Hello! I'm Holly Richmond

My classes are centered around communication fluency. The primary goal is to help you develop fluency for effective workplace communication and to feel more comfortable and confident speaking in English. In class, we concentrate on practical language functions, such as describing designs, discussing plans, explaining processes, responding to questions of clients or for a job interview, presenting in meetings, etc.

The classes are non-traditional in the sense that grammar and grammar exercises are not the primary focus. If you are unsure about some specific grammar or I notice that you could speak more effectively using a certain grammatical structure, we will take some class time to clarify and review it. However, the goal of the class is that you are speaking for ~90% of the class time, because that’s the fastest way to learn and improve.

In my classes, I keep things practical and personalized. At the start, I want to know your needs and goals. I ask you about the challenges you face at work and do some research on what you do. I make a list of questions and, as you answer, I take notes and ask follow up questions to understand better. Then, I plan our classes strategically to help you practice speaking in the situations that are relevant to you.

I make personalized lists of expressions and phrasal verbs to add to your vocabulary to help you sound more natural. We talk about the situations that you face and practice with role plays and in-depth discussions, adding grammar and vocabulary instruction where it’s necessary.

My students also practice general skills such as recounting stories or events, explaining processes or designs, and debating skills.

Because the classes focus on fluency, if you make a mistake that doesn’t interfere with the meaning of what you say, I don’t interrupt you to make a correction. At the end of the class, we take some time to review those mistakes so that you can make notes and study them.

I also like to make some time for small talk to learn about your interests and passions.

Grammar is not the main focus of the class. The problems you have speaking English at work are probably not because you need to study more grammar.

Here’s a metaphor: grammar is like the manual of a machine. Of course, you learn how the machine functions by studying the manual. However, to become good at using the machine, you have to practice using it. It’s the same for spoken English; to become good at speaking, you have to speak.

In my classes, I have textbooks I like to reference from time to time, but I don’t use a textbook as the basis for the class. The basis for the class is the situations you encounter at work in real life.

The materials we use in class come from the situations you face at work. For example, it’s very helpful when my students bring documents or designs they have made to class. This way, I learn more about your work, and you learn by explaining things to me.

Apart from that, I like to use ESLBrains.com from time to time. I think their material is really authentic and useful.

I also recommend podcasts and texts/articles for my students to listen to and read outside of class.

My classes are designed for intermediate/advanced students. It’s important to have some experience speaking English. For example, most of my students studied English in secondary school and at university. They have some speaking experience, but they don’t speak English on a regular basis and are interested in practicing more. Other students speak English frequently, but they want to advance their vocabulary, add phrasal verbs and expressions, and be able to explain more complex topics with ease.

In terms of levels, my students are anywhere from B1 to C1.

Ideally, students study the class notes and new vocabulary for ~15 minutes/day. This spaced practice can really boost your retention of concepts and build your vocabulary and fluency. Depending on your needs and your motivation to study outside of class, I will assign a relevant exercise to do, an article to read, or a podcast to listen to.

However, if you want to improve very quickly or are preparing for a job interview or presentation, I will give you more homework related to those situations.

It depends on their goals and how much they want to improve, but I would say that three months is a good minimum. Some of my students like to maintain their fluency and have been taking classes with me for years.

Of course! Sometimes you might have to miss a class. My policy is that we will reschedule and makeup the class within 8 weeks of missing it. However, missed classes can’t be rolled over and applied to the payment for next month’s classes. The monthly rate stays the same.

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