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View reports of ALL programmes Before 2010, Sound Right!™ was known as The Right Sound™. The Right Sound™ English Pronunciation Programme It certainly wasn't our best programme of the year, but it was great that we actually conducted it despite having 5 participants only. We kept to our initial plan while the rest of the population were on holiday somewhere...
However, I can't say for sure if it wasn't the best programme from the participants' point of view as each one received much personal attention and coaching. We also managed to cover the syllabus fully. I was pleased with the participants' progress over the 2 days. There was a Philippino among the participants. At first I wasn't quite sure if he would benefit fully from the course as it was tailored to correct the typical pronunciation mistakes made by Malaysian speakers of English. It was interesting to discover that the Philippinos (at least some of them) make roughly the same pronunciation mistakes as we Malaysians do. It turned out that the course was very relevant to our dear participant. We had much fun with the plosive sounds until all the speakers were exhausted puffing out air! English is a difficult language to speak! We even had enough time for a role-playing activity.
As usual, the trainer Azmi Shahrin was excited and passionate about the whole thing. Besides that, Sandy Tan also conducted one of the modules on th, v and z sounds.
This session was definitely worth having and we must have more sessions next year (we had 5 this year). We must find ways to popularize this course. Most people don't understand what it is all about hence the poor response. Hopefully our graduates can also assist to spread the good news. Reported by Sandy Tan
This was the most smooth sailing programme so far! For the first time ever, we had full registration of 10 participants! And I didn't have to work extra hard to persuade them to sign up. They were more than willing to register because they really wanted to learn. Interestingly, we had 2 students (siblings) join this programme, also for the first time. And despite their being a very small percentage of the population, 2 Singhs joined the class! Despite the large class, we progressed faster than ever through the syllabus! This was probably due to the participants being fast learners for one reason or another. Because of this, we had more time for additional activities which afforded more practice. In one activity, each participant had to name a favourite personality and then give a self-introduction as if they were that personality. In another activity, the participants had to share their craziest ideas of what they would do if they were given $1 billion. It was really funny. Of course, the participants had to speak with correct pronunciation as they made the presentations.
This time round, even I had to get into action when 2 participants were sent to me for one-to-one practice. One of them was later selected as the "most improved" participant which made me quite proud. Basically, I am very happy with this programme. Little stress, great success! Hope this continues... Bonus photos:
Reported by Sandy Tan
It's hard to believe that this was already the third public session of this programme since its debut in February. Again, there's the feeling of satisfaction and fulfilment upon its completion. This round saw 8 participants - 3 Toastmasters, 2 lady managers, 2 English language lecturers and 1 retiree. We are thankful to Politeknik Merlimau, Melaka for sending the two lecturers albeit at very short notice!
It turned out that two of the participants had attended programmes on English pronuncation before. However, according to them, the courses were quite "academic" and the lessons didn't quite get into their system. Our programme, however, afforded lots of practices and drills to drill the new way of speaking into them. Besides the constancy of a good programme, we also benefitted from the constancy of the excellent trainer Azmi Shahrin who flew back from Kuching late on Friday night. I am really amazed at his enthusiasm because he always gives his best under all circumstances. Whether well-rested or exhausted, and whether we are making a lot of money or just breaking even, he would still give his level best to help the participants. This session was no exception.
All in all, I feel happy about this session and I hope that things will get even better. Bonus photo:
Reported by Sandy Tan
This session has reminded me of the harsh reality of life - that we are always multitasking and trying to squeeze out time to learn new skills. Nine participants were supposed to attend. One day before the programme, one person had to pull out due to a last-minute business trip. Eight persons made it on the first day. However, in the afternoon, one of them (the only secondary school student) had to attend Add Maths tuition while another had to leave for a prior engagement. On the second day, we were left with 7 participants as one person could not turn up at all due to a last-minute change in her class schedule. Another participant had to come in late and leave early as his children were ill. These interruptions affected the morale of the group in a small way but the situation was well handled by the trainer. In the end, the 7 participants who graduated had achieved something to be proud of. The programme was an eye-opener for all. The dictionary was well used as participants had to check up on the pronunciation of so many words. They saw with their own eyes that they had been speaking the wrong way in all these years! Well, with practice and persistence, it's still possible to relearn and rewire...
So, despite my earlier intention of cancelling all future sessions due to poor response, I guess we will continue for the sake of individuals who are still keen to learn. Reported by Sandy Tan
The debut programme was attended by 8 participants. Many of them travelled long distances to make it - a headmaster from Ipoh, two English language teachers from Seremban and Kuala Kangsar respectively, another participant from Kuantan, and a last minute replacement who happened to be visiting from Sarawak. Being the one who designed the course, I was relieved that the modules turned out to be just nice (not too long or too short). The trainer Azmi Shahrin did a great job at making all the parts fit together. The participants improved a lot in the short time we had. They were amazed that they didn't know they had been speaking English the wrong way for so many years. Well, it's not too late to change! We enjoyed ourselves tremendously.
Actually, the two English language teachers were "spies" who came to check out whether the programme would be beneficial to the students of their respective schools. Given the very positive reviews from them, we look forward to conduct the programme at the two schools in the very near future. The experience gained in this programme will also help us make minor amendments to improve the syllabus. We do hope that Malaysians will realize more and more the importance of this still little-touched subject. Reported by Sandy Tan |
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