ESL podcasts vs traditional listening statistics — part 1

I’ve calculated these pretty simple figures based on ESL links collections at the UsingEnglish.com web site. Some of you may disagree or think that this is trivial, but for me it looks impressive. BTW, I do also think that the term “podcast” may be indeed a bit repelling for non-techies and those who prefer visual or reading channels. Read more

How to make incompatible people work together

It’s not easy, but doable.

Sometimes people do not work well together. The fact that each of them is a nice (smart, good, reliable, etc.) person does not matter for their collaboration because they are too different to a level where they cannot establish productive relationships.

Here’s what could help: make the people collaborate. Read more

How to improve relationships at work and in personal life

When somebody of colleagues is unbearable and you can’t stand him or her, or you simply steer clear of meeting or talking with them, this may reflect negatively on your own attitude towards work and finally on overall progress in your career. The same is truth for personal relationships. Tensions between you and others make your life a misery. How to avoid these problems? In fact, much easier than you could think. Read more

One more podcast for English learners

This one is great: The Bob and Rob Show.

A good chance to improve your conversational language skills in process of listening to authors’ cracks (accompanied by a funny laugh track — to make it easier to get the joke).

How to start learning French for free?

You could try one of these options — depending on your lifestyle and preferences:

  1. An entry level on-line course. A good one is the “French Steps”. Each lesson includes listening, reading, speaking and even writing tasks along with easy quizzes to help learn vocabulary and grammar. This is a great option to start if you can allocate approximately an hour at your computer for each lesson.
  2. A free beginner level podcast. The most comprehensive one so far is “French For Beginners”. It’s simple enough for newbies to start listening to even with no knowledge of French at all. The host is an experienced French teacher and her lessons are very easy to understand and remember.

Of course, combining the two options will give additional effect.

How to improve writing skills?

Easy: write daily.

Here is a bit longer advice.

Use every chance to write, for example:

Aim at writing half a page texts — this should save your efforts (not necessary to start writing a long novel!) and make you concentrate on the subject matter. Read more

How to improve your English in a few months?

Easy: listen to podcasts.

To get the best effect, choose a combination of topics including English learning materials and any other you are interested in (e.g., business, career, entertainment, sports, cooking, technologies, etc.). Read more