Last term, the sessions became a real success and we want to continue inviting you to join us for our varied topics and to remind you that all levels are welcome and you can bring anyone you think might be interested. So what are you waiting for?
“Knowledge is a treasure. But practice is the key to it.” –Lao Tzu
Please see our calendar below and sign up to all our sessions or the ones that interest you the most! (*Please note that topics might be liable to change, depending on the interest of the participants*)
Thursday, September 29, 2016 | Maslow’s 5 basic human needs | How do they apply to you? hosted by Heidi Schmidt
Thursday, October 27, 2016 | Leading people and finding the motivation necessary in everything we do hosted by Marina
Thursday, November 10, 2016 | Building a Business and Career that Lasts host to be confirmed
Thursday, November 24, 2016 | Traditions, how do they affect us? host to be confirmed
When: Last Thursday of the month from 19.00-20.30h
How Much: 10€ per session (includes material, cocktails and great company)
We hope to see you there!
Next Monday is the first official day of summer and before you pack your bags, throw on your swimsuit and slather on your sunscreen, we want to remind you that we have one last round table session to say goodbye to Spring and hello to Summer.
The last 4 sessions were a real success and it was wonderful to hear all of you share your opinions and point of views on various topics. This last session promises to be a great session as well and we will be talking about Today’s Technology and Social Media, How does it affect us? Francina, one of our loyal participants will be leading the session and I will be making a surprise cocktail to kick off the summer right.
So if you are free on Thursday, June 30th from 19.00-20.30h and have something to say on the subject of technology (who doesn’t?), join us! All levels and everyone is welcome.
When: Thursday, June 30th from 19.00-20.30h
Where: Espai 290, Aragó 290, Principal
How much: 10€ per person
Why: To exchange ideas, share opinions and improve your spoken English in a comfortable setting
Contact us if you haven’t signed up yet: hello@heidi-schmidt.com and we hope to see you there!
Photo Source & The inspiring Making of Video
This Thursday, April 7th from 19.00h-20.00h, we will be discussing and perhaps even arguing the importance of creativity at work. Whether you are a firm believer of right and left brained people or think that business does not mix with creativity, this talk is for you!
We look forward to seeing you there and remember, this is an all-level friendly group and all students or non-students are welcome.
Confirm you will be coming at hello@heidi-schmidt.com
Where: Espai 290 | Aragó 290 Principal, Barcelona 08009
When: Thursday, April 7 from 19.00-20.00h
How Much: 10€ per session *10€ per person includes material and a surprise drink
Spring is here, the days are officially longer and we cannot wait till the weather is warm enough to put our coats away and head to the beach. In the meantime, we thought we would keep it light this week and share some funny and informative videos on pronunciation.
One of my favorite shows when I was a child was I Love Lucy. Take a look at this short clip as she helps her Cuban husband with some pronunciation issues. Can any of you relate? Pronunciation of -ough video
A quick question and quick answer on connected speech: http://www.elementalenglish.com/quick-question-connected-speech/
An useful website on pronunciation. This is on the difference between British and American English
And finally, the 10 most mispronounced words in English on the streets of London.
Have a great short week everyone and please note, we have postponed our Round Table session #2 to next Thursday, April 7th so you have plenty of time to sign up!
Photo Source: Beautiful Sky Series by Eric Cahan
Round Table Session #2 | Creativity in business, is it a paradox?
Business English, Events, Loud and Clear, Speak
**Please note! Our Round table has been postponed to next Thursday, April 7th from 19.00-20.00h. You still have time to sign up!
We are happy to announce our second edition of our Round Table Series: Creativity in Business, is it a paradox?
If you did not get the chance (opportunity) to join us last month, make sure you save the date and time on Thursday, April 7th from 19-20h for some fascinating conversation, debate and a surprise drink and snack.
There is no better way to start Spring than with a skip in your step and great thoughts in your mind!
Please contact us by Tuesday, April 5th if you and/or your friend plan on joining us. Everyone is welcome and this is an all level friendly group, so join us, no matter what your level is.
We look forward to seeing you there and Happy Easter!
Photo Source:http://www.elenikalorkoti.com/Blip-Zine
Last Thursday evening, we had the honor of serving tea and biscuits to our Round table guests and listening to Madeleine’s interesting proposed talk on the evolution of the English Language. We also discussed some differences between British and American English after watching a few takes from this fascinating documentary: The Adventure of English by Melvyn Bragg
Our participants openly gave their own opinions on their experience with either American or British English and we also discussed whether we should conserve the core of our languages or allow them to evolve and change with time. We spoke about new words added to the Oxford English dictionary, such as: Blog, Clientelism, Emotional Intelligence and Unplugged.
We also shared our thoughts on two questions Madeleine presented: Will this growth of new words and new additions to the language ever stop? and How important is it to protect languages for future generations?
We had a wonderful time speaking and we hope that you can join us on Thursday, March 31st (time to be confirmed) on Creativity in Business | Is it a paradox? Do not be fooled, this will be much more than just business or creativity!
We hope to see you there!
As we head straight into February (is it me, or did January fly by??) Some of us have left our resolutions behind and are focused on other things, like getting your work done before Friday comes around again…
This video, talks about challenging yourself, pushing yourself to an extreme in the name of passion. Would you do it? Do you already challenge yourself to an extreme? And all at an Andante pace or slow tempo (rhythm) How, when, why?
Before we look at the video, lets go over some Wh- word questions. See if you can either construct your own questions or answer the following:
What (object, idea or action) is this person doing?
Where (place) do you think Ruth Boden is from or where is she doing this?
Why (reason–frequently answered with because) would she want to do this?
How (manner) did she get to the top? **did you know you can use many other forms of HOW to get different answers?: How many (quantity, countable) How much (amount price, uncountable) How long (duration, length) How often (frequency) How far (distance) How old (age) How come (reason, similar to why)
Who (person) do you know has done something similar?
While you watch the video, ask yourself a few questions, like:
How does she compare the cello to a human? Why does she say, “There’s no ticket stub, just a memory?”
Finally, see if you can use some of the adjectives we learned last week to describe the video. Happy watching!
https://aeon.co/videos/a-bach-cello-piece-played-atop-a-mountain-is-as-exhilarating-as-you-d-expect
Before we dive into the full holiday season and gather (get together) around the table for wonderful holiday food, I thought I would share a few random (unusual/unexpected) links to help you deal with (get a handle on) dining etiquette around the world. Check out this great info-graphic here: http://visual.ly/business-etiquette-western-europe
And check out this dining etiquette info-graphic
How about 10 different ways to respond to Thank you? Did you know all of these?
Finally, I thought I would give you a bonus. Here is a cheat sheet (reference card) on those IT symbols we have such a hard time remembering:
Have a great week and remember to take it easy, it’s just another holiday season and…
More than once, I have been told by some of you that you just do not get the use of certain acronyms.
Have you ever found yourselves in a meeting and the chair keeps repeating things like TBC, HQ, HR and ASAP all in one sentence? Maybe it sounded like this guy speaking…
Well, we have the post for you this week. We have gathered some interesting links for you to start studying and use at your next meeting. Just click on the bold for the website:
Business Abbreviations you need to know under titles
A list of 40 acronyms if you are in a rush
And 123 acronyms to get you feeling like a pro
We also thought it might be a good idea to get you started on learning 1 new word a day. Recommended by one of our students, if you sign up to word reference’s word of the day app you can learn and quiz yourself on a new word. Vocabulary is another one of your weak points, right? So let us give you a helping hand!
Stay tuned for a pop quiz!
Photo source Planet of the Apes 1967
This week we have been speaking with many of you about your summer adventures and where you went, what you saw, and who you met with. But, sometimes, you find yourselves at a loss for words or simply using the same adjectives all the time. So, we thought it would be a great idea to give you a list of the typical words we use daily and options on how to use more varied vocabulary.
One of the activities I have been doing with students these last few weeks is working on talking about cities. I ask them to describe their favorite cities and their least favorite. Once we have an idea of what cities are on your list, we work on describing them with words like crowded, fashionable, cool, expensive, noisy and then I ask students to come up with two synonyms for each of those words and then 2 antonyms. Not an easy task!
Why don’t you give it a try? If you get stuck (can’t think of any words) try using a Thesaurus. This is my go to online Thesaurus
I also love testing my vocabulary: Test your vocabulary here
The Guardian also wants to test you
And here is a link to improve your vocabulary on a daily or weekly basis.
Now that you have expanded yourself, choose a go to word that will impress everyone. Mine is plethora. Go to this link for 100 words to impress an Native English Speaker!
