Sunday 28 March 2010

Being Confident at Presentations


Giving a presentation is anything other than a stressful experience. Even the most experienced and accomplished presenter may be in a total state of panic in the lead up to his or her presentation.
However, there are certain fears that can block us from even preparing our presentation – and these can be dealt with by good preparation. Let’s look at them.

1.You get so nervous that your mouth goes completely dry.

2.You cannot think of a word to say. Your mind is completely blank.

3.The audience looks bored and people start conversations between themselves.

4.Your visual aids don’t work properly.

5.Members of the audience heckle during your presentation or are very aggressive during the questions

I think many presenters fear that one of these situations will arrive during their presentation. However, think back through the hundreds of presentations you have been to. How often have you seen one of these occur? Rarely, I imagine. Don’t let fear of these cloud your mind too much. But do take the preventative steps I have suggested.(Read the complete article thanks to Pearson Brown)

To listen to a recording of this, press the PLAY button at this pop-up Player

And we have the posibility to watch it in a video:


Friday 19 March 2010

How to Apologize without Accepting any Blame



Click on the image to enlarge.
"Basic Instructions" is a comic strip. Any advice contained herein is intended as humor, and should not be followed as actual instructions or advice.

Wednesday 17 March 2010

St. Patrick's Day


St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and the Irish. He was born about 389 A.D. in Northern Wales, which at that time may have been part of England or Scotland.

Saint Patrick had an adventurous life. He was captured by pirates at the age of 16. The Irish pirates brought him to Ireland to tend the flocks of a chieftain in Ulster. Six years of slavery made him a devoted Christian. He escaped to France and became a monk. In 432, a vision led him to return to Ireland as a missionary bishop. He brought Christianity to Ireland and taught there for 29 years. He used the shamrock, a 3 leaf clover, (Ireland's national flower) to explain the Blessed Trinity. St. Patrick founded 365 churches, baptized over 120,000 people and consecrated 450 bishops.

Many tales sprung up about this popular saint. One of the most popular legends was how he charmed all the snakes of Ireland down to the seashore to be drowned by the water. The only certain writings of St. Patrick's are his Confessions and a letter written to a man named Coroticus (See Tripartite Life of St. Patrick by Stokes and Lives by Todd, Healy, Bury and Lusack.). His Confessions are written in crude Latin.

According to some Irish writings, St. Patrick died on March 17, 461 A.D. The anniversary of his death is celebrated as St. Patrick's Day. It's interesting to note that the shamrock clover flowers around that time of year.

The first official celebration of St. Patrick's Day in the United States occurred in Morristown, New Jersey in 1780. It was authorized by George Washington. Today St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by the Irish as well as many Americans with parades, parties, wearing of green, Irish songs and jigs. People wear green on this day to represent the lushness of Ireland - The Emerald Isle.

Do you want to know more? Try these games about this day.

Monday 15 March 2010

Welcome to...


Welcome to London is a BBC intermediate English language course allowing users to practise their reading, listening and pronunciation skills.
It follows two characters, John and Fiona, through a series of situations as they arrive and settle down in the city.
Although next week we are travelling to Paris instead, we can practice useful vocabulary and expressions to move around.
Transport
Hotel
Cinema
Shopping
Work
Eating out

To learn more about Paris for our trip see the Official Website.

Friday 12 March 2010

Parts of the Body: Monkey Squash

Can you guess these words?
Read the clue from British Council Learning English Kids, then spell the word by clicking on the letters.
If you choose too many wrong letters the monkey will get squashed.