To avoid getting rusty, and to keep up your skills, you should hear and speak English every day.  This can be expensive.  Here are some free ways to keep up your English skills between classes. 

How to keep up your English level 

Do you know the difference between these words?
Answer these questions and find out.

Please look at the PDFs for the transcript.


Confusing words  (A2 - Elementary)

With 26 letters, (but 44 different sounds), and not many rules, English pronunciation is sometimes difficult.
Sometimes, reading a word, does not help you to say it.  Here is some help.


Pronunciation 

Success at work!
Vocabulary to help your career.  
These podcasts are from my 'ENGLISH IN THE OFFICE courses.   
If you need more help, please send me an italki message, to discuss your needs. 


English for Business

A2 - B1  
Conversation Class Preparation.
Listen to the podcast and read the text. 
These podcasts are for my structured conversation class (there are over 80 topics)
(book a class to see the text).

English with Angela -  conversation 

Do you know the difference between these words? 
Answer these questions and find out. 
Please look at the PDFs for the transcript.

Confusing words - intermediate 

こんにちは、Mikaです
このポッドキャストでは私の日々の出来事を通して、日本語をより身近に
楽しく感じてもらえたら嬉しいです。
短い間ですがリラックスした気分でどうぞお付き合いください。

9月に入り、日本はだいぶ秋らしくなってきました。
日本の秋の行事といえば "お月見" がありますが
みなさん、お月見を知っていますか？
これは中国から伝わったもので、美しい月を見ながらお団子のなどのお菓子を食べることです。
それだけではなく本来は秋にできた豊作物が無事に収穫できたことを感謝する行事です。
なんだかアメリカのハロウィンに似ていますね。
そして月の大きさが変わることは生物の誕生と死を想像することから
先祖への感謝を伝える意味も含まれています。

お月見の時に食べるものといえば月見団子が有名ですが
他にもお餅やおまんじゅうなど月のような丸い形のものを食べる習慣があります。
最近では玉子を満月に見立てた月見バーガーや月見うどんなども人気です。
日本人は丸い食べ物を満月に例えて食べることが好きですね ♪

みなさんも美味しい丸いものを食べながら
日本らしいお月見を楽しんでみてください。
そしてお月見についてもっと深く学びたい人は
是非私の日本の歴史のレッスンを予約してみてくださいね。

それでは今日も笑顔の多い一日を！またね～

mika's whisper talk

Vol.7  日本の秋の文化 "お月見"  / Japanese autumn culture "otsukimi"

Understanding Your Audience
Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of others. 

Active Listening: Paying full attention to the speaker, understanding their message, and responding thoughtfully. 
Audience Analysis: Researching and understanding your target audience's demographics, psychographics, and needs. 

Building Credibility and Trust
Expertise: Demonstrating deep knowledge and competence in your field.

Integrity: 
Building a reputation for trustworthiness is essential for long-term persuasion.

Authenticity: People are more likely to be persuaded by someone who comes across as authentic.
Effective Communication
Clear and Concise Communication: Delivering messages clearly and directly without unnecessary jargon or complexity.
Storytelling: Using narratives to connect with your audience emotionally and make your message memorable.
Persuasive Language: Use persuasive techniques such as rhetorical devices, strong calls to action, and vivid language.
Influence and Negotiation
Influence Tactics: Understanding and employing various influence strategies, such as reciprocity, scarcity, authority, consistency, and liking.
Negotiation Skills:  This involves active listening, compromise, and finding win-win solutions.
Conflict Resolution: Managing disagreements constructively while maintaining positive relationships.
Presentation Skills
Public Speaking: Delivering engaging and persuasive presentations. 

Body Language: Using non-verbal cues to reinforce your message and build rapport with your audience.
Persuasive Visuals: Creating compelling visuals that support your message and enhance understanding.

Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Awareness: Understanding and managing your own emotions and recognizing the emotions of others.
Relationship Building: Developing strong relationships based on trust, empathy, and mutual respect.
Persuasive Influence: Using emotional intelligence to connect with others on a deeper level and persuade them more effectively.

The Global Professional Podcast

The Persuasion Skills List - Episode 98

We know we should appreciate people more often but do we know how to acknowledge them and why is it even so important? 

In a conversation when you acknowledge people, they feel heard and valued. They become more open-minded even if you are opposing their beliefs. It’s because, through your acknowledgment of their ideas, they know that you have been listening and you understand where they are coming from. If you want to do business with people or maintain a good relationship with them, without learning how to acknowledge people, you will get nowhere.

Acknowledging is easy.

Just paraphrase what they said and follow up with a relevant question or your opinion. Paraphrasing proves that you understand them since you express their ideas using your own words. 

During negotiations or discussions even if you disagree with people, you can make them hear you out by disagreeing politely or by partially disagreeing with them. A strong disagreement shows that you are unwilling to talk. This makes the negotiation take a negative turn and go downhill. 

So, disagree politely and follow up with relevant questions to show that you are interested in learning more about them. 

What you do is often reciprocated. When you listen, they listen. When you show interest in people, they will show interest in you. When you acknowledge them, they will acknowledge your work, ideas, and suggestions.

Acknowledge people. Have more discussions and not arguments. 


Sensei Ann

How not to be rude in English? 

セルビアのマルコさんと会話しました。
日本語勉強を始めたきっかけや日本旅行についてなど

SAMURAI BROADCAST　侍放送

Vol.7　セルビアのマルコさんと会話

In this podcast you will know about some places with paranomal activity in Colombia.

Hotel El Refugio (Salto de Tequendama, Cundinamarca

Casa José María Cordovez (Barrio La Candelaria, Bogotá)

Castillo La Alborada (Barranquilla)

Cementerio Central (Localidad Los Mártires, Bogotá)

Remember that I also teach Spanish on italki, in case you want to book a class with me :)

Colombia

Lugares de escalofrio

En este episodio número 5 de 'Hablemos de viajes', vamos a diagramar un primer día en una nueva ciudad. Vamos a ordenar las actividades que haríamos, las prioridades, los momentos para comer y la vida nocturna. ¿Estás listo/a? DALE PLAY!

Disfruta de aprender

Hablemos de viajes, parte V

My podcast, "にほんご聞こう" (Let's Listen to Japanese), starts today. This podcast is designed for people at various levels of Japanese proficiency, so I've made adjustments in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and speaking speed. I speak slowly in Episode 1. In the next episode, 1.5, I'll be speaking at a regular pace. Furthermore, the content of the second episode has additional information, so listening to both can be fun for comparison.

Transcript >> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UhstapJOXy4M6RAd3Tk8BV-2eVTKQoRi/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113327799381827760818&rtpof=true&sd=true

にほんご聞こう！　Let's listen to Japanese! 

Episode 1.5 : Self-introduction [Advanced]

Conoce el municipio de Valladolid mientras practicamos Hay (la forma impersonal del verbo haber) y los interrogativos.
Te invito a contestar el quizz para comprobar tu comprensión auditiva.
No olvides suscribirte y dejarme tus comentarios, opiniones y sugerencias para futuros episodios. Estoy aquí para ayudarte a descubrir y aprender, así que no dudes en contactarme.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/cruen/along-the-road
License code: TLVXXIRCTMPBVALM
