Dear Class,

We went over some

Good Morning Everyone,

Today we reviewed the lesson from last week.
We talked about formal vs. informal language.

We also reviewed some expressions for time:

tomorrow =
the day after tomorrow

yesterday=
the day before yesterday

next week=
the week after next

last week=
the week before last

We then went over the Brand Statement organizer.

Homework:

Fill out the next two sections of the PBS organizer.

See you next Tuesday!

Matt

Good Morning Class,

In class today we worked on our Brand Statement Organizer, but first let's review a few vocabulary words we talked about last week.

We talked about the idea that we use some words in informal situations and some words in more formal situations.
Many words that are considered less formal come from the Anglo-Saxon heritage of English.
Words like "talk, walk, eat, and sleep" are all very natural words in English.
More formal words come from Latin and Greek.
The words on the left are used in less formal situations and the ones on the right are used in more formal situations:

need (v) => require
needs (n) => requirements

help (v) => assist
help (n) => assistance

ask about (v) => inquire
question (n) => inquiry

job => occupation

I'm here to ask about the job=>
I'm here to inquire about the position

In class we filled out the next section of the Brand Statement Organizer:

Brand Personality

honest, positive, and effective

candid, effective, and down-to-earth



Homework:

Answer these questions using your "Personality Scaling", "Passion", and "important to me & important to clients" worksheets

• What are the gaps between your current job/skills and what your clients want/needs
• Are there any opportunities or niches to fill?
• If so, list up a few of these opportunities
• Which of your top ten skills are most important to fill these gaps?
• Which of your personality traits or passions match these needs?

Good luck and see you next week!

Matthew

Hello Class,

We are nearing the end of our process to create our Personal Branding Statement (PBS).
I have uploaded the spreadsheet for you to fill in with the data we have been working on the past few months.

You can download the "Brand Statement Organizer" here.
(Click on the word "here" to follow the link!)

In class we worked on the first two parts together.
Next week in class, we will continue with the other parts.

Here are a few examples from the first two parts:

Field and/or Industry

Corporate education consulting and organizational Development focusing on organizational change management and career development

Corporate real estate leasing including, offices, apartments, and retail outlets

Target Audience

Top management of mid-sized companies who are dealing with specific challenges and realize that they need assistance

People who are looking for offices, apartments, or retail space

Homework:

Download the "Brand Statement Organizer" and fill in the first two spaces; Field and/or Industry & Target Audience.
Print it out, bring it to class, and we'll work on the other parts together.

See you soon,

Matthew

Good Morning Class,

This is the last real work session for creating our Personal Branding Statement.
You should have finished the following:

*List of what's important to you and your client
*One-on-one Focus group

We did a quick 15-question quiz to see how much we remembered from last lesson.
Try it for yourself and put your answers in a comment!

1. M
2. C
3. L
4. D
5. VII
6. IV
7. IX
8. XL
9. LXX
10. XIV
11. XXIX
12. CXXVII
13. CCCXXXIII
14. MM
15. MCMLXXIII
16. Try writing your birth year in roman numerals!

Now let's try a few shapes:
What do you call each of the following?

1. 3 sides
2. 6 sides
3. 5 sides
4. 4 sides, not a square
5. 8 sides
6. 10 sides

Homework:

Answer the following questions:

*What are the gaps between your current job and skills and your goal for your job or skill set
*Do these gaps allow for some sort of niche market?

Good Morning Class,

Here are a few more examples:

Important to only me
I want to feel as though I am growing through my work
To prioritize my tasks my self

Important only to my clients
Want to feel as though they have gotten above average cost-performance
Want to get more out of the training than they pay for
They want to squeeze every last thing they can get out of the training

Important to both

Want to see that the training positively influences sales/revenue for the company

Here are some additional English concepts that we learned:

Roman Numerals
Roman numerals can be seen on many clocks, in documents, and are even used for writing the year.

I = 1
II = 2
III = 3
IV = 4
V = 5
VI = 6

As you can see from the pattern, smaller numbers on the left are subtracted while ones on the right are added.

X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500
M =1000

For example XLII would be 42.
Ten is subtracted from fifty plus 2.

Try a few examples yourself and write your answers as a comment!

1. LXX
2. MCM
3. CDXLIV
4. MCMLXXIII (Hint: My year of birth)
5. XCIX

Shapes
Also we talked about shapes as well:

A shape with three sides is a triangle (tri = 3 thus 3 angles)
A shape with four sides is a square or a rectangle
*All sides of a square are equal lengths
*Opposite sides of a rectangle are equal lengths
A shape with 5 sides is a pentagon (The US Military building is called the Pentagon and has five sides!)
A shape with 6 sides is called a hexagon
A shape with 7 sides is called a heptagon
A shape with 8 sides is called an octogon (Octopus, eight legs!)
A shape with 9 sides is called a nonagon
A shape with 10 sides is called a decagon

Homework:

Finish up list:
1. Areas that are important to both you and your client
2. Areas that are important to you, but not to your client
3. Areas that are important to your client, but not to you

AND

One-on-One Focus Group #3*Talk to 2-5 people from your field (colleague, client, boss, superior)*Talk to them about what you've written about your industry and job*Is it correct?

Idiom of the day:

"Give them an inch and they'll take a mile"

See you soon!

Matthew

Dear Class,

Our one-pointEnglish lesson for last Tuesday was:

Do you have any allergies?
Yes, I'm allergic to Japanese cedar.
I'm allergic to house dust and pollen.
No, I don't have any allergies.

In class we reviewed our homework from a few weeks ago.
We were supposed to take our list and break it up into three categories:

1. Areas that are important to both you and your client

2. Areas that are important to you, but not to your client

3. Areas that are important to your client, but not to you

Here are a few examples we reviewed in class:

Important to only me
Steadily increase the rental fees for office leasing
Create an environment where clients can improve the communication in their organization
Enable clients to help themselves ("Help me, help you"=> Jerry Macguire)

Important only to my clients
Clients want a fixed rental fee
Clients think that it's more important for individuals to change their way of thinking

Important to both
Long term rental agreements

Homework:

Please finish up writing the three categories listed above and...

One-on-One Focus Group #3
*Talk to 2-5 people from your field (colleague, client, boss, superior)
*Talk to them about what you've written about your industry and job
*Is it correct?
*What feedback and additional comments do they have?

Thanks again and see you soon!

Sincerely,

Matthew

Dear Class,

Today is February 20th, 2007.

Today we reviewed the Chart from last time and added more specific examples about our jobs in particular. (Please click on the word "chart" above!)

We are getting very close to the last step in our process to create our Personal Branding Statement.
Keep up the good work and continue writing!

Your homework:

One-on-One Focus Group #3
*Talk to 2-5 people from your field (colleague, client, boss, superior)
*Talk to them about what you've written about your industry and job
*Is it correct?
*What feedback and additional comments do they have?

Please keep reading your graded readers and studying on the Cerego Website!

Sincerely,

Matthew

Dear Class,

Today is February 13th, the day before Valentine's Day.
Have you bought chocolates for the ones you love?
In America there is no White Day, only Valentine's Day.
On Valentine's Day men and women give each other gifts.
Men usually give women flowers and chocolate and women often give men chocolate as well.

Last week we talked about what's important to us and our clients.
We added a few more examples to the chart:

*Please click on the link below:
CHART

*Next be more specific and write what's important for you in your position and what's important for your clients, internal and external

Homework:

Write the following:

1. Areas that are important to both you and your client

2. Areas that are important to you, but not to your client

3. Areas that are important to your client, but not to you

And ... Have a Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow!

Sincerely,

Matthew

P.S. We will be finishing up this process in the next couple of weeks, so please make sure that you have done the previous steps.

Good Morning Class,

Today we are talking about what is important to ourselves and what is important to our clients.
Sometimes what we want and what our clients want is the same and sometimes different.
For example, we want to provide high quality service to our clients and they want to receive high quality service from us.
In this case, what we want is the same.
We may want to visit our clients as much as possible, but our clients may only want to see us when it is necessary.
In this case, what we want and what our clients want is different.

Our homework was to make a list of what's important to us and compare that to what is important to our clients.
Let's look at a few examples:

CHART

The more specific, the better
The more, the merrier
The fewer, the better
The bigger, the better


Homework for next week:

Enjoy the three-day weekend and see you next Tuesday the 12th of February.

Sincerely,

Matthew

Dear Class,

In our last class we went over some more answers from our previous homework.
Take a look at these other examples:

#3 Skills necessary for success

Nagashima Tetsuo
*Consulting skills
*Good communication skills
*Needs analysis
*Solution planning, proposal writing, presentation skills, and implementation

Sugimoto Ouki
*Ability to analyze a problem from the management and employee points of view
*Sensitivity to clients' feelings, needs, and concerns
*Counseling skills
*Interview skills
*Good conversationalist

Target client or boss

*Small to medium size companies
*Entrepreneurs with their own companies
*Companies who want to educate their next generation of leaders
*Companies who want to expand their business but don't have the know-how

Homework:

*What's important to your target clients?
*What's important to you?

Write out and compare what's important to you and what is important to your clients in two columns.

See you next Tuesday!

Sincerely,

Matthew

Hello Class,

This morning we reviewed our homework which was to finish writing out the answers for questions 1-3:

Here are some examples:
#3 List the key talents and skills necessary for success in your present position

*Persistent hard work, consistently accurate accounting, strong financial background, analytical skills
*Account management skills, emergency crisis management, disaster management, organizational skills, financial knowledge
*Vision Creation, "Thinking out of the box", planning organizational change, persuading others, management knowledge and skills
*Manager/leader training skills, networking skills, good negotiation skills, honest communication, business and social etiquette training
* English skills, management skills, new IT knowledge, negotiation skills, writing skills

Part 2 of last week's homework:

Describe your target client or boss

*People who want to innovate
*Artists with innovative talent
*People dissatisfied with their current situation
*Galleries or museums who are interesting in cutting edge art using technology or curators who believe that art benefits humanity

*People who want to increase motivation in their employees
*People who want to create corporate identities and corporate cultures
*People who want to improve ther company image in society
*CEOs who are deciding who their successor will be

*People who want to manage their real estate more effectively
*People who are looking for offices or apartments in high-class areas
*Companies that need financial reports for REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts)

Thank you to all who attended today.
We got a lot of work done!

Homework for next week:
Please make sure that you have the three questions regarding your job or position and your description of your perfect boss or client

Enjoy your graded readers and have a great week!

Sincerely,

Matthew

Hello Class,

Here are the notes for lesson #25.

In our lesson on Tuesday we went over our homework for last week.

Examples:

#1 Your Title or Current Position

• Property Management Administrator
• Internal Communications Coordinator
• Organizational Development Consultant
• Financial Development Manager
• Management Solutions Team Leader
• Chief OD Consultant

#2a General responsibilities

• I am responsible for office leasing.
• I am responsible for account management
• I am responsible for internal communications
• I am responsible for corporate accounting
• I am responsible for developing and managing the corporate development plan

#2b Specific duties or responsibilities

• I have to check contracts, do accounting for all corporate office leasing, and make financial reports for Real Estate Securities
• I have to track costs and budgets for corporate accounts
• I have to plan internal communications including the website, newsletter, and company events such the annual kickoff meeting.
• I have to keep track of payments and receipts, make investments, and write risk management reports

Homework for next week:

1. Please make sure that you have finished questions 1-3 for next class.
2. Describe your perfect boss or target client/customer.

See you next week and have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Matthew

Dear Class,

Good morning and Happy New Year!

This is the first post for 2007!
Tuesday morning in our 24th lesson we talked about our New Year's resolutions.
Here are some examples of what class members shared today:

*I want to make a regular habit of studying management
*My New Year's resolution is to read 1 million words using graded readers in 2007
*My New Year's resolution is to get up early every morning and read English books
*I want to make a habit of exercising regularly
*My New Year's resolution is to study English regularly
*My New Year's resolution is to save time and money
*My New Year's resolution is to wake up earlier and read more graded readers
*My New Year's resolution is to go to the movie theater at least once a month
*My New Year's resolution is to get up at 6 a.m. to stretch and study English on the train
*My New Year's resolution is to wake early and come to work at around 7:30 or 8:00 every morning and to study English and other subjects at home

A friend of mine also does video podcasts on his website.
His #17 podcast is on our the subject of New Year's Resolutions.
The name of his website is "English4Now.com".
Click on the link above and then go to the "podcast" section of his website and you will find his podcasts.
I think you'll enjoy it and it's a great way to get more listening practice!
Let me know what you think.

We also talked a little bit about the way English is pronounced.
Here's a really good link to a listening text that I introduced to Berlitz Japan.
It is a really great guide to how English changes when spoken:
http://www.abax.co.jp/listening/index.html
I will put the file onto the Project You! Community site too.

Homework:
Finish writing out the answers to the questions about your job and work responsibilities from last class. Please see the last post on December 19th.
I have updated this on the Personal Branding Statement page on the Project You! Community discussion group.

Our next step is to look at our target market which we'll do next week in class.

Have a great week and be sure to record your the graded readers you've read in our Extensive Reading Community!

Sincerely,

Matthew

Buying Some Gloves - Chapter Preview

(洋販ラダーシリーズ)
By Niimi Nankichi

Theseus and the Minotaur - Chapter Preview

(Penguin Longman Active Reading)
By Ken Beatty

A King's Sword

'You have two fathers, Theseus,' his mother said. 'You are the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and the son of King Aegeus.'

Theseus lived with his mother in Troezen, in Greece. He was a clever, happy young man, but he did not know his father.
One day, his mother said to him, 'Come into the garden, Theseus. Do you see that big rock? Can you move it, my son?'
Theseus was strong He moved the rock and looked under it. There was a sword - a king's sword!
'This is the sword of King Aegeus,' his mother said. 'And now it is yours.'
Theseus looked at her, and then at the sword. 'Mine?' he said. 'Why is it mine?'
'You have two fathers, Theseus,' his mother said. 'You are the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and the son of King Aegeus. King Aegeus lives in Athens. Go to him now. It is time.'
That night, Theseus said goodbye to his mother.
'I am going to walk to my father's home,' he said to her.
'But it is a long and difficult walk,' his mother said.
'I am strong,' Theseus said. 'You know that, Mother. Don't cry for me.'
Theseus walked for ten days. There were many bad men on the road. But he fought them - and he killed them. Then he came to Athens, to the home of King Aegeus.
But Aegeus had a new wife, Medea, and she had a son too. She was angry about Theseus.
'He is your father's first son,' she said to her son. 'You are going to be king after your father - not him.'
She wanted to kill Theseus. But Aegeus watched her and he stopped her.
The king talked to Theseus. 'You moved the rock and you have my sword,' he said. 'You are my son.'

Crime Story Collection - Chapter Preview

(Penguin Longman Active Reading)
By Sara Paretsky

Three is a Lucky Number
Margery Allingham

This was the difficult bit. The discovery of the body must be made, but not too soon.

At five o'clock on a September afternoon Ronald Torbay was making preparations for his third murder. He was being very careful. He realized that murdering people becomes more dangerous if you do it often.
He was in the bathroom of the house he had recently rented. For a moment he paused to look in the mirror. The face that looked back at him was thin, middle-aged, and pale. Dark hair, a high forehead and well-shaped blue eyes. Only the mouth was unusual - narrow and quite straight. Even Ronald Torbay did not like his own mouth.
A sound in the kitchen below worried him. Was Edyth coming up to have her bath before he had prepared it for her? No, it was all right; she was going out of the back door. From the window he saw her disappearing round the side of the house into the small garden. It was exactly like all the other gardens in the long street. He didn't like here to be alone there. She was a shy person, but now new people had moved into the house next door, and there was a danger of some silly woman making friends with her. He didn't want that just now.

Hi Class,

We had the 23rd lesson on Tuesday.
I hope everyone is feeling well.
Many people in my office have been getting sick lately.
Take care of yourselves!

In the lesson we discussed the next step in the Personal Branding Statement process.
We have learned that the formula for the PBS is Skills + Personality/Passion + Market Needs.

Our next step is to look at market needs.
Here is your homework for Tuesday, January 9th, 2007:
(Please note that there are no lessons on December 26th and January 2nd!)

I'd like you to write out the following:

1. Write down the title of your position or the type of business you are in.
Example: If you do consulting for clients, you might be a business consultant.

2. List up the following:
a) the general responsibilities of your job
b) the specific duties of your job
c) achievements you have made

3. List the key talents or skills necessary for doing your job well.
This can include areas that you need to improve as well.

Do your best writing out this homework and we will discuss it during the next class.

I hope that all of you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Matthew

Hi Class!

This is the 22nd lesson.

Today we reviewed the steps for the Personal Branding Statement.

You have Skills, Personality, and Passion finished so far.

Your homework is to meet and do a one-on-on discussion with a colleague, friend, a co-worker, family member, or a superior and discuss your Personality and Passion with them.
Write down any feedback or new things you learn about yourself in the process.

You should know what your strong traits are now and should have gone to the "Project You! Community" and posted them to the discussion: What's your personality? => Scaling => Strong Traits.

By the way, this link is the ALC site which has a very good dictionary:
www.alc.co.jp

Thanks for all your hard work and see you in class,

Matthew

Hi Class,

Today we had the 21st lesson.

Homework:
Have a one-on-one discussion about your your 10 skills, passion, and strong traits with a friend, colleague, or superior.
Write down anything that was different or that was added to your Skills, personality, or passion.
Please use the Personal Branding Statement page in the Project You! Community as a guide.