“I wouldn’t call it public speaking because I’m having a conversation.”

As we’re in an eventful end-of-year period, there are ample opportunities to leverage conversations in public and private to make and advance connections at events and functions with work also in full swing. It is in this spirit that I bring Charles, a multidisciplinary English public and panel moderator to guide us on leading conversations in native language in the interests of connecting. 

Born and raised in Guangdong, China, Charles moved to New Zealand at an early age and later pursued a Bachelor’s degree in economics and data science at the University of Sydney in Australia. During his time in Sydney, Charles delved into the media and creative industry and launched his first photography business, while actively engaging in social work and charitable events for local communities, as well as innovative initiatives in the Australia-China space. Post-graduation, Charles spent a year as a product manager in China, working with internet technology conglomerates across Beijing and Shenzhen, while undergoing part-time training in psychological counselling. Now back in Australia, Charles is on a fresh journey to explore adolescent education and teaching. His personal interest lies in developmental psychology, specifically speech and language development and anxiety management, reflecting his commitment to understanding and enhancing the well-being of young minds.

Bringing his cross-disciplinary talent , Charles currently serves on the VIctorian committee of the Australia-China Young Professionals Initiative, the premier platform connecting young professionals and entrepreneurs  in the Australia-China space. There, he has moderated a diverse array of English panels across numerous industries  to engage with the Australia-China relationship.

In this backdrop, Charles generously brings his well-researched and implemented methods and practices to guide us on conversational skills in a foreign language that can be adapted in a vast range of settings, as we hope will serve as enlightening and enabling education resources for non-native English speakers like us.  (Follow Charles on LinkedIn)

We will discover:

- Conversational skills for public and impromptu speaking

- Performance strategies and mental techniques in a foreign language

- The essence of leading fruitful conversations

- How can non-native speakers leverage their advantages in constructive debates

And so much more. Keep listening

"You cannot really learn to be curious from just improving the grammar or just improving  how to structure a sentence..." ------Taylor Tran

As someone still challenged by English listening at times but has leveraged effective listening to convert opportunities in a multicultural society in <3 years, Taylor Tran has reset the benchmark for non-native speakers and brought her insights on No Language Barriers: 

Taylor Tran is a passionate catalyst for change within the realms of volunteerism, community empowerment and justice. As a migrant from Vietnam in 2019, Taylor’s journey embodies her unwavering dedication to learning and service, particularly within culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.

Taylor’s commitment to community empowerment shines through her work with the Melbourne AMEP Volunteer Tutor Scheme. There, she devotes her time and energy to empowering volunteer tutors who assist migrant and refugee learners in their settlement journey in Australia. As an active member of the Newly Arrived Migrant Advisory Group for Volunteering Victoria, Taylor channels her insights and passion into dismantling common myths and barriers, fostering a more welcoming and inclusive space for newly arrived community members.

Taylor is a co-author of the inspiring book “Undefeated” and a co-host of the “Undefeated” Podcast, featuring resilience stories from migrant women. Through this project with Professional Migrant Women, she amplifies the voices and experiences of migrant women, encouraging them to embrace their identity and thrive.

Taylor’s commitment to effecting positive change is exemplified through her pursuit of a Diploma of Justice and her volunteer roles with Fitzroy Legal Service and Refugee Legal. In these positions, she actively engages in understanding and addressing the critical challenges, ensuring that justice remains accessible to those in need. 

(Follow Taylor on LinkedIn)

In this episode, we will discover:

- Redefining connections in a foreign land

- Common listening pitfalls in another language

- Means to drive community impacts from listening

- Hurdles to public speaking without high fluency in a non-native language

And so much more!

If you’ve been inspired by you’ve listen to, please share it with someone you know who wants to build more meaningful connections and convert opportunities in foreign language. If this is also what YOU to achieve for yourself, please send me a message on ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠, I’m @daisywu.multilingualconnector until the next episodes there is reveal secrets to having no language barriers. Get a copy of my award-winning book:⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.multilingualconnectors.com/book-collection-1⁠

Frustrated as you couldn’t catch what the other was saying or still miscommunicate even if you think you heard each word well sometimes?  Did you know even if you only speak English, you still need ‘multilingual listening skills’ to connect effectively in a culturally diverse environment? 

If you want to connect effectively in a multicultural environment, you don’t necessarily need to know multiple languages but must work on the mind set and skill set for effectively listening which are not 100% dependent on language proficiency. 

Do you understand what multilingual listening skill means and how you can enhance it? Listen to the new episode for more insights and strategies.

“It’s not always about making a perfect sentence in any language that you’re learning, but having the courage to participate and learn from the mistakes that you make so that you can improve.” — Sunny Huang

Even though both languages and human beings can be hard to learn for some people, there are Multilingual Connectors who are resourceful and nimble to find the express to go fast and far on their journey, as Sunny Huang well embodies. 

Sunny is one of the frontline education practitioners in Melbourne, Australia. She aspires to empower future leaders and is currently supporting a team of passionate educators to improve their pedagogical skills through the art of language teaching. Sunny has worked in both public and private education sectors in Australia and she is keen to explore different school systems across the globe. 

Sunny came to Australia from China at the age of 17 and stepped into the field of education as a Master of Secondary Teaching graduate in 2019. She volunteered in a few countries and had fundraised a local youth library in rural Indonesia. Sunny’s recent settlement in Australia enabled her to explore the meaning of life, making her reflect on the desires and needs of mankind, as well as the ways to connect with others without being a perfect English speaker. 

(Follow Sunny on ⁠LinkedIn)⁠

As someone who shares well-aligned vision and outlook, I felt privileged  create this episode with Sunny and as a cross-section of our shared journey from understand languages to understanding people:

- The case for diving into another language

- The productive narratives for language acquisition and exploration of the self

- Making aligned decisions following one’s passion and curiosity, instead of merely the language skills

- Focusing on similarities to break barriers and connect

- Embracing differences to enrich the life of self and other

And so much more!

If you’ve been inspired by you’ve listen to, please share it with someone you know who wants to build more meaningful connections and convert opportunities in foreign language. If this is also what YOU to achieve for yourself, please send me a message on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠, I’m @daisywu.multilingualconnector until the next episodes there is reveal secrets to having no language barriers. Get a copy of my award-winning book:⁠⁠⁠https://www.multilingualconnectors.com/book-collection-1⁠

How can language still be a barrier in communicating and connecting even when you believe you’re already skilled in certain languages? In this episode, I share 3 secrets why you can struggle interpersonally in a language even if you’ve mastered it almost like native speaker.

If you’ve been inspired by you’ve listen to, please share it with someone you know who wants to build more meaningful connections and convert opportunities in foreign language. If this is also what YOU to achieve for yourself, please send me a message on ⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠and ⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠, I’m @daisywu.multilingualconnector until the next episodes there is reveal secrets to having no language barriers. Get a copy of my award-winning book:⁠⁠https://www.multilingualconnectors.com/book-collection-1

“Every connection that you make starts with who you really are.”  —-- Laura Madrid

Laura is the Founder of the Environmental Professional Community Australia, a non-for-profit organisation where environmental professionals and enthusiasts can find mutual support through Networking, Events, Professional Debates among other activities thus forming trust, inspiration and knowledge in an environmental community. She is also co-author of the book Undefeated where share her journey as a professional migrant woman based in Melbourne.  

A community leader and entrepreneur, Laura is committed to nurturing personal growth and empowering individuals to shine in their own unique ways. Her hands-on approach to life has allowed her to be fortunate enough to help others discover their strengths and step into leadership roles in various aspects of their journey. As a dynamic Program Management Office Analyst and ESG Consultant, Laura is driven by a profound purpose: to enrich every conversation. With a diverse background spanning various industries, she played a pivotal role in one of the major road and rail projects currently underway across Victoria. Her contributions to the Digital, Data, and IT team involve establishing project delivery governance, procedures, and tools for a complex multi-year portfolio. Whether overseeing operations, governance, or offering sustainability guidance, Laura's commitment to teamwork, leadership, and positive change drives exceptional outcomes.

(Follow Laura on ⁠LinkedIn)

Laura firmly believes mastering connections must begin with mastering ourselves, for her to share the open quote which set the tone for this heartening and inspiring interview, where we  will further explore this philosophy and discover:

- How curiosity propels one to integrate in a foreign language and environment

- The critical role of self-knowledge and self-discovery in building connections 

- How to design and construct a diverse network to support our growth and development

- Why showing more of who we are lets us grow more authentic and meaningful connections

And so much more.

If you’ve been inspired by you’ve listen to, please share it with someone you know who wants to build more meaningful connections and convert opportunities in foreign language. If this is also what YOU to achieve for yourself, please send me a message on ⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠and ⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠, I’m @daisywu.multilingualconnector until the next episodes there is reveal secrets to having no language barriers. Get a copy of my award-winning book:⁠⁠https://www.multilingualconnectors.com/book-collection-1⁠

Did you know that you already know the person who can best support you to build the connections that serve you right? Wondering who that person is and how he/she may enable you? 

Listen to the latest on No Language Barriers to know how you can advance the relationship with this person to build better connections in a foreign environment

If you’ve been inspired by you’ve listen to, please share it with someone you know who wants to build more meaningful connections and convert opportunities in foreign language. If this is also what YOU to achieve for yourself, please send me a message on ⁠LinkedIn ⁠and ⁠instagram⁠, I’m @daisywu.multilingualconnector until the next episodes there is reveal secrets to having no language barriers. Get a copy of my award-winning book:⁠https://www.multilingualconnectors.com/book-collection-1

“You cannot see someone who has value and call them a victim.”  — Angel Iyke-Osuji

Yes, you know you need to give and take when building your network, and you should strive to add value to others before they even do to you. But what if others cannot see your value due to bias and perceptions?  And what if you struggle to see yourself as a valuable one to connect with in the first instance, because you are not ‘like’ any of these people, even if you speak their native language as well as them? 

Want more insight on the above? Listen to my interview with Angel Iyke-Osuji on the No Language Barriers podcast to learn how to leverage individual differences as a source of connection and belonging.

Angel is the founder of The Corporate Girlies. Coming from Nigeria to Australia in 2019,, Angel was navigating graduate school as an immigrant in a new continent looking to break into the construction industry. Today, she’s laying the foundation for a successful career and empowering others to do the same. Angel has spoken on panels and hosted successful workshops, offering valuable insights to young professionals looking to excel in a new environment.

(Follow Angel on ⁠LinkedIn )

In this episode, you will discover:

- The challenges of connecting using one’s native language in a foreign context

- Bridging the confidence gap within other people you wish to connect with

- Overcoming victim mentality and imposter syndrome in networking 

- How to lead conversations as a valuable connection without excessive self-promotion

- Leveraging individuality to create value

And so much more!

If you’ve been inspired by you’ve listen to, please share it with someone you know who wants to build more meaningful connections and convert opportunities in foreign language. If this is also what YOU to achieve for yourself, please send me a message on ⁠LinkedIn ⁠and ⁠instagram⁠, I’m @daisywu.multilingualconnector until the next episodes there is reveal secrets to having no language barriers. Get a copy of my award-winning book:⁠https://www.multilingualconnectors.com/book-collection-1

Have you felt that you’re getting better in a language but still don’t feel you are getting much better in connecting with people? If so, have you thought about the following:

Want more insights on the above to navigate these challenges? Listen to this episode!

If you’ve been inspired by you’ve listen to, please share it with someone you know who wants to build more meaningful connections and convert opportunities in foreign language. If this is also what YOU to achieve for yourself, please send me a message on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠, I’m @daisywu.multilingualconnector until the next episodes there is reveal secrets to having no language barriers

Get a copy of my books:⁠⁠https://www.multilingualconnectors.com/book-collection-1

“We don’t need to limit our mindset to who we surround ourselves with. The most important thing is our goal and how you utilise your resources to fulfil your dream.”  — Jen Liu

If the word ‘connecting’ immediately makes you think of getting a job or deal, and you also don’t think you are good at any of these, did you ever realise that good connections can let you discover better versions of yourself from OUTSIDE?

Wondering how? Listen to my interview with Jen liu on the No Language Barriers podcast for more insights. 

Jen is the founder and president of Australia Career Forum, the largest online community for Mandarin speaking professionals in Australia. She is also the program manager at VMware, managing the early career and onboarding program across the Asia Pacific region. Jen first came to Australia as an international student when she was in year 11, she then studied a Bachelor of Computer Science and Technology at the University of Sydney. Upon graduation, she started a full time role in IT, followed by obtaining immigration and citizenship in Australia. Jen is a community builder by heart and strives at empowering people to have thriving careers.

In this episode, you will discover:

And so much more!

Follow Jen on LinkedIn

If you’ve been inspired by you’ve listen to, please share it with someone you know who wants to build more meaningful connections and convert opportunities in foreign language. If this is also what YOU to achieve for yourself, please send me a message on ⁠LinkedIn ⁠and ⁠instagram⁠, I’m @daisywu.multilingualconnector until the next episodes there is reveal secrets to having no language barriers. Get a copy of my books:⁠https://www.multilingualconnectors.com/book-collection-1