ENGLISH CLUB

Two Days Workshop on
Effective Communication in English
Conducted by Prof. Gopalakrishnan and Dr. Shimna Suresh and the TEAM ENGLISH- ACROLECT HEADS ‘ 22 on the 16th and 17 th of August 2022, @ CICS College of Teacher Education, Mathara, Calicut University.

Prof.Gopalakrishnan, a retired Principal and HOD in English Language and Literature, Madapalli College with over 10 years experience of teaching English under Calicut University, was invited to deliver a lecture on the value and importance Of effective and impressive communication for future Teachers in today’s competitive world in the global environment. Prof. Gopalakrishnan has been serving as a Language Professional, directing and being the Mentor of Pronunciation and BBC Accent ever since his retirement from professional service. Besides this professional profile, he is the President of INDIAN PHONETIC ASSOCIATION (IPAN), based at Calicut, and has conducted several workshops and seminars on the topic, across the state.

DAY 1
CLASH OF WORDS
Prof. Gopalakrishnan was invited by the Management & Faculty of CICS CTE for being the first resource person in the Two Days Workshop on Effective Communication on the 16th, Aug '2022, for a group of 50 students and teachers
belonging to different streams of Teaching. The session began at 10.00 a.m. The conveyor of the workshop Dr. Shimna Suresh welcomed the audience and our respected Principal Dr. Indira K introduced the guest to the audience,
The main emphasis of the workshop was on the importance of oral communication in a professional world. Prof. Gopalakrishnan deliberated on the topic ‘English Phonetics and BBC Accent’.
Prof Gopalakrishnan explained the importance of phonetics and pronunciation, using all the senses of sight and sound to elaborate one’s thoughts through speaking. He also made students aware of the importance of correct accent inCommunicative English and the fact that English has its own standards which is to be maintained by teachers, irrespective of their core subject .


The Workshop ended with a pleasant note, with both the student community and the faculty getting benefitted by the Professor’s rich experience and knowledge in life. Mr. Anfas of English option delivered the Vote of Thanks.


Following were the observations/feedback derived from the day -long workshop. Prof.Gopalakrishnans’ Feedback for the students:-
1. The Students must develop the habit of reading novels, essays and poems in English language.
2. TheymustdevelopthehabitofspeakinginEnglishamongthemselves, especially with their friends.
4. If possible, they must refer to good English Grammar books to improve their English.














DAY 2
SET THE BALL ROLLING

On the second day of the workshop, as on 17.08.2022, Dr. Shimna Suresh, Assistant Professor of English, CICS College of Teacher Education, Mathara along with 8 students from the English Department were the resource persons. Dr. Shimna started off the first session and delivered her lecture on Simple Techniques to Master the Art of Communication Skills. Her presentation was on the simple methods, and conventional formulae, which gave necessary tips and guidelines on how to improve the basic communication skills and effective ways to face an interview related topics. The session was followed by the participants’ drafting their self introduction sample on their own. The participants were made to read out the drafts and necessary corrections and clarifications were suggested by the resource person. A total of 37 students and delegates participated in the workshop and benefited during the first session of the workshop. After the presentation, the participants were given a few worksheets on the areas discussed and their performance was evaluated and necessary feedback on how to improve the micro skills viz, strategic competence, discourse markers etc were given. In the last part of session, the resource person gave some useful information and tips on framing self introduction and the participants were asked to work in groups and write it out making use of the tips and following the guidelines given. After the groups finished writing, some of them were asked to read out the content drafted by their group and they were given suggestions on how the lntroduction could have been made more appropriate and effective.

The second session was conducted by a group of 8 students of English Option who voluntarily chose different topics deemed important for everyday communication in English.
The choice of themes/ topics along with the name of Presenters are listed below:

● Ms. Anagha- Idioms and Phrasal verbs in English that would aid everyday conversation.
● Ms. Aswathi Krishnan English phrases and usages in daily life (Greet , Thank and Appreciate)
● Ayana ( ways to say ‘sorry’)
● Minnah (Basic ‘wh’ questions and Phrases for requesting and accepting apology)
● Athulya (English for classroom management)
● Ayisha Daniya (Classroom Language)
● Athul (Telephone etiquette)
● Anfas (Tips to improve English language Skills)


During the session in the afternoon, the participants were given some useful information on topics like idioms, phrases for everyday English, Conventional formulae to greet, thank, appreciate, apologise, classroom English (classroom discourse), basic wh questions for beginners in English communication, basic telephone etiquettes etc. Then they were given some exercises and role play sessions where they were asked to use appropriate language – both formal and informal – while making telephonic conversations.The students covered varied areas, including Commonly Confused words and Basic Grammar. After a general interaction with the group of students, they decided to interact with the students, in order to provide the students with the much needed individual attention, to solve their queries and to clear the doubts if they had. The main motive of this interaction was to enlighten the students with the use of correct English and its importance. The students were encouraged to ask questions and were answered by the Presenters with clarity and patience.
Following were the observations/feedback derived from the day -long workshop.

1. The English teaching must be aided with demonstrations, wherever necessary and examples that resonate with the audience.
2. Learning must not be a serious activity. It must be mixed with fun, like the inclusion of Games and activities along with interesting ppt( including videos, infographics, memes, stickers etc).
3. And finally, some exercises were circulated among the students for their practice. Sample
Words to Describe Yourself Informally/ in casual conversation What should we say about ourselves in an INFORMAL situation? For example,
● “I’m an easy-going/ open/ passionate person…”







NB: Attached
Self Introduction PPT

In the valedictory program held at the end, a few participants , including faculty members like Ms. Shyja K J gave their feedback explaining how the programme is highly helpful for students to improve their communication skills. Students gave feedback that the sessions made them more confident of using English in a better way. The Principal Dr. Indira K, congratulated both the participants and the resource persons for organizing the programme successfully and requested the participants to constantly improve upon their skills and competencies for their personal and professional growth