The focus of this course will not be placed on the teaching of cognitive skills, but rather on the improvement of active and receptive linguistic competence in a business context. It is evident that the participants will need to possess from the beginning an adequate command of language and business matters as well as a certain degree of communicative and cognitive capacities. By the end of the course students will have reached: • improved productive and receptive language competence (spoken and written); • improved confidence concerning presentations in a foreign language; • expertise with regard to the (corporate) culture of the relevant target countries as well as increased intercultural sensitivity. As giving presentations requires technical know-how and command of the related lexis, students will be well-versed in the following after completing the course: • lexis and country-specific technical know-how in such areas as work environment, financial issues, sales, marketing, etc. • understanding of a foreign (corporate) culture • knowledge of recurrent set phrases used in presentation • cultural sensitivity with regard to presentations • knowledge of presentation techniques. Specific skills in a presentation setting, e.g. • effective openings • signposting • exploiting visuals • handling questions • rhetorical techniques Intercultural skills, e.g. • creating rapport • do´s and don’ts • cultural awareness Language Skills, e.g. • use of appropriate language register and terminology • correct grammatical usage Key skills: Upon completion of the course, students will have the linguistic and cultural competence to successfully perform the following tasks in the foreign language: • giving effective presentations • presenting and rebutting arguments

Presentations given by the participants and negotiations carried out by them form the centerpiece of this course. In order to facilitate a sensible and successful realization of these presentations, it will be necessary to prepare the relevant terminology for the areas covered and work on grammatical and argumentative structures recurrent in presentations.