TalkShop

TalkShop Training by Design

2011-12-19T09:14:00.003+08:00

TalkShop training by design is an assurance of quality and value. It pays to compare corporate packages of training providers. A good number will simply run workshops, and follow through some time for the next run. The one focused on excellence offers a partnership – working closely with clients to determine special needs and particular considerations – through diagnostic runs, individual assessments, customized designs, and performance monitoring.

Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO explains, “We are here for the long haul. Our Total Training System (TTS) has enabled us to fortify relations with client partners who see the value we offer. It is a holistic training package that we offer at many levels – from Consultative Selling, English Communication, Personality Development, Negotiation Skills, Speech and Presentation, Assertiveness and Leadership Programs, among others.

For Viesca, the operative word is service. “With our partners, it cannot be touch and go. We invest time and effort to ensure we exceed our partners’ expectations. So far, it has been most encouraging, with partners who tap us on sustained basis. With TalkShop’s Total Training System, a company can have their teams evaluated with regard thinking style, communication proficiency, leadership sense, customer service, motivation and behavioral issues, among others. Evaluation is the important first step to delivering a meaningful program that will benefit the participants, in particular, and the company, in general,” she adds.
Viesca, who is also a faculty member of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), runs the workshops. She brings with her many years of experience from special training from Canada, to the expertise borne from many years as corporate trainer.

For more information to empower your corporate team, call 894-5588 or visit www.talkshop.ph.

TalkShop Mounts Public Seminars

2011-12-19T09:14:00.000+08:00

TalkShop, a leading corporate training provider announces its schedule of public seminars to be held at the Tower Club, 33rd floor of Philamlife Bldg. along Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. “We begin the new year on a high note, targeting front liners tasked with the all-important role of meeting targets, engaging customers, and imparting the desired corporate branding,” said Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO. TalkShop holds Communication for Sales Executives on January 14, Technical Writing & Grammar Mastery on January 28, and Etiquette for Professionals on February 11, 2012, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“The workshops are designed for participants to meet the target performance level of their organization that demands only the best from their teams. Such top-performing companies give important regard to the benefits of training in empowering people,” Viesca informs. “Communication for Sales Executives will focus on effective selling and closing, corporate protocol and branding. It educates the participants in the sales process, bringing to the fore the need to be proactive, use creative thinking, assertiveness and negotiation skills, and best practices in relationship selling. Technical Writing & Grammar Mastery will aid writers in honing their craft in persuading, influencing, and conveying particular information. Etiquette for Professionals will add the polish that is needed for image enhancement and professional advancement. The program includes Conversation Expertise, Phone Etiquette, Social Graces, Charm Training, Manners in Daily Situations, Makeover, among others.

The workshop fee includes lunch, coffee, snacks, training kit, and certificate of attendance. Registration ends a week before workshop dates. For reservations and group discount, call 894-5588 or log on to www.talkshop.ph.

How to Learn English

2011-12-19T09:12:00.002+08:00

If you are considering how to learn English casually, think again. While reading and learning English online can help, a well-planned curriculum and classroom interaction are critical. You need to choose a reputable school.

Learning English in the Philippines is becoming more and more popular for non-native English speakers all over the world because Filipinos are renowned for their facility with the language. For ESL learners looking for “English for Kids” “How to Learn English Conversation”, and other “How to Learn English Grammar” courses, TalkShop is the school for you.

TalkShop has been in the business of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL). For years now, it has been the choice of top Japanese firms that has been regularly sending their key executives and technical people to learn and improve in Business English and Management Communication. They choose to be trained by the best ensure the best performance from their teams.

“We are adept at training non-native speakers of English to not only polish their communication skills but also to become globally competitive. Adopting Integrated Language Teaching (ILT), our main objective is to develop all communication skills, reading, writing, listening, and speaking for a cohesive approach,” says Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO. Viesca pioneered the ILT approach in the Philippines in 2002 after undergoing special training in Canada. “Beginners who struggle with English are overjoyed at how they are able to cope in meaningful ways with the use of the language in everyday life - from ordering lunch, buying from a store, answering the phone, ordering for home delivery, writing their email, coordinating with foreign clients, and accomplishing business transactions. We get raving commendations especially from family and friends who find their colleague’s progress in language acquisition remarkable,” Viesca adds.

TalkShop, as a learning facility, specializes in corporate training programs. Companies find a trusted partner in TalkShop for communication skills, sales management with leadership training, and values reinforcement that are aligned with the organization’s mission, vision, and corporate values. TalkShop enjoys long-standing relationships with clients who prefer its tailor-fitted, values-laden programs that come with assessment aids depending on the target competencies and program designs.

Professionals, educators, students, and children find TalkShop’s communication excellence programs especially rewarding for their personal development. Courses combining grammar mastery, personality dynamics, social graces, and assertiveness training results in a polished performance that empowers the entire team.

TalkShop is affiliated with U.S.-based International English Education Research Association (IEERA). Come for a free evaluation. Call (632) 894-5588 for reservations or visit www.talkshop.ph for more information.

How to Teach English

2011-12-19T09:11:00.002+08:00

Teaching English is not just for full-fledged professors. Many professionals discover that it is an alternative, rewarding path, possibly more fulfilling than one’s chosen field. But does teaching of English require advanced certification?

If you wish to teach English without taking an Education course, certification programs in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) are your best options. A good TESL/TEFL school is your best bet.

Where does one enroll in a good TESL, TEFL course that will reinforce teaching the English language fortified with actual practice? TalkShop offers these teaching certificate courses using a unique and proven learning approach. “We use Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) which fuses the interactive, communicative teaching approach of the West with the creative, reflective learning style of the East. This tapestry approach of integrating all language skills – reading, writing, listening, and speaking is key to effective language acquisition,” says Sheila Viesca, Talk Shop CEO.

Viesca pioneered ILT in the Philippines in 2002, after completing special studies in Canada. She is also a faculty member of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM).

ILT adopts the modern approach whereby teachers become facilitators, coaches, and motivators. It is not the run-of-the-mill classroom type of instruction where teachers do all the talking. TESL and TEFL engage teachers in creativity, as they conjure activities to engage students in using English in varied situational activities.

TESL and TEFL teachers find employment in non-English speaking countries and in local English learning centers catering to both foreign and local professionals, students, and children who wish to master the language or upgrade their skills to become more effective communicators.

For your teaching certification requirements and more information, call (632) 894-5588 or visit www.talkshop.ph.

What is Public Speaking?

2011-12-19T09:10:00.000+08:00

Most careers will require one to engage in addressing a group of people for varied reasons. Whether it is to inform, educate, or entertain, it pays to cultivate the art of public speaking.

How a person fares at public speaking can make or break him. The fact is there are too many people who dread public speaking. It is a real fear that can be gripping and life-limiting. Can you snap out of your public speaking fear? Are public speaking classes helpful? Will a course in public speaking give your chances for success a boost ?

The good news is TalkShop can help you get out of your rut, and spur you on to success. TalkShop is a leading facility for corporate and English language learning. It has been in the business for 11 years molding students, professionals, educators, and the country’s top companies into top form.

Sheila Viesca ,TalkShop CEO steers you from the anxiety with Public Speaking and Presentation Mastery workshops. Whether you need to conquer your fear, work on your personal development, or bag that promotion, TalkShop helps you find your voice, tell your story, and engage the listener.

Viesca puts together a meaningful workshop that integrates the verbal, visual, and vocal aspects of presentation with personality dynamics, verbal yoga, and practical speech applications. Conversation expertise is included for good measure.

Viesca gives these tips on public speaking:
- Know your material by heart. Practice makes perfect.
- Think positive.communicate. In the process, one becomes impressive.
- When it is your turn, relax. Breathe deeply. Smile whenever possible.
- Whoever the audience, aim to motivate and inspire. The orientation should not be to impress but to
- Ignore fumbles.
- Let every speaking experience enrich and motivate you.

For more information and advise from the language experts, call TalkShop at (632) 8945588 or visithttp://www.talkshop.ph.

What is Management Communication?

2011-12-19T09:09:00.000+08:00

Management communication involves the relationships in the workplace with variables in place, including the hierarchy, personalities, and culture. With the dynamics in the environment, change is indeed inevitable and conflicts do arise. Management communication is the glue that binds everything into place, allowing a company to run as a cohesive whole.

What is the role of good communication in effective management? Can they operate separately? Are conflicts normal in the workplace? How important is conflict management?

TalkShop highlights the role of communication with Management Communication workshops. The 2-3day sessions underscore the impact managers create as leaders and coaches to motivate their team, engage their staff fully, and manage conflict effectively.

Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO evaluates and discusses the leadership styles of your officers and staff. “This journey to self-discovery is always an eye-opener for everyone, fostering greater understanding and harmony in the workplace,” she explains.

Besides leadership, TalkShop’s Management Communication features Managing People to harness team spirit, The Language of Motivation, Emotional Quotient, Review and Interweaving of Core Competencies and Core Values.

“The idea is to set into place a culture of respect and productivity in the workplace. In a healthy work environment where the morale is high and positive feelings prevail, the staff will be inspired to give their best,” Viesca adds.

TalkShop offers value for its management communication workshops with a customized compendium of lessons and activities, a helpful resource material that your officers and staff will treasure; individual and group progress reports; personality and leadership skills evaluation; training certificates.

For more information on how to boost morale and productivity of your team, call (632) 894-5588 or visit www.talkshop.ph.

Customer Complaints Handling

2011-12-03T09:48:00.000+08:00

For any company, customer complaints come part of the territory. This aspect of the work is always an unpleasant experience for the customer. But it need not be a losing proposition for the company. The truth is, complaints pave the way for opportunities to improve on a product, correct service procedures, and win over customer loyalty. The key is careful selection and effective training of your personnel.

Complaint management is critical. In this age of digital communication, when customers can resort to the Net to spread the word quickly, it pays to be able to put out fires and turn a negative situation to a positive one. How does one go about complaints and procedures? Can complaint handling be assigned to anyone? How can one remain cool when handling complaints?

All these and more relevant questions will be answered in TalkShop’s Complaints Management Workshop.
We teach you how to keep calm and collected, to listen with empathy, to think creatively and quickly. This highly practical workshop will be interactive, employing case studies and role plays for on-the-spot drills that will engage your participants’ sensitivity, sensibility, and quick thinking.

SheilaViesca, TalkShop CEO, will teach your staff to deal with difficult situations with customer retention as the end goal. Whether it is a minor customer complaint or a potential crisis, she will teach you how to read your customer correctly, and handle difficult situations with confidence and dispatch. The course also includes writing that all-important letter of response that appeases.

Your system of handling complaints is telling. Let TalkShop assess the proficiency of your team and take it to the next level as befits your brand. For more information visit us at www.talkshop.ph or call (632) 894-5588 to consult with our course adviser.

What is Social Media?

2011-12-03T09:47:00.000+08:00

Communication will never be the same with the advent of social media that has made business concerns faster and easier. Social media makes use of web-based technology centers on content. It is the creation of content, the exchange of ideas, and the simultaneous interaction that creates and engages a community that accounts for social media’s popularity.

How does social media differ from the traditional tri-media (i.e., newspapers, television, and film)? For one, social media is affordable, and mostly free. Hence, it poses the economical alternative in the face of tri-media’s spiraling rates. Social media is accessible. One needs only to be connected to the internet to access it, 24/7. The access is instantaneous, the reach global. This makes communication to any part of the world immediate, making it the most compelling communication tool.

With virtually everyone connected to the worldwide web, individuals, communities, and companies realize the need for strong online presence. Today we have social media jobs for writers, a social media campaign that gets people wired to a cause, social media consultants for the right strategies to employ. The web offers great potential that has paved the way for social media marketing that companies need to tap to hear the buzz on-line and be in the loop.

Avail these vast opportunities through TalkShop’s Social Media Language workshop. Master Netiquette, online etiquette to tread smoothly with your communication. Learn to write blogs, chats, and emails while integrating your branding and building trust in the social media sphere.

Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO takes you through the how-to’s, do’s and don’ts, and writing applications to help you, your community, and company navigate your way through the buzz on-line and put online communication to best use.

For more information, visit www.talkshop.ph, or call (632) 894-5588 for a free consultation.

Etiquette in Business

2011-12-03T09:45:00.000+08:00

Let TalkShop Hold Your Hand

Is etiquette still relevant today? What use does it serve in a society that has turned informal and relatively casual? Do manners and etiquette factor in one's corporate training?

Though much has changed in our fast-paced business life, good conduct and proper behavior will never go out of style. While it is true that manners and etiquette may change with the times, there are social behaviors that are timeless and universal, like saying “Thank you” and “Excuse me.” Others conform to a specific culture like our use of “po”and “opo” as a sign of respect when addressing elders, while new norms are born, as called for by the changing times, like email, phone, and text etiquette.

Business etiquette calls for high sensibility. In essence, it means being nice to all - not only to paying customers, but to everyone else in the workplace, from our superiors, the people in the team, and co-workers.

Good business etiquette requires a boss to manage his people well by eliciting the support of his staff, inspiring, and trusting them. Etiquette is at work when the personnel are team players. There is etiquette and protocol to observe when meeting with clients, making arrangements for the boss, canceling appointments. Telephone etiquette is a must for front liners who should always make a good impression. Table etiquette must likewise be practiced when wining and dining with corporate friends.

TalkShop’s “Etiquette Training for Professionals” teaches the ABCs of business etiquette. From urbane behavior, corporate communications, good grooming, interrelationship manners, to dining etiquette. Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO, holds your hand through the rules of good manners and etiquette any professional would greatly benefit to know and master.

Master the art of professional etiquette for the polish that impresses. This corporate training is essential part to create your winning brand.

Book your workshop now. Visit www.talkshop.ph or call (632)894-5588 or (63) 917-8535588 for a free consultation.

How to be Assertive Through Communication Skills

2011-12-03T09:43:00.000+08:00

TalkShop Shows You How

Communication skills pay in every aspect of life. It gives you the edge on your way up the corporate ladder; it is the secret of star salesmen who use glib to close the sale; it is the distinguishing mark of every successful person. It integrates a good command of the language, with logical and moral reasoning using rational arguments. One area of communication fortified by assertiveness is speech. Parlance and eloquence can be developed by anyone who wants to enhance his self-esteem to improve his chances for success.

The definition of assertiveness is usually equated with speech eloquence, a must-have life skill for everyone. There are actually some misconceptions about the definition of assertiveness in speaking. Many equate it with aggressiveness, a negative quality resulting from rudeness that reveals lack of breeding, an evident deficiency in both emotional and social quotient.

What is assertiveness? It is being up-front in a positive way. Assertiveness lies midway of aggressiveness and submissiveness. It is being self-confident by asserting one’s rights without transgressing on the rights of another. It is acting self-assured and with self-respect. The goal is to arrive at win-win situations.

Learn assertiveness techniques to get you out of a bind. TalkShop teaches you how with a well-packaged workshop that incorporates Speech Eloquence with Assertiveness Communication.

Harness your emotional and social quotients, hone your listening skill, avoid communication pitfalls, learn self-assessment tools, and assert yourself. After the workshop you should be able to communicate better with your superior and direct hires, provide excellent customer service, use creative thinking quickly, stand for your rights without being pushy and demanding, and enjoy win-win situations in life.

Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO, engages you in this life-enriching workshop adopting the interactive, communicative approach that integrates communication skills aimed at accuracy.

Book your workshop now. Visit http://www.talkshop.ph or call (632) 894-5588, (63)917 853 5588 for a free consultation.

Confidence

2011-12-03T09:41:00.000+08:00

What is confidence? How does your level of confidence measure up? Do you have a personality that is self-assured or do you struggle with low self-confidence that hampers your progress?

Personality types are as varied as the personality tests out there. Myers-Briggs is one good tool to gauge your personality type. Whoever the person, whatever the personality, it is important to build one’s confidence. A person has to believe in his abilities to put in a good performance. This is confidence. Now, knowing about it is one, how to be confident is the question. It does not happen overnight. It takes mindful awareness to find it and persistent, targeted strategies to work at it. It takes engaging tasks and challenging situations to harness it in one's person.

One daunting task is public speaking. The stage fright can be overwhelming for many. Yet, overcoming this is easy with TalkShop’s personalized workshops. Whether it is for one-on-one coaching or corporate workshops, TalkShop customizes a program to eliminate a person's heebie-jeebies in public speaking.

Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO, guides you through interactive, communicative sessions. Conquer your fears as you learn to emcee and host, speak up and be heard. In store are personalized modules with experiential exercises that build your confidence and give you the edge.

Viesca has been working closely with the local government of Makati City as the speech trainer and personality development guru. She is now on her third year as quiz master and emcee of the Makati Brain Olympics that pits talented high school students from the different schools in the municipality. She is also a communication guru of the Asian Institute of Management.

TalkShop trains you and your team to be confident with an array of communication programs to enhance your skills, knowledge, and personality. For customized workshops that increase your productivity and opportunities, call (632) 894-5588 or visit http://www.talkshop.ph.

What is Personal Development?

2011-10-28T16:54:00.000+08:00

If you are aiming for success, personal development should rank high in your “must do” list. There is a need to enhance your persona to bring about positive change. It all starts with building your confidence by polishing your personality. With personality covering so many aspects, a holistic, personal development program will be most beneficial.

What is personality development? How important are the skills to be learned? What should a good personality development program cover?

TalkShop walks you through a comprehensive Personality Development and Social Graces Program that goes beyond the surface. Cleanliness, Urbanity & Good Grooming, The New York Walk, Service Etiquette, Dining & Party Manners, Grammar Mastery, and Grooming 101 with Makeover are just a few of the relevant topics that will equip you and your staff with the polish that incorporates your corporate branding.

Beyond the basics, TalkShop’s Personality Development & Social Graces Program nourishes the inner being with emotional wellness from which stems a positive outlook and self-esteem. This part of the program covers Understanding Self, Values Enhancement, Changing for the Better, Setting Goals, Clarifying Values, and Personal Management.

Reinvent yourself and your team. Give your company the winning edge. Learn from this useful, meaningful program by Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO. While others may undermine the value of attending a Personality Development workshop, the soft skills are not that easy to learn. In a world gone impersonal and indifferent, learning and practicing courtesy, good grooming and manners, being sensitive, likeable, and positive are sure to give you the edge and pave the way to success. For inquiries and reservations, log on to www.talkshop.ph or call (632) 894-5588 / (632) 501-5427.

What is a Copywriter?

2011-10-28T16:48:00.000+08:00

The future looks bright for a copywriter with the advent of the internet. Today, a copywriter’s skills are in great demand, with expanded opportunities on-line – email, website content, SEO blogging, and the Social Media – on top of writing for traditional media.

What is copywriting? How does it differ from technical writing? Is SEO writing complicated? How does one write a blog? If you are aspiring to be a copywriter and need to hone your skills, you may be wondering about what it takes to becoming a good copy writer.

TalkShop will answer all these as it holds your hand with Creative Writing Workshops that will harness your creativity. Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO explains, “TalkShop’s two-fold approach draws out your analytical side to set organization and logic into place, and engages your creativity for color and character in your writing. Both are keys to effective copywriting that influences, persuades, and sells.”

To her credit, Viesca is the published author of “Quintessence of Creative Writing,” a 21-Day journal that has changed the life and perspectives of many professionals who used to cringe at the thought of writing compositions, only to find out that with the right approach, they can excel in writing and even make a significant impact in their life and earning capacity. Sheila Viesca is also a faculty member at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), the Philippines’ premiere graduate school where she teaches Research Writing.

Learn the ropes of Creative Writing, a comprehensive program that will teach writers how to merge logic with creativity, master the 12 tenses, learn presentation techniques and mastery, and engage in self-editing techniques, among others. The workshop package comes with pretest to gauge the proficiency level of participants and determine their thinking style, a posttest to measure improvements, hard bound, copyrighted course materials, certificate with international affiliation, and 3-month monitoring to assess the progress of each participant. For queries and reservations, log on to www.talkshop.ph or call (632) 894-5588 and (632) 501-5427.

What is Leadership

2011-10-24T09:02:00.000+08:00

What is leadership? What are the different leadership styles? What are the leadership skills that can boost one’s effectiveness at work and in all social situations? What leadership qualities define a good leader? There are many leadership quotes and leadership training that point to the importance of evolving work and personal skills. And then there is management. What is Management? Do we need to separate leadership and management roles? Where does one start to meet the other? How can a manager make an effective leader and vice versa?

John C. Maxwell, leadership expert, author, and speaker explains, “leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, and assigned,” and that a leader “knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” These definitions draw the distinctions between the leadership and management functions. Managers delegate and manage, leaders inspire. Managers are focused on the work at hand; leaders set their sights on the horizon. Managers are task-oriented, leaders are visionary.
A good balance in the number of managers and leaders is the key to running an organization smoothly. Though leadership and management are separate functions, a good mix of managerial qualities and leadership skills may be found in talented members of your team. Yes, leaders can be good managers, and some managers do make strong leaders.

Let TalkShop handle your leadership training requirements with our Effective Leadership workshop. Starting out with assessment of leadership styles using the Enneagram among other personality evaluation tools, we offer a holistic training program that dwells on the leadership process for comprehensive leadership development. Relevant topics such as Assertiveness Training, Goal Setting, Interpersonal Relationships, Nonverbal Proficiency, Developing Life Purpose, reinforced with leadership activities enhancing dynamics between leader and team are in store. Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO customizes your leadership development training, tying these up with your company mission, vision, objectives, and core values for a well-rounded, enriching, values-laden program. Call (632) 894-5588 and (632) 501-5427, or log on to http://www.talkshop.ph for more details.

What is ESL?

2011-10-21T16:20:00.000+08:00

ESL has become a byword among those who seek to advance in their careers. English as a Second Language is now part of many business trainings as young and seasoned professionals alike recognize the importance of using effective communication when dealing with superiors, direct reports, suppliers, and customers. ESL classes teach all language skills targeting improvement in social skills and job performance. What are the best ESL lessons? What guarantee do ESL students have that they will acquire the needed competencies in there ESL classes?

In learning ESL, there is a need to have evolved trainers who can teach accuracy, fluency, sensibility, and personality all at the same time. Therefore, one needs to do some research on the integrity of an ESL school and trainer in designing customized ESL lesson plans and addressing the particular needs of students. TalkShop, a premiere training consultancy in the Philippines, has become the trusted partner of ESL students who aspire to master communicative language skills, find their niche, and enjoy the benefits of influencing people with their ability to communicate well. After introducing Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in workshop designs, TalkShop has evolved its ESL lesson plans and method to marry the teaching styles of the West with the learning styles of the East, resulting in the birth of Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) which Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO, developed and registered as a teaching method in 2002.

Why study ESL? To any person who has recognized its importance, there is great opportunity. Whether a student or an executive, employed or self-employed, a salesperson, an educator, a manager, or even a stay-home parent, a person broadens his horizon as he expands his language skills.

The learner becomes a better communicator after discovering the value of clear expression and logical thinking. The writer and the seasoned speaker improve their income and possibly help so many others to discover their talents as they find their own niche. There is no ceiling once a person develops the skills to communicate effectively and sell his ideas.

Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO, leads the team of ESL trainers who are devoted to the art of teaching ESL. Promote your personal brand, find your niche, boost your sales, motivate your team, or just find enjoyment in learning during your spare time – log on to http://www.talkshop.ph – and find out how. For more information, call (632) 894-5588 and (632) 501-5427.

What is Technical Writing?

2011-10-21T16:18:00.002+08:00

In the Information Age, Technical Writing has become a culture as we integrate technology into our lifestyle. Samples of technical writing abound in our lives – from creative writing to varied forms of professional writing. Writing prompts functionality and promotes ease when using how-to books in our library, the user manuals that come with every electronic gadget and electrical appliance, even the cookbooks in our kitchen.

What is technical writing? What are the technical writing techniques? How complicated is a technical writing report? Technical writing is a specialized form of professional writing that informs, instructs, promotes, and sells. Technical writing finds application in all industries. Whatever the field, a technical writer must know his audience, write clearly and concisely to suit the purpose.

Whether you need to prepare a technical writing report, write a how-to manual, come up with a product insert, or write about writing, you have to express all-important details in a simple interesting manner, and eliminate the guesswork that accompany technical jargons.

Learn the ropes of technical writing in interactive, communicative workshops by TalkShop. Learn how to write in an organized manner, stay accurate with details, and engage your readers’ interest. The workshops come replete with pre and post assessment of participants, a hardbound, copyrighted compendium as a writing guide, and 3-month proofreading assistance for sustained monitoring of your teams’ writing progress.

Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO steers the writing class to promote your company’s branding with technical writing exercises that are meaningful, relevant, and targeted to your training needs. For more information, call (632) 894-5588 and (632) 501-5427.

What is Grammar?

2011-10-21T16:17:00.002+08:00

What is Grammar?

by admin » Fri Oct 21, 2011 2:33 pm

If you find the correct use of English grammar to be a struggle, you are not alone. If you ask, will I ever master the principles of grammar to do away with gaffes while speaking and writing, you are in good company. Principles of grammar can get tricky at times. Even the best writers and speakers do get confused with the simplest sentence construction.

This is where grammar check comes in. What is a verb? How do I fit in prepositions? The Net is handy for this purpose. Surf and check the rules of grammar with just a click. You can also bank on that old reliable school book sitting on your bookshelf. Still, it is best to master grammar and make it your friend. Because while we tend to be more forgiving with slip-ups while conversing, it will not do to carry these over to the business setting. As far as presentation and writing goes, we need to establish a professional image for credibility to be able to persuade, influence, and close that sale. Fluency and accuracy are called for, spot on.

TalkShop shows you how with Grammar Mastery and Public Speaking courses that will carry you through your writing and presentation tasks. Sheila Viesca, CEO takes on corporate trainings that are customized to each client’s needs. The package comes with pre and post assessment of participants, a hardbound copy of copyrighted materials – an ideal grammar and English guide, plus 3-month monitoring to continually assess improvements. Call (632) 894-5588 or 501-5427.

Win-Win Negotiation Training Offered by TalkShop

2011-09-23T09:01:00.002+08:00

Negotiation is not just for business. It is a way of life, with situations each one must face, from the mundane to the complex in the daily grind of living. The situation becomes complicated in the workplace, where frontliners are expected to swing deals that will benefit the company.

“Negotiation is a skill that needs to be developed. Yet companies take this for granted, relying on staff that are, for the most part, untrained and ill-equipped to negotiate,” said Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO. She adds, “Whether it is buying, selling, handling customer complaints, transacting, or interfacing with superiors and colleagues, a company should invest in this training. It requires preparation, strategizing, establishing rapport, with the intent to keep relationships. And key to this is interactive communication, which is highlighted in our workshops.”

TalkShop’s “Negotiation Skills and Assertiveness Training” covers all the bases. Learn to influence people, enhance social quotient, be assertive in a positive way, deal with confidence issues, and harness self-esteem, while keeping in mind corporate protocol with the rules, assertiveness exercises, and experiential learning.

Negotiate with confidence to benefit your company and enrich your personal life. Call 894-5588 and 501-5427 or log on to www.talkshop.ph for more information.

TalkShop Trains Nickel Asia Executives

2011-09-12T11:58:00.002+08:00

Nickel Asia recently conducted a Technical Writing workshop, conducted by TalkShop CEO Sheila Viesca, for its administrative staff.

Elcie Cialana, Nickel Asia Human Resource Manager said, “It is encouraging to see the improvements, most notably in emails and reports churned out that show brevity and clarity. Beyond writing and editing, there’s a new level of confidence in the workplace, as participants have been made aware of common errors, superfluities and redundancies in business communication.”

Voltaire Mungcal, Nickel Asia’s Buyer likes the new-found confidence as he deals with suppliers. “What helped me most is the grammar review. In particular, I have usually felt confused with prepositions. It does not help any that in Filipino we have only the words ‘sa’ and ‘ng’ which are the counterparts of several English prepositions. The TalkShop workshop remedied that.”

Adding value to TalkShop workshops is the hardbound, copyrighted compendium designed in alignment with the communication styles and formats of the company being trained. “Other course materials are thrown away after some time, but TalkShop’s compendium is so relevant and practical to use. I have mine in my office for easy reference for all my writing tasks,” adds Mungcal.

TalkShop which specializes in communication workshops is affiliated with the US-based International English Education Research Association (IEERA).

TALKSHOP CELEBRATES 11th ANNIVERSARY WITH NEW SERVICE

2011-09-12T11:57:00.002+08:00

TalkShop celebrates its 11th year as a corporate training provider with a new service offering for its corporate clientele.

“In the course of dealing with our clients and prospects, we have seen the need for competency assessment by private firms and government agencies, large and small alike,” noted Sheila Viesca, CEO. “Hence, it makes sense for us to offer a competency assessment program to help organizations identify actual needs, so they can take the right direction towards hiring, training, and development,” she added.

TalkShop designs tools for assessing core competencies based on the company’s mission, vision, and corporate values. These include assessing thinking styles, communication competence, speaking styles, supervisory and leadership skills using temperament sorters, personality inventories, and archetype evaluations. The service includes design of the assessment tools, employee need evaluation, and training recommendations.

In these times when companies are streamlining, it will pay for an organization to know what kind of person is being hired and promoted. The emotional and social quotients would always come into the picture. Equally important is finding out if an applicant makes a right fit for the job and company for a win-win situation. This is where TalkShop can help.

TALKSHOP FIRMS PUBLIC SEMINAR SCHEDULES

2011-09-12T11:56:00.000+08:00

TalkShop, a leading provider of corporate communication programs, is holding a series of public seminars in the last quarter of 2011 to be conducted by Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO. Slated are workshops in Technical Writing with Grammar Mastery on October 15, Speech Eloquence with Presentation Skills on October 29, Communication Training for Sales People on November 19, and Etiquette Training for Professionals on November 26. The selected venue for the public seminar is the Tower Club, Philamlife Tower in Makati.

Viesca informed, “While we are accommodating the popular demand for these topics from several companies, the workshops are also open to educators, professionals, freelancers, and students who wish to further develop communication competencies which are essential to success in every field.”

The first modules in line, Technical Writing with Grammar Mastery (Oct. 15) and Speech Eloquence with Presentation Skills (Oct. 29), will bring participants’ communication skills to professional standards, in keeping with their company’s desired branding. These workshops will empower participants with communication competence, self-confidence, critical thinking, planning and organizing skills that will be useful in day to day dealings. In store are various modes of learning that take into consideration varied adult learning styles.

Those taking the first 2 modules in October will find the relevant progression in the succeeding courses in November, Communication for Sales People (Nov. 19) and Etiquette Training for Professionals (Nov. 26), that cap the well-rounded training series in speech, presentation, grammar, and personality development.

TalkShop, which is affiliated with the US-based English Education Research Association (IEERA), has been in the business of corporate training for more than a decade, adopting Integrated Language Teaching (ILT), a method which Sheila Viesca pioneered in the country in 2002.

Seminar fee is P4,000/workshop. Package discounts may be availed at P 7,500/2 seminars, P 9,500/3 seminars, and P 12,500/all four. Fees include meals, coffee, snacks, certificate with international affiliation, and course materials.

Graduate Students Hone Creativity Through TalkShop Classes

2011-09-12T11:53:00.002+08:00

The Asian Social Institute (ASI) has started incorporating in their graduate programs TalkShop’s Speech and Creative Writing course. TalkShop CEO, Sheila Viesca handles the Saturday classes at the graduate school’s premises that cater to mostly religious graduate students counting priests, missionaries, monks, and nuns from China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia.

Reverend Bante, a Buddhist monk in the group shared, “Creative writing has always been a struggle for me, but Ms. Viesca showed how natural it can be by listening to my core and expressing my voice through reflection, taking heed of life’s lessons on growing, loving, and healing, and opening my heart to write about these experiences. I now know that writing is a journey that I look forward to pursuing it. He added, “The skills I have learned are interwoven with speaking as I practice valuable lessons in creative thinking and confidence building that will be put to best use in my work for my communities.”

TalkShop specializes in communication programs for companies, organizations and professionals. “All our programs are customized to suit our clients’ concerns and considerations, going beyond canned program as needs vary with each client having varied reasons for honing their communication competence,” explained Viesca.

TalkShop Speech Training for Sales People

2011-09-12T11:52:00.000+08:00

In less than ideal business conditions, it takes more to sell your company, products, and services. With the right products already in place, your sales people are key to realizing your bottomline. Yet, for years they have been winging it, with a lackluster sales performance that is costing the company.

Turn the tide with a Speech Training Program that will impact your image, services, people, and profits. TalkShop’s SPEECH TRAINING FOR SALES PEOPLE will transform your sales force from order takers and salesmen to Sales Consultants who will earn the trust and goodwill of your clients.

Your sales team will acquire the art and skills of presenting your company’s story with clear, concise, and dramatic presentations. They will learn to be likeable, convincing, and engaging after learning to overcome their diffidence and self-consciousness. They will master organizing ideas, creating pictures in your clients’ minds, connecting with your customers, formulating questions that will lead to a sale, projecting professionalism and credibility.

Communication is key. And since it takes two to communicate, they will learn to communicate with depth – connecting logic with creativity. Best of all, they will learn to speak from your clients’ point of view. This is communicating from the heart, as they learn to relate better with customers, realizing their real needs as they link these with your products and services.

Win your customers over. It all starts with a makeover of your sales team.

TalkShop Personality Development for Bankers

2011-09-12T11:50:00.000+08:00

After the successful run of a series of communication programs by TalkShop, United Coconut Planters Bank decided on a fresh approach for its regular in-house Personality Development program for bank officers.

Stella Fulgencio, UCPB AVP said, “We saw how our employees have evolved in terms of communication, values, and outlook after the workshops conducted by TalkShop CEO Sheila Viesca, who I know can inject new dynamics into our Personality Development program. What’s new about TalkShop’s program is the total approach, integrating the basics such as Grooming, Hygiene, Manners, Confidence Building, Client Relations, and Corporate Protocol with Good Communication and Customer Service that are essential in the light of stiff competition in the industry.”

Sheila Viesca affirmed that, “While peripherals play an important role in development, cultivating personal integrity is the fundamental feature of this program. We go beyond the surface, integrating character with personality that is essential in personal improvement and advancement.”

TalkShop customizes communication programs that meet the needs of any organization. These are invariably linked with a company’s mission and vision that make them relevant and meaningful.

TalkShop Creative Writing Retreat Slated in September

2011-09-12T11:48:00.000+08:00

TalkShop, premiere provider of corporate communication training is holding a Creative Writing Retreat in September. The 2-day workshop will be conducted by Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO, a seasoned communications expert, who is also concurrently faculty member at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), where she teaches Research Writing to Business Development graduate students.

Viesca is credited with pioneering Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) in the Philippines in 2002. This teaching style, also known as tapestry approach, incorporates all language skills – reading, writing, listening, and speaking, as it focuses on grammar mastery.

“This workshop is open to the young and young at heart who take their craft seriously. We offer a positive, engaging, supportive, and relaxed environment where each writer can enjoy challenging and fun exercises to learn how to make every word talk, to build skills in telling his story, to find his muse and his voice, and to leverage his strengths as a writer,” said Viesca.

Salespeople, educators, decision makers, and writers will feel at home with the freewriting exercises, the lively, interactive discussions, and the creative, fun atmosphere as they meet like-minded people.

TalkShop Trains Kawasaki Motors Philippines Sales Team

2011-09-12T11:46:00.002+08:00

Key officers and sales executives of Kawasaki Motors Philippines brushed up on sales, marketing, and leadership skills with TalkShop’s Effective Salesmanship and Presentation Skills Workshop held at the Asian Institute of Management.

The 3-day workshop was conducted by Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO, who engaged the group in an interactive program covering first impressions, listening, preparing the script, presentation mastery, asking questions, negotiation skills, assertiveness training, handling objections, closing, and after-sales attitude.

Chairman Inoue of Kawasaki said, “The situational exercises that dealt with various realistic scenarios were educational, spot-on, and therefore very helpful to us who take on regional sales. The KMPC executive team feels empowered after the TalkShop workshop with learnings on customer service, corporate presentations, and speech eloquence.”

This career-enhancing workshop for sales managers, executives, and brokers is marketing-focused to upgrade the company’s sales force, increase the bottomline, and enhance corporate branding.

TalkShop Trains ALT Cladding Top Brass

2011-09-12T11:45:00.002+08:00

The General Manager and Vice Presidents of ALT Cladding successfully completed a Presentation Mastery Workshop by TalkShop, conducted by Sheila Viesca, CEO.

Desiree Manlapaz, ALT Cladding General Manager said, “We need to stay ahead not only in terms of service, but in the form and substance of our sales presentations. Beyond the usual communication workshop, we need to learn consultative selling to better serve our customers and put forward the best image for the company, with the aim of closing the deal.” She added, “We reaped the fruits of TalkShop’s public seminar attended by our trainees early this year, so it was a shoo-in to run this program which has been customized for those of us who give presentations to owners, investors, advisers, and decision makers in the field of construction.”

Nancy Marie Somera, ALT Cladding VP of Design observed, “Everyone felt relaxed in this workshop that boosted our level of confidence. I appreciate most the personality dynamics, creative thinking, use of visual, vocal, and verbal techniques, and the weaving of content with style that leads to a sale. This proactive approach to customer service through effective presentation will benefit both our local and international clients.”

TalkShop Trains NAPOCOR Trainers

2011-09-12T11:44:00.002+08:00

Veteran trainers of the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) got a booster with a “Training the Trainer” workshop by Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO. The 2-day session was conducted after many years of mostly in-house training sessions held by the state-owned power company in various installations across the country.

Talkshop’s intensive program combined the technical side of training replete with presentation skills, assertiveness training, self-mastery and bridge-building using its signature Integrated Language teaching (ILT) approach pioneered in the Philippines by Viesca in 2002. With ILT, participants’ common points of confusion and errors are effectively addressed and immediately corrected in relevant activities.

Abner Eleria of Napocor said, “It was a dynamic and meaningful learning session that has given me an energized perspective towards work and training effectiveness. Beyond the technical and communication aspects, I was struck by the journey to self discovery that helped me appreciate myself and others better. This will be most useful as I try to balance being both compassionate and proactive in managing workshops and engaging participants.”

TalkShop Trainers’ Workshop focuses on self-mastery and evaluation strategies, feature leadership style analysis using the Enneagram, Ego, Persona, and Shadow Awareness and Archetype Review. Skills enhancement activities focus on theme selection, material preparation, individual assessment, and formatting of after-training reports.

TalkShop coaches corporate trainers to be engaging, charismatic, effective, assertive as they learn to help foster unity and team spirit in the workplace.

TalkShop Teacher Training for CKIS

2011-09-12T11:43:00.000+08:00

In line with its commitment to provide quality international education, Casa Kalayaan International School partnered with Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO to conduct an English Proficiency Program for its teachers. In attendance were 20 faculty members and Ms. Joanne Prieto, the school administrator and owner.

Prieto takes her advocacy in teaching excellence seriously with an academic environment that is student-centric and where nature and nurture complement each other. Casa Kalayaan boasts of Calvert School accreditation which is internationally recognized. Casa Kalayaan has a certificate of recognition from the Department of Education (DepED).

“A teacher’s classroom success relies heavily on effective communication skills. This is why we believe in continuous education for our teachers who must grow beyond mastery of their respective subject expertise. Speech, writing, and presentation skills are key,” Prieto emphasized.

"With TalkShop’s communication module, my teachers had a heyday as they were kept updated and refreshed through TalkShop’s communicative language approach, with focus on writing with grammar mastery, speech with confidence building, and personality development with makeover session,” she added.

TalkShop Trains World Scout Bureau

2011-09-12T11:41:00.000+08:00

The World Scout Bureau (WSB), an international organization that aims to provide services for the promotion of scouting throughout the world has picked TalkShop as its training provider for its Writing Workshop for key executives.

Luz Taray, Asia Pacific Regional Office Director for Publication & Relationships informed that “after the positive feedback from a couple of employees that trained extensively with TalkShop, it makes sense to work with them on our companywide training participated in by our multicultural officers. The added benefit is TalkShop’s strong track record in cross-culture communication.”

WSB’s business writing module will see application in its website, correspondence, memos, circulars, solicitation letters, project proposals, as well as presentation series. TalkShop highlights the cultural dimensions of communication to address the considerations of the participants which include Filipinos, Indians, and Algerians. The communication program comes replete with protocol to be observed in various writing requirements.

TalkShop specializes in communication training, business etiquette programs, and motivational workshops with a growing clientele of Top 1000 Corporations tucked in its belt.

D & L Executives Get a Special Study Primer from TalkShop

2011-09-12T11:40:00.002+08:00

As part of management training for its key officers, D & L Industries held a special primer on Speed Reading and Effective Study Habits for its Marketing, Sales, Administrative, and Technical teams. The workshop was conducted by Talkshop in July at their office premises.

“We held this one-day special course to retool our officers, preparatory to their mini-MBA course at the Ateneo Graduate School. With most of them out of school for quite some time, it is imperative that we get them in a study mode, and equip them with the needed skills to benefit from this challenging educational program,” said Dean Lao, D & L President.

He added, “Participants raved about the time saved as they employ effective reading and comprehension in their documentations and planning. This, together with effective study habits cut work time, allowing them to cope as they balance work, study, and their personal lives.”

For her part, TalkShop CEO Sheila Viesca explained, “This study course is our latest offering that companies will find productive. The top brass and managers will feel empowered as they effectively observe time management while increasing reading comprehension that makes for greater substance in both study and reports. The truth is, studying is carried over from school to the workplace – with research to be carried out, presentations to be conducted, clients to figure out, and live case studies that confront us. As such, we need to employ the best practices to their maximum advantage.”

Plan International Gets Writing Upgrade with TalkShop

2011-09-12T11:39:00.002+08:00

Plan International, one of the largest and oldest international children’s development organizations has chosen TalkShop to advance the communication competence of their Sponsorship Officers who handle satellite operations nationwide.

The organization aims to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of deprived children, with the end view of helping them realize their full potential. This is carried out through a process that unites people and cultures across the globe.

The local operations has grown through the years, bringing hope and opportunity to some 30,000 underprivileged children through the generosity of sponsors from Hong Kong, Germany, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, and Ireland.

With this year’s thrust to forge partnerships with local and international stakeholders, we will have to upgrade the proficiency level of our Sponsorship Officers, specifically in Technical Writing,” says Cathy Seco, Sponsor & Grants Support Manager. She adds, “For this purpose, we chose TalkShop which is best suited to meet our concerns – to train our Sponsorship Officers on mindfulness by putting themselves in the shoes of our sponsors who have their wards’ best interests in mind, paying attention to quality writing structure by fusing both creativity and logic, imparting purposively the good deeds for people to know more about and appreciate the organization; to look after the system and database; and to train them on email etiquette, while watching out for the hazards that confront children on the Internet.”

“With the comprehensive module that TalkShop has customized, we know we are on track in bringing about positive change for our children,” adds Seco.

TalkShop's Personality Development that Empowers

2011-09-12T11:38:00.000+08:00

More than just refining and polishing one’s self, TalkShop’s Personality Development workshop integrates character building with personality development for the complete package.

“As without, so within” characterizes the nature of the workshop which is customized to address the client’s concerns. Client needs vary from Corporate Grooming, Assertiveness Training, Confidence Building, Team Building and on to the most basic Personal Hygiene.

“Nothing is too complex nor too basic. Whatever a client needs, we can customize into a meaningful curriculum. Integral in the program is the incorporation of personal integrity,” explains Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO. “In all, we are targeting wholeness of character for each participant to harness his full potential. And it all starts with knowing oneself. It is the journey to self that participants of this course find most worthwhile. Our commitment begins with the improvement of interpersonal relationships that promote greater morale and productivity in the workplace.” She adds.

TalkShop Offers Educator Program

2011-09-12T11:36:00.002+08:00

For years now, TalkShop, a leading English communication consultancy, has been working closely with the Department of Education (DepEd), schools, and universities in line with its goal to promote excellence and innovation in education.

TalkShop CEO Sheila Viesca says, “The need for continuous education and self-development for our teachers and educators cannot be emphasized enough. On their shoulders lie the critical task of teaching and molding our youth that should not be limited within the classroom walls. Teaching skills should be updated and upgraded, for them to impart knowledge that is relevant, not only in the academe but also in the school of life.”

In store is an intensive program that integrates grammar mastery, communication expertise, personality development, accent training, presentation skills, and assertiveness training. With such programs, educators learn to think creatively, speak logically, and conduct themselves confidently.

“It is all about mastering one’s craft which in turn should help students broaden their dimensions of thinking and learning,” explains Viesca who has widened her teaching sphere from corporate workshops to being in the faculty of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), where she teaches Research Writing to Development Management graduate students.

TalkShop’s Educator Program, enriched with learning tools is carried out using Integrated Language Teaching (ILT), an interactive, wholistic communicative approach Sheila Viesca pioneered in 2002.

TalkShop Communication Workshop for the Religious

2011-09-12T11:35:00.002+08:00

Even the Religious are benefiting from TalkShop’s Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) through workshops designed for their special tasks of preaching, counseling, writing, and spreading the Word.

TalkShop’s program for the Religious highlights speech fluency, confidence building, and creativity to enable participants to think and speak from the heart. “For the Religious, we aim to develop speech and presentation skills, to build confidence, and to help cultivate both creative and analytical thinking,” said Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO.

The entire community of San Carlos Seminary along with Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary and various congregations all over the country have partnered with TalkShop for the training needs of their seminarians, novices, nuns, and priests.

Sheila Viesca explains further, “Spirituality has to be expressed effectively and meaningfully. The approach is personable and conversational, the message is logical and straight to the point, as it must always come from the heart.

TalkShop’s mission of teaching wholistic language skills empowers the Religious and corporate person alike as they deepen their vocation and self-mastery through the power of creative expression, coherent writing, and confident presentation.

TalkShop's Personality Development Training Raises the Bar

2011-09-12T11:34:00.000+08:00

Personality Development takes on a new dimension with TalkShop’s enhanced curriculum.
“Beyond the run-of-the-mill business etiquette program that runs the gamut of personality development, proper grooming and hygiene, and code of conduct, we target the total person’s transformation, for which communication excellence forms an integral part.” says Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO.

Viesca is credited with pioneering Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) in the Philippines in 2002. This communicative and interactive style of incorporating all language skills – reading, writing, listening, and speaking—is assimilated into all our workshops. It lends added value to our Corporate Etiquette Training that goes beyond the academic and theoretical. The benefits will be evident in terms of the use of business protocol, wholeness of character, expert use of language, and improved assertiveness and interpersonal skills,” explains Viesca.

TalkShop’s Corporate Etiquette Training has been conducted successfully among the country’s top corporations, schools, universities, religious communities, business executives, and professionals. The practical and meaningful program incorporates urbanity with tradition for a seamless, dignified business style that every company needs to make the best impression, attract clients, and enjoy the edge.

Key Makati Officers Get Quality Training with TalkShop

2011-09-12T11:31:00.000+08:00

Along with Makati Mayor Junjun Binay’s executive team’s personality development program, two key executives, Makati Police Chief Col. Froilan Bonifacio and Makati Police Intelligence Chief Rey Garduque are undergoing a communication advancement program through a Speech Training and Presentation Skills workshop with TalkShop.

This reflects Makati City’s strong belief in excellent service through continuous training and development of its officers and staff. “TalkShop has become the preferred training provider of the city’s officers, staff, and youth for its holistic, values-laden training programs,” said the mayor.

Col. Bonifacio and Intelligence Chief Garduque are in agreement about the suitability, relevance, and depth of the course content for their new roles and greater responsibilities ahead. “Communication is key. The need to interface with more people of all levels will require communicating at a higher level, honing listening skills to serve them with understanding and compassion, as well as imparting the corporate image we want to project for Makati. Beyond speech mastery and confidence building, the approach is global, thus enabling us to see beyond the weeds. It fosters the goodness within us, enhancing self-esteem while fortifying us with a fresh perspective. This makes us realize why we should value our work as public servants, thus stretching our potential.”

Writing By Hand Strengthens the Learning Process

2011-09-12T10:51:00.000+08:00

Writing By Hand Strengthens The Learning Process;
When Typing On A Keyboard, This Process May Be Impaired

Associate professor Anne Mangen at the University of Stavanger's Reading Centre asks if something is lost in switching from book to computer screen, and from pen to keyboard.

The process of reading and writing involves a number of senses, she explains. When writing by hand, our brain receives feedback from our motor actions, together with the sensation of touching a pencil and paper. These kinds of feedback is significantly different from those we receive when touching and typing on a keyboard.

Learning by Doing

Together with neurophysiologist Jean-Luc Velay at the University of Marseille, Anne Mangen has written an article published in the Advances in Haptics periodical. They have examined research which goes a long way in confirming the significance of these differences.

An experiment carried out by Velay's research team in Marseille establishes that different parts of the brain are activated when we read letters we have learned by handwriting, from those activated when we recognise letters we have learned through typing on a keyboard. When writing by hand, the movements involved leave a motor memory in the sensorimotor part of the brain, which helps us recognise letters. This implies a connection between reading and writing, and suggests that the sensorimotor system plays a role in the process of visual recognition during reading, Mangen explains.

Other experiments suggest that the brain's Brocas area is discernibly more activated when we are read a verb which is linked to a physical activity, compared with being read an abstract verb or a verb not associated with any action.

"This also happens when you observe someone doing something. You don't have to do anything yourself. Hearing about or watching some activity is often enough. It may even suffice to observe a familiar tool associated with a particular physical activity," Mangen says.

Since writing by hand takes longer than typing on a keyboard, the temporal aspect may also influence the learning process, she adds.

The term 'haptic' refers to the process of touching and the way in which we communicate by touch, particularly by using our fingers and hands to explore our surroundings. Haptics include both our perceptions when we relate passively to our surroundings, and when we move and act.

A Lack of Focus

There is a lot of research on haptics in relation to computer games, in which for instance vibrating hand controls are employed. According to Mangen, virtual drills with sound and vibration are used for training dentists.

But there has been very little effort to include haptics within the humanistic disciplines, she explains. In educational science, there is scant interest in the ergonomics of reading and writing, and its potential significance in the learning process.

Mangen refers to an experiment involving two groups of adults, in which the participants were assigned the task of having to learn to write in an unknown alphabet, consisting of approximately twenty letters. One group was taught to write by hand, while the other was using a keyboard. Three and six weeks into the experiment, the participants' recollection of these letters, as well as their rapidity in distinguishing right and reversed letters, were tested. Those who had learned the letters by handwriting came out best in all tests. Furthermore, fMRI brain scans indicated an activation of the Brocas area within this group. Among those who had learned by typing on keyboards, there was little or no activation of this area.

"The sensorimotor component forms an integral part of training for beginners, and in special education for people with learning difficulties. But there is little awareness and understanding of the importance of handwriting to the learning process, beyond that of writing itself," Mangen says.

She refers to pedagogical research on writing, which has moved from a cognitive approach to a focus on contextual, social and cultural relations. In her opinion, a one-sided focus on context may lead to neglect of the individual, physiological, sensorimotor and phenomenological connections.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Within the field of psychology, there is an awareness of the danger of paying too much attention on mentality. According to Mangen, perception and sensorimotor now play a more prominent role.

"Our bodies are designed to interact with the world which surrounds us. We are living creatures, geared toward using physical objects - be it a book, a keyboard or a pen - to perform certain tasks," she says.

Being a media and reading researcher, Anne Mangen is a rare bird within her field of study. And she is very enthusiastic about her collaboration with a neurophysiologist.

"We combine very different disciplines. Velay has carried out some very exciting experiments on the difference between handwriting and the use of keyboards, from a neurophysiologic perspective. My contribution centres on how we - as humans with bodies and brains - experience the writing process, through using different technologies in different ways. And how these technologies' interfaces influence our experience," she concludes.

Source:
Trond Egil Toft
University of Stavanger http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/214297.php

TalkShop's ILT Approach Now Enhanced with Speed Reading

2011-09-12T10:49:00.002+08:00

It is Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) that sets TalkShop above other
English communication centers. This approach fuses the interactive,
communicative style of the West with the creative style of the
East. Whether for one-on-one coaching, group sessions, or corporate
workshops, ILT has proven to be an effective and engaging method of
teaching that brings out the best in participants.

“Active participation is the norm for our workshops. Through this, our
participants are able to find their voice and build their confidence”, says
Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO. “But beyond confidence, we are able
to help them develop their self-esteem as they get in touch with their
logical or creative side, whichever needs enhancing. This is critical in
order to communicate intelligently,” she adds.

Viesca is credited with introducing ILT in the country in 2002.
Today, she has enhanced the teaching approach with speed reading,
which should expedite day-to-day operations in the workplace for
professionals. Students will also stand to benefit as they learn to read
more effectively and distinguish which materials to read with speed or
with more care.

Learning speed reading with the ILT approach is sharpening one’s
language skills in order to work smarter at home, in school, or at
the workplace.

TalkShop Sets Culture of Learning in Top Organizations

2011-09-12T10:47:00.002+08:00

TalkShop is paving the way for a culture of learning and excellence in many of the
country’s top corporations. And this bodes well for its clients who value training as
an indispensable tool to greater productivity.

Our “Training the Trainer” course is geared at developing HR officers
and corporate coaches to take on the all-important role of training in an
organization. “We offer a comprehensive workshop that enables learning, enhances
awareness, and boosts confidence of participants to help them inspire themselves
and their colleagues towards continual improvement. And participants will
experience TalkShop’s signature interactive, communicative approach that is
engaging, meaningful, and even life-changing ,” says Sheila Viesca, TalkShop
CEO.

“Training the Trainer” can be enhanced further to suit a company’s needs. In
effect, participants turn out to be in-house experts of their organization , who
leave the workshops ready to take on an engaging approach to training, interacting
with people, formulating dynamic, and meaningful curricula, and taking on the
leadership role, as they motivate the work force.

TalkShop Offers Copywriting that Hits the Mark

2011-09-12T10:46:00.002+08:00

In the Age of Information, intelligent content is key. For any
organization, it is of utmost importance to come up with a good story –
one that is sincere, unique, and relevant. Whether the message is meant
online or offline, it has to be well-researched for the desired positioning,
well-written for impact, and expertly-edited for polish.

“It is all about branding,” says Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO, who has
expanded business operations from conducting corporate seminars and
workshops to offering writing services. “At TalkShop, every word
should tell . Our seasoned, well-rounded writers and proofreaders bring
in their writing prowess, English fluency, logic, and creativity . This
is how we are able to deliver creative and technical writing solutions
accurately, concisely, and professionally.”

Offering writing services is a logical next move for Viesca who also
teaches Research Writing to Business Development graduate students as
a faculty member of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). Viesca
is also a published writer.

TalkShop offers a host of writing services for companies and
individuals, including website content, news and features writing,
brochures, sales letters, catalogs, manuals, speech materials, among
others.

Local Government Takes Corporate Etiquette with TalkShop

2011-09-12T10:42:00.002+08:00

Living up to its status as the country’s premiere municipality, the Makati City Local Government office now boasts a higher level of efficiency. The Mayor’s Executive Team is undergoing regular Corporate Etiquette and Personality Development Workshops with TalkShop beginning April 2011.

Mayor Junjun Binay concedes, “The municipality has to continually upgrade its services, so front liners have to be trained to deliver service that pleases. And this goes beyond the surface with TalkShop’s meaningful module that addresses our needs.”

On top of grooming, makeover, professional manners, and dining etiquette, were Assertiveness Training, Codes of Chivalry for the men, Tonality & Expressions for Effective Communication, Handling Difficult Situations and Addressing Concerns replete with exercises and discussions that participants find most helpful.

“In the end, we work together with Sheila Viesca and her TalkShop group to continuously improve ourselves and afford our constituents with positive experiences through the excellent service that they most deserve,” the mayor adds.

Social Media Writing by TalkShop

2011-09-12T10:41:00.002+08:00

Following the successful run of the Technical Writing workshop for Smart Communications in March 2011, TalkShop, with its Lead Trainer and CEO Sheila Viesca, is conducting a series of Social Network Interface Workshops as the telecommunication company’s exclusive training provider for English communication and social corporate communication training.

Smart Communications Account Manager Dave Asencio said, “With the TalkShop group’s expertise in targeted training designs, they even exceeded the set workshop objectives. Beyond the communication training, they reinforce Smart’s corporate branding and the personnel’s adherence to the company values as we bring our business into the internet.”

Smart Communications has selected three of its departments to undergo varying levels of communication training with TalkShop. Skills that were strongly enhanced were technical and social media writing, logical thinking, customer care, handling complaints, confidence building, presentation skills, proofreading. The objective is to translate training towards skills in the form of immediate, appropriate, and relevant replies via chats, blogs, emails that boost the company’s image as professional, respectable, and reliable.

Smart Communications and TalkShop are working together on the follow-through design, Social Media Writing workshop. Another interactive, research-based training that underscores excellent customer service in online communication and interaction.

The Power of Storytelling Through TalkShop

2011-09-12T10:39:00.002+08:00

TalkShop, a premiere facility that specializes in English language training and corporate communication workshops, offers storytelling workshops for professionals, educators, school administrators, parents, and students who wish to develop their skills in the creative art of storytelling.

“With the harried pace of life, parents just do not have time to engage their children in the many benefits of storytelling. And there are many—kids develop their listening and sequencing skills, enhance visual imagery, build vocabulary, develop literacy, learn values, insights, good habits, and hone communication skills—that are essential to success, setting into place an excellent knowledge base,” says Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO.

Viesca pursues this as a spin-off from personal experience with her son. “I noted that buying good books for my son was not enough to get him started. There is a marked difference in the face-to-face encounter with storytelling, allowing me to engage my son. I introduce each character to him, breathe spirit into the story which takes on emotion for an added dimension. I then ask him to illustrate his own page to build his self-esteem and creativity,” she explains.

Viesca is currently the in-house storyteller at Fully Booked. It is also her second year as language expert with the Enfakid A+ Gain System campaign for which she evaluates learning programs for women and children.

Advanced Personality Development Workshop by TalkShop

2011-09-12T10:37:00.000+08:00

More than just the usual personality development workshop, TalkShop offers a values-laden package. “Everyone can do with a self-enhancement course, which is why our clients almost always integrate this topic into their corporate communication workshops,” says Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO, who has been conducting seminars for over a decade now.

Politicians and government/private employees realize the benefits of polishing their image. But beyond face value, TalkShop emphasizes the need for a total package. “We make over our clients into vibrant individuals, emphasizing the need for credibility and integrity in communication. Image goes beyond one’s looks. It is the sum of one’s personality and character as perceived by others. This is why our workshops put a premium on values. We help polish and re-invent our students as we guide them to evolve into the best that they can be through a journey to self using tools like the archetype, enneagram, and MBTI,” explains Viesca.

TalkShop’s Personality Development program is a holistic training for executives, businessmen, professionals, celebrities, educators, and students, which covers Grammar Mastery, Verbal Yoga, Food for the Soul, Conversation Expertise, Corporate Image, Urbanity & Good Grooming, Character Building & Self Evaluation, Social Graces & Fine Dining, among others.

Fujitsu Ten Forges Partnership with TalkShop

2011-09-12T10:34:00.002+08:00

Fujitsu Ten, one of the country’s Top Ten Corporations, has contracted the training services of TalkShop for its supervisors and staff being groomed for leadership positions. Three batches of supervisors and line leaders will benefit from the “Management Communication and Leadership Training” workshop. This commenced in November 2010 with its supervisors in attendance, succeeded by another session in February for production line leaders, and another in April for a new batch of supervisors.

An ISO-certified company, Fujitsu Ten gave the nod to TalkShop as training provider because of the suitability of its module in form and substance that will impart the company’s quality standards. “This should help us on our way to earning our certification once again this year,” said Rochelle de Castro, Fujitsu Ten HR. TalkShop’s course content focuses on leadership through effective coaching and mentoring for which communication is vital.

The participants had their favorite lessons to take from the workshop; however, they agreed that the individuation process is most helpful in their personal success to benefit the company. The evaluation based on their enneagram and archetype took them on an enlightened journey on a discovery of self and others. “For an ISO-certified company that relies on team spirit, this was a meaningful and relevant exercise,” de Castro commented.

TalkShop customizes training modules according to a company’s objectives, needs, and concerns.

Hitachi Joho Chooses TalkShop for Long-term Program

2011-09-12T10:33:00.002+08:00

Hitachi Joho Japan is setting global service standards for its key personnel through intensive, meaningful workshops as arranged by its local partner SpiceWorx, which forges alliances between Japanese firms and Asian companies.

For the company’s communication requirements, TalkShop had been singled out as the training provider of choice because of the versatility and flexibility of its tried and tested training programs in the face of varying proficiency levels and backgrounds of Hitachi personnel, as well as the expertise of TalkShop trainers.

“We have seen the successful outcome of TalkShop’s programs, batch after batch, which has won over the respect and loyalty of Hitachi Joho, hence the three year contract,” said Tae Abe- Abion, SpiceWorx General Manager.” She added, “What makes the programs effective is its holistic approach to language learning that is values-laden, conducted in an atmosphere of fun. The Japanese nationals are thoroughly engaged in activities appropriate to their learning styles and proficiency levels, and are appropriate to the business context.”

For the last batch this year, two groups arrived for separate workshops. “Business English” for Project Managers, which featured Business English Dialogues and Idiomatic Expressions, Culture and Etiquette, Management, was conducted at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). While the other batch made up of new hires, mostly Network Engineers were trained in the same program “Conversational English” at the University of the Philippines.

The language barrier is easing, with Japanese companies selecting training providers with discernment, placing a premium on substance as evident in the quality, value, and consistency of TalkShop’s workshops and seminars.

AIM Graduate Students Undertake Research Writing

2011-09-12T10:29:00.002+08:00

As a prerequisite to their Masters degree in Management Development (MMD), graduate students of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) are now undertaking Research Writing preparatory to the challenging writing tasks ahead. The students comprise a broad mix of Filipinos, Indonesians, Nepalese, Thais, Indians, Pakistanis, and Chinese.

Research Writing is conducted on Saturday mornings, covering a span of 15 sessions. It is handled by Sheila Viesca, AIM’s English Communication Consultant who is likewise CEO of TalkShop, an English facility that specializes in corporate workshops.

Ces Follente, AIM Program Manager for the Center of Development Management said, “With the culture and language diversity in place at AIM, we need more than an English language expert. This is why Ms. Viesca fits the role to a T with her strong TESL (Teaching as a Second Language) background. It is a plus that she pioneered Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) in the country.” This approach integrates all language skills—reading, writing, listening, and speaking—into a cohesive whole.

“Classes are dynamic and personalized, considering the special needs of my students, some of whom are struggling with English,” said Viesca who is into her second year as a Consultant for AIM. She informs, “The course provides a thorough but simplified background on research writing—from selecting a topic, documentation style, making an outline, critical thinking, drafting, and polishing. The challenge is to help each student get the grade he deserves, as I integrate ESL lessons, as needed.”

TalkShop Sets Sights on ISO 9001:2008 Certification

2011-09-12T10:28:00.002+08:00

TalkShop gears up for ISO 9001:2008 certification early this year to level up on its commitment to enhance customer satisfaction through this global management standard. Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO said, “We take quality seriously, as evident in our people, products, and services. This passion has allowed us to grow our roster of clients that counts the country’s Top 1000 Corporations, many of which are ISO-certified. It is our commitment to them that drives us towards this goal of integrating world-class quality into our management system.”

Guiding TalkShop towards quality management system is Joven Sabanal, Xpert Internal CEO who observes, “The processes are already in place for TalkShop. It is just a matter of aligning these to the company’s vision to be the country’s leading training provider.”

“With meticulous work already underway, clients can expect continual improvement in all aspects of our services, as required by the ISO,” adds Viesca.

TalkShop Trains Smart Communications Program Managers

2011-09-12T10:27:00.002+08:00

TalkShop’s growing list of clients in the Top 1000 Corporations is growing steadily, with the latest addition of Smart Communications. Recently, TalkShop conducted a Business Writing workshop at St. Giles Hotel, Makati City for its business analysts.

“With clarity and brevity as important considerations in business communication, particularly technical writing, the workshop offered the perfect mix of English review, drills, and exercises for our business analysts to gain greater confidence in grammar accuracy. This will be put to best use in all business forms of writing including those intended for the internet,” says Tin Encarnacion, Smart Communications Training Officer. “It is a plus that creativity was factored into the training for our left-brained program managers and business analysts,” she added.

The workshop conducted by Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO struck a balance between logic and creativity, bringing out the best in the group’s analytical thinking style, as it trained them on introspection and giving free reign to their creative side through brainstorming, mind mapping, and theme writing exercises.

Pleased with the outcome of the workshop, Ms. Encarnacion remarks, “It was a fresh approach that engaged our program managers and business analysts in grammar mastery and effective writing techniques. This helped them capitalize on their strengths, as it equipped them with the tools to develop their creativity and in a way that suits the demands of their work. “

TalkShop conducts holistic communication workshops integrating all language skills – reading, writing, listening, and speaking in a cohesive approach.

GEAR UP FOR THE YEAR OF THE RABBIT WITH TALKSHOP WORKSHOPS

2011-09-12T10:26:00.000+08:00

Great expectations lie ahead in 2011, the Year of the Rabbit. Characteristic of the rabbit, the year promises to bring joy, peace, and good fortune. It is believed to be a placid year, unlike the ferocious Year of the Tiger just past. Aligned with the gentle nature of the rabbit, people will be temperate in their dealings, realizing that warmth and persuasion over force will get them closer to their goals. People will act with discretion which is a refreshing, welcome change from the crassness of the previous year. In all, diplomacy and international relations are expected to reign.

The business community is upbeat as it looks at a growth rate of 7.5%. This will be led by private and public partnerships in infrastructure. Such optimistic scenario will push local investors rather than foreign ones to drive growth.

Which industries are expected to thrive this year? Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) will continue to boom, as the country now enjoys the distinction of being the call center capital of the world, surpassing India, with expected revenues of $12-$13 billion this year. This is expected to balloon to $100 billion in 2020. Likewise, tourism will enjoy a boost that will benefit the hospitality and service sectors. The property market will experience an upswing with the expected entry of multinational corporations and greater influx of tourists. The retail industry will continue to rake it in on the wave of strong remittance flows from OFWs.

Be poised for a successful year. With people as the greatest asset of any company, manpower development is key towards corporate success. Intensify communication skills to meet global standards, fortify leadership skills to address the challenging times, boost morale and rally them towards the company’s goals. TalkShop has an arsenal of corporate workshops that will see your company through these interesting times.

Talkshop is the preferred training service provider of many companies, counting Top 1,000 Corporations that include First Gas Power Works, First Gen Corporation, Fujitsu Ten Corporation, United Coconut Planters Bank, and Glaxo Smithkline, among many others. It is affiliated with the U.S. based International English Education Research Association (IEERA).

On top of customized, relevant and meaningful training modules, TalkShop harnesses employee creativity and emotional well-being – the top recruitment consideration in today’s managers. Participants take part in a journey-to-self communication exercise instills a strong sense of self-esteem and harmony in any workplace.

TALKSHOP IS THE CHOICE FOR WRITING SERVICES

2011-09-12T10:25:00.000+08:00

With English communication training as TalkShop’s core competency, it only makes good business sense for the premiere communication consultancy to venture into writing services. In fact, Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO has been dabbling in writing, editing, and proofreading years back, carried over from business relationships with her diverse clients.

On top of the yearly management programs for the Development Bank of the Philippines, TalkShop has been commissioned to edit and proofread the bank’s Manual of Correspondences. This sets the standards for business writing for consistency and uniformity, reinforcing the bank’s business style and corporate identity.

Saatchi & Saatchi, a leading advertising agency has partnered with TalkShop for writing requirements of a literacy project catering to moms and kids. The outcome was a well-researched, sustained, and meaningful information campaign that brought to the fore the merits of its clients’ kids learning advocacy.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has likewise tapped Viesca to set the standards for communication requirements by designing its Communication Competency Benchmark. This standardizes recruitment and promotional processes for all of the agency’s ranks.

“Our services come with a strong quality proposition backed by research,” says Viesca who leads a pool of seasoned writers and grammarians who carry out the meticulous task of scrutinizing work with a trained eye, as they focus on grammar, spelling, word choice, and punctuation, while weeding out jargon for a professional finish. Services include technical and creative writing, web content and SEO writing, editing and proofreading covering a wide range of businesses and industries. PR services are likewise offered, focusing on writing and press liaison work.

Sheila Viesca Trains Japanese Nationals and Expats

2011-09-12T10:23:00.002+08:00

English is gaining a stronger foothold in Asia, with the region playing a key role as the world’s emerging economy. Realizing the need to be competitive in this global era, the Japanese are learning English as a second language to heart. One such case involves one of the top IT services company, Hitachi Joho, which is sending its management, sales, and IT personnel to the Philippines for Business English training at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) under Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO.

“The feedback has been very positive with Japanese executives and staff learning to think, speak, and write in English that forms the core of this inter-cultural, inter-language experience,” explains Viesca, who pioneered Integrated Language Teaching in the Philippines in 2002. “This is the best approach for second language acquisition, as it fuses the interactive, communicative approach of the west with the creative techniques of the east, for a well-rounded development,” she adds.

TalkShop is also the official communication trainer of the Asian Institute of Management for its expat students as part of the management development program that includes English Proficiency, Technical Writing, and Research.

TalkShop specializes in workshops offering English Communication Excellence, Leadership & Management, Customer Service, Training the Trainer, Personality Development & Urbanity, among others. It also provides solutions for educational program designs for third parties that wish to tie up.

TalkShop Trains First Gas Power Corp. Technical Executives

2011-09-12T10:22:00.000+08:00

Project managers of First Gas Power Corp. underwent Technical Communication training by TalkShop in November. This is in line with the company’s ISO requirements for continuous improvement that stipulates exacting standards even in the choice of training providers. First Gas Power Corp., which counts among the Top Ten Companies in the Philippines, is a joint venture between the UK gas facility, British Gas, and the Lopez-owned First Philippine Holdings Group.

The comprehensive 3-day workshop put together salient topics for more effective communication of the company’s advanced level professionals. These included Grammar Mastery, Presentation Skills, Technical Writing, and Confidence Building.

Beyond the course design and engaging style of TalkShop’s CEO Sheila Viesca, the participants, consisting mainly of engineers and power analysts, enjoyed the journey to self discovery through the different archetypes, which led to their identifying themselves and recognizing others’ traits and vulnerabilities. “The interesting exercise helped define each of us as an individual, while allowing us the rare opportunity to understand and better appreciate our colleagues,” said Elson Tio, Jr., Project Engineer 2.Other participants look forward to further training with TalkShop, with topics of choice including Notes Taking, Active Listening, Speed Reading, and Public Speaking.

TalkShop Bags UCPB Account

2011-09-12T10:18:00.000+08:00

TalkShop’s busy calendar this year has been mostly about corporate workshops earmarked for long-standing clients and new ones, among them United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB), which held the second run of Business Writing for Technical Managers on December 1 and 2, 2010.

Stella Fulgencio, the bank’s Assistant Vice President said, “After reviewing and evaluating the many offers, I knew TalkShop’s workshop design would make the best fit for our IT managers. As expected, there is technical jargon with its attendant superfluities and redundancies that need to be addressed, along with communication skills that need polishing.”

“UCPB employees’ pre-test results showed that participants were analytical, as expected. Thus, the program focused mainly on infusing creative writing and thinking into the activities.” Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO relayed.

The highlight of the workshop was the writing drills through which learnings found expression in essential business forms – letters, memos, emails, reports, and minutes of meetings. Grammar Mastery formed an essential part, while brainstorming allowed the participants free rein with ideas. Next in line for UCPB are TalkShop workshops for Presentation Mastery and Personality Development.

With creativity most sought after in today’s managers, corporations will find TalkShop’s communication workshops a useful tool in organization development that can only translate to an attractive bottomline.

TalkShop-DBP Ties Growing Stronger

2011-09-12T10:16:00.002+08:00

For 5 years now, TalkShop has been getting the nod as Development Bank of the Philippines’ training provider of choice. Starting out with communication workshops for its division chiefs and lawyers, it has been conducting workshops for the bank yearly.

Sheila Viesca explains, “I am thankful for this opportunity to work closely with DBP, which holds a special place in my heart, as I have virtually trained the entire organization, growing with its staff and management through the years.”

Viesca takes on the bank’s Management Associates Program for which she devised a battery of courses aimed at communication excellence preparatory for managerial level. These include Speech Eloquence, Corporate Image & Urbanity, Presentation, and Confidence-Building Skills. Those who trained on November 24 to 26, 2010 were personnel of the head office, while those from the Visayas had their turn on December 2 to 4, 2010.

TalkShop has been growing its client base through the years, enjoying the loyalty of its customers, as it clinches and cultivates new ones, counting the country’s Top 1,000 Corporations. Communication and Behavioral workshops are values-laden, making them valuable and meaningful to a company’s pursuit of its mission and vision.

TalkShop Brings Good News for Busy Moms

2011-09-12T10:15:00.002+08:00

All moms are working mothers, even those that stay at home. With all the chores to carry out, it’s a tough balancing act requiring multi-tasking. That’s why mothers make great managers.

Moms are so good at their routine, getting so accustomed to it, that they forget about themselves. Keeping a house clean and a family healthy seem to be the top and only priorities. But this should not be so. With the children growing up, keeping up with their studies will get even more challenging. The truth is Moms should be educators too. Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO explains, “Moms need to keep up intellectually and emotionally to bring value to the family’s changing needs. And busy schedules are not an excuse for not finding time for continuous learning.”

The good news is that TalkShop makes this easy with English Communication courses that afford flexibility to suit any one’s busy schedule, with night and Saturday classes offered. Courses include Grammar Mastery, Creative Writing, Speech Eloquence, Social Graces, Conversation Expertise, among others.

One unique feature that TalkShop carries out is the journey to self-discovery that Viesca confidently carries out with her existential approach to teaching. “Why should a workshop be limited to mere academics when the experience should allow learners to reach out, sing her own song, impart something of herself, and make a difference.”

Polish your communication skills, enhance your personality, discover a new, improved you with TalkShop’s value-laden workshops.

SHEILA VIESCA POSTS BANNER YEAR IN 2010 FOR TALKSHOP

2011-09-12T10:14:00.000+08:00

Things are looking up for Sheila Viesca, Communications Guru who set up TalkShop, a leading English facility in Makati. Starting out in 2002—coaching small groups of professionals and students—TalkShop has grown through the years, with training services that have expanded to include corporate workshops and seminars for diverse industries. Its stable of clients now boasts of the Top 1,000 Corporations, many of which have booked packaged deals that keep TalkShop abuzz.

“With just a month to go, 2010 is proving to be our best year ever. Our hard work and perseverance are paying off, with word spreading about our quality standards that make us the preferred training provider of many companies,” Viesca beams. She attributes the business boom to “our values-driven workshops that facilitate processing and inculcating of a company’s vision and mission.”

Beyond English Communication, TalkShop takes on Customer Service, Presentation Skills, Leadership & Assertiveness, Personality Development & Urbanity, among others. A unique offering is the journey to self discovery that Viesca carries out with aplomb, with her existential approach to teaching. “Why should a workshop be limited to what is academic? The experience should be as wide-ranged as possible for participants to sense the richness of life in every interactive exercise. Every learner should be given the chance to reach out, sing his song, impart something of himself, and make a difference.”

Experience enriching and engaging seminars that set your work force on the way to performance, creativity, and excellence. Communication workshops are reinforced with follow through sessions and include copyrighted materials that make for indispensable reference materials.

Teacher Training by TALKSHOP

2011-09-12T10:11:00.002+08:00

Golden Values‘ pre-school and elementary teachers took the English Communication Excellence Training by TalkShop on October 26 and 27 at the school’s premises in Bel-Air, Makati. This was conducted by Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO. Teachers from the Makati, Paranaque, Pasig, and Novaliches branches engaged in a meaningful, interactive, and communicative English workshop comprising tasks, drills, and exercises to upgrade their communication and presentation skills, enhancing their personality and teaching competence in the process.

The participants enjoyed TalkShop’s Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) approach in a series of activities designed to hone grammar, speech, presentation, and writing skills. Sheila Viesca TalkShop CEO, admired the participants’ energy and enthusiasm. “Their eagerness, inquisitiveness, passion for learning put them in the best position to master English. I hope they impart to their students everything that they learned in the workshop. After all, it is when one teaches, that he learns twice,” says Viesca.

Golden Values School joins the roster of satisfied TalkShop clients. Among them are international companies, top corporations, government agencies, and associations who have repeatedly tapped TalkShop’s services throughout the company’s ten years of operation. Viesca pioneered Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) in the Philippines. Her passion for communication and teaching inspired her to set up TalkShop, which today is affiliated with the U.S.-based International English Education Research Association (IEERA). TalkShop also offers teaching certificate courses such as Teaching English as a Second language (TESL), Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), and review classes for IELTS, TOEIC, and TOEFL.

SHEILA VIESCA Brings TALKSHOP to Fujitsu Ten

2011-09-12T10:10:00.000+08:00

Fujitsu Ten, one of the country’s Top 1000 Corporations manufacturing quality car audio products and vehicle electronics, designated TalkShop as training provider for its “Supervisory Training and Management Communication,“ a workshop conducted designed to develop and empower the company’s middle management. The comprehensive workshop was held at the Fujitsu Ten facility in Laguna Techno Park from October 28 to November 5. Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO, designed the module to focus on Fujitsu Ten’s corporate values, namely: Customer Satisfaction, Teamwork, Excellence, Professionalism, and Speed.

According to Rochelle de Castro, HR Officer 3, “What clinched it for TalkShop was the relevance of the design and their creative and results-oriented approach ensuring that all the training concerns are addressed in the workshop we want to give our employees.”

De Castro added, “We are impressed with the conduct of the workshop which afforded valuable and practical learning to our supervisors as they immersed in practical activities and reflective/evaluative discussions on customer service, leadership, team building, assertiveness, self-awareness, problem solving, negotiation skills, mentoring, coaching, and corporate values. Beyond this, TalkShop went the extra mile by providing us with copyrighted materials that each participant will treasure, along with evaluation/analysis tools for performance appraisal.”

TalkShop, which is affiliated with the U.S. based International English Education Research Association (IEERA), specializes in customized workshops on English Communication, Customer Service, Leadership training, Personality Development, Training the Trainer, among many others. Now on its 10th year, TalkShop continues to be the preferred corporate training provider of international groups and companies, government agencies, schools, and associations.

SHEILA VIESCA Handles UCPB Training for IT Managers

2011-09-12T10:07:00.000+08:00

UCPB, one of the country’s largest banks, singled out TalkShop to conduct “Business Writing for Technical Managers" at the bank’s head office in Makati. The technical writing workshop, held on October 21-22, was attended by 24 engineers, section unit heads, analyst programmers, project leaders, and systems project officers.

Stella Fulgencio, UCPB VP for Training explains, “With communication playing a vital role in the smooth operations of any organization, we see the need to enhance the writing skills of our IT managers to leverage customer satisfaction. As we evaluate our training options, we were won over by the substance of TalkShop’s training module with its comprehensive and relevant topics, backed by the copyrighted training materials targeted that will serve each participant in good stead.” The course included English Communication Proficiency, Business Writing, and Presentation Skills.”

The bank’s IT managers found the writing exercises most meaningful, using the bank’s very own internal memos , showing them how to re-write, edit, and polish their own work.

TalkShop is a dynamic training provider headed by Sheila Viesca, CEO. Having run the business for 10 years now, Viesca is credited for introducing Integrated Language Teaching in the country. This teaching method interweaves all language skills in interactive workshops focusing on both communication excellence and personality enhancement.

Seminarians Get An Early Start With TALKSHOP

2011-09-12T10:04:00.000+08:00

For two years now, Sheila Viesca has been training the seminarians of the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Guiguinto, Bulacan. Sixty-two high school students benefit from the English Communication workshops aimed at developing their personality, confidence, and proficiency.

This year, the TalkShop training culminated in another successful Academic Week highlighting Speech Eloquence and Presentation Mastery as aspiring priests compete by year level and as individuals in their interpretations of famous speeches and poems such as The Gettysburg Address, Patrick Henry’s Speech, Speech of Portia, Invictus, Song to Celia, among others.

“The workshops are paying off. I am very impressed at the positive changes I see in my wards in terms of articulation, poise, and bearing,” notes the seminary’s Rector, Fr. Sonny. He adds, “I know that with Talkshop, we are in the right direction towards preparing them for the apostolate for which they need to preach, counsel, and influence - all of which rely heavily on proficiency and integrity in language learning.”

Adjudged winners in this year’s competition were Ray Arden, first place; Jed Paulo Cruz, second place; Edrylle Dayrit, third place. Special awards also went to Joseph Benjamin Gonzales for the “Most Memorable Performance”, Angelo Paulo Chico for “Best Costume”, and Allan Geoffrey Cruz for “Poise and Personality”. Prizes included cash and gifts from TalkShop.

Year after year, clients keep choosing TalkShop to design and conduct workshops catering to their targeted training needs. TalkShop pioneered Integrated language Teaching (ILT), a methodology that incorporates values reinforcement, positive thinking, and image enhancement into communication courses ranging from Speech and Conversation Expertise, Business Writing, Training the Trainer, Customer Service to Leadership and Assertiveness Training.

TalkShop Trains Hitachi Joho's Employees

2011-09-12T10:01:00.000+08:00

“You do not have to disregard Japanese language in order to stay globally competitive. English is simply a potent tool you all have to learn in order to connect with other cultures and be abreast of the issues happening around the world.”

Thus concluded Shiela Viesca, TalkShop’s CEO, as 17 newly-hired employees of Hitachi Joho completed Business English Training, Oct. 11-16, 2010, at the Asian Institute of Management Conference Center. Hitachi Joho is one of the leading IT services company based in Japan.

This is another laurel for the TalkShop Team as all trainees displayed significant improvement in their level of competence and proficiency in the English language after the six-day training program.

Viesca, however, noted that the learning of English should be a continuous process, if not a lifetime vocation. She maintained that any skill that is not put to practice becomes weak in the end. As such, “a great measure of seriousness and determination should always go into the process of mastering a new language. It is not enough to learn English passively (through reading and listening); it is best learned actively (through writing and speaking).”

The workshop, thus, capitalized on encouraging the trainees to speak up and share interesting nuggets about their love life, circle of friends, favorite food and movies, hobbies, Japanese culture, etiquette, and education. They were, at the same time, encouraged to be creative and imaginative in the composition of their own dialogues as creativity factors importantly in the evaluation of a learner’s linguistic adeptness.

SpiceWorx’s General Manager and Senior Training Consultant, Tae Abe-Abion, lauded TalkShop’s efforts for refashioning the trainees as more sophisticated and knowledgeable individuals. She stated that the training was yet another success not only in improving the English skills of the trainees but also in strengthening the strategic alliance between Japan and the Philippines.

TalkShop Trains the Trainers of Concepcions Carrier

2011-09-12T09:58:00.002+08:00

Trainers of Concepcion Carrier, the leader in the air-conditioning industry, successfully completed TalkShop’s “Training the Trainers” program, a 6-day self-assessment supervisory seminar on communication and management held Oct. 1- 8, 2010. With this, the supervisors are off to a fresh start, armed with self-improvement techniques and a broader, more optimistic mindset.

TalkShop tailor-fits its corporate workshops to clients’s training needs. Underlying all its workshops are values-reinforcement and confidence-building through enhanced communication.

TalkShop specializes in Integrated Language Teaching (ILT), a teaching style, which CEO Sheila Viesca introduced to the Philippines in 2002. As Viesca explains, “ILT interweaves all language skills—reading, writing, listening, and speaking—so participants achieve total personality development and communicative competence. Students are engaged actively in meaningful discussions and given evaluative exercises that fuse the interactive teaching approaches of the West with the creative learning styles of the East.”

Concepcion Carrier supervisor, Cherryl Beltran, says, “I put a premium on this special training because it will encourage me to set sights on bigger things both for myself and the company. The program, which helped me discover myself and my leadership styles, also proved to be effective in my dealings with internal and external customers. I am thankful for the opportunity my company has given me. Now I am better equipped to respond to various situations with tact and confidence. I thank TalkShop for making me a better leader and mentor.”

TALKSHOP Launches National Capital Region Language Conference

2011-09-12T09:57:00.002+08:00

TalkShop, the country’s premiere facility for English Communication and Personality Development, is pleased to announce that the National Capital Region (NCR) Language Conference is all set to begin on November 27, Saturday, at the University of the Makati Auditorium. The event, which will be a series of monthly conferences, is expected to gather over 1500 high school students and advisers from the 14 cities of the NCR. This will culminate in a Grand Forum to be held in February next year, where the best of the best will get the chance to battle it out and vie for the third, second, and first places.

NCR Language Conference will be a venue for students to show how well-versed they are in their first and second languages. Competencies will be assessed through on-the-spot writing and impromptu speaking competitions. This is anchored on the belief that for learners to develop their communication competence, they should be proficient in English as a second language without sidelining the importance of Filipino as their native language. TalkShop’s Director and CEO, Sheila Viesca believes cultivating both is a must for the well-rounded development and advancement of one’s communication skills.

TalkShop has invited communication experts to judge the competitions, as well as give talks and training sessions for the participants. The speakers are known for their dedication to understanding how communication integrity can be best achieved.

The series of conferences, to be conducted every last Saturday of November, December 2010, January, and February 2011, is open to highschool students to be selected by their respective schools. The event brings together the efforts of TalkShop, the Department of Education-NCR, Rotary Club of Makati Poblacion, Makati City Government, British Council, STI College Makati, and Bigay Pagmamahal Scholars Organization, which are into literacy as an advocacy.

Speech Eloquence and Presentation Mastery by TALKSHOP

2011-09-12T09:49:00.002+08:00

Public Workshop @ The Asian Institute of Management

TalkShop, the premiere facility for English language learning, is holding monthly seminars at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), ACCM Bldg. in Makati to commence January 15, 2011. Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO informs, “the programs will benefit business owners, career professionals, educators, and students who are aiming for personal growth and communication advancement. The workshop, which runs from 0830 to 1730 will consist of comprehensive language drills and discussions adopting the integrative, communicative approach. TalkShop is best known for Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) which Viesca introduced in the country in 2002. This teaching style interweaves all language skills - reading, writing, listening, and speaking – in the learning exercises that target particular communication areas..

“Speech Eloquence/Presentation Mastery,” slated in January 2011, is one of the many interesting and meaningful public workshops lined up by TalkShop for 2011. Following on February 12, 2011 is “Grammar Mastery and Writing Workshop.” The package for the whole day event is P 3,850/head inclusive of TalkShop Training Kit, Certification, as well as flowing coffee, lunch, and snacks. Avail early bird discount of 30% by signing up a month before the workshop.

Kalinawa Art Foundation, a group which works with indigenous communities who are tapped for their creativity in the visual arts, partners with TalkShop in extending 50% discount to the first 50 educators and students who will sign up for each monthly workshop.

TALKSHOP Trains PJ Lhuillier Technical Staff

2011-09-12T09:47:00.002+08:00

For two consecutive years now, PJ Lhuillier, a group of companies with diverse interests in money remittance, hotel, insurance, jewelry, and banking services has been designating its training requirements to its preferred training provider, TalkShop. Most recent of these is “Corporate Writing and Grammar Mastery” for its Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) Group held at the PJLI Convention Center in Antipolo on September 23 and 24. In attendance were eighteen of the company’s technical staff who trained under Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO.

TalkShop which is known for its Integrative Language Teaching (ILT) approach that interweaves all language skills for well-rounded learning focused on procedure-based communication. “Effective communication is a key factor in the workplace, so our aim is to guide technical people on how to carry this out with clarity and brevity.” said Viesca.

TalkShop adopted procedure-based communication whereby drills were knowledge-based. These were drawn from actual official correspondences and documents that the participants learned to critique, proofread, and polish.

With this new learning approach, managers and the rank and file eagerly await upcoming workshops after seeing the value of using actual work documents at hand, to which they can easily relate to. Benefits are likewise expected to cascade to the company’s ongoing ISO 9001:2000 certification, which relies heavily on concise and systematic documentation of work processes.

Besides the ILT approach, TalkShop is known for customized training modules that target the specific needs of its clients, as well as unique and meaningful approaches directed at varying learning styles.

Hitachi Joho Trains with TALKSHOP for Business English

2011-09-09T15:40:00.000+08:00

New hires of Hitachi Joho, a leading IT services company in Japan, have completed the “Business English Program” workshop on September 13-18, 2010 at the Asian Institute of Management, conducted by Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO. The mixed group of fifteen, mostly sales professionals was tasked with cultivating internal and external customer relations, reinforcing the need to enhance their global competitiveness through English communication expertise, excellent customer service, and urbanity.
After the online pretest conducted individually, TalkShop customized a training module for participants to meet the needs of the company’s sales team. Presentation Skills, Formulating the Sales Pitch, Proper Grooming, Corporate Image/Etiquette, and Evaluating Goals were integrated. Communication drills challenged participants to speak, think, and write in English that formed the core of this inter-cultural, inter-language experience. Even ice breaker activities tested the mettle of the participants through song and dance numbers to the tune of American pop.

TalkShop used Integrated Language Teaching (ILT approach) that interweaves all language skills—reading, writing, and listening—for a well-rounded language learning that focused on correct sentence structures.

This is the fourth workshop conducted by TalkShop for Hitachi Joho. Upcoming are sessions with Japanese sales executives in October, and another for project managers in November. Training programs are conducted in coordination with SpiceWorx which forges strategic business and cultural alliances between RP and Japan.

TalkShop Teaches English to Japanese Executives

2011-09-09T15:35:00.000+08:00

SpiceWorx, an advisory partner to top Japanese companies has sent its third batch of Japanese trainees this year direct from Hitachi Information Systems, Japan for training with its preferred English training provider, TalkShop. Fifteen Japanese professionals learned the ropes of English communication, particularly in the areas of grammar and articulation. The workshop was conducted on August 17-23 at the Asian Institute of Management Conference Center in Makati City.

Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO devised a communication module comprising interviews, pronunciation drills, and games to get the participants talking. “The object is to get them speaking without qualms or reservations,” she said. Interjecting fun into the program were communicative and interactive games. Likewise the program incorporated business etiquette, while underscoring the need to practice workplace and social protocol of their homeland.

In the end, Viesca quipped that language learning is a continuous process, and that it can be learned only through constant practice and exposure to interlocutors, television shows, newspapers, books, and magazines using English as the medium of expression. “Mindful effort is the key to English language learning,” she added.

Learning English with TalkShop

2011-09-09T15:33:00.000+08:00

Are you always being surpassed for promotion though you work so hard? Are you at a loss for words during social situations? Do you suffer the heebie jeebies when you have to speak before a group? Do you feel you deserve more than what you have been getting in life? Then, it’s high time to get help from the topnotch English facility that is in the best position to make you over – TalkShop.

TalkShop has redefined English communication excellence with a complete package to help students, professionals, associations, and corporations enhance communication competencies. Certificate programs cover a wide range – Speech Eloquence, Conversation Expertise, Call Center Skills, Grammar Mastery, Cross Culture Communication for Expats, Creative & Technical Writing, Public Speaking, Interview Skills, Social Graces, Corporate Image, Leadership Training, Teaching English, as well as foreign languages, Music lessons, Art workshops, and Interactive Math.

Basic English courses help individuals meet academic English standards as they are taught to integrate all communication skills – reading, writing, listening, speaking, as well as grammar. Such is akin with corporate communication programs. Here lies TalkShop’s strength, with its CEO Sheila Viesca pioneering Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) in the country in 2000. Courses are conducted in a fun environment suited to the individual’s learning style or the group’s training needs.

TalkShop is your best ticket to developing yourself, as you plan for success. TalkShop starts with the basics – English communication excellence, delves into personality development and segues into social graces for urbanity and polish. Emerge a winner with TalkShop’s English communication programs. Call 894-5588 now to schedule a free evaluation.

PJ LHUILLIER Powers Up With TALKSHOP

2011-09-09T15:30:00.000+08:00

PJ Lhuillier Group of Companies intensifies its “Power-Up Communication” as it partners with TalkShop, the country’s premiere communication training center. After several successful runs for the company’s rank and file, TalkShop takes on the training for PJLI managers.

PJ Lhuillier acknowledges the need to motivate their top people by continuous training. The company’s training team and participants are unanimous in their feedback, “TalkShop is the best way we can consistently ensure customer satisfaction which sets us apart from our competitors. With this in mind, it is critical to get the best training provider who can deliver in terms of improvements in the key areas of communication, customer service, love of work, and job accountability. We have seen the results with Ms. Sheila Viesca who works not only as our training provider, but as our partner who have our interests in mind,” said Betty Lou Fetalvero-Narvaez, Training Supervisor of PJLI Learning & Development Deaprtment .

Corporate workshops count among TalkShop’s forte, with clients counting hotel chains, pharmaceuticals, sales industries, creative agencies, government offices and village associations, schools and universities.

Speech Training for the Religious

2011-09-09T15:27:00.001+08:00

INSTITUTE OF CATECHETICS WORKS WITH TALKSHOP

The Institute of Catechetics of the Archdiocese of Manila (ICAM) taps the services of TalkShop anew. Following the successful outcome of the previous years’ programs, the TalkShop design for the year is geared at improving the English proficiency of the religious and lay ministers as they begin their catechetical formation. Located in San Carlos Formation Center, the institute serves as training ground for the religious, missionaries, and teachers who undergo their vocation formation. TalkShop program runs for 4 days as participants prepare for their formation classes. In attendance were nuns, novices, lay missionaries from different countries and congregations who take active part in speech, grammar classes, and speech lab training covering accent and articulation techniques.

Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO and Director of Communication designs the comprehensive module focused on improving communication and personality. Sr. Soila Lora, ICAM Program Director said, “TalkShop provides a module that teaches educators and the religious to bring out their best in any communication situation so that they may voice clarity and meaning which are integral in the catechists’ role of preaching and evangelization.”

Seminarian's Formation Backed by TalkShop Training

2011-09-09T15:21:00.000+08:00

Cognizant of the need for quality and sustained English Communication training, the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary has once again employed the services of TalkShop for its high school seminarians in preparation for their college formation. This is the second year TalkShop was tasked to handle the program.

TalkShop training, which will run for several months during the year, is conducted in the seminary’s premises in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. The module highlights speech, writing, personality, and etiquette – essential topics to prepare the young religious for their vocation, in which oral and written language skills as well as human relations are integral parts.

TalkShop specializes in English communication training, as it tackles personality development to suit the needs of its clients who come from a broad spectrum – from students, professionals, expats, politicians, organizations, companies, among others

TalkShop - Department of Education's Choice

2011-09-09T15:17:00.000+08:00

DEPED TAPS TALKSHOP ANEW

June 2010, the Department of Education has once again employed the services of TalkShop which stands as its longest running partner for the training of its non-teaching personnel. In all, the partnership between TalkShop and DepED, which started in 2003, resulted in 31 successful runs for almost 3,000 employees from all over the country.

In 2008, Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO was commissioned to design the education department’s very first language competency benchmark to be used on a national scale by all personnel as reference for hiring, performance monitoring, and promotion.

The communication and personality enhancement programs had served as DepED’s benchmark for the subsequent training of its staff. “We missed Sheila Viesca’s personal approach in attending to DepED’s training requirements. This is carried over to her modules and workshops that are thoughtfully designed to address our needs, so our employees end up more confident, smarter, more charming, and positive,” raved a top official from DepED’s Staff Development Division.

TalkShop is a favored training partner for many firms and organizations because of its integrity in language teaching. TalkShop adheres to total programs that go beyond honing language and presentation skills – courses include positive thinking, values formation, and image enhancement, so employees learn to better motivate and appreciate both self and others.

TalkShop Trains St. Martin de Porres Teachers

2011-09-09T15:14:00.000+08:00

In time for the opening of the new school year, faculty members of St. Martin de Porres School in Norzagaray, Bulacan underwent a training program with TalkShop in June 2010. “We want our educators to be well-equipped in being effective communicators and role models to their students. This is in line with school’s program of continuous improvement,” according to Mother Virginia Villaluz, School Head.

Mother Villaluz appointed TalkShop as program provider for its proven system of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) that integrates all language skills for a holistic approach. She said, “TalkShop’s communicative and interactive approach is the best program to equip our faculty with English proficiency covering all language skills – reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Complementing these is the right mix of practical and useful topics to enhance our teachers’ image so as to boost their confidence.”

The module is Communication Excellence with Personality Development and Presentation Mastery. Teachers are looking forward to more programs under TalkShop , a total approach to communication, self- awareness, and self-improvement that enables them to review and recharge for the challenges of the school year ahead.

HITACHI JOHO Retains TALKSHOP for English Training Needs

2011-09-09T15:09:00.003+08:00

HITACHI JOHO Info Systems, a Japanese company that offers IT services including system operation, system architecture, software development, sales and distribution has partnered once again with TalkShop in pursuit of its vision to go global. Yuchi Arakawa, of HITACHI JOHO Human Resources Development Department said, “With information and communication as vital components towards this direction, we need to sustain English training supplemented with motivation building and values formation to set us on the right track. The impressive outcome of TalkShop’s English workshop for our management trainees makes it academic for us to decide to partner once again with TalkShop.”

Through the arrangements made with SPICEWORX Consultancy headed by its dynamic GM and Senior Consultant, Ms. Tae Abion, ten of HITACHI JOHO’s systems engineers flew in from Japan to attend “Business English” on May 28-June 2, 2010 at the University of the Philippines Information Technology Training Center (UPITTC). The course, designed and conducted by TalkShop focused on conversational English in the workplace with dialogues, round-robin exercises, interview drills, idioms, etiquette, and salesmanship – carried out interactively which the participants found challenging, fun, and enriching.
TalkShop specializes in Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) which Sheila Viesca, CEO and Communications Director pioneered in the Philippines. ILT merges all language skills – reading, writing, listening, and speaking, along with grammar into a learning tapestry for all-around communicative enhancement.

The training programs with Japanese companies such as HITACHI JOHO are coordinated by SpiceWorx which is in partnership with major Japanese firms to forge strategic alliances between the Philippines and Japan.

TESL Philippines

2011-09-09T15:01:00.000+08:00

English education celebration on TalkShop's 10th year this 2010!

ATTENTION ENGLISH EDUCATORS:

Be updated to stay competitive! Talkshop shows you how with Integrated Language Teaching (ILT). These certificate courses are for English Communication teachers, trainers, non-native speakers, and all English language lovers.

TEFL COMPREHENSIVE
TESL ADVANCED
TESOL PRACTICUM

INTEGRATED LANGUAGE TEACHING
www.integratedlanguageteaching.com

The TALKSHOP METHOD is an integrated language teaching approach that focuses on the experience of meaningful and motivation-inspired language learning.

Integrated Language Teaching began in 2002 as an improvement of Communicative Language Teaching. Sheila Viesca, Talkshop CEO, introduced ILT in the Philippines in 2002.
ILT infuses highly interactive and communicative language teaching of the West with the traditional approach of the East.

TESL PHILIPPINES
www.tesl.ph

TESL Philippines is the Teaching Certification Division of TALKSHOP, developer of Integrated Language Teaching, a premiere English training facility in the Philippines, and an affiliate of the International English Education Research Association (IEERA), based in Delaware, USA.

TALKSHOP is a PREMIERE TRAINING FACILITY for English Communication and Personality Development. TALK and SHOP are the imperative descriptions. Layman’s term for communicate – TALK – signifies the skills intended to be learned and developed through the courses we offer. TALK signifies words. Words add up to language. Language manifests culture. Culture defines personality. TALKSHOP aims to enrich these important dimensions of one’s personal makeup. And because personality talks, one has to make sure that it talks in the best possible ways.

SHOP is derived from workshop. We take pride in offering performance courses: you have to do it to learn it. DRILLS and PRACTICE EXERCISES will immerse the student in particular skills, at the same time, grammar rules will be taught in an easy-to-understand manner. We believe in the MASTERY OF SKILLS THROUGH PRACTICE.

Barangay San Lorenzo Tandems With TalkShop

2011-09-09T14:54:00.001+08:00

Barangay San Lorenzo in Makati City hosted summer course 2010 in Personality Development to upgrade the level of customer service of its staff, officers, and community servants. Residents were also in attendance.

Joshua Santiago, Barangay Chairman appointed TalkShop as course provider. “I believe in the need for continuous education of our staff to motivate them . Hence, I chose TalkShop which is adept at developing communication skills, personality, and people skills . Not only will this training benefit our staff, but it will redound to the community for which we are committed to provide the best service, ” he said.

PJ LHUILLIER Managers Power Up With TALKSHOP

2011-09-09T14:53:00.000+08:00

Managers of PJ Lhuillier-owned corporations converged at the PJLI Convention Center in Antipolo on April 28-30, 2010 for “Power Up Communication.”

In line with the company slogan Walang Kapantay Magpahalaga, PJ Lhuillier Executives agree, “Training is a priority for the company which sees Talkshop as the most reliable partner in taking on this all important role of training and enriching the communication skills of our managers. We need to optimize the talents we have. Not only is this our way of motivating them, it paves the way for us to work harmoniously towards common goals, with customers as our top priority.”

The program integrated Technical Communication, Public Speaking, Grammar Mastery, Writing Workshop, Meeting & Brainstorming Techniques, and Customer Relation Skills.

Talkshop is the preferred choice of PJ Lhuillier Inc., having partnered with the English facility since 2008. TalkShop communication programs are run regularly for both rank & file and managerial personnel of PJLI.

Saatchi & Saatchi Partners with Sheila Viesca

2011-09-09T14:51:00.000+08:00

Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the country’s leading ad agencies is working with Sheila Viesca, Talkshop CEO and Publisher of CityPost Interactive Gazette on Mead Johnson’s LEARN program. This is an educational campaign for children that integrates learning in the major content areas of Language, Entertainment, Arts, Recreation, and Nutrition that will be set up in malls shortly.

Viesca says, “It all starts with language which is the basis for learning in all other areas. As such, it is essential to develop language as early as the pre-natal stage when the child‘s rhythm is developing in sync with the mother’s voice and tone.

As a child grows, storytelling becomes an invaluable tool for learning. It is the creative use of language that facilitates learning of words, phrases, and sentences. Moving on to stories, a child learns about sequencing, hones his listening skill, uses his imagination, and infers lessons valuable lessons from his environment. The simple act of leafing through the pages helps develop motor skills. Books with different textures stimulate a child’s sense of touch, and colorful pictures engage him. “However, the beauty of storytelling lies in the bonding created between a parent and a child. It is not only a way to quiet a restless child at bedtime. It forges deep ties, making the child grow up secure and confident,” adds Viesca.

Bedtime storytelling night after night sharpens a child’s imagination, piques his curiosity, as he reacts openly and silently. Thought processes are set into place – understanding, questioning, probing, and interacting while reading. Lessons are drawn, helping form character. It is this experience in learning values and self-esteem that will equip a child with necessary leadership skills.

Makati Youth Gets S.M.A.R.T.

2011-09-09T14:49:00.001+08:00

The Municipality of Makati is hosting once again “Get Smart,” a yearly summer program spearheaded by Councilor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay. This is open to all high school students of Makati City from both public and private schools . “Get Smart” is Binay’s pet project of educating the youth which started 8 years ago.

Binay explains that, “S.M.A.R.T. is short for Sports, Music, Arts and Recreational Training . The program affords teens the chance to learn the fundamentals of a number of sports, music and art forms to cultivate their interest, make productive use of their time in worthwhile activities, and prepare them for national and international opportunities.

In the case of high school seniors, the program is aimed at preparing them for their college education. Especially chosen as Personality Development course provider for the second consecutive year is Talkshop, a premiere training facility specializing in personality and communication excellence .

Sheila Viesca, Talkshop CEO informs, “This year’s program includes Social Graces, Communication Advancement, and Personality Development which are integral in building the self esteem of teens as they advance towards their chosen fields in college.” This will serve them in good stead in their professional and personal lives.”

The program is communicative and interactive, characteristic of Communicative Language Teaching which Viesca pioneered in the country in 2002. Being such, the course will draw out teens to improve communication skills, put their best foot forward in different settings as they learn to interact and assert themselves appropriately, providing them with a well-rounded program of indispensable lifetime skills.

Teaching Makes Learning Language More Meaningful

2011-09-09T14:47:00.000+08:00

TESOL Philippines, the teaching certification division of Talkshop offers enriching teaching courses for educators, trainors, as well as non-native English speakers. Sheila Viesca, Talkshop CEO encourages even non-educators to enroll. She explains , “. It is in the act of teaching that students learn twice. This is Talkshop’s direction in teaching language . In inspiring students to work harder to qualify for teaching , students in turn become confident and credible to share knowledge to others that need it.”

Students will be oriented on the Talkshop method which is ILT. This infuses the communicative , interactive teaching style of the west with the traditional , creative practices of the east. “ She adds that “ even students and other professionals can join the program to enhance language skills

Viesca pioneered the ILT method in the Philippines. This promotes motivation-inspi5red learning by incorporating exercises that learners find meaningful in their daily life. The training includes functional communication activities, social interaction, dialogue, and role-playing complemented with music and arts .

TESOL curricula include interactive and comprehensive courses namely Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) , Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL Advanced ) and Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages ( TESOL ) .

TalkShop's Comprehensive Cross Culture Communication Course

2011-09-09T14:45:00.001+08:00

As the Philippines is fast emerging as a global Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) hub, TalkShop has devised a comprehensive Cross Culture Communication program to meet the needs of expats who must be able to make a smooth transition and integration into Filipino life and culture in order to be successful .

The program is another specialization of TalkShop , a premier language facility offering Professional Communication , Personality Development, and English Teaching Certification.

Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO informs, “This program not only dwells on facts, but will also train expats about practical ways to connect with locals which is key to blending in. Among others, the course will teach active listening, dynamics of communication in work and social situations, and conflict management to enhance interpersonal skills.

Cross-Culture Communication will be conducted by no less than Professor Felipe de Leon, Jr., a professor of Art Studies in UP. Prof. de Leon has extensive experience in teaching Humanities, Aesthetics, Music Theory, Philippine Arts and Culture. He is a sought-after mentor in cultural administration and management having served as UNESCO Commissioner (1999 -2002), and Chairman of National Living Treasures Awards (1993-2007) which he set up and institutionalized. He is a published author of “Philippine Art & Literature” Vol. III of the “Filipino Nation Encyclopedia” published by Grolier International in 1982,
“On Art, Man, and Nature,” as well as the main author of “ASEAN Declaration of Cultural Heritage.”

Equip your expats and guests with useful information and tips about our country and people for them to blend easily, adapt effortlessly, and enjoy fully the local life. Likewise, TalkShop offers English as a Second Language and English as a Foreign Language for non-native speakers. The courses adopt Integrative Language Teaching (ILT) which Viesca pioneered in the Philippines in 2002. This method infuses the interactive, communicative teaching style of the West with traditional, creative approach of the East.

TalkShop Trains Makati Politicians

2011-09-09T14:44:00.000+08:00

Jejomar Irwin S. Binay, Jr., the leading contender in the Makati mayoralty race has commissioned TalkShop, premiere English facility, to design a personalized program to cultivate the strengths of his party mates running for local government positions.

Though recent polls already show Binay’s team as the one to beat, Binay Jr. recognizes the need to communicate his party’s message loud and clear. His is a message of service, reinforced by many years of accomplishments. His team’s popularity is backed with integrity and credibility , with delivery of many services that Makati constituents have been enjoying through the years, and envied by all others, “ I believe in the importance of continuous education in order for leadership to evolve and address the needs of the people,” he said.

The training for Team Binay is being conducted by Sheila Viesca , TalkShop CEO who has devised a well-rounded program incorporating credibility in presentation and integrity in communication.

Viesca said, “Team Binay exemplifies leadership that is not contented with the status quo, they are leading because they believe that local officials must themselves aim for continuous improvement. Theirs is the kind of service that pursues education toward excellence. Such leadership disposition bodes well for the city of Makati, which has enjoyed outstanding benefits from its local officials , unparalleled in the rest of the country.”

Self-Enhancement Workshops at Fully Booked

2011-09-09T14:42:00.000+08:00

FullyBooked makes summer an enriching learning experience with “Personality Development & Social Graces.” The seminar series will be conducted by communication guru, Ms. Sheila Viesca of TalkShop. Separate sessions are set to cater to kids, tweens/teens, and adults in May and June . There will be six sessions in all, at two hours per session.

Ms. Viesca explains, “The course is designed to enhance the image and boost the confidence of participants, and at the same time build relationships through mastery of the lost art of social graces. She added, “It will equip children and adults alike with lifetime and enriching skills that are sorely lacking today, enabling them to stand out among the crowd.”

The course includes Verbal Yoga and Speech Training, Personality Dynamics, Dress Codes, Dining Etiquette, Interrelationship Skills. As a bonus, Telephone and Email Etiquette will also be featured.

Talkshop, a premiere facility for English Communication and Personality Development, is affiliated with the International English Education Research Association (IEERA).

Mead Johnson Teams Up with TalkShop

2011-09-09T14:40:00.000+08:00

Mead Johnson is launching “Enfakid A+ Learn System” to highlight the need to harness key factors in healthy brain development of children. These comprise five areas: language , entertainment, art, recreation, and nutrition to be represented by a L.E.A.R.N. train module to be set up in select sites and malls. The educational campaign which starts in March will run for one year. The project targets kids, parents, doctors and health professionals.

It all starts with the best nutrition through Enfakid A, now formulated with more than four times the DHA and triple protection guard for smarter, healthier kids. With language being the key to learning in all areas, Mead Johnson set out to look for a partner that would be equal to the task, and found it in TalkShop.

Patti Mallari, Saatchi & Saatchi Executive who handles the Mead Johnson account said, “TalkShop was a shoo-in primarily for its Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) method that integrates all language skills- speaking, reading, writing, and listening with personality development and even values reinforcement.” Sheila Viesca, TalkShop CEO pioneered this teaching style in the Philippines in 2002 .

For her part, Viesca said, “It is a pleasure and a privilege to work with Mead Johnson on this worthwhile project, that takes on special meaning in the light of my advocacy for literacy and meaningful learning.”

TalkShop’s tasks includes preparation of educational materials and learning modules. Viesca will also lend her presence in medical association events, media functions, and interviews.

TALKSHOP - Makati City Hall Sponsors English Course for Employees

2011-09-09T14:38:00.000+08:00

To enhance the quality of service of its personnel, the Makati City Government sponsored a refresher workshop “ Business English” for its employees, mostly candidates for promotion. This was held on March 15-19, 2010 at the Human Resource Development division of the Makati City Hall.

Aware of the need for continuous improvement to upgrade its services, Councilor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay, Jr. concedes that “ having a third party affords us with an objective view as to how we can further improve our services. Talkshop recognized these needs, came up with a program, and implemented one that integrated all language skills , upgrading the level of professionalism of Makati City Hall employees.”

Employees found the workshop unique and refreshing , having experienced Integrated Language Teaching (ILT), a teaching style pioneered in the Philippines by Sheila Viesca, Talkshop CEO. This infuses the teaching style of the West that is interactive and communicative with the learning style of the East that is traditional and creative.

TalkShop Trains Cathechists and Missionaries

2011-09-09T14:31:00.000+08:00

The Institute of Catechetics of the Archdiocese of Manila (ICAM) recently conducted an English Proficiency Workshop at the San Carlos Seminary on March 23-26, 2010. This prerequisite course for catechetical formation was well-attended by thirty-five nuns, religious servants, and lay missionaries, comprising a mix of Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Timorese, Taiwanese, Indonesians, Nigerians, and Pakistanis.

This is the third year that TalkShop has been tapped for this workshop. Fr. Nolan Que, ICAM Director said, “TalkShop’s workshops consolidate all language skills and have greatly helped with lay and religious members of the congregation in carrying out missionary work, which relies heavily on speaking skills, grammar mastery , and confidence. It is for this reason that I also tap TalkShop for my school projects including training of teachers of St. Joseph’s School and St. John the Baptist School with results that are always encouraging.”

This year’s ICAM workshop once again focused on speech, grammar, pronunciation and enunciation through interactive, reflective, and communicative exercises geared at building confidence, honing speaking skills, and preaching with eloquence.

TalkShop is the choice partner of corporations and congregations alike in building communication competence among executives, corporate heads, lay people, and religious leaders. TalkShop conducts workshops that are targeted to address clients’ particular requirements.

Courses for English Educators at TalkShop

2011-09-09T14:28:00.000+08:00

Talkshop, a premiere facility for English Communication and Personality Development announces that courses are ongoing for TESL Philippines, its Teaching Certification Division.

Sheila Viesca, Talkshop CEO informs that “These courses aim to update teaching skills of English teachers and trainors, as well as to help non-native speakers get a grasp of the language.”

The Talkshop approach is Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) that focuses on the experience of meaningful and motivated language learning. This was pioneered by Viesca in the Philippines in 2002 , taking Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) to the next level. She explains , “ ILT infuses the highly interactive and communicative language teaching approaches of the West and the traditional learning styles of the East.”

TalkShop Stands Out with ILT

2011-09-09T14:25:00.000+08:00

Talkshop is turning ten this year. CEO Sheila Viesca says , “We look forward to more years of teaching English communication with the passion that has paved the way for great results through the years.”

Talkshop is affiliated with the International English Education Research Association
(IEERA) . In 2002, Viesca pioneered in Integrated Language Teaching (ILT) in the Philippines, infusing the highly interactive, communicative styles of the West into the traditional , creative approaches of the East.

With ILT, Talkshop is updating teaching styles for educators of English, and making English learning meaningful and purposive for non-native English speakers. Using this approach, communication is carried out through exercises that are relevant to learners’ life experiences.. Training includes functional communication activities , social interaction, dialogues and role playing, as well as the use of music and arts in the classroom.

Educators of English and non-native English speakers stand to benefit from this approach applied in comprehensive, interactive courses including Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) , Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL Advanced ) and Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages ( TESOL ) .