The formation of students’ flexible communication skills in teaching а foreign language for professional purposes

Abstract

The study is devoted to the problem of forming flexible communication skills of higher education students in teaching a foreign language for professional purposes. Based on the thorough review of scientific publications, the authors prove that in the conditions of the modern labor market, communicative flexibility and adaptability of specialists are the keys to their competitiveness. The article provides a theoretical analysis of “flexible communication skills” and emphasizes the structural components necessary for professional foreign language communication. The authors highlight that teaching a foreign language for professional purposes has its peculiarities related to the specific needs and requirements of professional activity (specific aspects of language material; a clear focus on the development of practical business communication skills that will help future specialists to communicate effectively with colleagues, clients, and partners in a professional environment; taking into account the possibilities of forming intercultural competence of future specialists, which will contribute to a better understanding of representatives of different cultures and establishing network. Based on the survey results, the authors outline the main difficulties in developing the communicative flexibility of future specialists, including studying specialized vocabulary, adapting theoretical knowledge to practical situations, acquiring mutual understanding in an intercultural environment, and overcoming psychological barriers. The study scientifically substantiates effective methods and structured interactive strategies based on the practical application of the language, derivation of terms, and performance of conditional speech tasks that allow for achieving successful results and unlocking students’ potential in learning a foreign language and interacting with native speakers in a professional environment. The article emphasizes promising directions for further scientific research, namely the use of artificial intelligence capabilities and effective methods of assessing flexible communication skills in ESP classes.