Preparing for your first Skype call

How to introduce myself?

Greet with smileMaintain eye contactTell them your nameAsk for the other person’s nameRepeat the other person’s name

How to have a great conversation? Relax and forget about yourself Listen Ask questions Use a friendly tone Choose your words and questions carefully Neither interrupt a person in the middle of his thought,

nor speak on top of it Compliment the other person Thank them for a great conversation

How to handle a difficult question? Personal, intimate question

I’m sorry, but I’d prefer not to answer this question. Question you don’t know the answer

I have no idea. Question you didn’t catch

Can you repeat the question? Question you don’t understand because of unfamiliar

words or question structure

I’m sorry, but I don’t understand your question. Would you mind telling it in different words?/What do you mean by…?/What does…mean?

How to improve speaking?

Listening and reading aloud Writing Networking and making friends Greeting people on the street Having small talks in public Watching foreign movies with English subtitles Joining one-on-one conversations, conversation and

common interest groups

Resources

Daily Conversations:

http://www.worldenglishclub.com/daily-english-conversations

EBooks:

http://www.gutenberg.org

Phrases and Expressions for Speaking:

http://www.eslgold.com/speaking/phrases.html

How to improve listening?

Speaking to English speakers

Watching TV and movies

Listening to radio

Reading audio books

Singing English songs

Practicing pronunciation

Joining conversation groups/one-on-one conversations

Resources

Listening Lab:

http://www.esl-lab.com

Listening Activities:

http://www.manythings.org/e/listening.html

Audio Books:

http://librivox.org

http://www.audiobooks.org

http://www.audiobooks.net

How to improve comprehension? Reading picture books or comics Reading newspapers and magazines Asking questions during conversations Watching TV and movies Browsing English websites Consulting dictionaries Constantly learning new words Clarifying meaning of slang and idioms Knowing grammar

Resources

Idioms:http://www.idiomconnection.com Slang Words:http://www.eslcafe.com/slang/list.html Reading Comprehension Exercises:http://www.englishcorner.vacau.com/reading/reading.html Listening Comprehension Exercises:http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/eslvideo/ Vocabulary Games:http://www.vocabulary.co.il

How to improve pronunciation?

Listening to native English and imitating Reading along with audio books Speaking, being corrected or asking for

correct pronunciation and repeating after Paying attention to letter combination sounds,

stressed syllables, word linkage and intonation

Training speech organs position, shape and movement of English sounds

Resources

Accent School:

http://www.accentschool.com/run_software.html Some Pronunciation Rules:

http://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/index.htm

http://www.fonetiks.org Pronunciation Exercises:

http://www.pronunciationworkshop.com/pronunciationexercises.htm

http://www.englishmedialab.com/pronunciation.html

http://www.learnersdictionary.com/pronex/pronex.htm

http://www.manythings.org/pp/ Dictionaries with Pronunciation:

http://www.merriam-webster.com

http://www.howjsay.com

http://www.thefreedictionary.com

http://dictionary.cambridge.org

How to improve grammar?

Reading, listening, writing and speaking Using subject-verb structure Differentiating questions from statements Understanding parts of speech Practicing verb tenses Knowing words beyond their meaning Learning phrasal verbs Doing grammar exercises Quizzing yourself

Resources

www.eslflow.com http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk http://www.onestopenglish.com http://www.waze.net/oea http://www.englishclub.com http://www.eslgold.com http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/esl-printables-

worksheets.html