Rethinking Business English for a Changing World

Business Unusual: Our participation and presentation at the BESIG Conference 2025

Within our German study program Betriebswirtschaft Online, the course Business Communication brings together students with very different experiences in using English. Some use it daily in their studies or workplaces, while others have had little exposure to English, either privately or professionally. Their confidence and comfort levels in speaking English also vary widely. Yet, all of them learn together in the same classroom.

This raised an important question for us: How can we foster motivation and enjoyment in learning Business English for all of our students?

To explore this question, Juliana Pattermann-Gunsch and Gythe Eekhoutte – both teaching & research assistants in the department -, presented our research at the IATEFL BESIG (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language – Business English Special Interest Group) 2025 Annual Conference, held from 7–9 November in Athens.

This year’s theme – “Go Beyond Traditional Business English” – invited participants to reflect on how the profession is evolving. Together with over 100 BESIG members from more than 24 countries (from Japan to Argentina), we engaged in inspiring discussions about what Business English looks like in 2025 and where it is heading.

In addition to presenting our own project, we attended a wide range of talks and workshops covering topics such as:

• The role of AI in academic writing
• Managing conflict in intercultural communication
• Using comedy in language teaching
• Flow thinking at work

… and much more.

Our key takeaways:

• As teachers, we wear many “hats”: we are educators, coaches, IT and AI specialists, lifelong learners, and much more.
• Athena – the Greek goddess of wisdom, intellect, and balance – was a fitting symbol for this conference and for teaching itself.
• We discovered new and creative teaching techniques (did someone say LEGO®?).
• AI is a powerful tool that should not be feared but embraced – and taught responsibly.

If you are interested in exchanging ideas or learning more about our approach, we’d love to connect with you!