At school we are taught that there are five vowels – a, e, i, o and u and this is true for written English but not so for spoken English. In spoken English the same “vowel” can be produced three or four different ways. For example, “black” vs “baby” or “bite” vs “bit” or “cut” […]
Read moreA must read for those of us aspiring to be leaders. And in order to be a great leader we need to first be great communicators. This is of course not easy and something I work on every day as I evaluate what I say, how it was perceived and what I might do differently […]
Read moreThis was the title of a recent workshop I facilitated for the Speech and Drama Teachers Association of Victoria. It was fantastic to work with a room full of voice and speech teachers, drama teachers and EAL teachers all committed to supporting their students communicate their message clearly and effectively. My key message for those […]
Read moreMy husband and I were at a restaurant recently and when the waiter came over to take our drink orders this is how the conversation went: My husband: “Can we have 2 glasses of pinot please” Waiter: “Which one?” My husband: [hurriedly opens menu again] “Oh is there more than one by the glass?” Waiter: […]
Read moreAs Franklin Roosevelt said “Be sincere, be brief, be seated.” We live in a cynical world where we are trained to second guess what everyone says and never take anything at face value. So, as a presenter, how do you get your audience to believe you? Simple, speak from the heart. Now, you may be thinking […]
Read moreSometimes when English is not your first language you may find that accents can be a barrier to effective communication. For example, someone with a strong Australian accent may be difficult for someone from India to understand and vice versa. Particularly in our professional lives, we want to make sure that our message gets across […]
Read more“Students’ reliance on screens for communication is detracting—and distracting—from their engagement in real-time talk.” Do you think people are losing the ability to talk to one another? In the 21st century, is there any skill more important than being able to sustain a confident and coherent conversation? This article explores the difficulty students are having […]
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