Meet a member - Jason Chan

For our third interview of the year, Viktoryia sat down with Jason Chan to talk all things Business English, communication, and continuous professional development. From student- led TEDx events to the importance of verbal skills in the age of AI, Jason shares thoughtful insights shaped by his global experience and passion for teaching.


Bio

Jason Chan is an assistant professor of English language and communication at MCI Austria. He is also an oral examiner for IELTS and Cambridge CAE. He holds a doctorate in education from the University of Glasgow and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in English Language Assessment at the University of Cambridge. Email: jason.chan@mci.edu

1. How did you develop interest in teaching Business English?

I’m sure like a lot of people in our field, it began as a necessity when I moved to Germany 20 years ago. I started out with what was called Siemens Learning Campus.

2. You mention ‘fostering effective business communication’ as your core competence. So, what is ‘effective business communication’ in a nutshell?

Effective business communication, to me, means sharing ideas and information clearly and confidently so everyone’s on the same page. It’s about making sure messages are easy to understand, whether by writing an email, leading a meeting, or chatting with a colleague. Good communication helps avoid confusion, saves time, and builds stronger relationships at work.

3. Who are your students? What communication skills do you think are essential for them to develop, and why these?

Currently, my students are Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students at the department of business and management at MCI. In the age of AI, I personally believe the most essential skills for them to develop is verbal communication. By that, I mean the ability to clearly express ideas in meetings, presentations, and everyday conversations. They are crucial for future leadership roles.

4. Born in Hong Kong, raised in Canada, living and working in Germany and Austria. What has your own vast cross-cultural experience taught you that you bring into your classroom?

I share a lot of personal incidents with my students, both personal and professional ones. I believe they add value to the lessons by providing the students with different perspectives, perspectives which they are less likely to acquire in a Eurocentric environment.

5. You’ve recently posted exciting news: you’ve been approved for a license for TEDexInnsbruck. What do you hope to achieve with this project?

It’ll be carried out as a student project. Different roles will be assigned to students who are interested in participating in the project. The aim is that through such projects, students will learn real-life project skills. That is the number one goal. Another goal is the opportunity to network with like-minded TEDx organizers.

6. You never seem to ‘sit on your laurels’ and be constantly developing. What are your favourite CPD approaches?

I think one would sit on their laurels when they believe that they have laurels to sit on, does that make sense? I never believed that I am and ever will be in that position. I truly believe in life-long learning, for the sake of knowledge acquisition. Setting examples is also a constant drive for me. How can I ask my students or my children to improve themselves when I don’t do anything myself? I suppose my CPD approach would be, practice what you preach.

7. How have you participated in the IATEFL BESIG community so far? What do you appreciate about being a member?

I’ve presented at a couple of BESIG conferences. What I appreciate most is connecting with fellow members through BESIG and following up on their work on LinkedIn. This really helps me follow in the footsteps and career planning of people I admire. To name one, someone we all know, Mr. Evan Frendo. Going back to the first question, I had the pleasure of meeting Evan at the beginning of my career, and he introduced me to BESIG and opened my eyes to the possibilities of self-improvement.

Interview by Viktoryia Zelianko. Edited by Shweta Paropkari.