Claire Hart combines Business English teaching in the tertiary and corporate sectors with a variety of materials development projects. As a materials writer, Claire specializes in creating digital content and adapting print materials for digital contexts. Here Claire answers The Image Conference questionnaire.
Your favourite film: I don’t have one favourite film, but I love anything directed by the Coen Brothers.
Your favourite video to use in class: Interesting authentic video from the business world – I’m involved in Business English.
Tell us a bit about your session:
I’ll be showing some short videos that you can use with Business English learners. They’re all authentic videos, by which I mean none of them are scripted, and they feature speakers from many different countries in a range of industries. We’ll be looking at what you can actually do with these videos in your courses and there’ll be some take-away video activities that the audience will be able to use in their lessons the following week.
Why are you interested in using video in your classes?
Because I know what a powerful impact it can have on Business English learners, more specifically, I’ve seen how it can expose them to global Englishes, raise their awareness, show them the business world and provide them with effective models for spoken production.
What should your audience expect to learn?
New ways of using video in Business English courses. I’d like to banish the misconception that videos can only be used as a kind of “bon-bon” to reward learners after they’ve worked hard during a lesson. Instead I’d like to show participants in my session how videos can be used to facilitate learning and help our learners communicate more effectively in the workplace and the international business world.
What are three words that sum up your session?
Fast-paced, interactive and thought-provoking.
Which other presenters are you looking forward to seeing? As a Business English trainer and author, I’m particularly interested in the sessions with others working in the world of Business English and ESP, like Evan Frendo, Helen Strong and Jennie Wright.
