NOTHING PERSONAL, JUST BUSINESS

#fun #friday #memes

Globish: Your Weapon Against the Language Barrier 😎 Heard of Globish? If not, meet it. If yes, stick around anyway. Globish = Global English - functional English with the fat trimmed. Coined by a French engineer in 2004 after he noticed non-natives understood each other better than they understood Brits or Americans. The golden rule: you said it, they got it, deal done. Some stats for you: ~1.5 billion English speakers worldwide, only ~380 million natives. The rest is us. English no longer "belongs" to anyone; it's a tool we all use. 🌚 Globish-shmobish? Here's why it matters: 🔹 Common ground. Most learners use the same materials (Macmillan, Oxford, Cambridge, etc.). Your partner from Brazil or Korea studied the same Present Perfect. Instant shared coordinates. 🔹 Simplify to be understood. Basic grammar and vocabulary aren't flaws - they're features. Fewer idioms and complex phrases mean less chance of miscommunication. 🔹 Accent? Relax. Chasing a "perfect" British or American accent is usually perfectionism, not necessity. In real business, heavy local accents are the norm. Even at teacher's webinars globally, no one cares. 🔹 Norms shift - and we're the reason. Example: "whom" is dying. Cambridge Dictionary now accepts "Who should I talk to?" as standard; "whom" smells like 19th-century mail. Non-natives outnumber natives, so the language bends our way. 🐤 So those scary posts… "My student said THIS and lost the deal!" Please. Deals aren't lost over one phrase — unless it's "go f*** yourself". I've seen students' emails full of glorious mistakes, yet deals closed and money landed. ❗️People who want to reach an agreement will reach it, grammar police or not. ✅The real takeaway. Your English doesn't need to be flawless; it needs to work. While you stress over articles, your competitor is already closing, mistakes and all. Your counterparts from Germany, China, or the UAE are just as nervous. Most international companies explicitly ask native speakers to slow down in meetings. Think about that. And breathe =) Have you heard of Globish? Does moving away from "native" English free you or worry you? Let's talk in the comments 👇 #Globish #BusinessEnglish #communication #languagebarrier #globalenglish #psychologyoflearning

Fat Cat Blocks Your Screen: Genius or Just Annoying?😳

It stops you. It blocks you. But come on, it's a cat. Cats can do anything. The internet was basically built for them, right? 🐾

Japanese developer ZOKUZOKU released a Chrome extension called Cat Gatekeeper. You set a time limit (default is 60 minutes), and when you hit it, a chubby ginger cat plops itself right on your screen. Over buttons, over the feed, over everything. You can't close it. You just have to wait out the break (default is 5 minutes). The timer only runs when the tab with your socials is active, and it blocks exactly the one where you've been doom-scrolling. As a Business English trainer and psychologist, I'm all for it. Both paws up. Why? Reason 1. Cortisol said "meow". Some experts have pointed out: watching cats lowers your cortisol levels – that's your main stress hormone. Add forced breaks that prevent your nervous system from frying, and you've got a double win. Reason 2. No willpower? No problem. Willpower is unreliable. Your brain loves quick dopamine hits from endless scrolling. A cat – painless, cute – is the gentlest way to break that infinite loop. Reason 3. A ritual without violence. After a few days, you develop a reflex: cat = break. You stop seeing rest as "betraying productivity". A furry anchor often works better than any alarm. But… 🌚 I'm exactly the kind of person who, deep in creative flow with a fire under my chair, might throw a right hook at the screen if something interrupts me.🙈 If I'm fully immersed and this obnoxious ginger appears – he's asking for trouble. Day one: adorable. Day two: mildly annoying. Day three: you want to strangle him (virtually, of course). Best case scenario – you uninstall the extension. Worst case – the cat learns what your fury feels like. What do you think? Tried it yet? P.S. Video attached in the comments. Watch and see for yourself. #CatGatekeeper #ProductivityTools #ChromeExtensions #BusinessEnglish #PsychologyAtWork #WorkLifeBalance #DigitalWellbeing #TelegramChannel #learners

The Shanghai Trade Fair Disaster 🌟Hello there! 🌟 Here I am with some useful stuff for my dearest colleagues. To be more precise, a ready-to-use Task-Based Learning lesson. I designed it for my B1 student – a CEO and co-owner of a company. We needed a realistic business context, so I took a case study from Language Leader Intermediate and gave it a modern facelift. The scenario: An American company sent junior managers to a trade fair in Shanghai. It was a complete disaster. Now your student plays a consultant who must analyse what went wrong and present recommendations for the next trip. Now, the goodies. 👇 In the comments, you'll find an archive that contains: - The full lesson plan (no cryptic notes, I promise) - A ready-to-use template for the HOLST interactive board (think Miro, but my personal weapon of choice) - A short video showing how to open the file in HOLST so you can use and edit the lesson to your heart's content ❗️ Btw, HOLST lets you use up to 3 boards for free. So even if you don't normally use it, you can try this lesson with zero commitment and zero rubles. This is not an ad, just a friendly tip. ✅ Go grab it, adapt it, and save yourself an evening of lesson planning. You're welcome ❤️ #TESOL #BusinessEnglish #TBL #CELTA #PresentPerfect #PastSimple #TeachingEnglish #ESL #CaseStudy #Shanghai #HOLST #LessonPlan #teachers

My Friday mood be like 😎🤌🏻 #memes #friday #fun

Sabbatical: A Talent Devourer or a Real Retention Tool? 🧐 Nothing spelled trouble. I started my lesson as usual with my student (a CEO of a company) and asked an innocent lead-in question to kick off the main topic. It went something like this: "Imagine your best manager asks for 6 months unpaid leave to travel the world. They call it a career break. What do you say?"🌚 Next thing I knew, we were deep in a debate, frantically Googling, and hunting for a workable solution. Because it turned out his company already has a policy: after 4 years of service, any employee can take up to 3 months of sabbatical at 50% of their salary. But that's not the kicker. The kicker is that this "perk" – designed to retain and motivate – backfires spectacularly. Most people who take those three months never return 😱 So the company ends up with extra costs (financial, operational, team burnout), and the tool fails its purpose. We dug into research, went through case studies – and here's what I found. Sharing facts, thoughts, and the solutions we brainstormed. 📊 Stats that turn HR's hair grey My student wasn't exaggerating. According to studies, nearly 90% of people don't come back from a long sabbatical. Within a few months, they rethink their lives, pick up new hobbies, launch projects – and the company loses them. Meanwhile, the company covers the costs, loses productivity while they're away, and overworks the remaining team. And if the employee never returns, the money and effort invested work against retention, not for it. (My student's case was a perfect bingo card of sabbatical nightmares.) ❗️ But wait, there's other data, you might say. And you'd be right. The Sabbatical Project found that 80% of people who took a company-sponsored sabbatical not only returned but stuck around for at least another year. The difference is easy to explain: some studies count "long unpaid leave", others only paid programs. Either way, the point stands – a sabbatical is a double-edged sword. By the way, the same SHRM research showed that companies offering sabbaticals report 25% higher employee satisfaction and 15% lower turnover. The perk works as an image booster, especially for Generations Z and Alpha, who want to see that a company "cares about its people". 🤔 So what can you do? My student and I didn't just google and argue. We gathered and analyzed the information and sketched out several practical options to turn the sabbatical from a talent devourer into a real retention tool. Here's what we came up with: ✅ Introduce a tiered system. 3 months is a lot. Start with 4-6 weeks at 50-75% pay. Enough to recharge, but not enough to fully drop out of the work context. ✅ Create "anchors". Set up short weekly check-ins (15-30 minutes) with their manager – not for control, but to share news and keep the connection alive. ✅ Use a "return contract". Sign an agreement that the employee commits to staying for a certain period after the sabbatical (say, 6-12 months), otherwise they pay back part of the company's costs. Standard practice for expensive training – why not apply it here? ✅ Offer a purpose-driven sabbatical. Instead of an open-ended "trip", ask the employee to focus on a specific project (volunteering, learning, market research) that benefits both them and the company when they come back. 💬 Now over to you What do you think? Is a sabbatical a must-have for talent retention, or a risk that could leave you without key people? Ever faced something like this? Maybe you have your own success story (or a disaster)? Share in the comments. I'm sure together we can find even more solutions that actually work. #english #business #learners #sabbatical #hr #talentretention #employeeretention #peoplemanagement

4 reasons to start your career in… Adult tech (yes, really) 🤫🚀 Let’s normalize saying it out loud: Adult tech is a stealth innovation lab. Developers, data scientists, UX researchers, performance marketers - this is your secret playground. Here’s why: 🔹 Big Data on steroids Billions of daily interactions. Mouse movements, scroll depth, hover time, click patterns. They don’t just collect data — they map human desire. Want to master predictive analytics? This is the Ivy League of behavior. 🔹 AI that predicts wishes before you blink Long before Netflix said “Because you watched…”, adult platforms ran hyper-personalized, real-time recommendations. Zero lag. Brutal feedback loop. Perfection under pressure. 🔹 Conference rockstars At major tech & marketing conferences, talks from adult tech engineers are always sold out. Why? Because they solved scaling, retention, and conversion problems most SaaS companies are still Googling at 2 AM. 🔹 Mainstream borrows (a lot) Payment gateways, streaming optimization, age verification, conversion tracking — stress-tested here first. Aylo (ex-MindGeek) and OnlyFans didn’t just build platforms. They built tech stacks that now quietly power parts of everyday MarTech, e-commerce, and streaming. Is it NSFW? Technically. Is it a career cheat code? Absolutely. 😏 P.S. Oh, and the second piece of info from my student? It was about sabbaticals and retention policies. But it's going into Part 2. And no — this isn't a cheap trick to lure you in. 😇 It's just that my master's degree exam session is breathing down my neck, and if I don't close my laptop now, my prefrontal cortex will file for divorce. So Part 2 will come. Just… not today. Bear with me. I'm only human after all (c) #learners #TechCareers #DataScience #MarketingStrategy #AI #CareerGrowth #AdultTech #UnconventionalWisdom #EdTech

Didn't know whether to say "Christ is risen" or "Let's go" first. 🌚 So here's both at once! Happy Easter & Cosmonautics Day. What a launch! #Easter #cosmonauticsday #gagarin #eggs #holiday

🎤 Почему мы так залипаем на TED? Вы замечали, как это работает? Открываешь одно выступление, и через 40 минут уже смотришь пятое. Не потому что «надо». А потому что цепляет. Ведь магия TED - не в «полезной информации». А в формуле: одна четкая мысль + живая подача и личный опыт спикера. Отсюда возникает тот самый интерес. И в какой-то момент происходит главное: вы не просто узнаёте что-то новое 👉 вы начинаете по-другому думать Но есть нюанс. Эти выступления часто далеко от вашей реальности. Красиво. Вдохновляет. Но не всегда применимо. А что если, тот же формат коротких выступлений сделать «ближе»? С экспертами из вашей профессии и темами, которые касаются лично вас? Вы сможете ощутить каково это уже 25 апреля - на новом мероприятии SELF. 🤖 SELF Talks: HI vs AI про то, что происходит с нашим мышлением сейчас: где ИИ помогает, а где вредит, и главное - что останется за человеком. ⭐ Почему стоит прийти Потому что это не: 🚫 лекция 🚫 вебинар 🚫 «сейчас я вас научу», а: ✔ мысли, которые цепляют ✔ опыт, который узнаётся ✔ формат, в котором хочется остаться 👉 Подробности и регистрация

Just a reminder from your friendly neighbourhood English teacher (and psychologist-in-training) Katyusha 🙃 : You're not a machine ❗️ If you want to give up - give up. Rest. Breathe. Feel sorry for yourself if you need to. No guilt, no shame. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop pretending you're fine. 👇 Save this. Share it. And then go do nothing for a while. P.S. Your brain and body will thank you later 💯 #businessenglish #psychology #burnout #rest #justbusiness #learners #teachers

🎤 My arms still grow from my backside, but I'm going to debate AI anyway. (Some things never change.) The good news: I've been invited to speak at SELFTALKS - an online event organised by Katerina Panfilova @kp_ktrn , the creator of t.me/proselfpro "Учителя не горят" (spoiler: we're trying). And if there's one thing I know, it's that her events are always top-notch. So I said yes before my brain could say "are you sure?" 🗓 When: April 25, 11:00 AM (online) 🎤 What: A live debate about AI (yes, me, debating. pray for me) 🔥 Vibe: Cool speakers, like‑minded people, zero corporate zombie energy And because you're here - promo code: COOLSPEAKER → 15% off for you. 👉 See you there! Drop a 🙋🏻‍♀️ in the comments and tell me: AI — friend or frenemy? #SELFTALKS #AIDebate #OnlineEvent #BusinessEnglish #Teachers #PublicSpeaking #CoolSpeaker #teachers #learners

🤦‍♀️ My Presentation Nightmare (and How I Finally Fixed It) Lately, I've been drowning in presentations. Work stuff. Master's degree stuff. Endless slides, deadlines, and that special kind of despair when you stare at a blank template at 11 PM. 🫠 Here's the thing: I have zero design skills. Like, my arms grow from my ass when it comes to making things look pretty. Combine that with my beautiful, crippling perfectionism, and you get a nightmare scenario where ONE decent presentation takes approximately 47 years to finish. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I tried AI for this a few months ago. It was BAD. The results were ugly, the layouts made no sense, and honestly? It took MORE time than doing it myself. Total waste of energy. But here's what I've learned: AI is evolving at lightspeed. What didn't exist 3-4 months ago is suddenly not just available but actually good. We even have CHOICE now. So after extensive testing (read: suffering through multiple bad presentations to find the good ones), here are my two favorites I can genuinely recommend. ⚠️ Sokratic https://sokratic.ru/ru What it is: a Russian-developed platform, fully localized, understands our pain specifically. ✅ Pros: - Russian interface + Russian prompts - Accepts Russian cards - A lot of templates for various contexts and needs - You can attach your templates, presentations, text etc. to have exactly the result you want. - You can literally SEE your presentation being born and EDIT every step, every little thing - Even when the presentation is ready, you can change the template as many times as you want, and see how it looks in different colors and styles - It even offers you a ready speech for your presentation in .doc format ❌ Cons: - Design is... fine. Not mind-blowing, but solid. - You can pay for one presentation (189 rub) or choose a plan starting from 469 rub per month - You get absolutely NOTHING for free. You create your perfect presentation but you cannot download it, delete watermarks or get a text without paying. ⚠️ Kimi Slides https://www.kimi.com/slides What it is: From Moonshot AI (Chinese team), surprisingly powerful, very different vibe. ✅ Pros: - You have 3 free generations per day - Actually good design - Accepts Russian prompts - You can attach your templates, presentations, text etc. to have exactly the result you want - You can download your presentation for free - You can make changes yourself manually when you download .pttx ❌ Cons: - English-only interface - Few templates available - No editing - you get what you get. If you want to make changes - you start from the beginning. Have you tried any AI presentation tools recently? Found something better? Drop it in the comments — I'm still testing and always looking for upgrades. 👇 #EdTech #AIforWork #Presentations #BusinessEnglish #Teachers #ProductivityHacks #learners #teachers #technology #AI

In this live conversation, Mikhail Smirnov, CRM Management Lead at Takeda Pharmaceutical, shares with me his remarkable career journey from Moscow to Barcelona and finally to Singapore. Starting with no background in CRM, he navigated a challenging transition that involved not only a new role but also a new country, a new language, and a completely different work culture. He candidly discusses the struggles of working in a multicultural environment and reveals how stretch assignments and authentic networking opened doors he never expected. Along the way, he offers practical advice for anyone dreaming of an international career. ⚠️⚠️HIGHLIGHTS⚠️⚠️ 🧠 From zero to product owner: Mikhail stepped into a CRM role with zero experience and admits it took him two years to truly understand what he was doing. His advice? Embrace the discomfort and trust that clarity comes with time. 🗣 When English isn’t anyone’s first language: Working with colleagues across Asia, Mikhail shares the real struggle of understanding accents (Vietnamese, he says, was the toughest) and the art of pretending you understood when you absolutely didn’t. 💼 Why Barcelona didn’t last: Despite the beautiful city and valuable hard skills gained, Mikhail left after a year due to financial stagnation and a salary system that offered only 1-2% annual increases regardless of performance. 🚀 The power of stretch assignments: A six-month “stretch” project (volunteering extra work without immediate reward) became his ticket to Singapore. It allowed decision-makers to see his mindset and reliability firsthand - far more valuable than any CV. 🔗 Networking, but make it authentic: Mikhail admits he’s “horrible at networking” but reframes it: build genuine relationships with people you actually like. Opportunities follow naturally when you leave the door open. 🎯 Promotions are earned before they’re given: His key insight: people don’t get promoted to start working well; they get promoted because they’ve already demonstrated they can handle the next level. Show ownership, manage risks, and become someone others trust to delegate to. 🧘 Authenticity over confidence: When asked for success tips, Mikhail emphasizes being yourself. Confidence is great if it’s real, but self-doubt can also be a superpower—it makes you question assumptions and dig deeper. 🌴 Singapore: safe, civilized, and not as strict as they say:Two and a half years in, Mikhail loves the comfort, safety, and diversity. And yes, locals do jaywalk. The golden rule: don’t create problems for others, and you’ll be fine. If you want to know more, watch the whole video) You can use this as a podcast to improve your listening skills AND/OR gain some valuable insights and recommendations! If you have any questions or generally something to add/to say - you’re more than welcome to leave comments. Tag Mikhail (@msmrnv) if you want him to answer some questions. Here is the link to the script. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ULbwlH875CSBfhTL4r8HnOh5AfAPB6zw/view?usp=sharing #learners #liveheroes #business #Singapore #Barcelona #Sanofi #Takeda #GlobalCareer #RelocationTips #ExpatLife #CareerAbroad #relocation #Pharma

⚠️⚠️⚠️ Just in a couple of hours I'm meeting Mikhail Smirnov to discuss his international work experience. Don't miss it! Join our live session and bring your questions ❤️ https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84038797731 Код доступа: 157247

Kakao, not just a chocolate drink 🍫 (but also your new video-call BFF) With #Telegram gradually turning into “Tele-slow” and the government aggressively pushing MAX, something unexpected happened: KakaoTalk quietly climbed to the #2 spot in downloads. 😱 Yes, the Korean messenger that used to be just “that app for K-drama subtitles” is suddenly everyone’s backup plan. I downloaded it myself to see what the fuss is about. Is it intuitive? Not entirely – the UI feels like it was designed by a very cheerful alien. But the video calls? Surprisingly awesome. You can add participants on the fly , share your screen (just like Zoom), and there’s a ridiculous number of filters and backgrounds to keep things entertaining. ❗️ Also, there’s a PC version, so no need to hunch over your phone. Will it replace Telegram? - Not really. But as a free, surprisingly solid video-calling tool with bonus bells and whistles? Absolutely. So go grab it while it’s still unblocked. 🌚 #learners #teachers #Moscow #technology #Kakaotalk

🧐 Have you ever dreamed of working abroad, but wondered what it’s actually like? Not the Instagram version. The real one. Meet Mikhail Smirnov – a professional who started his career in Moscow, navigated the complex world of international pharmaceutical companies across Europe and Asia, and somehow made it look almost… manageable. Now he’s joining me for an honest, no‑filter conversation about what these moves really involve - from someone who’s done it. We’ll talk about: 🏁 The journey: Moscow → Barcelona → Singapore — how one opportunity led to another 🌍 Living the expat life: Barcelona vs. Singapore vs. (yes) Moscow - pros, cons, and surprises 🚧 The hard parts: Relocation stress, bureaucracy, culture shock, and how to handle them 💡 Career lessons: What he’d do differently - and what he’d do again in a heartbeat ✅ Tips for you: If you want to work abroad or switch into global pharma — where to start Whether you’re dreaming of an international career, already packing your bags, or just curious how people actually pull off these moves - this live will give you the inside scoop. ❓Got a question about working abroad, pharma careers, or life in Moscow, Barcelona, or Singapore? Drop it in the comments! 🗓 WHEN: March, 27 Friday at 13.10 MSK 📍 WHERE: Zoom (code on demand) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84038797731 Set a reminder. Bring your curiosity. Let’s talk about real career adventures. #learners #business #liveheroes #CareerAbroad #PharmaJourney #ExpatLife #RelocationTips #GlobalCareer #Takeda #Sanofi #Moscow #Barcelona #Singapore #LiveInterview

Happy Friday, my friends! ❤️ #friday #fun #memes

🌿 Your Spring Stroll Soundtrack What a glorious weekend we have on tap, my friends! ☀️ The forecast is serving up sunshine and actual spring temperatures - the kind of weather that makes you want to dust off your jacket, find a park bench, and pretend you're a functional adult who doesn't spend 12 hours a day staring at screens. But old habits die hard, so why not multitask? Here's your soundtrack for a perfect spring stroll: 1. AI Is Not Improving Productivity: Nobel Laureate Daron Acemoglu 🔗https://sloanreview.mit.edu/audio/ai-is-not-improving-productivity-nobel-laureate-daron-acemoglu/ An MIT professor and Nobel winner drops truth bombs on why AI isn't delivering the productivity miracle we were promised. Perfect for that "wait, are we doing this wrong?" moment. 2. AI Revisited — Part 2 🔗 https://37signals.com/podcast/ai-revisited-part-2/ The Basecamp folks on how AI is actually showing up in their products and workflow. No hype, just "here's what works, here's what doesn't" from people who've been building software profitably for decades. 3. How AI Is Reshaping Business and Learning 🔗 https://dmradio.biz/archives/7709#page-content Features Jason Ambrose and AI keynote speaker Sharon Gai on turning unstructured data (calls, emails, CRM chaos) into actual business intelligence. Practical, not theoretical. If anyone stops you to ask what you're listening to with that intense "I'm learning something important" face, just say "Nobel laureate explains why AI isn't saving capitalism" and watch them slowly back away 😂 Happy listening, sun-deprived professionals 😎 P.S. If you find yourself on a bench for "just five more minutes" of that Daron Acemoglu episode - no judgment. Some truths require sitting down. #learners #teachers #technology #business #AI #BusinessEnglish #PodcastRecommendations #WeekendListening #TechTrends #WeekendVibes #SpringSunshine #WalkAndLearn

My dearest ladies! Happy Women's Day! May your biggest competitors today be the flowers you receive. Wishing you a high return on happiness and zero liabilities!❤️❤️❤️

In this episode of Community Business Heroes, I sit down with Irina Potapkina, a trademark and design attorney with 15 years of experience in intellectual property (IP). We dive into the often misunderstood world of IP protection. Irina explains why business owners should register trademarks early to avoid costly conflicts, breaks down the common mistakes marketers make when naming brands, and gives a realistic overview of the registration process, costs, and timelines in Russia. The conversation also touches on the tricky concept of "fair use" for educators, the new law on foreign words, and how to spot red flags when hiring an IP specialist. A must-watch for any entrepreneur wanting to safeguard their brand. ⚠️⚠️⚠️HIGHLIGHTS⚠️⚠️⚠️ 💡 You Can't Patent an Idea: An idea must have a tangible form (like a design, logo, or formula) to be protected as intellectual property. ⚠️ The Risk of Not Registering: Without a trademark, someone else can legally register your business name and force you to stop using it, potentially demanding damages. 🌍 Trademarks Are Territorial: Registering a trademark in Russia doesn't protect it in the U.S. or Europe; you need separate registrations in each country where you do business. 🚩 Red Flags When Hiring a Specialist: Be wary of lawyers who guarantee results or promise accelerated registration for suspiciously low fees - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 🧠 Marketing vs. Legal: A Creative Clash: Marketers love descriptive names (like "Best Nails"), but these are legally weak and hard to protect. The best brands balance market appeal with legal strength. ⏳ Time & Cost Reality: Registering a trademark in Russia takes 10-12 months and costs at least 17,500 RUB in official fees, plus professional fees - with no guarantees of success. 📚 Fair Use Is a Gray Area: For teachers, using clips of films or music for educational purposes might be "fair use," but the law is vague. There's no safe percentage - it all depends on context and intent. ⚠️ If you want to know more, watch the whole video) You can use this as a podcast to improve your listening skills AND/OR gain some valuable insights and recommendations! ⚠️If you have any questions or generally something to add/to say - you’re more than welcome to leave comments. Tag Irina (@Irina_Potapkina) if you want her to answer some questions. Here is the link to the script. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YHMHFFyKzs1dOhtDkrG9Zv502tsRLE-G/view?usp=sharing If you got interested, you can find Irina here: https://t.me/Irina_Potapkina #learners #teachers #IntellectualProperty #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #LegalTips #LiveTalk #Copyright #Trademark #DesignProtection #liveheroes