Most people working in business, indeed in most organisations, are all too familiar with presentations. Making presentations is an activity almost completely divorced from the real purpose of the organisation. Doing good ones is a skill unrelated to any other business activity. But if you really have to make a presentation, here are some thoughts on how to do it.

First, think carefully about the expectations of the group you will be talking to. Why is the presentation happening at all, why are you making it, what information do you want the group to go away with? Design the presentation to convey only that part of the information that can best be passed on verbally. Most detailed information is far better transmitted in writing, so make a paper handout, and give it to your group after the presentation.

Secondly, think about the role of visual aids. If you really believe that your spoken words will be enhanced or clarified by use of visuals, then build them in. But always remember that they are secondary to the spoken word. One very popular system for creating visuals is Microsoft PowerPoint.

More presentations have been ruined using PowerPoint wrongly, than by any other cause. We humans are good at understanding a picture very quickly. We are not so quick at reading words. The more words we have to read, the longer it takes, and the more our reading interferes with our understanding of what is being said. Now, think about the physical size and shape of your audience. Imagine the person at the back. How big does a word have to be for it to be read easily from the back of the room? Never put yourself in the position of having to say “I’m sorry that some of you may not be able to read this….”

Thirdly, practise what you intend to say. Time yourself, and make sure the time you take is a bit less than the slot allocated to you. When you deliver the presentation, you’ll go more slowly, and take longer than your practise runs-through.

Fourthly, write out your final script, make a bullet-point summary of it, and practise delivering it from the bullets. If you feel that visuals will increase impact or understanding, practise using them now. Never, ever speak when looking at the visuals. Always look at your listeners when speaking. Have the confidence never to look at the visuals.

Fifthly, remember to start your presentation with a summary of what you are going to say, and to end it with a summary of what you have said. If they hear it three times, the audience may remember some of it!

Sixthly, and finally, if you need to deliver a presentation in a language other than the one you grew up with, you really must get a native-speaker to listen to you in private and to help make sure the language, tone, and register are correct. If you are going to have to use English, and you are lucky enough to live in Jakarta, why not let the Aim Team help you?

As a young man, I spent three years living and working in Japan. It was an important, formative experience in many ways, not least because it gave me first hand experience of culture shock, how it feels, and how to deal with it.

Culture shock is real. It is universal, powerful and usually unexpected. That’s why it comes as a shock!

Our home cultures are deeply embedded during childhood. We don’t need to do anything for this to happen. Just grow up and take part in society, meet our fellow-countrymen, keep up with fashion, technology, and current affairs. Culture is often defined as “the way we do things around here”, and this goes for entire national cultures, regional, local and even business cultures. It’s the collection of, often unspoken, rules that regulate behaviour.

Move, as I did, from the UK to Japan and the difference in the way things are done really hits you in the face! My first reaction was excitement. I felt like an explorer in an exciting new universe. I was trying out a new language, a new geography, new technologies, new standards of dress, transport, behaviour…everything was full of interest and possibilities. That’s stage one of culture shock. The exciting stage. It can last from a few days to several months.

After a while you begin to adapt. The exciting things start to become normal. Some of the new things stop being exciting and start to become annoying. In my case I discovered after a few months’ trial and error that I really did not like Japanese food. I took for granted the superb train system and the wonderful level of service in shops. But I spent time searching out ways of not having to eat sushi, sashimi, seaweed, raw egg, and tasteless noodles. I really didn’t (and still don’t) like it. It irritated me that good ingredients were being wasted to produce such unpalatable (to me!) meals. I also grew irritated that my obvious “foreign-ness” made me stand out in crowds, and that the Japanese always used to stare at foreigners. In my case this discontented stage lasted more than six months.

Then comes a more balanced stage. Acceptance that some aspects of the new culture are great, some are not, but that a fulfilling and generally happy life is perfectly possible. You stop getting cross about the things you don’t like and cannot change, and you consciously relish the aspects of the new culture that work well for you. My guess would be that this stage of balanced acceptance of the new culture can go on for years.

Sadly there is one final kick of culture shock that you have to deal with. It’s called “re-entry shock”. When you go back home, either for a visit, or permanently, the differences between your home culture and the one to which you have adapted will shock you all over again. Things familiar from your childhood take on unfamiliar overtones. Some are great. The sound of your mother tongue, the sight of your family and friends. But there will certainly be things you used to take for granted that now seem absurd, poorly organised, or backward. In my case the Britain I returned to after three years in Japan seemed to be very badly organised, rather unsafe, and to suffer from very poor service in shops and transport. (This was the 1970s, by the way. Things have improved a lot since then!). But it was wonderful to be able to blend into the crowd with no one noticing me, and staring at me. And to be able to buy clothes that fit me! The sense of reverse culture shock, albeit in a greatly reduced form, has never really left me.

So that’s a very brief examination of culture shock. Now, how do you survive it? The good news is that you have already started the process. Just reading about a problem prepares you a bit for the experience of it. The more you read, especially about the specific place you are going to, the easier you will pass into the stage of balanced acceptance of the new culture. The magnitude of the shock you experience depends on where you come from, and where you are going. So it’s very helpful to talk to people who understand what those differences are, and who can pick out the key differences you need to prepare for.

If you live in Jakarta, and are preparing or hoping to live abroad to work or study, speak to the Aim team. They can help you minimise the shock of your relocation, and get into the stage of balanced acceptance really quickly. That’s where you want to be; it’s the stage during which you’ll be most relaxed, most productive, and least stressed. Good luck!

As long as you have access to the Internet, you can create a blog. If you’ve never blogged before, there’s really nothing to worry about – it couldn’t be simpler.

Just go to one of the big free blog providers, such as Google’s Blogger or WordPress, sign in or create a new account, then get posting.

Once your blog gets a few hits, you’ll be able to ask people for comments abot your English too. Just make sure the content is interesting and original, and you’re sure to get visitors.

If you’ve created a blog and would like to tell Aim about it, why not post the address on our Forum and our English teachers will take a look.

Enjoy!

In the first part of this series we looked at preparing your CV and covering letter to get you into an interview. In the second we briefly discussed the interview itself. So let’s assume that you’ve done well, and  that you are “in”!

Now what?

My observation is that there are two kinds of worthwhile jobs. First there are jobs that are expected to change you. Typically they are “entry-level”, or training jobs, and the company’s idea is that the experience you’ll get will develop your skills and prepare you for something better.

The second kind of job is generally at a higher level, and the idea is that you will change the job. You’ll be more effective, find better ways of doing things, come up with innovations.

Finally there are jobs that aren’t really worthwhile, unless all you want is quiet obscurity. You are hired to do an established job, and nothing more is expected of you. This is the kind of job that starts to look like a “saving” opportunity when the next recession comes along. I’d avoid  jobs like this unless you are desperate, with a family to support, and your highest priority is simply income.

Let’s assume you’ve secured a “worthwhile” job. What’s your optimum strategy to make sure you make the most of the opportunity?

In the “development” job- the one that’s supposed to change you and give you experience- the most important thing is to be seen to be getting the experience! Do the job well. Report up the management line regularly, and as soon as you feel you’ve mastered the job ask your supervisor if you can do more. Seek wider responsibilities. And above all don’t let yourself be forgotten. Eighteen months is generally ample time in a development job; you’ll have learned the majority of things the position has to offer, and you’ll be starting to repeat yourself.

So now you are in a higher level position. You are expected to demonstrate your ability to change things and make them better. Your first month in the job is critical. You’ll be learning about what the job is for, and meeting the people you will need to be working with. It’s your opportunity to ask questions and build up a critical analysis of what’s going on. Think about the fundamentals; why is the job there at all? Are there better ways of meeting the objectives of the job? Are the people with whom you’ll be interacting of the right quality? Try, during your first month, to imagine a management consultant’s report on your organisation. What would they say about productivity, cost savings, increasing efficiency? Build up a plan for change and discuss it up the line. Don’t promise too much. When you get agreement, then implement your plan. Don’t rest there- think about your next possible career move and try to make sure that you are seen as qualified and ready for it.

Finally, watch your language! If you have to use English, and you are not a native speaker,  you need to make continual efforts to improve your fluency. If you need to write reports in English, get them checked by native speakers.

If you are lucky enough to live in Jakarta, there’s a friendly group of expats at Aim who can help you with speaking, and with writing, and who can proof-check those really important reports and letters.

You’ve done it right so far. You have researched the opportunity, produced an excellent CV (or resumé), written a great covering letter, and it has all worked. They want you to come for an interview! Now read on.

The interview is your opportunity to do two equally important things. First, and most obviously, it’s your chance to move the company from an initial interest in you to a real desire to employ you. But secondly it is also your opportunity to assess whether you really want the job. It’s important to remember that the job may not be right for you. If you are out of work and desperate to resume your career it may be very difficult to make a dispassionate assessment, but you should try. Taking a job that isn’t right for you will eventually lead to failure, and you’ll be back where you started having wasted precious time and collected a hard-to-explain negative entry on your CV.

A job interview is a two-way selling process. You naturally want to sell yourself, but the company wants to sell itself. Please keep both these processes in mind throughout the preparations you make for the interview.

Your most important preparation should be a thorough re-examination of your research, and a careful assessment of what your strengths and weaknesses are as a possible holder of the job in question. You should be as realistic as you can, although there may very well be aspects of the job that don’t become clear before the interview, and your assessment will be incomplete.

Your strengths and weaknesses are very important, for two reasons. First, you will naturally want to bring your strengths out at interview, and it’s more likely that you will do so if you have thought about them in advance. But your weaknesses are also important. You use them to assess whether you really want the job. If the job turns out to lean heavily on your weaker areas rather than your strengths, you might find that you don’t enjoy it, and don’t do well at it.

At the interview itself it is unlikely that you will be asked directly about your strengths. The interviewer(s) will assume that you have pointed these out in your CV. However they may well ask you about your weaknesses. It is important that you answer this question honestly, fluently, and without completely ruining your chances of a job offer!

How to achieve these perhaps contradictory aims? Choose your weaknesses carefully! Don’t be negative about yourself. For example, if you don’t have experience of doing the job on offer, say something like;

“This job would be a step up for me. It’s a step I want to take, and I’m ready for it, but you need to be clear that I have not yet done precisely this job”.

Did you notice the key word “yet”?

With your display of honesty and confidence you are partway to converting a weakness (no experience of this job, at this level) into a strength (ambition, confidence, personal development potential).

Unfortunately all interviews are different, and the range of advice that could be given in an article like this is literally infinite. I’ll therefore make only one more observation. In the very specific circumstance that you are about to be interviewed in a language that is not your mother tongue, be aware of a whole range of additional pitfalls that await you.

Language is tricky, and there are very few people indeed who can be interviewed in a foreign language without making errors. You are going to make linguistic mistakes. Wrong words, poor structures, wrong register, cultural mistakes and more all lie in wait for the unwary interviewee. You must practice your interview with a native speaker, not once but several times, before you do it for real. The more important the potential job is for you, the more important is the practice.

If you are fortunate enough to live in Jakarta there is a friendly group of language professionals who can help you with the interview, and much more. Get in touch with AIM-  they can’t guarantee your success; in the end that’s up to you. But they can reduce the odds against you!

Have you got an exam coming up? Or are you planning to go off to university and you know there will be lots of exams over the next few years? Then read on.

You know what exams are for, of course. They are there to make sure the University only gives out qualifications to people who know their stuff. People who have been to the lectures, studied their subject, and deserve to get their degree. They’re also designed to split the students into groups, with higher or lower level degrees, depending on how well they perform.

So here’s the first piece of advice. It’s obvious, but to pass your exams you need to know your subject! You need to do the work, read the books, think about the theories, and study the data. You need to do this from Day One of your studies, because if you leave it to just before the exam, or perhaps to the couple of months before the exam, you won’t stand a chance. Trouble is, University is fun! New people, new place, new freedoms. It’s really too easy to let the work slip. So if you are serious about the exams, build work into your daily schedule before you allocate time to the fun things.

Next, think about revision. This is the process of revisiting stuff you already know, to make sure you are in a position to answer questions about it. You need to plan your revision, and start it early. In fact you should be revising in month two the things you learned in month one! That’s right; it takes several runs through new information for the average student to absorb most of it. By the time you get to your exams you should have read through your summary notes many times.

So, finally, you’ve done the work, attended the lectures, and revised your notes as you went along. Only the exam remains between you and the grade you want. You will have already found out the basics of exam technique.  You know you have to read the questions thoroughly, allocate your time between sections of the exam in proportion to the marks available, write legibly, and so on, and on..

But here’s something you may not have heard, and may not even believe.  You need to be fresh and eager if you want to do well. You won’t be fresh and eager if you revise the night before the exam. In fact you should stop revising and do something else, preferably something physical, for three days before your exam. Close your books, go for long walks, ride your bike. Any revision you do the night before your exam will result in you being tired and a bit confused when you start to write. And keep away from your fellow students, especially if they are indulging in last minute panic-stimulated revision.

If you’re not a native English-speaker, and you’re going off to an English-speaking university, you’ve got to do everything I’ve already mentioned, plus read and write in one of the world’s most subtle languages. Now, the AIM team can’t help you with the work, the revision, or the exams, of course, but they certainly can make sure that your command of English is a strength, and not another worry for you.

That’s why they say “Your future starts here”!

The IELTS test and IELTS preparation

Background

Universities realised long ago that the market for International students is huge and ever-growing. As globalisation gathers pace, many students look outside their own country’s borders for further education. Now, many universities (especially those in developed countries) rely heavily on enrollments from overseas students, and international marketing has become a major consideration. The language barrier is the most obvious problem associated with taking on overseas students, so the need for a standardised, international English test arose. There are several examination systems competing in this field, most notably the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test and the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) test. Generally, TOEFL is more widely accepted by North American universities, while IELTS is widely accepted by European, Asian and Australasian Universities (although the situation is changing). Here, the IELTS test and IELTS preparation courses will be discussed.

The Test

The IELTS test is in four sections; listening, reading, writing and speaking, and lasts for approximately 3 hours. Candidates receive their scores within two weeks, giving them a band score of between 1 (no language ability) to 9 (native-speaker level language ability). Generally speaking, most universities require a score of 6 or 7 to enter their programs, depending on the university and the degree or postgraduate program the student is applying for.

Students wishing to enroll at universities take the academic module of the IELTS test, while there is also a ‘General Training’ module of the test (with simplified reading and writing sections) which is often taken by candidates wishing to join an overseas high school, or for migration purposes.

IELTS preparation

A spin-off of the rise in popularity of the IELTS test has been the emergence of IELTS preparation courses. These courses teach the specific skills and strategies necessary for success in the IELTS test. Usually longer than a standard English course, a good IELTS preparation course (and a motivated student) should have the ability to increase a student’s score by one band.

Common misconceptions

The IELTS test is purely a test designed to indicate to universities that a student has the necessary level of English to have a chance of success in their degree programs. Reaching the required band score, however, does not necessarily mean that a student is equipped with the skills needed for university-level study. Similarly, IELTS preparation courses focus only on the test itself, and do not specifically teach all of the skills that an overseas student needs.

As an illustration, the IELTS writing test includes a 250-word essay, which must be written in 40 minutes. At universities, essays often require weeks of research and are often thousands of words in length. IELTS preparation courses generally show students how to write these short essays by introducing rigid ‘formulas’, formulas which are rarely applicable to the essays the students will write at universities. During IELTS preparation courses, students are rarely taught about citation, paraphrasing, thesis structure and other key skills for successful university-level writing. Similarly, in the IELTS listening tests, students listen and answer question. At universities, students need to be able to listen to lectures and write notes, which involves altogether different skills. Limitations in the reading and writing modules of the IELTS test are also evident.

Summary

While the value of the IELTS test and IELTS preparation courses are sometimes misinterpreted or overestimated, it is clear that an internationally recognised, standardised test of English is a necessity. While there are limitations, IELTS opens the doors to international study opportunities to students from all over the world. Students with the required score, however, should not be complacent. Often training in advanced Academic English (often known as EAP – English for Academic Purposes) is of great benefit for international students, and could be taken in conjunction with IELTS preparation. Aim for English in Jakarta, Indonesia is a pioneering new school with IELTS preparation courses which include EAP. Students are not only prepared for a 3-hour test, they are prepared for 4 years of life at an overseas further education institution.

Business English Training: keys to success

published online by Aim, June 2008

We all know why modern business in the non English-speaking world needs the international language. The corporate English training market in many countries is growing at a blistering rate, fueled by the rise of globalization and a realization among managers that a good level of competency in their staff’s English is a necessity for their business to compete.

Of course where a market appears, so do the companies set up to capitalise. Deciding on a language training provider can be daunting, and the unregulated nature of the training industry in most countries results in a huge variation in the quality of training. Variation in quality means huge variation in the return on investment for the companies. So, what is it that makes some training effective, while other programmes are a waste of time? How can companies minimize the risk of spending on  wasteful, ineffective language training?

The first piece of advice is to make informed decisions on language training providers based on information from reliable sources. Websites, brochures, marketing emails and fliers can hold a great deal of information, but the most reliable source is a person who has attended or been involved in training in the past. One must be careful though, as the ‘famous’ providers – those with strong brand recognition – may be well-known as a result of an over-emphasis on marketing, and not necessarily on quality. ‘Big’ is not always ‘better’ when it comes to training providers; larger establishments usually struggle to find enough good teachers, and compromises are made. Moreover, while smaller schools tend to be run or heavily influenced by the most important people, the teachers, larger training centres inevitably move towards a greater focus on the bottom line. This is not to say that one should shy away from providers with strong marketing; we’re looking for providers who like to show off their benefits, after all. Be wary of those who aren’t willing to talk about their benefits.

Let’s stop talking about marketing. We are discussing education, and in reality the quality of education comes down to two things; the quality of the teachers and the quality of the courses. Quality of customer service, organisation and coordination by the provider also play a part in your satisfaction, but in terms of return on investment it’s the teachers and the courses that are going to deliver.

Ask about the teachers. Many companies put blind faith in the training provider that they will provide the right people for the job, inevitably causing disappointment when the wonderful teacher promised in the sales pitch to turns out to be useless. Ask to see their resume, and ask to meet them. A good training provider will be proud of their teachers and willing to show them off on demand. When you see the resume, bear in mind that experience isn’t everything. While you don’t want a brand new teacher with little experience, many teachers with decades of experience can seem ‘burned out’, as if they have lost the passion for their profession. Look out for teacher training qualifications, and look for their own educational background and work experience. How can someone who never went to university or never worked in a business environment be expected to teach your staff about contemporary business communication? Personality is important, so choose teachers you actually like, choose teachers who your staff will look forward to spending time with, and choose teachers who have passion for their job written all over their face.

Ask about the courses. More to the point, demand courses which are designed to fit your exact needs. Many training providers use generic ‘business English’ courses which are, on the whole, euro-centric, non-specific, and rapidly out of date. The English your sales team needs is very different from the type of language required by your management team, or customer service team. Demand courses designed for your industry; if you’re involved in shipping, make sure that topics are related to shipping, or you could find your staff learning language they will never be able to use. Decide what aspects of your staff’s English to focus on; are they regularly emailing, meeting clients, giving presentations, writing reports or proposals, or using the telephone? Demand that your staff learn the right skills and language. But also gauge the provider’s ability to provide enjoyable programs. Endless photocopied handouts are plain boring. Are the providers going to use communicative, interactive activities? Are the providers going to use modern business technology to teach modern business techniques? What are they going to do to motivate your staff? These are questions to bear in mind when perusing websites and meeting the sales people from the schools. A final tip for effective language training: training is more effective if classes are small, and trainees are divided based on their level of English and specific job responsibilities. Ask the provider how they will assess your staff, and how they plan to organize the trainees into groups. Steer clear of anyone willing to mix abilities and compromise quality by filling classes with dozens of trainees who each have their own learning objectives.

Make sure you clearly define your objectives, and choose the provider who shows you, just as clearly, how they are going to meet your objectives through enjoyable, professional, communicative training delivered by happy, qualified, devoted teachers.

In Jakarta, Indonesia, one professional training provider is leading the way in language programmes for businesses. Take a look around this webiste to see how it’s done.

Aim specialises in private classes, which is a one-on-one class or a class consisting of only you and your friends or your colleagues.

But why should you choose a private class, and for whom is a private English course most suitable? Well, for some people public classes can be a better option. But others prefer to be in a larger group, and learn better in a communicative, interactive group class.
However, group classes also have limitations. You must follow the fixed schedule, and you cannot focus on the precise language you use in your job or your study programme, and you cannot focus your individual strengths and weaknesses. The amount of attention you receive and the opportunities for you to participate and talk are also limited in public classes.
At Aim, the key to the success of our private classes is flexibility. You choose the days, you choose the times, you choose the teachers, and you choose what you learn.
We will create courses especially for you, focussing on your objectives, your strengths and weaknesses and your individual learning style. For many, the level of attention in a 1-on-1 class (and the amount of time you can spend talking) means that you’ll improve more quickly. Plus, if there’s something you’re working on at the office or at university, bring it to class and we can discus it together.

Universities realised long ago that the market for International students is huge and ever-growing. As globalisation gathers pace, many students look outside their own country’s borders for further education. Now, many universities (especially those in developed countries) rely heavily on enrollments from overseas students, and international marketing has become a major consideration.