Two Manager dudes : Business Class...

Hi,
This is my first post!!! I hope it´s okay to ask for advice and help from other teachers here!

I have a class with two Chilean bank managers (working on the commercial, retail side of things) They practice their English using the "GLOBAL ENGLISH" software program and I have lessons with them every week. They are Intermediate level and they wish to practice their conversational, business Englsh.

I want to make the classes fun and exciting and get them really motivated! Does anyone have any bright ideas? They are pretty, cool guys, so I know creative and dynamic lessons will be positively received.

Has anyone got any tips and techniques for engaging and effective learning?Teaching techniques to help students retain/ remember information? Interactive activities. Ways to allow learners to participate in activities in which they come to realisations on their own!!! .....
ANY HELP will be much appreciated!!!!!!

Thank you!!!

I think something very useful would be to find out about their likes and preferences, hobbies, that sort of thing, in the first place. You can then use this information to plan your class activities and your students are likely to be more motivated than discussing, say, Wuthering Heights, if it isn't the sort of thing they're attracted to. (W.H. is a silly example; I exaggerated on purpose.) Even grammar examples will be more easily retained if they deal with stuff your students are conversant with.

Perhaps I'm stating the obvious. I'm not a teacher; I have been a student and have had enough of tedious topics I didn't care for at all.

Show your personality and be polite but drop all the bull. They'll love you.

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Originally Posted by Hedwig

I think something very useful would be to find out about their likes and preferences, hobbies, that sort of thing, in the first place. You can then use this information to plan your class activities and your students are likely to be more motivated than discussing, say, Wuthering Heights, if it isn't the sort of thing they're attracted to. (W.H. is a silly example; I exaggerated on purpose.) Even grammar examples will be more easily retained if they deal with stuff your students are conversant with.

Perhaps I'm stating the obvious. I'm not a teacher; I have been a student and have had enough of tedious topics I didn't care for at all.

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However, they're both bank managers, so it's a fairly easy matter to find topics that interest them both, and they want business English, so I would focus on getting decent materials based around their professional area. One good source for such things can often be the students themselves.

Thanks I think you guys are right; the most important thing is to focus on business topics and get to know them so I can then create stimulating classes for them.