What we learned during the 14-day SPRINT on Clarity. Level #1. Precise Wording. What you see on the screen is what students defined as learning outcomes.
1. Resources to find precise words (and how to use them)
2. Mechanisms to balance inner state
3. Exercises to prcatice clarity (precision)
4. The structure of delivering clear explanations
5. Stategies to work with text/audio/video content
We had only ONE clear focus during this SPRINT! We did ONLY the exercises that served the purpose. And yet, there were so many new discoveries. Thank you for your work! If you want to continue working on Clarity., consider joining Level #2. Strong Verbs and Adjectives. At this level we will be learning to tell better stories, because every story needs good action verbs🙂 https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/clarity-sprint2
1. Resources to find precise words (and how to use them)
2. Mechanisms to balance inner state
3. Exercises to prcatice clarity (precision)
4. The structure of delivering clear explanations
5. Stategies to work with text/audio/video content
We had only ONE clear focus during this SPRINT! We did ONLY the exercises that served the purpose. And yet, there were so many new discoveries. Thank you for your work! If you want to continue working on Clarity., consider joining Level #2. Strong Verbs and Adjectives. At this level we will be learning to tell better stories, because every story needs good action verbs🙂 https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/clarity-sprint2
community.nataliatokar.me
⛳️ SPRINT! CLARITY. Level 2 - Strong Verbs and Adjectives | Native-Like Fluency. The Community of Practice
I identify five Elements of CLARITY, and non-native speakers need to practice each consistently:
1. Precise wording
2. Strong verbs & adjectives
3. Structure (identifying facts)
4. Connections & Transitions
5. Intonation
This SPRINT! is about the se...
1. Precise wording
2. Strong verbs & adjectives
3. Structure (identifying facts)
4. Connections & Transitions
5. Intonation
This SPRINT! is about the se...
Read fiction in English.
You don’t have to be an avid reader. You don’t have to read a book a month or 50 books a year.
Sometimes one paragraph is enough to learn something.
Reading for pleasure is one thing. Reading as a practice is a different thing.
I talk about reading in the context of deliberate practice. It’s an exercise to improve your fluency in English.
To make the best use of this exercise, limit the number of pages you read, the amount of time you’re ready to devote to it, and create a certain set of criteria to measure your progress.
➡️To access tons of exercises where we use reading as leverage to achieve better fluency, go to the Resource Library (available to everyone who’s taking the Listening course and members of the Native-like fluency group). https://courses.nataliatokar.me/courses/listening-course-how-to-hear-every-word-in-english
➡️To find creative exercises where our focus is READING, go to the Community of practice (start your free trial if you’re not a member yet). https://pages.nataliatokar.me/community
➡️To practice for free, go to my SoundCloud account and work with the playlist “Natalia Reads”. All transcripts are available in the description box. See if you can beat me and read better🤗 https://soundcloud.com/natasha-tokar/sets/natalia-reads-out-loud
You don’t have to be an avid reader. You don’t have to read a book a month or 50 books a year.
Sometimes one paragraph is enough to learn something.
Reading for pleasure is one thing. Reading as a practice is a different thing.
I talk about reading in the context of deliberate practice. It’s an exercise to improve your fluency in English.
To make the best use of this exercise, limit the number of pages you read, the amount of time you’re ready to devote to it, and create a certain set of criteria to measure your progress.
➡️To access tons of exercises where we use reading as leverage to achieve better fluency, go to the Resource Library (available to everyone who’s taking the Listening course and members of the Native-like fluency group). https://courses.nataliatokar.me/courses/listening-course-how-to-hear-every-word-in-english
➡️To find creative exercises where our focus is READING, go to the Community of practice (start your free trial if you’re not a member yet). https://pages.nataliatokar.me/community
➡️To practice for free, go to my SoundCloud account and work with the playlist “Natalia Reads”. All transcripts are available in the description box. See if you can beat me and read better🤗 https://soundcloud.com/natasha-tokar/sets/natalia-reads-out-loud
We begin on March 25, 2022.
10 days of real-time practice. Only 30 min a day. Only ONE focus.
I identify five Elements of CLARITY, and non-native speakers need to practice each consistently:
Precise wording
Strong verbs & adjectives
Structure (identifying facts)
Connections & Transitions
Intonation
This SPRINT! is about the second element. We will practice replacing weak verbs & adjectives with strong and precise ones.
➡️Daily 30-min live sessions where we practice replacing weak & generic verbs & adjectives with strong & precise alternatives. Short, digestible, result-oriented lessons. Replays are instantly available.
➡️Participants will CREATE homework for themselves and others. We will pay a lot of attention to the skill of being spontaneous in English. I will show you how 🙂Homework is optional. You don't have to do it, you don't need to report to anyone or show your work to anyone if you don't feel like it.
Read more and apply here
https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/clarity-sprint2
10 days of real-time practice. Only 30 min a day. Only ONE focus.
I identify five Elements of CLARITY, and non-native speakers need to practice each consistently:
Precise wording
Strong verbs & adjectives
Structure (identifying facts)
Connections & Transitions
Intonation
This SPRINT! is about the second element. We will practice replacing weak verbs & adjectives with strong and precise ones.
➡️Daily 30-min live sessions where we practice replacing weak & generic verbs & adjectives with strong & precise alternatives. Short, digestible, result-oriented lessons. Replays are instantly available.
➡️Participants will CREATE homework for themselves and others. We will pay a lot of attention to the skill of being spontaneous in English. I will show you how 🙂Homework is optional. You don't have to do it, you don't need to report to anyone or show your work to anyone if you don't feel like it.
Read more and apply here
https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/clarity-sprint2
community.nataliatokar.me
⛳️ SPRINT! CLARITY. Level 2 - Strong Verbs and Adjectives | Native-Like Fluency. The Community of Practice
I identify five Elements of CLARITY, and non-native speakers need to practice each consistently:
1. Precise wording
2. Strong verbs & adjectives
3. Structure (identifying facts)
4. Connections & Transitions
5. Intonation
This SPRINT! is about the se...
1. Precise wording
2. Strong verbs & adjectives
3. Structure (identifying facts)
4. Connections & Transitions
5. Intonation
This SPRINT! is about the se...
How to put soft skills on your resume.
See screenshots from Apple.
The position is “Education Leadership Executive” - UK
See screenshots from Apple.
The position is “Education Leadership Executive” - UK
Btw, I made a mistake in the video. I should have said “how to PUT/ INCLUDE/ LIST soft skills on your resume”
And how to ADD xyz experience TO your resume.
This is Self-correction. Admitting your mistakes and correcting them.
And how to ADD xyz experience TO your resume.
This is Self-correction. Admitting your mistakes and correcting them.
I am receiving a lot of requests from people who want a new writing course.
The NEW writing course is not ready yet, but we can do a writing SPRINT! - a short writing challenge with just ONE focus.
➡️Level #1. Creative writing. FOCUS: sentence structure, coherence, precision, flow, clarity of the main idea.
➡️Level #2. Business emails.
FOCUS: emails that help the relationships, not hinder them.
“Creative writing” is a prerequisite for writing better emails.
When we write emails, we don’t just send people numbers and files; we communicate our thoughts on the matter. We build business relationships.
Creative writing teaches you exactly that - to articulate your thoughts.
Only a small group❣️
No pressure to write daily ❣️
Individual video feedback on every piece of writing ❣️
Real-time practice sessions weekly where we examine your texts together ❣️
No strict curriculum except “BETTER WRITING SKILLS”. I always adapt the tasks for each participant ❣️
What do you say?
Who needs a new writing challenge?
It’s small, approachable, doable.
I’d suggest 4 weeks of creative writing (so that everyone writes a minimum of 4 texts and learns to build vibrant and clear sentences)
Followed by 4 weeks of email writing.
Who needs it? Raise a hand in the comments?
We will decide on a schedule together with the group.
P.S. you need to have experience writing texts and emails in English. We will be using resources and books created for native-speakers who aspire to become better writers.
If you have grammar issues, I’ll help you identify those and suggest exercises to correct your mistakes. However, this is not a grammar course. You need to be ready to self-correct your grammar and immediately implement what you’ve learned in the texts you write. Thus, there will be feedback on your grammar. But there will be no grammar exercises in the writing challenge. You’ll have to do them yourself. I’ll show you where to find them if you need me to 🙂
The NEW writing course is not ready yet, but we can do a writing SPRINT! - a short writing challenge with just ONE focus.
➡️Level #1. Creative writing. FOCUS: sentence structure, coherence, precision, flow, clarity of the main idea.
➡️Level #2. Business emails.
FOCUS: emails that help the relationships, not hinder them.
“Creative writing” is a prerequisite for writing better emails.
When we write emails, we don’t just send people numbers and files; we communicate our thoughts on the matter. We build business relationships.
Creative writing teaches you exactly that - to articulate your thoughts.
Only a small group❣️
No pressure to write daily ❣️
Individual video feedback on every piece of writing ❣️
Real-time practice sessions weekly where we examine your texts together ❣️
No strict curriculum except “BETTER WRITING SKILLS”. I always adapt the tasks for each participant ❣️
What do you say?
Who needs a new writing challenge?
It’s small, approachable, doable.
I’d suggest 4 weeks of creative writing (so that everyone writes a minimum of 4 texts and learns to build vibrant and clear sentences)
Followed by 4 weeks of email writing.
Who needs it? Raise a hand in the comments?
We will decide on a schedule together with the group.
P.S. you need to have experience writing texts and emails in English. We will be using resources and books created for native-speakers who aspire to become better writers.
If you have grammar issues, I’ll help you identify those and suggest exercises to correct your mistakes. However, this is not a grammar course. You need to be ready to self-correct your grammar and immediately implement what you’ve learned in the texts you write. Thus, there will be feedback on your grammar. But there will be no grammar exercises in the writing challenge. You’ll have to do them yourself. I’ll show you where to find them if you need me to 🙂
I found this text today and it feels like someone read my mind.
"Just as the long-term improvements from taking tiny steps every day are hard to notice on a day-to-day basis, the long-term harms from cutting back on everyday positive habits are hard to notice on a day-to-day basis.
The key takeaway is this: when we achieve success in an area, this is not the time to take our foot off the gas, it’s the time to double down hard on what we’d done to get there because, clearly, it had been working!" https://www.gomethodology.com/blog/2020/1/7/how-to-achieve-sustained-success
"Just as the long-term improvements from taking tiny steps every day are hard to notice on a day-to-day basis, the long-term harms from cutting back on everyday positive habits are hard to notice on a day-to-day basis.
The key takeaway is this: when we achieve success in an area, this is not the time to take our foot off the gas, it’s the time to double down hard on what we’d done to get there because, clearly, it had been working!" https://www.gomethodology.com/blog/2020/1/7/how-to-achieve-sustained-success
Methodology Premium Food Delivery: Clean, Custom, Comfort Food
How to achieve SUSTAINED success — Methodology Premium Food Delivery: Clean, Custom, Comfort Food
The Methodology community attracts a lot of high performers, so I wanted to share something I learned in 2019. Because I want each of you end this year better off than you started it, in as many areas as possible. I’ve always believed it’s the little things…
I updated my LinkedIn Profile today.
Here is the text that I wrote (it took me 30 min today. Such texts used to take me DAYS 3-4- years ago)
*
Excited to announce I’m #OpenForBusiness and providing services on LinkedIn.
I started my company in 2015 to help non-native speaking business leaders present their ideas with clarity in a foreign language and win international clients.
Over the years, the BIG idea has crystallized into a powerful and effective human-centered teaching methodology that works across cultures and languages.
I'm a teacher in the first place. I have worked in Sales and Communications for over 8 years, but my passion and my true expertise is in teaching and creating learning experiences that challenge the status quo and offer immediate practical applications. I have been teaching for 17 years. All this time I have been bridging the Business and the Academic worlds.
The services I offer today include:
- "Public Speaking skills to connect, not to impress"
A group coaching program for client-facing teams and business leaders.
FOCUS: Practice being understood rather than being admired. Use your speech to create relationships rather than crowds of delirious fans.
- "Executive Presence and Impactful Communication"
Individual mentorship programs/Small group coaching programs for C-level executives
FOCUS: how to stop repeating yourself, overexplaining and misleading people with confusing messages, i.e. how to be in charge and help people understand the gist of the matter.
- "Steering Conversations is in YOUR power"
A corporate training program to help native and non-native speaking teams seamlessly collaborate with international clients, prevent and mitigate conflicts, factor in cultural differences, and build trustworthy relationships.
FOCUS: intonations, intention, precise wording, clarity, structure of a message.
- English coaching for A-players and creative teams
The work of my life has been developing the methodology to achieve Native-Like Fluency for non-native speakers of English. The learning process is organized around building deliberate, well-structured, sustainable, and creative practice routines.
A min time investment is 6 months. The recommended duration of the program is 12-18 months. Unlimited post-program support.
You can transform your entire organization into a team of high-perfoming communicators in English, whatever their first language is.
For Upper-intermeaite & Advanced level language students.
Check out my services page for Corporate Training, Executive Coaching, Public Speaking, Negotiation, Resume Writing, Resume Review, Training, Educational Consulting and Interview Preparation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliatokar/
Here is the text that I wrote (it took me 30 min today. Such texts used to take me DAYS 3-4- years ago)
*
Excited to announce I’m #OpenForBusiness and providing services on LinkedIn.
I started my company in 2015 to help non-native speaking business leaders present their ideas with clarity in a foreign language and win international clients.
Over the years, the BIG idea has crystallized into a powerful and effective human-centered teaching methodology that works across cultures and languages.
I'm a teacher in the first place. I have worked in Sales and Communications for over 8 years, but my passion and my true expertise is in teaching and creating learning experiences that challenge the status quo and offer immediate practical applications. I have been teaching for 17 years. All this time I have been bridging the Business and the Academic worlds.
The services I offer today include:
- "Public Speaking skills to connect, not to impress"
A group coaching program for client-facing teams and business leaders.
FOCUS: Practice being understood rather than being admired. Use your speech to create relationships rather than crowds of delirious fans.
- "Executive Presence and Impactful Communication"
Individual mentorship programs/Small group coaching programs for C-level executives
FOCUS: how to stop repeating yourself, overexplaining and misleading people with confusing messages, i.e. how to be in charge and help people understand the gist of the matter.
- "Steering Conversations is in YOUR power"
A corporate training program to help native and non-native speaking teams seamlessly collaborate with international clients, prevent and mitigate conflicts, factor in cultural differences, and build trustworthy relationships.
FOCUS: intonations, intention, precise wording, clarity, structure of a message.
- English coaching for A-players and creative teams
The work of my life has been developing the methodology to achieve Native-Like Fluency for non-native speakers of English. The learning process is organized around building deliberate, well-structured, sustainable, and creative practice routines.
A min time investment is 6 months. The recommended duration of the program is 12-18 months. Unlimited post-program support.
You can transform your entire organization into a team of high-perfoming communicators in English, whatever their first language is.
For Upper-intermeaite & Advanced level language students.
Check out my services page for Corporate Training, Executive Coaching, Public Speaking, Negotiation, Resume Writing, Resume Review, Training, Educational Consulting and Interview Preparation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliatokar/
If you need any of these services for your team/company, please email me (natalia@upskillme.ru)
If you need to update your own LinkedIn Page / Resume /Cover Letter, consider enrolling in my SPRINT! on Resume. The structure is outlined here. All sessions are available as replays. All bonus materials are included. Personalized feedback on your work in the Community of Practice is included. https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/sprint-resume-2
If you need to update your own LinkedIn Page / Resume /Cover Letter, consider enrolling in my SPRINT! on Resume. The structure is outlined here. All sessions are available as replays. All bonus materials are included. Personalized feedback on your work in the Community of Practice is included. https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/sprint-resume-2
community.nataliatokar.me
SPRINT. Update your resume in English for 2022. Session 2 | Native-Like Fluency. The Community of Practice
Here is preview of Session #1 on Structure
We did some awesome work in real time.
At the end of this SPRINT, you will have a ready document that you can send to international companies. If you're ready to commit to a short-term challenge and do you...
We did some awesome work in real time.
At the end of this SPRINT, you will have a ready document that you can send to international companies. If you're ready to commit to a short-term challenge and do you...
What are WEAK verbs?
1. To be, to have, modal verbs
2. Verbs that rely on adjectives
3. Verbs with -ING
Many students have a bad habit of adding the -ing suffix to ALL their verbs. Break this habit if you recognize yourself🙂
There are many more examples of STRONG verbs, but these in the carousel will give you an idea.
➡️Stronger verbs will make your sentence shorter & clearer (you will need fewer words to be precise)
➡️Stronger verbs help us SEE & IMAGINE things. They are more specific.
SPRINT! on Clarity. Level #2 -Strong Verbs & Adjectives begins on March 25, 2022.
We will learn the exercises to replace weak verbs with stronger ones in YOUR writing and in YOUR speech. Adjectives are important too🙂 I have a YouTube video titled "How to speak with more clarity" where I demonstrate one of the exercises. I'm inviting everyone who wants to improve their writing and speaking skills. 10 days, 210 hours of practice and feedback, lifetime access and flexible schedule. See the details https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/clarity-sprint2
1. To be, to have, modal verbs
2. Verbs that rely on adjectives
3. Verbs with -ING
Many students have a bad habit of adding the -ing suffix to ALL their verbs. Break this habit if you recognize yourself🙂
There are many more examples of STRONG verbs, but these in the carousel will give you an idea.
➡️Stronger verbs will make your sentence shorter & clearer (you will need fewer words to be precise)
➡️Stronger verbs help us SEE & IMAGINE things. They are more specific.
SPRINT! on Clarity. Level #2 -Strong Verbs & Adjectives begins on March 25, 2022.
We will learn the exercises to replace weak verbs with stronger ones in YOUR writing and in YOUR speech. Adjectives are important too🙂 I have a YouTube video titled "How to speak with more clarity" where I demonstrate one of the exercises. I'm inviting everyone who wants to improve their writing and speaking skills. 10 days, 210 hours of practice and feedback, lifetime access and flexible schedule. See the details https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/calendar/clarity-sprint2
community.nataliatokar.me
⛳️ SPRINT! CLARITY. Level 2 - Strong Verbs and Adjectives | Native-Like Fluency. The Community of Practice
I identify five Elements of CLARITY, and non-native speakers need to practice each consistently:
1. Precise wording
2. Strong verbs & adjectives
3. Structure (identifying facts)
4. Connections & Transitions
5. Intonation
This SPRINT! is about the se...
1. Precise wording
2. Strong verbs & adjectives
3. Structure (identifying facts)
4. Connections & Transitions
5. Intonation
This SPRINT! is about the se...