by Heather Chetwynd | Sep 27, 2021 | Language Training
Most cities have their landmarks. In Toronto, we have one that was sold after the death of its owner, Ed Mirvish. A poor immigrant to Toronto in the 1920s, he built a discount store in 1948 that catered to immigrants and the working class, delighting passersby with...
by Heather Chetwynd | Jul 19, 2021 | Business Communications
We learn our soft skills from the environments we grow up in and experience – family, culture, friends, school, etc.. Inappropriate or insufficient soft skills – ranging from not understanding culturally appropriate communication to not being able to express...
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...
by Heather Chetwynd | Sep 10, 2020 | Language Training
In my 20s, I learned to speak Spanish with a wave of refugees from South America. I just “hung out” and took a few lessons, sang in a small Latin folk band and eventually married a Chilean refugee. Because I had never properly studied Spanish or lived in a...
by Heather Chetwynd | Jun 26, 2015 | Accent Modification
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...
