On Tuesdays, we watch talks or interviews with artists and designers and discuss how to present our work clearly and with confidence. This week we’ll watch an interview with WordPress UX Designer Sonja Leix, who talks about WordCamps, which are community events for WordPress users.

As you watch this interview, consider these questions: Does the designer speak clearly and with confidence? Does she use gestures and intonation to emphasize her points? Does she smile and look at the camera? Does she use professional vocabulary?

What does Leix do well? She looks at the interviewer and speaks clearly. Her speed and volume are good, and she is easy to understand. She smiles, uses vocal variety, and gestures frequently to emphasize her points and engage her audience. Her posture is good, and she looks confident overall. 

What could she improve? She uses some filler words and wrings her hands occasionally, which makes her look nervous. (Wringing your hands means to twist and rub them together nervously.) These are small things, and in general, she gives a very good interview. However, even little things can affect the way your audience views you.

What professional vocabulary does she use? She begins by introducing herself and telling us that in addition to building WordPress websites every day, she is an organizer for WordCamp Europe. Next, she goes into more detail about her preparations for next year’s WordCamp in Serbia, and why she enjoys them so much. She feels that it is very rewarding to facilitate an experience where people from all over the world get to connect, share their joys and knowledge, and help each other grow.

After that, she describes her early experiences with attending WordCamps in New York, before she knew about the huge WordPress community. She used to sit in the back and just listen, but when she eventually started asking questions and interacting with other people, she discovered the power (or magic) of the community. She says she wishes she had gotten more involved sooner because she learned and grew so much, both personally and professionally. Next, she shares her goals for the future of WordCamps, which are reaching out to and bringing in a larger group of people from outside the WordCamp group, such as open source communities, other developers, etc. Finally, she describes WordCamps in three words: community, global, empowering.

Many creative people appreciate the power of interaction and want to be able to connect with people in their creative communities. A good language coach can help you to improve your speaking skills and design vocabulary so that you can speak about your work with confidence. You can even learn to be comfortable with American small talk!

At Artglish, we help artists and designers to speak confidently about their work. We coach you to speak professionally using the best vocabulary and correct pronunciation. If you want to learn more, click here to join The Studio and try some free ways to improve your English, or check out our Lessons page to learn how Artglish can help you succeed.

I’ve chosen 5 words or phrases for you to focus on today. They are in bold. If you don’t know them, look up the meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and other forms of these words. You can find links to Merriam-Webster dictionary sites at the bottom of this page.

To see the original video, posted by Plesk on December 15, 2017, click the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nDbeOFBekw

To learn more about WordPress WordCamps, click the link below:
https://make.wordpress.org/community/wordcamps/