English Language & Culture Immersion
Client Requirements
The client is Italian and works as Regional Operations Director for a major international retail management company, based in Italy. She wished to improve her accent, grammar, vocabulary and ability to interact more naturally on a social level as quickly and easily as possible, in order to communicate more efficiently with colleagues throughout Europe and in Canada.
Our Training Solution
We devised a personalised programme that worked around the client’s busy schedule and her specific language requirements.
- Initial weekly 1.5 hour video training sessions
- A four day intensive programme, staying with a host in Oxford. Morning language sessions were followed by lunches with guests and then cultural activities, accompanied by language trainers, in the afternoons
- Further video-based sessions to build on the results of the intensive UK-based training
Outcomes
Taking time out from her intense work schedule to spend four days immersed in the language and culture in Oxford enabled the client to focus fully on developing her English and get results fast. She spoke English from breakfast to bedtime, so that inevitably her English language improved significantly, as did her confidence and ability to interact socially in English, improving her rapport-building skills.
These improvements were reviewed and reinforced with follow-up video-based sessions.
Programme Outline
The programme combined language development and familiarisation with British culture.
- Mornings were dedicated to language development. Guided by us, the client set her own goals, dedicating this time to correcting her mistakes, softening her accent and expanding her range of vocabulary and phrases.
- Lunch was taken at a different restaurant in Oxford each day with the lead trainer and a carefully selected guest. The guests were chosen for their compatibility with the client, providing an authentic context for practising social interaction and discussing areas of interest to the client. The trainer was involved at each stage to maximise the learning potential. Lunch was followed by a language debrief.
- Afternoons were spent participating in a variety of business and cultural activities of interest to the client, in the company of either the trainer or a guest. These included a tour of some of the most outstanding Oxford colleges with an Oxford alumnus, visits to a modern art museum, Blenheim Palace and Westgate Shopping Centre (the most recent retail development), a guided tour of the BMW Mini factory and, last but not least, cream tea at the renowned Old Parsonage Hotel, said to be one of Oscar Wilde’s favourites!
- Evenings were spent dining and enjoying relaxed conversation at her host’s home, with some quiet time to reflect on and absorb the day’s learning – although we did manage to squeeze in an evening at the cinema!