If you're getting ready for the CELPIP exam, you need to be working on Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing skills. In other words, you must focus on each skill without leaving one out!

Today, I want to help you focus on unleashing the power of description to help you improve your writing (and speaking) scores on the CELPIP exam.

I Share Two Stories:

1. The Story of the JuJubes that Tasted Like...Poo!

2. The moisturizing hand soap that made my wife's hands bleed.

1. Don’t just state what’s wrong. Add adjectives and other sensory details.
2. Don’t just say the situation you’re experiencing is disappointing, let the reader know what you were expecting, and then what you got instead. 
3. If you’re describing an image, like you’ll need to do on the CELPIP exam, don’t just say you see a woman walking with her dog in the park. Give the listener details!

Details help your writing and speaking become more interesting to the reader/listener. 

Details help you express your ideas in more influential ways. 

Details will help you get a higher score on the CELPIP exam - so make sure you’re using them. 

For every topic sentence - the sentence that conveys the most important idea of the paragraph, you should have two or three sentences that include details that back up or reinforce the topic sentence. 

Listen through the two stories again. Can you pick out some of the detail words I shared with you? 

How did it help you understand our problem or what was wrong with the products? (Did it help or make it more difficult?) 

Make sure you always use the power of details to strengthen your writing and speaking - both in real life and when you write the CELPIP exam. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Join the CELPIP Success Lab

Where Motivated English Learners Come to Conquer the CELPIP Exam- Together.

You will learn that failure can be a good learning experience that will help you develop your English skills if you learn how to respond to that failure correctly. 

You will learn 3 things you can do to deal with and reframe failure to position you for success.

If left alone, failure leads you places. Can you think of a few places where, if you allow it to, failure will take you? 

• To quit
• To not take risks anymore. To protect yourself, you stop using English so you don't face embarrassment again.

In short: it stops or severely limits your progress in English. 

How You Should Reframe Failure

Reframe, according to the Oxford dictionary, means:

to change the way something is expressed or considered:

(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/reframe)

Instead of allowing failure to drive you to give up on your English, or instead of allowing failure to keep you cautious, let's think about some different ways to look at it....in other words, let's reframe failure to make it work for us.- here are 3 ways you can do that:

Three Strategies to Help You Deal with and Reframe Failure  Open Journal of Social Sciences by Ruihong Huang. The article points out some important strategies to help you move past failure:

But don't live in it. According to an Edutopia article I read by Rusul Alrubail, you should fully express how frustrated, embarrassed, upset you feel, but give yourself a time limit as to how long you're allowed to sit there with it. When that time is up, move on. Move on by picking another activity to do, even if it's not in English, to get your mind off of what happened. As you do, you'll noticed that your negative emotions will begin to quiet down.

According to an Edutopia article I read by Rusul Alrubail, take time to consider what you can learn from what happened and what went wrong. What went right? What can you do to have a better outcome next time? Take some time to think about it, and also take some time to process what happened. 

But don't live in it. According to an Edutopia article I read by Rusul Alrubail, you should fully express how frustrated, embarrassed, upset you feel, but give yourself a time limit as to how long you're allowed to sit there with it. When that time is up, move on. Move on by picking another activity to do, even if it's not in English, to get your mind off of what happened. As you do, you'll noticed that your negative emotions will begin to quiet down

•  Open Journal of Social Sciences by Ruihong Huang.  

The article smartly points to the value of taking some time to watch and learn from others who have attained what you're trying to attain. What can you learn from their examples? What can you learn from their failures? Mentors have great things to share and teach us if we take the time to connect with them or follow them. (They don't even need to know you are following!)

My previous podcast episode with Masha Honcharova is a great example of this, by the way. She openly shared some of her journey with us. You can learn a great deal from what she has experienced and shared.

https://celpipsuccess.com/podcast/reframefailure

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Where Motivated English Learners Come to Conquer the CELPIP Exam- Together.

If you've ever felt the sting of failure when it comes to learning English, and of having to start your English studies all over again from zero after having thought your English was actually pretty good, then you need to listen to my inspiring interview with Masha Honcharova.

Masha will share her own story of how she became fluent in English, and the many MANY challenges she overcame in order to achieve that goal.

We'll also take a close look at how to use reading in English to help you build your fluency skills.

If you'd like to connect with Masha, you can find her here:

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@english2freedom

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/masha.english2freedom/

Mentioned in this episode:

Join the CELPIP Success Lab

Where Motivated English Learners Come to Conquer the CELPIP Exam- Together.

Reading can be the most important and fun thing you do to develop your vocabulary and increase your contact with English - both vitally important!

But how should you go about choosing what you read if you're doing this on your own? Today's podcast will show you how.

• Selecting engaging reading materials for effective self-study matters more than you can imagine! It can literally make or break you!
• What you read should capture your interest and keep you motivated.

• How I accidentally picked up a book on podcasting. (After returning a book that failed - previous episode: Are You Feeling Stuck With Your CELPIP Prep? Don't make this mistake!
• Remember: select reading material that genuinely interests you.

• The critical element of a self-paced reading plan is choosing material you're genuinely interested in.
• The reading material should be something you look forward to and have a hard time putting down.

Solutions for Uninspiring Reading Material:

• Kindly communicate your dissatisfaction to teachers or your school.
• A good school values student feedback and may offer alternative reading options.

Practice Skimming and Scanning:

• If changing the material isn't possible, practice skimming and scanning to make reading less tedious.

• A reading habit can be as great as my coffee habit!
• Reading in English can - and should be - enjoyable and is an effective way to enhance vocabulary and language skills.

1. Follow Your Interest:

• Look for material that genuinely interests you.
• Check the book cover and blurb for initial interest.

• Look at the table of contents to ensure the topics align with your interests and goals.

This great idea come from ontesol - How to Plan Extensive Reading Lessons

• Randomly open the book to read a few pages to assess comprehension and vocabulary level.
• Repeat this test in different sections of the book.

Beware of Being Too Easy:

• Don't rely on material that is too easy, as it may not help in vocabulary growth.

• Follow your interest in reading materials.
• If a book loses your interest, feels overwhelming, or becomes a chore, it's essential to switch to something new.

This approach is crucial not only for building an enjoyable reading habit but also for effective vocabulary building for the CELPIP exam.

Thank you for listening!

Mentioned in this episode:

Join the CELPIP Success Lab

Where Motivated English Learners Come to Conquer the CELPIP Exam- Together.

Have you ever found yourself feeling completely and totally stuck with your English classes or CELPIP Prep? Like you've spent weeks, months and years + way too much money, but you're still not seeing the results you need?

What should you do?

Changing strategies seems like the easy answer, but as you'll see in today's episode: sometimes those 'obvious changes' are not as easy to make as we think. We'll explore why, and what you can do about it!

-If you're feeling stuck with your English or your CELPIP prep, then you absolutely need to hear this episode. We're talking about the Importance of Getting Unstuck

-I share about Recognizing When Your Current Approach Isn't Working

- Struggling with a Book

- The Dilemma of Continuing vs. Quitting

- The Sunk Cost Fallacy in Reading

- Dealing with a Back Problem

- Loyalty to the Chiropractor

- The Sunk Cost Fallacy in Healthcare

- Selling an Apartment in Mexico

- Balancing Friendship and Business

- The Sunk Cost Fallacy in Real Estate

- What Is the Sunk Cost Fallacy?

- How It Applies to Language Learning and Exam Preparation

- The Importance of Recognizing When to Cut Losses

- Don't Get Trapped in the Sunk Cost Fallacy

- Embracing Change for Progress and Improved Results

Join the CELPIP Success Lab.

Mentioned in this episode:

Join the CELPIP Success Lab

Where Motivated English Learners Come to Conquer the CELPIP Exam- Together.

Improving reading skills can be a real challenge because it is largely an activity that you do on your own. 

Unless you’re reading out loud for someone, or reading to answer questions at school for a test or project, your reading skills are largely something that are hard to see developing because feedback on your progress is well..mostly invisible. 

Invisible unless you start using this strategy... 

• That means you are interacting with the material you are reading. 
• As you read, underline and circle ideas you like. 
• Underline new words that you find. 
• Talk back to the writer/author in your notes - imagine you’re having a conversation with them. 

And finally, related to my story today, at the end of each section or chapter - take a moment and write a brief summary of what you just read. 

This will help you organize the ideas you took in as you were reading. It will also help you figure out how well you were understanding what you are reading. 

If you notice a section is hard, maybe go back and reread it. Pay attention to the parts that are more difficult for you. 

Pay attention to any new words that might be making it hard for you to follow. 

Think of summaries as an opportunity to check in with yourself to see if you’re following the main ideas of the writer. 

NOTE: this is not a tip for the actual CELPIP exam day. You won’t have time to write summaries and engage with the text in the way I am describing here. This is a tip for developing your skills over time. 

I’ve created several podcast episodes and blog posts about how to develop your reading skills:

A playlist from my podcast around developing reading skills.

From My Blog:

Improve your reading skills. (A group if blog posts that I have created around reading skill development.)

Thank you for listening to today’s podcast episode. If you’ve enjoyed it, please subscribe to the show on your favourite podcast app. See you next Tuesday! 

Help me out by sharing your opinion with me. (Would you please take a minute - that's about as long as you'll need - to fill out a quick feedback survey for me?)

Thanks and see you next Tuesday!

You've worked and studied hard to prepare for the CELPIP exam, but you find yourself totally disappointed when you get your test results back.

They weren't as high as you hoped they would be! I bet you're feeling awful about yourself. You might even want to give up!

But hang in there! There is a way forward.

Here are 6 reasons why your CELPIP test scores weren't as high as you wanted them to be. (Listen to the episode to find out what you can do about it!)

What might have caused your low CELPIP score:

6. Negative Mindset.

5. You didn't study/ prepare long enough.

4. Your level of English wasn't high enough.

3. You weren't ready to face the pressure of THE CLOCK!

2. You missed easy to fix points.

1. You froze in the speaking section: You weren't ready to talk to a computer screen! (Like most humans aren't ready!)

Listen to the episode to discover what YOU can do about these 6 points.

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How To Make English A Part Of Your Life (And Have Fun!)

Goal Of This Episode:

By listening to this episode you will learn the importance of making English a part of your everyday life, and you will have some practical ways to do so.

This week I went on a retreat through my work. We traveled off Vancouver Island, where I live, and then drove about 2.5 hours inland to a beautiful camp/retreat center that is nestled in a wooded valley right under several mountains.

During our time together, the team I am a part of has spent a great deal of time on work related topics and training sessions.

But the best parts have been what happens after those often intense times of work and learning: we talk. We listen. We laugh together. We eat together. Then we have time a part - where we can do whatever we want.

What does this have to do with you, you might be wondering. We'll - here's what I was thinking about today as I was enjoying an hour long hike through a mountain trail.

All my thinking time was in English. So was all the other activities that I just mentioned to you. One thing bled or led into the other - it was a free flow of language. English was everywhere.

This can be your story as well.

• Compartmentalizing your English practice is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
• When you compartmentalize, you are separating or isolating one thing from another.

Dictionary Meaning:

• The quick and easy way to find out is to simply ask yourself this question: when and where do I use English each day?
• If you answer: I only use English when I have to. I only use English when I'm in English class. Then you're compartmentalizing.

This is a huge problem!

If you want to see your English fluency grow and develop you have to start bringing English into everything you do.

You have the same opportunity if you live here in Canada already. (And if you don't live in an English speaking location, you sill have the ability to bring English into your life - it will just take a little more creativity on your part.)

What language do you think in? That's what I was specifically thinking about today on my hike. I saw this amazing tree that was growing out of a tree that had fallen over across our path. There's a picture of it on my blog.

Your challenge today: set a timer on your cellphone so that every hour you get a reminder to practice thinking in English.

Try to give yourself 5 -10 minutes at first. During that time, make it your goal to switch the language you're thinking in, which I bet is your first language, to English.

Repeat this challenge every hour daily. As you get good at it, try increasing the time from 5-10 minutes to 10-15 minutes and so on. See if you can bring yourself up to a full hour!

This is just one example of how you can be making English a part of your day-to-day life.

You can check out today's episode on my blog:

https://celpipsuccess.com/mistakeinenglish/

Could you take 1 minute and help me with your feedback today? I want to make sure this podcast is helping you. Please fill out my quick 1 minute survey here: https://celpipsuccess.com/survey/

Thank you!

Negative Self-Talk happens to and affects everyone - even you. If left unchallenged, negative self-talk will hold you down and keep you from growing your skills in English.

Today, I'll share three stories with you of my own struggles with negative self-talk and what affect it has had one me.

I'll also share three ways you can shut down your negative self-talk and replace it with positive messaging that will help you continue to grow and develop your English skills.

If you struggle with low self-confidence,  feelings of being a failure, or like you'll never be able to make it with your English skills - then you need...no, you HAVE TO, listen to this episode and put it into practice in your life.

The Terrible Consequences Of Negative Self-Talk:
Poor self-confidence, avoidance of taking risks, and feeling small or limited in one's capabilities. Addressing negative self-talk is crucial for your personal growth and development.

To combat negative self-talk, here's what you can do:

1. Recognize that everyone experiences self-talk, whether positive or negative.
2. Challenge negative self-talk by stopping it when it occurs.
3. Use imaginative techniques to visualize overcoming negative thoughts.
4. Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations that reflect reality and encourage growth.

In conclusion, addressing negative self-talk is so important! It can significantly impact your personal and professional development, including your ability to learn and improve your English language skills.

Book mentioned in the podcast:
Jon Acuff's book: Soundtracks (Not an affiliate link.)

Can You Share Your Opinion With Me?
It will likely take you less than 1 minute, but it would mean the world to me if you'd share your opinion with me about the podcast. Please go to celpipsuccess.com/survey
**Fill in the entire survey, including your e-mail address, by September 30th, and I'll write you back personally to thank you.  I'll also schedule a free 30 minute zoom session with you to talk about your English learning goals or challenges. We'll work together for 30 minutes on general English stuff, or something you need help with on the CELPIP exam. 

Thank you for listening! I've got some totally free resources - along with the ones mentioned in today's episode to help you continue to build your English skills and prepare for the CELPIP exam. Find out more here: https://celpipsuccess.com/resources/

In today's Podcast, I am sharing about one of the best ways you can build your vocabulary in English.  Best of all, if you do it properly, you'll have a great time WHILE you are developing your vocabulary skills.  It will feel like play, not work!

Introduction:
I’m really enjoying something that I kind of stopped doing a little over two years ago: reading for fun. 

I stopped reading just for the fun of reading - because I was involved in a Master’s degree program through my work. I’ve shared that with you before, but because I had to do so much reading for that degree program, I totally had to give up reading for fun books. 

In fact, once I had finished my studies, I have to confess that I sort of walked away from reading all together. I had had enough reading, I felt, to fill a lifetime! 

But recently I’ve found that I’ve missed picking up a good book and curling up on my favourite chair to read it. 

What I Read and Am Reading

I’ve just finished reading a book that you might enjoy, actually. It’s called Hollow Fires by  Samira Ahmed.  It’s based on a true story,  but deals a lot with racism, hatred, being an immigrant, and how the main character - an immigrant herself - tries to solve a murder.  I really enjoyed it - maybe you will too. 

And now I’m reading a new book. It’s called The Ruinous Sweep by Tim Wynee-Jones. 

I’m only a few chapters in, but I’m liking it so far.

Why A Podcast Episode About Reading and Vocabulary?

Reading this book today is what inspired me to share this podcast episode with you. 

Why? Because I learned a brand new word from reading this book today. Me! A 47 year old book worm!  I was so excited by it, that I took a picture of the page from the book, and thought: I've gotta share this with you!

How To Use Reading To Build Your English Vocabulary

Today we’re going to take a few minutes to talk about why you should consider reading as a way to build your vocabulary. 

1. Read what you enjoy reading!  (Learn from my studies story - I was reading things I SOMETIMES enjoyed. But many times it was because I had to in order to meet course requirements. Don’t do that! Look for material you enjoy reading so that you will want to keep doing it. 

2. Look for material that is not too easy, but also not too hard!  You need something that will challenge you a little - but not totally overwhealm you, or you’ll likely not want to keep going! 

3. When you come to a new word: follow your curiosity.  Some suggest that you shouldn’t stop in the middle of your reading in order to pull out the dictionary to learn what your new word means, but instead wait until you’re done the chapter so that you don’t interrupt the flow of reading.   That makes sense, but I suggest that instead you follow your curiosity! If the word looks interesting to you, and it pokes your curiosity - go ahead and look it  up.  (First though, see if you can guess what it means by looking at the context.)

Please help me out on this quick survey! (During the month of September 2023, if you share your e-mail address in the feedback form you'll get a free 30 minute class with me on whatever you need help with in your English when you sign up. )

Thank you for listening! I've got some totally free resources - along with the ones mentioned in today's episode to help you continue to build your English skills and prepare for the CELPIP exam. Find out more here: https://celpipsuccess.com/resources/