Energy Management 2: How to Deal with Toxic People

Let me first list the qualities and the 3 main types of toxic people:

1. Arrogant

1. Passive-Aggressive

2. Victims

Even if we try our best to avoid people who use belittling language or tone and subtly put us down with their sarcasm or condescending phrasing, we might find ourselves in situations where we have to deal with them. What can we do?

1. Don’t feed the ego of arrogant people. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when dealing with arrogant individuals is showering them with compliments or kindness. Why? Because they often interpret it as weakness — and may try to take advantage of it.

Instead:

• Stay polite but neutral

• Keep the conversation focused on facts, not feelings

• Maintain firm boundaries

2. Passive-aggressive behaviour can be tricky — it hides behind smiles, sarcasm, and subtle digs. But you can handle it without letting it derail your communication or mood.

What are the Signs?

• Backhanded compliments that make you feel criticised

• Silent treatment or withholding information

• Sarcasm that makes you feel bad

• Deliberate procrastination

The best approach would be to stay neutral. Reacting emotionally can give them the upper hand. Address the behaviour directly but gently. Set clear boundaries

3. Some people constantly cast themselves as the victim, blaming circumstances, other people, or “bad luck” for their problems. While empathy is important, enabling this mindset can stall progress and drain your energy.

Recognise the Pattern:

• Frequent blaming of others

• Refusal to take responsibility

• Overemphasis on past hardships

• Seeking sympathy without seeking solutions

Even if you try to shift their focus to solutions, they will not appreciate it and find plenty of reasons why the solution won't work. We need to avoid becoming the rescuer. "God help those who help themselves." If you constantly “save” them, you reinforce the helpless narrative. It would be more productive to encourage ownership instead. You can say things like:

I believe in you; you will find the way forward; you are stronger than you give yourself credit.

How to Reduce Your Accent in 3 Months or Less

Why Accent Reduction Can Be a Game-Changer

If you speak English as a second language, you might have noticed that sometimes people ask you to repeat yourself — not because your ideas aren’t good, but because your words aren’t clear. In professional settings, this can be frustrating and even limit your opportunities.

The good news? You don’t need years of training to make a noticeable difference. With the right tools and consistent practice, you can reduce your accent and speak English clearly in as little as three months.

Step 1: Understand How Accent Reduction Works

Accent reduction isn’t about erasing your identity — it’s about making your speech easier to understand. This means:

·        Correct pronunciation of English sounds

·        Clear word stress and intonation

·        Proper pace, pauses, and projection

Step 2: Use a Structured Accent Training Program

Random YouTube videos can help, but a structured accent reduction app like Get Rid of Your Accent gives you:

·        Step-by-step lessons for all English sounds

·        Audio models from native speakers

·        Record & compare tools to track progress

Step 3: Practice Daily for 15–20 Minutes

Just like going to the gym, you’ll see results if you train regularly. Focus on:

1. Repeating words, sentences and verses after the model

2. Recording yourself and spotting mistakes

3. Practising fluency in social phrases

Step 4: Apply Your New Skills in Real Conversations

Start using your improved pronunciation in meetings, networking events, or even casual chats with friends. The more you speak, the faster you’ll internalise your new habits.

 The Bottom Line

A heavy accent doesn’t have to hold you back. With consistent practice and the right guidance, you can sound clearer, more confident, and more professional — in just three months.

Start your transformation today with the Get Rid of Your Accent app — your personal accent reduction coach, right in your pocket.

The Role of Voice and Accent in Job Interviews

When it comes to landing your dream job, most people focus on polishing their résumé, practising common interview questions, and researching the company. But there’s another factor that plays a huge role in how you’re perceived — your voice and accent.

In a job interview, your words matter — but how you say them can matter even more.

 Why Your Voice Matters

Your voice is more than just a tool for communication — it’s part of your personal brand. The tone, pace, and clarity of your speech can instantly influence whether you come across as confident, competent, and trustworthy.

Here’s what interviewers often pick up on: 

1. Clarity – Clear speech signals professionalism and attention to detail.

2. Confidence – A steady, well-projected voice makes you sound self-assured.

3. Energy – A lively tone helps you sound engaged and interested in the role.

A nervous, rushed, or monotone delivery can unintentionally send the wrong message — even if your answers are perfect.

 Accent and First Impressions

In today’s global job market, accents are normal — but they can still affect comprehension. If an interviewer struggles to understand you, they might (consciously or unconsciously) question your ability to communicate effectively with clients, colleagues, or stakeholders.

This doesn’t mean you need to erase your accent entirely. But reducing a heavy accent and improving pronunciation can make your speech easier to follow, helping you connect with your interviewer and keep their focus on your skills and ideas — not on deciphering your words.

Key Skills to Improve Before Your Interview

If you want to make a strong vocal impression, focus on these areas: 

1. Pronunciation – Aim for crisp, accurate sounds, especially for common industry terms.

2. Pace – Slow enough to be clear, but not so slow that you lose momentum.

3. Pausing – Use pauses to emphasize key points and give the interviewer time to process.

4. Intonation – Add variety to your pitch to sound natural and engaging.

5. Volume & Projection – Speak loudly enough to be heard without sounding aggressive.

How to Train Your Voice for Interview Success 

Improving your voice and accent doesn’t have to take years — with targeted practice, you can make noticeable changes in just weeks.

Get Rid of Your Accent for Business app provides: 

Audio models of clear, neutral English speech.

Step-by-step lessons to improve pronunciation and intonation.

Record & compare tools to track your progress.

Practice materials based on real-world speaking situations, including interviews.

By training your ear, practising key sounds, and mastering vocal techniques, you can walk into your interview sounding confident, professional, and easy to understand.

Your qualifications get you in the door, but your communication skills can seal the deal. A clear, confident voice helps interviewers focus on you — your ideas, your expertise, and your potential. 

Ready to sound your best in your next interview?

Start training today with the Get Rid of Your Accent for Business app — your personal voice coach, right in your pocket.

The Ingredients of Boring Speech

Have you ever sat through a talk where you just couldn’t keep your eyes open? I have — and usually, it’s not because the topic was boring. It’s how the speaker delivered it.

 As a member of a public speaking club, I’ve noticed that many people don’t realize how dull their speech sounds to others. They’re not trying to be boring — it just happens.

Here are 6 reasons why a speech might put people to sleep:

 1. Monotonous tone

Speaking in a flat, unchanging voice that makes listeners zone out.

 2. Speaking too fast

Rushing through your points so quickly that no one can keep up.

 3. Long, complicated sentences

By the time you finish, the audience has already forgotten what you said at the start.

 4. Lack of emphasis

Failing to stress the important words that give meaning and energy to your message.

 5. No pauses

Skipping breaks between ideas, so listeners don’t get a chance to absorb what you’re saying.

 6. Using jargon or heavy accent

Speaking in a way that’s hard to understand because of technical terms or pronunciation.

 The good news? These are all fixable.

 With the right practice and tools, you can transform your speaking style and engage your audience — often in just a few weeks. There’s even an app designed to be your personal voice coach, helping you with everything from pacing to pronunciation:

• Fluent English Speech - Apps on Google Play (British English)

• Fluent American Speech - Apps on Google Play (General American English)

• Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause - Apps on Google Play.

Ready to make your next speech interesting and memorable? It’s easier than you think!

216. Disadvantages of poor voice projection

Have you ever felt invisible? You said something, and there was no reaction. You felt that what you said was not interesting enough to pay attention to. Most likely, people did not hear what you said.

The reason is poor voice projection. The power of our voice depends on breathing and lung capacity. Actors do regular exercises to master voice projection.

When your voice has power:

• You appear and feel confident

• You make it easier for people to follow you

• People will be more likely to be persuaded that what you are saying is important

To master voice projection, I recommend 5 minutes of daily exercises from the app Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause. These exercises are easy yet very effective. You will see the results in a week.

More tips on www.batcsglobal.com

215. Get Rid of German Accent

Two things give away a German accent:

1. Germans do not distinguish between voiced and unvoiced consonants.
For example, the words “sad, mad, Dad” with voiced /d/ ending and “sat, mat, tet” with unvoiced /t/ ending have different meanings, but Germans pronounce them in the same way.
This can be easily fixed by practising voiced consonants and voiced endings with the apps ‎‎Get Rid of your Accent UK1and ‎Fluent English Speech (British English) or ‎ American Accent App and ‎Fluent American Speech (American English).

2. Intonation patterns
They often use simple falling inflection that sounds like they are giving orders. English use more rising, which sounds like a request. Often Germans speak English in a monotonous way which makes them sound dull. To sound more interesting, we recommend working on the sentence stress and inflection and voice modulation with the apps ‎Fluent English Speech or Fluent American Speech and Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.

The same apps are also available on Google Play. The functionality is ideal: read, listen, record and compare your speech with the model. The apps have spelling variations for all English sounds and mouth diagrams to help you create the correct speech organ positions in words, phrases and poetry. When starting your practice with these apps, first go to “How to use this app” and click on the difficult sounds typical for your nationality, then click on your nationality to work effectively with a more focused approach.

The apps contain exercises for:
1. Difficult and connected speech patterns
2. Natural flow of speech
3. Intonation and sentence stress
4. Pronunciation and articulation

There are also two accompanying video courses: Get Rid of your Accent Part 1 and Get rid of your Accent Part 2.

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214. Get Rid of Brazilian Accent

Two main pronunciation mistakes give away a Brazilian accent:
1. The way they pronounce the /t/ sound followed by the /ʊ/ and /u/ as in “to” and “two”. Instead of the [t] sound, they produce the /tʃ/ sound as in “church”.

2. Incorrect nasalisation of the lateral consonant/l/ as in “link”.

3. Low tongue positions for plosive consonants /t/ and /d/ as in “tot” and “done” making the sounds “dental”

For all Brazilian/Portuguese speakers of English, I recommend a tailor-made accent reduction plan that will help you sound more like a native English speaker and develop clear speech:

1. Master pure long English vowels and diphthongs. Try to lean on long vowels and diphthongs. Don’t shorten them even when speaking rapidly. Producing pure long vowels will also improve the tune or music of your speech and help to achieve English sentence rhythm.

2. I recommend that you practise lessons from the apps: Get Rid of your Accent, Elocution Lessons, and Business English Speech if you want to speak with the British RP accent. If you prefer to speak with the General American accent, then download the app American Accent App and Fluent American Speech:

The first stage of the accent reduction is to work on English long vowels:
- /a:/ as in "car". lesson 1
- /ɔː/ as in “storm”, lesson 3
- /ɜ:/ as in "bird", lesson 5

The second stage of the accent reduction process for Brazilian/Portuguese speakers of English is to work on diphthongs:
-  /ɪə/ as in  “dear”, lesson 19
- /ʊə/ as in “poor”, lesson 21
- /eə/ as in “hair”, lesson 22
- /əʊ/ as in “boat”, lesson 16

The third stage is to work on the correct usage of the short vowels:
- / ʌ/ as in “bus”, lesson 9
- /ɪ/ as in “pit”, lesson 7
- /ə/ as in “the”, lesson 6
- /ɒ/ a in "box", lesson 10
- /æ/ as in "cat", lesson 15

A real game changer for Brazilian/Portuguese is strengthening the back tongue muscle and keeping the tip of the tongue on the alveolar ridge, thus achieving a higher tongue positioning for /t, d, l, n/ for these sounds. This will remove the incorrect nasalisation of these sounds, a mistake typical of Brazilian/Portuguese.

To achieve that, work on consonants:
- /t, d/ as in “teach” and “did” lesson 27
- / ŋ/ as “king” lesson 31
- Lateral plosion, lesson 34
- Nasal  plosion, lesson 32
- /l/ as in “London” lesson 33, particularly at the end of the word                                

The most advanced stage of accent reduction is intonation.
I recommend the apps ‎Fluent English Speech and  4Ps, power, pitch, pace, pause to master sentence stress, intonation, the use of pauses and voice modulation.  It will make your speech easy and interesting to listen to. Practise the Silent Letters chapter with the Business English Speech app.

There are also two video courses to support you on this journey: Get Rid of your Accent Part One and Get Rid of your Accent Part Two.

Click the link below to get useful tips:

www.batcsglobal.com

213. Essential Leadership Qualities and Knowledge

The benefit of developing leadership qualities is to lead our lives and not be pawns in someone else’s game.
Essential Leadership Qualities are:
1. Good communication skills
2. Ability to prioritise
3. Strategic thinking and the ability to calculate the short and long-term consequences of our decisions
4. Flexibility of mind and interpersonal relations

Good leaders should know about:
1. Their own and people’s psychology and how to maximise our/their potential
2. How to make decisions
3. How to set up goals
4. How to create the vision and mission of their lives/business

I am a born leader, but I lack some knowledge and skills. My weaknesses have always been my authoritarian communication style and a lack of flexibility, which are connected to my background and limited knowledge of people's psychology.

I was born in the Soviet Union, and having an authoritarian communication style was the norm there. It was even perceived as a strength. Now, I live in the UK and this so-cold “strength” works against me.

Developing interpersonal flexibility has been on my list for skills development for a long time. It is very hard to change one’s nature. Some people who know me from my childhood keep telling me that I will never change.

BUT, as I am an optimist by nature, I want to believe that I can develop a different communication style and become more flexible in interpersonal relations. Below is the list that motivates me to continue the hard work on myself:
1. The more flexible I am, the wider my choices can be
2. Communication is a transactional process; it is about giving and taking
3. When I don’t want to be flexible, I ask myself: Why am I like this? What are my fears? What will I lose if I am flexible?

I am curious to know your thoughts about leadership skills.

Olga Smith
www.batcsglobal.com

212. Ice-breaker techniques in public speaking engagements

All good ice-breaker techniques have one thing in common: successful delivery that grabs people's attention and interest.

You can use numerous ice-breakers such as anecdotes, jokes, short stories, quotes and questions. However, if they are delivered in a monotonous way, with a quiet voice that people can hardly hear, it will not create the desired effect.

Make an ice-breaker engaging and powerful. To achieve this effect, use drama techniques, such as a dramatic pause or pause for effect, a loud voice or even a whisper, depending on the meaning you wish to convey. I have mastered drama techniques using the app 4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause. I can recommend it.

You can also use hand gestures, visual aids, objects, music, etc.

Be creative!

Click the link below to get free tips and content:
www.batcsglobal.com

211. How to simplify technical explanations when speaking with non-technical people

This is a useful skill when pitching to investors and customers who are often non-technical individuals.
Below are my tips to master this skill:
1. Imagine you are talking to a ten-year-old child and trying to explain a difficult technical concept. Which words would you choose? Choose simple, short, non-technical words.
For example, instead of saying:
“Our software is available on iOS and Android”, you can say:
“You can get our app on your phone.”
2. Translate technical jargon into a non-technical language. For example:
software - computer game, app
data - information
hardware - computer
download - get
3. Use visual aids
4. Use rhetorical devices such as a metaphor.
5. Use pauses.
Click the links below to learn about the use of pauses and other essential presentation skills.
4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause
www.batcsglobal.com

210. How to deal with condescending people in professional settings

Deal with people who challenge you immediately. Challenge them by saying, for example, I find your tone condescending, and I am not prepared to continue this way.

This way, you will protect yourself and help the bully stop. Bullies, when not stopped, go into a rush and get high on the domination drug.

Work on your confidence. Develop a straight posture, open body language and good eye contact. Master your speech, namely, voice projection and articulation. Speak with authority and power in your voice, and you will be perceived as a confident person. You can master it with the apps Business English Speech and 4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.

If you look and sound confident, people will not attempt to condescend to you. Bullies usually attack those who lack confidence and who are too shy to reply to them.

Click the link below for tips and free content:
www.batcsglobal.com

209. 7 features of the British Accent

There are over two hundred accents and dialects in Britain: Southern (RP), Northern, Scottish, Cockney, etc. RP or Received Pronunciation is taught to foreigners because it is understood around the world and is called Standard English. RP is also a compulsory accent for actors to learn in British drama schools. RP is associated with high class and good education, and many learn RP to blend in with the upper classes.

I am an expert in RP, and in this article, I will share my knowledge that will help you learn to speak with RP, the most popular British accent and avoid main pronunciation mistakes. Below are the main characteristics and patterns of the British accent.
1. Pure English vowels
There are five long and seven short pure English vowels. Each vowel has a specific speech organ position. Lean on long vowels; do not shorten them. It's important to mention that the meaning of the word may change if you shorten a long vowel. For example, if you don't pronounce long [i:] in the word "sheet" people will hear another word, "shit". Spend extra time to make sure your vowels are precise.
Pay extra attention to the long [a:] sound as in “dance”. In some American and Northern English, this sound is substituted by [æ] as in “cat”. Read my article about the [a:] sound.
2. Crisp articulation
English consonants are crisp, which makes the British accent very clear and precise.I recommend doing articulation exercises regularly. Crisp articulation is important for those who speak on the phone and deliver public speeches. The best app to train articulation is Get Rid of your Accent
3. [t, d, l, n] sounds
In RP, [t, d, l, n] are pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the alveolar ridge. It helps to train your tongue. If the tongue is much lower, that creates a harsh "dental" sound.
In the Cockney accent, [t] sounds are substituted by a glottal stop in the middle of the word, for example, “water, later”. That makes speech hard to understand for those who are not used to hearing Cockney. In American English, [t, d] sounds in the middle of the word are substituted by the fast [d] sound.
4. Word endings [t, d. s, z]
It is important to pronounce [t, d. s, z] sounds at the end of the word in the past tense of verbs and the 3rd person singular. For example, Spanish speakers find it hard to pronounce [t] and [d] sounds at the end of the word, and that might create an impact that they don't know basic grammar, but it could be just a pronunciation mistake.
5. Spelling and pronunciation are not identical
English inherited foreign words from Latin, French, Dutch, and German. They kept the original spelling but anglicised the pronunciation.
One sound can have several spelling variations. Below are a few examples:
- The [a:] sound as in “father” can be spelt with “er” in words “Derby, clerk, sergeant”
- The [f] sound is usually spelt with “f” in words “ fake, fix, frame”, but it can also be spelt with “gh” in words “laugh, tough” or with “ph” in words “phone, philosophy”
- The [ʌ] sound as in “duck” can be spelt with "o" in words “oven, front, company”, or with “u” in words “bus, lunch, pub” and with “ou” in words “ country, double, trouble”.
6. Silent letters
Many letters are silent in English. For example:
- silent [w] in words “write, who, whimsical, wholesale”
- silent [l] in words “walk, talk, chalk”
-silent [h] in words “why, when, where”
7. The usage of the schwa [ə] as in “the” for speech fluency
The schwa is used to make the speech more fluent because many unstressed syllables and even unimportant words are pronounced with the schwa. For example, in the phrases “fish and chips, ”a cup of tea”, the schwa is highlighted.
It is used in contracting unimportant words for the meaning of the sentence or phrases.

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208. Earn Respect

The ability to own the respect of others is connected to our survival instinct. By and large, people respect us if they can rely on us, trust us, and see that we are useful to them.

I like observing people’s behaviour and reactions. I want to share with you my observations on the topic of respect.

People respect us unconsciously if we possess the following qualities:

1. Straight back and good posture - a sign of physical and spiritual strength
2. Confident eye contact and open gestures. These non-verbal clues signify openness and honesty. People who lie and lack confidence often cannot look straight in the eyes
3. Decent clothes and shoes, groomed appearance. This is the sign of high self-esteem
4. Good, clear speech. It is essential for easy communication. We maintain a friendly intonation that shows a positive attitude
5. Ability to keep a pause and talk to the point. This adds gravitas and weight to our words
6. Measured pace and relaxed way of doing things. When we are relaxed, others feel relaxed too
7. When we are grateful for what is offered to us and respect other people's space and time rather than beg, ask or push for more
8. Ability to listen to others.
9. Honour commitments
10. Respect the values of the society in which we operate
11. Respect people’s privacy

My findings revealed that people do not respect those who (despite their achievements):

1. Talk too much and do very little
2. Neither try to understand nor respect the values of the society in which they operate
3. Have a scruffy and ungroomed look that causes an emotion of disgust
4. Rush themselves and others, thus creating unnecessary stress that increases cortisol levels and damages health
5. Constantly ask for favours, try to take advantage of other people's time, space and resources
6. Rushed, unclear, badly articulated speech; intonation that transmits a toxic negative attitude
7. Make silly jokes
8. Waste their own and other people’s time
9. Do not keep their promise and overpromise
10. Have bad posture and a very hunched back
11. TMI - Give too much information about themselves and others, particularly private and sensitive information. Invade their privacy with inappropriate questions

We can conclude that to be respected, we do not have to earn millions, have a PhD or win a gold medal in the Olympics. To earn respect, we should think of the ways we can be useful and master the necessary attributes and skills that facilitate it. We should also exercise a degree of self-control. Whether we start a new job or join a new social group, often our survival in this group depends on whether we can earn their respect.

Let me bring an example from my life. When I had a strong foreign accent, people looked down on me, and my native intonation sounded a bit aggressive in English culture. These facts hindered my success. When I mastered my speech and intonation, I began to feel respected and even admired.
You can master your speech with the apps:
Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent, American Accent App, Fluent English Speech, Fluent American Speech, Business English Speech, and 4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.

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207. 6 Rules of Decision Making

Decision-making is one of the most important skills we should master. Our well-being, prosperity, and happiness depend on this skill.

I have developed a set of rules that help me make good decisions.

Rule N1
Do not make a decision when you feel physically and emotionally weak.

Rule N2
Make sure that your body does not reject your decision. Control your brain and do not allow logic and mental powers to override your body and soul. Very often, mind-based decisions backfire because we humans are more complicated than robots, and our mind lives in our body; therefore, ignoring and neglecting our body and soul cannot lead to good decisions

Rule N3
Conduct a pros and cons analysis.

Rule N4
Control your brain and do not allow logic and mental powers to override your body and soul. Very often, mind-based decisions backfire because humans are more complicated than robots, and our mind lives in our body; therefore, ignoring and neglecting our body and soul cannot lead to good decisions.

Rule N5
Do not make decisions purely on your emotions. Emotions are not long-lasting, but decisions you make because of them can be. For example, I felt the urge to buy a beautiful and expensive bag, but if I cannot afford it, it can lead to frustration

Rule N6
Allow time to make a decision, but at the same time, set up a deadline by which you can take it to avoid rushed decisions and indecisiveness.

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206. PEST Analysis

PEST analysis is an analysis of political, economic, social and technical factors that shape our lives and influence business. They are interlinked and a change in one of those factors inevitably leads to changes in the others. In recent years, the changes are happening so fast, they are more dramatic and have a significant impact on us.

Political and economical changes were caused by BREXIT, COVID-19, invasion of Ukraine by Russians and most recently by the arrival of Donald Trump into the Oval office. These factors lead to weakening of global/interantional economic and social links.

Social changes also resulted from advances and rapid development of smartphone and artificial intelligence technologies. As a consequence, some parts of the current educational system are becalming obsolete and irrelevant. Futute education will be more individualised.

How can we prepare to face these changes, use them to our advantage and see them as opportunities rather than difficulties?

We can start by staying open, thinking out of the box and trying what works and what doesn’t. Then put effort, energy and resources into profitable areas.

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205. Nasal sounds /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/

Nasal consonants /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/are pronounced through the nose, however, there are differences in speech organ positions for each sound. Once you sort out the correct positioning, there is no way you can’t pronounce these sounds.

The /m/ sound as in “money” is formed by complete closure in the mouth by speech organs. The soft palate is lowered so that the air is free to pass out through the nose. The lips come together so that the breath cannot be released through the mouth. It escapes through the nose where the sound is produced.

Speech organs position for the /n/sound as in “nun”
The tip of the tongue is on the teeth ridge so that the breath cannot be released through the mouth. It escapes through the nose where the sound is produced.

Speech organs position for the /ŋ/sound as in “ring”
The tip of the tongue is behind the bottom teeth, and the back of the tongue rises to contact the soft palate, so the breath cannot be released through the mouth. It escapes through the nose where the sound is produced.

In our experience, Spanish people often substitute the /m/ sound for the /n/ sound and visa versa.
Chinese students struggle with all three sounds, particularly at the end of the word.
The /ŋ/ does not exist in Russian, for example, and they say /dʊɪng/ instead of /dʊɪŋ/.

The /ŋ/ seems the most difficult for most people to pronounce, even for native English speakers. People with a heavy New York accent pronounce it as /n/, they say /dʊin/ instead of /dʊiŋ/ and so on. Because the /ŋ/ sound is spelled as “ng” some Brits add /k/ and /g/sounds, and instead of /dʊiŋ/ they say /dʊink/ or /dʊing/.

Another spelling variation for the /ŋ/ sound is “n” before “k” as in the words:

Spelling - Phonetic
bank -/bæŋk/
honk - /hɒŋk/
wink - /wɪŋk/
As you can see in this case /k/ is pronounced.

You can master these and all sounds of English with the apps ‎Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent UK1, ‎Business English Speech.

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204. How to create a promo video

Essential criteria

1. The length of a promo video is 30-90 seconds. It is short and sweet.

2. Its purpose is to showcase your product or service in a way that attracts and motivates your target audience to buy it.

3. Conduct market research and identify your target audience's demographics, motivations and pain points

4. Make sure your visual elements and graphics reflect your company's values and please your target audience

Content creation

1. Define your core messages.
   For example:
   - what is my product/service
   - where you can buy and use it
   - what is the competitive advantage or unique benefit of your product/service for yout customers

2. Identify call for action (CFA)

3. Use story telling technique

4. Use short words/verbs

5. Avoid convoluted language, complex terminology and jargon

6. Ensure your content sounds natural and conversational

Promo video delivery

1. Record your video several times and ensure good speech articulation and compelling intonation. You can master these skills with the apps ‎Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent UK1, ‎Business English Speech and ‎Fluent English Speech

2. Use pauses and modulate your voice. Download the app and Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause to practise these powerful techniques.

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203. Impromptu speech

Impromptu speech or a table topic is a skill that requires practice. However, there are techniques to make your table topic stand out and give you confidence when delivering it.

Below are my tips.

1.       Allow yourself time to think what you will say while walking to the podium, and slowly repeat the topic. Prepare what you are going to say in your head

2.       Remember, how you say it is often more important than what you say. Modulate your voice, use pauses and articulate well. You can master these skills with the apps ‎Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause, ‎Fluent English Speech and ‎Get Rid of your Accent UK1.
For example, use a dramatic pause before saying something important and say it very loudly. This will wake up your audience.

3.       If you struggle to answer the question of your table topic, you can simply dismiss it and talk about what you want, but make it interesting. I recently received a boring table topic and instead I recited my favourite poem. I won the award for the best table topic.

4.       Smile and create zigzag eye contact with your audience

5.       Keep straight posture and use open body language to create an image of a confident person

6.       Breathe, use lots of pauses to separate your ideas.

7.       Enjoy speaking and do not rush yourself to finish it too early (speak for at least one minute), at the same time be aware of the allocated time (maximum of 2 minutes) and prepare a powerful ending.

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202. Effectiveness

I have met many people who are always extremely busy, work a lot and at the same time cannot get ahead in life.
One of the reasons is the lack of effectiveness. People with ineffective behaviour patterns:
1. Jump into doing things that are of low value too soon
2. Work in an old-fashioned way, a way they are used to and reluctant to use modern/new tools
3. Do not have a concrete plan with deadlines
4. Unsure what they want and cannot set clear goals
5. Try to do most things by themselves and avoid delegating
6. Waste time on their weaknesses instead of building on their strengths.
7. Fool themselves and avoid facing reality.
8. Multitask and jump from task to task

How can we become more effective?
How about spending an hour a day thinking about our effectiveness? I usually think about my effectiveness before going to bed (make notes of what I want to achieve in writing) and when I just wake up and have my morning tea (edit my notes).
Once you know what you want to achieve write a detailed plan of how you want to achieve it and what resources you would need for that.
Another useful tip is to understand your energy levels and distribute tasks accordingly. For example, in the morning I prefer to concentrate on the most strategic/significant tasks. In the afternoon, I do routine things that do not require mental focus and concentration.
When dealing with people, the most effective way is to follow universal principles: love others as you love yourself, do not judge others and you will not be judged, etc.
To be effective, constantly examine the tools you use. Answer the following questions: which tool is effective and which are not, are there any new tools you want to try?

I believe that effective people work less and achieve more; they free their time to do things they love, rather than working 24/7 to perform tasks that neither lead them anywhere nor make them happy.

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201. Energy management

Life is energy and no matter how much time we have if we do not have energy we can’t achieve much.
To manage energy I identify where there is an unnecessary leakage of my energy and secondly, I develop a routine to recharge my batteries.
I identify five types of energy: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and sexual.

We all know how to maintain good physical energy: eat and sleep well, exercise, avoid alcohol, drugs and chemicals in our bodies. However, I have noticed that modern society puts too much pressure on looking perfect. Many of my girlfriends waste too much energy in the gym, shopping and doing makeup to look like Kim Kardashian. As a result, they look like low-energy empty dolls. I also noticed that many men in the gym look exhausted and unhappy, they look in the phones and pretend they exercise.

Mental energy is the power of focus and attention and the ability to concentrate. Constant texts, social media, YouTube videos and people who talk nonsense are the main leakages of my mental energy which I try my best to avoid. People say that we should give a gift to listen to others. I strongly disagree because if they talk nonsense it’s a waste of my energy.
To recharge my mental energy I love looking at the fire and walking on the beach. Having the house in good shape for me is the number one condition to be able to concentrate on intellectual work.

When we feel negative feelings we drain ourselves of energy and when we experience positive emotions we recharge emotionally. After each communication, I make a note in my journal of how I feel afterwards. If the person took my emotional energy and made me feel negatively I avoid them in future.
Another leakage of my energy is the worry that is steered by fears. Most of my fears are just my illusions and whenever I feel I am worried I ask myself: what am I afraid of? What is the worst that can happen to me? Then I realise that my fear is not worth my energy because I will survive and in the big scale of things my little fear is so small.
Spiritual energy is the most powerful energy we have. The proof of that is the life of people like Victor Frankl and many others. We are being robbed of our spiritual energy when we experience betrayal, vulgarity, and being lied to.
What helps me to stay in a strong spirit is my connection with a higher consciousness - God and my strong belief that with God I can achieve anything. I like to visit churches and cemeteries and I feel recharged after that.

To manage sexual energy is very easy: only have sex with people you truly want and avoid sex with people who you do not want.

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