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Vocal Fry – Popular, Cool and Very Bad for your Vocal Cords
Vocal fry refers to what happens when the voice drops back into the throat so it sounds rough and deep. A very common behaviour, it is copied between peers, mostly unconsciously, a bit like using up-talk and fillers, for example, 'like.' The problem? It can...
What do we hear when processing ethnicity and accents?
Here's a very sad commentary on the relationship between what we see and what we perceive. Is it possible that just by looking at someone influences what we hear? Certainly our assumptions and stereotypes affect our perceptions but this article points to how just...
Breath and Inspiration and Public Speaking
Breath and inspiration are related. The root of the word inspire is the Latin word spirare, which means to breathe. In English, we use the word respiration in reference to breathing and expiration in reference to death. But these terms are also related to the word...
Age Discrimination? Or Maybe you Need to Evaluate what you are Communicating…
While I know there is certainly age discrimination, it is easy to fall into the excuse of discrimination (about anything) rather than looking at what else could be the concern. Being (well) over 40 myself, I can relate to those who feel discriminated against because...
How Accents and Language Change
Language changes whether we like it or not. I was forced to pronounce WHEN, WHICH and WHERE with air after the W, even though nobody I knew did it. But that was considered correct when I was young. And, as we know, what is considered correct is the language of...
Soft Skills & Cultural Conditioning Play a Key Role in Getting Work or a Promotion
Mohammad was in the running for a promotion but never got it. Why? According to his manager, Mohammad was considered rude by several of his colleagues. There were complaints about him being overly critical, raising his voice regularly and often making jokes at...
How to Handle Uncomfortable Situations at Work
Now and then, we all face some uncomfortable situations at work. Whether it be strong smells, overly talkative co-workers, inappropriate clothes, etc., it can be difficult to confront the offending behaviour. Here are some tips on how to handle some of the more common...
Your Top Ten Grammar Peeves
What is a grammar peeve? When we are 'peeved' about something, it means something really bothers or irritates us. We talk about 'pet peeves' which are things which really bother us in particular - it may be our spouse not putting the lid on the toothpaste properly or...
How to have the Most Productive Meetings Possible
Many of us waste a lot of time in unproductive meetings. It never ceases to surprise me, even in very established and reputable business environments, how common it is to participate in poorly run meetings. Folkerson, in the article that follows, summarizes 9 key...
Irish People Attempt North American Accents
North American accents are diverse, ranging from the deep southern drawl, the clipped East Coast accents of Canada and the New Yorker's relaxed speech. Here's a fun attempt by a number of Irish people attempting to imitate North American accents. I imagine they would...
