How to Promote Your Language Program in a Tough Market

April 20, 2010

In 1998, “Asian flu” hit the markets, causing thousands of Korean, Japanese and other Asian students to stay home. In 2001, the Word Trade Center in New York was destroyed and for a time, North America was no longer considered a “safe” destination for international students; enrollments in overseas programs dropped again. In 2003, the war in Iraq had a similar effect on educational programs relying on foreign student registration.

The situation worsened in Canada when Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) caused the World Health Organization to recommend that anyone with travel plans to Toronto “consider postponing all but essential travel”. Language programs in and around Toronto were hit hard. In fact, registration in language programs across the country dropped significantly at that time. Let’s face it, international students and their parents may not know that Calgary or Vancouver are thousands of kilometers away from Toronto and hardly affected by SARS. The reality is that for a few months Canada was branded, how informally, as an “unsafe” country for foreigners.

As an educational consultant who specializes in helping language programs market their courses better, I heard more managers than ever concerned about plummeting enrollments. Program managers from across North America have asked  me, “What do we do now?” The answer is not a “quick fix”, but one focused on long-term vision and strategy.

Understand the effect of global events on your business

Firstly, recognize that what has been happening recently is by no means isolated. If we take a look at history, we can see that every few years, some event occurs in the world that has a direct impact on our enrollment. What happens on the international economic front and in the markets will affect us. One mistake language program managers make is to think that education is not business. But when enrollments drop and you have to answer to senior administrators who want answers and more importantly, want a healthy bottom line, we recognize that we are indeed in the “business” of educating students.

We need to learn to think like business people. Our programs are the services that we offer to clients. Our market is international. Therefore, what affects the global market for all goods, services, stocks and commodities affects us.

If you have historical program statistics, review them. More than likely, all other factors being equal, you will be able to correlate significant drops in student enrollment with economic disruptions or political events across the globe. We must look at the “big picture” and recognize that whatever it may be this time, it will be temporary.

Say to yourself, “This too, will pass.” Developing a long-term perspective will help you and your staff avoid the panic that so many program managers have felt this year. It will also help you answer to superiors who may be quick to blame lower enrollments on managers or coordinators (namely, you.) If you have a clear idea of the big picture, you will be calmer, more confident and you will think more clearly about the decisions you have to make and why you have to make them. Your staff and superiors may not like the fact that enrollments have dropped, but they will respect you more if you show strength, vision and a conservatively positive attitude in tough times.

Apart from keeping things in perspective and developing a long-term vision, there are things you can do to continue promoting your program in tough markets:

Take the time to strategize. Instead of flailing around to develop new courses that you hope may bring a few more students through the door, I recommend recognizing the situation for what it is: a slow market. This is the time to be pro-active, not reactive. If you complained before that you never had time to figure out a marketing strategy for your program, now you have that time. Use it wisely. Figure out where you want your program to go over the next 5 years. Realistically, you may want to factor in at least one more global event that will affect your enrollment during that time. Assess your current marketing strategy and determine what, if anything, needs to change. Instead of letting panic rule how you run things in tough times, stay calm and develop a vision that will carry you through the difficulties and into the market recovery.

Keep your prices stable. Now is not the time to increase your prices because you are feeling a financial pinch. Instead, maintain current price structure and keep your long-term vision. Conversely, now is also not the time to lower prices or offer “special discounts due to SARS”. Even if you don’t say it directly, prospective students and their parents will recognize a certain level of financial concern on your part. They may be intuitively turned off your program if it looks like it’s in financial trouble.

Focus on the students you do have. If you have fewer students, you can focus on giving them top-notch service. Remember that word of mouth is still the best promotion. Make sure that the students currently enrolled get the best quality program you can deliver. Each and every student is a prospective referral for you. No-cost or low-cost ways to focus on students include things like having every person who works in the program learn the names of each and every student. This includes correct pronunciation of their names, too! Personalized letters of congratulation to each student from the director at the end of the program is another idea.

Remind your staff that they each play a part in the success of your school, so remind them to stay positive.  This may not be easy, especially if there have been layoffs due to lack of work. That’s all the more reason for those who still have work to stay focused on the students and show a positive attitude around them. This will serve a double purpose. Not only will your students feel important and special, but by focusing on the students as much as possible, staff are less likely to dwell solely on the safety of their jobs or the dismal state of enrollment.

Take time to regroup, re-organize and even have some fun! Remind everyone that while these may not be the best of times, things will get better. There is nothing more detrimental to staff morale or to a program in general, than to allow panic or a sense of hopelessness infect the school like a virus. We need to combat fear by maintaining a long term vision and most importantly, by staying productive in the meantime.

This means hands-on work for teachers and staff to keep everyone busy while preparing for better times ahead. Now is the time to clean out your teachers’ offices, resource rooms, filing cabinets, cupboards and bookshelves. Organize a second-hand book sale of any old textbooks or resources you really don’t need. Use the money to take the students on a field trip or buy pizza for the staff on a Friday afternoon. There is still room for fun and in fact, small ways of boosting staff morale that don’t cost your program significant dollars can be a huge emotional investment in the mental health of your staff.

I tell language program managers to listen to their financial planners when it comes to having their language programs make it through tough times. Sound strange? Not really… Investment planners tell us not to make rash decisions when markets fluctuate unexpectedly. We need to think long term, plan for the future and stay calm. Your program is similar to your personal investments. Stay steady in your belief that all your hard work and investment in your program will not be lost and that the market will recover. The next time a market fluctuation causes a drop in enrollment, you will be all the wiser.

© Sarah Elaine Eaton

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

1 Comment | education, ESL, leadership, marketing, recruitment, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Marketing Workshop for Language Programs

April 19, 2010

Last Thursday I gave a 3-hour interactive workshop on marketing language programs. We had participants there specializing in English as a Second Language, literacy, German as a Second Language and Spanish as a Second Language.

Here is a copy of the slides that accompanied the presentation binder that participants received:

I was just thrilled with the evaluations that had comments such as these:

  • “An excellent workshop. Time well spent! Thank you.”
  • “Great! Loved the informality combined with organization”
  • and “Sarah, you are an excellent instructor”

When I get comments like that, it’s confirmation that I have absolutely chosen the right career path. I love this stuff and wouldn’t change it for the world.

I hope the slides are helpful.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

2 Comments | 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program, branding, education, ESL, languages, leadership, marketing, recruitment | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Partnerships in the social sectors

April 18, 2010

“Partnership” is the new buzz word in the social sectors. We know that more power can be harnessed and more potential can be realized when we work together. We can think about building partnerships (or undertaking business development in general) in three ways:

Organically Grown Partnerships – A somewhat passive approach that involves making the most of things that come our way. Another way of looking at these types of partnerships is “picking the low hanging fruit”. These types of partnerships aren’t ones you go after, but rather those that simply appear before you along the path. You see an opportunity and pick the fruit. This is, by far, the gentlest way of developing partnerships because you simply take advantage of an opportunity that presents itself.
Positive – Good things can come from unexpected sources. There is potential for a nourishing relationship that entails very little work.
Negative – Unfocussed and not strategic. It may not be what you need right now. The worst case scenario is that the situation is poisonous to your end goals.

Aggressively Acquired Partnerships – Pinpointing exactly who we want to go after and pursuing them, leaving all others aside. The process is active, deliberate, focussed and relentless. This approach is not typically used, or well received in the social sectors.
Positive – Goals are set and achieved.
Negative – Excellent opportunities may be lost due to a myopic approach.

Mindfully Cultivated Partnerships – This is a thoughtful combination of the above – Examine potential partnerships that come our way, carefully evaluating the possibilities while at the same time, strategically pursuing potential partners we have identified (or that have been identified for us by other sources).

I recommend the third, with a caveat and that is the focus on always being cognizant of what we are doing, constantly reflecting on if what we are pursuing will get us closer to our goals, meet our standards and are aligned with our values. This means of course:

Having clear goals for partnerships – We need to know what we want to achieve from our partnerships. Often partnerships that have a common shared goal, as opposed to simply going through all the pomp and circumstance of signing a formal Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, have significantly more longevity and vitality. If you don’t have any goals, the vitality is likely to wither after the hype of the ceremony is over.

Defining our standards – Having rigorous standards and a focus on quality are important not only for our own organizations, but also to our partnerships. The bar sits where we set it. Focussing on excellence in all that we do, including how we cultivate and nurture our partnerships, is time well spent.

Articulating our values – I would argue that if we tackle this one first, the other two will be much easier. When it comes to developing partnerships, we are more likely to have success when we have clearly articulated what is important to the organization and those who work in it.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Building Multicultural Teams Means Building Success

April 18, 2010

Does your team lack cohesiveness and understanding because it comprises members from different—even conflicting— cultures? Would your productivity increase if team members from different cultures could work together more effectively? If so, you may benefit from multicultural team building.

In Canada especially, where multiculturalism is an integral part of our national identity, workplaces are filled with employees and managers from all corners of the globe. Sometimes, the cultural differences that arise in the workplace can create conflict, miscommunication, and diminished productivity. In certain industries, such as health care or manufacturing, these conflicts and miscommunications can increase the risk of injury to others.

So, how do you build and solidify a multicultural team? The first step to bridging cultural differences is awareness. Recognizing that things would run smoother if everyone communicated and respected each other is the first step to solving the problem. In too many cases, managers from the dominant Canadian culture will overlook or brush off cultural issues, because they are difficult to define and, at times, delicate to talk about. People worry about being called bigots or racists when they speak about diversity issues in the workplace.

In my experience, the opposite is true. If a manager has the courage to say, “We have some issues around diversity to examine. By facing up to them, we will build a stronger team, and we will each learn something,” then the veil of embarrassment or discomfort is lifted and an open dialogue can begin.

This dialogue is the second step. It means giving everyone in the group a voice, and creating a safe space for others to speak and be heard. A moderated dialogue, facilitated by an experienced diversity consultant, will help to keep things focused, and ensure that everyone feels respected. Awareness and dialogue are not enough, however, to solve the problem. From there, we need to move to action. This involves creating a new culture that is focused on neither traditional Canadian culture, nor the other cultures involved, but on building a strong, diverse, productive, multicultural team. It means shedding old stereotypes, to make way for a new team identity that gives each member an equal voice, and promotes both diversity and productivity.

This new culture establishes a new benchmark for tolerance within the organization. It also lays the foundation for new policies, procedures, and other governance issues pertaining to operations and personnel that will keep your team focused and productive.
A new team culture can be built in various ways. It may include:

  • identifying key issues and concerns for your organization—what specifically needs improvement? what situations, circumstances, or personnel issues do you need to target?training for managers and staff in cross-cultural awareness, management, and conflict management;
  • training for staff in expectations of the Canadian workplace, and managerial and operational styles;
  • language and/or accent-reduction training to enhance communications for non-native speakers of English;
  • cross-cultural communications training for all staff and managers.

This final step to building a successful multicultural team is crucial. Once communications and awareness issues have been successfully managed, you can move on to applying the new model to enhance your team environment, productivity, and even the bottom line.

With increased trust and awareness, team members will be open to adopting new ways of thinking and working. You will be able to identify specific areas within your team or organization that require attention and find effective solutions that all team members support and are willing to put into action. If you previously had personnel issues rooted in cultural differences, you will be able identify them, explain why they must be addressed, and, most importantly, you will have the tools to ensure that your staff and managers work effectively and respectfully.

Building multicultural teams is about increasing awareness and tolerance, and eliminating, or at least diminishing, resistance and even conflict. Some of the team-building strategies familiar to North American businesses may work, but multicultural teams have some unique characteristics. Learning to use these productively will benefit you, your team, and your entire organization.

Copyright © 2002 by Sarah Elaine Eaton

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Word Power: Writing to win in business

April 16, 2010

What and how we write can have a huge impact on our success in business. The image we create on paper is just as important as the image we create by our wardrobe, posture and handshake. Is your business writing as effective as the rest of the marketing you do?

You want everything you write to be powerful and have impact. There are several things to consider in order to achieve this.

Firstly, know your audience. Whether you are writing a cover letter or a business development proposal, the most important factor of your business writing is your reader. One good strategy is to imagine you are the reader. Ask yourself, “As a reader, what’s in this for me?”  ( . . . a  prospective new employee, a bigger bottom line, good publicity, etc.) Try to answer that question as you write.

Secondly, keep your sentences short and to the point. This will help you maintain good sentence structure and makes it easier for your reader to understand what you are saying. A good rule is to write to a grade seven or eight level. Although this may seem like you’re aiming low, remember that many readers will scan your work, not read it closely.  Author Tom Sant points out that “one of Lincoln’s greatest speeches was his Second Inaugural Address. Of its 701 words, 627 have just one or two syllables. (That’s 89.5 percent.)”  If the “short and simple strategy” worked for Abraham Lincoln, couldn’t it work for you?

Avoid jargon unless you are certain that your reader will understand every single word. It could be that English is not be the first language of everybody who reads your work. If you avoid jargon and slang, you will reach more readers. That could make the difference between winning or losing a contract.

Be yourself. If you don’t speak and act with a stuffy, intellectual tone, why would you write with one? What is your personality and how can you incorporate it into your business writing? I know one person who signs her e-mail with, “Smiles, (her name)” instead of the traditional “Sincerely, (name).” It works for her precisely because she lights up a room with her vibrant smile. She’s always smiling — it’s her signature and it works for her. If you’re not sure how to do this in your writing, read your work out loud. Does it flow with a natural rhythm? Does it sound like you? You can also ask yourself, “How would I say this if I were sitting right in front of the person reading it?” Then, write it that way.

Finally, take the time to check over your document. Most word processors have spelling and grammar checkers. While they may not be perfect, they can help to catch typos and other common mistakes. By taking the time to do this consistently, you become your own quality assurance manager when it comes to the image you are projecting with your business writing. This is a crucial step that many people overlook.

It’s important to check the final version of the document. It has happened to most of us that we spell check something, make revisions and send it out without a final spelling check. Then — oops! –somehow that silly mistake jumps off the page after it’s too late to change it. Once I had to throw out 500 brochures because they came back from the printer with a spelling error. Talk about a costly lesson!

There may be times when it works to your advantage to hire a professional writer or editor. Even as a person with two university degrees in languages who writes and edits professionally, I often ask others to proofread my work before I send it out. I do this especially with marketing materials, as I know that others will judge my competency by the image I project in my marketing materials. I have learned a lot from doing this.

Writing is like any other skill:  it can be learned. If you already know how, chances are, there’s room for improvement. Ask yourself, “How can I make my writing the best it can be?”  That’s what professional writers do on a daily basis. That’s what entrepreneurs and other business people can do to polish their image, enhance their credibility, win customers and increase sales. It’s about presenting the best of yourself – both on and off the page.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

1 Comment | Communication, marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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