Be Understood: The E4S Newsletter (August 2023 Edition)

Welcome!

I hope this thirteenth installment will bring you up to date on the accomplishments and opportunities that E4S affords its network and clients. Read on for tips you can use to communicate effectively, upcoming events, and opportunities for support. Let's work together to to help the planet thrive in the face of climate change.?--Lara

E4S Celebrates 2 Years of Conversation Club?

The only way to become a fluent speaker is to speak. But for many people who lack speaking opportunities, it can be difficult to practice with other English speakers.?

That's why English for Sustainability (E4S) offers a monthly Conversation Club, free to anyone with a high speed internet connection.?

Each month, we focus on a sustainability-related topic and participants speak in pairs or groups of three about the topic. We change groups two or three times for maximum practice and variety.?

In our two years, we have had over 100 participants from at least 24 different countries including Algeria, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, and the US.?

While many participants put the event on their calendars and join us month after month, we also welcome people who drop in for their first time. The only requisite is that they must be able to communicate in English the entire time--mistakes are fine and welcome. Read on for more!?

Congratulations to these new Sustainable Presenters!?

E4S's 7-week public speaking course, The?Sustainable Presenter, just wrapped up.?I'd like to congratulate Valeria Alcocer , Simona-Maria Mihail , and Nicola Maurizio Palumbo for?completing it!?

Through a combination of lessons, feedback, and a lot of practice, each overcame their nerves and circumstances beyond their control to capture the audience's attention, speak energetically, and hit all of their key points effectively.?

What is a Sustainable Presenter??

As a group, we co-created the definition of a sustainable presenter throughout the course. Simona describes it as a “Confident, relaxed presenter," noting that this comfort comes from good preparation. Maurizio's definition elaborates on this notion, saying that “A sustainable presenter prepares what to say and practices by recording themself. Most of the work is done by the time you present."?

As you can see, being a sustainable presenter is the result of planning, preparation, and practice.?

On the day of the presentation, the sustainable presenter has another skill to employ. No matter how apprehensive they feel, the trick is to recognize and release the thoughts and feelings that increase nervousness and ordinarily would have caused them to stumble over their words or even cause their mind to go blank.?

Instead, by activating the Sustainable Presenter mindset within, they remember what to say and are more focused and calm. They empower themselves to have a great presentation. You can learn this, too!?

Will you be among the next 3 Sustainable Presenters??

That's right. Only 3 people.

Here's why: in this live course, it's essential that each participant gets plenty of practice and feedback. I tailor the content of the course to the needs of the participants since each person and group is unique. If you are interested in learning more about The Sustainable Presenter public speaking course, click here. Once we have 3 people with compatible schedules, we'll begin.?

E4S Sustainability Crossword Puzzle

Use the clues to guess the words,?then read them aloud?to discover the pattern.?Answers are at the end of the newsletter.

Elderberry

Sambucus canadensis.?

The American Elderberry.

The first plant I cultivated in my garden.?

Each year, its delicate white flower clusters gently give way to the berries. They begin as firm, round green berries, a little smaller than a caper, then transform to a purplish red, and ripen into the deep purple you see in the photo.?

Following in a dear teacher's footsteps, I tincture the ripe berries, high in antioxidants, saving this medicine for when my immune system needs an added boost.?

Coming Soon!?

If you have been wanting to speak English more confidently and effectively, chances are that you will find what you are looking for in the next few months.?

Confident English Speaking: October 12, 2023

A mindset-focused class that meets once and continues in community. Click here.

Learning Lab: Coming soon!

A free 4-day group course on pronunciation. Sign up to stay updated.

Pronunciation FUNdamentals: Coming soon!?

This pronunciation course will be on demand. Stay updated here.

The Sustainable Presenter: Once we have 3 registrants, we'll begin.

Click to learn more about this live, 3-person, public speaking course.??

Would you like to speak fluently?

Speaking fluently requires more than practice... You can learn the secrets to speaking fluently.?

The workbook, Speaking Fluently, will walk you through what you need to do to stop stumbling over your words and searching for what to say next.?

Get your copy here (click).

“The workbook has a beautiful design, is very inviting, very appealing, it is easy to go through, has lots of opportunities to practice what you learn and strengthen your mindset and it is feels like a story, told step by step, until it becomes your story - of speaking fluently and confidently. I am so glad that I bought it, as it is great value for money and really helps you to become better when speaking or presenting.” Simona Mihail, Bucharest, Romania

You're Invited to Attend The Next Conversation Club Event!

25 September: E4S Conversation Club event (click here)

Each month, come talk with people from?around the world about sustainability topics.

Join our free Meetup group! All are invited.?

In August, our topic was on closing the loop on unwanted clothing. The conversations focused around these questions:?

1. What do you do when you no longer want your clothes??

2. Are there upcycling or recycling options in your community forunwanted clothing? If so, what are they? If not, what would you like to see??

3. How can we avoid throwing clothes away, ending up in a landfill, and warming the planet??

One participant's takeaway:

"Prioritizing quality over quantity will help give clothing new life"

You grew up speaking English??

ALL English speakers are invited to participate inE4S Conversation Club events!

It doesn't matter if you grew up speaking onlyEnglish or if you began learning it a few years ago.?

Another reason why these monthly events exist is to speak and listen to each other, and to share ideas and experiences related to sustainability and thriving. This multinational club is beneficial to anyone seeking a diversity of views. Join us!?

Answers!

DOWN:?

1. carbon diOXide?

2. WATT?

5. OFFshore?

8. OXygen?

ACROSS:?

3. hydROlogist?

4. COST?

6. hyDRAUlic?

7. biOlogist?

8. ONshore

Did you find the pronunciation pattern??

All of the words have the same vowel sound.?Specifically, the stressed (longest) syllable is the same in each word.?

In the Color Vowel system (ELTS), this is the "Olive SOCK" sound. This sound is pronounced slightly differently across English dialects. For many, this is the sound where the mouth is the most open. In some dialects, the lips round. In others, the lips are relaxed, sounding like what you say when a doctor wants to look into your throat ("aaah").?

Now try the list, pronouncing the syllables in ALL CAPS with the Olive Sock /a/ sound, and making these vowels longer than the others.?

If you are interested in a 20% promo code for the Blue Canoe app to further explore this topic and improve your pronunciation, message me.