English language training is a priority for many businesses, helping international teams carry out services across countries and cultures. In fact, the English language training market is expected to be worth $32.6 billion by 2028 – showing the value of learning English for business purposes.

But English language training isn’t simply putting resources in front of staff. Effective training requires goal setting, regular interaction, rewards, and other steps that ensure individuals are kept motivated. The more engaged teams are, the more likely they are to develop confidence in English, plus improve their pronunciation, vocabulary, and overall proficiency. For organizations, that means more people with a higher level of English – which can mean greater productivity and increased revenue.

Here are some effective, actionable tips to keep your teams motivated when it comes to English language training.

English language training tips for the workplace

1. Set clear goals for individuals and the team

Goal setting has a powerful impact on English learning motivation. They motivate employees to view English learning as a personal endeavor, though it’s provided by the company. With clear goals, employees have tangible milestones for progress, fostering a sense of purpose and enhancing focus.

Moreover, clear goals provide a measurable way to track how teams advance and lets them know how close they are to achieving their goal. Humans are naturally competitive (both with other people and themselves), so this measurement keeps teams engaged with English training.

Goals additionally foster accountability collective teams. Individual employees are more likely to assist their peers and motivate others to succeed with their English efforts. 

2. Make English learning relevant to daily work tasks

It’s important for team members to establish a connection between language acquisition and its practical application in real life. Integrating English into daily routines helps employees recognize its benefits, like improved communication with international departments. 

Integrating English training into standard workflows also fuels confidence. The more team members use their English skills, the more proficient they become in speaking, listening, writing, and reading. And, there’s a high chance they’ll receive complementary feedback about their English, which will boost their morale even further.

For example, you could ask sales representatives to present the weekly report in English. Alternatively, you could host the marketing team’s morning call in English, or schedule an hour every day where everyone in the call center is asked to speak, send emails, and answer inquiries from English-speaking customers.

Promoting English training in daily tasks naturally feeds professional growth too. Many individuals see language proficiency as an asset to their career development, and so being able to apply English in their roles could be a way for them to access leadership opportunities and other upskilling pathways.

3. Monitor and celebrate progress

Monitoring English language progress helps team members identify their strengths and areas needing improvement. This insight enables tailored learning, focusing on challenging areas for faster language acquisition.

It’s also worthwhile to introduce rewards that recognize when an individual or a whole team has accomplished part of their training. This could be getting the top grade in a test, receiving positive feedback from a colleague or completing a work task in English for the first time. Celebrations should be visible to the whole company as shoutouts (on messaging platforms or in person) and can include small rewards like a gift voucher to see a movie in English. When team members see that the company is investing in their English learning, they will similarly invest in the journey.

4. Gamify English language training

Studies reveal that gamification boosts engagement, motivation, and academic achievement.

Moreover, gamifying English injects healthy competition into language training, so teams can enjoy learning English, even the more complicated, technical aspects of the process. By having content and classes that are interactive, teams are more likely to resonate with the material and remember it. Friendly leadership boards and rewards can also motivate individuals to maintain their language learning at the same rate as their peers.

Not to mention, gamified English comes with instant feedback, where team members view their performance via points, badges and more. Quick feedback loops enhance motivation as people see their progress in real time and want to act quickly to respond.

ELSA is an AI-powered, speech recognition platform for English language training that incorporates gamification. Team members can participate in over 6,000 gamified lessons, earn points as they complete activities, and get real-time feedback about their pronunciation, grammar, fluency, and more. They can then compare their performance to colleagues’ on the leadership board, and play games like ‘ELSA Race’ and ‘Unscrambling words’ to spark fun in the learning journey. 

After using ELSA for 3-6 months, 90% of users said their pronunciation improved, and 95% felt more confident speaking English. 

5. Promote short bursts of English practice

English language training shouldn’t interfere too much with people’s working days, especially if it’s a professional requirement. Instead, English training should happen in digestible chunks throughout the work day. As a result, team members will be able to engage more deeply with the content and retain the information that they are shown. They will equally be able to apply their English in context more because they won’t be overwhelmed with too many details.

Resources like ELSA are ideal for short bursts of English learning. The platform is available on-demand and on the go, enabling staff to access English content whenever they like. As an organization, setting a daily 15-minute training session ensures uniform access to quality English training for everyone.

15 minutes of English practice might not seem like much – but incremental learning means team members can observe their progress in granular steps, which pushes them to keep up momentum.

Motivation is at the core of English language training. Success in English improvement relies on team motivation, which businesses can foster by implementing the above tips. In no time, you’ll have driven, diligent, English-proficient teams.