Building connection through conversation
Level: A1, A2 Handout on TPT Media: Video Language focus: Routines, Verbs What is your daily routine? My daily routine is the backbone of my success. I am nauseatingly disciplined and predictable. Even when I’m on vacation, I still need to do some of the same tasks to start the…
Picture a fireplace roaring, the smell of baked goods in the kitchen, music in the background, a hot beverage, or a little cocktail–you can’t help feeling the warm fuzzies, can you? These are classic soul-lifting ingredients. Did you know that this is also the basic theme of the Winter Solstice…
Turn off the lights and get the flashlights out.–it’s time for some ghost stories! When I was a teenager, we used to break out the Ouija board and pretend that spirits were floating around us, trapped in a silent world desperate to make contact. The room would be hushed, someone…
What is your comfort food? I dare you to NOT think of the answer. Too late? I bet your favourite dish is already in your mind. Maybe you are even seeing a memory or a person attached to this dish. Is it something your mother made when you were sick?…
The art of asking the perfect question is my own personal Mona Lisa. It is the element in my practice that I am always improving and perfecting. In fact, I even made a little video about some of the cognitive elements involved in questions. Let go of perfection Crafting a…
Books have been written about it, alcohol-based dinners never go without it, and more recently, we are digging into what defines it. Put simply, what are the differences between men and women? This TED talk by biologist Karissa Sanbonmatsu really got my attention. First of all because she presents some…
Level: A1, A2, B1, B2 Handout: Free on TPT Media: Video Language focus: emotions, actions, comparisons Do you believe in luck? I once introduced one of my girlfriend’s to a boy that seemed to be a good match for her. When I asked if things had worked out, she said…
I love talking about the weather. It is the easiest way to initiate a conversation with a stranger or acquaintance if you need to break the silence. Great for elevator rides, spontaneous waiting time and warm repartee. It is also a ubiquitous element that can have multiple impacts on our…
Let’s talk about gratefulness: the good, the bad and the ugly. Is it me, or does gratefulness seem to be the miracle serum of the millennium? Everywhere I look, someone is singing its praises. Instagram posts, articles, scientific and not-so-scientific, books, shorts, reels, TED talks, you name it, and there’s…
It’s fall and the viruses are running amok. As I type these lines, I am sitting in bed, with my weekend pj’s, a box of tissues and a cup of tea at arm’s length…humph! What are my symptoms you ask? I am sneezing, I have a runny nose, I have…
