Experience English: Best Practices

Showing posts with label Best Practices. Show all posts

Your Accent Is Not The Problem!

The woman in the following video, Amy Walker, is an actress, writer, singer, and dancer. She amazingly imitates (copies) 21 different English accents from around the world.

Click here to read a previous article on "21 Accents: What Do You Think Of Your Accent?"

After watching the video, you may be impressed by her performance and ability to imitate the various (different) English accents. You may also be fascinated by the number of native-English accents that exist in North America and the United Kingdom.

People sometimes wonder if they have a good accent. It is surprising to hear how many people feel ashamed (feel ridiculous or embarrassed) because they think their accent is horrible.

We all speak English, but differently. Our accent adds charm and character to the language. As Paddy Kennedy explains in the video below, your accent is not the problem!

When you communicate in English, focus on the 3 BEs instead of your accent:

BE comprehensible
BE confident
BE natural

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

What do you think of Paddy Kennedy’s advice?

Have you ever tried doing any of the things she suggests in the video?

What else would you advise doing to improve your pronunciation?

Tell me by leaving a comment below or in a message by E-mail at kaufman.terry@gmail.com, if you like.

To learn how to leave a comment, please click for instructions in English or click for instructions in French. It is not necessary to have a Google account. After you type your comment, click on the menu, "Comment as" ("choisir une identité") and choose "Name" or "Anonymous".

How To Use The Future When You Talk About Your Schedule And Appointments

As professionals in the business world, we have to talk about dates, times, meetings, and appointments. How do you talk about meetings and appointments in English? Check out the four ways to talk about your schedule below!

I have a meeting with my boss on Monday, August 18th at 9 a.m. / from 9 to 10 a.m.

[TO HAVE (PRESENT SIMPLE) + SOMETHING]
I will be in Nice / with my boss / out of the office / on holiday / in a team meeting on Monday at 11 a.m.

I will not be available because I have a conference call at 10:30 a.m.

[I WILL BE + PLACE / PERSON or I WILL NOT BE]
I am going to be in a meeting with John on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

I am going to see my boss on Monday morning.

I am going to have lunch with Caroline on Thursday.

[GOING TO + VERB]
I am meeting my manager on Tuesday, August 23rd at 10 a.m.

I am seeing John on Friday at 3 p.m.

I am having dinner with Susan on Friday to talk about a marketing campaign.

[PRESENT CONTINUOUS FOR ACTIONS, PLANS, AND ARRANGEMENTS]

For information on making appointments, please click here.

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

What are you doing tomorrow? What are your plans next week?

Best Practices: Ensuring Comprehension During Conference Calls

Conference calls may be one of the most excruciating experiences for non-native English speakers. Personally, as a native English speaker, I often have difficulty understanding participants due to a number of factors:

Sound quality

Subject matter

Number of participants

Effective leadership during the call

I remember a conference call I heard recently. There were 18 participants and it was led by an American in the United States. There were about 10 native English speakers and 8 non-native English speakers. A Frenchman, with a good English level, was responsible for taking the minutes.

10 minutes into the call, he politely asked the leader to speak more slowly and clearly. The leader turned his request into a joke. He said "OK, this is my version of speaking slowly", and continued to speak as fast as a high-speed train.

You should have seen the Frenchman's face.

The video below shows an extreme example of speaking fast, which could happen if you are not aware of how comprehensible you are when you speak:

Here are four tips to have more productive and successful conference calls as a leader or a participant:

Articulate and speak slowly and comfortably. Try to remove all unnecessary noise from your oral communication. For example, make a conscious effort to eliminate "Uh", "Right", "Uh-huh", "Um", "Like", and "You know".
Slow down the communication process. Pause between ideas (every 3 to 5 sentences) to give people an opportunity to understand before continuing.
Be proactive. During the call, regularly remind participants that they may ask for clarification. Tell them that it is important to you that they understand. Give them permission to ask for clarification.
After important points and at the end of each topic, ask everyone, "Does that make sense?", "Do you see what I mean?", "Was I comprehensible?", or "What questions do you have?"
Do not rush into the next topic. Be sure to give at least 30 seconds between topics for questions and clarification. At the end of each topic, rephrase important details and actions, even if participants do not ask for clarification.
Be an effective conference call leader. A leader ensures that comprehension is a priority. Leaders do not focus on the agenda, data, or action plans. They concentrate on creating a communication-friendly environment for everyone to appreciate and enjoy. Of course, the minutes of the meeting often follows the call. However, productive and rewarding relationships are at stake. If there is little or no comprehension during a call, then people may as well not participate. They may feel alienated and understand more from the written minutes.

An effective conference call guarantees that:
- Every participant articulates, speaks slowly, and mentions his/her name before speaking to facilitate comprehension
- Participants actively ask for clarification
- Participants understand by clarifying important details and actions at the end of each topic
- If there is background noise, the call is put on hold until the noise is removed
- There is feedback at the end of the call to see how communication could be improved during the next call

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

What are your best practices when you lead or participate in a conference call?

Have you ever been on a horrible conference call? Why was it such a bad experience?

Resources To Help You Practice English

An English expression says, "Practice makes perfect." The expression means that the more you practice, the better you will perform.

The reason I created this English activity blog is to help you practice and feel more confident in communicating in English.

Here is a list of resources to help you practice more:

The World is Your Oyster: A Blog About Learning The English Language

Your Dictionary - "The dictionary you can understand." Clear and understandable definitions to help you understand words better.

BBC Learning English - Listen, watch videos, read, and learn grammar and vocabulary with the BBC.

6 Minute English - Part of BBC Learning English, this listening activity has PDF files that go with each audio exercise.

Express English - Watch videos of conversations with people in English on different subjects.

Revealed Presence Photography - Enjoy beautiful photography with questions to stimulate thinking in English.

ESL Pod - Listen to dialogs and read the text at the same time as you learn new vocabulary and expressions.

Business English Pod - Listen to dialogs that consist of business English vocabulary and expressions.

engVid - Watch videos of English lessons on different grammar and vocabulary subjects.

English-Online - Read simple and enjoyable articles on many different subjects to increase your vocabulary.

I wish you the best as you continue to experience English and communicate in the language.

Best Practices: Read Articles To Learn Vocabulary And Experience English

Reading is a great way to learn vocabulary and grammar constructions. Moreover, it helps you feel more comfortable using a language.

Here is a website that offers articles on different topics (subjects). The articles are written in easy, understandable English for learners. In each article, challenging words are in bold (black). You can find definitions for the words at the end of each article.

Click here to read articles in English

I like the website, English-Online, because there are a variety of interesting topics and each article is rich in vocabulary.

I encourage you to practice by reading articles on subjects that you find interesting. In addition, you could also read about topics that you are not familiar with to learn about new things.

Have fun and experience English!

Best Practices And Grammar Review: Are You Operational In English?

To communicate comprehensibly and clearly in English, there are four fundamental verb tenses to know. If you know them and use them correctly, you will not have any trouble expressing yourself. What is the secret? Be (super) operational!

In English, there are tenses we use to communicate routine and generalities, present actions, future plans and actions, and finished, past actions.We use the specific tenses all the time.

The Four Tenses To Know To Be (Super) Operational

Click on the image to make it bigger

To express routine and generalities, use the Present Simple:

I live in Paris.
I work as an English trainer.
I run three times a week.
I drink coffee every day.

Examples of time expressions that correspond to the present simple:

Every day
Once a week
Always
Never
All the time
Sometimes
From time to time

The idea is to associate the time expressions with the verb tense.

Asking questions: DO/DOES + SUBJECT + VERB

Do you always drink coffee in the morning?
Does she have a car?
Where do you live and work?
How often do you run?
To express present actions, use the Present Continuous:

I am creating a new exercise now.
We are using a computer at the moment.
I am wearing black shoes today.
She is currently working in London.

Examples of time expressions that correspond to the present continuous:

Now
At the moment
Today
At present
Currently (presently)

Remember to associate the time expressions with the verb tense.

Asking questions: AM/IS/ARE + SUBJECT + VERB+ING

Is she currently working in London?
What are you wearing today?
What are you doing now?
To express future plans and actions, we also use the Present Continuous:

Tomorrow, I am going to Rome. I am staying in a hotel from Monday to Wednesday.
I am travelling to Japan next month.
He is meeting the general manager on Friday at 2 PM.
They are giving a presentation to their clients tonight.

Examples of time expressions that correspond to the present continuous for the future:

Tomorrow
Next week/month/year
In June
At 12 PM

Do not forget to associate the time expressions with the verb tense.

Asking questions: AM/IS/ARE + SUBJECT + VERB+ING

Where are you going tomorrow?
Are you travelling to Japan next month on business?
Who is Tom meeting on Friday?
To express finished time and past actions, we use the Past Simple:

I went to New York last week.
She ate fish and chips for lunch yesterday.
They saw a movie last night.
I moved to Paris 18 years ago.

Examples of time expressions that correspond to the past simple:

Two days ago
On Monday
Last weekend/night/day/week
Yesterday morning/afternoon/evening

Again, associate the time expressions with the verb tense.

Asking questions: DID+SUBJECT+VERB

Did you go on holiday last month?
When did you go to the movies?
What did you do yesterday?

When do we use WILL?

We use WILL for predictions and future events. On the contrary, we use the present continuous for future plans and actions:

The meeting will be in Los Angeles from June 1 to June 3. (The meeting is a future event.)
I think I will go on vacation next month. (I did not make any plans yet. It is a prediction.)
I am going to Munich on Friday. (I bought my plane tickets and I made my hotel reservations. It is a future plan.)

If you have made plans for the future, use the present continuous to talk about a future plan or action.

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

Write a paragraph about your best friend. Explain what he/she does for a living (for work), present activities, past experiences and actions, and future plans. Practice using the verb tenses above to be operational in English and remember to use time expressions.

Best Practices: Describing Trends, Graphs, And Changes

In business and everyday English, you sometimes have to describe changes in trends (movement or tendency), graphs, and diagrams.

In the business context, you may have to describe trends in reports, meetings, and presentations. In everyday life, you could describe changes in any subject because things change all the time!

Describing changes and trends generally consists of three parts:

Use a verb (or an adjective and a noun) to describe movement
Describe the speed or size of the movement
Explain the reason or consequence of the change

You can also view it this way: Verb + Speed or Size + Result/Reason/Consequence

Example

In 2011, Samsung's profits increased considerably thanks to its successful Galaxy S series.

Part 1

Here are some verbs you can use to describe change and movement.

Upward Movement

To climb

To rise

To go up

To improve

To pick up

To recover

To increase

To reach a peak

Downward Movement

To fall

To decline

To bottom out

To decrease

To drop

To plummet

To deteriorate

To hit a low

To slip back

To go down

Horizontal Movement

To even out

To remain stable

To stabilize

Part 2

Here are some adjectives and adverbs you can use to describe the speed and size of change.

Speed of Change

Rapid - Rapidly

Slow - Slowly

Sudden - Suddenly

Sharp - Sharply

Steady - Steadily

Gradual - Gradually

Fast - Quickly

Size of Change

Noticeable - Noticeably

Substantial - Substantially

Considerable - Considerably

Slight - Slightly

Significant - Significantly

Dramatic - Dramatically

Negligible - Negligibly

Part 3

Here are some expressions you can use to express reason, consequence, and result:

As a result of
Due to
Because of
Was the reason for
Caused
Resulted in
Explains
Accounts for
That is why
Consequently
So
Thanks to

Time Expressions You Can Use

In January / In 2011
In Q1 / Q2 / Q3 / Q4 (In the first quarter / second quarter / third quarter / fourth quarter)
From January to March

Examples

Apple's sales increased significantly due to the launch of the iPhone 4.
[verb + adverb construction]

There was a significant increase in Apple's sales due to the launch of the iPhone 4.
[adjective + noun (word) construction]

Our turnover remained stable in January and February. However, in March and April, it dropped suddenly as a result of the financial crisis.
[verb + adverb construction]

In March and April, there was a sudden drop in our turnover as a result of the financial crisis.
[adjective + noun (word) construction]

The following video shows how to describe trends in a meeting and presentation context. Listen to the language and vocabulary the people use in the video.

Best Practices: Speak clearly and articulate to be comprehensible and confident

Speaking articulately and clearly helps people understand you. When you articulate, you are more comprehensible and confident when you speak.

During a meeting, conference call, or presentation, it is easy to feel nervous and tense. When you are nervous and tense, you can speak fast and lose people's attention and comprehension of important messages you want to communicate.

Here are five techniques to practice and use to help you speak clearly:

- Relax your mouth: Before you speak and during a conversation, move your tongue around your mouth and transform your mouth into a balloon. The idea is to create an "elastic" effect in your mouth so you can articulate and speak clearly. When you are stressed and tense,
your mouth is not elastic and it is difficult to move your mouth.

- Move your mouth and dance your tongue: When you move your mouth, you articulate. If you speak with a closed or tense mouth, your words stay in your mouth. Moreover, people may have difficulty understanding you.

When your tongue dances, your mouth moves and you articulate. If your tongue does not move, you do not articulate your words. Be sure your tongue moves when you speak.

- Speak comfortably and at a constant and comprehensible speed: Focus on each word as you speak and "measure" your speed as you speak. The goal is not to speak fast. The best speakers articulate and speak at a comfortable rhythm.

- Punch your words: Imagine you are Rocky and you practice boxing when you speak. Punch your words. Punching your words helps you articulate each word. Always concentrate on punching words that end in -S and -T. It is important to punch your -S and -T all the time when you speak.

- Breathe from your belly: When you are relaxed, you speak better. If you breathe from your chest and not your belly (abdomen), you could be tense and stressed. However, when you breathe from your belly, you can relax your chest and move your mouth better. Imagine your belly is a balloon and you fill your belly with air. Fill and empty your belly with air as a balloon. You could also put your hand against your belly and breathe against it.

If you are aware of your mouth, tongue, speed, rhythm, and breathing, you will speak more clearly and articulately.

Practice speaking clearly and articulate to capture people's attention and increase people's comprehension of your important ideas and messages!

Best Practices: Communicate Ideas That Influence, Inspire, And Motivate People

Have you ever listened to a person during a presentation or speech who inspired you? Or a speaker who influenced you and motivated you to change?

In Chip and Dan Heath's book, "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die," the writers talk about a strategy to communicate ideas and messages.

"Made to Stick" in this context means that an idea or message is "adhesive" and it remains or stays with you. The idea influences you, inspires you, and motivates you. To stick is to be adhesive, like glue.

What do ‘sticky ideas’ mean? According to the authors, it means that “your ideas are understood and remembered, and have a lasting (durable) impact — they change your audience’s opinions or behavior”.

The formula is in the acronym, SUCCES:

Simplicity: What is the essential message of the idea?

Unexpected: Does the idea get people’s attention?

Concrete: Is the idea clear and can it be easily remembered?

Credible: Will people believe the idea?

Emotional: Do people see the importance of the idea?

Story: Does the idea inspire and motivate people? You inspire people by giving examples and telling stories.

As Chip Heath says, "Effective ideas are simple." The formula emphasizes (stresses) that important point. Moreover, effective ideas make an emotional connection with people.

The strategy is simple and powerful; in addition, you can use it in any situation that necessitates influence, persuasion, and change. In business, it can be in E-mail, during meetings, negotiations, presentations, or conference calls. In our personal lives, it can be in relationships.

Here is a video with Dan Heath, who describes the meaning of SUCCES:

The bottom line is (the final result is) if you want people to use your ideas, you have to communicate your ideas effectively (persuasively, productively) and connect with people emotionally.

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

Have you ever had to communicate an idea to influence or persuade someone?
How did you do it? Were you successful?
How can you use this strategy in the future to communicate your ideas?

Best Practices: How to understand native speakers' questions in English

Native English speakers generally speak fast and eat their words. Moreover, they speak as if they have chewing gum in their mouth.

Here are some examples of words we contract in conversation when we speak too fast. You can hear these words in music, movies, and business meetings:

Gonna = going to
Wanna = want to
Lemme = let me
Gimme = give me
Donno = don't know
Gotta = must, have to

The challenge is to understand what native speakers say when they speak fast and eat their words.

In the video below, you will hear a short lesson on how to understand native speakers' questions in English.

Listen to how we contract specific words and form questions.

Source: engVid

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

When was the last time you heard people who spoke too fast in English?
How did you manage the situation?
What strategies or expressions did you use to help your comprehension?

Best Practices: Phrasal Verbs And Vocabulary To Know And Use

English vocabulary consists of many phrasal verbs. You can find them in conversation, business English, movies, songs, books, and virtually everywhere people communicate in English!

What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb consists of a verb and a prepositional particle. Typical phrasal verbs are to get up, sit down, deal with, and look forward to.

As the image shows above, fluent speakers use phrasal verbs. The challenge is that phrasal verbs can be literal in meaning or figurative in meaning. For example, "Look up at the sky" literally means to move your head up and look at the sky. However, "Look up the address of the restaurant in the phone book" figuratively means to search for and find (the address) in a reference book (phone book or dictionary).

Give up means to stop
making an effort or to
stop doing something.

In addition, phrasal verbs have different meanings that depend on the context. Always remember that meanings of phrasal verbs are contextual and they depend on the context.

In general, phrasal verbs follow specific grammar constructions:

You give up something (verb + ing). For example, I gave up smoking in 1995.
You give something up. For example, I gave it up in 1995.

You cannot say, "I gave up it in 1995."

Pronouns, such as YOU, HIM, HER, THEM, US, and IT go between the verb and the prepositional particle.

More examples:

I picked up my parents at the airport. I picked them up at the airport.
(I went to the airport to get or collect my parents.)
If a phrasal verb consists of two particles, such as look forward to, pronouns go after the last particle.

I am looking forward to my holiday. I am looking forward to it.
(I am anticipating and excited about my future holiday.)

Be careful, because there are many exceptions. For example, the phrasal verb deal with only has one particle, but pronouns go after with and not between deal and with.

I have to deal with customers who have bad attitudes. I have to deal with them.

Make up means to reconcile and to stop a dispute. It
also means to put makeup or cosmetics on your face.

Please click on the image below to see the 15 most useful phrasal verbs in the English language.

Click on the image to see it.

Click here to download a list of about 200 useful phrasal verbs with meanings and examples.

If you have difficulty downloading the documents:

Right-click on the document (cliquer à droite)
Choose "save as . . . " (choisir "enregistrer sous . . .")

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

Look at the image above and choose five phrasal verbs. Create a story with them.

Tell me your story by leaving a comment below or in a message by E-mail at kaufman.terry@gmail.com, if you like.

To learn how to leave a comment, please click for instructions in English or click for instructions in French. It is not necessary to have a Google account. After you type your comment, click on the menu, "Comment as" ("choisir une identité") and choose "Name" or "Anonymous".

Everyday Expressions To Know And Use

In English, as in different languages, there are expressions that we use regularly. The expressions are called "everyday" language and people use them very often.

Here is a list of everyday expressions that you can hear in music, movies, on TV series, and on the street:

Check out = “Look at” (You check something or someone out. That means that you look at something or someone.)

John checked out the car that was on the street.
Hey, Tom, check out the book I am reading at the moment.

Figure out = “Determine”, “Solve”, “Understand” (You figure something out.)

I cannot figure out how to use this machine.
Please help me figure out a solution.

Work out = “Determine”, “Solve”, “Understand” (Synonym of “Figure out”)

Deal with = “Manage” (You deal with something or someone.)

I can deal with my boss, but I sometimes have difficulty dealing with my customers.
If you have a problem, deal with it!

Obvious (Obviously) = “Clear”, “Evident”, “Clearly”

Whatever = “Never mind”, “I don't care”, “It does not matter” (In French = “qu’importe”)

A: I am leaving for the day and I do not know when I will be back (return).
B: Whatever!

“Have a good one!” = “Have a nice day!”, “Have a good day!” (Or if it is the evening, it could mean, “Have a good evening!”)

“Let me know” = To let someone know: To inform someone, To tell someone

Please let me know when you get back (return) from Los Angeles.

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

Can you think of examples to use these expressions in sentences?

Leave your example in a comment below or send me an example by E-mail at kaufman.terry@gmail.com, if you like.

To learn how to leave a comment, please click for instructions in English or click for instructions in French. It is not necessary to have a Google account. After you type your comment, click on the menu, "Comment as" ("choisir une identité") and choose "Name" or "Anonymous".

Giving and Understanding Directions

Giving and understanding directions are an important part of communicating. When we travel on holiday, help tourists on the street, or give directions to friends, simple words and phrases can help.

Asking For Your Way (Asking For Directions)

Excuse me, I am lost. How can I get to the train station / the art museum / the subway station?
Excuse me, I am lost. Where is the zoo / the opera house / the theater?
Excuse me. I need some help. Where is the closest (nearest) pharmacy / toilet / cafe / gas station / doctor?
Can you please tell me where the train station / the cinema / the subway station is?

Giving Directions

Go straight until you get to 8th street / the first light / the second street.

People also say: Go straight on First street, go (straight) down Second street, and go (straight) up Third street.

Turn right at 4th street (the first street on the right).

People also say: Take a right (at).

Turn left at 9th street (the first street on the left).

People also say: Take a left (at).

Please note:

1) A street is sometimes called a block. In American English, people often say block instead of street.

2) An intersection is a junction where streets or roads cross each other.

3) There are different words for the Underground or Tube (in London). For example, people say the Metro (in France) and the Subway (in the United States).

4) You get on or off a train, bus, boat, and plane. But you get in and out of a car.

5) To give a sense of direction, we say North, South, East, and West. In general, we also use N, S, E, and W with train lines, streets, and roads. For example, "Take the N line to Davis station."

Example Directions

To get to the train station, go straight until you get to the second light. Turn left and take a right at the first intersection.
To get to the National Museum, take the Tube at Victoria station. Go north to Baltimore station and get off there. Exit the station and go straight on James street. Turn right on Martin street and then take a left at Museum avenue. The museum will be the second building on the right.

LISTEN AND THINK IN ENGLISH

Here are two videos for you to watch that demonstrate how to give and ask for directions:

When was the last time you were lost and you asked for directions?
Where were you and where did you want to go?

Tell me by leaving a comment below or in a message by E-mail at kaufman.terry@gmail.com, if you like.

To learn how to leave a comment, please click for instructions in English or click for instructions in French. It is not necessary to have a Google account. After you type your comment, click on the menu, "Comment as" ("choisir une identité") and choose "Name" or "Anonymous".

Best Practices: 10 Important Expressions For E-mail And Letters

Here is a list of ten important expressions for E-mail and letters:

Following our meeting / our telephone conversation / your message dated February 1, . . .
With reference to our meeting / our telephone conversation / your message dated June 8, . . .
I am writing to confirm / ask about / inform you / complain about . . .
I am sorry about (informal) | I apologize for (formal) the delay / the problems / the inconvenience / sending you the wrong documents / forgetting our meeting (verb + ing)
I would like to (re)schedule our lunch, our meeting / postpone our meeting (until) / plan dinner, our meeting / make an appointment with you on Wednesday, February 1 at 3 PM / cancel our lunch, our meeting
I would appreciate it if you could send me the information as soon as possible. I would be grateful if you could contact Mr. Smith and ask him about the meeting. Could you please forward me the meeting agenda?
Please find attached the information you requested / the meeting schedule / my document. (For E-mail only) | Please find enclosed a check for 200 euros. (For letters only)
Please find below the meeting agenda / my address:
Thank you (very much) for your time / your help / your cooperation / your understanding / your phone call / your message / sending me the information / taking time to meet me (verb + ing)

Please note that in English we thank someone AFTER an action, not before. If you want to ask someone to do something, you can say: PLEASE do something or COULD YOU PLEASE do something.

Please let me know about the meeting / when you receive my message / if we can meet on Tuesday / what you think. | I look forward to hearing from you / seeing you / meeting you / having lunch with you / receiving your documents (verb + ing)

PRACTICE AND THINK IN ENGLISH

What are the expressions you typically use in your E-mail and letters?
How many more expressions can you add to the list above?