Pronunciation Cake

Comprehensibility and clear speech for English learners

I created this quick tutorial as part of my pronunciation course that is found on my English on Fire! English language school. I created this in response to the needs of my corporate private students who often employed me as a 1:1 coach to improve their comprehensibility in the workplace. I used Adobe Spark for ease of creation and accessiblity.

Training Script

Big Box Tech Onboarding

This training script was created during the interview process with a L&D company. The target learner is a younger associate who is working in retail at a Big Box Tech store. My goal was to engage the learner with humor before launching into company policy.

Scene: The IT Desk a big box electronic store.

Character: Pleasant, younger person. Non-threatening tone of voice. Playful.

...

Camera is 1st person view.

Hey! Hey you! Yeah, you holding your phone - eyes glued to that magical screen…

(camera begins to pan down) Wait, eyes back up here! (camera pans back up)

You’re a tech pro right? That’s why we hired you! That’s why we love you here at OK Purchase.

But even though computers are your specialty, they are nothing without the humans who operate them, and here at OK Purchase, we need to make sure those tech users are feeling just as special as their, or your, devices.

Just like any good program, it needs clear order of operation. That’s what I’m here to supply you with. The code to function with the device’s human counterpart.

First, eye contact is key. (Camera turns to look at hand reaching for a phone.) Hey! Don’t look at your phone. Look into my eyes…..(Slowly turn back to speaker.)

Second, give some sort of greeting. You don’t have to be Shakespeare, but a “Hello! How are you?” goes a long way.

Third, the user needs to know what to expect once the computer is in our hands. They just handed their life over to you, so help them trust you! They’re probably freaking out that they lost the only manuscript of their 400 page masterpiece! Put yourself in their shoes. (Phone dings and camera turns to look at incoming messages. Turn back to the speaker.) Yes, I’m talking empathy.

Fourth, talk details. Take all of their important contact information including their phone number and email. Tell them how long it typically takes for repair, and that you will reach out to them when it’s done. Then carefully label and place the device in its proper space. Don’t give them a reason to doubt that you know what you’re doing!

Finally, we want our customers to think you’re as awesome as we at OK Purchase think you are. So before the customer leaves, reassure them that their tech babies are safe in your hands and bid them a “Have a nice day.”