Speaking the same language

We live in an increasingly interconnected economic landscape. More than ever, our colleagues and customers might be half a world away. BM spoke with Deepak Desai of GlobalEnglish Corporation about the need for business to make itself understood.

BM. What is driving the need for improved business English communication in global companies?
DD. Global companies are going through transition as globalization and global integration have taken hold. Because capital and labor are being moved across borders, companies are organizing and operating differently. In the past, companies used to organize more on a regional basis. Now they are truly global. And as companies have gone global, so have the projects and teams. Global communication is necessary at all levels in the organization, not just at the executive level.

Layered on top of that is the availability of technologies that enable and encourage instant communication. Email, virtual meetings, conference calls, instant messaging – all of these technologies are connecting people like never before. And English is the common denominator, the language that allows people to use these technologies to communicate and collaborate effectively.

As local companies go global, they face the same challenges. In the past, it was sufficient for employees and teams to operate in their local languages. But now, to grow and succeed in the global marketplace, everyone needs to be able to work efficiently in English.

BM. Do you see that as something that’s going to continue? As places like China and Middle Eastern countries become more and more economically active in the world, do you think that English is going to continue to be the dominant business language?
DD. I think it will. In the Middle East, there is no doubt that English is the language of business. Without English skills it is very difficult to do business across the region and the world. The growth of the GlobalEnglish Corporate Learning Service in the Middle East, particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, has been largely driven by ‘Emiratisation’ and ‘Saudiisation’. Clients like Emirates NBD in Dubai have told us that GlobalEnglish is making a direct contribution to their Emiratisation objectives by enabling them to improve business English communication skills throughout the organization, which allows them to hire and promote more UAE Nationals.

Also, if you look at ministries of education worldwide, you see that many countries – like Chile, Korea or even Poland and Czechoslovakia – are adopting English at lower and lower grades in schools, thus further validating that English will continue to have significant importance for many years to come.

BM. How does English as a common language help global teams reach common business goals?
DD. English is an enabler. It is what allows employees anywhere in the world to work together to accomplish their goals. I’ll give you an example. Let’s say a pharmaceutical company is doing research and development, and they’ve just introduced or are about to introduce a new drug. It’s likely that the research team is global, with members from several different countries all having to work together. The language they’re using to communicate is English. And then, when the drug is ready to be released, the global sales teams need to be educated on how the drug works, its side effects, and other key information. All of this communication is happening in a very rapid manner and in English. So global teams have to be prepared. We don’t expect that global employees will be proficient to the level of reading Shakespeare. But they do need to be able to communicate effectively in relevant business contexts so they can accomplish the organization’s goals.

BM. What about remote online solutions like the GlobalEnglish service? What are the keys to engaging users and keeping them motivated?
DD. Throughout history, people have learned in classrooms from teachers. This has been
an accepted and comfortable way to learn. But today, in global business, this approach to accomplish their goals. I’ll give you an example. Let’s say a pharmaceutical company is doing research and development, and they’ve just introduced or are about to introduce a new drug. It’s likely that the research team is global, with members from several different countries all having to work together. The language they’re using to communicate is English. And then, when the drug is ready to be released, the global sales teams need to be educated on how the drug works, its side effects, and other key information. All of this communication is happening in a very rapid manner and in English. So global teams have to be prepared. We don’t expect that global employees will be proficient to the level of reading Shakespeare. But they do need to be able to communicate effectively in relevant business contexts so they can accomplish the organization’s goals.

BM. What about remote online solutions like the GlobalEnglish service? What are the keys to engaging users and keeping them motivated?
DD. Throughout history, people have learned in classrooms from teachers. This has been an accepted and comfortable way to learn. But today, in global business, this approach is no longer practical. So, in the development of the GlobalEnglish service and through our implementation approach, we address user engagement and ongoing motivation in some key ways.

First, allowing users to personalize their learning experience by creating a personal learning plan helps to engage them at the outset. They are able to identify the learning that is most relevant to them based on their specific needs and goals. Participants receive information about their ongoing progress through reports and emails, which keep them focused on their strengths and opportunities for improvement. We also send emails on a regular basis that are specifically designed to keep people engaged. These are just a few examples of how we address motivation through the online service.

Equally important is the implementation process that supports the deployment of the technology. We encourage our clients to secure strong senior sponsorship for their program and to build the improvement of English communication skills into their performance management/development planning process. This further engages the users and their managers, and then managers are prepared to provide ongoing recognition and reinforcement for participants.

BM. How does the GlobalEnglish Corporate Learning Service compare to classroom-based training?
DD. In today’s increasingly globalized world, the Internet is bringing the world closer together, and traditional face-to-face methods are simply incapable of providing the consistent, measurable and scalable benefits that GlobalEnglish provides. As opposed to classroom, online is extremely consistent. People see the same interface, no matter where they are. The instruction is uniform and not predicated on how good a teacher is. It’s also very scalable so you can deploy it all over the world, even in towns where there are no teachers. English language teachers are not as common in smaller places. So this is accessible to many more people. It’s also extremely measurable and we do a lot of assessments on its effectiveness.

Also, online learning with GlobalEnglish is highly personalized. You are able to make your own plan so you can focus on the objectives and skills that are most important and relevant to you. With classroom instruction the teacher has to teach to the common needs of all learners. But with online learning, users can have a much more efficient experience. Online learning also offers the added benefit of ongoing reinforcement and just-in-time support. For example, the GlobalEnglish service offers a number of features – like text-to-speech, writing templates, and translation tools – that provide users support when and where they need to use English on the job.

BM. How do you see the e-learning market developing over the next few years? Do you think it’s something that’s going to be increasingly in demand?
DD. Absolutely. There are a billion people learning English today, and according to the British Council that number is going to go up to two billion in the next 10 years. We don’t expect the number of teachers to grow at that kind of rate. I think the need for English is spreading throughout companies to the point where it is no longer a requirement for only the upper levels. So if you want a scalable solution, it’s going have to be online. It’s highly cost-effective and you can teach more people for the same amount of money.

Also, as younger generations enter the workforce – individuals who have grown up using technology in all aspects of their lives – they will want and demand learning experiences that are engaging, dynamic, flexible, and technology-based.

We are excited about the opportunity that we have in front of us as companies are becoming more global. Globalization will continue, and we are helping organizations achieve their global growth goals as well as democratizing the learning of English.