English for Business & Life

If you've just started learning English or you haven't used your English for a long time...

2008-05-29T20:07:00.017-03:00

Watch these useful videos to practise spelling & pronunciation of
Essential Vocabulary

and then have a look at these videos about
Social English.

Watch people greeting, introducing themselves & others and asking and answering about personal information

Management tip: HOW TO ENJOY YOUR SUCCESSES

2008-02-29T22:47:00.003-02:00

No matter how successful you are, there's always another promotion to win, more money to make, a bigger house to buy. No wonder you're stressed!
To enjoy your victories (rather than stressing about what's next), imagine success as comprising four categories that must all be in balance:
(1) happiness,
(2) achievement,
(3) significance (positively affecting those you care about), and
(4) legacy (helping others find future success).

Record your victories so far in each category. Are some categories relatively empty and others overfull? If so, practice achieving "just enough" additional success in an overfull category. That way, you can focus your efforts on a different category that needs more development.

Adapted from the Harvard Business Review article, "Success That Lasts," by Laura Nash and Howard Stevenson.
Read the Summary of this Harvard Business Review article >>

Management tip: MANAGING ONESELF

2008-02-28T18:49:00.007-02:00

We live in an age of unprecedented opportunity: If you’ve got ambition, drive, and smarts, you can rise to the top of your chosen profession—regardless of where you started out. But with opportunity comes responsibility. Companies today aren’t managing their knowledge workers’ careers. Rather, we must each be our own chief executive officer.
Simply put, it’s up to you to carve out your place in the work world and know when to change course. And it’s up to you to keep yourself engaged and productive during a work life that may span some 50 years.

Adapted from the summary of the Harvard Business Review article,"Managing Oneself" by Peter F. Drucker

Management Tip of the Day

2008-02-28T18:14:00.008-02:00

Harvard Business issues periodical Management Tips

These are interesting ideas to put into practice in the business world.

Read the following tips and leave your comment if you want.

REFOCUS ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS TO YOU

Are you devoting your time and energy to what really matters to you? If not, you may be taking on obligations that are siphoning precious resources away from your deepest convictions.

To regain control over your life, list your values -- the things that matter most to you -- in specific language.

For example, instead of writing "Money," write "Providing financial security for my family" or "Earning enough to retire early."

Identify 5-10 values. Then track how much time and energy you're devoting to each.

If you're shortchanging some values, correct the balance by breaking old commitments and forging new ones.

Adapted from the Harvard Business Review article, "Do Your Commitments Match Your Convictions?," by Donald N. Sull and Dominic Houlder.

Read the one-page summary of this Harvard Business Review article >>

Think in English

2008-02-28T14:39:00.011-02:00

It's very important to think in English. These Brain Boosters will help you practice.

Colors

Imagine a world in which the colors of things have changed from what we consider normal. Assume the following changes:

* Snow is now red.

* Grass is now black.

* The sky is now brown.

* Blood is now white.

* Soot is now green.

In such a world, what is the color of dirt?

Animals in Hiding

There is an animal hiding in each sentence below. Can you find the animals? Example: There's a bee in "I'll be eleven next month."

Hint: You'll have to look in three words to find some of the animals.

1- We can go at six o'clock.
2- It's nice to do good deeds.
3- Take soap and a towel.
4- Most rich people wear fancy clothes.
5- You can keep the watch or sell it.
6- Use a ladder.
7- It will be a rainy day.
8- I came late.
9- Tell me if I should start now.
10- Will a map help you?

Check the answer in the next Brain Booster Entry!

Test your knowledge of world affairs with the Guardian Weekly picture quiz.

2008-02-26T17:50:00.004-02:00

A nice game to test your knowledge of English and the world affairs by matching the headlines with the pictures.
Give it a try! It'll be fun!

http://www.guardianweeklyquiz.co.uk/

International Hangman

2008-02-26T17:21:00.007-02:00

Find it difficult to remember the names of cities in English?

Play against Bones the Skeleton at the Guardian weekly and practice.
Have fun!

http://www.guardianweekly.co.uk/?page=hangman

Vocabulary Practice Improves Life

2008-02-25T22:15:00.010-02:00

Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your vocabulary can improve your life.

It is a great investment in yourself. Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive.

Why not spend some minutes a day of your busy life at http://www.freerice.com/ ? Somewhere in the world, a person will be eating rice that you helped provide.

Play this game and help people.

How to play

Click on the answer that best defines the word.
If you get it right, you get a harder word. If wrong, you get an easier word.

For each word you get right, we donate 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program to help end world hunger.

WARNING: This game may make you smarter. It may improve your speaking, writing, thinking, grades, job performance... (more)

English is very important to do Business around the World

2008-02-21T17:18:00.004-02:00

Did you know how many states there are where English is spoken?

There are 54 sovereign states and 25 non sovereign entities where English is spoken both as an official language and as a predominant non-official language.

To see the complete list of states click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_where_English_is_an_official_language