Reading is one of my favourite pastimes but that wasn’t always the case. I was a sporty kid with a lot of energy in the local athletics team from an early age…needless to say.
It wasn’t until I became a teenager and Judy Blume came into my life that I became a real reading convert.
If you love reading – just not in English, I get it. Reading in a second, third or sixth language can feel like a slow-moving chore. My advice is to read a little and often.
You can also mix it up by listening to books, especially when it comes to business books. This has been my path to a Business Book Addiction (BBA)
Here’s why you need a BBA.
- Vocabulary and phraseology,
- Structure and flow,
- Summary writing,
- Speed, and of course,
- Content – learning is, after all a joy.
Here’s how to stay on track
- Commit to listening to / reading a book within one month. You can do it! I believe in you!
- Decide how much you need to read each day to finish the book in time.
- Join the English for Business Leadership Bookclub and talk about the book with passion to new friends. Start your sentences with,
- “What I loved about this book was…”
- “This book made me think about…”
- “It made me think about the time I had […] problem.”
- Feel the pride of finishing each book. I’m serious! Really congratulate yourself, say, with a hot chocolate AND a marshmallow.
- Record the book title, new words and the key takeaways in a spreadsheet – or maybe evernote.com or even trello.com might work better for you.
Here’s what to read:
- Quiet by Susan Cain
- Influence by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D.
- Conflict without Casualties by Nate Regiers
- Business Made Simple by Donald Miller
- Start with Why by Simon Sinek
These were the first five books from our friendly Leadership Bookclub group. Join us on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm AEST. Register here.