Letter M
Listen and repeat then sing along.
mouse, monkey, milk, money
I like the mouse.
I like the monkey.
I like the milk.
I like the money.

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https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/13365914

Phonics The Alphabet 

Letter M

Disagreeing with people is an important and healthy part of working on a team towards shared goals. The challenge is therefore, how can we do this in a way that protects and even strengthens our professional relationships? It would be great if the only thing we had to do at work was to agree with people. If everyone around us had great ideas, and if our colleagues' suggestions always seemed like the best things to do. However, this is not the case.  A lot of people worry that if they disagree with their co-workers then this could upset them or damage their professional relationships. However, if we do it right, disagreeing with colleagues when it’s appropriate can be great for your team, your career, and your reputation at work.

Today we’re going to hear some tips and ideas for how to disagree with your colleagues, we’ll hear some great natural and native sounding vocabulary that we can use to do this, and then we’ll finish off with some challenges for you. Including a speaking challenge and a vocabulary quiz to see what you’ve remembered from today’s podcast. As always, if you find this podcast useful and helpful please feel free to follow me on iTalki, it really helps me out. OK, with that said let’s get started. 

Breakout Business English

How to disagree with your colleagues! - Business English podcast

Today’s episode is about dealing with failure and I will teach you some techniques about how to reframe it and how to overcome it.

If you're ready to take your Spanish to the next level do get in touch to book trial lesson at https://teach.italki.com/teacher/2112111

Spanish in the Workplace

#2: Dealing with Failure (Spanish) 

¿Sabías que escuchar, leer, escribir y hablar constituyen las habilidades lingüísticas para aprender un idioma y el manejo de un lenguaje? ¿Cuál crees que se desarrolla más cuando aprendemos un idioma? ¿Cuál piensas que es más importante? Hoy intentaremos dilucidar estas incógnitas aquí. No te vayas.

Español con todo 

Habilidades lingüísticas para aprender un idioma

W tym odcinku opowiem Ci pokrótce o tym, czym się zajmuję i dlaczego warto słuchać podcastu MetaRozmówki :)

MetaRozmówki

Dlaczego MetaRozmówki? | Miej kontakt z językiem polskim każdego dnia!

An impromptu speech  refers to a presentation delivered with little to no prior preparation. Often called "speaking off the cuff," it requires the speaker to think on their feet and effectively communicate ideas on a given topic with minimal notice. Impromptu speeches can arise in various situations, including:

Meetings: Brainstorming sessions, project updates, or responding to questions from colleagues can all turn into impromptu speaking opportunities.

Client Interactions: A chance meeting with a potential client or answering unexpected questions during a presentation might necessitate impromptu remarks.

Networking Events: Making a strong first impression often involves conversing and sharing ideas on the spot.
While lacking the polish of a prepared speech, impromptu presentations offer several benefits:

Authenticity: Speaking without a script can project genuine enthusiasm and passion for the topic.

Adaptability: Impromptu speeches allow you to tailor your message to the audience's interests or address emerging issues.

Thinking Skills: They challenge your critical thinking and communication skills on the fly.
Here are some tips for delivering successful impromptu speeches:

Take a Breath: A brief pause allows you to collect your thoughts and formulate a response.

Start with a Strong Opening: Grab attention with a relevant anecdote, statistic, or question.

Focus on Key Points: Organize your thoughts around a central message and a few supporting points.

Use Clear Language: Avoid jargon and speak in a concise and confident manner.

End Gracefully: Summarize your main points and conclude with a call to action or impactful statement.

By honing your impromptu speaking skills, you can become a more effective communicator and build trust with colleagues, clients, and potential partners in the business world.

The Global Professional Podcast

Impromptu Speech Explained - Episode 91

You're lying on the couch, bored, looking at videos on TikTok or YouTube. You watch a video of a dog swimming, and then switch to a cooking video, then to someone doing a weird dance.

But it doesn't help your boredom.

In fact, according to new research, it could make it even worse.

Researchers in Canada found that switching from one video to another, or moving forward or backward in the same video, can increase feelings of boredom.

In a study published by the American Psychological Association, the researchers did several experiments with more than 1,200 people.

In one experiment, participants were first given seven different five-minute videos they could switch between over 10 minutes. They were then given one 10-minute video to watch, without being able to fast-forward.

The participants reported lower levels of boredom when they watched the single 10-minute video, and found the experience to be more engaging and meaningful than when they switched between the shorter videos.

In another experiment, participants were found to be less bored when they watched a single 10-minute video than when they were given 10 minutes to skip forward and backward through a 50-minute video.

Katy Tam, one of the researchers, said digital switching — switching between videos or within a video itself — can make watching something feel meaningless, because you don't have time to engage with it or understand it.

"If people want a more enjoyable experience when watching videos, they can try to stay focused on the content and minimize digital switching," she said. "Just like paying for a more immersive experience in a movie theater, more enjoyment comes from immersing oneself in online videos rather than swiping through them."

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Swiping Through Online Videos Can Increase Boredom

もうすぐクリスマスです

皆さんはもうクリスマスの準備を始めていますか？日本人にとってクリスマスの準備といえば、クリスマスケーキを予約したり、クリスマスツリーを出したり、子供がいる人はクリスマスプレゼントを買ったりすることだと思います。日本ではクリスマスを一人で過ごしたくない人達がクリスマス前に一緒に過ごす相手や友達を探すということもあるそうです。ちなみにクリスマスを一人で過ごす人のことを「クリぼっち」というそうです。この言葉はクリスマスをひとりぼっちで過ごすという意味で最近よく聞くようになった新しい言葉です。

わたしは今ドイツに住んでいますが、スーパーにはクリスマスに食べるクッキーやシュトーレンというケーキ、クリスマス料理の食材が並んでいます。ドイツのクリスマスといえば、クリスマスマーケットですが、私の住んでいる小さな町でも、2週間前にクリスマスマーケットがありました。ドイツのクリスマスマーケットには、クリスマスのお菓子やツリーに飾るオーナメント、食べ物を売る屋台があります。ドイツのクリスマスマーケットで有名なのはグリューワインです。グリューワインと言うのは温かい赤ワインでシナモンなどのスパイスが入っています。寒い時にこれを飲むととても体が温まります。もちろん、ドイツの定番、ソーセージやビールも売っています。

また、ドイツではクリスマスのときにアドベントカレンダーという特別なカレンダーを使います。アドベントカレンダーというのは、12月1日から12月25日までの日付が書いてあるカレンダーです。日付のところに窓や引き出しがついているカレンダーもあり開けるとおもちゃやお菓子が入っています。クリスマスまで毎日ひとつずつ開けていきます。アドベントカレンダーを見たことがない人は後で、インターネットで検索してみて下さいね。

さて、みなさんはご存知かも知れませんが、私のパートナーはイタリア人です。ここでイタリアのクリスマスについても紹介したいと思います。イタリア人は クリスマスのときに家族ひとりひとりにプレゼントを送ります。私のパートナーはおいとめいにどんなプレゼントを送ろうかとずっと悩んでいます。イタリア人にとってクリスマスは家族で過ごすものです。特に24日と25日は特別な料理を作って家族でクリスマスを祝うという人が多いと思います。
また、イタリアには、クリスマスの時に食べる定番のケーキがあります。地方によって食べるものは違うと思いますが、私は毎年イタリアから送られてくるパネットーネを食べます。パネットーネはドライフルーツが入っているふわふわの柔らかいケーキです。私はこのパネットーネが大好きです。実は今年はすでにパネットーネをひとつ食べ切ってしまいました。12月のはじめにわたしのパートナーが出張でイタリアに行ったときにパネットーネを一つ持って帰ってきました。私たちはクリスマス前なのにそのパネットーネを食べ始めてしまいました。とてもおいしかったのであっという間になくなってしまいました。なのでもう一つクリスマス用にパネットーネを買わなければいけません。

** Because of the limit of words count, I can't put all the transcript here. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.**

準備：じゅんび　preparation
飾る：かざる　decorate
オーナメント：ornament
屋台：やたい 　stall, stand
あたたまる：warm you up
日付：ひづけ　date
ひとつずつ：one by one
検索する：けんさく　research
おい：nephew
めい：niece
（何を買うか）悩む：なやむ　can’t decide what to buy
祝う：いわう　celebrate
定番：ていばん　typical
ふわふわ：fluffy
柔らかい：やわらかいsoft
出張：しゅっちょう　business trip
あっという間に食べた：あっというまにたべた　to gobble ... up in no time 
枕：まくら　pillow　
様々だ：さまざまだ　vary 
ごちそう：feast
本当は：ほんとうは honestly
実は：in fact