2026 | 2025 Part 2 | 2025 Part 1 | 2024 | 2023
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
Lerone Martin
01/19/2026
architect (verb)
Definition: to plan and design something carefully so all the parts work together
Example from the episode: “I actually find his Nobel Prize acceptance speech to be more rousing and better architected.”
Example sentence: “They architect a plan for the class project.”
sermon (noun)
Definition: a talk by a religious leader that teaches or gives advice about life or faith
Example from the episode: “Do you have a favorite speech, sermon or writing of his, and if so, what is it and why?”
Example sentence: “We listened to the sermon at church.”
oratorical (adjective)
Definition: about public speaking and the way someone gives a speech
Example from the episode: “You've highlighted some already, but he was excellent at using lots of different oratorical and rhetorical devices to really engage.”
Example sentence: “His oratorical style was calm and clear.”
muscle memory (idiom)
Definition: when your body remembers how to do something because you practiced it many times
Example from the episode: “Thinking about Steph Curry and LeBron James and others, like they do what they do and sometimes it's impromptu, but that muscle memory right, enables them to do that.”
Example sentence: “The pianist plays the song from muscle memory.”
Bonnie Hayden Cheng
01/15/2026
operationalize (verb)
Definition: to put an idea or plan into action so it can be used in real life
Example from the episode: “What does kindness actually look like when it's operationalized in organizations?”
Example sentence: “The manager operationalized the new rules this month.”
betterment (noun)
Definition: the act of making something better or improving it
Example from the episode: “So I define kind leadership as taking intentional action in service to and for the betterment of the people under your care.”
Example sentence: “Volunteers act for the betterment of animals.”
generalizable (adjective)
Definition: able to be used or applied in many different places or situations
Example from the episode: “So the RISE model really has quite generalizable applications, which I think makes it a lot more of a practical application.”
Example sentence: “Her method is generalizable to new problems.”
red tape (idiom)
Definition: official rules, paperwork, or procedures that make it slow or hard to get things done
Example from the episode: “A lot of times people get stuck not because of capability issues, but it's more about resource or admin or red tape issues.”
Example sentence: “Red tape made the permit take months.”
Adam Bryant
01/13/2026
demystify (verb)
Definition: to make something easier to understand by explaining it clearly
Example from the episode: “His work focuses on demystifying leadership, identifying the key qualities of successful leaders, and translating those insights into actionable advice for managers.”
Example sentence: “The teacher will demystify the science topic today.”
synthesis (noun)
Definition: the process of combining different ideas or information to make something new.
Example from the episode: “When you look back at the synthesis you've done, the career journeys that you've seen, is there a particular mistake or two that leaders tend to make, especially when it comes to communicating around themselves or their companies that you've seen that we could learn from and try to avoid?”
Example sentence: “The essay is a synthesis of three articles.”
shorthand (adjective)
Definition: a quick, short way to say or write something
Example from the episode: “And my shorthand version of his theory is the Einstein Theory of Communication.”
Example sentence: “He wrote a shorthand note after the meeting.”
near and dear (idiom)
Definition: very important or special to someone
Example from the episode: “So the first one is the ability to simplify complexity, which I know is a topic that's near and dear to your heart.”
Example sentence: “Family is near and dear to him.”
Wendy De La Rosa
01/06/2026
trigger (verb)
Definition: to cause something to start or happen
Example from the episode: “Can you give a specific example of how a leader or manager's communication framing of, let's say, a budget cut or some new financial policy can either trigger a scarcity mindset or inspire a problem-solving mindset?”
Example sentence: “Touching the red button will trigger the toy to move.”
cue (noun)
Definition: a sign or signal that tells someone to do something
Example from the episode: “But it's a cue to say there's a meaningful change happening.”
Example sentence: “The bell is a cue that class has ended.”
taboo (adjective)
Definition: not allowed or not talked about in a group or culture
Example from the episode: “I have found in my life with lots of topics that are taboo that just initiating the conversation opens up the opportunity for others to share.”
Example sentence: “People said it was taboo to ask her age.”
give credit where credit is due (idiom)
Definition: to say that someone deserves praise for something they did
Example from the episode: “I want to give credit where credit is due.”
Example sentence: “Always give credit where credit is due to your teammates.”