Speakwell

Whether we like it or not, we have to admit that there’s no denying the importance of English. Everywhere we go applying for higher positions we are judged on the way we speak and how we market our worth. Sometimes we Struggle interacting with our bosses and customers alike as it’s difficult to express our ideas and convey our thoughts. And as we watch for cues we see subtle discrimination at work. English started spreading around the world with the growth of the British Empire it’s now the lingua franca of the world. Some say mandarin will take over English however that possibility seems scant since we already have an established language worldwide. Any company however small; needs customer support these days. Countries that have English as their second or third language are outsourced cutting out on high pays and unnecessary benefits. This facilitates an individual’s journey in encompassing greater heights when you can speak English fluently. Learning English, therefore, encourages an individual who can foresee growth as an integral factor to their career. Locals learn and improve their spoken English in order to stay abreast in the competitive jobs market. Tech Support and Back office have become an integral part of the industry. Interaction with individuals is necessary in this age of information. Where everything is exchanged in English. Thus to thrive and grow in any industry it is now necessary to know the language. The world is getting smaller and its cheaper to travel now .Your promotion or your current status in the company may call for a trip out of your native land and if you do not know English you have to be ready to face a language challenge. We travelling right after alighting, all through the taxi counter to the hotel and to other places you wish to see, we need English to communicate. You May Also Like: 8 Common Errors While Introducing Yourself. Using English as a tool for Promotion Take charge of your career, and as you are motivated to learn and develop new skills it is important to progress to higher avenues at your workplace. Working hard and showing you can take some extra responsibility seems like promotion is consequently the next step. It’s difficult to carry out a conversation asking for a promotion if you don’t know English. Start with keeping a slot in the week that is free of any meetings with your employer. Make sure you both are available at the same time. Do your research. Look up the internet to check how to communicate, what to look forward to and how to benchmark your salary at par with the market. Your manager is sure to appreciate your enthusiasm. However also make sure you come to the chair with your achievements and accolades you got at work. Here you need to talk and convince as well as market your worth. Negotiating Receiving a promotion means getting a higher pay check. Research before negotiating know your worth, you may many times find yourself undermined when it comes to your real worth. Look at what different companies have to offer in similar positions .Tell them about your additional skills to leverage your value. Overall stay focused on what you intend to achieve, English may not be the only way out. It is just another skill set. But it adds weight to get you promoted. Language is the key to unlock your potential that already exists in You.

Corporate Jargons or Corporate lingos or management speak are usually used in workplaces or bureaucracies it is usually traded as being a farce or obscure in meaning. These jargons are inserted in places when one tries to impress an audience normally in the news, media or mainly in advertisements. Moving forward: is getting things done or accomplish something because of progress made. Getting over a project and entering into a new domain or project or going forth incurs the term moving forward. Ex: The CEO expects a change in streamlining information MOVING FORWARD. FaceTime:Time spent with an individual or customer on a video call or at a formal meeting on hangouts, Duo or Skype, Rather than online chat or a telephonic conversation Ex: Some Companies believe FaceTime to be more honest than telephonic conversations. Hard Copy: Is a physical print out or a printed version on paper also copy means something touchable, physical as opposed to A soft copy means a data or information which can be stored on any kind of digital means. Ex: I expect a hardcopy for handout purposes. Whitewater change: An unpredictable market. Its Literal meaning is ‘frothy water’ as in rapids or waterfalls. There is a need to keep our options open in today’s fast paced market as the scenario is prone to rapid and unpredictable changes. We rarely see the depth of a situation if we see froth or a layer of white water on the surface. Ex: We need a plan B and C in our project as we are susceptible to White Water Changes. Circle back: Means talk to you or about the said topic of discussion later. Sometimes there is an unnecessary discussion that hlas far or no relation to the said topic in such situations we say I’ll circle back to you. Ex: That seems to be a far-fetched idea; however we will keep that option in the loop and we’ll circle back to you about it. Ball Park Figure: Approximate or tentative numbers given during an estimate. Usually used by accountants or salesmen. It also could be an average figure that seems to be concluded. You May Also Like: 8 Common Errors While Introducing Yourself. Ex: The Holiday packages we may sell this month may amount to Ball Park of 700,000 What were the key learnings here: what have we derived from the discussion is what is meant in the phrase. Ex: I hope we have understood the strategy and what are the learnings here? The idea won’t scale: The idea is too vague, obscure, adventurous or far-fetched and that makes it unsalable i.e. which cannot help us climb higher. Ex: Selling our product Door to Door sounds like the idea won’t scale. Leverage: Step up in our efforts, ideas, production or profits Ex: We need to Leverage the Economics of our country. Kudos: Congratulations Ex: Kudos to your team effort in achieving your Targets.

Social media starts right from Web sites like Google, Yahoo, and Bing etc. it boils down to many little sub divisions like blogs, social media platforms, videos ,twitter ,Instagram ,texting , calling sites, etc.The internet has transformed the way we see our planet .Its made the world come closer wherever you are. The food we eat, we holiday, selfies, occasions and festivals are everywhere for the world to see.The significant shift from a physical based interaction to a written form of communication based on technology has increased the importance of English.WhatsApp, twitter, dating sites all have a lot of texting in common, therefore it is but obvious we need to communicate flawlessly to exchange our thoughts and ideas. The speed of communication is instant and we have to bridge the gap between our thoughts and letters seamlessly.Newer words are created on the internet every day. Even though we see a sharp deterioration in the course of communication. The common way to ‘lazy write’ these days are BTW (by the way), TTYL (talk to you later) c u (see you), LOL (Laugh out loud) are acronyms or monosyllables used to convey and it side tracks the traditional norms of English. You May Also Like: Importance of Using Proper Pronunciation.Language seems to ever evolve, ever since the time books were the only source of entertainment in the early centuries. Language effects communication. It’s the proper use of language that demands etiquette, poise and flair that make us compatible on Social media. Most times a misconstruction of a sentence or statement may bring disharmony or create a strong sense of unity either way Social media is a Powerful and Complex Medium to our society today.You tube, movies streaming on Netflix, music today all have subtitles in English. The lip syncs with the subtitles can be read to improve English.Communities are a great way of interacting and communicating with likeminded people. There is a constant exchange of ideas and resources. You can also create a page of your own. Sharing important tips and articles that benefit everyone can help in bettering your English.Connecting with individuals from other countries who are native to English too can help you improve your diction and grammar. We however come across a lot of grammar slangs each country has a different slang codice. Posting your thoughts on Facebook, or your status on Instagram or captioning your snapchat pictures and videos are ways to help improve your skills in learning the language.The new Geek Speak on social media does help, intent and passion to learn the language to expose yourself to these platforms can create a massive upward curvature in your language graph.Nowadays social media has a new branch. Here we are talking about education and the way it has made its mark through Learning and sharing, it also helps in collaborating concise information and delivering the deal. Learning English as a language has maximum exposure on social media platforms. It not only helps students learn but also teachers in improving what they already know.The access to Social Media is limitless the more you are passionate about learning the extra mile you go. A magical session in learning the language nor a grammatical wand can metamorphose you to a genius, at the end of the day it’s your sheer ‘will’ that works alongside hard work .The world is at your fingertips on social media.

Surely, writing is a gloriously magical art!!! Readers experience amazing, spontaneous emotions. An author can take his readers to heights of ecstasy, scare them out of their wits and make them hold their sides in laughter. While reading, you are transported to places beyond your imagination. Making such effects possible is a masterstroke! Some books are absolutely amazing. The manner in which the story is told is spellbinding. You want to keep reading more, you can actually visualize it. Key skills are used to make writing effectively picturesque. The language is cleverly used with interesting vocabulary, lucidity and clarity of thought and expression Together with the style of writing, Figures of Speech are used. They are a distinctive method of giving visual effects to readers. A Figure of Speech is different from the ordinary form of expression or ideas in order to produce a greater effect. You May Also Like: 5 Fantastic Tips to Develop Your Impromptu Speaking Skills A Simile is a figure of speech in which two things that are not obviously like each other are compared to make the description more vivid. A Simile is introduced by such words as ‘like, as or so’. Some common Similes, to make your written words amusingly alive are – As clear as crystal, good as gold, old as the hills, as proud as a peacock, cool as a cucumber, bold as brass. Introducing them in descriptive narratives as —A small strawberry villa, like some exotic fruit lying in the greenery. The cypress trees moving gently in the breeze, as if they were painting the sky. Raindrops fell like sparkling diamonds in the yellow sunshine. The season was cold, the frosted clumps of tall grass, like spiral nebulae. Like an old ogre confronting the darling princess. These Similes make you think of the object it describes in an original way, bringing the object more clearly in your mind. Similes can be very effective aids in your imaginative writing; however, if a Simile is used too often it tends to lose its effect. Overused words or phrases are known as clichés and relying on them too much, is a sign of lazy writing. Think up new comparisons and use them sparingly to create interest. Describing things effectively is an important way to involve your readers. Make your descriptions convincing and clear by focusing on specific details of the person or place you are describing. What you are describing should appeal to the different senses. Visualizing, hearing, sound, smell, movement, organic and emotion. Obviously you cannot include references to all senses at one time. Most importantly, good descriptive writing depends on choosing exactly the right word to communicate what is in your mind. It is better to present your description in a dynamic way through an effective choice of verbs and adverbs. Develop your description using the senses prudently. Let your words paint a picture in the minds of the readers, to remain deeply etched in their memories. Your words will become a Visual Art, which the readers will color with their perspectives and it will bring out the real artist within you!

Power point presentations should ideally be packed with Power and the right attitude. Visualization plays a very important role in preparing your slides, we should know what we intend to say. Doing the same will help us in building a bridge between our flow of thoughts and the ideas we have sketched. Keep the presentation simple and lucid. Keeping it simple helps in ensuring the motive is not left behind amongst all the rush of expensive, intricate and alluring language. Communication is the direction to getting things done. Keep your words simple, the simpler you explain the more effective your impression. Mastery comes not in language but in proper usage of words that empower the overall process of understanding. Synchronize your words with the screen you display. We usually kill the Power of the presentation by delivering too much text and excessive information. ‘Too of something is bad enough’ so goes the saying. We tend to impress by providing excess and flamboyant explanation to matters unconcerned, this dims our credibility and creates an atmosphere of inertia towards our success. Which is in turn triggers a loss to our company and reputation as an organization. An appropriate demonstration not only includes proper communication but also effective presentation. Here are some points that can help in conveying your ideas with lucidity and creativity. Use a story telling technique .Grandmothers and parents have for hundreds of years tucked their children to sleep with little stories that sometimes made sense and other times didn’t. The idea here is to capture the minds of the attendees into a flow so that they not only feel comforted but also desire to hear more of what you say. Choose a character to your story who will likely be keying in ideas on your behalf. Ex. Sam is the consumer and he is going through an ordeal in his life for which your company has the solution. We take Sam through the circumstances showing data, providing information and ultimately coming to a solution for his problems. There is a empathetic chord with the imaginary character that keeps the audience in loop thus a connection both emotional and intelligent to the human psyche. Voice Modulation and intonation in your voice should go a long way in expression. A flat tone will only lull the audience to sleep. Inflection in the volume of your voice is an indicator of your own enthusiasm and energy levels about the subject you deliver while you reach an audience. Use Quotes from characters who are symbols of great power, strength and nobility, they have often been an inspiration to millions of people. Using their quotes ensures you are well read and know the right things to be encoded in the right spaces. Have the right body language. Let your body sync with your words. Have an erect posture displaying confidence. Avoid covering the PPT at any point of time. Use your hands for gestures when necessary. You May Also Like: 10 English Phrases That Can Impress Your Boss Thus PowerPoint is a creative tool in helping us achieve our goals with correct logic and emotion applied. Avoid reading from the slides as it leads to monotony. Elicit the points as required. These simple tips will help you present your message effectively.

Power Point Preparation is the key to your Presentation. It helps fill the abyss between your ideas and the audience. Using Power point built-in-clipart especially the 2003 version is a crass decision, as it is extremely commonplace. Anything after 2007 will do. Brainstorm a Theme for your presentation. Anything that has a theme co-ordinates with the flow of the presentation. Icons are a great choice for presentations. We can level up using them to create a better visual effect. Choose fonts carefully. We need to combine 2-3 different font sizes and theme fonts. This helps break the monotony of the screen. Go BIG on the fonts. No one wants to see a crammed document full of letters. Get the Key Words OUT to be Bold thus you define the important words to the audience to emphasize your points. Use ART. Ex. use ‘UNSPLASH’ for beautiful Images, a visually pleasant picture will keep the onlookers waiting and hooked for more. Also remember to add a Proper Perspective to these images. Make use of White spaces, overlay Text on Images Do make use of the great gift of internet for preparing the presentation and making it more effective. Couple of little tweaks can dramatically improve your contentand you can tailor make your presentation with great ease and ability. Use clipart that is freely available. Our imagination has grown from picture associated words in our forming years to our present state of mind, therefore it is but understandable for our mind to relate to pictures rather than heavy data and texts. Images are easier to instill thoughts than words in an audience that can connect with images. Play with colors. Colors allure our eyes. When we were kids, comics appeased us as they were picturesque and colorful. Bring out the child in you. Use humor, empathize with your audience and help them release the discomfort of being and looking really official. Connection is everything, it helps people relax and keep an open mind towards the assimilation of your ideas. We need to get the people in sync with explanation and diagrams can be kept to the bare minimum. Always keep your data handy and hidden from the public eye and keeping some tricks up your sleeve which will help you when questions arise. Accountability can instill confidence in the listeners and therefore we win a listening ear or at the least an apt audience. Use only what is relevant. When we use and follow the old adages of charts, pie designs, bullets, tables and graphs the presentation sometimes gets confusing and boring. Its monotony diminishes the crux of the matter. Less is more. Much Information can cause an overload on the minds of individuals. It is thus not appropriate to keep feeding information but it is the connection during the power point presentation you make that matters. You May Also Like: Learn English And Get The Promotion You Deserve So, friends there were few tips to help you prepare a PPT for your next presentation.

Adverbs An adverb is a word that modifies a verb or an adjective. The most common types of adverbs describe when, how, where, and why an action happens. Adverbs are sometimes used to intensify an action, or they may describe the circumstances in which an action takes place. Following are examples of Time, place, manner, Degree or Quantity, Frequency, Affirmation and Negation, comment, reason, number. Manner Adverb of manner is of how something is done or happens in the sentence ex .beautifully, slowly, terribly however, some are simple like fast, well, hard, etc. I hopped to school cheerfully. She ran fast. Time Adverbs of time are like normally, seldom, immediately, always, last month, soon, never, sometimes Sam always comes first. She hasn’t done it yet. Place Adverb tells us about the place where something is done or happens in the sentence. It is generally after the verb, object or end of the sentence. Adverbs of place are like Up, down, around, away, north, southwest She climbed up the stairs. The dog was eating under the table. Degree or Quantity Adverb of degree or extent or quantity in an adverb in the sentence. It is used before the adjective or adverb. Adverbs of degree or quantity are all, lots of, many, none, numerous .several, some, few. Adverb is used before adjective She was too short for an airhostess. I am quite shy. You May Also Like: How to Effectively Use Punctuation to Enhance Your English Language Skills? Frequency Adverb of frequency is an adverb which tells us how often in the sentence Ex. always, never, seldom, often, usually, sometimes His clothes were almost wet due to the rain. Mary always works hard. Reason Adverb of reason is used to express the reason for, Ex, as, because, therefore, since I was happy because I passed. Consequently he could not attend the party. These were the different types of adverbs. Do use them in your conversations. Happy learning!  

It is a common practice to introduce ourselves at any given occasion or event. It is usually acts like an ice breaker that helps connecting individuals. These situations may arise anywhere between a party, a business meeting or a formal interview. Proper description of self is of great importance to make a or break your image. There are a host of common errors that we make unknowingly that rub in the wrong way with the prospect. You May Also Interested In: 9 Time Idioms For You To Enhance Your English Conversation. Lets study a couple of errors that keep us from distorting our first impression. ‘Myself name is…..’ a very common phrase that a non-English speaker would usually resort to as they would translate its literal meaning from their own language. ‘My my father name is, brother name is….’ Nobody is actually interested in knowing the names of one’s family members, we just need you to talk about our self. However we can always mention the number of people that our family consists of. A sentence in English sentence would usually have an object stated at the end of the sentence whereas an Indian native speaker would keep the verb at the end of the sentence even whilst speaking English. Indians tend to Over use words such as Actually, Basically, Only, Very, etc. These are common words which have unnecessary insertions in our sentences. Ex. there are three members only in my family. Or Basically I work at Infinity Mall. Or Actually my father is a businessman or I am very interested in playing cricket. -Ings are familiar sightings in our speech. I am putting all my effort in my work now. I am having or holding a degree in the science stream. We are having a house also having a big garden and having 2 dogs .Having is usually consumption or possession. We have 2 cars, a house and a big garden. ’I am telling my mother I will become a big man’ is also an incorrect way to convey. Big man may mean by size instead use ‘Successful’. As we speak to the interviewer or host we refer a person as Mr. Salman and which is incorrect, we have to refer to the person as Mr. Khan using their last name instead of their first. Getting excited on the first meeting in business is a sign of being an over-enthusiast that may overwhelm the onlooker. Giving them information about your personal details are a big no-no. One however would be interested in your strengths, your achievements and your accolades in business. The person would not be really interested in knowing about your family member’s achievements or how you met your spouse. Extra sugar in your coffee spoils the flavor of the beans. So is the situation in the introduction. The need to have a sense of confidence in yourself has to be instilled in the prospect. Over selling oneself or boasting about oneself will only spoil the situation. It can only signal that you are in need and are playing around by resorting to a sweet tongue instead of projecting strength in your content of self. You May Also Like: Learning English is an Absolute Must for Survival in Today’s World. Thus we need to create an atmosphere of confidence and balance it with power and impact to ensure that we are heard and understood.

Puns intended! Puns are fun words or phrases used to add humor and intrigue to creative writing. With persistence and luck you might get a fun pun ready to make readers go into stitches of laughter. A touch here, a word there and a line added to the write up makes the reading humorous, interesting, perplexing — you know you’ve been outwitted and punned at. A man who wants a pretty nurse, must be patient. I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest! When you come across an antique shop with a sign,’ Den of Antiquity’, – you’re being got at with a Pun. A Pun is simply, a witty line on word meaning, and the practice of punning can become addictive. A Pun should be greeted with a groan: the better the Pun the louder the groan and laughter following it. Some puns will make you shake your heads in disbelief. Here are some to make a groan man cry. Two antennas met on a roof and got married, the wedding was ok, but the reception was incredible. Sleeping comes so naturally to me, I could do it with my eyes closed. Not to mention this cliff hanger, a Prize winner – ‘Dawn crept slowly over the sparkling emerald expanse of the country golf course, trying in vain to remember where she had dropped her car keys. Punning is a gloriously ancient art and Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift were all masters. Punning has nowadays reached new heights of sophistication with knock – knock jokes and interrogative Puns as riddles…. Who’s there? Not me…. What did one wall say to the other? We’ll meet at the next corner! He was late and hardly had time to be on time for work. So he drove like the devil was at his tail. For sure, a man who drives like hell, is bound to get there. It is better to be late, than be the late Mr. So-n-so. This little tale is full of quirky Puns and an idiom. Idiomatic speech helps to make the language colorful as well as make it smart and sharp. Idioms are expressions peculiar to a language, and must be learnt as a whole sentence to understand them properly. The metaphor enters largely into idiomatic phrases. In fact we speak idiomatically in our everyday lives. You May Also Like: 5 Tips On How To Present Your Visual Presentation “There is no love lost between them” “Hard work is sure to be rewarded in the long run” And when someone is too sweet, without any reason,” I suspect he has an axe to grind.” On the other hand, when someone is kind and sympathetic we would say, “He has his heart in the right place”, and a person being favored by fortune or popularity, “His star is in the ascendant.” Irony is a tongue in cheek humor or criticism. It is a mode of speech in which the real meaning is exactly opposite of that conveyed. When someone is habitually late, the disapproving statement would be, “Think you are a bit early, aren’t you? “Couldn’t you come later than this?” Sarcasm associated with irony. Irony can be funny too. Make a silly statement and you will be reciprocated with a silly, ironical answer. At a beach party, “Are we just going to look at the sea?” A naïve observance. “No, we will jump into the sea and enjoy the party!” An ironical reprove. Hyperbole is an exaggeration, an overstatement. Poetry and prose both become picturesque and often amusing when Hyperbole is used. The playground was crowded with thousands of children on Sunday. The froth in the sea seemed like icing on a cake. She looked so ethereal, so beautiful, so divine in her sparkling robes, as though a celestial being had descended from her heavenly abode. We were all awed. To add to this fun, we have Conundrums. They are riddles that turn on puns. ‘I the woman is always right, and a man is always wrong! Then, if a man tells a woman that she is right. Is the man right or wrong?’ that was funny! Reading literature of this class will always keep you laughing, as with Winston Churchill, P.G. Wodehouse, guessing with Agatha Christie; Stephen Leacock at his hilarious essays and many other prolific great writers who have lead us into the wondrous land of laughter and happiness. It is only fair to conclude with a salute to the master of Puns and Puzzles, Lewis Carroll, the creator of the classic, Alice in Wonderland. He has gifted Punland to English Literature!

A very important part of your life is good manners. Etiquette is required, not only for social appeasement but for yourself. To respect yourself. To be a gentle well bred person, to be happy and at peace with yourself, you must use simple auxiliaries and modals in your day to day life. Requests are simply cordial questions. A request is to ask, solicit or beseech to someone for something you require. There is a perceptible difference between requests and permission. Permission is to take one’s consent. It is a formal action, whereas a request is a gentle and casual way to ask. A request can be asked face to face or on phone, while a permission could  be face to face or a written letter. Here are some great tips on how to request someone. Requests are simply cordial questions. A request is to ask, solicit or beseech to someone for something you require. Can you please help me with my homework? Can you come with me to the doctor. Can I please have some coffee? A request is asking for help from someone. A person’s respectable and decent personality shines through, when he politely requests. To express request in a polite manner, use could you or could you please. You May Also Like: How to Wish People For Different Festivals? Could I go for the picnic, please? Could you read the letter aloud in class? Could you please pick up the cakes from the bakery, while coming back home from work? These tips will help you request friends and strangers and get the help you require. We shall now have a look at phrases to ask for permission. ‘May’ is a very formal and polite way to seek permission for something. May I help you?  May I come in, Sir?  May I borrow your pen, please? While walking into a room/ class full of people, we must excuse ourselves and say “Please may I come in? You could also use ‘Can’ while seeking permission from family or friends. Can is an informal way of seeking permission. Can I go for the school picnic? Can I go to the garden? Can I borrow your book? These few phrases will help you seek permissions in English. You may get a Yes or a No as a reply, accept the response gracefully. So the next time you need to request someone or seek permission, do make use of these phrases.  Be kind and polite while speaking. It costs nothing but gains immense respect for you.