Below is the interview I conducted with Grażyna on May 7th, 2024, edited slightly for conciseness and clarity.
Grażyna, many thanks for agreeing to this interview. I think your experience will be of great interest to all professionals, either learning or considering learning Business English. My first question is, what prompted you to take up learning English? I mean, you've climbed to the top of the career ladder at GE. After all, you're Country Manager in Poland and the Baltics as well as Member of the Board. One could say that you probably don't need it. So why take up extra English lessons? Of course, I’m so happy you’ve chosen my firm to continue your language education 😊
It’ll be hardly a surprise if I say that English is the language of international business. I’m in the medical business, so I really need to keep in touch with current trends in science and medicine. On top of that, I work for an American company, and English is the language I use every day at work. And although I work with Polish customers, my bosses and business partners are foreigners, often American and British, which is a linguistic challenge, as you probably realize 😊 And honestly, it's required in our company to speak the language at an advanced (C1) level.
You partially answered my second question, but allow me to explore the topic a little bit further. Namely, what benefits do you see in English fluency? Most of us speak English. After all, we live and work in the European Union. In Poland, we must take an exam in English to graduate from high schools. So most of us do speak B1/B2 English, don’t we? What benefits are there for people who excel in English?
It’s really important to speak fluent English. For instance, sometimes I need to meet very important people, such as government officials or business VIPs from overseas. And I think that fluent English is a kind of indication of my professional approach. I want to be on the same level (or higher) with my interlocutors. I want them to understand me properly. Without advanced English, you struggle in such situations.
What methods have proved to be working with you?
Okay, listen, when I used to start to learn English, it was mainly a kind of grammar-translation method. We used to learn all these English tenses and exercises, trying to excel in grammar. We didn’t practice much listening or speaking, like we’re doing with you. There was not too much talking. I mean, learning to express yourself, paraphrasing, stuff like this. From what I am observing now, working with you, for instance, much has changed for the better. That’s great! We deserve it!
Oh yes, a lot has changed in this matter.
I see that nowadays you mainly focus on building vocabulary, which I think is very effective. And when I look back and think about my high school, my English was really poor. I was not able to speak. Maybe I was able to do some exercises and pass tests, but there was no confidence in me to speak up. Then I spent one year in Canada, and it was my first positive experience with learning English. I attended school in Canada that helped me overcome my language barrier. I started to speak! I remember the teacher telling me – exactly like you keep telling me – “Don't always try to be perfect. Just do your best and try to explain your thoughts with the language you can produce.”
Did that experience help you take a job in English?
Yeah. So I just started to work in business, in English. I worked in Big Pharma for ten years. During that time, I had to speak English. My managers were in Hungary. And although their English was far from native speakers' level, I felt that I had to improve the quality of my language, not only vocabulary but also communication skills.
What materials would you recommend to learn, say vocabulary or grammar?
You know that I’m a person who believes in interpersonal contact, don’t you? So materials, I think they are just a tool. You can use different materials, but you should use them with someone who can really manage things. I mean, materials – they need a teacher to get the most out of them for students. Otherwise, they’re just another book or podcast. I believe in interacting with other people. You must talk to people. You must put real emotions into the process. That's what I like about learning English.
I love what you’ve just said about the context. I mean, the impact of the context, which by the way is a huge topic nowadays in my business. Some teachers consider it crucial, especially in terms of students' motivation. And speaking of motivation, what works in this matter?
If you need to learn the language, if you really want to build your career in the organization - that is something that can be motivating! On the other hand, what motivates me is doing something that I feel good about. You know, talking to someone I really like, surrounding myself with people who make me feel positive and motivated. On top of that, I strongly believe in the institution of the teacher. Teachers can really motivate you! By the way, I love the way you do it, making me want to join in the lessons.
Do you realize you've just described two sources of motivation that teachers study about at universities? I mean extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation, for instance, external rewards. Say when somebody puts some kind of pressure on you to learn and develop – at work or when you want to relocate. Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, you can derive from learning itself. You can often keep learning, keep going if you enjoy the process. And in both cases, it's important that we explore both options and take the most of them.
The next topic on my agenda today is mistakes, but not mistakes that we make while learning English. But the mistakes that we make setting up the process. As we know, learning, like everything else, is a process. You cannot expect to master anything in a day or after reading a book. You need to go through the entire process, all the five stages. I mean, from initiation and planning, through execution and monitoring, to closing - like in every single project that we have at work. Therefore, I’d like to ask you what mistakes we tend to make in the process?
Mariusz, this is a really difficult question. When I think about younger learners, for instance, I believe what matters is to really show them the significance. I mean, why the language is important for them on a daily basis. They won’t learn unless they know what’s there for them in learning English. I know what I’m talking about. I have a daughter that I sometimes struggle with.
I would like to close this interview with a modern-day obsession, that is reaching one’s full potential. How can a person reach their full potential – with raising the bar high or with baby steps?
As a fan of the Kaizen methodology, I’d say go for a step-by-step approach. If you raise the bar too high, you can demotivate most people. Small successes, on the other hand, should work with the majority of students.
It was a pleasure to talk to you. I wish you many successes, not only in language learning. And I look forward to having another lesson with you 😊
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