Understanding Congress Seminar: English Coaching in Washington D.C. - Politics and English

Last week, I had the pleasure to attend a seminar at the European Delegation called "Understanding Congress". Not only was I keen on learning more about the inner workings of Congress, my nerdiest personal obsession, but I thought it would be a great opportunity to prepare for clients navigating Congress themselves. This is D.C. after all, and students often ask me questions about working with the U.S. government.

The seminar exceeded my expectations. Mark Strand, a Professor of Legislative Affairs at George Washington University, expertly broke down the ins and outs of working with Congressional members. His excellent summary included a historical overview, a presentation on office structures, staff, and ethics as well as a thorough explanation of how the Senate and House work with a focus on interactions with the media, and foreign governments. Attendees even received a free copy of Professor Strand's book "Surviving Congress" after the seminar. This book has already served as a template for a number of exciting English lessons. I simply love integrating real-life relevancy into my English lessons.

If you have a chance to attend, I highly recommend Mark Strand's seminar.

Seminars like this are extremely helpful for me as an English tutor and coach in Washington, D.C. They make me more knowledgeable in areas of interest for my clients and enhance my ability to create English lessons with highly engaging content. Here, political vocabulary, U.S. culture and real life applicability go hand in hand for my clients.