Hire an Immigrant

Here is an excellent resource for immigrants who are job-hunting and also for companies, large or small, who want to take advantage of overseas training but are not quite familiar how to do it professionally. This website has excellent free training videos, with actors going over scenarios on the resume, interview and hiring process. The […]

Develop HR, Management and Entrepreneur Skills

As a member of HRPA (Human Resources Professionals Association – http://www.hrpa.ca/hrpa ) I receive regular emails and mailings with information about new services, service providers and detailed Human Resource articles. Here is something that looks interesting and apparently is free. http://www.essentialskillsthatwork.com I am not affiliated with them – I just thought I would pass on […]

GG Ate Some Seal – So What??? Connect with Cultures

There has been a lot of talk about Canadian Governor-General Michaelle Jean partaking of some seal’s heart on her trip to the North Inuit culture. Some people feel that she is great, for honoring the unique and important Inuit culture. Others think it is animal cruelty, or that this act is clearly not an accident, […]

Comparing Communication and English Conversations Skills

What are the English Language Conversation Skills? English Language Conversation Skills include language abilities, conversation skills, social skills, culture knowledge and non-verbal communication skills. Non-verbal communication skills are classified as posture, body movements, gestures, facial expressions, proximity and eye contact. In English speaking countries the non-verbal messages can represent from 50-93% of the meaning. Social […]

Idioms from Snow

Well it is the season for this topic, at least here in Canada and the northern U.S. (I have modified these from http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/snow) To be (as) pure as the driven snow: Pure and chaste (Often used ironically.) E.g. Jill: Sue must have gone to bed with every man in town. Jane: And I always thought […]

Are You Over-Sharing Personal Info at Work?

Today I was asked to give an interview for Sarah Boesveld, a newspaper reporter with The Globe and Mail’s Life section. She wanted to write an article about over-sharing in the workplace – that is, people offering a little bit too much personal information and how that can affect working performance and working relationships. Great […]

To Sing or Not to Sing O Canada at School

Hi folks, This is a great cultural question: Should this country’s national anthem, O Canada, be sung each morning at school, or just once in a while at school ceremonies? Here is an article: N.B. parents force school to reinstate O Canada, call for others to follow By Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press Susan Boyd […]

Who Cares That GSP Has an Accent?

Hey everyone, I know this post is not really communication-related, except if you consider that GSP (Georges St.-Pierre) has a thick French-Canadian accent, but I just HAD to write a quick WOO-HOO and congratulations to our home-grown UFC champion (MMA – Mixed Martial Arts) Georges “Rush’ St.-Pierre on defending his title against BJ ‘the Prodigy’ […]

Swimming Idioms Part 1

(from http://www.business-english.com/swimmingidioms/menu.php with some modifications) If you are ‘out of your depth’, you don’t have the necessary knowledge, experience or skill to deal with a particular situation or subject. In North America, a common replacement is ‘out of your league’, as in major league baseball. • When she started talking about quantum physics, I felt […]

Swimming Idioms Part 2

If you ‘make a splash’, you get a lot of public attention. • We need to make a splash by holding a cocktail party for journalists. • She made quite a splash when she wore such a small dress to the film premiere. If a noise is ‘drowned out’, you cannot hear it because of […]