by Heather Chetwynd | Mar 20, 2024 | Business Communications
Do you use idioms at work? If you are a native speaker and work with non-native speakers, I suggest developing awareness of when you are using an idiom. I’m not saying don’t use them but make sure they are understood. And if you are a non-native speaker, remember that...
by Heather Chetwynd | Feb 23, 2024 | Business Communications
How can your company support employees who have unclear speech? I suggest referring to accent modification training as Professional Communications Training. In our sessions, there are always other aspects of communication that arise – specific cultural expectations,...
by Heather Chetwynd | Feb 25, 2022 | Business Communications
Clarity is influenced by a number of things. You might immediately assume that we are talking of ARTICULATION, which refers to the movement of the tongue, lips and other muscles in the mouth. While that certainly is one important aspect of speech which helps us...
by Heather Chetwynd | Jan 29, 2021 | Culture and Values
I am often asked, “Is that ‘correct’ English?” It is not a simple question to answer. I have thought about this often but recently I was reminded of it again as I listened to the audio version of Between the World and Me. Written and read by Ta-Nehisi Coates, the book...
by Heather Chetwynd | Nov 5, 2020 | Business Communications, Culture and Values
The North American concept of personal space Many coaches working in English-speaking environments were born and raised in another cultural and/or linguistic environment. And the reverse is also true, especially in Toronto, where roughly 50% of the population was not...
