Helping(language)learnerstochangetheirbehaviourandnottobetooauthen6c

ELTASStu8gart,18May2019 IanMcMaster,Editor-in-chief,BusinessSpotlight

•  Bri6shandGerman,livinginMunichsince1989

•  Studiedeconomicsforsixyears(Cambridge,BA;LondonSchoolofEconomics,MSc,PhD)

•  QualifiedEnglishandBusinessEnglishteacher

•  Journalist,author,editor,translator,trainer,speaker

•  AtSpotlightPublishingsinceJuly1992

•  Editor-in-chief,Spotlightmagazine1995-2003and2006-09;Editor-in-chief,BusinessSpotlight,2001–

•  Co-authorwithBobDignen,Communica3onforInterna3onalBusiness(Collins)andotherpublica6ons

Me,myself,I:Dr.IanMcMaster

Magazinesandmore

•  Magazineforbusinesscommunica6on•  Language,BusinessSkills,InterculturalCommunica6on,

Management,Technology,Careers•  Appears86mesayearplusspecialissues;print/digital•  SpotlightPublishingbelongstotheZEITPublishingGroup

BusinessSpotlightmagazine

“Tothineownselfbetrue.”

Polonius in Shakepeare’s Hamlet

AShakespeareanview

“Whywouldonebeunabletochat,asopposedtowriteatthelevelofInSearchofLostTime?Inpart,becauseofthemind’sfunc6oning,itscondi6onasanintermi8entorgan,foreverliabletolosethethreadorbedistracted,genera6ngvitalthoughtsonlybetweenstretchesofinac6vityormediocrity,stretchesinwhichwearenotreally‘ourselves’,duringwhichitmaybenoexaggeraHontosaythatwearenotquiteallthere,aswegazeatpassingcloudswithavacantchildlikeexpression.”

Alain de Botton, How Proust Can Change Your Life. (Emphasis added)

MarcelProustviaAlaindeBoKon

“Beyourself.Everyoneelseisalreadytaken”

Whosaidthis?

Clemen6neChurchill:“Justbeyourself.” WinstonChurchill:“Yes,butwhichself?

Adifferent,Churchillianview

�  SupporterofWestHamUnited

�  Atheistinthebroadestsense

�  Fanof:Motown,MusgravesandSpringsteen

�  Joggerandhiker

�  Poli6callyleg/green

�  Drivenandlazy

�  Modestandarrogant

�  Co-composeroftheshould-have-been-monster-hit“MillenniumMadness”,thegreatest-never-heard-ofEurovisionsong,“SpoReHi,SpoReHo”andtheahead-of-its-6meenvironmentalballad“SavetheFuture”

Myself(2):Ian

“Inanagewherethereismuchtalkabout“beingyourself”,Ireservetomyselftherighttoforgetaboutbeingmyself,sinceinanycasethereisveryliKlechanceofmybeinganybodyelse.Ratheritseemstomethatwhenoneistoointenton‘beinghimself’herunstheriskofimpersona6ngashadow.”

Thomas Merton, “The Hudson Review”, 1967, (Emphasis added)

AnotheralternaHveview

“One’sreallifeissoogenthelifethatonedoesnotlead.”

Oscar Wilde, 1882, introduction to a collection of verse

AWildeanview

�  “Ofundisputedoriginandnotacopy;genuine.”

�  “Madeordoneinthetradi6onalororiginalway,orinawaythatfaithfullyresemblesanoriginal.”

�  “Basedonfacts;accurateorreliable.”

�  “(inexisten6alistphilosophy)rela6ngtoordeno6nganemo6onallyappropriate,significant,purposive,andresponsiblemodeofhumanlife.”

Origin:LateMiddleEnglish:viaOldFrenchfromlateLa6nauthen6cus,fromGreekauthen6kos‘principal,genuine’.

Meaningof“authenHc”(OED)

In our time: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00035z4

“Infact,theexaggeratedscaleofProust’ssocialpolitenessshouldnotblindustothedegreeofinsincerityeveryfriendshipdemands,theever-presentrequirementtodeliveranaffablebuthollowwordtoafriendwhoproudlyshowsusavolumeoftheirpoetryornewbornbaby.TocallsuchpolitenesshypocrisyistoneglectthatwehaveliedinalocalwaynottoconcealfundamentallymalevolentintenHonsbutrathertoconfirmoursenseofaffecHon…”

Alain de Botton, How Proust Can Change Your Life (Emphasis added)

InauthenHcity?Hypocrisy?Politeness?

Oraswesaidlastyear…

•  DoIknowwhatIpreferasalearner?•  Domypreferencessupporteffec6velearning?

•  DoIwanttodowhatIlikedoing?

•  DoIperformbe8erwhenIamcomfortableor

challenged?

•  Aremypreferencesstable?

HowcanIbeanauthenHclearner?

“Doingthesamethingoverandoveragainandexpec6ngdifferentresults.”

Butwhataboutcontext?

An“Einsteinian”definiHonofinsanity

Whatdoesthismeanforteaching?

�  Star6ngamee6ng

�  Askingforopinions

�  Givingopinions

�  Agreeing/Disagreeing

�  Interrup6ng/Dealingwithinterrup6ons

�  Takingdecisions

�  Etc.

BusinessmeeHngs:typicalsituaHons

�  “OK,shallwegetstarted?”

�  “Thefirstpointontheagendais...”

�  “Excusemeforinterrup6ng,but…”

�  “Inmyopinion,…”

�  “Idon’treallyagreewithyouthere…”

�  “Sowhatwe’vedecidedis…”

MeeHngs:textbookphrases

•  Na6vespeakersdon’tinprac6cetalkthewaythatpeopledointhetextbooks.

•  Non-na6vespeakersdon’tinprac6cetalkthewaythat

peopledointhetextbooks(ELF)

•  =>Inotherwords,textbooklanguageisn’t“authenHc”.

CriHcismsoftextbookEnglish

“LanguageTaughtforMee6ngsandLanguageUsedinMee6ngs:IsthereAnythinginCommon?”

Williams, M. 1988, Applied Linguistics, 9 (1), 45-58

Akeyresearchpaperfrom1988

•  “Languageissocomplex,andourunderstandingofitissofarfromcomplete,thatperhapsauthen6clanguageistheonlysafestar6ngpointforteaching.”

Williams,M(1988)Op.cit.,p.53

AuthenHcasasafestarHngpoint?

LotsofposiHveaspectsofcorpusresearch:•  Showsusvocabularyuse/colloca6onsthatwedidn’t

knoworhadn’tthoughtof•  Showsuslanguageformsthatwehadn’tthoughtof(for

example,HRS)•  Showsusstrategiesthatpeopleusethatwehadn’t

thoughtof(forexample,politenessstrategies)•  Showsusthetasksthatpeopleactuallydo(butmaybe

theydon’tdoalltheonestheyshouldbedoing)

•  =>ComplementsourintuiHon/experience

Studying“naturallyoccurringspeech”

“Onreadingthetranscripts,therealmeeHngswerealmostunintelligible.Thelanguagecontainedalargenumberofunfinishedsentences,falsestarts,overlappingu8erances,interrup6onsandfillers,suchasum,erandyouknow.Alargepropor6onofthelanguagecontainedcomments,jokes,quips,repe66ons,andasides.Someofthesentenceswerenotgramma6callycorrect.”

Williams, M (1988) Op. cit., p. 49, (Emphasis added)

ButtherealityofmeeHngs

“LanguageTaughtforMee6ngsandLanguageUsedinMee6ngs:ShouldTherebeAnythinginCommon?”

AnalternaHveHtle…

•  “Ifauthen6c[communica6on]ismostlypoorcommunica6on,partofthemissionistoreformitandnotreplicateit.”

BobDignen,Director,YorkAssociates

Inotherwords…

•  “Yes,but…”

•  JUSTSPEAKINGOVERSOMEONEor:•  “Thankyouforthatinput.CouldIjustsaysomethinghere…”

WhichisbeKer?

•  Languagephrasesaretaughtinisola6on,notaspartofdiscourse

•  Noaccountistakenofthecontext

•  Textbooklanguageis“overlypolite”and“overlyexplicit”

•  =>butthecomparisonisodenfalse!

•  =>Badmodeldoesn’tbecomeagoodmodeljustbecauseitis“real”

OthercriHcismsoftextbooks

•  “Onwhatdidtheauthorsbasetheirselec6onofformstoteach?Thesewriters,andnumerousothers,arenowaccountableforpupilsworld-widebeingtaughttosaysuchthingsasIdon’treallyagreewithyouthereorinmyopinion.”

Williams,M(1988)Op.cit.,p.51–52

AgoodquesHon,but…

Afewcriteriaforthephrasesweteach:•  Theyshouldbeeasytoteachandlearn•  Theyshouldbeeasytouseandunderstand•  Theyshouldbeeasytoadapttocontext •  Theyshouldappropriate(incertaincontexts)•  Theyshouldcoverappropriateskill/taskareas:=>Doesn’tmaKeriftheyhaveneverbeensaidbefore,

althoughthisisunlikelytobethecase

Wedon’thavetobereal

•  “BusinessEnglishtextbookwriters(na6veandnon-na6vespeakers)haveforyearsbeendeveloping(andrefining)alinguafrancaforinterna6onalbusinessthroughchoosingmoreandmorecarefullythesome6mesunrealbutcommunica6velyeffec6vephrasesthattheypresentandthatweteach”

McMaster,I(2015)“ThelanguageofmeeHngs:howauthenHcshouldwebe?”,modernenglishteacher,24(4),p.7

IntelligentarHficiality

•  “Andaslearnersgooutintotherealworldandusethese

phrases,theyautoma6callycreateanew,reallinguafranca.Andhopefully,onethatismorecommunica6velyeffec6vethaninthepast.“

McMaster,I(2015)“ThelanguageofmeeHngs:howauthenHcshouldwebe?”,modernenglishteacher,24(4),p.7

WearecreaHngELF…

But choose the right self according to context(s) and try to improve it/them

CreaHnganeffecHvelearningcycle

Competent Confident

Curious

CulturallyflexibleCrea6ve

ContextuallyappropriateComplete

Constantlylookingtoimprove

TheC-Suite

ThequaliHesofgoodcommunicators

Coopera6ve

Clever

Curious

Keyevents

Socialsitua6ons

Nego6a6ons

Telephonecalls

Mee6ngs

Presenta6onsCorrespondence

TradiHonaldimensions

Speakingclearly Listeningeffec6vely

Buildingrapport

Influencing Decision-making

Managingconflict Handlingfeedback

Buildingtrust Key

communicaHonskills

AlternaHvedimensions

•  Listening•  Speaking •  WriHng•  Telephoning •  MeeHngs•  Contacts•  NegoHaHng•  Teamwork•  PresentaHons•  SolvingProblems

Thetenpartsoftheseries

Apply

Reflect

Adapt

Thelearningcycle

AcycleofadapHon/improvement

Observe

IanMcMasterEditor-in-chief,BusinessSpotlighti.mcmaster@spotlight-verlag.dewww.business-spotlight.dewww.facebook.com/BusinessSpotlight

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