In the quiet town of Todmorden, West Yorkshire, a team led by Barbara Jones is turning to an age-old material, straw, to insulate a college building in a unique and eco-friendly way.

Lisa's Podcast

Straw Insulation: A Sustainable Solution for Warmer Buildings

Pelu, bici, foto, ... 你知道这些词汇吗？它们是阴性的还是阳性的？你用它们吗？我在播客中会进一步解释。

关于西班牙语和其文化的趣事

缩写词

Are the French actually stingy, or is there a deeper reason behind their attitude toward tipping? In this episode of Déjà Vu French, we explore the controversial world of tips (les pourboires).

From the historical origins of the word "TIPS" in England to the modern-day pressure of credit card machines in Parisian restaurants, I share my personal perspective as a former waiter and bartender on why the tipping system might be broken.

In this video, you will learn:

French Vocabulary for Dining: Le pourboire (the tip), radin (stingy), le serveur (the waiter), and la note (the bill).

The History of Tipping: Is "To Insure Prompt Service" a real acronym or just a legend?

Tipping Around the World: Why is giving extra money considered rude or impolite in Japan?

A Waiter’s Secret: A personal story about how tipping creates hypocrisy and inequality in customer service.

Boost Your French Fluency:
This video is designed for intermediate and advanced learners. By listening to this unscripted, natural conversation, you’ll improve your oral comprehension and pick up authentic French idioms used in real-life debates.

💬 Join the Debate:
Do you think tipping is a moral obligation, or should employers simply pay a fair wage? Does not tipping make you "radin"? Let’s discuss in the comments (in French if you can!).

⸻
🔔 Subscribe so you don’t miss the next videos and keep improving your French listening!
👍 Like this video if it helps you, and share it with other learners.

Déjà Vu French (class with Chris)

Why I'm against tipping culture (🇫🇷 Intermediate French listening)

Pets can get stressed too, just like humans. And sometimes, they can even get more stressed than us. How do we know that? How can we help them? And what are some of the signs that our furry friends are feeling anxious or overwhelmed? These are some of the questions that we will explore in this episode.

Chillchat (Learn Chinese and Chill)

我的宠物压力很大! My pet is stressed out!

大家好，我是Chinese with Ben的网红Ben老师, 欢迎来到我的中文播客！
今天给大家带来一则经典的寓言故事，叫做《农夫与蛇》，请大家听完故事后留言告诉我，
你觉得这个故事的寓意和道理是什么？你在生活中有没有遇到过农夫与蛇的案例？
我会在留言区跟大家互动！Feel free to subscribe my channel and leave your comment here! 

Chinese with Ben

农夫与蛇 The farmer and the snake

Effective virtual communication in business thrives on five key practices:

Clarity and Concision:  Craft messages tailored to the platform. Emails should be well-structured with clear subject lines and concise language.  Video presentations benefit from strong visuals that support, not replace, spoken points. Regardless of the medium, focus on the core message and avoid jargon or unnecessary complexity.

Active Listening and Engagement:  Virtual environments lack nonverbal cues, so active listening is crucial. Pay close attention to what's being said, ask clarifying questions, and paraphrase key points to demonstrate understanding. Encourage participation through polls, breakout rooms, or chat features to keep everyone engaged.

Professionalism and Etiquette:  Maintain a professional online presence. Dress appropriately for video calls, use a clean and distraction-free virtual background, and practice good microphone etiquette (muting when not speaking).  Be mindful of time zones when sending emails and respect colleagues' schedules by avoiding unnecessary interruptions.

Leveraging Technology:  Utilize the tools available to enhance your communication.  Screen sharing allows for visual explanations, online whiteboards facilitate brainstorming, and breakout rooms foster focused discussions.  Mastering these features creates a more dynamic and informative virtual experience.

Building Rapport and Trust:  While physical presence is absent, fostering connection is vital.  Start meetings with icebreakers to create a lighter mood. Use video calls whenever possible to build rapport through facial expressions and body language.  Be transparent in your communication and acknowledge contributions from all participants to create a sense of trust and inclusivity.

The Global Professional Podcast

5 Best Practices of Effective Virtual Communication - EP 36

Are you trying to speak too fast in English?

So you want to sound more like a native English speaker. That means you have to speak fast English, right?

Noooo waaaay :)

There is a danger with speaking fast - you might lose clarity of what you are saying ..

You may think you’ll impress people with how quickly the words come out of your mouth, but what they really want is to understand you.

When you speak too quickly, you might start mumbling, dropping important sounds, or rushing through your vowels. 

Is this the kind of impression you'd like to create? What if people that are listening to you have a challenge with listening, what will this mean? ..

Listen to the recording and to some suggestions I have for you + listen to my speed too and reflect on my example when communicating in English daily 

Making it a permanent habit will make all the difference.

I hope it helps and chooe&book some of my limited slots to train with me now.





The Habits of Professionals Growing Into Strong, Confident English Communicators

Are you trying to speak too fast in English?

最近又过了不少节日：比如父亲节。除了一些常见的中国节日，还有哪些有意思的国际节日呢？一起来听听看吧！

滚奶酪节! 聊聊节日 Cheese-Rolling Festival! Holidays and Festivals

Panettone Sweetbread is now a Normal Part of Christmas in Britain