How do you design and deliver effective language coaching sessions for professionals?

I have found Kwiziq particularly useful for diagnosing Spanish proficiency levels and identifying areas that need improvement. Incorporating email self-reflections helps clients articulate their progress and challenges (sometimes, even before the first session). Additionally, Neurolanguage Coaching? diagnostic conversations can provide deep insights into a client's grammar and pronunciation skills. During the first session, we coaches also gather additional information about their learning preferences and needs, enabling us to tailor the coaching sessions for maximum effectiveness. This personalized approach ensures that the coaching process will be relevant and engaging for the client.

In France, it is obligatory to do this preliminary interview, so you have to put in place a strategy that allows you to evaluate everything about the language in order to be able to create a suitable program. I therefore set up an oral and a written assessment + a qualification and motivation interview for the learner.

If the student has already paid for a course and you do a needs analysis after, it's fairly simple. But if you have an asynchronous course and payment for it is only requested after they have tried the product it's more difficult. We ask students some questions when they are onboarding, like what skills they need to improve, their interests etc. but it's important not to ask too many questions otherwise students get frustrated and don't complete the onboarding.

Doing preliminary tests to determine the language capabilities and the level of your students is a vital starting point for any language teacher. Alongside this it's important to get to know the student, their likes and dislikes, their language learning style (what works and what doesn't work) to create engaging lessons that will interest them. Some students find this as a waste of time and want to get started straight away but it's vital to take this time to plan accordingly and get the best out of the language learning experience for them and for you as the teacher.

Each session is planned by the learner via a Calendly link. Simple and quick at your convenience. All specifications on how to use the videoconferencing tool are sent to him.

When it comes to planning sessions, I put my clients in the driver's seat. They get to choose the content and direction of their learning journey. Whether it's authentic texts, podcasts, videos, or online platforms, they pick what resonates most with them. The frequency of our sessions, along with the activities we dive into both during and outside our meetings, are all up to them. I keep the lines of communication wide open to tweak and adjust the plan as needed, making sure it stays effective and motivating. This way, the learning process is not only tailored to their needs but also keeps them engaged and excited about their progress.

I always plan lessons based on my students' needs and goals, and I think this is essential for their success. I use a variety of sources, like authentic texts, podcasts, videos, and online platforms, to offer relevant and engaging content. Each lesson typically lasts an hour or an hour and a half. It's very important to clearly communicate your plan to your students and be ready to adjust it as needed to ensure they achieve their desired outcomes.

I try to perform a lesson according to CELTA rules, which means the student is the one talking at least 50% of the lesson. This approach ensures that speaking is the main focus from the very start of the adventure with a new language. I try to devote maximum 10% of the lesson duration for checking homework, so we prioritize revisions and new material. However, the format of each session can change for each student and their needs.

Most students will want to improve their speaking skills so we need to find ways to engage them in relevant speaking practice for more than one hour a week in the synchronous part of the class. There are AI tools that can do this, that work brilliantly alongside the teacher.

To facilitate the learning process, I put the trainer at the center of the production line. This means that the learner must have followed the Elearning (done by the trainer), must participate in the class or 101 done by the trainer.

When I facilitate the learning process, I see myself as more of a guide than a traditional instructor. My goal is to create a supportive environment where my clients feel comfortable expressing themselves freely. Using the Neurolanguage Coaching? approach, I balance mechanical goals, like mastering grammar rules, with mastery goals, such as gaining fluency and confidence in real-life conversations. I ask open-ended questions, listen actively, and provide constructive feedback. I guide my clients to discover their own solutions, strategies, and resources. By encouraging them to take action and responsibility for their learning, I help them feel more empowered. This approach helps them develop the skills to keep progressing on their own.

I use a type of flipped class, where we come to the session with previous work to delve into it during the time available. This mainly brings 3 benefits: 1. The coachee arrives focused on the topic we are going to discuss. 2. We do not start from scratch, but the session becomes a follow-up that allows greater depth and freedom to ask questions. 3. We can take advantage of the time to expand on the main topic or address other topics of interest to the coachee.

The best way to learn is to make a mistake and then correct it. If we are continually giving students the answers they never have to think about them for themselves. They'll remember them much better if you let them come up with the answers/corrections themselves. Having learnt a few languages myself I can definitely say that creating a comfortable space for students to feel free to communicate without judgement is vital. Giving them the freedom to try out their skills is the only way they'll learn!

With adult learners, there are certainly many who feel really self-conscious when trying to speak. They feel silly trying to get their mouths around words and have a fear of looking silly to others. They need a practice environment in which to make mistakes and get feedback in a non-threatening way, and then they'll have much more confidence in the real world. Teachers should promote autonomy as much as they can and motivate students to practise outside the classroom. Language learning is a long and difficult process.

Monitoring the progress and results of your students progress is indeed important. How can you continually challenge them without knowing what they have learnt? How can they feel good about the process if they don't see how they are improving? This part of language learning is probably the most vital which is closely linked to motivation. However, something to add in this area is also the focus on evaluation of the course from the teaching perspective. Are you also gathering information from students that can help you improve your course or how you teach students? If not, you should be!

Monitoring progress is a cornerstone of my coaching process. I use the Coach Accountable platform to track and manage sessions, ensuring all data is organized and accessible. By analyzing self-reports, observations, and tests, I measure improvements in language skills and confidence. I also incorporate journaling corrections to provide clients with detailed feedback on their writing, helping them refine their skills. Sharing these insights with my clients allows us to celebrate achievements together. Identifying gaps or challenges, we co-create effective strategies to overcome them. This continuous monitoring keeps the coaching process dynamic and responsive, ensuring my clients stay motivated and achieve their language learning goals.

To monitor the learner's progress, I configured my Elearning to follow each project and encourage the learner to return to specific exercises.

Giving feedback and updating your students on their progress is crucial. However, many teachers forget that giving feedback is not only pointing out the mistakes or areas to work on. What is also fundamental is mentioning what actually improved and what fields your students have picked up in. When you focus on learning it is easy to overlook the gradual improvements that you make. We tend to fall into a trap of noticing things we failed in or we still have much to work on. That's why it's so essential to make your students aware of all the small successes that they achieved.

Sharing what you've learnt about how the learner is learning is really important. Learners need not only to progress but also to have a sense of progress. If they actually make progress and at the same time feel like they've made progress this is great. I've worked with a lot of learners who have actually made progress but they don't feel like they have and have become demotivated.

At regular intervals, I create time to review and reflect with my clients. I regularly ask for feedback on the sessions, materials, and methods to understand their perspectives and improve the learning experience. This feedback is crucial for tailoring future sessions to better meet their needs. We evaluate their performance and progress together, identifying strengths and areas for improvement. I encourage clients to reflect on their learning journey, helping them recognize their achievements. Using insights from our discussions, we plan their next steps and set new goals, ensuring they feel supported and motivated. This reflective process makes the learning experience more meaningful and sets the stage for continued growth.

Learning and research is for me the most important part of the trainer's job. To avoid finding yourself in a situation of boredom and loss of meaning in your work but also to be able to continue to evolve continuously. Also, we must think about the ego of the trainer who, by dint of communicating with numerous researchers, sees his level diminish over time.

In the language teaching world like many other industries things are moving incredibly fast. Languages are continually adapting and so are the tools we are using to teach them. So keeping up with these may be challenging but they are a must. A quick google search, chatting to colleagues in the business and even asking your students is a great way to keep up with the constant evolution!

Periodically I gather feedback from my students so that I can spot the areas to facilitate and improve. I make sure feedback is anonymous in order to ensure its reliability. I do my best to update my lessons when needed - it is especially crucial when it comes to teaching slang expressions which tend to change quickly over time. But updating my lessons also includes providing my students with up-to-date materials that are relevant to them, such as entertaining videos, interviews or excerpts from comic books or drama series.

Nossas sess?es de coaching em idiomas estrangeiros alinha as necessidades específicas dos profissionais, sempre considerando o setor em que atuam e os desafios que enfrentam no ambiente corporativo. Projetamos e oferecemos essas sess?es usando: Avalia??o Personalizada, Planejamento Estratégico, Conteúdo Personalizado e Relevante, Uso de Microlearning, Feedback Constante e Adaptativo, Foco em Desafios Reais e Ambiente de Confian?a.