Class ESL Breakroom, we are joined by Tanya Meyer, the Founder of the Confident English Training program to talk about her unique, holistic approach to English language training rooted in mindfulness.

Tanya believes that the journey to effective communication goes far beyond the words we speak. After her own positive experience with stilling the mind, she has come to integrate mindfulness and contemplative practices into her teaching, fostering calmer, more open, and skillful communication. Her learners have responded enthusiastically! Join us as Tanya shares the insights from her own mindfulness journey and how it has left an indelible mark on her personal and professional life.

We delve into the practical aspects of mindfulness during language sessions, which does NOT mean that we encourage outright meditation in session. Rather, we look at ways to slow down the pace, to truly acknowledge our learners and the moment in which we are working together.

During our conversation, Tanya details the expected and unexpected benefits she has observed throughout her career.

For fellow language trainers and anyone interested in embracing mindfulness in their work or life, don’t miss Tanya’s generous wisdom on the subject. Tune in to this enlightening episode to discover how incorporating mindfulness into language training can transform the learning experience for both you and your trainees.

In this thought-provoking episode of the ESL Breakroom Podcast, we sit down with Meri Maroutian, an English language teacher and passionate equity advocate for the rights of non-native speaker ESL teachers. Together, we delve into the topic of "Native Speakerism," the perception that native English speakers are inherently better as language models or teachers, and its impact on the ESL industry.

Native Speakerism is a hot-button issue that has been sparking debate within the ESL community. Join us as we dissect what Native Speakerism really means and why it is a discriminatory practice. Meri, an accomplished ESL professional who is also a non-native English speaker, brings her unique perspective to the table as a former Business English trainer, current teacher and equity advocate: someone who is committed to calling out pervasive stereotypes and systemic biases.

In her role as equity advocate, she sheds light on the challenges faced by non-native speaking English teachers and the need for greater inclusivity and recognition. She points out how native speakerism holds capable language professionals back from doing their jobs and prevents deserving learners from positive learning experiences.

Together, we explore actionable ways that ALL teachers of ESL, regardless of their native language, can contribute to raising awareness and dismantling Native Speakerism. 

Tune in to this eye-opening conversation that calls for unity, understanding and helps to foster a more inclusive, equitable, and supportive environment for ESL teachers worldwide.

Join us for an eye-opening look at Neurodiversity, and in particular dyslexia, with Dr Martin Bloomfield, a trainer and consultant in Neurodiversity from an international and intercultural perspective. In this very enlightening conversation, Martin helps us better understand what Dyslexia is and isn’t and offers insights into how we can set the scene for an improved learning experience for our learners with dyslexia. The podcast not only touches on the challenges that dyslexia presents but also refreshingly points out the strengths that are statistically associated with dyslexics. The conversation will empower you to take a closer look at your own understanding and beliefs around learning challenges, and offer tools to tweak your training approach for better results.

As technology continues to transform education, blended learning has become a significant component of ESL programs. As trainers, we must adapt our approach and become eLearning coaches, guiding and inspiring learners through digital resources that are often part and parcel of their learning package. Join us for an enlightening talk with Deirdre Cijffers, formerly Head of Learning Design and Development for Cambridge University Press, and currently Director and Education Consultant for Learning Unfurled. Deirdre helps teachers and institutions build excellent online learning experiences via talks, workshops and webinars. In this episode, she provides a much-appreciated exploration of the trainer's role as an eLearning coach and reveals effective techniques to inspire and motivate learners in a blended learning environment. Whether you're an experienced ESL trainer or just starting your teaching career, this episode is a must-listen for anyone who’s ever been challenged by learners with “no-time” to take on their elearning outside of sessions

Today’s ESL Breakroom Podcast takes us out of our ESL Business English training sessions and into our bank accounts!

Where’s the connection? These two seemingly divergent paths converge with our special guest, Nicola Prentis, former ESL trainer and materials writer who’s uncovered an exciting new use for her skill set: teaching newbies about passive, low-risk investing.

This episode is one where all the benefits are for you, trainer. We step away from our focus on improving our sessions to place it on improving our bottom lines. Why?

As Nicola points out, our profession is particularly populated with well-meaning, pedagogically gifted types who statistically have not shown themselves to be particularly savvy when it comes to growing our finances. As a group, we are often drawn to the excitement of travel, cross-cultural exchanges, and the stimulating challenge of mastering languages.

Unfortunately, the downside of our industry is that it often comes with a freelance lifestyle or lower salary. Many of us find ourselves after several years or even decades in language training without the enviable financial safety-net of our peers who followed a more traditional route to mortgage paying 9-to-5’s with corporate matching pension plans.

Nicola's journey mirrors our own experiences in the ELT industry. After years as a teacher, author, and award-winning materials writer, Nicola realized her ESL-based income still wasn’t enough to purchase a home nor would it provide the financial security required for retirement.

This wake-up call inspired her to take matters into her own hands and take the steps necessary to change that. She embarked on a transformative path, discovering the world of investing.

She bravely went from someone who, like many of us, pooh-poohed the world of finance and investing as too complex, and not aligned with her vision of the world, to an eager student of the topic with a growth mindset approach.

Not only did she discover that investing is not that scary, but also that she had the perfect skill set to share that knowledge with fellow ESL professionals like herself. Thus, her course and website The Chilled Investor was born.

Today, numerous cohorts later, Nicola continues drawing upon her expertise in materials writing, and leveraging her knowledge to create relatable investment courses and content tailored to, but not limited to, ELT professionals as The Chilled Investor.

She understands the stories and struggles of Business English trainers intimately. Through her content, Nicola empowers us to take control of our financial futures, providing us with the tools and knowledge to make a start in the world of investing and improve our long-term prospects.

Join us in this episode as we look at why we as an industry are particularly susceptible to being left in the dark when it comes to investing, and hear how Nicola is empowering us to change that.

There’s a new way to do ESL role plays!  Business English coach and trained actor Amanda Croft shows us how to breathe new life into ESL role play activities both online and in-person.

Amanda, a sought-after trainer and Neurolanguage Coach®️, has created a career path that combines both passions: training ESL and acting, weaving what she has learned on stage into her language training sessions. She has found a way to translate her acting skills into language practice and has given multiple talks at IATEFL conferences on the topic. She has even written a dissertation on gesture and language acquisition.

Her take on role-plays offers a refreshing way to encourage learners to produce language that’s fun, inventive, and requires very little prep in advance.

In doing so, Croft has noticed how engaged her learners become and how their creativity drives the process. It often results in more learner investment mid-task, and more participant communication in the ensuing debrief.

Join us for this enlightening chat where we’ll look at how to apply Amanda’s tips to our own ESL role play scenarios whether you are training online or back in-company.

On Episode 13 of the ESL Breakroom we talk with Heather Johnston, the calming voice behind the Thrive in ELT Podcast and the impassioned instructor and coach behind the ELT Resource Room Website.

We explore Heather’s “Plan. Do. Thrive.” philosophy for ESL instructors and see how elevating our attention to planning and inserting self-reflection into our planning stages can bring about positive change in your ELT life.

We also look at Heather’s reflective approach to continuing professional development and discover fresh and unexpected ways of finding CPD opportunities in our busy lives.

Heather provides lots of hardwon nuggets for your ESL toolkit which she has gained on her journey to becoming an effective ESL instructor. Join us!

Don’t miss this part-two podcast with popular ESL Breakroom guest Dave Delaney.
Listeners raved about visually-impaired mindfulness educator Dave Delaney’s inspiring story.

In part one, Episode 11: Handling Learning Blocks, we explored blocks to learner engagement and how awareness powerfully contends with learning stress of all stripes.

He’s back this month with practical, applicable techniques to calm the brain and body simply and easily in an ESL training session.
This time, we go deeper into simple physiological techniques that set the stage for optimal learning.

Today, we are all experiencing stress and distraction in one form or another for a variety of reasons: Covid, work, past traumas…. Your learners are no different. Stress, be it chronic stress or periodic stress may be causing blocks in their ability to learn effectively. The impact of stress on learning is becoming a subject of great interest in our culture.

On this episode of the ESL Breakroom we’ll be looking at handling learning-stress, no matter what the origin, and how to handle it through mindfulness with author and mindfulness coach Dave Delaney.

In this 2-part series, mindfulness expert and author of The Mindful Spark: Reclaim Your Past, Reset Your Future, Delaney shows us how mindfulness practices can lead us into calmer, more productive states of being– laying the groundwork for optimal learning.

In his role as the Wellness and Community Projects Officer at University College Dublin, Dave deals directly with the effects of stress on academic performance. His job is to transmit useful mindfulness-based stress-reduction practices to the student population to help them calm their minds and focus on studying.

In the same way, he’ll help us understand how to encourage optimal brain states in our trainees. This is particularly important when it comes to assisting them through learning blocks, dips in motivation, or bouts with lack of self-confidence.

In this insightful and inspiring conversation, Dave shares with us some of the keys to increasing learner engagement along with tidbits from his own life’s learning. No stranger to formidable learning challenges, Dave has overcome much to earn a black belt in Taekwondo, and become a certified Tai Chi instructor.

He’s gone on to earn both a Masters degree in Digital Investigation and Forensic Computing and Psychology.

Don’t miss Part 2 next month. Dave will be sharing effective mindfulness activities and meditation breathing exercises!

Join us for an enlightening chat with Business Class trainer Anthony Schoch !

Anthony is not only a linguist with four languages under his belt, but also a passionate trainer and avid study of learning processes. He shares with us his motivation for recently re-certifying, and takes us on a surface dive into a concept he’s currently experimenting with as a result of his recent TESOL: Task-Based Learning.

We look at how this communicative learning strategy enlivens a training session and ignites learner enthusiasm. Anthony shares his experience with Task-Based Learning and provides concrete examples for us to apply in our own sessions.

This episode focuses on pro-tips for training PRESENTATIONS. Whether you are an inexperienced public speaker or a skilled presenter, you’re guaranteed to hear nuggets that will improve your very next Business English presentations training. Join us for an informative session with experienced Business Class ESL trainer Gerry Graham.

From big corporations to little startups, Gerry has trained countless non-native professionals faced with presenting in English.He offers some of his best take-aways, go-to tricks, and sure-fire suggestions for efficient and effective sessions on presentations. Learn the secrets that most trainers and textbooks miss, along with Gerry’s biggest do’s and don’ts.

In this short, half-hour episode, you’ll learn the three essential questions for both trainee and trainer, which set the tone for the entire presentation. You’ll understand what to avoid doing as a trainer, and how to add depth to your session with tips that go beyond the presentation script.

Business Class ESL Breakroom Episode 6:  Presentation Pointers from a Pro with Gerry Graham packs a lot of punch to a topic that can be daunting for many of us. 

Don’t miss it.

The concept of peer learning is gaining traction and is being talked about more and more in a variety of contexts and disciplines, from academia to corporate training and of course, language learning.

Join us for an enlightening chat as Michael Shannon, Angers-based Trainer and Peer-Learning Facilitator, offers a how-to on creating semi-independent, peer-learning partnerships to strengthen the work they’ve started with you.

We’ll explore the benefits and set-up of this collaborative methodology that fosters learner independence, boosts confidence, and helps instill mutual motivation and accountability on your learners’ language journey. 

Michael talks us through his own experience and offers tips on useful tools like Padlet to help you get started with your learners.  

Michael Shannon, a former Business English trainer for Business Class, currently teaches English and leads development projects at the Learning Centre at ISTOM Agro-development School in Angers.

Join us for an energizing and insightful conversation with classically trained theatrical actor/director and seasoned linguist/ESL language trainer, Jim Phetterplace.

Based in Germany, and an active member of the vibrant Frankfurt theater community, American-born Jim Phetterplace brings a wealth of business, education, theater and ESL training experience to the table. In this podcast, he explains the remarkable parallels between the theater arts and ESL Business English training. 

Jim offers some eye-opening insights, including the role of empathy in training for the ESL trainer and some practical ideas for bringing more life and authenticity to your training sessions.Don’t miss this delightful and upbeat conversation. 

Jim’s thoughtful reflections and infectious laugh are totally worth the stop in the Business Class ESL Breakroom. You’ll be glad you came!

In this episode, the Business Class ESL Breakroom invites seasoned ESL Business English trainer Gerry Graham to reveal his top tips for that daunting task: training negotiations for ESL Business English learners. 

A veteran trainer, Gerry has worked extensively in top European corporations and has a wealth of experience, plus a true gift for sharing his knowledge. 

You’re sure to come away reassured with insights and practical strategies to take to your next negotiations session.

Daphne Elie, the founder of Business Class Language Solutions, explains why using the term trainer is important. 

We’ll be looking at how language training differs from classroom setting teaching and why it matters that YOU, as a trainer, insist on marking the difference with your clients.

After this conversation, we hope you’ll think twice before allowing casual references by clients to “English Teacher.” 

We’ll look at how words that hark back to learners’ school days (“homework” and “class” ) may be inhibiting their progress and your career!

Is it just semantics? Join us to find out.