Mary Pouline, Author and Founder, Sapience Publications

WWW WIN-WIN-WAY

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Series 43

Hi friends, I am Mary Pouline,

Here I am with series 4 of the “WWW – Win-Win-Way.” Being friendly, confident and knowledgeable in a meeting is a professional skill. Yet, it won’t happen overnight; with your commitment and our guidance, you can plan for it and work on the plans. As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That single step, the very first step, is planning. It’s a journey that requires your patience and commitment. We shall ponder over ideas and thoughts about it. Get set, ready, and go!

  1. WWW – Understanding and Targeting:

We shall understand with an example. There is this gentleman — we shall call him Sandeep. He is college-educated, intelligent, and ambitious. He wants to be a winner in life. But he has one major handicap. He is poor in English. However, he has the potential to improve and grow. He wants to attain proficiency in English because he understands it’s a global gateway. How will he do it? He has to work at it with a clear plan. Now, there are two essential things you should know before starting to plan anything:

The first thing is to know where you stand: that is, your present situation. Sandeep seems to know where he stands. He didn’t have an English-medium education. He somewhat understands when others speak English but cannot respond to them in English. He does not get the right words…. When people speak English fast, they struggle to understand. And when he’s asked to write something in English, he hesitates… he’s scared of grammar mistakes!” So, that’s where Sandeep stands right now.

The next thing is to know where you want to reach, i.e., your objective or goal. Sandeep seems to know where he wants to reach, saying: “I want to learn to speak English fluently; I want to read English correctly; I want to write English properly.” His goals are crystal clear: to speak English, to read English, to write English. In other words, to gain proficiency in English. These clear goals will keep him focused and determined on his journey to English proficiency.

Now, what does proficiency in English mean? It means the ability to listen to others and understand what they say; it means being able to express your thoughts to others in English; it means being able to read something in English and understand it; it means correctly writing down your thoughts or ideas in English. In other words, Proficiency involves four things: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. LSRW, for short. 

So, the big goal of “Proficiency in English” is broken down into four smaller goals, which Sandeep can now work on. Let’s look at them one by one.

  1. Listening to English: To speak English correctly, you must first listen to those who speak it. How can you do it? It is very easy. Listen to the news on the radio or TV, etc. Set aside at least ten minutes every day to listen to others speaking English.
  2. Speaking English: We learn to speak by speaking. So, start speaking, speaking without fear. Never mind the mistakes. Never mind, even if some people laugh at you. There is no other way.

Here is a hint for beginners: Use the five Ws and the one H formula: WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHO, WHY, and HOW. Make sentences or questions using these words. Examples: WHAT is your name? When is your birthday? WHERE is your pen? Who is coming for dinner? Why are you crying? How are you? Every day,I speak English for 10 minutes with somebody.

  1. Reading English: We learn to read by reading. The more you read, the better—read the newspaper, short stories, and books whose content you already know. For example, if you are a Christian, you read from the English Bible. Use the dictionary for new words.
  2. Writing English: We learn to write by writing. Every day, write a few sentences in English. Keep a personal diary and write something every day—your journal. Describe what happens to you every day—some of your experiences.

And a final piece of advice: As you go along, practise the LSRW, and work on your vocabulary: Listening, speaking, reading, and writing – all these activities need words. Start with the words you use daily, such as the words for the things you find in your kitchen, living room, bedroom, and so on.    …… contd in Aalumai Sirpi magazine