With over 25 years experience leading teams and working in complex businesses I've seen how personal and professional development helps individuals to grow skills and achieve their potential.

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Having worked in international roles in which English is the common way of communicating it was clear that confidence in using English, even among those with very advanced skills in the language, was a key factor in holding otherwise extremely talented staff back in their careers. There is substantial research that shows that sensitivity about accent, cultural differences and grasp of jargon can all impact an employee’s willingness to engage and promote what has been termed the “silencing effect”  Stevens, P. (2019). Viewpoint: The Silencing of ESL Speakers. [online] 

 

Today's busy schedules mean that employees cannot always devote enough time to their wider professional development including English learning.

 

What if you could combine English improvement, business skills training and mentoring/coaching in the same session?

 

I achieve this by interleaving English language skills with relevant subject matter and hard business skills such as interview preparation,  presentation and argument formulation. An hour together provides an opportunity to explore vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar within a framework of business-related topics (for example facilitating meetings, working from home, public speaking, saying what we mean, giving and receiving feedback and holding difficult conversations) while discussing my client's perspective and challenges with these (and other) everyday realities of working life. 

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My sessions cover the following;