Secrets of Kitty Body Language
Secrets of Kitty Body Language
Kittens communicate in a very distinct way. Did you know that every twitch, every purr, every motion actually means something... at least to your kitten!The key to building a devoted and caring relationship between you and your kitten is understanding how kittens communicateLets discuss the primary mechanisms a kitten uses to communicate.EyesThe eyes truly are the windows to the soul... even when you consider the souls of kittens. Kittens use their eyes to tell you what they want.For example, if a kitten gazes at something for a few minutes, but then turns away, it is usually an indication that he recognizes the object or person, but chooses not to communicate with them for the time being.If however, a kitten stares at something and holds its gaze for some time (and also twitches his tail and perhaps raises its fur) that is a clear indication that he feels threatened.At times the kitten will also make an aggressive meow to indicate they are ready for combat if necessary.TailReading a kittens tail movements is not only fun its useful. A cats tail tells a lot of things about whats on their minds. One of the uses a kitten has for its tail is to demonstrate self confidence and pride.Kittens may walk with their tails sticking straight up in the air, indicating they are having a very proud and boastful moment.If on the other hand a kittens tail suddenly puffs out and looks bushy, and starts shaking it is usually a sign that something has frightened the kitten. When given this sign, though your urge may be to pick up your kitten, avoid doing so immediately. You might startle the kitten and end up with a harsh scratch.Small twitches of a kittens tail can also indicate that your kitten is irritated at something. This can be for a variety of reasons, including a dirty litter box or lack of food. Be sure to check out your kittys supplies to make sure there isnt some small problem you can remedy quickly.PurringPurring is usually the universal body language sign kittens give off. For the most part kittens purr when they are happy, content and satisfied.Thus, the more your kitty purrs the happier he is. Kittens love to purr when you hold them, stroke them and even brush their fur.Learning to understand your kittens signals can help you build a long lasting and happy relationship together. If you take the time to pay attention to your kitten, youll start picking up on his unique signals quickly and swiftly.If youre still worried, here are a few pointers that will ensure you bond with your kitten right off the bat:* Trampling Paws - sign of affection or need for attention.* Dilated Pupils - indicates fear or threat. Stay back initially and try to determine cause of fear.* Arched Back - Kitten is attacking, feels threatened.* Ears folded forward - Kitten is exploring. Slow Tail Flapping Indicates Satisfaction and Joy.About The AuthorNeelia Evelyn is the author of the best-selling ebook *Kitty Secrets*. In her book, she reveals astonishing secrets guaranteed to thrill and make you cat feel like a million dollars! See: http://www.kittysecrets.com
Executive Public Speaking for English as a Second Language (ESL) – Public-Speaking
Executive Public Speaking for English as a Second Language (ESL)
Public Speaking is a challenging skill. It is TOUGH! For some of you, it's probably the hardest thing you will ever do; and I can sympathize. Standing in front of the employees and coworkers that you want, (or need) to impress, all the while hoping that you remain clear, memorable, persuasive, entertaining and fun isn't a piece of cake. It is TOUGH, TOUGH, TOUGH!!Public speaking is a difficult thing on its own; however, imagine being in a leadership role and speaking in a language which is not your first language. These people have a second layer of challenges about which to worry. When someone is speaking English as a second language, they are also worried about their accent, pronunciation, intonation, grammatical errors and whether or not they are being perceived as a knowledgeable person despite their choice of words.The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in the United-States, 1 out of 5 people speak a language other than English. Many of these people are hired in at mid-level management. By 2030, demographers predict that English as a second language learners will account for approximately 40% of the students in the United-States. In some areas, that projection has already been exceeded. For instance, in California, 60%-70% of schoolchildren speak a language other than English as their primary language. It is therefore clear that many people are faced with this situation since a good majority of North Americans speak English as a second language.Accent is one of the major concerns for ESL speakers, especially for someone in a management role. Many accent reduction techniques and courses are out there, but my advice is to embrace your accent rather than to run away from it. Be true to yourself: if you have an accent, don't try to cover it up or camouflage it. An accent is a great way for you to differentiate yourself. You want people to remember you for who you are. About a year ago, I was training a gentleman from India. When he spoke in a social and conversational way his accent was easily detectable. The strange thing was, when he presented in front of a group he would put on a Deep-Southern accent. He sounded like a cross between Gandhi and Uncle Jesse from the "Dukes of Hazzard". When questioned about this, he said he thought he would be more respected and understood if he sounded like an American. Well, his approach totally backfired because the audience was more interested in his fake accent than in his words. In today's world, everyone has an accent; we all come from different parts of the globe and we all have different ways of saying things. Accents can even be an asset since some audiences find them charming and aesthetically pleasant to the ear. You will be your best when you let yourself completely be who you are. You will sound natural and it will be a pleasure to listen to you.Another concern that might arise is the apprehension resulting from the proper choice of words, or grammatical errors and syntax. Many times, people feel that since they are in a leadership role, that they have to use complex and technical words to be taken seriously. Finding the right words to express yourself in a language in which you are less comfortable can be a challenge. Regarding this, my advice is two-fold:Firstly, don't try to chew off more than you can swallow - use a vocabulary that makes you comfortable and that you understand. An audience will be much more impressed with a presenter that uses logic than with a presenter that uses a lofty, pretentious vocabulary.Secondly, use gestures, facial expression, and a "conversational" way of speaking. This will result in a warmer and more comfortable presentation. In addition, the audience will feel like they are communicating with a friend and that will make your talk much more effective. Your choice of words will consequently become less important.
Finally, an audience will be far more tolerant and responsive to a confident, happy speaker, therefore embrace your culture and don't be afraid to let your audience see where you're coming from!Martin Perras, martin@leadersinstitute.ca, is a Management Consultant and President of The Leader's Institute Canada, http://www.leadersinstitute.ca.He offers management training and consulting to companies in the US and Canada. He can be reached at 1-800-872-7830 x103.
Learn Korean: Part 1 – Asian Languages and Language Families
Learn Korean: Part 1 - Asian Languages and Language Families
So, you have always been fascinated by Asian culture have you? Maybe you are someone who loves the martial arts; kung fu, tae-kwon-do, or karate. Perhaps you are interested in the cool oriental stores and like to buy many things from them to decorate your house. Maybe you like the peaceful society you see depicted in some Asian films. Or maybe you are just incredibly in love with the Asian languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.Whatever your interest is in Asia and its society, it could never hurt to know a little bit about the culture. In fact, learning about something more than is shown in action movies and your Korean dramas can be quite beneficial.My experience is with Korean culture and Korean language, but the culture is similar in most Asian countries. Language Families One of the main things you may have noticed is how incredibly different the Asian languages are from English. You come across languages such as Italian, Spanish, and French, and you can at least find some similarities in those languages and English. Yet there seem to be none between English and Asian languages! The fact is they just come from different language families. Most European languages will fall in the same language family as English. Many of these are in the Indo-European language families. Words will be similar between all of the languages that come from the same family.Asian languages such as Japanese and Korean are in the same language family, the Altaic family. You will find many similarites in these two languages. Mandarin Chinese comes from the Sino-Tibetan family.Altaic Family The Altaic family is named after the Alti Mountains. They are located in Central Asia. The Altaic Family consists of Turkish, Mongolian, Korean, and Japanese. Out of these, Turkish is the most western of the languages, while Korean and Japanese are more eastern.Sino-Tibetan Family The Sino-Tibetan Family consists of Mandarin Chinese. Languages in this language family are made up of one syllable words, but there are MANY. There is no simple alphabet to form these words, which causes the vast number of Chinese characters, making it one of the hardest languages to learn. You also must learn to speak, read, and write all separately. There is no reading a word and being able to speak it, nor can you hear one and guess on how it is spelled. Writing is still completely on it's own even if you can read, because you have to use proper stroke orders! Very time consuming to learn.There are also several tones in these languages. A change in pitch while saying a word could change the meaning of the word completely. It makes the language sound very pretty when spoken, but is incredibly difficult to learn! Sentence Structure As with many Asian languages, a common fact you will notice is many of the languages follow an SOV sentence structure. That is, Subject, Object, Verb. English tends to place the verb after the subject of the sentence. Asian languages place the verb at the very end of the sentence. The most important part of the sentence is saved for last 
Don't we all save the best for last?Although much of the culture evolves around the language, there is plenty more to culture. Korean culture is amazing in every way. Look forward to future articles covering Korean culture!http://www.learnkoreanlanguage.com is a site based on teaching the Korean language. It also provides details on Korean culture, Korean foods, Korean recipes, Korean music, everything Korean!