Meaning co-construction through Communication Strategies (CSs) is an integral part of BELF; their inclusion in business ELT materials and teaching practices can foster the development of skills for international/intercultural business contexts. This presentation explores how CSs can be integrated in the classroom through reflection on their relevance and active use.
Research in communication through English as Lingua Franca in professional business domains (BELF) has highlighted the important role Communication Strategies (CSs) play in these high-stakes interactions together with business know-how and multicultural awareness as part of Global Communicative Competence (Louhiala-Salminen, Kankaanranta 2011). Co-construction and negotiation of meaning through a skillful use of CSs is part and parcel of BELF interactions, aimed at preventing and solving possible comprehension problems in both oral and digital communication, and more generally contributing to clarity and accuracy in content; these aspects are confirmed by BELF users’ own perceptions. Business ELT coursebooks do not seem to consistently take into account research findings as to the role CSs have in BELF (Vettorel 2019; Caleffi, Poppi 2019; Franceschi 2018). Given the relevance ELT materials still retain in teaching practices, their inclusion would seem highly relevant to foster the development of skills to effectively communicate in international and intercultural business contexts. This presentation, starting from BELF research and from the presence of CSs and GCC in current business ELT materials, explores how strategic and BELF competence can be integrated into teaching practices, by fostering reflection on their relevance, and by implementing activities involving the use of common pragmatic strategies, also by providing examples from a training course. References Caleffi, Paola-Maria, Franca Poppi. 2019. “The training of business professionals in ELT materials: a focus on email writing.” Iperstoria 13: 85-97. Franceschi, Valeria. 2018. “Training successful BELF users: Communication Strategies in Business English textbooks.” Presentation given at ELF11, 11th International Conference of English as a Lingua Franca, London, 4th-7th July 2018. Louhiala-Salminen, Leena, Anne Kankaanranta. 2011. “Professional Communication in a Global Business Context: The Notion of Global Communicative Competence.” IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 54.3: 244-262 Vettorel, Paola. 2019. “BELF, Communication Strategies and ELT business materials.” Iperstoria 13: 72-84.
