How to Introduce a Speaker and How to Be Introduced

(Communication Strategies from David Greenberg’s Simply Speaking, Inc.® ‘Forget Your Title, We’re All in Sales!’® http://www.davidgreenberg.com) Topic: How to Introduce a Speaker and How to Be Introduced The speaker introduction is an often overlooked, but vitally important part of setting the stage for a successful presentation. When you accept an invitation to speak it is […]

English Idiom Ebook, If You Like

Hello my friends, Someone emailed me and asked where I got the “Dead Idioms” from (previous post). I sell a downloadable ebook called “Everyday English Idioms”, and that is where they came from.  I would be happy if you wish to purchase this ebook. Click here to see it, preview a few pages, and then […]

Dead Idioms?

Hello all, Using idioms (expressions) that are up to date and appropriate will help you fit in better in conversations and allow you to understand more discussions in everyday situations. Using an old ‘dead’ idiom can make you sound a bit foolish, or out of touch. Here are a few idioms that use the word […]

ESL Resources? Please go here

Hello, As a Communication Coach I work with many different people from many different walks of life, and I have the pleasure here in Toronto of coaching hard-working immigrants who struggle with ESL (English as a Second Language) and English fluency. I just want to remind any of you out there that I have two […]

Repeat Key Phrases to Help Accent

One of the things to remember when you are looking to speak English better, is that English is just one part of language, and language is just one part of communication. A quick way to build rapport with your listener is to take a technique from NLP and mimic or reflect back their favourite words […]

Content Stress is Best

As a general rule, ▪ Stressed words in a sentence are considered content words. These include nouns (e.g. kitchen, Peter), (most) main verbs (e.g. visit, construct), adjectives (e.g. beautiful, interesting), and adverbs (e.g. often, carefully). ▪ Non-stressed words are considered function words. These include determiners (e.g.: the, a, an), auxiliary verbs (e.g.: is, am, were), […]

Assist Your Listener

Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a great summer and not working too hard. Today I would like to remind you of something I am often repeating in training – assist your listener. Sometimes we can get caught up in our own speaking that we neglect the listener. We may be speaking too […]

Mind Your Ps and Qs!

This is an idiom that at first, seems a bit strange, even to a native English speaker. Why Ps and Qs? What exactly does it mean? Well, it means to “be careful” or “be respectful (i.e. to elders)” or simply it serves as a reminder to young ones to be polite and on their best […]

FYI – In Japan

Do you know this shorthand? FYI? It means “For Your Information.” It’s a great way to save time and space in text mail and email. We even can use it in actual speech! E.g. “John, I’ll see you at 6pm for dinner, and FYI, it’s your turn to pick up the tab!”  (Pay the bill). […]

Simplify Your English ok?

Today’s mini-lesson is simple. Be simpler. Is simple a bad thing? No. (See? A simple answer!) As a communication and career coach I have seen resumes and cover letters that are too ‘wordy’ and absolutely unclear. This little advice is not just for resumes and CVs, it is also for presentations, speeches, meetings, etc. or […]