Learning Tips (2)

A.D. Speaking course Tips for conversations:

In English, people say please and thank you a lot. Always say please when you ask for permission, and remember to say thank you.

When you speak in English, don’t wony about making mistakes. Keep talking! You shouldn’t stop to think or try to translate what to say in your head. It doesn’t matter if your English isn’t perfect. It's better to keep speaking and get your message across.

Don’t worry if you can’t understand every word. Accept that you may sometimes need to ask someone to repeat or explain what they mean. The most important thing is that you must tell someone when you don't understand.

To help keep a conversation going, don't just answer questions, make sure you ask them too. After you answer a question it’s a good idea to return it by saying How about you? / What about you? This helps to keep the conversation going, and shows you are interested.

When you give your opinion, it is important to explain your ideas. This helps keep the conversation going and makes it more interesting for the listener.

When you learn new language, it's often important to understand whether the meaning is strong or weak or positive or negative, e.g. ‘must’ is very strong. It is important to understand these meanings so that when you talk you do not give a negative message or sound impolite.

Take care with the way you use your voice. For example, if you need to complain, try to sound friendly rather than aggressive. Don’t raise your voice or appear out of control. Likewise, when you are listening to someone, try to notice the speaker's tone of voice. The way the speaker sounds can tell you a lot about their attitude.

If you want to check you have understood something correctly, repeat the important details to the speaker (e.g: A: I would like you to arrive 10 minutes before the class. – B: 10 minutes before the class?) Make sure your voice goes up at the end of the sentence to make it clear you are asking for confirmation.

A.D. Speaking course Tips for seminars/presentations Most people are nervous when they give a presentation. To avoid this, you should try to control your speed. Don’t speak too quickly. In addition, pay attention to your breath. Deep breathing helps you relieve nervous energy.

Have you heard of KISS? It means Keep It Short and Simple. In other words, don’t use long sentences or difficult grammar. Speak in short, easy-to-understand sentences and avoid using words the audience may not know.

To emphasize important points, you might want to do any one of the following things: - slowdown - pause - speak louder - say the important words slowly and carefully

When you give a talk or a seminar, give examples to explain what you mean. This makes it easier for the listener to understand your opinion.

Some experts say that the first 30 seconds of your presentation is the most important. How well you start your presentation will affect everything that follows, so it is important to get it right.

You should maintain good eye contact with your audience throughout your presentation. Make sure you look at all of the audience, not just the people in front of you . . . and remember to smile!

You can sound enthusiastic when you speak by: - raising the pitch of your voice - emphasizing the key words - making your voice goup and down more than usual