Harvard Business Review in the English Classroom

Hello everyone,

As teachers, we all share a passion for effective business communication and the impactful insights gleaned from Harvard's rich resources. Today, I want to explore a particularly powerful synergy: how Harvard Business podcasts can serve as an invaluable tool in our business English teaching, bridging the gap between theoretical business concepts and practical language application.

We often grapple with making complex business topics accessible and engaging for our students. While textbooks and case studies are foundational, podcasts offer a dynamic and authentic alternative. Think about it:

• Authentic Listening Practice: Podcasts provide exposure to natural, unscripted business discourse, complete with varying accents, intonation, and pacing. This is crucial for developing strong listening comprehension skills in real-world scenarios.

• Current and Relevant Content: Harvard Business Review podcasts, in particular, cover the latest trends, research, and challenges facing today's business leaders. This ensures our students are not only learning English but also staying abreast of contemporary business thought.

• Vocabulary in Context: Rather than isolated vocabulary lists, podcasts present new business terminology within a meaningful narrative. This aids retention and understanding of nuance.

• Discussion Starters: The topics discussed in these podcasts – from leadership and strategy to innovation and ethics – are fertile ground for engaging classroom discussions, debates, and critical thinking exercises.

• Exposure to Diverse Perspectives: With guests from various industries and backgrounds, podcasts offer a broad spectrum of viewpoints, fostering a more global understanding of business.

Practical Applications in the Business English Classroom:

Here are a few ways we can leverage Harvard Business podcasts:

1. Pre-listening Activities: Introduce key vocabulary, concepts, or potential discussion questions related to the podcast topic.

2. While-listening Tasks: Create comprehension questions, gap-fill exercises, or ask students to identify main arguments or specific examples.

3. Post-listening Activities: Facilitate group discussions, debates, role-playing scenarios inspired by the podcast, or even ask students to summarize key takeaways.

4. Presentation Practice: Have students prepare short presentations on a topic covered in a podcast episode that resonated with them.

5. Transcription and Analysis: For more advanced learners, transcribing sections of a podcast can be an excellent way to hone listening skills and analyze spoken English.

I'm particularly interested to hear from you all:

• Which Harvard Business podcasts have you found most effective in your teaching, and why? (e.g., HBR IdeaCast, Women at Work, Cold Call)

• Do you have any specific activities or lesson plans that have worked well when incorporating podcasts?

• What challenges, if any, have you encountered, and how have you overcome them?

Let's share our experiences and collectively refine our approach to using these valuable resources. I look forward to your insights!