by Heather Chetwynd | Apr 30, 2025 | Business Communications
You speak English every day. You lead meetings, deliver updates, contribute to your team, and handle complex responsibilities. You’re fluent. And yet you may have received feedback that your communication is sometimes unclear, hard to follow, or lacking impact. This...
by Heather Chetwynd | Jan 13, 2025 | Business Communications
When a non-native English speaker lives and works in an English-speaking environment, even apparent fluency can mask significant challenges. Recognizing these nuances is crucial for HR professionals and workplace leaders to foster an inclusive and supportive...
by Heather Chetwynd | Jun 21, 2024 | 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 | May 24, 2024 | Language Training
If you’ve been watching my latest video series, you’ll understand that the schwa refers to the reduced vowel sound which English speakers use everywhere. But did you know that this reduction can also affect complete words that are not stressed in a sentence? As the...
by Heather Chetwynd | May 17, 2024 | Language Training
Why is the schwa so important? As the most common vowel sound in the English language, the schwa can sometimes tell you if a word is a noun or a verb. Did you know RE-cord (the noun) is pronounced differently than re-CORD (the verb)? And there are many like that....