Business Meetings and Thought Control

Lessons from “Coffee…” and Business English

As a busy ESL/EFL teacher, business English language consultant and business woman, I have very little free time. So I guard it carefully in order to get the most out of it. However, one of the things I do indulge in is a weekly “e-zine” called “Coffee With Kevin Hogan”. These articles are so interesting and pertinent for my business English clients that I have often shared sections with the more advanced students.

You see, each week Dr. Kevin Hogan treats some very interesting topics from a business perspective, such as body language, persuasion, influence and in the last few issues of “Coffee With Kevin Hogan” he has been examining thought control in the Alinsky method.

This week, part 2.5, “Thought Control: The President’s Method” Dr. Hogan’s introduction to this subject really caught my eye. He wrote:

“Secret Tactic 1 Alinsky teaches that the general goal is to lead
people through loaded questions to the conclusion he has already
proscribed.
 
This is a well known tactic in corporate brainwashing sessions …I
mean…. brainstorming sessions…
It’s quite simple after you’ve done it a few times. You begin
collecting answers to questions. you can even put them up on the
blackboard, so to speak.
You then gently lead the group toward the conclusions and directions
you, the organizer, wishes to go.
 
The illusion of collecting opinions, ideas and “input” is extremely
important.”

The “Language” of Business Meetings

This last sentence, in particular, brought a You Tube video to mind which I have used with business English students as a lighter note when we are looking at the lexical language of business meetings. Many of my students told me that it reminded them of what they’d noted in actual meetings they’d attended – except for the drunk.

However, reading the sentence: “The illusion of collecting opinions, ideas and “input” is extremely important.” stopped me in my tracks. Perhaps this YouTube video is not a light and funny joke after all – but an all too true reflection of corporate reality? Take a look at the video yourself. What is the chairperson trying to do? What do the other members of team learn? How do they change their “language” in the brainstorming? And why?

What do you think? And does corporate thought control really make any difference for our business English clients?

Enjoy Teaching English,

Eileen