5 Ways Women Sabotage their Communication in the Workplace - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / 5 Ways Women Sabotage their Communication in the Workplace - Introvert Whisperer 5 Ways Women Sabotage their Communication in the Workplace Forget the glass ceiling. The fact is: women communicate differently than men and, too often, to their own detriment. They tend to speak up less, apologize more, downplay their achievements and use less-powerful body language â€" all of which impact their career success. This seed is often planted in early childhood, when women learn to avoid visibility and recognition. According to world-renowned linguist Deborah Tannen, men learn to display their abilities and knowledge and emphasize their status, while women learn to downplay ways they’re better than others in order to build rapport. As a result, women solicit and receive less recognition than men. Not surprisingly, women tend to fall into the same patterns in the workplace. They’re reluctant to divulge their achievements, yet avoiding such discussion hinders their opportunities for recognition and advancement. Here are five ways women sabotage their communication in the workplace:        1. Communicating Indirectly Women tend to have an indirect communication style, using softening devices such as hedges and questions to soften their words’ impact. However, this tactic lacks a sense of assertiveness and authority. For example, saying, “If you get a chance, will you please draft and send me the meeting notes at your convenience?” is an entirely different statement than, “Please draft and send me the meeting notes tomorrow.” By being more direct, women typically find the results to be more aligned with their intent.       2. Downplaying Achievements   Women often have a fear of self-promotion. Part of the problem, according to Flynn Heath Holt Leadership, is that women are too modest â€" they believe accomplishments should speak for themselves. While men are more attuned to the power dynamics of a conversation, women focus more on the rapport elements. For example, to avoid seeming boastful, a woman may use the term “we” when referring to an achievement she actually performed on her own. By being specific and direct about their contributions, while giving appropriate credit to the team, women can ensure they receive the recognition they deserve.        3. Taking the One-Down Position The traditional gender roles of business can relegate women to an impossible and perpetual one-down position, according to Tannen. A mismatch in how common rituals among women, such as exchanging compliments, play out can confuse exchanges in the workplace. For example, a woman might take the one-down position (“I don’t think my speech went well”) assuming the other person will recognize the ritualistic nature of the self-denigration and pull them back up (“Really? I thought you did great!”). However, men are more likely to respond with advice (“Well, you can always get a public speaking coach”). Similarly, women are socialized to downplay their certainties, while men are socialized to minimize their doubts. The problem for women is that the norms of business are based primarily on a male style of interaction. As such, a perception of indecision or uncertainty damages a woman’s credibility.       4. Apologizing More Apologies are often used by women as a conversational ritual to establish rapport. However, apologies tend to be regarded differently by men, who focus more on the status implications of an apology. A 2010 study by psychologists Karina Schumann and Michael Ross found that women apologize more often than men and have a lower threshold for what warrants an apology. For instance, women tend to apologize for situations that aren’t their fault or are out of their control. However, excessive apologizing leads to women being perceived as weak and, as a result, limits their influence and opportunities. As such, women must learn to recognize when an apology is and is not necessary.        5. Using Less-Powerful Body Language Men naturally take up more space and convey a sense of power. By using less-powerful body language â€" such as folded arms, indirect eye contact or a weak handshake â€" when interacting with others, women are putting themselves at a disadvantage by conveying a sense of inferiority. Instead, they should make a point to practice body language that conveys a sense of confidence and authority. By recognizing these communication nuances and the role they place in hindering career advancement, women can better equip themselves for achieving success both in the workplace and in their personal lives. Guest Authors:

How To Practice Bodybuilding For Beginners

How To Practice Bodybuilding For Beginners What Are The Best Bodybuilding Exercises For Beginners? ChaptersWhy Start Bodybuilding?Sports Workout RoutinesArm Pumps For A Beginner In BodybuildingA Good Beginners Exercise For The Pectoral MusclesHow To Build Muscles With Squats For BeginnersBodybuilding is a popular sport and has followers from every background. Between weight loss, muscle gain, nutrition and your workout program. Bodybuilding allows you to see real changes to your body after a short to medium space of time. Even within a few classes, it is then possible to see concrete changes in your shape and physical form and through the enthusiasm and inspiration of your success in your workout session.With the ease of entry and the speed of seeing results beginners bodybuilding is becoming a more mainstream style of working out. Which is proven by the array of gyms opening up across the country, access to online platforms and the rising number of fitness professionals. The fitness industry is set to rise, and even social media platforms are supporting the growth of the fitness industry. With fitness models inspiring people with the millions of photos posted to Instagram every day.When starting out, many beginners have the fitness goal in mind to get ripped, build muscle fast and burn fat. Lead by images that they see on social media, or from movies that they have seen. Many before and after pictures also give beginners hope that they too can achieve these fantastic results.Having fitness goals to aspire to is very important when you are just starting and when you are dedicated to changing your whole body. But all beginner workouts need to be based on the personal reality of each person. Because six pack abs, full body fat loss and building muscle fast is not the bodybuilding reality for everyone in the first month.If you are a skinny guy or an overweight girl, it might take six months to a year (depending on your metabolism and other things) to see the transformation. So having fitness goals are important but also being realistic about what is possible fo r you is essential for every workout plan. These fitness goals are instrumental in helping beginner bodybuilders stay the course with their training and keep them on track.But precisely, what are the best exercises to practice when you start bodybuilding?  Let's take a look!There are inspirational quotes to give us courage, motivation, and make our efforts more enjoyable. Photo Source: UnsplashEmotional weakness, as well as physical weakness, will become more accessible to ignore. Waking up early to do your training workouts, spending time at the gym weight lifting, drinking protein powder shakes and paying attention to your nutrition. All become part of your discipline in your pursuit to build a lean muscular body, and your lifestyle will never be the same.The discipline of bodybuilding is to realise that each exercise is essential. It is necessary to master the workings of each circuit workout, each squat, each dumbbell lift and each bench press. So that you learn and become aware of how to develop and maintain your physical condition to the best of your current ability. Biceps, quadriceps, abs, buttocks, all muscles require special attention depending on how you want them to develop.The muscle growth and strength gained while practising bodybuilding is what makes your weight training plan a complete sport. There are a thousand reasons to practice bodybuilding, here are some examples, that could help you understand why you should learn to practice muscle strengthening, mass building, a chest workout routine or backbone sculpting at each session.It's a sport that burns calories, so you lose fat,It's a motivating activity because you can set concrete goals,We can meet many people who are motivated and have a gym community,You can go at your own pace and evolve according to your motivation,We can see concrete progress over time,You will become mentally agile and strongerYou will learn to have discipline and achieve your goalsTo see the control that you have ove r your total body workout is very satisfying,There are many exercises for each part of the body,People who practice are generous with information.There is lots of help to support you every step of the way.However, the practice of bodybuilding, especially as a beginner, is primarily conditioned by your reasons. Because you have to decide your commitment and effort which produces your set level of results. You choose to do the maximum or minimum effort, this or that exercise, this or that circuit training.We know muscular male and female bodybuilders. Photo Source: UnsplashSports Workout RoutinesIf you want to practice real bodybuilding, you have to commit and dedicate yourself to the process. Here are some great exercises for the abdominals here:The alternative core workout: Watch Steve Cook's workout video guiding you through 5 ab exercises - Click hereThe intense ab workout: Watch Jeff Cavaliere's workout videos, guiding you through a 7-minute ab workout - Click hereThese two exerc ise plans alone will make a difference to your belly, which will be much more toned with more lean muscle mass than before. To see real results you should practice in sets and reps, in a series. If you find doing both of these too overwhelming, then you can start with doing half of the workout, which is an excellent starter for a beginner workout.These videos are guaranteed to burn fat and the high intensity of the movement. If you are doing it right, they will get your abs to begin to burn, but this pain is good news. Because when you take advantage of this pain, you will know that your body is ready to evolve and change physically.The body is made up of a muscular system, and everything is connected and working together to give you a functioning body. For example, these are the muscles that make up your core muscles and are activated during your workout while you are getting stronger.The stabilisers: Transversospinalis, Transverse abdominals, The diaphragm, Pelvic floor muscles, I nternal Obliques.The movers: Hip abductor, Hamstrings, Rectus abdominis, external obliques and the erector spinae.

Things to Focus On as an English Major

Things to Focus On as an English Major If you decide to major in English, prepare to do a lot of reading. Of course, most students who choose this field of study enjoy reading anyway, so this shouldnt be much to ask. However, studying English as a major in college calls for a whole new level of reading that you may not be fully prepared for. In addition to that, you will face a larger world of writing but again, this is an activity you hopefully already enjoy. Yet, regardless of how much you genuinely admire reading and writing, there are elements of the English major world that youll need to familiarize yourself with in order to get through these classes successfully. There are different approaches to assigned readings, more complex essays to write, and heavier class discussions to be had. You wont be able to treat this set of classes the same way you treated past English subjects. A different academic lifestyle is required for such an intensive perspective on literature. But if it is something you are passionate about, the appropriate mindset shouldnt be too difficult to acquire. When it comes to the books you will read, be prepared to read a lot of material very fast. In high school, you may have spent a whole semester on a book as an English major in college, you may spend a few weeks on one. Try not to get too freaked out when you give the syllabus an overview on the first day of class and see you will be covering around 10 books in the next 14 or so weeks. The tight page schedule your professor keeps you on may seem like a lot and it probably is but it is possible to carry through effectively. It takes serious discipline, however, to read at the required speed level rather than at your own comfortable pace. If you tend to take your time when reading a novel, youll need to really step up your concentration to complete these tasks on time. Skimmed reading is not an option for English majors. At the very least, it is not an option for those who want to sincerely understand the material. General ideas are not acceptable for papers and tests in the English major world. It is true that all teachers even outside of this world look for better, well-thought-out ideas rather than general ones, but students who are English majors are put up against a much higher bar of standards. You are choosing to study English, so you are expected to draw up a much deeper analysis than other students would. You will have to do whatever it takes to give each reading assignment the serious attention it deserves in order to come up with truly thoughtful insights; these insights cannot be made up or halfway developed. Here are some great tips for reading an assigned book you dislikethat you may find useful one day. Since these reading assignments will be quite lengthy with incredibly fast approaching deadlines, it is important that you master how to give them the intense concentration needed in such a quick amount of time. You cannot rely on summaries or cliff notes because the insights your teachers are searching for will only come from true reading. Observations of specific quotes and passages that cannot be easily identified from those sources are things you should be pointing out. It is necessary to think about not just the story itself, but the authors intentions for it. A big concept English majors are trained to look into is the mindset of the respective writer of a piece. It is never enough to simply analyze the plot and characters alone the actions behind the authors words and plot decisions are extremely significant. Looking into details such as these can genuinely increase a students awareness of the skill it takes to successfully execute this craft. English majors study more than j ust the story, they study the way the story was created and the reasons it was created in that way. You may also want to check out these tips on how to interpret a reading assignment. While on the subject of the authors themselves, another part of being an English major involves getting familiar with who these authors were/are. You will learn about the most notable authors in the world as people and why they are so admired for their work. Get ready to begin recognizing a lot more of these names as if they were current celebrities. They will become more than just bylines to you. When it comes to class discussions, it will be a lot harder to get by without saying much, if that is typically how you treat class discussions. However, if you are applying your best focus to your reading and writing assignments as you should be, then the discussions shouldnt be such a burden. Youll probably find yourself wanting to converse with your peers about these readings. Even if you dont genuinely enjoy the reading as a personal form of entertainment, youll be inclined to discuss it just to improve your comprehension of the main themes and ideas. If you are as invested in the assignments as you need to be, discussions will be the opportunity you have been waiting for to get all of your thoughts out on the table and compare them to those of your classmates. Hearing different perspectives will really round out your understanding of the subjects and most likely inspire you drastically for your next essay topic. Here are some great tips onhow to participate in a class discussion that you may find helpful. Being an English major comes with a truly dedicated lifestyle to reading and writing. This would seemingly be a give-in, but it can be surprisingly overlooked. The seriousness of the matter is that these readings will need to be a main focus in your daily routine. If they are not, your chances of struggling and falling behind will increase. To reiterate, if you have chosen English as your major, then you should already have a sincere appreciation for these skills this is just your time to take it to the next level. Make sure that is something you are ready and wanting to do and this adventure in literature will take you far.

Become a German Tutor How to set your Tariffs

Become a German Tutor How to set your Tariffs A German Tutor can Choose their Own Rates for Private Tutor Jobs ChaptersFind Out as Much as You Can about the German Tutoring JobsThe Tutor's LevelThe Student’s LevelWork Out Running CostsChoose the Right OrganisationAs Albert Einstein said:“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge”.This is probably why you’ve decided to become a German tutor and teach the language privately, right?You've a passion for language learning, know how to speak German, are a master of the language and German culture, and want to pass on everything you know about German and help students improve their reading, writing, listening, and speaking in German  as well as teaching them interesting new German phrases.While teaching is a noble profession, it’s not free! You can’t live on a passion for teaching and for German!Before you even start looking for your first students for German classes, you’ll need to decide what your rates are.  It’s normal to feel this is really complicated in the beginning.What's the bes t way to work out a fair price for your German tutorials? (Source: Anne Preble)Isn’t it difficult to work out how much a tutorial’s worth? If you take a few factors into account, you’ll be able to work out a fair rate for your German tutorials without too much stressing.Everything will be made clear over the course of this article! CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsFind Out as Much as You Can about the German Tutoring JobsThe first thing you need to know is that private tutors are almost always paid by the hour. This means that when you do finally decide on your rates, you’ll need to work them out in terms of £/hour taught.Y ou’ll also need to think about the prices charged by the other tutors on the market in order to give you a general idea of what people are willing to pay and what people are getting paid.Find out more once you’ve prepared your German courses!Look for German tutorials on-line and find German tutorial forums on platforms dedicated to academic support.The average price for a German tutorial in London is £24 on Superprof.You need to act just like you would if you were a student wanting to learn German!Look in the papers for competitors' prices. (Source: Tim Mossholder)Have a look around. Check out the various German tutorials available and make sure to make a note of the prices and the tutors giving them so you can see what you get for your money.Don't forget to have a look at foreign language schools and see what they’re charging, too. While this may seem a bit trivial, this is one of the most important steps since you need to be aware of the rates that are being offered by your competition. Since your typical client wanting to learn German will probably be looking at both private tutorials and German classes, you need to know what everyone's charging.This will allow you to set a fair price as well as know exactly how to justify this price in terms of the market.If a customer claims your rates are too high, for example, you can clearly explain to them the reasoning behind your rates.The average rates for tutorials in the UK range between £30 and £40 per hour.The Tutor's LevelBy finding out the cost of German tutorials, you’ll see the difference in rates in terms of the tutor’s level. No two German tutors are alike.Don't believe us? Check out the various German tutors in London on Superprof by typing “German” into the search bar.  You’ll quickly see how different they all are.The rate per hour can vary wildly depending on the level of these tutors.Are you a psychology student with a good level in German? Are you fluent or did you learn to speak German online You won’t be able to ask for as much as a qualified native German teacher!To work out how much you're going to charge, you’ll also have to gauge your own level.If you’re a teacher working in a school, it’ll be quite easy. Is it a primary school or a secondary school? Reception or sixth form? Did you study a PGCE?Once you start answering these questions you’ll see the steps to take and how to find your students.A tutor’s experience plays an important role in how much they charge.If you’ve recently graduated and have less than two years experience, you’ll be thought of as a beginner. Your price will be much lower than someone who’s taught for over 20 years!Do you have a German degree? (Source: Noah Hinton)Working out your level is even more important if teaching isn’t your day job, even if German is your native language.Are you student with a good level in German but not a native speaker? Have you taken hundreds of language courses and know how to spe ak your second language almost as well as the natives of German speaking countries?You can work out your proficiency by taking a level test.Are you fluent, advanced, or conversational?You can work out where you are on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).  Get in touch with your nearest Goethe Institut to find out when the next exams are.For example, anyone wanting to learn German from a native speaker in London will be looking at upwards of £30.However, students are available for less than that.Why are there so many different rates?Because the rate doesn’t only depend on the tutor’s level of German!There are several other things you need to consider when coming up with your rates. CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Te acher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsThe Student’s LevelThe difference in rates for a primary school student and a secondary school student is around £10.This makes sense since the work required can vary wildly.Learning German as a second language in a German for a beginners' language course is not the same as German lessons for somebody speaking German with a high level of fluency.Online teaching jobs for basic German grammar, new words, and the German alphabet to a primary school student is very different to teaching intensive German A Level or degree tutorials. The latter can require all your German language knowledge.You have to choose your students in terms of your preferences and your abilities.  Be logical and consistent!Are you a first-year student wanting to give private German tutorials?It’d be a good idea to teach primary school students as opposed to other students who may even have a bet ter level than you.Have you got lots of experience?You should mention that you teach all levels on your advert.  In this case, you should have a rates table detailing how much you charge for each type of student.Work Out Running CostsIf you thought teaching privately didn’t have any running costs, you were wrong! You need to bring more than just your language skills and a few German words to each lesson!In fact, your running costs should be taken into account when working out the rates of your German tutorials.Don’t forget that you’re aiming to earn money, not lose it!Get out a pen and paper and make a note of everything you’ll need to teach private German tutorials.Some things are obvious, like pens, notebooks, etc.  If you don’t have them already, you’ll probably have to buy vocabulary books, grammar books, and German exercise books.Whether you send progress reports by mail or deliver them by hand, you’re probably often going to need to make photocopies (of correctio ns, for example).  Work out how much your ink cartridges cost or how.Finally, work out your transport costs.  You’ve probably already worked out how far you’re willing to travel for your German tutorials.  If you use public transport, consider the cost of your passes.If you have your own car, work out how much your journey costs in terms of petrol. There are sites to do this.Choose the best form of transport for teaching German. (Source: Angello Lopez)You’ll also need to work out your taxes, too.  Being a private German tutor can be your main job or a side hustle.Either way, you need to declare what you earn!You’ll need to take into account business expenditures, too.Work out all your overheads before you decide on your hourly rates.Choose the Right OrganisationThe platform or organisation you choose to work with to find your future German students will also affect the cost of your tutorials.Some organisations can take as much as 50% of your hourly rate!Some take barely anyt hing and you go home with almost all your pay:  Superprof, for example, doesn’t charge a signup fee.The traditional (and outdated) method of advertising in a launderette or supermarket noticeboard has been replaced by on-line adverts.  While these are often free, they’re not academic support specialists.Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of each platform: there’ll definitely be one that stands out!After taking all of these into account, you’ll be ready to teach your students German.

6 Daily Work Habits to Make You Feel More Confident - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / 6 Daily Work Habits to Make You Feel More Confident - Introvert Whisperer 6 Daily Work Habits to Make You Feel More Confident Are you one of those people who stay in their cubicle at work all day? Would you rather be surrounded by plants than people? Do those introductory meet-and-greets where you have to say a few things about yourself to a large group make you blush and cringe with embarrassment? It’s one thing to like being alone, but maybe you wish you could change how you feel and how you interact with others at work. If you want to get to know others better but are afraid or unsure how, here are six ideas to help you improve your workplace interaction skills. 1. Get Adequate Sleep   Starting your day tired and crabby is not going to help you make positive social changes at work. When you don’t get enough sleep you lack focus, suffer mood swings and aren’t going to want to interact with others. This doesn’t make you feel like approaching anyone. 2. Exercise Regularly   Exercise is good for your physical health, but it also helps your mental health. Exercise is a good way to get rid of stress and will give you more energy. Also, when you exercise, your brain releases endorphins, a group of hormones that make you feel good physically and happy mentally. Accomplishing your exercise goals gives you more confidence. A happy, confident, energetic coworker is going to have more success interacting with others. 3.  Develop a Ritual   Mentally prepare yourself for your work day by listening to inspirational music, motivational speeches or prayer. Some people like heavy rock music to calm themselves, classical music or chanting monks. Try new things and pick whatever calms your mind and boosts your confidence. Listen to this on your drive into work if that will make it more peaceful. Look up what your favorite athlete listens to before a game. See if that works for you. 4. Project Confidence   Your mom probably had a lot of sayings in place to boost your confidence, but the one that comes to mind is about the person who wins is the one who thinks he or she can win. You don’t have to actually be confident to look confident. Simply looking the part can increase your confidence. It doesn’t take a lot of work to boost your self-esteem. Improve your self-confidence in only five minutes a day. Those five minutes will have lasting effects on your overall self-esteem and your ability to effectively communicate and interact with others. Here are other ways to look the part: Stand up and Sit up Straight   This is good for your posture and makes you appear more confident. Be aware of slouching and hunching. If you do it, fix it. Maintain Personal Hygiene   Don’t go to work unshaven or wearing a baseball hat because you didn’t wash your hair. Take time to make yourself appear your best, whatever that is to you. Wake up earlier if you like makeup or a specific hairstyle. Use a perfume or cologne that makes you feel good about yourself. Just don’t use too much. Dress for Success   Wear clean, ironed work-appropriate clothing. Dress up a bit more than your co-workers if it makes you feel more confident, and it doesn’t make you self-conscious. Dressing well will make you work better and will make you more confident. Your appearance will project competence as well as confidence. 5. Practice Social Skills   Smile when greeting others. Shake hands firmly. Maintain eye contact in conversation. Learn work social clues to avoid making common mistakes. You want to know what types of behavior will make you unwanted or unwelcome. In conversation, avoid taboo subjects such as politics, health worries, and religion. Identify a coworker or two and make it a point to briefly interact with those people. Plan in advance what you will say, such as offering a compliment or sharing a common interest. You don’t have to talk to everyone, but always smile and say hello to everyone you encounter. A smile will suffice for repeated interaction. Small talk is uncomfortable for many people, but it can often lead to a stronger bond with a coworker or even a lasting friendship. 6. Keep a Journal Write down goals for yourself. Devise a way to put them into practice. Challenge your comfort zones and soon they will widen. Write down what worked and what didn’t. Relish in your successes and don’t dwell on failures. Writing things down will help you focus on areas of improvement and will make you look forward to the next opportunity to interact with others. Change isn’t going to happen overnight, but it can start now. Be yourself, but be a better self by challenging your comfort zones and reaching for new goals. Enjoy how good it feels to succeed and how much happier work can be when you are comfortable interacting with your co-workers. Get out of your cubicle and show someone your smile. Kayla Matthews is a self-improvement writer contributing to publications like The Daily Muse, MakeUseOf, Lifehack and The Huffington Post. To read more professional development posts from Kayla, check out her blog, Productivity Theory. Go to top SELF-PROMOTION Let me emphasize that Self-Promotion doesn’t have to be obnoxious to be effective.  But, if you don’t Self-Promote you, who will?  If you ever want to get ahead, you have to learn how to Self-Promote. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my video that shows you simple, yet effective ways to Self-Promote. Start watching now by clicking here! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

11 Annoying Things People Say to Female Guitarists

11 Annoying Things People Say to Female Guitarists Megan L. Female guitarists rock just as hard, if not harder than some men, yet the things people say to us sound like theyre straight from the 1950s! Ladies, women, and girls, here are 11 of the most annoying things Ive heard in my years of playing guitar. Maybe a few will sound familiar to you too? 1. Is that for your boyfriend? Why do some people find it so unbelievable that youre carrying your own gear or shopping at Guitar Center for yourself? 2. Youre pretty good for a girl. Would you tell another musician hes pretty good for a man? Nope. Please stop saying this. 3. Are you the singer? Because thats the only thing you think women are capable of? Please go back to rock and roll history and study Lita Ford, Joan Jett, Kaki King, Nancy Wilson, or any of the other hundreds of women who have made their mark in music with an ax in hand. 4. Oh, youre IN the band! If youve ever had trouble being allowed in to a venue for your own show, you know just how annoying this one can be. This is doubly annoying when someone assumes youre a groupie. 5. You should show off your body more and be sexier. Because when I asked for feedback on my performance, I really wanted to hear about how I looked. Even young girls arent immune from this misguided advice. Please stop making female performers feel like their sex appeal matters more than their music. Its just sad. 6. You only got that gig because youre hot. Like a meaner, more petty version of the last comment, this implies that any attention or success you enjoy as a musician is all thanks to your looks. Luckily, people will mostly say this one behind your back, so you only need to roll your eyes when you hear this through the grapevine. Then you can get back to crushing it. 7. Do you want to be in a band? Were looking for a chick bass player. Why would you want to work with someone whos already objectifying you before theyve heard you play a single note? 8. Let me explain your gear to you. I just haul it around, set it up, play it, own it, and love it. So sure, please tell me all about my amp. 9. Wow, are you going to play that? Nope, I just carry a guitar around for fun. 10. Chick guitarists are hot! Do you want to jam sometime? Unfortunately, nine times out of ten, they dont really mean jam. 11. I dont usually like chick music, but you were actually pretty good. For the love of music everywhere, please stop acting as if music made by women is in its own single genre. There are women who shred and women who croon, women who get down and funky and women who play smooth, sweet jazz. The sooner people can stop treating female musicians as novelties and start hearing us for the talents we possess, the sooner we all can enjoy a more equal and exciting music scene. Now its your turn. Ladies, what really grinds your gears? Share the most annoying thing someone has said to you about playing the guitar in the comments below! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Quem disse que burro velho não aprende línguas

Quem disse que burro velho não aprende línguas Image courtesy of Juan Gnecco / FreeDigitalPhotos.netHá um ditado popular que diz que burro velho não aprende línguas, dando a entender que, a partir de uma certa idade, deixamos de conseguir assimilar novos conhecimentos. Contudo, é possível notar que cada vez mais surgem cursos voltados para aqueles que se encontram na terceira idade. Possivelmente porque estímulos mentais contínuos permitem uma menor degradação das funções cognitivas, mas também porque, hoje em dia, entrar na terceira idade não é o fim do mundo. Aliás, para muitos, é o início da fase da vida na qual, finalmente, irão viajar e conhecer o mundo.Um estudo publicado na  Neurology ®  revela que idosos que tenham um bom nível de instrução, que se exercitem uma vez por semana e não fumem têm mais probabilidade de manter a saúde das suas funções cognitivas. Tal como manter o corpo em atividade permite que este e o cérebro beneficiem, manter a mente trabalhando também é necessário para garanti r uma maior qualidade de vida. Daí que cada vez mais idosos procurem atividades que estimulem o cérebro, como é o caso de cursos de idiomas.Se prestarmos atenção às publicidades de cursinhos de Inglês tradicionais, podemos verificar que muitos são os que já abrem turmas para a galera nessa faixa etária. Essa é uma tentativa válida de fazer com que mais pessoas se interessem por aprender uma língua estrangeira, sem se sentirem desconfortáveis com os olhares curiosos dos mais novos. No entanto, em uma era na qual os idosos aprendem a navegar na internet tão facilmente como as crianças, um bom número de pessoas prefere aulas online. Dessa forma, não precisam se adequar ao ritmo de uma turma, mesmo que essa turma seja de pessoas de idades semelhantes à sua.Por isso, ter aulas online pode ser bastante benéfico para aqueles que estão na melhor idade, pelo fato de as aulas serem preparadas de acordo com o objetivo de cada aluno, o que permite que a pessoa foque nos pon tos que acredita serem mais importantes para o que pretende fazer, como viajar, por exemplo.

What you can learn about English from Obama and Medvedevs mistake

What you can learn about English from Obama and Medvedevs mistake Last weeks meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accidentally provided a great example of how word choice can affect the way a sentence is understood.During a conversation about nuclear weapons in South Korea, Obama and Medvedev did not realize that a microphone was still on, and had a conversation that was meant to be private, but was broadcast over television.Starting at about 43 seconds in the video below, youll see this conversation played several times. The clip below is from a U.S. comedy show called The Daily Show that makes comedy out of daily news events.Watch the video, and then read some excerpts from it below.The Daily Show with Jon StewartMon Thurs 11p / 10cThe Borscht Whispererwww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical Humor Satire BlogThe Daily Show on FacebookWhat Medvedev actually said to Obama was I transmit this information to Vladimir. First of all, he should have had the modal verb will in the sentence, as in: I will transmit this information to Vladimir.Beyond that, The Daily Shows Jon Stewart points out that Medvedevs wording makes his statement sound sinister, as if it had been said by Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers films. Or as if it should be spoken into a secret spys shoe phone, as Stewart says. The particular problem here is the word transmit.Stewart points out All hes really saying is oh, alright, Ill tell him. But the word transmit is a very technical, formal sounding word, that is typically used when we are talking about signals. Something about using this word that should only be used with radio, television, or shoe phone signals, makes the sentence sound sinister.Medvedev could have made the phrase sound less formal, and less sinister, by using a phrasal verb. For example:I will pass this information along to Vladimir. (to pass something along)I will let Vladimir know. (to let someone know)Or he could have just said: Ill tell Vladimir. I transmit this message to Vladimi r.So what can you learn from this? Well, dont get too worried. While some silly people might have actually thought that there was something evil happening, most people realize that non-native speakers of any language sometimes miss subtleties like these. Second, this is a good reason to study your phrasal verbs. In a one-on-one situation, between two equals, as in Obama and Medvedevs meeting, a phrasal verb would have created the perfect tone.Finally, in the video above, after talking about this particular sentence, Jon Stewart wonders whether all of the past problems between Russia and the U.S. could have been caused by the way Russians speak English. He then gives three example sentence pairs, with a very normal sounding sentence, and another version that has the same meaning, but sound sinister. Listen to them and see if you can understand how he changes them. Pflynn1148 In the first paragraph, you seem like an ESL student, using effect where affect is correct. LOIEnglish Thank s Pflynn1148, though I doubt that mistake makes me seem like an ESL student ??