Exercise 3: Lost Luggage

Passenger: (frustrated) Excuse me, I've lost my luggage! I checked it in, but it's not here.

Ground Staff: I'm so sorry to hear that. Can you please provide me with your baggage claim tag and your boarding pass?

Passenger: (rummages through pockets) Here you go. (hands over the claim tag and boarding pass)

Ground Staff: Thank you. Let me check the system. (checks the system) Okay, it says here that your bag was checked in and loaded onto the flight. Can you describe your luggage to me?

Passenger: It's a black suitcase with a red strap. I had a tag with my name and contact info on it.

Ground Staff: Alright, I'll file a report for your missing luggage. We'll do our best to locate it and get it to you as soon as possible. Can you please provide me with your contact information and accommodation details?

Passenger: (provides contact information and accommodation details)

Ground Staff: Great, thank you. We'll contact you as soon as we locate your luggage. In the meantime, you might want to check with the baggage claim area to see if it's been turned in. If we don't locate it within a few days, we'll provide you with a claim form to fill out.

Passenger: Okay, thanks. How long does it usually take to find lost luggage?

Ground Staff: It varies, but we'll do our best to find it within 24-48 hours. We'll keep you updated on the status.

Passenger: Alright, thanks for your help.

Ground Staff: You're welcome! We'll do everything we can to reunite you with your luggage.

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SOFT SKILL WORKSHOPS for EMPLOYABILITY CENTER under EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE KOZHIKODE in 2023

SOFT SKILL WORKSHOP (Employability Center, Calicut)

 AREAS COVERED

1. Communicate to impress : Enhance verbal and non-verbal communication skills

2. Stay ahead in  Group discussions : Know why group discussions are conducted and learn to participate actively

3. Write effective emails - craft professional email with impactful content and a strong subject line

4. Develop soft skills for the workplace - know the importance of soft skills to achieve better results

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CLASS AT LP GIMSAT, CALICUT ON SOFT SKILL AWARENESS IN SEPT.2025

What I took in today's class:

What are Soft Skills.

Importance of Soft Skills.

How to speak to a group/panel.

The power of space, sound and silence.

How to Think using a verbal language like English.

The importance of self awareness.

How to practice SELF LOVE using English sentences as a meditation.

Secret of a powerful, value added self introduction for success in Job Interviews.

A simple method/formula/an image to program your sub-conscious mind to think about self in English using positive and realistic sentences.

Interactive exercises to practice interview handling skills.

Importance of speaking, reading, writing and listening skills.

Importance of grooming skills.

TO BE CONTINUED...

RAW THOUGHTS

• Conversations are driven by the four wheels: Attention, Emotion,Tribe mentality and Us versus Them mindset and Curiosity with FOMO(Fear of missing out).
• 
  
• The role of conversation: There is no last word in any context, no full stops;when quotes end, conversations begin. As human beings we should converse about what we read, not just by-heart, memorize or believe. Healthy, constructive and creative conversations about any  thought, concept or idea is what human life is all about;what else.....?
• 
  
• I believe a reading a book is  a dedication....you are submitting to a narrative...it's like being in oneness with a "world of thoughts".
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• When you are in the act of speaking.....stress, pause, pitch, tone variations...filler words and also getting feedbacks....matters. For most speakers, words and grammar are the only important things. I am in search of a trainer who has the qualities other than verbal content.
• 
  
• Beyond consciousness there is subconsciousness, our comfort space; beyond subconsciousness, there is superconsciousness, our creative space....through speaking let's explore more....much beyond our needs to know and tell...let's be more, have more and do more...experiment, explore, playfully create and grow.

TO BE CONTINUED...

WHAT IS LANGUAGE...a discussion.

Any language has basically three parts: Words, Expressions and Sentences. Words and sentences are more common when we speak....even we use sentence parts also called phrases or verses in speech. Writing involves using proper structures obeying the grammar rules of that language. 

LANGUAGE AND THOUGHT

Language gives you a frame to form thoughts that can be communicated and understood with clarity and simplicity. In English language we have basically four types of sentences to convey thoughts about our STATE, POSSESSION,ACTION  and REALITY(OBJECTIVE sentences)...SPAR in short. So the frame to form thoughts in English language can also be called SPAR. 

Now let's look at the different types of sentences in the three categories of time ie., PRESENT, PAST and FUTURE.

STATE

How's your job?

How was your job in the beginning?

How long have you been in this job?

Will you be at the place next year also?

POSSESSION

Do you have free time in office?

Did you have free time yesterday?

Will you have any holidays this week?

ACTION

Where do you work?

Do you like your job?

Are you working in your office now?

Are you leaving early today?

Have you completed today's work?

How long have you been working on this project?

When did you join this company?

Were you studying before joining here?

Will you finish this work tomorrow?

Will you be taking a half day leave tomorrow?

REALITY

How many people are there in your office?

How many people were there in your office last year?

How many people will be there in your office next year?

PASSIVE VOICE SENTENCES

Are you given feed backs every week by your clients?

Is somebody being interviewed today at our office?

Have you been asked to give a presentation today?

Were you called for the meeting yesterday?

Who was being felicitated yesterday in the afternoon function?

Will you be given any new assignments next week?

MODAL VERB SENTENCES

Can you help me?

Could you please help me?

Would you like to help me?

Shall I help you?

Should I help you?

May I help you?

Do we have to go now?

Do we ought to go now?

Do we need to go now?

I think she might not be able to come. What do you think?

You used to come here daily. What happened?

He must inaugurate the program. When to contact him, any idea...?

So these are the 38 common types of English Language Sentence Structures that is enough to communicate any thought that comes to our mind...

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

SPEECH GAMES

How to play the game: All the teams would come to the front, one by one and give a speech with each member saying a sentence about a SONG, a FICTIONAL CHARACTER, a dish etc. The teams listen to the speech and then make a guess about the possible answers after discussions with their members. They write the answers on a paper and submit before the speech giving team for verification. The team that gave the speech goes through all the answers and gives points to the teams according to their answers.

Sample speeches for the teams:

"Sung by M.G. Sreekumar, composed by S.P. Venkatesh, written by Bichu Thirumala, and enacted by Jagadeesh, this is a light-hearted, slow, solo Malayalam song about the little joys of life. Shot in Kodaikanal, the song has poetic lyrics."

"Even though he sports a thick, well-groomed moustache and traditional Kerala attire, consisting of a white mundu with a light-colored shirt, he speaks Malayalam with a rural tone, displaying a rustic and rooted persona, and comes across as a confident middle-aged man with in-depth understanding of Carnatic music and Kalaripayattu, Kerala's own traditional martial art culture."

"A sweet, healthy, vegetarian, traditional Kerala snack made from rice flour, jaggery, and coconut through processes like kneading and steaming for 10-15 minutes, commonly available in most Malayalee food joints."

TO BE CONTINUED...

ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

1. What is ENGLISH?

2. What is LANGUAGE?

3. Influence of English Culture.

4. What is a SENTENCE and Sentence Structure?

5. What is a VERB and Types of Verbs?

6. What is THOUGHT and THINKING?

7. How to "Think in English"?

8. Conversational Grammar

9. Conversational Verbs

10. Combination Test

11. Voice Modulation

12. English Sentence Pattern (ESP)

13. Sentence Making Skills (SMS)

14. Parts of Speech (8+1)

15. Language Games

16. Role plays to Practice English Conversations

17. Lexical Resources in English

18. Making CVs, Formal Letter Writing

19. Self Introduction (Using BBC Method)

20.Presentations by Students

21. Essay Writing Practice

(*Lexical Resources: Idioms, Proverbs, Phrasal verbs, Metaphors, Similes, Famous Quotes, Sayings, Speeches, Songs etc.)  

TO BE CONTINUED...

ENGLISH - a SUBJECT or a SKILL?

How should English be taught in our schools and colleges? 

As a subject because it is hard to understand how you can manage a class as a teacher without books, chapters, class-work(mainly writing notes), coercing the students to learn the answers by-heart(mugging/ cramming/ learning by rote), enticing them to score good marks in exams by memorizing the whole text and afterwards feeling good about themselves and also about the teacher/school/college/institution.

As a skill because that's what the students need in their life after school and in the world outside school. Once your academic needs are met ie., you get the certificates with the right grades/marks,  skills alone matter. The essays, the dramas, the poems, the articles which you mugged up in school/college life are like files on a computer meant to be deleted. What is retained is the software, the ability to do a thing, the critical skill to face and excel in a life situation.

  

TO BE CONTINUED....