Soft skills and hard skills - conversation class

 

In small groups, discuss whether these are hard skills or soft skills…

 

1. Data analysis  (HS)
2. Conflict resolution (SS)
3. Programming (e.g., Python, Java)
4. Time management
5. Emotional intelligence
6. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
7. Leadership and management
8. Active listening
9. Web development (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
10. Creativity and innovation
11. Teamwork and collaboration
12. Machine learning
13. Problem-solving
14. Graphic design (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite)
15. Financial analysis
16. Adaptability and flexibility
17. Technical writing
18. Communication (verbal and written)
19. Foreign language proficiency
20. Project management

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soft Skills:

 

Write an S if you feel strong in this area and W if you feel weaker:

1. Communication (verbal and written) ___
2. Teamwork and collaboration  ____
3. Problem-solving ___
4. Adaptability and flexibility ___
5. Emotional intelligence ____
6. Conflict resolution ____
7. Time management ____
8. Creativity and innovation ___
9. Leadership and management ___
10. Active listening ___

 

Compare and discuss your answers

 

1.. Can you give some examples that show why you are strong or weak in these areas?

 

2. Would you like to develop any of these soft skills in the next few years? Why?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discuss these unusual jobs.

 

1.What soft skills might be handy in these jobs? Why?

2. Which of the attitude adjectives below would suit these jobs?

1. Ethical Hacker – Cybersecurity expert who hacks systems legally to find vulnerabilities.
2. Sound Designer – Creates the auditory experience for films, games, or virtual reality.
3. Forensic Linguist – Analyzes language use in legal cases to identify authorship or deception.
4. Foley Artist – Creates sound effects for movies by mimicking real-life sounds in a studio.
5. Underwater Welder – Performs welding on structures or ships while submerged underwater.
6. Urban Farmer – Grows food in city environments using innovative farming techniques.
7. Pet Detective – Specializes in locating lost pets using various investigative techniques.
8. Volcanologist – Studies volcanic activity, eruptions, and the geological impact of volcanoes.
9. Pyrotechnician – Designs and executes fireworks displays for public events and celebrations.
10. Stunt Coordinator – Plans and oversees dangerous scenes in movies or TV shows.
11. Space Tourism Guide – Leads tourists on suborbital flights and space explorations.
12. Paleobotanist – Studies ancient plant life, often to understand past climates or ecosystems.
13. Professional Cuddler – Provides non-sexual comfort and companionship through cuddling services.
14. Iceberg Mover – Helps navigate or redirect icebergs that threaten ships or oil rigs.
15. Scent Designer – Creates unique scents for products, environments, or marketing purposes.

 

Analytical

Creative

Detail-oriented

Inventive

Resilient

Resourceful

Persistent

Adventurous

Precise

Brave

Enthusiastic

Curious

Courageous

Intuitive

Adaptable

Patient

Observant

Diplomatic

Meticulous

Empathetic

 

Similes and metaphors

 

Quiz for similes

Similes versus metaphors

The art of metaphors

IELTS reading p 58 The Way The Brain Buys

 Dictation

______ ______ _____ ___ ____ ____, ___ ___, ___ _______ ____ ______ ___ ______ __ ___ ____ ___ _______ ___ _________ ___ ______ ________ ___ ____ ______ ______ ___ ____ ___ _____ _______ _____.

____ ____ ____ ______ ___ ____ _______ ___ ___ _____.

___ _______ _____ _______ _____ ___. ____ ____ ___ _____ ______, ____ ______ ______ _____ _____ ____ ___ ______ ___ ____ ______ ___ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ___ _______ ____ ____.

Why videos go viral

Do you know Nyan Cat?

How does the music go?

The original Nyan Cat video has had 205,000,000 views. Why?

Speaking

1. Have you seen any viral or popular videos recently on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube?

2. Describe what happens in them.

3. Why do you think the video was popular?

4. How do you think videos 'go viral'?

Think of three necessary things that might make a video go viral

1.

2.

3.

Watch a few viral videos

I believe I can fly

Why might this video have gone viral?

Does this video have a message?

Do you think this video should be watched by millions of people? Why? Why not?

Stunt City

Why might this video have gone viral?

Does this video have a message?

Do you think this video should be watched by millions of people? Why? Why not?

How videos go viral


1. What 3 things make a video go viral?

1.
2.
3.


2. What is an inside joke? What does it have to do with participation?

3. What is Kevin's final point?





Vocabulary focus: Synonymous language

In the 20 examples below, both phrases could be used to communicate roughly the same idea. 

Listen and circle the phrase you hear:

1. go viral / wild / like crazy

2. gets tons of / many / millions of views

3. contrive / set out / plan to make a viral video

4. all the way back in / as far back as January.

5. cause / propel the video to be as popular as it would become

6. it seems to have just sprung / sprouted up out of nowhere.

7. high points / spikes / peaks

8. accelerating / speeding up the process

9. this community formed / grew

10. parodies / satires / spoofs

11. phenomenon / occurence

12. spreading / distributing it

13. sampled / looped music

 14. techie, geeky Internet community / culture

15. remix community / culture

16. get noticed / stand out

17. obstructions / impediments / hinderances

18. keep / prevent you from

19. is true / holds for

 20. to green-light / endorse / push your idea

Practice using vocab in a sentence

 

Kronos Quartet try out facial recognition technology

How reliable is AI at telling us about ourselves?

An art project is looking at how machines might perceive the world compared to humans.

While the Kronos Quartet perform, the artificial intelligence (AI) Sight Machine uses algorithms to read the musicians' genders, ages and emotions.

A projection of what the AI is interpreting is displayed behind the musicians, but how reliable is the AI in what it sees?

Watch the video and discuss

What is the purpose of the experiment?

What did the experiment involve?

What happens during the experiment?

What was the conclusion of the experiment?

Breaking News English lesson on AI and language learning 

Vocab from IELTS Reading p 38

 Bland

They often play bland music in restaurants.

The food tasted quite bland, so I added some salt.

The article he wrote had a bland title, but it changed the world.

Q: What are some bland foods that you like? 

Q: Do you prefer wearing bland colours or bold colours?

Q: What is the opposite of ...

bland food

bland people

bland music

Modest

I have quite modest hopes in life - a family and my own house would great.

He is is not widely known for his modesty.

I make a modest income as a bartender. 

Q: Are you a modest person by nature?

Q: Do you know anyone who is very talented but very modest?

Q: How important is it to be modest in your culture?

What is the opposite of...

modest progress at school

a modest person

a modest income

Keep track of

It's important to keep track of the vocabulary you learn, so write it down.

I often lend books to friends, then lose track of who borrowed what.

I can't keep track of all my obligations.

Q: How do you keep track of what you learn every day at school?

Q: Have you lost track of any friends?

Q: When you lose track of the conversation, what should you say?

Recruit

We need to recruit new staff for the busy season.

I was recruited into the army just before the war.

Gangs often recruit members from poor areas of the city.

Q: If you own a cafe, what kind of staff should you recruit?

Q: Have you ever thought about working in staff recruitment?

Glance

He glanced up from his book and smiled, then went on reading.

She gave me a glance that told me she liked me.

I'm sorry, I only had time to glance at your writing, but it looks okay.

At first glance, it seemed like a small house, but it was actually quite comfortable and spacious.

Q: Which things about you would a stranger notice at first glance?

Q: Do you read news articles or just glance at them?

What are some other ways of looking

gaz

pee

wat

obser

scruti

stud

pee

star

Phenomenon

The Northern Lights are a beautiful natural phenomenon.

Every culture has stories about strange phenomena such as ghosts and spirits.

The impact of the internet is phenomenal.

Q: Which of these phenomena can be explained by science?

Ghosts, the weather, electricity, culture, personality, cancer, love, language, black holes. the universe.

Used to

Journalists are now used to have / having their articles commented on by dozens of readers.

Reason and lack + preposition

He thinks the reason of / for the lack  of / - comments is that potential reviewers lack of / - incentive.

Optimism and Pessimism

 

Discuss

Your ideal day.

Your ideal night.

Your ideal job.

Your ideal you.

Your ideal love life. 

Your worst fear.

The worst thing about your country.

The worst thing about last year.

The worst thing about this year.

The worst thing about next year.

Vocabulary - are these words optimistic or pessimistic?

dark

ideal

wonder

comforting

reality

desperate

discouraging

disheartening

bleak

cheerless

romantic

utopian

visionary

fatal

hopeful

rosy

upbeat

gloomy

reassuring

favorable

encouraging

heartening

anxious

nostalgic

 

 

O

Oo

 

oO

 

Ooo

 

oOo

 

oOoo

 

ooOo

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Cheerless
2. Desperate
3. Reassuring
4. Fatal
5. Dark
6. Gloomy
7. Hopeful
8. Utopian
9. Ideal
10. Encouraging

 

The answers may vary a little…

 

 

1. The future seemed ______, filled with uncertainty and fear of what was to come.
2. In her eyes, the future was an ______ place where everyone could live in harmony.
3. With every passing day, his search for a solution grew more ______, as hope faded.
4. The ______ signs of progress made her believe that a brighter future was possible.
5. The ______ world ahead seemed devoid of joy, making it hard to look forward.
6. He dreamt of a ______ society, where everyone had enough, and peace reigned.
7. She feared that ignoring the warning signs would lead to a ______ consequence for the world.
8. Despite the challenges, they remained ______, believing that things would improve soon.
9. The ______ forecast of the coming years left them feeling helpless and defeated.
10. His ______ words about the future filled them with confidence, believing things would get better.

 

Obama 2008 Victory speech - Yes we can

14.58 - 18.28

Watch the speech and discuss it.

Listening and speaking

Create positive bubbles

General questions

What is a 'bubble'?

How did speaker and her friends create positive bubbles in Russia?

watch again

True or false?

1. We create bubbles when we do bad things 

2. Bubbles can be negative or positive

3. There are more negative bubbles than positive bubbles

4. The speaker often feels awkward in social situations

5. The speaker found Russian culture familiar

6. The students enjoyed their trip to Russia

7. Bubbles can easily pop.

Putin in the elevator

Grammar practice: Wishes and hopes

Africa - Reality Check

Pre-learn language:

12 terms

reality check  noun  informal

1. an occasion on which one is reminded of the state of things in the real world. "that rich guy needs a reality check"

 

Video

Do you have a positive or negative association with Africa?

Do you think Africa has a bright future?

 

Africa Reality Check

1. What do the following figures refer to?

1.1 billion
54
2000
22
9
4/10
1 in 3
2%
52 billion
43 billion
7
64%
29%

Discuss the video – what things surprised you?

How would you describe the presenter's attitude?
a) sarcastic
b) angry
c) diplomatic

 

 

 

Do you speak African? Well, neither do the ____  people in Africa.

1. It's a continent of ___ very different nations.

2. Who has time to mention the ____ Nobel Laureates from ___ different African countries, right? 

3. And guess where ___ of the ___  fastest growing economies in the world are  located?

 4. Let's not forget that ___ in ____ Africans is middle class.

5. Foreign aid represents only ___ of Africa's total GDP.

6. The continent has had ___  female presidents.

7. Rwanda has the highest proportion of female parliamentarians in the world at ___%

8. Over in the UK it's a record ____%

 

Language

1. Conjures up lazy images
a) brings to mind
b) gets rid of
c) records

2. western handouts
a) money
b) loans
c) aid

3. How about the plight of poor African women?
a) suffering
b) deaths
c) health

4. The highest proportion of female parliamentarians in the world.
a) number
b) number compared with other countries
c) number compared with males

5. It's important that we focus only on the doom and gloom cross the continent.
a) wars
b) constructive work
c) despair

Error correction (subject verb agreement)

 

Find some errors

 

Old buildings are fascinating because they told the story of the past. Many of these buildings is made of strong materials like stone and brick, which have help them survive for many year. Some old building was once homes, while others used for important events, like church or castle. When you visited these buildings, you can saw the detail of their architectures, such as tall window, wooden door, or carved decoration. The buildings is often very large, and it take a lot of work to maintain it. People doesn't always realizes how many history they surrounded by. This buildings holding memories from past, and it tells us about the differents period in history. By look at it, we can learning how peoples lived and worked in past.

 

Now look at the italicised words. Can you change them to improve the writing

Old buildings are fascinating because they told the story of the past. Many of these buildings is made of strong materials like stone and brick, which have help them survive for many year. Some old building was once homes, while others used for important events, like church or castle. When you visited these buildings, you can saw the detail of their architectures, such as tall window, wooden door, or carved decoration. The buildings is often very large, and it take a lot of work to maintain it. People doesn't always realizes how many history they surrounded by. This buildings holding memories from past, and it tells us about the differents period in history. By look at it, we can learning how peoples lived and worked in past.

 

Use the gaps to write you corrections

Old buildings are fascinating because they ______ the story of the past. Many of these buildings ___ made of strong materials like stone and brick, which have _____ them survive for many _____. Some old ________ ____ once homes, while others ____ used for important events, like ______ or ______. When you _______ these buildings, you can _____ the _______ of their ___________, such as tall ________, wooden _______, or carved _________. _______ buildings ___ often very large, and it _____ a lot of work to maintain _____. People _______ always ______ how ______ history they _____ surrounded by. _____ buildings _______ memories from ___ past, and ____ ______ us about the ________ _______ in history. By ______ at _____, we can ______ how ______ lived and worked in ____ past.

Unscramble to review sentence structures (linking clauses)

 Cleft sentence

a who started the  It was experiment  lecturer 

_______________________________________________________________________________

Inversion

realise my wallet Not till I got home did I  was missing.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Sequencing

 was going to bark I up knew the dog as soon as the mailman walked 

_______________________________________________________________________________

Contrastive clause

that we are despite the fact  related, he help us  refused to

_______________________________________________________________________________

Clause of reason

Because  the tennis match of the rain, was stopped.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Non-defining relative clause

deeply indebted to I am Brian,  this project would not have been without whom possible

_______________________________________________________________________________

Contrastive clause

should try doing Instead something of  it, they  complaining about  positive.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Coordinating clauses for writing

The examples below separate each idea or point into a separate sentence. This is not how English flows. Instead, we coordinate ideas into clauses using different phrases, word forms, or different sentence structures.

 

1 .The weather was sunny. We decided to go for a walk in the park.

2. I studied all night. I didn’t perform well on the test.

3. She was tired. She stayed up late to finish her project.

4. He enjoys playing video games. His brother prefers outdoor sports.

5. I wanted to go to the beach. It started raining heavily.

6. We had planned a road trip. The car broke down unexpectedly.

7. The concert tickets sold out quickly. We couldn’t attend.

8. She completed her homework early. She wanted to have more free time later.

9. I like reading novels. I don’t have much time for it.

10. He felt nervous about the interview. He had prepared thoroughly.

11. She looked tired. She insisted on attending the meeting.

12. You must submit the assignment by tomorrow. You will receive a penalty.

13. I enjoy hiking in the mountains. It helps me relax and unwind.

14. The team practiced hard every day. They won the championship.

15. He was running late. He stopped to help his friend with her bags.

16. He failed to meet the deadline. He worked overtime to complete the task.

17. She was very talented. She lacked confidence in her abilities.

18. I need to finish this report. I’ll answer some emails.

19. We could go to the cinema. We could stay home and watch a movie instead.

20. I had never traveled abroad before. This summer, I will visit Paris for the first time.

 

 

 

 

 

1.      The weather was sunny, ___ we decided to go for a walk in the park.

2.      I studied all night, ___ I didn’t perform well on the test.

3.      Although she was tired, ___ she stayed up late to finish her project.

4.      He enjoys playing video games, ___ his brother prefers outdoor sports.

5.      I wanted to go to the beach, ___ it started raining heavily.

6.      We had planned a road trip, ___ the car broke down unexpectedly.

7.      The concert tickets sold out quickly, ___ we couldn’t attend.

8.      She completed her homework early ___ she wanted to have more free time later.

9.      I like reading novels, ___ I don’t have much time for it.

10. He felt nervous about the interview, ___ he had prepared thoroughly.

11. She looked tired, ___ she insisted on attending the meeting.

12. You must submit the assignment by tomorrow, ___ you will receive a penalty.

13. I enjoy hiking in the mountains ___ it helps me relax and unwind.

14. The team practiced hard every day, ___ they won the championship.

15. He was running late, ___ he stopped to help his friend with her bags.

16. He failed to meet the deadline, ___ he worked overtime to complete the task.

17. She was very talented, ___ she lacked confidence in her abilities.

18. I need to finish this report, ___ I’ll answer some emails.

19. We could go to the cinema, ___ we could stay home and watch a movie instead.

20. _____ I have never traveled abroad before,  this summer I will visit Paris for the first time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

therefore

Despite that

On the other hand

However x 3

Unfortunately

As a result x 2

so that

although x 2

even though

Nonetheless

Otherwise

as

Consequently

nonetheless

Afterward

Alternatively

1.      The weather was sunny; ________, we decided to go for a walk in the park.

2.      I studied all night. _________, I didn’t perform well on the test.

3.      She was tired; _______, she stayed up late to finish her project.

4.      He enjoys playing video games. __________ his brother prefers outdoor sports.

5.      I wanted to go to the beach. _______, it started raining heavily.

6.      We had planned a road trip. _________, the car broke down unexpectedly.

7.      The concert tickets sold out quickly. __________, we couldn’t attend.

8.      She completed her homework early, ________ she could have more free time later.

9.      I like reading novels, ________I don’t have much time for it.

10. He felt nervous about the interview, __________ he had prepared thoroughly.

11. She looked tired. __________, she insisted on attending the meeting.

12. You must submit the assignment by tomorrow. _________, you will receive a penalty.

13. I enjoy hiking in the mountains, _________ it helps me relax and unwind.

14. The team practiced hard every day. ________, they won the championship.

15. He was running late; _________, he stopped to help his friend with her bags.

16. He failed to meet the deadline. __________, he worked overtime to complete the task.

17. She was very talented; ________, she lacked confidence in her abilities.

18. I need to finish this report. _________, I’ll answer some emails.

19. We could go to the cinema. __________, we could stay home and watch a movie instead.

20. ___________ I had never traveled abroad before, this summer marks the first time I will visit Paris.

 

 

1.      The weather was sunny; therefore, we decided to go for a walk in the park.

2.      I studied all night. Despite that, I didn’t perform well on the test.

3.      She was tired; however, she stayed up late to finish her project.

4.      He enjoys playing video games. On the other hand, his brother prefers outdoor sports.

5.      I wanted to go to the beach. However, it started raining heavily.

6.      We had planned a road trip. Unfortunately, the car broke down unexpectedly.

7.      The concert tickets sold out quickly. As a result, we couldn’t attend.

8.      She completed her homework early, so that she could have more free time later.

9.      I like reading novels, although I don’t have much time for it.

10. He felt nervous about the interview, even though he had prepared thoroughly.

11. She looked tired. Nonetheless, she insisted on attending the meeting.

12. You must submit the assignment by tomorrow. Otherwise, you will receive a penalty.

13. I enjoy hiking in the mountains, as it helps me relax and unwind.

14. The team practiced hard every day. Consequently, they won the championship.

15. He was running late; nonetheless, he stopped to help his friend with her bags.

16. He failed to meet the deadline. As a result, he worked overtime to complete the task.

17. She was very talented; however, she lacked confidence in her abilities.

18. I need to finish this report. Afterward, I’ll answer some emails.

19. We could go to the cinema. Alternatively, we could stay home and watch a movie instead.

20. Although I had never traveled abroad before, this summer marks the first time I will visit Paris.

What Sign Language Can Do That Spoken Language Can't

 

1. belonging

2. without

3. terrible

4. simple

5. in theory

6. superior

7. through 

8. Esperanto

9. utopia

10. carry on

11. imagine

12. hearing

13. adept

14. underwater

15. shared

The deaf community is no _______, but it does offer an alternative language, culture and social life to those who choose to be a part of it. In fact, signed languages can do many things spoken languages can’t. In fact, here’s a list of ways in which visual languages are _______ to the spoken word:

 
10. You can _______ a complex conversation in the loudest pub or club, while people all around you scream into each other’s ears, trying to convey something as _____ as, I’m going to the toilet now.

9. Visual languages are more accessible, not only for people who are fully deaf, but (_______) for the 1 in 6 Australians who have a ______ loss.

8. You can ask your partner to pick up the mail from the balcony when he’s standing in the parking lot, four floors down, ______  disturbing the neighbours.

7. You can talk _______.

6. Storytelling is more engaging and detailed in visual languages. Because they are visual-spatial, signed languages are particularly _____ at describing space and movement.

5. You can talk _______ car windows. It’s easy to give directions to a signing friend driving behind or in front.

4. Deaf people who sign have been proven to be more “multilingual”. In a fascinating study lead by UK academic and researcher Sabaji Panda, it was found that if you put two deaf people in a room, who have no ______ language, it’s only a matter of hours before they find a way to communicate (________ trying that with hearing people.) Because signed languages have shorter histories, their grammars typically share certain features, which means that even if two deaf people have no common vocabulary, it takes short time before they can figure out a way to communicate.

3. You can critique a ______ lecture/performance/reading without anyone in the audience hearing you.

2. Unlike _________, that failed international spoken language, International Sign has taken off since the advent of social media. Deaf people often learn and use IS when they travel overseas, skype, and/or present at international deaf conferences and events.

1. A signed language, often referred to as the “natural language of the deaf”, offers deaf people a sense of ________ and a positive identity.

Link to article:

What Signed Languages Can Do

Or check your answers here:

The deaf community is no utopia, but it does offer an alternative language, culture and social life to those who choose to be a part of it. In fact, signed languages can do many things spoken languages can’t. In fact, here’s a list of ways in which visual languages are superior to the spoken word:

 
10. You can carry on a complex conversation in the loudest pub or club, while people all around you scream into each other’s ears, trying to convey something as simple as, I’m going to the toilet now.

9. Visual languages are more accessible, not only for people who are fully deaf, but (in theory) for the 1 in 6 Australians who have a hearing loss.

8. You can ask your partner to pick up the mail from the balcony when he’s standing in the parking lot, four floors down, without disturbing the neighbours.

7. You can talk underwater.

6. Storytelling is more engaging and detailed in visual languages. Because they are visual-spatial, signed languages are particularly adept at describing space and movement.

5. You can talk through car windows. It’s easy to give directions to a signing friend driving behind or in front.

4. Deaf people who sign have been proven to be more “multilingual”. In a fascinating study lead by UK academic and researcher Sabaji Panda, it was found that if you put two deaf people in a room, who have no shared language, it’s only a matter of hours before they find a way to communicate (imagine trying that with hearing people.) Because signed languages have shorter histories, their grammars typically share certain features, which means that even if two deaf people have no common vocabulary, it takes short time before they can figure out a way to communicate.

3. You can critique a terrible lecture/performance/reading without anyone in the audience hearing you.

2. Unlike Esperanto, that failed international spoken language, International Sign has taken off since the advent of social media. Deaf people often learn and use IS when they travel overseas, skype, and/or present at international deaf conferences and events.

1. A signed language, often referred to as the “natural language of the deaf”, offers deaf people a sense of belonging and a positive identity.\

Italian gestures

Watch this sign conversation without sound.

From 8.12

Italian gestures

In pairs, write the dialogue down and perform it.

Then check by watching with the sound.

Tourist:

Italian: