Captivating Communication

How the Corona Crisis has infected our language

24th April 2020 3 Comments

“Words, words, words.”

– Shakespeare (Hamlet Act 2, Scene 2)

Last week I offered you 5 recipes for mocktails that are easy to make at home. I could have called each of those a “Quarantini” (a cocktail made while stuck at home) as well. Quarantini is one of many new words that have “infected” our daily language since the Corona Crisis is in full swing.

As a language teacher I am fascinated by this phenomenon. How are these new words created and what kind of new vocabulary is there? As we are talking about a pandemic I will not only look at the ways the English vocabulary has been infected, but also treat some Dutch (my native language) and German (my daily language in Switzerland) words. No worries: the blogpost is in English, so you can follow it all!

Read on to enjoy this bit of homeschooling!

Captivating Communication, Lieske's Looks, Life Lessons, Teacher's Travels

Why positive anchoring is good for you and why I am a fan of Vans.

21st June 2019 6 Comments

Shoes: Vans, Trousers: Jacqueline Young, Top: H&M, Jacket: Tally Weijl (this season)

“Love anchors the soul”

I’m a huge fan of Vans. Not because they are very comfortable and go well with many of my outfits, but because I always wear them when I am on holidays. You can imagine that I’m already in a good mood by just putting them on. They function like an anchor for me (and this is not a sailing term!).

Anchoring is something we all use in our lives, simply because there is too much information for our brain to process. In order to deal with that huge amount of information we delete, distort and generalise information, such that it suits us and our vision on the world.

Anchoring falls into that last category, generalisation. It means that when you see, hear, feel, smell or taste something that you have previously linked to certain actions or feelings, you react on that specific signal instantly. Take stopping for a red traffic light for instance. You see a red light and you instantly stop. Imagine you would think every time you drive your car: “Hey, that traffic light is red, what shall I do?” There is a direct link between seeing the light and your action. In the case of my Vans, I feel happy the moment I put them on, since I have worn them on so many happy occasions. There is a direct link between putting on my Vans and my good mood.

You can make use of this function of the brain in your communication. Teachers often do so and also for non-teachers it is very useful. Read on to find out why and how.

Captivating Communication, Lieske's Looks, Life Lessons, Teacher's Travels

Blogpost 100! Missed some of these 100? Here is an inspiring top 5 for you!

31st May 2019 2 Comments

Skirt: Esprit, Top: Tally Weijl, Bag: H&M, Sunnies: Vögele (all previous seasons)

“Time and reflection change the sight little by little ’till we come to understand.”

– Paul Cezanne

Time flies as we all know. My statistics have shown me that today’s blogpost is number 100! Hard to believe that I have written 100 blogposts in 2 years. It was a good reason to look through some old ones and I love seeing how my blog has developed during this period and also how creative yet consistent I have been.

Captivating Communication, Lieske's Looks

A picture is worth a thousand words

8th February 2019 3 Comments

“Enjoy the butterflies of winter. Each as unique and amazing as you!”

-unknown

Since pictures sometimes speak louder than words, a blogpost with lots of photos and few words.

Wel…that was the plan. Honestly! Truth is that I just like writing too much to go for photos only. I will still show you a lot of snowy photos this week and use the opportunity to tell you why pictures often speak louder than words and how you can use that knowledge.

Captivating Communication, Lieske's Looks, Life Lessons

A try-out using accessories and using the word “try”

1st February 2019 2 Comments

Jumper: Street One, Trousers: Tally Weijl, Boots: Unisa, Accessories: unknown (al items are pretty old…)

“Saying I’ll try really means I am not really committed.”

– Robin S. Sharma

In this blogpost I show you how I tried out 3 different accessories with the same jumper. Mind you: try out. That is something else than “try”. “Try out” means experimenting and drawing conclusions from it, whereas “try” means….yeah, what message does the word “try” actually bring across? Read on to find out…

Captivating Communication, Life Lessons

Fresh & Foul, Stone & Sand, Music & Maths: 3 inspirational stories for you!

12th October 2018 4 Comments

After reading my own blogpost about the awesome autumn cakes I couldn’t resist baking one (again). Having lots of apples at home, I chose to bake the apple fudge cake. You only need two apples for the recipe, so I picked 2 good looking apples and started cutting them into pieces for my cake. The first one was absolutely fine, juicy and fresh. The second one however, one that was just as good looking as the first one, was bruised and mushy inside. That reminded me of a powerful metaphor. Since it has been a while that I have posted a story on my blog, I decided to do so this week. And because it has been so long, I have selected not 1, but 3 inspirational stories for you. Enjoy them!

Captivating Communication, Lieske's Looks

7 tips for comfortable and classy outfits with the right shoes

7th September 2018 10 Comments

Avoid “Shoepidity” and choose your shoes for more than just looking great!

Are you familiar with the term “Shoepidity”? It is something that I avoid as a teacher. “Shoepidity” is the act of wearing ridiculously uncomfortable shoes just because they look good.

As a teacher comfort is your number 1 rule for your outfits and certainly for your shoes. That said, it doesn’t have to stop there. You can easily add some classy elements to your outfits, so you are still comfortable while looking stylish too! I am sure this is something that appeals to every woman.

This blogpost is all about comfortable shoes (so welcome in the classroom, the shop, the hospital, for running errants, for exploring cities…) and how to make them work for your outfits!

Captivating Communication, Life Lessons

What’s in a name? 5 tips to learn and remember names!

24th August 2018 6 Comments

The name Macbeth is associated with blood and drama!

What’s in a name?

I am sure you are familiar with the above quote. It’s from the famous Shakespeare Play “Romeo & Juliet”. To give you an answer to that question: there is a lot in someone’s name! Actually, you can say that our name is the most important word in our vocabulary. Just think about what you feel when your name is misspelled, mispronounced or even worst: forgotten! Because a name means so much to each of us, it is a good thing to remember and use other people’s names. That is true for teachers with regard to pupils’ names, but it is equally true for almost every profession and for almost everyday encounters with others. I will tell you why exactly and, because knowing and using names is so important, I will also provide five tips so you can better learn and remember names.

Captivating Communication, Life Lessons

What do you see?

15th June 2018 5 Comments

Dress: H&M, Shoes: Vans, Sunglasses: Cerjo (all previous seasons). More photos here

If you follow me on instagram you are most probably interested in what you see on the photos. Yet……..what exactly do you see? Look at the above photo. Do you see a 40+ woman? A small woman? An English teacher? A woman who likes travelling?

The funny thing is that I post one photo and then there are so many different views, feelings, thoughts and so on people can have when looking at it. When you realise that there are always different perspectives, you will enable yourself to see situations from different angles and that has got some advantages. Let me explain in more detail!

Captivating Communication, Life Lessons

A perfect match

25th May 2018 No Comments

Colour-wise my jumper is matching with this typical Dutch windmill. The two of us are in perfect harmony. This principle of matching in order to create a feeling of harmony can be used in communication as well. It is a great tool in many interactions, both inside and outside the classroom.