Communication Coach Blog
Yay! I made the list! Thank you, and congrats to the other speech coaches in Canada. Together we are growing the market and helping lots of people and companies.
This list was compiled by a writer at Yoodli, a new AI-driven technology that gives real time feedback to people practicing public speaking, interviews, speeches and more. Check them out!
https://app.yoodli.ai/blog/top-ten-best-speech-coaches-in-canada
Hello community!
I’m ecstatic to announce my new Subscription Plans. I had you in mind when we designed our ongoing memberships, specifically for Group Coaching (for the Public). This group coaching is currently accepting a waitlist. If you join the waitlist, please do the survey questions and you’ll be the first to know when it launches!
By subscribing you save + you can cancel anytime!
Thank you all – let’s continue the learning together.
Ric Phillips, 3V Communications Ltd.
Communication Coach/Trainer
“How To Speak Bad English Perfectly” Interesting commentary on the business of ESL (English as a Second Language) including fixing ‘bad English’ grammar and pronunciation mistakes. Native English speakers are greatly outnumbered in the world, yet many non-natives are striving for ‘perfect’ English skills. I’ve always believed we can help ESL speakers speak ‘through’ or ‘with’ their accent, not reduce it completely. I also believe learning business focused idioms and slang will help speed up a learners’ comfort at the office (in addition to learning industry-specific vocabulary of course). Heather does not really agree with that last idea.
What do you think of her assumptions and suggestions?
I have been invited to speak at both TESL Canada and TESL Ontario on the topic of Business English Fundamentals, and how to teach them in the classroom or at the office. Assessments are a key player in communication coaching and corporate training success. Simply speaking, the formula is “Assessment = Training Program = ROI measurement.” When choosing or designing your assessment, please consider the needs of the person/organization that hired you. Ensure the assessment is Client AND/OR company needs-based, as sometimes you need to cover both needs in one assessment tool. What does “writing” mean to them? Or ‘speaking’ or ‘communication’? We need to be clear and specific in the assessment so it’s accurate and effective!
Here is a partial sample of a 3V ECA, previously used in our corporate training programs:
Part One: Grammar – identify the spelling, grammar and/or punctuation mistake(s) and correct them (ten sentences)
1. I have study English for 7 years now, so far.
2. You need to working on your accent man. Its thick!
3. Did you know that the cats can see in the dark? A animal like that is great!
4. I board a plane last night at 3 in the a.m. And so, now, I’m so tired.
5. What is your area of expertize? Can you help me with this calculations?
Part Two: Everyday Idioms – what do these expressions mean? Please write short definitions. (fifteen)
1. The real McCoy
2. The cat’s out of the bag
3. We’re up the creek
4. He works like a dog
5. Bookworm
Part Three: Humour – explain why these jokes are funny. Short answers please. (three)
1. A horse walks into a bar. The bartender asks “why the long face?”
Part Four: Short story – Please write a short story explaining in detail what you do at work, and how communication plays a role. Minimum 3 paragraphs.
Part Five: Interview – short Q & A to evaluate comprehension, pronunciation, conciseness etc.
If you have any questions about designing or using assessments in your training, or if you are part of an organization that would benefit from communication skills assessments, do not hesitate to contact me! 🙂
Fellow Business English/ESL teachers, tutors and coaches, are you going to TESL Canada’s Conference in Niagara Falls this weekend? If so, let’s connect! I’ll be giving a short lecture titled “Business English Fundamentals: How to Teach It in the Classroom or Office!” My lecture is scheduled for Saturday, June 10th 2017 at 2:15 in the afternoon. I will be giving practical tips on how to understand the needs of students and immigrants when they want to improve their business communication skills, and tips on how to create your own assessment tool to use with them. I will also share with you the path from ESL teacher, to business English instructor, to self-employed Communication Coach! Hope to see you there!
Source: MastersProgramsGuide.com
I love to share information and recommend resources to my friends and clients, and love hearing about books and authors that have made a difference in their life too. Like many I have an Amazon page that lists the books I use in my coaching and training to help clients and teams improve their skills. The skills we may focus on include effective interpersonal skills, reading body language, small talk and rapport-building skills, leadership development skills, professional communication strategies, presentations, conflict management, ESL (English as a second language) improvement including grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, etc. There are even a couple martial arts books in there too! 🙂 If you’d like to know what books I read and recommend, please check out:
“Ric’s Recommended Communication Skills Training Bookstore”
Happy Reading!
Happy St. Patty’s Day!
For those that may be new to the countries where this holiday is celebrated, or for those who would like to know a bit more about the beginnings of this day, please read on.
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th in many countries, especially Ireland, England, Canada and the USA. It is a day that you can celebrate by yourself or preferably with friends by doing the following:
1. Wear some green clothing
Young or old, you can add a bit of green to your ensemble or, if you are more daring, be obvious about your love of this day and dress head-to-toe in green! Some like to wear a shirt with a shamrock on it, or better yet, attention-getting slogans like “Everybody’s Irish!” or “Kiss me I’m Irish!”
2. Drink green beer
It is not uncommon to drink green beer at the pub on this day, though traditionalists look down upon this gimmick. Don’t worry – harmless green food dye is used. So if you’re old enough, you should drink at a pub, preferably Irish or British, and take part in their promotions. Most pubs and restaurants will have some promotional games or contests, perhaps sponsors like Guiness, Harp or Kilkenny (Irish beers) will offer freebies (giveaways at no cost). If you do want to drink in a local pub be warned – Irish and British pubs fill up quickly on this day, well before the 5 pm whistle is blown. It’s the place to be on St. Patty’s Day!
3. See a St. Patrick’s Day parade
Today’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are all about having fun. A number of years ago the parades were seriously Irish, but these days, you can see a lot of diverse floats, clubs, bands and costumes. I remember when I was young seeing a cowboy at a St. Patrick’s Day parade and wondering “What’s he doing there?” LOL.
4. Re-tell the original story of St. Patrick:
A young English boy was stolen from his home and brought back to then-wild Ireland and held as a slave. During these difficult years the young man turned to his Christian faith to keep him going. One night he dreamed that he would walk over a hill and discover a boat that would rescue him. Shortly thereafter he escaped and found such a boat. He finally made it back to his home in England.
Later, as a priest, he decided to return to Ireland, where he knew the language and customs, to convert them to Christianity. Other missionaries had been killed, but he was successful.
He added the circle to the cross which represented the sun, and created the “Celtic cross.”
He used the 3-leaf clover to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) to the Irish people. That is why the clover or “shamrock” is a strong symbol not only on St. Patrick’s Day but of Ireland itself.
This is just a brief background description. If interested, please do more research to learn about this fun and interesting holiday, and don’t be shy to get into the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day!
Cheers!
One of the things to remember when you are looking to improve conversation skills, especially if you are using English as a second language and you really want to speak English better, is that English is just one part of language, and language is just one part of communication.
A quick way to build rapport with your listener is to mimic or reflect back their favourite words or expressions. So this way, even if you ‘have an accent’ it won’t be as important as the fact that you are connecting with the person on their level and making them feel comfortable by using a few of their own favourite words/expressions.
This is also a good thing to remember when you are trying to decide if you should sway your English accent towards British or American. The actual answer is – it depends. It depends where you live or who you work with. I am not suggesting you have 2 distinct ‘fake’ voices, one that sounds like James Bond and another that sounds like the President. I am suggesting that you listen to and imitate the people around you, especially if you are a new immigrant. This will help you bridge the gap and increase fluency or at least a sense of fluency until your English improves a bit more.
There is more I could say on this subject but for now the take-away point is to listen to the people around you for their favourite words and expressions and then repeat them sometimes. Do not be an annoying parrot though. About 3:1 should suffice. It’s a simple trick that connects and builds rapport. After all, we like people who seem to be similar to ourselves, right? 🙂