Welcome to my website. My name is Evan Frendo, and I have been working as a freelance
English Language Teaching Professional, specializing in Business English and English for
Specific Purposes, since 1993. I am currently based in Berlin, Germany, but my work takes
me to different parts of Europe and Asia.
Primarily I am a business English trainer, which means that I help individuals and groups who
need to improve their English in order to operate more effectively in an international business
environment. I also provide consultancy services to a number of corporations, train business
English teachers and write training materials.
I have a Masters degree in Teaching English for Specific Purposes (Aston University), a
Diploma in Teaching English for Business (London Chamber of Commerce and Industry), as
well as a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering (Cranfield University).
Please feel free to contact me for further information and references.
Quite simply, what I do when I work as a trainer is to work with different stakeholders to
understand the critical communication situations and business processes which the trainees
will have to operate in, and design and run courses which will help people do so. The aim is
always to make people more effective and efficient in their jobs, so that the organisation has a
clear and noticeable benefit. It’s about adding value.
Here are three examples of training seminars I have run recently.
English for Asia
Many German employees have to use English to operate in Asia. I have developed a two day
seminar which focuses on the key communication skills such as rapport building, working
in intercultural teams, and negotiating. Trainees get the chance to work with different Asian
accents, analyse what is really being said in meetings, and develop their English language
skills to work more effectively in an Asian context. Depending on the class I generally use
Working in Asia
which I co-authored with Shuna Hsu.
Presentations coaching
Many people need to hone their presentation skills, both in terms of English language
competence, and also as presenters. Making successful presentations starts with understanding
the types of audiences involved, and also the type of presentations - for example, is it a sales
presentation designed to persuade an audience to buy a product or service, or is it a technical
presentation explaining how something works? Once the context of the presentation has been
understood then the aim is to help that person do the best he or she possibly can - this can
mean a variety of things, ranging from working through the content of a presentation, thinking
about the structure, finding the right words and phrases, and so on.
English for Accounting
As the world moves towards IFRS there is a need for more and more accountants to be able
to become familiar with the language required. Training in this area focuses on the specialist
words and phrases used by accountants, but may also involve other skills such as clarifying
and summarising complex rules and regulations for clients. This is an area I have worked in
for a number of years, and indeed have co-authored
English for Accounting,
now in its second edition, as well as working as a consultant on the
new EDI LCCI English for Accounting test. And
here is a flyer for a two day seminar I do for Management Circle.
In 2003 Longman approached me and asked me to write a methodology book for business
English teachers - the result was
How to teach Business English,
published in 2005, which is now used as a course book in train-the-trainer courses all over the world.
As a teacher trainer I have trained hundreds of teachers in Europe and Asia. Some of this
training has been organised in-house for corporations, others for language schools chains,
and some for education organisations. I am often asked to run
FTBE
preparation courses in different parts of the world, either online or face-to-face. I am also a part time instructor on
the MA TESOL
at the New School in New York.
Over the years I have also been active in various professional organisations. For example, I
was Honorary Secretary of IATEFL from 2004 - 2006, and Coordinator of the IATEFL Business
English Special Interest Group from 2002 - 2005. I regularly speak at conferences and professional
events in different parts of the world.
My blog, English for the
Workplace, is aimed at teachers of business English and ESP.
Click here for
more information about some of the books I have authored or co-authored.
What can I offer?
I have worked in corporate language training since 1993, and so have gathered considerable
experience and know-how about language and communication training. This work has taken
me all over Europe and Asia. Before that I spent 11 years as an engineering officer in the
British army, where I gained very useful management experience and skills in a number
of different contexts. This means that I can offer advice not only as a language trainer, but
also as someone who has worked in large organisations and appreciates the need to work to
deadlines, budgets and organisational priorities.
Some examples of how I have helped corporations save money
Many corporate training departments lack the knowledge and skill to really evaluate potential
language training suppliers, with the result that they pay high fees for less than optimal
training packages. This is a common problem, and over the years I have been approached by
various companies seeking professional and independent advice. For example, I have helped
corporate training departments recruit and assess trainers, and I have also assisted in the
evaluation of training providers (eg language schools), as well as the design and evaluation of
training programmes. I also have a number of clients within the ELT industry, ranging from
testing organisations to publishers and training providers.
