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Queries relating to language skillsDo you find grammar confusing? Do you get stuck with words when

writing a letter, an essay or a blog? Do you have a fear of publicspeaking? Or do you simply want to improve your communication

skills? Times NIE is here to help you to master the intricacies of theEnglish language. Just shoot us your queries on toinie175 @gmail.com

“Do not believe what your teacher tells youmerely out of respect for the teacher”

Gautama Buddha

1. Pen down your fears and goals

Take some time to think about the root of your fears.Does public speaking scare you because you had a badexperience? Is it because you’ve always been shy? Is itbecause you’re worried about what people will think?Write down your fears and get specific about howthey’ve held you back, both professionally and person-ally. Then, flip the script and write down the many waysovercoming this fear can propel you forward and bringyou satisfaction. I knew that I wanted to become a bet-ter speaker because I had ideas that I desperatelywanted to share with the world. Describe whatyour life would look like if you were a confi-dent public speaker. What might change?

2. Record yourself talking about your public-speaking goalsNow, talk about your public-speak-ing fears and goals — while record-ing yourself. This is a great exercisefor a few reasons: Getting comfortable in front ofthe camera has a way of making thestage feel less intimidating later on. It pushes you to think about howto best structure your story. There’s power in putting a voiceto your fears and asserting exactlywhat you plan to do about it.

NOTE: If you’re struggling to getstarted, simply record your-self saying,“Pineapples ared e l i c i o u s . ”Then take a deepbreath, turn yourcamera back on, andgive your talk anothergo. I’m not kidding.Your goal isn’t to recordan award-winning speech— for now, at least. Your goalis simply to become 1%more comfortable doingsomething that makesyou uncomfortable.

3. Record your talk 10times, criticise each takeMy friend, professional speaker ConorNeill, said that recording yourself forjust three minutes every day is the sin-gle best investment you can make to im-prove your speaking skills. You mightcringe when you play back your record-ings, but keep watching them. Notewhere you need to improve, but also jotdown what you’re doing right.Maybe after a rocky start, you set-tle into a groove and notice a shift inyour body language. Maybe you avoidsaying filler words like “um” or “like”

for a decent stretch.Maybe after thefourth take,your introduc-tion starts tosound moree n g a g i n g .Collect every

win you can.Once you start

to feel more comfort-able talking about your

public speaking goals on cam-era, recording yourself giving

other mini speeches — youmight tell your favourite childhood

story or pitch your dream startupidea. You’re beginning to get ac-

quainted with the sound ofyour voice. Now let’s move onto

speaking for an actual audience.

4. Tell a storyto a trustedfriend

Prior to giving a TED Talk that wouldreach nearly 25 million views, the authorof “Quiet,” Susan Cain, worked with com-munication coach Jim Fyfe. One of thefirst questions he asked was where shefelt the most comfortable. Cain told him

that she enjoys speakingto friends one-

on-one in intimatesettings. Fyfe then sat her down on hersofa and asked her to give her talk to himthere. If you feel most comfortable athome, invite a friend over. Put on yourfavourite Christmas onesie (a one-piecejumper), if that’s what you feel most re-laxed in. Then simply share a story thatyou might one day want to tell a largergroup of people.

5. Go to a talk and ask one question

Go to a talk — it could be a book signing,a panel discussion on Mexican food, any-thing — and raise your hand during theQ&A portion. When you’re called upon,go for it. Introduce yourself, ask your ques-tion, sit back down, breathe, and celebratethe fact that you spoke up.

6. Post your videos on social mediaYou probably know that on Instagram Sto-ries and YouTube, people record themselvestalking about anything and everything —they give tours of their fish tanks, describewhat they had for lunch, or do live Q&As.

For the public-speaking averse, this couldbe a great exercise.

7. Recruit a public speaking partner

The odds are high that youhave friends who’d like to im-

prove their public speaking skillsas well. Ask one or two of them if they’d

like to team up and face this fear togeth-

er. You could critique one another’svideos or interview each other about var-ious topics. Having an accountability part-ner can make the whole mission more mo-tivating and fun.

PUBLIC SPEAKING10 ways to ace it

IDIOMS ON LIGHT

Come to light

Meaning: To become known; to be revealed.Example: Fresh evidence has recentlycome to light that suggests that hedidn’t in fact commit the theft.

Go out like a lightMeaning: To fall asleep quicklyExample: She was out like a light, assoon as we put her in bed.

Get the green lightMeaning: Approval, or permission to proceedExample: The board gave green lightto the idea of funding stem-cell research.

Many hands make light workMeaning: A large number of peopleco-operating can perform tasks easily.Example: I appreciate everyone who

has volunteered to help out, and I en-courage more people to participate,as many hands make light work.

Guiding lightMeaning: ‘A guiding light’ is someonewho has had an important influenceon you.Example: The professor always en-couraged my work, she has been aguiding light for all of us.

Light at the end of the tunnelMeaning: A better situation after long hardship.Example: I’ve been so stressed aboutmy exams, but knowing I would soonsee my family was really the light atthe end of the tunnel.

Light yearsMeaning: If it seems a long way in the future, you can say it is lightyears away.

Example: I am light years away fromfinishing this essay.

Better to light a single candlethan to curse the darknessMeaning: It’s a Chinese proverbmeaning better to do somethingabout a problem than just complainabout it. Example: Stop complaining aboutmenace of child labour and dosomething about it. It’s better tolight a single candle than to cursethe darkness.

In broad daylight Meaning: used generally to expresssurprise or outrage at someone’s dar-ing to carry out a particular act, es-pecially a crime, during the day, whenanyone could see it. Example: The crime was committedin broad daylight.

Use correct languageIn India, we still use British Englishwhile writing a mail. So, stick to it. Thelanguage you use in your email has tobe strictly professional. Any use of SMSlanguage is a strict no-no.

Give formal salutation Even if you are friends with someone, aprofessional email to him should have aproper salutation. Informally, address-ing somebody as ‘hi’ or’ hey’ in an offi-cial email is immature. Instead, it is ad-visable to use salutation such as ‘Dear’or ‘Hello’ in a professional email as theseemails are soft documents that have beenfiled and would be referred to in future,if the need arises.

Use exclamation marks sparinglyPeople sometimes get carried away andput a number of exclamation marks atthe end of their sentences. The result canappear too emotional or immature. Ex-clamation marks should be used sparingly.

Keep your tone rightEven if you are angry or upset withsomeone, keep your tone right. Avoid ex-pressing your disagreement with some-one through your language. Do not abuse

or use foul lan-guage. If you want toexpress your discon-

tentment with some-thing, write it professionally.

Don’t make spelling errorsTake care of basic grammar in youremail. Thoroughly, read your email be-fore you press the send button in orderto avoid silly mistakes.

End with a closing“Best regards”, “Sincerely”, and “Thankyou” are all professional. Avoid closingssuch as “Best wishes” or “Cheers” unlessyou are good friends with the reader.

Nothing is confidential—sowrite accordinglyEvery electronic message leaves a trail.A basic guideline is to assume that oth-ers will see what you write, so don’twrite anything you wouldn’t want every-one to see.

WRITING AN EMAILprofessionally is no joke ... don’t worry these 6 tips willhelp you write one

Carpology: Branch of botany whichrelates to the structure of seeds and fruit.

Cetology: The study of whales and relatedaquatic mammals.

Climatology: The scientificstudy of long-term patternsof weather conditions;science of cli-mates.

Dendrology: The scientific study of treesand shrubs.

Ethology: The scientific study of thebehaviour of animals.

Etiology: The medical study of the caus-es of diseases.

Orology: The study of mountains.

Gerontology: The science concerned withthe physical and emotional changes asso-ciated with aging.

Graphology: The study of handwriting,especially as a means of providing insightinto the writer’s personality.

Meteorology: The science that deals withthe earth’s atmosphere, climates, andweather.

Nephrology: The branch of medicine thatdeals with the kidneys.

Osteology: The study of the skeletal system.

Typhlology: The medical study of blindness.

OLOGY: list of sciencesThe suffix ology is used to denote a field of study

SOURCE: BUSINESS INSIDER

The Dos1. Grab your audience’s attention starting with your first sentence.

2. Pick the right words to impart your message.

3. Maintain positive eye contact.

4. Use props when appropriate.

5. Keep practising.

The Don’ts1. Talk too fast or too slow.

2. Read from your slides.

3. Use “um” or other filler words.

4. Fidget.

5. Don’t try to impress with jargon.

9. Find an apt audienceBefore you give an important presentation in front of 50colleagues, seek out less intimidating audiences. This mightmean you volunteer to talk about your career or singkaraoke at a party. The size of your audience doesn’t mat-

ter: When I moved to Spain 10 years ago, to make endsmeet, I gave a monthly workshop to help other expats

find English teaching jobs. There were two people in at-tendance.

10. Practise a talk on stage with some friends

Once you’ve conquered these steps, it’s time togive a real talk in front of a real audience. Gather somefriends or coworkers and ask them to share specific

feedback. If you don’t, you’ll get 20 people saying, “Nicejob.” Ask them whether you sped up too much in certain ar-eas or if you were doing something weird with your hands.Then, do it again and again with different groups of people.

I may not be the smoothest speaker in the world, butthe fact that I’m no longer afraid of speaking in public

has brought more opportunities into my life than any-thing else. Try slowly chipping away at your fears every

day until you no longer feel like you’re “public speak-ing.” You’re simply sharing your story.

Photo: Getty ImagesPhoto: Getty Images

Photos: Getty Images

Hi friends. We are Toady, we have Michael Thompson, a communication coach,explaining us how to conquer the fear of public speaking

8. Host a storytelling party

Invite a small group of friends to yourhome, and over dinner and drinks,ask everyone to share a story. You

might throw out specific questionslike “What’s something you’ve alwaysdreamt of doing but haven’t gotten toyet?” You might get a few eye-rolls atfirst, but the crowd will appreciatethe ice breaker.

MIND YOUR LANGUAGE