Reviews
Communicate!
Also available as audiobooks
Christopher Guichot de Fortis
Head Interpreter, NATO
Director, Cambridge Conference Interpretation Course
‘I am a professional conference interpreter, having worked for a long time as a civil servant at NATO headquarters, and later within other international organisations using English as the vehicular working language.
In such contexts, communication (in all contexts, formal and informal) is very often hampered by the linguistic ignorance of the different actors, this weakness often going unnoticed. I therefore find that this series of manuals constitutes an original, accessible and intelligent approach which, if trivialised, will certainly contribute to improving understanding and communication.
Ms. Beauvez’s goal is laudable, because “all-in-English” is gaining ground in forums where the issues discussed are of capital importance for the development of human relations and geopolitics. This innovative series has the merit of highlighting a glaring and widespread gap, while providing a response that should, in my opinion, be encouraged and supported.’
I am engaged in many writing activities: reports for my clients, online chats with friends, invitations to events that I organize. I rarely used to succeed in addressing the expectations of the people I wrote for. Very often, my words failed to express what I meant. I looked around for years for a solution and I believe I have now found the keys I needed in LTR1, How to Speak and Write Clearly.
All in all, the book helped me to structure my thoughts easier and to pinpoint and express the purpose of each text I write. It contains ideas that are small and easy to memorize. I started to apply LTR 1 in my practice and many things improved significantly. I noticed that my emails and reports became easier to follow. Instead of complicated and unrelated pieces, now there is a clear flow throughout the documents. I can express my ideas into well-rounded bundles that are nice and easy for my readers to follow.
Maksim, civil engineer, Belarus
In a nutshell,LTR1 is a good friend for learning new communication tools. Once you have studied it and done the exercises, keep it on your desk and go back to it whenever you are struggling to communicate. You will gain a superpower.
At work, I interact with clients and colleagues from different origins. Explaining ideas and telling impactful stories is key to my success, and this book contributed to my learning this skill.
It is quite comprehensive, as it ranges from refreshing your knowledge of essential grammar to becoming proficient at giving talks and at interacting efficiently with others. To give you the highest possible chances of being clear to anyone, it will guide you on a path to create straightforward sentences, leading to a more structured approach to presenting your ideas. Also, after teaching you how to best structure your ideas, the book provides you with tips to make you interesting to listen to. In your day-to-day life, this could have a direct impact on your convincing people, for example if you are a leader, a student or a salesperson.
Sebastian Stoop, business manager
As a headhunter, I need to know how to write striking emails and cvs. I must be able to speak clearly with good pronunciation to be understood during canvassing calls. At the beginning of the course, Ingrid presented a book titled “How to Speak and Write Clearly”. It’s like the bible of how to learn to be effective with the English language. This book (and Ingrid of course) taught me how to structure my writing. Introductions and conclusions are the keys to getting the message across effectively. I really enjoyed the course, it’s very interactive and always with a touch of humor.
Tristan C., HR manager
Globalization is the process of integration and interaction between people, companies and governments. Mastering the English language helps create business opportunities.
A few years ago, I spent 6 months in London.This experience was a real challenge for me because when I first arrived, I didn’t speak English. I worked as a waitress and learned on the job. However, because my colleagues weren’t native English speakers, I didn’t learn the proper language. When I became a business manager in an international company, I was coached by Ingrid, using her Learn The Ropes collection, which was a component in propelling my career. Learning professional-standard English and client-orientation skills is a huge advantage for both professional and personal lives.
Sophie D., business manager
As a communication manager, I write every day, whether for an internal or external audience. I write for our social media, our newsletters, our research website, our blog, our events, and many other things. Thus, I wanted to focus on developing my writing skills.
Most importantly, my challenge was to learn what Ingrid calls “straightforward English”. I spend a lot of time reviewing articles written by my colleagues. Most of them are engineers. Most of those articles are therefore written according to the motto: “why make it simple when you can make it complicated”. To edit their texts, I have to make sure I know how to keep things simple. With respect to learning straightforward English, LTR1 is the best ally of any writer.
Ingrid puts into words some experiences we all have in our meetings and discussions. Her illustrations are simple, funny, and make you think you are reading Kipling’s book rather than an English course.
I have found that the book succeeded in offering valuable communication tips while remaining short and easy to read. I am looking forward to reading the next ones.
Sophie, communication manager
LTR 1 will give you, in a short format, the essentials that everyone needs. The metaphors used in this book make it easy to remember the core principles. LTR 1 is especially targeted for an audience wanting to learn perfect English, with an explanation that goes from how to build sentences to how to make a complete presentation. It also contains universal principles, such as how to get people’s attention using adapted body language or pace of speaking.
Even if you think that you are a good communicator, you will certainly get something from this book thanks to the exercises, as they prompt you to look into yourself.
To conclude, I definitely think the time spent reading this book is worth it.
Louis, consultant
How LTR 1 and 2 Helped Me
As an IT consultant, I interact with a lot of people with different profiles, whether it be technical or business. Communication can sometimes be challenging. Let me tell you how LRS 1 and LRS 2 help me with this.
First, the place where I work tends to hold a lot of what I call “empty” meetings, the type that ends without much progress. The advice to know who wants what is great with that: first, I list what I want to get from the meeting. Then, I usually start by asking others what they want. Clearly stating everyone’s goals helps us focus on the most important points and makes the meetings relevant.
Another recommendation is to “know who is who”. This can be tricky because it is difficult to put people into boxes. I have two managers who love to talk. So, when I am in a meeting with them, I do not have a lot of time to talk and I need to get straight to the point to tell them everything I need to say. Also, it is very important to know who you have in front of you when you are in a meeting with someone you have never met. Starting with an introduction is always a good practice, albeit sometimes forgotten.
Another very important point is to deal with the unsaid. My client sometimes makes decisions based on political reasons. For example, one of my managers wanted to use a platform that was built in Sweden, even though the requirements were not the same as the ones that we have in the rest of Europe. I had to ask a lot of questions to find out that he had made a deal with Sweden to borrow infrastructures for a low cost. To navigate in such an environment, asking questions is the best way to find out what is unsaid. Also, small talk with people at the start or end of meetings is very useful in that way.
Finally, in a political environment, people might not necessarily want to help you. For example, I asked one of the product owners for a 1h meeting, and he told me he would not be available for the next 3 weeks when I had only 5 weeks for the assignment. To help with such a situation, telling the story of why you need something from them and how that will help them is very important. It is only when they will see what they can get out of it that these people will want to help you.
To conclude, I’d say that navigating complicated environments is part of a consultant’s job. Having all the necessary information before communicating with the client and having the right attitudes can improve the efficiency of the communication, and these coursebooks provide you with all the necessary support to improve your skills, so use them!
Maxime Lamborelle, international consultant