Public Speaking? There's an App

According to the 2015 Chapman University Survey of American Fears, the top three personal anxieties that make us lose sleep are (1) reptiles, (2) public speaking, and (3) heights.

There’s not much Quiet Revolution can do about scary snakes and dizzying drop-offs, but when it comes to glossophobia, we are here to help with a selection of apps that focus on the different facets of making a presentation.

So, clip on that wireless mike, and be heard!

Before the curtain rises

If you need to sedate the butterflies in your stomach prior to making a presentation, Public Speaking (Android) and Confident Public Speaking (iOS and Android) may give you some relief. These apps are guided meditation and self-hypnosis programs that can help you relax and minimize the anxiety of speaking in front of crowds.

A certain number of verbal pauses are perfectly fine, but when your speech is peppered with many ummms and uhhhs, it gets distracting and annoying. Cue Ummo (iOS)! Tell the app which words you want to track, then record your speech. Ummo will generate a transcript that highlights the words you specified. Use your newfound awareness to cut back on or eliminate the rough spots.

And then there’s VirtualSpeech (iPhone and Android), a virtual reality app that allows you to use your smartphone to simulate presenting to an audience. You need a VR headset as well as the app, so the whole setup is on the pricier side, but…but…VIRTUAL REALITY, dude. For realz.

Your personal prompter

Few things are more terrifying than drawing a blank when you’re facing a room full of people. Our pioneer ancestors used primitive tools such as cue cards, paper notes, and scripts, but today we have downloadable software such as PrompsterPro (for iOS and Android), PromptSmart (for iOS), TelePrompter (for iOS), and A Prompter (for Android).

These apps convert your mobile device into a swanky teleprompter and offer a variety of features:

Audio and video recording so you can practice and critique your presentation before you deliver it and then save the actual presentation for distribution afterward
The ability to upload, download, and edit the document you read from
Adjust the font size on the display so you don’t squint (and look shifty)
Timers that will keep you on track

PromptSmart also uses voice-recognition technology that actually FOLLOWS YOUR VOICE as you speak, adapting to your pace and even stopping when you do. WIZARDRY.

Start the countdown

There’s nothing groundbreaking about timers, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t useful. It’s easy to lose track of time, and it can get really uncomfortable when the exit music starts to play and you’re gently escorted off stage.

SpeakerClock (for iOS) is similar in appearance and function to the TEDTalk timer, with REALLY BIG DIGITS that you can see from a distance.

For Android, there’s the Toastmaster Timer that uses a traffic-light system that goes from green to yellow to red as you near the end of your scheduled talk time.  

Of course, the absolute BEST thing you can do to become a more proficient public speaker is to, well, speak in public as often as you can. The butterflies in your stomach will probably still flutter around, but at least they won’t feel as if they’re as big as pterodactyls!

Read Read and Read

How to Benefit from Your Reading

Reading can be a pain if you aren't a bookworm or a diligent reader already. Here are some ways to make reading - especially for study - more beneficial for you.

Steps

1

Keep a reading journal. In your journal, write a summary of the chapter, a list of vocabulary words that elude or confuse you, and brief discussion about how the section made you feel/what you thought of/meaning, etc.

2

Choose your reading area.Read in a comfortable area, but not too comfortable. If you don't care much for reading, reading in bed, or on a comfy couch may not be a good idea. You don't want to fall asleep!

3

Manage your reading time. Try to dedicate certain times for your reading. Also, try to stick to those times.

Chose the timing for reading wisely. Reading right before bed may not be the best time for a non-reader. Try the morning, or during meals.

Read in spurts, ten minutes here, twenty there. Don't spend all day with a book if you don't have the time.

4

Write and reflect on the book. Make notes in the margins, and ask yourself questions about what you've just read. The questions can be rhetorical, the idea is to turn the page into a grounds for thinking, books don't mind if you write on them.

Use highlighters, page tabs, and favorite pens/bookmarks. Believe it or not, this makes reading more study than tedious work.

Write a summary or take down quotations of passages with special meaning to you.

Write a piece of your own inspired by or in the style of what you have read. Reading can be an excellent inspiration and guide towards writing.

5

Find people to discuss the book with. You can start a book club, discuss the book online and read others' discussions, or if it's for a class, a group you discuss the work with outside of class. You can include reviews, or critical analysis.

6

Look at your own habits and tendencies in light of what you read. What have you learned? What would you change about yourself.

Tips

Just read; don't set up chapter or page goals. Keep it simple, and fun at the beginning!

Do a little exercise before you read. You'll be awake and alert.

Warnings

Don't read with the TV or computer on - too distracting!

Don't read if you are already sleepy!

Don't keep reading on a full stomach - nap time will get you!

Never underline or highlight in a library book. Use removable flags, bookmarks, or sticky notes if you wish to mark important passages.

Dummy Pronouns

Dummy Pronouns 
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What is a dummy pronoun?
Dummy pronouns are words that function grammatically as pronouns, but which do not have antecedents like normal pronouns do. This means that, unlike normal pronouns, dummy pronouns do not replace a noun, phrase, or clause. They refer to nothing in particular, but instead help the sentence to function properly in a grammatical context. Dummy pronouns are also commonly referred to as expletive pronouns.
There are two dummy pronouns, there and it.
There as a dummy pronoun
There is primarily used as a dummy pronoun in circumstances where the sentence is explaining that a person, place, or thing exists. When the word there is being used in this manner, it is often referred to as existential there. For example, the following sentences contain the dummy pronoun there to explain the existence of people, places, or things:
“There is a ship in the harbor.”
“There is a bowl on the table.”
“There were flowers in the meadow.”
“There is a river that passes through the mountain.”
“There are many reasons to go to Jamaica.”
Singular vs. Plural use of there
The dummy pronoun there can be used in either a singular or plural context. When it is used in a singular context, the correlating nouns and verbs have singular endings; when it is used in a plural context, the corresponding nouns and verbs have plural endings.
Singular
“There is a fence around the yard.”
In this case, the existence of only one thing, a fence, is being discussed. Therefore, the singular verb is and the singular noun fence are used. Here is another example of there being used in a singular context:
“There is a canoe on the lake.
Again, the existence of only one canoe is being discussed, so the singular verb is and the singular noun canoe are used.
Plural
“There are two fences around the yard.”
This sentence discusses the existence of two fences, and thus the plural form is used. This is demonstrated by the use of the plural verb are and the plural noun fences. Here is another example:
“There are many canoes on the lake.”
This sentence discusses the existence of two or more canoes. Because of this fact, the plural verb are and the plural noun canoes are used.
Difference from adverbial there
Although the word there can be used as a dummy pronoun, it can also be used as an adverb; it is important to know the difference between the two.
When there is being used as an adverb, it is taking the place of an adverbial phrase, oftentimes an adverbial prepositional phrase. For example, consider the following sentences:
“They swam in the water.”
“They swam there.”
“I’m going to hide the cookies up above the fridge.”
“I’m going to hide the cookies up there.”
In these cases, the word there acts as an adverbial that gives further information about where the action takes place. But, if the word there were used differently in a similar sentence, it could function as a dummy pronoun. For example:
“There were fish where they swam.”
“There are cookies up above the fridge.”
Both of these sentences use the existential there to explain that certain things—namely, the fish and the cookies—exist. There also does not have any antecedents in these sentences, so it is clearly functioning as a dummy pronoun in both.
It as a dummy pronoun
Just like the dummy pronoun there, it is also used as a pronoun without an antecedent in sentences. It is commonly used in situations when weather, distance, or time is being discussed.
Weather
The following are examples of sentences that use it as a dummy pronoun related to weather.
“It looks like it may snow tonight.”
“Is it raining?”
“It was very sunny at the beach last weekend.”
“It always seems to sleet when he drives on the highway.”
Distance
The following examples use it as a dummy pronoun in sentences involving distance.
“It is very far from North America to Europe.”
“Is it a long drive to get to the mountain?”
“It is a short walk once you get out of the forest.”
“It is farther than you think to drive to California.”
Time
The following examples use it as a dummy pronoun in sentences involving time.
“It is 4:30.
“It was earlier than he expected.”
“Could you tell me what time it is?”
“She told him to come back when It was later in the day.”
Other uses
There are a number of other situations where it can be used as a dummy pronoun, without pertaining to weather, distance, or time.
When it functions as an empty subject to introduce or “anticipate” something that appears later in the sentence, it is sometimes referred to as anticipatory it. For example:
“It was assumed that the tour guide knew exactly how to get there.”
“It seems that four people showed up instead of the expected two.”
It can also function as an object when it is a dummy pronoun:
“The teacher seemed a bit out of it yesterday.
“Watch it, pal!”
Singular vs. Plural
Notice that in all of the examples above, it is only functioning as a singular dummy pronoun. This is because it can’t be plural. This means that the verbs and objects in sentences with the dummy pronoun it have to be singular as well.
Subject vs. object
A subject is a noun or pronoun that performs the action of the verb. An object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb,
The dummy pronoun it can either function as the subject of a sentence or as the object, although it is more commonly used as the subject. Existential there, on the other hand, can only be a subject.
(The word there can function as the object of a preposition, as in “We left from there.” However, it is considered a noun in this case, not a pronoun.)
Here are some examples of sentences where dummy pronouns are used as subjects:
“There are many ducks in the pond.”
“There is a tree in the middle of the field.”
“It is 12:30.”
“It is sunny outside today.”
Here are some examples of sentences where dummy pronouns are used as objects:
“Will he make it to the game?”
“You have to cool it down.”
“Watch it!”
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