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 […]

Saying the Oath of Office Again

Dear Mr. President (if he really were listening…), Don’t worry about having to take the oath again. Even though both of you were understandably nervous during the inauguration, it was not your fault. If the other guy would have simply spoken 3-4 words only at a time, and waited for you to repeat them, then […]

Obama’s Speech and the Use of Threes

Like many of you, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Barack Obama give yet another powerful and persuasive speech today at his inauguration for presidency. He motivates, inspires and gives hope by using creative speech, story-telling devices and references to great people of the past. He also creates a vision in our heads of what a better […]

What’s wrong with these sentences?

Bushisms: U.S. leader sets standard for mangled phrases during presidency By The Associated Press President George W. Bush will leave behind a legacy of Bushisms, the label stamped on the U.S. leaders original speaking style. Some of the president’s more notable malapropisms and mangled statements: -“I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.” […]

Try these Tongue-twisters

Tongue twisters are a great way to practice not only correct pronunciation, but delivery as well. I want you to first read these sentences slowly and with care to pronounce them correctly. Then read them a second time at medium ‘normal’ delivery speed. Finally, read them as fast as you can, trying to maintain clarity […]

Communication Workshop NOV 22 for Immigrants

BRASI Presents: BrasiMPACT: Communication Skills Refinement; Impact & Influence Focusing on quickly building interpersonal communication skills and public speaking improvement, with a segment on accent reduction. Geared towards professional immigrants who need to deal with clients, suppliers, managers etc. Ric Phillips, Communication Coach, will provide the small-group training. Saturday, November 22 2008 9am-3pm North York […]

The Complexity and Power of Words

The interesting thing about words is that they have different meanings to different people, even when using the same language, due to the way we process, filter and finally understand information. What does a word mean to you? Does it mean the exact same thing to every member of your family, community, country or language […]

Foreign Accent Syndrome?

Hello, I saw this news clip today online, and was so amazed by it, I thought I would pass it on to you. It’s about people who suffer some sort of brain trauma, and when they recover, they speak in a new voice – usually with what seems to be a recognizable regional accent like […]

Use ‘Chunking’ to Help Speak Clearer

Hello everyone, Whether you have a ‘thick’ accent or whether you are speaking to someone who has it, there is something you can do to assist the clarity of the conversation. Break up your sentences into smaller chunks, or phrases. Many people wrongfully assume that when you can speak English fast, it is a sign […]