Speech Tips
English Communication Skill: “Getting to know you” Venues that Work
English Communication Skill: “Getting to know you” Venues that Work.
Want connection with another person? Wonderful is getting to know a new person. It’s especially true if an encounter gave you intuition that you and this person would bond and might have lots in common.
Here are tips for first time getting together with a potential friend. someone you met in class, a work event, through a friend, or it’s a date.
These destinations encourage conversation.
Museums: Open spaces like art museums give opportunity to walk around in a beautiful setting while getting to know each other. Think broad for museiums: science, history, transportation. Chances are a small, quirky niche cultural attraction is in your area.
Restaurants: Choose a relaxed place where you can hear each other. If new, check it out in advance. Discuss with the other person for kind of restaurant, such as vegetarian, gluten free, casual burgers.
Open air venue: Great for conversation is a relaxed walk through the city, local park, outdoor festival, flea market, or farmers market.
Used books or music store: Used paperback books, old vinyl records, discounted CDs spark conversation about shared interests, likes, dislikes. Choose a place with a coffee shop or restaurant nearby to extend conversation afterwards.
Outdoor adventures: If both are nature-lovers, a hike , bike ride or trip to a lake makes a great get together with opportunity to talk casually.
One word of warning– classic choice for first get together is the movies. But the cinema is difficult for getting to know someone since you are sitting in silence through a two-hour show.
Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercises.
Get “s” and “z” for Grammar “s”
Surprising but true, along with “r” and “l” pronunciation, “s” is most difficult for native-born children in North America. It’s critical for grammar for plurals, subject- verb agreement (“I sit” but “she sits”) and for possessive (“The house belongs to Sam” and “Sam’s house.”
Added to the pronunciation difficulty is that “Grammar s” is always written as an “s” letter, but has rules for when you pronounce an “s” with no voice or an “s” with a voice (which is the “z”) sound.
In general, the speech pathology and science field has much evidence that vocal strengthening tasks can affect speech production.
In particular, over the last month, I have been adding this exercise to daily practice for students enrolled in the coached course (see Services) — Do vocal strengthening for the “s” and “z” 3 times a day. Do this: “Take a deep breath and say “sssss” for as long as you can. And, take a deep breath and say “zzzz” for as long as you can.
The outcome has been noticeably strong “Grammar s” and other “s” and “s” with a voice and “z” pronunciation for all direct practice tasks (reading) and presentation and conversation tasks.
Try it, you’ll like the results!
How to Approach People Confidently
How to Approach People Confidently
Confidently approaching people is a professional skill that can serve anyone in any kind of work.
It’s not geting people to talk or confronting people in the hallway or elevator.
It’s the ability to open the door to conversation with people around you now.
Develop the skill of confidently approaching people and find that people are much more available than your imaginings. It’s as simple as a smile, a hellor, or simple comment.
English Communication Skill: Encourage Conversation- The Road to Rapport
English Communication Skill: Encourage Conversation- The Road to Rapport
Relationship is the heart of social and work life. Communication is the heart of relationship and rapport. What’s the cardinal characteristic that encourages others to feel comfortable and converse? Observation.
Look around and notice what surrounds another person– say a picture of an ocean setting– and start a conversation. When stumbling on a topic of importance to the other person, pursue it and reveal something about the self. Revelations. experiences, viewpoints, and desires give other persons something they can respond to. Conversation blossoms.
The best communicators listen and get to know others. In the work place, that is how to get to know how to meet colleagues needs which is part of the give-and-take of organizations.
Go out of the way to make people feel comfortable. The CEO of Child Readiness Foundation on holidays wears his tie with little children on it– eye-catching and fun. People know he’s approachable and gives them something to talk about.
Women can invite conversation with fun, unusual pins, earrings, or bright scarf. When we see someone with something unusual or fun, we know they are inviting conversation and it’s okay to comment.
Conversational T-shirts are ice-breakers We wear our opinions, ideas, and commitments across our chests. We get them as gifts or as “part of the event.” In either case, they give others something to talk about. Get these wearable ice=breakers from art museums, music venues, amusement and national parks.
Coming out of two years of Covid pandemic, all the sweeter is the encouraging and making of conversation, especially when the techniques are so easy.
Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercises.
Key to Networking- Conversation
Key to Networking – Conversation
Hiding in plain sight! Networking takes place during conversation– on airplanes, on elevators, in grocery store lines, at sporting events, conferences, and workshops.
Wherever people are, conversation is possible.
Opportunity happens because some person takes the initiative to reach out, make contact, and generate an interaction.
Opportunities are endless. What gets in the way? People have a comfort zone that gets in the way of making contact and relationships with other people. Level-up 2022- seize the opportunity!
