It’s a sad fact that the English that millions of people learn in classrooms all over the world, often doesn’t match the reality of English outside the classroom. One person who knows the reality of English as a global language is Heather Hansen. She teaches professionals from the world’s biggest companies how to communicate in English all over the world. And the secret to successful global communication? It isn’t about being like a native speaker, or having an RP accent, or using ‘standard’ English. This is a powerful interview and I hope it makes teachers and students all over the world question their assumptions about what it means to learn and use English.