Behavioural economics is, in its widest definition, the study of choice and incentive: why do we make the decisions we do? As a field of study, it has a pedigree commensurate with that of economics itself, but it is only recently that it has come to the forefront of the public mind with such books as Predictably Irrational, Freakonomics, and The Tipping Point.
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| from Will Lion |
What has behavioural economics got to do with Business English?
First of all, and a point that has particular saliency, learning Business English is an economic decision. Clients rarely study Business English for anything other than economic reasons. That is almost the point of differentiation between Business English and General English. A successful student is an incentivized student, but studies have continually shown that money in itself is a poor motivator, so what can behavioural economics tell us about the real drivers behind our students.
Secondly, behavioural economics approaches the subject of motivation from a particular perspective, one which might well be thought to be inimical to the ideology of traditional educational psychology. Nevertheless, it hails from the same purlieu as the thinking of most business students, and, as such, it may well afford useful insights into their interests, inclinations and impulses. The better we understand our students, the better we will be able to teach, coach, and train them.
