Sino-Finnish E-Mail Project:

A Teaching Tool for Tertiary Business Communication Course

By

WANG Meiling

Teacher, Shandong University, China

Postgraduate, Vaasa University, Finland

9:10-9:50, 31 July, 2004

Outline

• Objective: To explore the pedagogical benefits of an

international e-mail exchange for EFL Business

Communication course teaching

• Structure

1. Genesis of the project

2. Project progress report

2.1 Project preparation and planning

2.2 Project implementation

2.3 Post-project feedback

3. Discussion and conclusion

1. Genesis of the project (1/4, 2/4)The course of EFL business communication needs updating to accommodate dynamic changes in the social context.

1.1 Visible gap between classroom activities and the required skills by the corporate workplaces

• Biz Commu as a mechanical skill

• Writing guidelines: C’s (courtesy, clarity & conciseness) → KISS, CBS (clear, brief, & sincere)

• No universal solutions to the present dynamic business environment

1.2 Some studies on e-mail as the most popular medium of intercultural communication

• Survey (p.21) + Style flexibility cline from fml to infml (Fig. P.22)

• Established fax genre vs an emerging e-mail register (to be continued)

• Visible gap between classroom activities and skills required by the corporate world;

• Increased use of e-mail in intercultural communicationcline from informal to formal.doc

• E-mail used as a teaching tool

Aim: to use the opportunity presented by internationalization to improve Business Communication teaching via E-mail

1. Genesis of the project (3/4, 4/4)

1.3 Cultural competence and the teaching of EFL biz commu

• English as the lingua franca of the intl biz interaction

• Varieties of English (e.g., Euro-English, China English)

• Language: only part of the entire culture

• Cultural competence as an important element of EFL pedagogy and research

1.4 International e-mail projects as a teaching tool

• Pedagogical benefits (reference projects either for language acquisition or cultural

perception)

• Purpose of the present Sino-Finnish project and assumed advantages

2. Project progress report (1/3)

2.1 Project preparation and planning

2.1.1 case-based approach (simulated international business negotiation = company profile, case briefing, role-play assignments)

2.1.2 genre approach (checklist as a guideline to letter composition)

sensitivity to ‘conventionalized’ moves (rhetorical patterns) of subgenre letters

2.1.3 Practical arrangements

1) curriculum conflict

2) wide different number of students for one-to-one pairs

3) teacher’s role to coach: WebCT environment

2. Project progress report (2/3 Implementation)

Problems involved in the implementation stage

2.2.1 Incorrect reading of e-mail addresses of Chinese participants;

reasons: 1) several e-mail hosts;

2) individual hand-writing styles in giving e-mail addresses

2.2.2 Improper time frame of implementation

Management measures to maintain Chinese students’ enthusiasm

1) not sending out assignments at one time;

2) supplementary reading materials:

a. effective e-mail writing strategies, and

b. two sample letters to highlight the cultural impact on intercultural communication

2. Project progress report (3/3 post-project feedback)

Needs analysis is crucial to the effectiveness of teaching Business English.2.3.1 Techniques: a small-scale questionnaire and 200-300-word commentary2.3.2 Findings 2.3.2.1 low percentage feedback (6/15)? 2.3.2.2 Questionnaire (four multiple choice questions)

1) needed skills in order of priority to train; 2) awareness of impact of cultural competence on their interaction3) perceived usefulness of genre-based checklists; and 4) reasons for a possible dropout from the project.

2.3.2.3 Commentary (+) ‘rare’ or ‘precious’ opportunity as labeled by respondents(-) time clash

limited assignments 2.3.2.4 Corpus of exchanged e-mail messages

aware of the stylistic differences (biz messages vs personal messages)proactive in solving new topics

2.3.3 Failure to get feedback from the Finnish participants

3. Concluding remarks

3.1 Discussion: problems and solutions

3.1.1 Time frame as the main problem and solutions

Reschedule; Posting and carrying the project out in a WebCT environment;

3.1.2 Careful dyads arrangement to encourage intensity of interaction

3.1.3 More assignments to be devised

3.1.4 Feedback from participants on both sides for a larger body of e-mail messages

3.2 Undeniable pedagogical value of the project

3.2.1 full support from academic administrators and students’ enthusiasm

3.2.2 Pedagogical benefits

instructional content and method: e-mail writing + cultural competence

promoted teaching method: student-centered teaching, situation-centered learning and writing as a process

an innovative way to bridge the gap between classroom activities and the dynamic international business environment.

End

Thank you!