English is Easy

A regular day in a Spoken English classes in Pune at Speakwell, starts with students coming forward and speaking about the given topics. It’s when, Mr.Saraf, comes to speak and seeks permission from the Trainer to speak on a topic of his choice. He starts narrating an incident that had occurred in his office, the day before. His Boss, Mr. Rao, who had once reprimanded him for his poor English skills, had again suddenly asked him to come to his cabin. With his anxiousness almost choking him, he described, when he entered the Boss’ cabin ,he was shocked to see two of his other seniors also present in the room. As he entered, Mr. Rao smiled at him and hugged him and patted his back. He praised the improvement in Mr.Saraf’s English skills. He also appreciated Mr.Saraf’s efforts to improve his spoken English which had undergone a major improvement. At this juncture of his Conversation, a highly related Mr.Saraf, paused and thanked Speakwell for this awesome transformation in his life. This interesting change that Mr.Saraf had seen in himself has also set a good example for other learners. The Trainer then further explained that a good English speaker needs to focus on his collection of words, known as his vocabulary. At Speakwell English speaking course in Mumbai, topics are presented and explained taking into consideration the understanding levels of the target students. The content is suitable for beginners and intermediates. The grammar is clearly presented, covers a broad range of topics and makes good use of pictures.  The text is clear and concise with highlighted keywords, with translations in regional languages like Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati. The one question that always arises first in a Spoken English class is, How should I learn these English words? It’s a question with no simple answer. However, at Speakwell we can transform the student’s English from basic to extraordinary, in a fun filled manner by playing some very interesting games. Infographics for improving your vocabulary: This game is all about picking many simple words from our daily surroundings. Always keep your mind active and learning when you’re on the go (on a bus or train journey). For eg: The students are asked to name everything that they can see on an office desk.  The best way to learn English is by speaking English not just by writing essays and learning Grammar. A good vocabulary can only be developed by consistent practical use of speaking English. A rich source of new words could be newspapers. One can virtually transform oneself intellectually as well as drastically expand one’s vocabulary. All students who show this excellent transition from being Basic English  speakers to having a profound knowledge of English have struggled and have sustained because of their  extreme desire and willpower.

One fine day I was busy with my daily routine work that is when I heard the telephone ring. On attending the call, I heard a sweet voice on the other end saying something in English. No wonder I couldn’t understand a single word. Finally, the lady spoke in a local language through which I recognized her as Rekha (my schoolmate) who was residing in London and had come down to her maternal’ s place. After meeting her I was quite impressed by her transformation in terms of accent, confidence, personality and most importantly the communication skill. She enquired about our old friends and we planned to have a get-together. Finally, the day came when we all gathered under one roof. Each one was asked to introduce themselves with their achievements. That is when I realized the importance of English and Public speaking. Therefore, I decided to enhance Spoken English and personality through Speakwell. It is said that you will learn the English language faster only when you identify it as an essential tool to accomplish your highest goals. Build the right attitude to learn English: You need the right attitude to improve your English. Look for every opportunity to practice speaking, like talking to people at parties, approaching a foreigner who looks lost, or just putting up your hand when your teacher asks a question. Be a good listener: Being a good listener can help you to see the world through the eyes of others. It enriches your understanding and expands your capacity for empathy. It also increases your contact with the outside world by helping you improve your communication skills. Good listening skills can provide you with a deeper level of understanding about someone’s situation and help to know what words are best to use or which words to avoid. Think in English: This is a great way to improve your spoken English, and you can do it anywhere, anytime. At home, you can talk to yourself while doing everyday tasks like preparing a meal. If you are on the train or bus, then describe the people around you (in your head, not aloud!), and when you go to sleep, go over the day’s events in English Record yourself speaking: Even though you might not like hearing your own voice, this is a very useful way to find out what’s wrong with your spoken English. Record yourself speaking and then listen to the tape, or ask a native speaker for some advice. Look for positive things, too. Make a note of all the things you do well when you speak English Practice tongue twisters: Tongue twisters are helpful at improving enunciation and diction. Enunciation is knowing how to project a certain word in a certain context. Diction is knowing the way you deliver, which includes pronouncing certain prefixes, suffixes and where to place stress on certain parts of words. They are also beneficial in learning to write properly, as you can hear certain word patterns within the phrase or sentence, as well as grasping rhythm and syllable. Learn how to paraphrase: Paraphrasing is when we repeat what we have just said to make it clear to the listener or when we repeat what the other person has said by using different words. Learn about sentence stress. Sentence stress refers to the word or words we stress in a phrase of a sentence. When we stress a word, we help the listener understand what is important. If we stress the wrong word or don’t stress the keyword, the listener may get confused or not realize what is important in the sentence Vocabulary enhancement:Vocabulary Enhancement recognizes that having a good vocabulary is essential for confident Its main aim, therefore, is to boost your confidence, particularly in the skills of speaking and listening, by helping you to remember vocabulary and use it in better context.

Last Wednesday, was an enthralling event at our Speakwell Centre in Jogeshwari East. One of my students, Ms. Shafaq celebrated her birthday in the class. She placed an order for several Pizzas, on the telephone. Wow! She had spoken in fluent and excellent English. She had used ready dialogues from Pg 43 of the Speakwell Conversation Book, titled ‘Telephone Talk’. This occurrence indicates a profound influence of our Conversation Book, on anybody who reads and emulates it. The student has learnt the Grammar concepts and vocabulary; now the student is ready to practice the conversation lessons. The artistic usage of words on the basis of their aquired knowledge of vocabulary and appropriate dialogues will lead to some great conversations. The flowery sentences used by one, makes the language sound good. Like recently, we had an awesome Quiz competition of sentences from the above said book. The participants had a great-time competing amongst themselves on this new found prowess in a language they themselves had admittedly been weak at. Initially, we made three teams, among the students- A, B and C. One of the students became the host. The Quiz began, The host selected and announced a word from the previous sentence. The next team had to form a new sentence (recollecting from the Conversation Book), using that particular word. The sequence went on and soon there was a great collection of interesting sentences. The students listened carefully to every sentence. They understood the order of the words; and how to form different sentences. Like the first team said, “I just called to confirm our meeting” (Pg 41). And the next team replied, “We will meet at 4p.m. sharp today”(Pg 41), the selected word being ‘meet’. The third team remarked, “You will find the Sports Club right on the main road”(Pg 33), the selected word being ‘will’. An excellent chain of dialogues and sentences were formed. It was a rich union of dialogues. The students were curiously listening. In this way, the student masters the technique of speech. He/ She will get a clarity of speaking in good English. They select the choice of words to fit the content. Throughout the world, when people of different languages come together, they use English to communicate. The English speaker is employable in any country. Job prospects are enhanced and the student finds more openings in various fields. The results of the ‘Sign Game’ are always fantastic at our centre. This is an improvisation on the game dumb charades where team mates respond to the gestures. Students of one team decide a word from the Conversation Book and enact the gestures (sometimes two or three actions together). They cannot speak and should only communicate through gestures. While the other team can ask the questions only in English. They make their guesses and respond to the questions. Sounds of words and pronunciation is learnt. Besides the student thoroughly studies the rich words available in the Conversation Book. It’s a fantastic experience! It would render an amazing symbol of courage and confidence for the student’s successful Career.

The CSR managers are challenged with the task of identifying right opportunities to invest their CSR budgets. One of the avenues available to these decision makers is to invest the CSR budget in education and skill development. The CSR managers seek areas which align with their company’s vision, values and investment philosophy. Education and skills training remains one of the best options. Recently, a leading outsourcing company chooses to adopt 5 low-income schools and impart English language training to the under privileged kids. Being in the outsourcing industry their bent of mind towards spoken English training was high and they wanted to make a contribution to the society around the locations where they had their offices. They chose Speakwell as their CSR partner to implement this project. For certification, the CSR team had invited their CEO to hand out the certificates. The CEO was extremely delighted to see such visible changes in the kids and immediately decided to extend this across 20 more schools. Another prominent financial services company which operates in rural India chose to impart English language training to a group of 50 kids in one of the rural cities of Maharashtra and in phase 2 extended it to more than 18 cities across Maharashtra. Again this project was executed by Speakwell as their CSR partner. Two well-known builders in Mumbai offered Spoken English training to more than 600 people in suburban Mumbai as part of their CSR efforts. They provided the candidates with a voucher which could be en-cashed at one of the 60 plus Speakwell centers in Mumbai and outskirts of Mumbai. Many more companies and their CSR managers are finding investment in spoken English training for their beneficiaries as an ideal case of quick impact and measurable change due to their CSR investment. Speakwell has been a trustworthy partner in the effort by these companies seeking to roll out such projects. Speakwell has been working on the spoken English weakness for the masses who are looking for upward mobility within the social pyramid. With this understanding of this class of the society, Speakwell is the right partner for such CSR projects.  Speakwell is one of India’s reputed brand of spoken English and vocational skills training network with accreditation from NSDC, Govt. of India’s skill development agency under the Prime Minister’s Skill India project. Speakwell has also been accredited by several Sector Skill councils for training in those sectors. Speakwell offers training in Retail and BPO sectors. With all these accreditations and vast experience of training more than 2 lakh students over the last 10 years, Speakwell is an ideal CSR partner for companies looking to invest their CSR funds in skill development projects.

Today apologizing has become an integral part of our vocabulary. There is none who can state that he/she has never had the occasion or incident that made them apologize to a fellow human being or vice- verse. There is no language or culture that does not indulge in the usage or practice of apologizing. Apologizing is an art in itself. It not only involves the presence of your mind but also the awareness of the gravity of the situation at that particular given time. Try expecting an apology from someone who has just stamped your foot while boarding the suburban local train in the rush hours of Mumbai. Oh!  My goodness wouldn’t you be the lucky one?  At Speakwell, we have dedicated an entire chapter in the book on conversations dedicated to this topic. Speakwell is one of the leading Spoken English training providers in the country and has developed course material dedicated to the learning of English language. We have an audio visual lesson based on this topic and our students reenact these scenarios in the classroom as practice.  Man being a social animal is in constant interactions with his/ her fellow being. These interactions tend to be artistic, eccentric and at times interesting and fascinating too. Over the years man has evolved into a more complex being and his demeanor has drastically changed. Today man has mastered the skills of communication and conversations. He has grown more profound in his etiquettes and knowledge. Likewise, his methods of apologizing to have greatly improved.  One would be amazed at the different levels of apologies that are prevalent in English. A few examples are cited below. Being formal If you are writing to someone you don’t know too well, use of formal phrases is highly recommended. I would like to apologize… Please accept my apologies for … While writing to a friend one can state I am So Sorry I am really Sorry… I am Sorry but…. I am sorry that… Bigger mistakes need a stranger apology I do apologize for .. I must apologize for .. I sincerely apologize for … Another form of apology is used when conveying the sad or bad news to people. Unfortunately Forgive me. I am afraid… Due to reason beyond my control… I regret to inform you… My deepest/ sincere apologies… As a matter of fact, one should apologize even while interrupting others. Phrases mentioned herein used should be used. I beg your pardon Excuse me Despite having the many phrases for asking forgiveness, not everyone dares to use it.  Many feel vulnerable at the time of apologizing. It is widely believed to be a process most essential for calming of one’s soul. It being relieved from the guilt of having done something wrong or having committed a mistake.  

An office boy at one of the Speakwell centers embarrassed the centre manager when he mentioned that the scented sticks are over and needs to be purchased. The centre manager was flummoxed when she heard that. Later on when she realized that he was meaning to say that the agarbatti was over, she was quite amazed. This boy had been listening to the faculty member teaching this in the class and was also reading from the Spoken Words book of Speakwell where he learnt this word and applied it in his sentence.When somebody speaks in English or in any other language the use of words indicates the level of understanding of that person of that language. The words used by us while speaking makes the language sound good. When we speak a language the quality of our speech is judged by the words we use. This collection of words which are unfamiliar or difficult or rather artistic in style and technique is called the vocabulary. It gives a flavour to the talk and makes it sound interesting. All great speakers have excellent vocabulary and their speeches have profound effect on people not only because of the message it conveys but also because of the excellent words used in the speech and the fantastic way it is delivered.For anybody seeking to improve their English language skills whether it is their spoken English skills or their written English skills they must focus on increasing their vocabulary. This is true for all categories of people whether beginners or advanced learners of spoken English. At Speakwell, we deal with vocabulary in two parts. The first part is basic vocabulary which deals with words related to common topics like amusement, treatment, seasons, etc. For early learners or beginners of spoken English this is an awesome way to get acquainted with the world of English. A good example of this is the office boy mentioned in the beginning of this article. Those who have never spoken a word of English feel elated when they are able to grasp a few simple words like names of known animals and birds and common things that they use in daily life like spices etc. even agarbatti.Once the learner is a bit acquainted with the simple words and has also understood the grammar concepts then we expose them to more difficult words. Speakwell has dedicated an entire book called Word List, where the learner makes sentences out of such slightly difficult words. However, learning vocabulary is a life-long exercise. The word flummoxed was my learning of today and now that it has been applied, it has become part of my vocabulary. Unlike old times, when one had to refer to the dictionary to look up words, these days the editing software like Microsoft Word itself throws up similar words. Online dictionaries and Google itself are rich source of new words that can be incorporated into your vocabulary. Anybody who intends to improve their Spoken English has many easy ways to improve their vocabulary. All that one need is to have is a desire and the commitment.Author: Is an entrepreneur who co-founded a Spoken English training company named Speakwell. He is actively involved in Skills development initiatives in the corporate & Govt. sector and is engaged with CSR initiatives for many well known companies.  

English is a global language, incredibly spoken not only in the English speaking continents of US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand but also by the population in countries where the mother tongue is other than English. For eg. India and many other Asian countries. English is the gateway to communication and global contacts all over the world. In other fields it is the passageway to studies. No wonder today more and more educational institutions and spoken English classes in pune are turning towards this medium of instruction. Today the garb of English has changed its appearance.  For some it is for growth and transformation in lifestyle and career.  For others it is the required criterion to reach a certain position in life and reshape their lifestyle. For others still it is for the attitudinal transformation. It has been observed among the numerous students that have passed out from technical and management institution that among the four important skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) speaking is the most difficult for these students. And it is their lack of confidence, which is one of the main barriers that affect their oral performance and constrains their development and growth What is Lack of Confidence? Self Confidence is the trust or faith in oneself or in one’s abilities and lack of Self Confidence is just the opposite. Without the self confidence, a person lacks the capability to articulate his thoughts and make sentences. They start fumbling and loosing track of the thought and end up feeling frustrated with their own self. You may also describe this as hesitancy, wavering, faltering or apprehension.  All these words show one character. That the person does not believe in himself but rather have been internalizing the negative messages he has received all along. Most of them come from a background that perceive English as the language for the intelligent and difficult to master it.  The weak foundations they have imbibed within themselves make them timid and create a fear within them that making mistakes is wrong and will be ridiculed and criticized. This fear makes them reluctant to express themselves openly. So it’s paramount that trainers first create confidence in students, motivate them to perform and generate a positive, comfortable atmosphere and drill the axiom that making mistakes are okay as learning cannot happen without mistakes. That is precisely, what we do at Speakwell. We make the student come up in front of the class and start communicating with the classmates. Many of them cannot speak even a word. In such situations, the trainer involves the student by asking some pointed questions related to an area of comfort. Slowly, the student, over a period of time gets the comfortable speaking in front of his/ her own class. Slowly, their self confidence is improved. And it is easier for them to make mistakes. They do not feel intimidated. They start expressing themselves in faulty English. While we work on their confidence, in parallel we work on their knowledge of English grammar and make them adept in the understanding of making of sentences. They practice making sentences and also speaking in the class and within a period of 2 -3 months they start speaking in English. They may not be perfect in their English but definitely their confidence takes an upswing and their English would eventually get corrected as they keep encountering English language scenarios in their life. Self Confidence plays a substantial role in the success of learning as it builds a good Self Image. And, once self Confidence has been created, self Esteem (opinion one has of oneself) will automatically breathe a new life. Self Confidence will build a good Self Image. And that will slowly move towards expressing oneself without the fear of making mistakes or being ridiculed. Speakwell The best English Speaking Institute is a confidence building factory. Capability of English speaking is a by-product of this confidence factory.  

Retail banking, which is sometimes known as personal financial services, is what most people think of as high street banking; it concerns providing financial products and services, such as bank and saving accounts, insurance and mortgages, to individuals. Some banks also include their business banking wing in their retail banking division. Retail banks are essentially retailers, so they need to combine meeting financial targets with good customer service. They turn a profit by charging fees for services or interest for borrowing money. When financial markets experience turbulence, some companies introduce more stringent criteria for borrowing money and increase their interest rates.  

Digital Marketing Course eBay  Seller Course It is almost certain that the next blue ocean in India is going to be ecommerce. There are some of the facts that exactly give us the holistic picture of ecommerce Industry. Indian retail market will be worth 900 bn USD by 2014 and out of which online contribution is just 0.47%, while the global Industry average is 4%. Our neighbour country China is very close to the Industry average.  Number of people below the age of 35 is going to be close to 828 Mn by 2015. This can be very interesting figure for all e-commerce companies in India. Adoption of new technology is also an important factor for fueling the growth of e-commerce Industry. Current trend shows that India will have 450 Mn smartphone users and close to 100 Mn 3G users by 2015. Most Important – The Internet –  Close to 376 Mn unique internet users by 2015 and Current users: 120 Mn but we are still struggling with Infrastructure and bandwidth (High speed Internet). India’s e-commerce market  grew at a staggering 88 per cent in 2013 to $ 16 billion, riding on booming online retail trends and defying slower economic growth and spiraling inflation, according to a survey by industry body Assocham. “The increasing Internet penetration and availability of more payment options boosted the e-commerce industry in 2013,” Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said. “Besides electronics gadgets, apparel and jewelry, home and kitchen appliances, lifestyle accessories like watches, books, beauty products and perfumes, baby products witnessed significant upward movement in last one year,” Rawat said. According to the survey, India’s e-commerce market, which stood at $2.5 billion in 2009, reached $8.5 billion in 2012 and rose 88 per cent to touch $16 billion in 2013. The survey estimates the country’s e-commerce market to reach $56 billion by 2023, driven by rising online retail. As per responses by 3,500 traders   and organised retailers in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Kolkata who participated in the survey, online shopping grew at a rapid pace in 2013 due to aggressive online discounts, rising fuel prices and availability of abundant online options. Among the cities, Mumbai topped the list of online shoppers followed by Delhi, while Kolkata ranked third, the survey found. The age-wise analysis revealed that 35 per cent of online shoppers are aged between 18 years and 25 years, 55 per cent between 26 years and 35 years, 8 per cent in the age group of 36-45 years, while only 2 per cent are in the age group of 45-60 years. Besides, 65 per cent of online shoppers are male while 35 per cent are female. To make the most of increasing online shopping trends, more companies are collaborating with daily deal and discount sites, the survey pointed out. The products that are sold most are in the tech and fashion category, including mobile phones, iPads, accessories, MP3 players, digital cameras and jewelry, among others, it found.India has Internet base of around 150 million as of August, 2013, the survey said. “Having close to 10 per cent of Internet penetration in India throws a very big opportunity for online retailers to grow and expand as future of Internet seems very bright,” Rawat said.Those who are reluctant to shop online cited reasons like preference to research products and services online (30 per cent), finding delivery costs too high (20), fear of sharing personal financial  information online (25) and lack of trust on whether products would be delivered in good condition (15), while 10 per cent do not have a credit or debit card. As more and more people are choosing to do their purchases online, companies are seeking ways to use eRetail as an additional option of selling their products. Companies do not have staff trained to take advantage of eCommerce for their products. This is a new sector that is evolving and can potentially have a very large impact on employability of the youth. This is a sector that has not yet been tapped and holds the promise to employ more than 10,0000 candidates in the next 2 years with a steady growth of 20% per annum for the next 10 years. Speakwell has a tie-up with eBay , the leader in this space to create a training program that will enable the student to become an eCommerce specialist for the company. In the next 10 years we expect to train over one lakh students in the eCommerce specialist role. The eCommerce Skills also serve as a very good option for self employment. With some years of experience, the candidate can startup his or her own venture which will serve as a consultant for companies who cannot afford to establish a separate department catering to eCommerce selling. Many young entrepreneurs, who have started off their venture are now running a team of 10 – 12 such eCommerce specialist. The availability of trained resources in this sector can have a far reaching impact on our economy as well, because eCommerce opens up the world as a territory for our local companies, giving them access to the world market  for their product’s unique value propositions, whether it be price, quality or ingenuity.    

Speakwell is Mumbai’s largest Spoken English training network with over 100 centers across Mumbai, Pune and other cities of India. Speakwell has one of the most innovative curriculums to teach English to anybody who can read and write. Speakwell offers a set of 7 books and 2 DVDs in the following local languages 1)   Hindi 2)   Marathi 3)   Gujarathi 4)   Malyalam 5)   Tamil 6)   Telugu 7)   Kannada Each of our students has access to a sophisticated assessment system which keeps a track of their progress through the course. Apart from this they can also download an English language training App mapped onto the Speakwell course which gives them audio video lessons to be viewed on their mobile.