Needs analysis for the real world

How can teachers satisfy corporate customers?Philip Saxon investigates.

Contents

IntroductionClient and learner expectationsPossible problemsThe ESP approach and “Communicative Events”The need for flexibilityConclusion

You’re hired. Time for needs analysis!

Okay, but whose needs are we talking about?

The business (as it perceives needs)?

Or the student’s (felt/actual needs)?

Let’s start with the business. Are they looking for a return on investment?

Or are they simply spending a benefits allocation, and no more?

Now the students. In an ideal world, you would:• Learn what the students need just by asking!• Have enough time to design the course in advance.• Have no problems balancing needs and wants.

And of course:

• Take students’ learning preferences into account.• Customize your teaching appropriately.

However, we don’t live in utopia!

• Students may react negatively to being questioned.• They may see the process as unnecessary.• Placement testing may already have taken place and books

been ordered. “Why isn’t the teacher ready to start?”

Other problems might also arise:

• Students may be unaware of their real needs. Surprises await.• Students may not want to make personal disclosures.• If the boss is present, students may “clam up”.

Or indeed:

• The course may just be a “perk” to the students. So much for intrinsic motivation.

• Or their expectations may be way too high – expect trouble!

A demanding client!

ESP: One possible approach!

You might take an English for Special Purposes approach here.

In its standard form, it is relatively flexible:1) Perform needs analysis when you meet your students;2) Design the course, taking student needs into account;3) Adapt the course as it progresses, in response to

observations, student feedback and changing needs.

So let’s try and put this idea into practice…

Task 1: A basic questionnaire

Scenario: You are about to teach a class of eight B2-level (Upper Intermediate) students at a bank. They have all been placement tested, but have very different responsibilities ranging from software development to customer service.

With a partner, suggest how you might fill the empty spaces on the Needs Analysis Form on page 1 of your handout with this customer in mind.

We will discuss your ideas after 5 minutes.

A possible solution:

I need to improve my English in order to better:

Urgent Not urgentTake part in meetings

Give presentations

Write reports

Deal with e-mails

Speak on the telephone

Socialize

Deal with suppliers

Deal with customers

Source: Frendo, 2005 (adapted).

“Communicative events” (1)

However, true customization means getting closer to the actual business that your students do in English every day.

This is where “communicative events” (Rei, 2012) come in:• “I can write an e-mail” is a general, “can-do” statement.• “I can give my boss a project status update by e-mail” is a

specific use of communication skills.

This kind of specificity is what we’re now talking about.

“Communicative events” (2)

So why not ask students what specific “communicative events” matter most to them?

You can use the information gained this way to:• Develop job-specific skills work• Introduce task-based role plays• Create realistic simulations

So let’s examine what needs analysis can do for us here…

Task 2: Eliciting “communicative events”

Scenario: Imagine yourself in the students’ shoes. At what points in their working life is Business English of critical importance?

With a partner, suggest how a student from the bank in our previous example might fill in the questionnaire on page 2 of your handout.

We will once again discuss your answers after 5 minutes. What do you think the students might highlight as being a priority?

Here’s a possible event description:Name: Philip

Type of communication:☐ E-mail☐ Telephone call Face-to-face meeting☐ Virtual meeting☐ Resources (documents, web…)☐ Conference, seminar, workshop☐ Visits/travel☐ Other ____________________

Frequency:Once a week

Contacts:Line manager and team leaders.9 people.

Country or culture:Hungary, but Italian parent company.

Purpose of communication:To give project status updates, discuss problems and plan ahead.

Description of situation:Regular agenda. Written reports submitted in advance. Main points must now be summarized. Meeting aims to deal with issues and plan ahead.

Other (successes/challenges):Actions are being monitored effectively, but updates need to be more succinct. Leader speaks quite fast, too.

Source: http://businessenglishideas.blogspot.hu (Charles Rei, 2012)

But you may need to compromise if:

• You have to start work immediately!• Needs analysis results may contradict what has

already been decided upon! • The course materials were decided upon before you

were hired. There’s pressure to stick to them.

Or just as easily:

• Students in the same class may have very different needs from each other.

• There may simply be too many demands!• There may be problems with motivation etc. Students may

see lessons as less valuable or important than work.

So be prepared to:

• Plan a first lesson (or lessons) that will suit everyone – you can get tailoring once things are under way.

• Be open: indicate where things might change, and perhaps reasons why, too.

• Include general headings in the course description: everyone will like that.

• Set homework that’s job-related: this will help motivate students to do it.

As well as:

• Manage expectations: explain deviations from original plans.• Explain your approach:

– how much the textbook will be used;– what elements might be skipped/adapted;– how much time (e.g. 20%) they’ll spend on other things.

• Be ready to use texts generated by the client company!

And be flexible!

• Take into account what you learn about student needs as the course progresses.

• Revise/expand upon areas of difficulty, or things that prove to be especially useful.

• Manage impressions of change: no-one is being criticised!

Conclusion: is ESP the way to go?

In some situations, where “time is money”, the answer is surely yes. Focus on “communicative events” and task-based simulations above all here.

(Note: if students have an urgent need, they’ll tell you)

However:

Productivity may not always be the (main) driver behind the lessons. Often, longer term improvement is the goal.Plus, sometimes students just want to maintain their language level – their sole ambition is to develop fluency.

So which of the following is a priority?

Training for job

Improved Fluency

SLA*

Improved Accuracy

* Second LanguageAcquisition

Might this lead us back to the textbook?

If the client isn’t paying for tailoring, take things easy. The textbook may be fine for the most part. Plus Business English students need to live! If they want to practise conversation, within reason that’s surely fine.

Next steps might include:

• Gain familiarity with a range of course books, so that you aren't ever reliant on a single source for lesson content.

• Specify course aims in general terms, focusing primarily on learner needs, rather than textbook contents.

So be prepared – and be flexible!

And enjoy teaching businesspeople!

Acknowledgements

Frendo, E. (2005). How To Teach Business English. (Pearson Education Ltd).

Rei, C. (2014). Business English Ideas: selected posts from http://businessenglishideas.blogspot.hu.