Improve your Speaking online Episode 13, Introduction:
This week we bring new current topics in Episode 13 so you can improve your online speaking from home.
Topic 1: Impact of tecnologies
«The Impact of Technology in Our Lives and The Future of Technology«
“Over the last 2 to 3 decades, technology has become more and more a part of our daily lives”
Article
Over the last 2 to 3 decades, technology has become more and more a part of our daily lives, to the point where it has taken over our lives. Take a moment, stop reading this post and look around you. What do you notice? Do you see tech, gadgets, computers, video monitoring?
Notice how our lives are surrounded by gadgets and tech appliances. The PC at your desk, the cell phone next to your bed, the Wifi router, even your thermostat – all these are examples of how technology has transformed every aspect of our lives; some for the good and others may not be so good.
In this post, we are going to look at some of the latest feats in technology and analyze their positive and negative impact on our lives.
Positive Impact of Technology on Society
Smartphone Revolution
It was just over a decade ago when cell phones were primarily used for calling and sending texts. Today, the uses of cell phones run the gamut. Phones do everything from taking high-resolution pictures to watching pixel-perfect videos, browsing the internet to playing graphic-intensive games to monitoring your movements. It’s astonishing at how this small device can handle demanding tasks in addition to fulfilling basic communication needs.
The advent of smartphones has simplified our lives immensely. People now connect with their loved ones more frequently and easily through video calls and instant messaging services. Tasks, like creating slides, reading emails, and creating documents don’t require a PC anymore.
In a nutshell, smartphone and apps have changed the way we work, communicate and play. In addition, the booming expansion of e-commerce and internet-based companies is directly proportional to the rapid proliferation of smartphones.
Negative Impact of Technology on Society
Less-Active Lifestyle
While the smartphone revolution has made our lives easy, it has also made us lazy. Today, the whole world is at our fingertips, and thus we don’t have to work or move around like we did previously to get things done.
Our sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activities can be partly attributed to the over-dependence on smartphones. This is especially true for the younger generation, who are constantly glued to their cell phones. In the modern era, cell phone addiction is having a negative impact on our lives. Care needs to be taken to deal with this issue in an effective way.
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
The advancements made by the scientific and engineering community has turned Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics from science fiction to reality. Though we don’t have human-like robots like those depicted in movies, intelligent machines are now a part of our daily lives.
Think about advanced drones that are capable of surveillance, tracking, and offensive measures- aren’t such machines highly-intelligent robots? What about automated assembly lines in industrial plants that can handle the manufacturing and packaging of goods on its own?
Sophisticated machines that are capable of working with minimal human intervention are sophisticated robots too. Driverless cars are yet another example of AI and robotics. With tech giants like Google, Tesla, and BMW involved in the production of driverless cars, it looks like we are going to see self-driving cars sooner than we may have expected.
While the concept of Robotics and AI sounds exciting, it is not without flaws. Many people believe that the implementation of robotics and AI will lead to mass layoffs and unemployment. We have already seen how factory workers lost their jobs when automated assembly lines were introduced. Now, with driverless cars, intelligent chatbots, and more knocking at the door, it may turn out that drivers and customer support agents are going to have a hard time keeping their jobs.
Future of Technology
With each passing day, technology is growing by leaps and bounds. And despite concerns about unemployment and over-dependence, proper use of technology holds a bright future for us. So, how can technology shape up the future in a better way? Let’s take a look!
Clean Energy
Excessive consumption of fossil fuels has led our planet to the brink of catastrophic consequences. However, technology is helping us deal with this problem by developing clean energy. Development in the field of solar power technology has drastically reduced the cost of solar cells.
Generation of electricity through wind turbines has also gained a lot of momentum in the recent years. So, in the near future, technology can help us do away with dependence on fossil fuels and embrace clean and green energy solutions.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Remember Pokemon Go? Well, that was one of the earliest examples of virtual reality going mainstream. Tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Nokia are spending a huge amount of money to make VR experience better for the customers.
However, VR is not just about immersive multimedia experience. With time and further developments, VR can be used for communication through holograms, for interacting with 3-D objects and other useful and educational purposes.
Education for all
A considerable number of the global population doesn’t have access to quality education. With the help of the internet, anyone on this planet can have access to not only basic education but also advanced topics.
Reputed educational institutions from different countries are already recording lectures and publishing those materials on the internet for everyone to watch and learn. With better internet connectivity and smartphones, “education for all” won’t be a pipe dream anymore.
Flying cars
This sounds straight out of a movie, but flying cars might soon be mainstream. Amazon has already started delivering goods with the help of its drone fleet, and Google is working on building its own powerful drones.
A couple of start-ups are also working on building flying cars. A flying car for all intents and purposes is a drone that is capable of carrying people. There are already a handful of flying vehicle proto-types: Terrafugia has TF-X; Pal-V has the Pal-V1; Indigenous Peoples’ Technology and Education Center (I-TEC) has the Maverick LSA “Flying Car”; and lastly AeroMobil s.r.o. has the AeroMobil 3.0.
These are just a few of the amazing technologies that we will have in the coming years. The future is unpredictable and the possibilities are limitless. What’s next? Teleporting? Anything is possible!
We will focus the conversation on the following questions:
- Which is the positive impact of thecnology?
- Which is the negative impact of tecnology?
- Which is the future of tecnology?
- Why tecnology has become so important?
- Give your opinion about the most important ideas of the article.
Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk
- Nutshell– for a conclusion, briefly.
- over-dependence state of being too dependent of something
- passing day– day by day, each day
- sophisticated machine– more complex or more advanced device.
- driverless– means without driver; it works with a program.
- mainstream– popular ideas shared by most of people.
- implementation– the process of putting something in execution.
- surveillance– close observation of something.
Topic 2: Self-Care
«The Missing Ingredient in Self-Care»
Why is important to be able to take self-care?
We will focus the conversation on the following questions:
- What do you think is self-care means?
- What is the real self-care focused on?
- Which parts of your entity is involved in a selfcare?
- Can self-care improve some of medical conditions? Why or why not?
- Do you take care of yourself?
Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk
- medical condition- is a term that can include any illness and disease.
- selfcare- a practice that is related to perceive own health.
- damage- a type of harm that can be either physical or emotional.
- burn the midnight oil- this means to work or to study late at night.
- manage stress- a type of technique that can help to avoid negativity and stressful situations and reduce harm to your person.
- selfcare practices- there are certain tools to follow in order to take care of your own self such as beauty routines, sports, eating healty, etc…
- writting in a journal- the act of writting down in a notebook daily anything you want.
- entity- a being that has identity and existence.
Topic 3: CrossFit
«CrossFit explained, Methodology and Programing«
It´s important to know the basis of CrossFit.
We will focus the conversation on the following questions:
- How is defined CrossFit in the video?
- Which is the main objective of CrossFit?
- Which is the most followed program by Crossfitters?
- In CrossFit how the program works? or How does the program work in CrossFit?
- Do you like doing physical exercise? Would you try doing CrossFit?
Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk
- favouritism- you can favor and issue one side over another.
- overall- taking into account everything.
- smeasuring- device to give a certain size, degree, weight to something.
- simprove fitness- to increase certain skills, qualities that you are practicing.
- funcional movement- movemets based on real word situational biomechanics.
- side note- a marginal note.
- affiliate – attach to or connect with.
- load – a heavy thing that is carried, or to fill something or to make.
Topic 4: Importance of brands in Marketing
«The importance of branding»
How to create a strong Brand.
We will focus the conversation on the following questions:
- What is a strong brand?
- What is a consideration set?
- Which strong brands you can name ?
- Which brands are named in the video?
- What is a Brand Equity?
Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk
- consideration set – alternatives which consumers actively consider before making their final purchase decision (i.e. a product is too cheap or too expensive)
- brand equity – a value premium that a company generates from a product with a recognizable name when compared to a generic equivalent.
- costumer equity – a present value of the income stream you are going to get from your present customers.
- value proposition – a simple statement that summarizes why a customer would choose your product or service.
- positioning – it is a strategic process that involves creating an identity of the brand or product within the target customers’ mind
- momentum – the quality of the brand’s market position and the ability to grow over the competitors.
- level of favoravility – how much more favorable is your brand seem to be.
Topic 5: Influencers
«What is a Social Media Influencer?«
“ Influencer is someone whose opinion is valued in a particular area.’’
Article
What is an influencer?
Before we talk about social media influencers specifically, it’s important to understand what an influencer is in the first place. In a nutshell, an influencer is someone whose opinion is valued in a particular area, and who influences people to buy things as a result. Before the age of social media, there were a few traditional types of influencers.
Popular celebrities
In the modern era, celebrities are one of the oldest types of influencer. This category is relatively broad. Singers, actors, and models can all become celebrities. Remember the supermodel of the 1990’s? Once upon a time, people paid a lot of attention to people like Cindy Crawford. For a while, it seemed like everything she touched turned to gold: watch brands, fashions she wore, even Pepsi. Crawford was cool, and lots of pretty young girls wanted to be her.
Nowadays, we look to different celebrities. People like Rhianna, Kobe Bryant, and Taylor Swift capture the imagination. In addition to their main line of business, most celebrities endorse various products and services. Some, like Rhianna, even start their own line of products which are then marketed on their name. You have only to look at the local perfume counter to see this phenomenon at work, and it’s a longstanding practice.
World leaders
While there are always limits, world leaders are a type of influencer. Contrary to popular opinion, this is not just true with political opinions. For instance, during the Obama years it was fashionable to brew your own beer. The Obama family liked to do this as a hobby, and many people also took it up. Another example is various members of the British royal family. How many people watch what they wear and run out to buy something similar? This is especially true of the younger royals, whom many see as glamorous people.
Industry/thought leaders
Especially for B2B brands, industry experts and thought leaders are an important kind of influencer. Not only do people pay attention to them for their expertise in the field, but they like to know what products they use. For instance, let’s say that your business needs to buy new machines. There’s a good chance that you will flip through a trade magazine to see what other companies are buying. Or, you’ll search for reviews from industry thought leaders. Armed with this knowledge, it’s easier to make an informed decision.
Then what is a social media influencer?
Strictly speaking, a social media influencer is someone who derives much of their influence from social media. When asking what is a social media influencer, you might want to know the types of people that can gain influence this way. The short answer is, just about anybody. Why? Because any time people talk about what they are interested in, there will be people who share those interests. Let’s take a look at the kinds of social media influencers out there.
The mom on a mission
One of the wonders of the internet is that anyone can publish content. With more moms liking to share their days online, there is a whole community of moms who engage on social media. This can be through blogs, Pinterest boards, Instagram pictures, and more. Over time, some of these moms gather a community of other moms, where they trade recipes and solutions for the latest scraped knee. Brands selling products like baby products or children’s fashion often leverage the power of these social media influencers, originally called “mom bloggers” but now are everywhere on social meida.
The globetrotter
With lockdowns and travel restrictions, this one might not seem relevant right now. However, that won’t always be the case. Many world travelers like to share their adventures on social media, both through blogs and pictures. As these people stay in hotels, eat in restaurants and engage in various activities, they get to voice their opinions on each. Because of this, travel brands love to work with influencers in this area.
The car junkie
Unless you live in an area that has good public transportation, there’s a good chance your family has a car. Plenty of people, from auto mechanics to the person who loves a sweet ride, create content in the automotive space. Mechanics attract fellow mechanics to their social media channels, but they also get the DIY guys (and girls). Likewise, people who have a car-centered hobby gather together on social media.
The Gen Z entertainers
You’ve heard of Charli D’Amelio, right? From dancing on TikTok to showing how to best play the popular video games on YouTube, a whole new generation of social media celebrities have emerged who are great at entertaining younger generations.
What do the examples above have in common? They’re all regular people who share things they’re passionate about. Keep in mind, though, that some of the more traditional influencers are also social media influencers. When talking about what is a social media influencer, and how to work with them, you can treat both types the same way.
What does a social media influencer do?
Part of understanding what is a social media influencer is defining what they do. Social media influencers have two things in common: they create content, build community in social media, and over time people listen to what they have to say. From here, however, there is a significant difference on how they accomplish this goal.
Social media influencers are content creators
First and foremost, the answer to what are social media influencers is, at the heart of it “they are content creators,” because you can’t yield influence in social media without content. This covers a large variety of activities, from blogging to video production and photography. No matter what they create, however, their content is of a certain quality and relevance to their audience. Otherwise, not many people would consume it. Furthermore, the content is focused on a particular niche. If it wasn’t, then they would have a harder time building a sphere of influence. Focus is also important to building trust with an audience over time.
Do they work full time at influencer work?
Some social media influencers make a lot of money doing what they love. After all, some can command high prices for their sponsored content. Typically, this is very high-quality content made by people who have a large number of followers. On the other hand, some other influencers have a full-time job of some sort. These people don’t command as high of a price for a post, don’t want to spend all their time creating content, or have just started out. In the middle, there are the people who make part-time money with sponsored content, but they don’t want to work a formal job. The big example of this is moms who share their secrets with other moms. These can also be service providers like fitness instructors or entrepreneurs in business who use social media to promote their work and grow their influence organically over time.
How many followers do you need to be a social media influencer?
When asking “what is a social media influencer,” many of us answer, “someone with a zillion followers.” However, this isn’t entirely true. Some influencers do have a lot of followers, but you don’t need a huge number to become an influencer or to get a sponsorship. In fact, the most recent trend is working with “nano influencers.” By definition, this is someone who has 1,000 up to 10,000 followers. Brands are learning that they have a very high engagement rate, which is what makes them valuable.
What types of influencers exist in social media?
Generally, influencers are classified in two categories.
First, there’s classification by the number of followers they have. Designations range from “nano influencers” with 1,000-10,000 all the way to “celebrities” with a million or more. This has been the most popular way of looking at influencers and has been promoted by influencer marketing agencies as well as the marketing industry as a whole.
Second, we talk about influencers with brand affinity, as I highlight in The Age of Influence. This means the amount of affinity and commitment to a given brand. Levels range from employees and customers who are literally invested in the brand all the way to those who lack any brand affinity at all.
How does an influencer get paid?
Brands have a wide variety of ways to pay influencers. The method chosen depends on the influencer, the intended content type, length of campaign, and size of their following. With that said, there’s a number of ways that brands can pay influencers.
We will focus the conversation on the following questions:
- How would you define an Influencer?
- Which is the impact of social media?
- What does a social media Influencer do?
- Do you think that people called influencer are paid good?
- Which type of social media do you prefer? Give examples.
Here we leave you some vocabulary you can use during the talk
- Globetrotter- a person who travels widely
- Entertainer- a person whose job is to entertain others.
- Build community- a group of people that follows a certain source of interest, could be called community.
- Foremost– most prominent in a rank.
- Sponsored content- a publication of someone that was paid for it to be promoted.
- Entrepreneurs- a person who set ups a buisness taking on financial risk.
- Employee- a person employed for wages or salary, especially at non-executive level.
- Competitors- also called rival, challanger or opponent.