It’s important to be honest enough to recognise and admit this.  Many learners struggle on instead of trying to face the issue that they just don’t like it.  That can waste a lot of time and training can go on forever with minimal progress. If you have already been training at work, this is an opportunity to reset and restart. If you are new to training with us, this is one of the honest questions we ask all of our clients before we start so that we can optimise learning from the very beginning, and reach our goal faster.  You’ve got to enjoy learning.

Separate language from learning

Maybe you dislike English language-learning more than the language itself.  Learners who have had mostly negative learning experiences in the past are unlikely to love English. What would you?  So if that is the case, remedy the learning first and then see how you feel about the language.

Your key influencer is your trainer.  You don’t have to become best friends, but to achieve your learning goals in good time, you have to have a positive working relationship. That means you get along very well with each other and both trainer and trainee are therefore feel highly motivated.  We want our clients to feel energy from our trainers and vice-versa. That is the starting point.

None of us could choose our schoolbooks. If they were boring, out-of-date or irrelevant, it would be no wonder that English became something permanently perceived as tedious. The beauty of having a Business English course at your company is that you have a chance to bring material to the agenda or request specific needs and areas of interest.  Our trainers also ask for feedback regularly so that there is always an opportunity to fine-tune in order to stay focused on needs and goals and reach them faster.

Separate Stress from learning

Many of our clients use English on a daily basis in negotiation and management meetings. It means that English can quickly become linked in the mind with the stress attached to difficult and stressful situations.  Learning can become very dry and it takes an unusual amount of discipline to stay motivated to improve.  While our training involves a healthy balance of activity to counteract this, our trainers also actively encourage participants to diversify learning by doing something else like taking a golf lesson in English, going to a comedy at the English theatre or visiting and Irish pub to ensure that the English language experience stays relaxing and fun.

Add people and culture to language

Learners who had mostly positive past learning experiences generally tend to like the language.  Course participants inevitably pick up a love of the English language and English-speaking cultures from motivated trainers, the core element of the positive learning experience. But not absolutely always.

The ultimate way to develop a stronger relationship with the language via its culture is to “go there”. Really understanding the many cultures where English is spoken has to belong to every successful learning experience at some stage. But the sooner the better.  If you have done that before, go to a different place the next time.  Give it another chance. Once you are there, don’t spend all your time in the big cities battling your way through crowds of tourists. Go to rural places where people have time. Relax, absorb the culture and make a connection with the people. Take time and enjoy the experience. Forget about the fact that English is a business tool for a little while.  When you go back to using English at work, ask yourself again how you feel about English.