The InFluency Podcast

Do you ever feel like you understand most everything when you watch your favorite YouTuber, or have a conversation with others in English, but when you watch a movie or TV show, you suddenly start to question how much you really know and understand!? You’re not alone! In fact, today I share with you 3 reasons why it’s hard to understand TV and movies with subtitles, and what to do about it! Learn more about why we need subtitles in movies and TV from this video by Vox: https://youtu.be/VYJtb2YXae8 Improve your listening comprehension with these episodes: Schwa – the BEST vowel sound in English https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/schwa/ How to Improve Your Listening Skills in English – 9 tips for English Learners https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/how-to-improve-english-listening-skills/ How to pronounce AND, OF, OR and FOR in a sentence | Reductions in English https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/reductions-in-english/

In this episode, I talk with public speaking coach Helena Bowen about the work she does with TED speakers and how she helps them deliver a compelling message in an interesting way. You’ll get to hear some stories, mindset tips, and practical tips to improve your speaking skills, in general and on video in particular. This episode was originally published on Jul 16, 2020. To see the video version, click here: https://youtu.be/F4Htgb6JJAM

Memorizing a text can be really useful for your English practice! It can help you learn words in context, new grammar structures and help you use your voice in English more confidently. And most important, it’s SO MUCH FUN! In this episode I share with you the technique I used to memorize monologues when I was an actress, and then – we’ll put it into practice together! Here’s the text I used, but I highly recommend to also download my FREE memorization guide so you could see the script written out phonetically: https://hadarshemesh.com/memorizing-a-text-freebie/ On our very first day at Harvard, a very wise professor quoted Aristotle: ’The law is reason free from passion.’ Well, no offense to Aristotle, but in my three years at Harvard I have come to find that passion is a key ingredient to the study and practice of law – and of life.” If you are an InFluency Community member, I’m challenging you to memorize this text with me, and upload your video in the community! Not a member of the InFluency Community? Join my FREE speaking community today: https://hadarshemesh.com/influency-community/ Want to improve your speaking vocabulary? Check out this episode: https://bit.ly/3mnoDea

My students and community members are truly inspiring. In these What’s Possible episodes, I’ll have a conversation with them about their journey, and in particular what has worked for them and led them to change the circumstances in their lives (for the better!). In this episode, Ibrahim, a New Sound student of mine, shares his story of how he transformed his experience and started developing a new method for learning with us in New Sound Ibrahim’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ibrahim.umulu/ Want to know more about New Sound? Get on the waitlist and be the first to hear when doors open next time! https://hadarshemesh.com/join/ Join our Facebook community to connect with non-native English learners from all over the world: https://hadarshemesh.com/influency-community/  

Welcome to another Tuesday episode By the way, do you say TYOOZ-day or TOOZ-day? If you’re not sure how to pronounce it, this episode is for you. Join me as I go over the pronunciation of the days of the week and learn how you can practice so you feel natural when saying them. Learn how to pronounce the months of the year: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/266/

This Friday is a bit different from what I normally post on the InFluency Podcast. In this episode, I have the absolute privilege of sharing with you something very special from my students, Vanessa Castillo and Soraya Carvajal, members of my Beyond Community. Today, you will hear from Vanessa and Soraya, as Vanessa shares her journey of overcoming limiting beliefs, sharing awareness about her condition, symbrachydactyly, and celebrating differences. April 1 is the beginning of International Limb Difference and Limb Loss Awareness Month. I am so happy to begin this month with this special episode.

Want to know how to pronounce the NG sound in English, and common exceptions for this sound? Join me in today’s episode! To practice with more words and sentences, read the full blogpost here: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/ng-sound-in-english/

My students and community members are truly inspiring. In these What’s Possible episodes, I’ll have a conversation with them about their journey, and in particular what has worked for them and led them to change the circumstances in their lives (for the better!). In this episode, Jacqueline, a New Sound student of mine, shares her story of transformation from feeling stuck in English for many years to becoming a fearless speaker of English! Click the link to learn more about New Sound and get on the waitlist: https://hadarshemesh.com/newsound/ Watch the video version of the interview here: https://bit.ly/40dYKfI  

  What does it look like to transform from feeling insecure to feeling expressive and confident in English? In today’s episode, I’m interviewing 6 of my New Sound students as they share their experience inside New Sound, and what has become possible for them during and after New Sound. They’ll share what are the things that they needed to learn, and the things they needed to let go of to speak English powerfully, clearly and fluently. They will also share the values of what New Sound is all about: speaking up, being heard, and using your English voice to change your life. And mostly, when we build pronunciation confidence, we feel more free and fluent, and much more like ourselves when speaking. Get on the waitlist to be the first to know when we open doors to New Sound next time: https://hadarshemesh.com/join/

New Sound is the ONLY program for speakers of English as a second language that focuses on EVERYTHING you really need to own your voice in English and find the freedom you deserve. New Sound offers a holistic approach to teaching pronunciation and prosody that will help you overcome your limitations and find your unique, powerful voice. I’ve integrated elements from my theater training (I bet you didn’t know I was once destined for Hollywood), including voice work, body language, speech analysis, and more, to help you feel more comfortable speaking English. But the secret sauce? The stuff that really leads to true success? It starts with how you think and feel about speaking English. In other words, this English fluency course is like no other. So, if you’re ready to: Have a confident command of your English Become successful, powerful, and happy with your voice, no matter what comes up in conversation; Master the English-speaking mindset, and change the circumstances in your life (and the lives of the people around you) …then, I would be honored to show you what’s waiting for you inside New Sound. Get on the waitlist to be the first to know when we open doors next time: https://hadarshemesh.com/join/ Check out the success stories of my students: https://hadarshemesh.com/success-stories/