Presenting Confidently and Clearly in a Non-native Language
by Matt Abrahams
For most of us, presenting confidently and clearly in our native language is hard enough, but communicating in another language is marked by unique challenges and opportunities for growth. What follows is specific advice that can help all non-native speakers…
Matt's favorite ELL podcasts
Anthony Fauci
01/14/2025
alienate (verb)
Definition: to make someone feel alone or unwanted, often by being unfriendly or distant
Example from the episode: “How do you effectively address misinformation without amplifying it or alienating those who espouse it?”
Example sentence: “They worked hard to not alienate their customers.”
caveat (noun)
Definition: a warning or a condition that you should keep in mind before doing something
Example from the episode: “Right, so give a caveat up front that what you're saying is based on the best knowledge of the moment, but things will change.”
Example sentence: “She gave a caveat about the possible risks.”
crisp (adjective)
Definition: clear, sharp, and well-defined
Example from the episode: “The best way to navigate the most challenging communication situations we face is to be crisp, concise, and clear on the needs of our audience.”
Example sentence: “He gave a crisp answer to the question.”
bake into (idiom)
Definition: to include something as a basic part of a plan or idea, making it an important or necessary element
Example from the episode: “So if you know what your audience is, I mean, there are two issues that are, I think, baked into your question.”
Example sentence: “Let’s bake our ideas into the final plan.”
10 Lessons From 2024
01/07/2025
solidify (verb)
Definition: to make something become more definite and clear
Example from the episode: “I hope this helps you to solidify your learnings and practice so you can evolve your communication skills and approach.”
Example sentence: “Her speech helped to solidify our team's goals.”
ritual (noun)
Definition: a set of actions or ceremonies that are done in a specific way
Example from the episode: “And so right as you walk in, there's a series of tiny little lockers, and there's a ritual where everyone takes out their phone, opens up the locker. Inside the locker is a plug so you can charge it.”
Example sentence: “She has a bedtime ritual to help her sleep.”
contextual (adjective)
Definition: related to or depending on the surrounding situation or background
Example from the episode: “I loved Bob Cialdini's notion of pre-suasion, which refers to subtly directing people's attention to contextual cues, like website images or Zoom backgrounds, that prime people in the direction of our persuasive goal.”
Example sentence: “The teacher provided contextual examples for better learning.”
get a hold of something (idiom)
Definition: to understand or grasp a situation, idea, or object
Example from the episode: “People are thinking like, what the hell does that mean? I don't know what it is. How do I get a hold of it?”
Example sentence: “It took him a while to get a hold of the concept.”