shopcross-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.comLight Elements Optical modules for signal towers 1
02 MIND YOUR LANGUAGE -...
1
Queries relating to language skills Do you find grammar confusing? Do you get stuck with words when writing a letter, an essay or a blog? Do you have a fear of public speaking? Or do you simply want to improve your communication skills? Times NIE is here to help you to master the intricacies of the English language. Just shoot us your queries on toinie175 @gmail.com 02 Don’t talk rightaway TED Talks speaker Simon Sinek in an interview to entrepreneur.com said you should never talk as you walk out on stage. “A lot of people start talking right away, and it’s out of nerves,” Sinek says. “That communicates a little bit of in- security and fear.” Instead, quietly walk out on stage. Then take a deep breath, find your place, wait a few seconds and begin. “I know it sounds long and te- dious and it feels excruciatingly awk- ward when you do it,” Sinek said, “but it shows the audience you’re totally con- fident and in charge of the situation.” Not crafting a powerful opening “According to Plato, ‘The beginning is the most important part of the work.’ Yet, it’s a common bad habit for speakers to waste those precious opening seconds rambling pointlessly, telling a joke, reading an agenda, or apologising needlessly, all of which fail to grab the audience’s attention and motivate them to listen,” said Darlene Price, president of Well Said, Inc. and author of ‘Well Said! Pre- sentations and Conversations That Get Results’. You, your message, and your audience deserve much more. So open with a bang. Invest the thought, time, and effort to craft and memorise “the most important part of the work.” For example, narrate an engaging, relevant story; state a startling statistic; or ask a thought-provoking question. Let your body language flow naturally Body language is an aspect of present- ing novices struggle with, but only be- cause they overthink it. Toastmasters International world champion Manoj Vasudevan (2017) said that body language rehearsal should be minimal. The key is to let your body follow your emotions, and for that to work you need to be emo- tionally invested in what you’re saying. “Your body lan- guage automat- ically follows your voice,” he said. As for the few elements you should practice, Toast- masters International world champion Darren Tay (2016) said that you should keep your gestures around the torso of your body. Moving your hands too close to your face or belt is distracting. Both the speakers agreed that appearing nat- ural on stage is ideal, but recognised that achieving this comfort level comes with practice. Tell a story Vasudevan said that for nearly the entirety of his winning speech, “I’m look- ing at someone and talking to them. It’s a huge audience, but I keep picking some random person who’s interested in lis- tening to me and I look at the per- son.” He said that when you are in front of a large audience, you may need to add some drama to your gestures and delivery, but you should still speak as if you were talking to a friend across the table from you. Make eye contact From beginners to veterans, the ma- jority of speakers fail to maintain mean- ingful, sustained eye contact with their listeners. “Unconsciously, their eyes scurry from person to person, darting around the room, without ever pausing to actually see the recipients of their message,” said Darlene Price. “Lack of eye contact implies a list of offences: in- sincerity, disinterest, de- tachment, insecurity, shiftiness, and even arro- gance.” To visually connect, maintain eye contact for at least two to three seconds per per- son, or long enough to complete a full phrase or sentence. Effective eye communication is the most im- portant nonverbal skill in a speak- er’s toolbox. Ignore the naysayers Dismiss the people furrowing their brows, crossing their arms or shaking their heads “no.” Instead, focus only on your supporters – the people who are visibly engaged, enjoying your presentation and nodding “yes.” If you find audience mem- bers who are positively interacting with you, you’ll be much more confident and relaxed than if you try to con- vince the naysayers. Get comfortable with the environment It will help you to feel more comfort- able and secure when the big day ar- rives. Another suggestion would be to plant a few supportive friends or fam- ily members in the audience who can throw you an encouraging look or two as you are presenting. Just realise that you may get so caught up in the speech that you may not actually see them! Still, it could be a comfort to have them there. Impact ending It’s fine to invite the audience’s comments and questions; however, be sure to end strong. Craft an effective three- part closing where you deliver a strong summary; present a call-to-action; and con- clude with a powerful closing statement. Develop the habit of saying last what you want your audience to remember most. Let your personality come through Be yourself, don’t become a talking head – in any type of communication. You will establish better credibility if your per- sonality shines through, and your audi- ence will trust what you have to say if they can see you as a real person. Practice does not make perfect Good communication is never perfect. However, putting in the requisite time to prepare will help you deliver a bet- ter speech. You may not be able to shake your nerves entirely, but you can learn to minimise them. “Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher” Gautama Buddha 10 Hi friends. We are These advice applies to everything from a TED Talk to a public speaking competition in your school MIND YOUR LANGUAGE POWERFUL PUBLIC SPEAKING TIPS At sixes and sevens Meaning: We use this British expres- sion when we are confused or in a state of disorder Example: The government was at sixes and sevens over what to do about the unemployment rate. Catch-22 Meaning: A no-win situation Example: I can’t start my own business, until I have money, and I can’t get money until I start my own business. It’s a Catch-22 situation. A stitch in time saves nine Meaning: A proverb that refers to the importance of precaution Example: It seems that something’s wrong with my car, it’s better to get a check-up as a stitch in time saves nine. Fifteen minutes of fame Meaning: Brief, superficial celebrity Example: Priya had her 15 minutes of fame when she appeared on the nightly news broadcast. One-horse town Meaning: A town that is small and not important. Example: I grew up in a one-horse town. I moved away at the first chance I had. On cloud nine Meaning: Like seventh heaven, this expression is used when someone feels very happy because of something great that has happened to them. Example: She’s been on cloud nine since since she got the scholarship to study abroad. Kill two birds with one stone Meaning: Achieve two goals with one action Example: I have to go to the bank, and on the way back, I’ll pick up the groceries too, killing two birds with one stone. Nine lives Meaning: A reference to having good luck. Example: Virat Kohli was dropped five times in the match. It seems he had nine lives. Nine times out of ten Meaning: Almost always. Example: She beats me at chess nine times out of ten. Wouldn’t touch (someone or something) with a ten-foot pole Meaning: A reference to assiduously avoiding something. Example: I wouldn’t touch that car with a ten-foot pole – it’s a fuel guzzler. Two cents’ worth Meaning: An individual’s opinion. Example: You didn’t ask for my two cents but I’ll tell you anyway. NUMBER IDIOMS Photo: Getty images See, Look at and Watch See: To notice things or peo- ple with your eyes. Look at: When you try to see something or someone. Watch: To look at something for a period of time. Examples Did you see that shooting star? He turned and looked at him. Let’s watch a movie this evening. Stay and Spend Stay: To continue in one place or to continue doing something. Spend: To use time/to use money. Examples Where did you stay when you went to Japan? We stayed at a hotel. I just can’t seem to stop spending. I spend too much time watching television. Tortuous and Torturous Tortuous means full of twists; complex. Torturous means full of pain or suffering. Examples The streets are narrow, tor- tuous and inaccessible to carriages. The path to peace seems at last to be clear, although it may be a long and tortuous one. Lightening and Lightning Lightening means becoming less dark. Lighten can also mean to make happier or less serious. Lightning means electrical discharge in the sky. Examples The painter mixed some white into the blue, lighten- ing the colour. Putting on a funny movie is one way of lightening the mood. He saw lightning in the dark clouds; a few seconds later he heard thunder. Sceptic and Septic Sceptic means a person inclined to doubt. Septic means infected with bacteria. Examples People say it can cure cough, but I’m a bit of a sceptic. He neglected the small cut on his finger and it went septic. CONFUSING WORDS MADE EASY Blatant 1 Used by Elizabethan poet Edmund Spenser in his epic poem ‘The Faerie Queene,’ this word originally referred to a thou- sand-tongued beast. Since then it has come to mean some- thing that is glaringly obvious and in-your-face, like an ele- phant in the room. Chortle 2 The word ‘chortle’ was coined by Lewis Carroll in his chil- dren’s story ‘Through the Looking Glass.’ It is probably a blend of ’chuckle’ and ’snort’. It means to laugh in a noisy, gleeful way. Airy-fairy 3 The phrase ‘airy-fairy’ — now used as a derogato- ry term for something light and insubstantial — can be traced back to Tennyson’s use of it in one of his early poems, ‘Lilian’ (1830). Utopia 4 Coined by Sir Thomas More, this word was first used as the name for More’s fictional island in his 1516 book, Utopia. The word “utopia” has since become used to describe any ideal world. Panglossian 5 A panglossian is optimistic regardless of the circumstances. It’s derived from Voltaire’s Candide (1759). 5 WORDS we got from Literature
Transcript of 02 MIND YOUR LANGUAGE -...
Queries relating to language skillsDo you find grammar confusing? Do you get stuck with words when writinga letter, an essay or a blog? Do you have a fear of public speaking? Or doyou simply want to improve your communication skills? Times NIE is here tohelp you to master the intricacies of the English language. Just shoot usyour queries on toinie175 @gmail.com
02
Don’t talk rightawayTED Talks speaker Simon Sinek in aninterview to entrepreneur.com said youshould never talk as you walk out onstage. “A lot of people start talking rightaway, and it’s out of nerves,” Sinek says.“That communicates a little bit of in-security and fear.” Instead, quietly walkout on stage. Then take a deep breath,find your place, wait a few seconds andbegin. “I know it sounds long and te-dious and it feels excruciatingly awk-ward when you do it,” Sinek said, “butit shows the audience you’re totally con-fident and in charge of the situation.”
Not crafting a powerfulopening“According to Plato, ‘The beginning isthe most important part of the work.’Yet, it’s a common bad habitfor speakers to waste thoseprecious opening secondsrambling pointlessly, tellinga joke, reading an agenda,or apologisingneedlessly,
all of which fail to grab the audience’sattention and motivate them to listen,”said Darlene Price, president of WellSaid, Inc. and author of ‘Well Said! Pre-sentations and Conversations That GetResults’. You, your message, and youraudience deserve much more. So openwith a bang. Invest the thought, time,and effort to craft and memorise “themost important part of the work.” Forexample, narrate an engaging, relevantstory; state a startling statistic; or aska thought-provoking question.
Let your body languageflow naturallyBody language is an aspect of present-ing novices struggle with, but only be-cause they overthink it. ToastmastersInternational world champion ManojVasudevan (2017) said that body languagerehearsal should be minimal. The keyis to let your body follow your emotions,and for that to work you need to be emo-
tionally invested in what you’resaying. “Your body lan-
guage automat-ically
follows your voice,” he said. As for thefew elements you should practice, Toast-masters International world championDarren Tay (2016) said that you shouldkeep your gestures around the torso ofyour body. Moving your hands too closeto your face or belt is distracting. Boththe speakers agreed that appearing nat-ural on stage is ideal, but recognisedthat achieving this comfort level comeswith practice.
Tell a story Vasudevan said that for
nearly the entirety of hiswinning speech, “I’m look-ing at someone and talking tothem. It’s a huge audience, butI keep picking some randomperson who’s interested in lis-tening to me and I look at the per-son.” He said that when you arein front of a large audience, youmay need to add some drama to yourgestures and delivery, but you shouldstill speak as if you were talking to afriend across the table from you.
Make eye contactFrom beginners to veterans, the ma-jority of speakers fail to maintain mean-ingful, sustained eye contact with theirlisteners. “Unconsciously, their eyesscurry from person to person, dartingaround the room, without ever pausingto actually see the recipients oftheir message,” said DarlenePrice. “Lack of eye contactimplies a list of offences: in-
sincerity, disinterest, de-tachment, insecurity,shiftiness, and even arro-gance.” To visually connect,maintain eye contact for at least
two to three seconds per per-son, or long enough to completea full phrase or sentence. Effectiveeye communication is the most im-portant nonverbal skill in a speak-er’s toolbox.
Ignore the naysayersDismiss the people furrowing their brows,crossing their arms or shaking theirheads “no.” Instead, focus only on yoursupporters – the people who are visiblyengaged, enjoying your presentation andnodding “yes.” If you find audience mem-bers who are positively interacting with
you, you’ll be much more confidentand relaxed than if you try to con-
vince the naysayers.
Get comfortable with the environment
It will help you to feel more comfort-able and secure when the big day ar-rives. Another suggestion would be toplant a few supportive friends or fam-ily members in the audience who canthrow you an encouraging look or twoas you are presenting. Just realise thatyou may get so caught up in the speech
that you may not actually seethem! Still, it could be acomfort to have them
there.
Impact ending It’s fine to invite the audience’s
comments and questions; however, besure to end strong. Craft an effective three-part closing where you deliver a strongsummary; present a call-to-action; and con-clude with a powerful closing statement.Develop the habit of saying last what youwant your audience to remember most.
Let your personality comethroughBe yourself, don’t become a talking head– in any type of communication. You willestablish better credibility if your per-sonality shines through, and your audi-ence will trust what you have to say ifthey can see you as a real person.
Practice does not make perfectGood communication is never perfect.However, putting in the requisite timeto prepare will help you deliver a bet-ter speech. You may not be able to shakeyour nerves entirely, but you can learnto minimise them.
“Do not believe what your teacher tells youmerely out of respect for the teacher”
Gautama Buddha
10Hi friends. We are
These advice applies to everythingfrom a TED Talk to a public speakingcompetition in your school
MIND YOUR LANGUAGE
POWERFUL PUBLICSPEAKING TIPS
At sixes and sevensMeaning: We use this British expres-sion when we are confused or in astate of disorderExample: The government was atsixes and sevens over what to do aboutthe unemployment rate.
Catch-22Meaning: A no-win situationExample: I can’t start my own business,until I have money, and I can’t getmoney until I start my own business. It’sa Catch-22 situation.
A stitch in time saves nine Meaning: A proverb that refers to theimportance of precautionExample: It seems that something’swrong with my car, it’s better to get acheck-up as a stitch in time saves nine.
Fifteen minutes of fameMeaning: Brief, superficial celebrity Example: Priya had her 15 minutes offame when she appeared on the nightlynews broadcast.
One-horse townMeaning: A town that is small and not important.Example: I grew up in a one-horsetown. I moved away at the first chance I had.
Oncloud nineMeaning: Like seventhheaven, this expression is used whensomeone feels very happy because ofsomething great that has happened tothem.Example: She’s been on cloud ninesince since she got the scholarship tostudy abroad.
Kill two birds with one stone Meaning: Achieve two goals with one actionExample: I have to go to the bank,and on the way back, I’ll pick up thegroceries too, killing two birds withone stone.
Nine livesMeaning: A reference to having good luck.
Example:Virat Kohli
was dropped fivetimes in the match. It
seems he had nine lives.
Nine times out of tenMeaning: Almost always.Example: She beats me at chess ninetimes out of ten.
Wouldn’t touch (someoneor something) with a ten-foot poleMeaning: A reference to assiduouslyavoiding something.Example: I wouldn’t touch that car witha ten-foot pole – it’s a fuel guzzler.
Two cents’ worthMeaning: An individual’s opinion.Example: You didn’t ask for my twocents but I’ll tell you anyway.
NUMBERIDIOMS
Photo: Getty images
See, Look at andWatch See: To notice things or peo-ple with your eyes.Look at: When you try tosee something or someone. Watch: To look at somethingfor a period of time.
ExamplesDid you see that shooting star?He turned and looked at him.Let’s watch a movie this evening.
Stay and Spend Stay: To continue in oneplace or to continue doingsomething. Spend: To use time/to use money.
ExamplesWhere did you stay when you
went to Japan? We stayed at a hotel.I just can’t seem to stop spending.I spend too much timewatching television.
Tortuous andTorturousTortuous means full of twists;complex. Torturous means full of painor suffering.
ExamplesThe streets are narrow, tor-tuous and inaccessible tocarriages.The path to peace seems atlast to be clear, although itmay be a long and tortuous one.
Lightening andLightningLightening means becomingless dark. Lighten can alsomean to make happier or
less serious. Lightning means electricaldischarge in the sky.
ExamplesThe painter mixed somewhite into the blue, lighten-ing the colour.Putting on a funny movie is one way of lightening the mood.He saw lightning in the darkclouds; a few seconds laterhe heard thunder.
Sceptic and SepticSceptic means a personinclined to doubt. Septic means infected with bacteria.ExamplesPeople say it can cure cough,but I’m a bit of a sceptic.He neglected the small cut on his finger and itwent septic.
CONFUSINGWORDSMADE EASY
Blatant
1Used by Elizabethan poet Edmund Spenser in his epic poem‘The Faerie Queene,’ this word originally referred to a thou-
sand-tongued beast. Since then it has come to mean some-thing that is glaringly obvious and in-your-face, like an ele-phant in the room.
Chortle
2 The word ‘chortle’ was coinedby Lewis Carroll in his chil-
dren’s story ‘Through the LookingGlass.’ It is probably a blend of’chuckle’ and ’snort’. It means tolaugh in a noisy, gleeful way.
Airy-fairy
3The phrase ‘airy-fairy’ — now used as a derogato-ry term for something light and insubstantial —
can be traced back to Tennyson’s use of it in one ofhis early poems, ‘Lilian’ (1830).
Utopia
4Coined by SirThomas More, this
word was first used as thename for More’s fictional
island in his 1516 book,Utopia. The word “utopia”
has since become used todescribe any ideal world.
Panglossian
5A panglossian is optimistic regardlessof the circumstances. It’s derived from
Voltaire’s Candide (1759).
5 WORDS we got from Literature
