English with Kirsty

Nadezhda Chalyk is a trainer, consultant and lecturer working in the field of intercultural communication. 

Here are some of the topics that we discussed in our conversation about language, culture, and communication:

* Nadezhda’s language learning journey
* When it’s time to start actually speaking a new language
* Different types of communication styles – influenced by language and culture
* Ways to communicate better and to avoid misunderstandings
* Cultural norms in terms of communication – what is polite? Which topics are considered too personal?
* How learning about language and culture are connected and why they are both important
* Ways for those using their first language to be more inclusive in professional situations.

Find out more on the show notes page:
https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode214

Leanna and I connected when Leanna message me on LinkedIn. First I thought our conversation would be about language teaching, but in the end, we also talked about:

How speaking (and learning) additional languages can make you a better teacher
Strategies for learning new languages independently as an adult.
Ways to make sure that you allocate time to different projects when you're learning multiple languages.
Leanna's new blog and website, Learning with Leanna.

This is how Leanna introduces herself:

"I am Leanna Lee, and I started my teaching career with home-schooling my son for his Kindergarten and 1st grade years. After that, I worked as a Spanish and Mandarin Teacher for a private day care. During the pandemic, I obtained my TESOL certificate and started my journey as an ESOL Teacher. I started my company Learning with Leanna during this time and privately tutored through this. I have worked with children and adult students from all over the world and I enjoy helping my students reach their English goals. In my free time I enjoy reading, learning languages, and spending time with my son and husband."

Find out more on the show notes page:
https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode213

Two things really impressed me about Maribel’s story:

1. If you want something and it doesn’t exist, create the opportunity yourself! You’ll see how this worked out for Maribel as we talk about her story and how she built her business.
2. Having your own business and using additional languages in business can be a way to help you develop and improve those language skills. Don’t wait till everything is perfect! Do your best, but the learning comes along the way as you use the additional languages in real situations. I need to remember this one too!

Maribel Aburto is the CEO and co-founder of CREATIVA Design Studio, a Branding and Web Design Agency dedicated to providing flexible job opportunities to women of different backgrounds. Originally from Chile, she moved to New Zealand in 2009, where she lived for 13 years before recently relocating to Dublin in January. With a background in branding and website design, she’s passionate about helping value-driven women and businesses worldwide to grow and succeed by creating designs that effectively reach their ideal audiences. Her mission is to empower women like herself to achieve their business and professional goals and build successful businesses.

Visit the show notes page to find out more and to access Maribel's links:
https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode212

Today I'm looking at some of the differences between studying a language at school and learning as an independent adult. 

We have more opportunities as an adult and more freedom to customise the learning process, but sometimes it can be too much freedom! So  we need to be proactive with time management, to actively seek out opportunities to practise, and have the discipline to stay on track. 

Understanding these differences can help us to make better choices, so I want to look at five of them. I talk about practical things, such as finding the right course, but also the way we manage our emotions around starting something new or not yet having the skills that we want because we are still in the process of developing them!



Find out more on the show notes page:
https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode211

Bogdana and I met a few weeks ago on LinkedIn - my new favourite social media platform!

Bogdana is a Creative Digital Marketing Passionate  Entrepreneur. Throughout the years she has worked with more than 35 areas of interest such as Tech, Software, Beauty, Fashion, Tourism, Construction, Medical, Business Services, Coaching programmes, Real Estate and more. Her communications and digital marketing skills helped her to generate more than 10k leads for SME companies through online advertising and PR SEO articles. 

Bogdana has helped more than 100 SME Companies increased their online & offline brand awareness by more than 30% with creative marketing strategies, successfully handling large marketing budgets for advertising, and developing digital courses & programs for Start-ups in different communities.

We talked about:
What Bogdana does and how she helps her clients to promote their products and services
Bogdana's experiences with learning German and Serbian as an adult
The role of AI in marketing and communications
The importance of having a plan, both when you're running a business and learning a new language.

Find out more, plus find all of Bogdana's links on the show notes page:
https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/episode210

It was hard to find a title for this interview with Sorina Dascal from Social Click because we covered a lot of ground!

Sorina is a passionate social media specialist who helps businesses gain visibility and increase their revenue through social media strategies.

We talked about Sorina's business and how she helps clients with social media. 

We talked about moving to another country and how this can be a struggle if you don't speak the language well, but how having a group of people around you who want you to succeed can be the key to growth and development - if you are brave enough to ask for help when you need it.

We talked about one of Sorina's challenges and how she overcame it.

Sorina's story is a really positive one and it's exciting to hear her journey.She's someone who generally wants to do good and help people, so be sure to check out her links and discover more about what she does.

Click here for the show notes page:
https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode209

Today I'm starting with the idea that we should try and focus on our message, rather than on how we feel about delivering it.

"I've got something useful to share that will help people", rather than "I don't want to speak in front of these people because I'm nervous!"

It doesn't mean we ignore how we feel, but it shifts the focus on to something more positive.

Following on from the idea of focusing on the message, there are 5 more things to think about:

Make it clear;
Make it complete/don't hold back useful information;
Make it relevant;
Make it yours;
Make it memorable - in a good way!

This is where you can find the show notes page:
https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode208

After around 8 years of virtual coffees and collaborations online, I finally met up with Jane. Jane is a translator who is based in Germany, but this year she came to England for a different kind of networking tour.

We discuss why Jane decided to meet people one-to-one rather than in large groups, plus how this approach can be helpful for both developing your network and improving your language skills. I love the flexibility of online meetings and the fact that I can connect with people all across Europe. This is important for me because most of my customers are miles away from the town where I live. At the same time, there’s something really cool about meeting online friends for the first time in real life!

We also talked about designing schedules that are flexible enough to accommodate changes, some things you can do to make life easier if you’re operating in an additional language, and some of the things that Jane learned while she was here in the UK.

How about you? When was the last time you took an online business relationship offline?

You can also visit the show notes page:
https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode207

Sometimes we neglect our active language skills because it can be easier or more enjoyable to focus on the passive ones.

In today’s podcast episode, I explain the difference between active and passive language skills. I then give you 8 ideas of things that you can do to improve your active language skills.

You can find out more on the show notes page:
https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode206
and you can find more information about the conversation club here:
https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/conversations

"I don't have much time. I'll just write the email in my first language and put it through a translation website. That'll be ok, won't it?"

In episode 205, I share why it won't be ok and I talk about some better strategies that you can use:

Find out more on the show notes page:
https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode205