Online learning, also known as e-learning, embraces the portability of the Internet to address the needs of today’s busy business executives. A study conducted in 2006 found that there are nearly 3.5 million people participating in various e-learning courses, and that number continues to grow.

The New York Times recently took a look at the growing trend of learning languages online. The article points out that in today’s global marketplace, those involved in business want to gain an edge with the ability to communicate and negotiate in foreign languages.

In addition to the obvious advantages of the lower costs of e-learning programs, as well as the flexibility which allows you to work at your own pace, businesses are adopting e-learning programs as part of a broader integrated approach towards education involving visual, audio and kinesthetic components. These extra sensual features of e-learning make it a successful addition to online language instruction.

Better English = Higher employee productivity

E-learning for business English presents a most-compelling case for employee training. Honing employees’ English increases their accessibility to business documents and information, and enables them to communicate globally with other businesses via email and phone. After investing time in improved language skills, employees are able to focus on the content of their work, reduce their frustration, and speed up the process of writing even simple emails.

The challenges employers face when considering employee training are time and money. Deciding to invest in employee training requires confidence in visible results such as greater employee productivity, a realization of company goals, and a significant ROI.

Businesses understand that their employees are their most valuable resource, and that improving employee productivity in today’s marketplace necessitates training and education. E-learning’s low cost, flexibility and integrated educational methodology makes it a viable and attractive option for businesses around the world.

No matter what your job, you still have to write business-related letters, whether to clients, suppliers, or people within your own company. But writing an effective business letter that gets the message across professionally can be challenging for many reasons, including the following:

1. You’re a programmer/sales person/VP Business Development, not a writer.
2. You have to write business letters in foreign languages.
3. You’re struggling to get results from your business letters.

Lifehack just wrote a post with great tips on writing a business letter that gets results. The author, Dustin M. Wax, relates how in a previous position many of the decisions he made were based on the quality of the letter that he received:

“I can’t tell you how many truly awful letters I’ve had to read in my life. As a former administrative assistant, I was responsible for all the unsolicited submissions to a major New York museum. Artists and collectors all over the country (and abroad) wrote to have their work considered for display or acquisition, and to be honest the decision frequently rested more on the quality of their cover letter than on their work - which, romantic dreams aside, rarely if ever sells itself (my bold).”

So how do you write a business letter that gets results?

Dustin first takes a look at the structure of a good business letter. A formal letter needs to contain certain, basic elements, that when used, make the letter look serious. These elements are:

• Return address and date
• Mailing address of recipient
• Salutation
• Body
• Valediction
• Signature and printed name
• Enclosures – this refers to extra included material like a business card or an invoice

Dustin goes into depth for each of the above points, so be sure to read the post.

The next thing you need to keep in mind is content. No matter how pretty your letter is, if the content isn’t engaging, you won’t achieve your goals since nobody’s going to read it. Dustin says to follow the tried-and-true copywriting formula of AIDA: get their attention, get them interested, arouse their desire, and then tell them what action to take. Dustin gives detailed tips and a case study on how to achieve these goals in the post.

These points are relevant to all forms of business communication, and communication in general. Presentation, i.e. structure, is key to getting someone to take you seriously. Once you’ve got them to even look at you, you need to persuade them to take action by following the steps of AIDA.

Another good resource for tips on writing effective business letters is Englishclub.com. The site has a useful tutorial on writing business letters, which takes you step-by-step through vocabulary tips, letter formats, planning, writing and proofreading. The common phrases throughout this lesson can help you articulate your message with proper English and the appropriate business tone.

Happy business writing!

How to Write a Business Letter That Gets Results

Englishclub.com

Almost anyone who speaks or writes in a foreign language can think of an embarrassing story caused by a mistake in just one letter, word or punctuation mark. When writing emails in a foreign language, you have the chance to review your letter before sending, and make sure that everything is in order. The presentation of your emails, both formal and casual, plays a significant role in shaping your professional image and developing fruitful business relationships through effective communication.

By implementing the following tips, you will be able to create useful email dialogues with clients, potential clients and colleagues:

1. Use an Appropriate Greeting and Signature

When addressing the recipient of the email, make sure you know whether they are a man, woman, doctor, or anything else that may affect which address you use.

In addition, make sure that every email that you send includes all of your contact info in the signature. This ensures that the recipient can store all of your contact details for future communication. Most email clients allow you to attach your signature automatically at the end of each email. To learn how, click here for Outlook, here for Gmail, and here for Yahoo.

2. Be Conscious of the Tone

Deciding upon the tone of your email is the first step in writing the content. Every part of the letter, from the heading, to the body, to the signature, should reflect the appropriate level of formality. For example, beginning with ‘Hi Tal’ is clearly more casual than ‘Dear Tal.’ If you are unsure, closing the email with ‘Sincerely’ or ‘Best Regards’ can keep the tone neutral.

3. Keep it Short

Everyone gets dozens if not hundreds of emails a day. Their time is limited, and keeping your emails short will not only make the writing task easier for you, but it will also make your emails more accessible to today’s busy professionals. Short emails solicit quicker responses and more successfully communicate your message.

4. Use White Space

Make sure that you separate your points with enough white space. Begin a new paragraph for each topic. Add bullets or lists so that readers can scan your emails.

5. Check your Spelling and Grammar

Most email clients today include spell checks. You should also check for spelling on your own to identify typos like homophones (words pronounced the same but spelled differently), which can often lead to spelling mistakes.

Although checking your grammar can be more complicated, read www.copyblogger.com’s list of the six most common grammatical mistakes made when writing copy. Working on a few rules at a time will boost the clarity of even simple emails.

Create your Personal Style

Once you develop your own style and signature, emails can effectively help you express yourself articulately and professionally in any language.

As businesses expand their client and employee locations, and the value of business conference calls increases, the importance of conducting productive conference calls in English takes on a new challenge - and new opportunity.
The Benefits of Conference Calls

Conference calls enable companies to connect people for a common purpose, without transportation and meeting costs. They also avoid the time-consuming lengthy group emails that often confuse employees less comfortable in English. Gathering people together from various locations with the technology of a simple telephone is a convenient way to replace training seminars, business meetings or presentations.

Weighing the Options

Employees often prefer listening to a spoken English presentation, over reading long and intimidating English documents. However, whereas English business emails can be read over and over again by employees not fluent in English, phone conferences demand the immediate comprehension of all participants. Here are some tips to assure the success of English Conference Calls in Israel:

1. Preparation: Even before the actual call begins, consider emailing the participants a clear meeting agenda, to keep people focused, prepare them for the topic of discussion, and enable them to know if they missed a point. If possible, tell participants to log into Skype during the conference call so that they can alert the monitor of any issues by using Skype’s chat feature without interrupting the call. When you’re ready to start the call, begin on time and check that each member is ready either by doing your own short roll call, or by using a relatively inexpensive operator assisted service (calls participants, manages logistics, etc.)

2. Combining Visual and Audio Mediums: Adding visuals such as a PowerPoint presentation through a web conferencing service can transform the whole experience for participants with language difficulties. Following the visual cues not only compensates for comprehension issues, but it also keeps participants engaged throughout the presentation.

3. Clarity is the Key: Obviously, keep in mind that whenever dealing with an audience of multiple languages, clarity and focus are the keys to delivering a message successfully.

By following the tips above, you can ensure that your conference calls are productive, enjoyable, and as efficient as a face-to-face meeting.