Tag: talking

  • Top 10 Speech Therapy Exercises for Toddlers – Health Cages

    Top 10 Speech Therapy Exercises for Toddlers – Health Cages

    Easy activities helps your toddler to speak better. Some toddlers start talking late. That’s okay. Every child is different. Some need more time. Some need more help. Speech therapy for kids can support your child’s speech. You can try simple activities at home. Make it fun. Make it part of your playtime.
    (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({})Here are 10 best speech therapy exercises for toddlers.
    (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({})

    1. Name the Toy

    Helps your toddler learn words
    (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({})Take one toy at a timeSay the toy’s name clearly“This is a car”“Say car”Let your child try to repeatUse animal toys, cars, or dollsMake toy sounds too“Vroom” for car“Moo” for cowSay the sound and the word“Cow says moo”

    2. Use Flashcards

    Teaches word and image connection
    (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({})Show your child one flashcard
    Say the word slowlyPoint to the pictureUse cards with animals, fruits, or objects

    Let your toddler try saying the wordDo it again and againPraise them when they try

    3. Mirror Talk

    Helps with mouth movements
    Take your kid with you, ask him/him to sit with you in front of it. Say small sounds
    “Ma”
    “Pa”
    “Ba”

    Let them see your lips

    Ask them to copy youSmile and show happy facesMake it a daily routine

    4. Sing Simple Rhymes

    Builds rhythm and speech patterns
    (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({})Pick short nursery rhymes

    “Twinkle Twinkle”“Row Row Row Your Boat”

    Sing slowly and clearlyRepeat dail
    Add simple hand movements

    Let your child sing partsSinging helps with word memory

    5. Animal Sounds Game

    Easy and fun speech practiceShow animal toys or picturesSay the animal’s name and sound“Dog says woof”

    “Cat says meow”Ask your toddler to copyStart with easy onesRepeat dailyMake it a fun game

    6. Follow Simple Commands

    Teaches listening and speech understandingSay short commands“Clap your hands
    “Give me the ball”Show what to do firstLet your child tryPraise them every timeAdd more actions slowly“Touch your nose”“Stand up”Keep it fun and easy

    7. Bubble Game

    Builds excitement and use of wordsBlow bubbles with your childSay short words while playing“Pop”“Up”“More”Ask your child to say themWait and let them trySay the word again if neededKeep repeating while playing

    8. Book Pointing Time

    Great for learning new wordsUse books with big picturesPoint to one picture at a time“This is a ball”

    “Say ball”Let your child point too

    Ask “What is this?”

    Help them answerMake it a bedtime habit

    9. Talk During Snack Time

    Teaches everyday words naturallyTalk about food while eating“This is an apple”

    “Do you want juice?”Ask questions with choices“Milk or water?”Encourage them to say the wordUse words like“More”“Yes”“No”

    Give time to respond
    Don’t rush or force

    10. Pretend Phone Talk

    Practice talking through role playGive your child a toy phone
    Pretend to call someone
    “Hello”“How are you?”“Bye-bye”

    Let your child reply
    Play it often
    Change the roles sometimes
    It builds real-life talking skills

    Bonus Tips for Parents

    Use these toddler speech delay exercises every day.Always talk slowlyUse short wordsRepeat the same words oftenGive your child time to answer

    Smile and praise them a lotNever force them to talkKeep every session fun and lightIf your kid is struggling with the speech delay, you can also visit Continua Kids for expert help and support. 

    Conclusion 

    These speech therapy activities for toddlers can help build speech step-by-step. You don’t need special tools. You just need time and love. You can even visit the child development centre for your kid’s speech therapy. Even 15 minutes a day can help. Be patient. Every small word is a big step.These speech therapy games for toddlers are beneficial in a very fun, and engaging way. Play with your child. Talk with your child. Help them grow in their own way.

  • Mastering Cold Calls: 7 Common Pitfalls to Avoid

    Mastering Cold Calls: 7 Common Pitfalls to Avoid

    Cold Calling Mistake No 1 – Not Having The Right Details

    This is something that most people are guilty of – especially when it comes to the colder type of calls. They don’t have the right details for the person they’re calling. The absolute minimum you should have is the person’s name, company name and telephone number. Their website address is also useful so you can do some research beforehand if necessary and job title so you can think about what they are likely to be interested in.

    Notice above I said ‘details’ not ‘data’. That’s because most people consider that ‘bad data’ is someone else’s fault. However, not having all the ‘details’ is the salesperson’s fault! In my opinion, if the salesperson doesn’t have the right details, it’s up to them to do something about it, not just complain about ‘bad data’.

    And if you don’t even have the NAME of the person you’re about to call, Empty Notebook Pagemake sure you make a separate call to get the right information! Nothing shows a lack of credibility to a gatekeeper faster than asking something like ‘can you put me through to the person who deals with your ….’

    Cold Calling Mistake No 2 – Lack Of Preparation

    Another common mistake most people make is not being prepared enough. I’ve observed a manager or team leader start a calling session, only for some people to still be looking for their list of people to call, their questions they’re supposed to ask, or their diaries to book their appointments into! Bizarre.

    And for all those people who are feeling smug and saying to themselves ‘I don’t have to worry about my diary because it’s on my phone’, here’s a wake-up call. If the diary is on the phone you are using to make the call, then that’s also a lack of preparation! Unless of course, you’ve noted down dates and times for possible appointments beforehand!

    In my opinion, you should NEVER start to close for an appointment without having a few options on times and dates for that appointment to hand. Otherwise, while you search for your diary, or try and search through your phone while you’re talking to someone you’ll sound confused, less confident, less credible and it may well affect your chances of getting that appointment.

    Cold Calling Mistake No No 3 – Being Too Nice

    Another common cold calling mistake some people make is to be too nice on the call. I wrote a longer article about this topic previously, that you can see at this link

    Now some people will disagree with me here. They would be the people that think, or have been told, that it’s important to develop rapport on the phone. I would totally agree that developing rapport is essential, but being too nice actually in most circumstances can LOSE you rapport, rather than gain it!

    If you’re making a business-to-business cold call, into a decision maker in an organisation, in the main they’re going to be of senior manager or director level and probably time poor. This means, generally speaking, that their communication style is going to be quite pragmatic.

    Therefore, you need to match their pragmatism in order to get rapport, respect and get them thinking you’re someone they can do business with! If you’re too ‘nice’, it runs the risk of them potentially seeing you as weak, pathetic and junior!

    Cold Calling Mistake No 4 – Not Being Resilient Enough

    Let’s face it – if you’re going to cold call, you’re going to get rejection. However the majority of people making business-to-business phone calls aren’t resilient enough.

    As an example, think about how many times that you (or a member of your team) haven’t handled an objection well enough? Think about how many times someone you know has got up to make a drink, started reading their emails or called an existing customer when they were meant to be cold calling?

    You have to have a certainly amount of resilience to be in sales to cope with the ‘knockbacks’. It’s even more important in cold calling, where you’re going to get more rejection than ever! Do you or your team fall over at the first objection? At the first bad call? Or are you resilient enough to carry on and get results from your calls?

    Cold Calling Mistake No 5 – Not Keeping Your Outcome In Mind

    Far too many people make the mistake of not keeping their outcome in mind when they’re on the call. In the majority of cases, there will be an outcome, a purpose or an objective for the call, but all too often it gets forgotten whilst the call is in progress!

    I’ve heard countless calls where the person making the call has got caught up in a technical discussion about their product or service that has resulted in the call having a poor result for them at the end. After the call has finished, I’ve asked them ‘what was your outcome or objective on that call?’, only to be told that their objective was to get a meeting! When I’ve then asked ‘so why on earth did you get caught up in a technical discussion about the product?’ – the normal response I get is something like ‘I’m not sure. It just happened.’

    It didn’t ‘just happen’. They got caught up in the call and forgot their outcome. Therefore the person they were talking to wasn’t sure of the point of the call, gave some objections to the product, and the call ended up in ‘no result’. Not a great outcome for the caller, was it?

    Cold Calling Mistake No 6 – Losing Control Of The Conversation

    Another big mistake most people make when cold calling is to lose control of the conversation. This is one of the biggest reasons why people’s cold calling sessions don’t achieve the results they should.

     

    In my opinion, the salesperson should be in control of the conversation, not the recipient of the call. Notice I didn’t say that the recipient should FEEL controlled, just that the salesperson should be IN control.

    The most effective way to control the conversation is through good questions. The problem is, the average salesperson is ‘average’ in terms of their questioning ability, at best! The ability to ask good questions and then ‘feed’ off the answers is a much-underrated sales ability. The top salespeople use this ability to control the conversation and get the results THEY want. The average salesperson gets controlled by the customer and wonders why they don’t make as many appointments or as many sales as their colleagues!

    Cold Calling Mistake No 7 – Not Gaining Commitment

    Okay, so the above 6 mistakes were important, and this one is probably THE most important of all. The majority of salespeople fail to get any kind of commitment from their clients, and this is very much true when they’re cold calling as well.

    The problem is, most of the commitment falls on the salesperson’s side. Ever committed to sending some information? In that case the commitment probably was more on YOUR side than theirs. How committed to sending the information? You did! Did they even commit to reading it? By a specific time? If not, the commitment was probably all yours! Can you see how this happens?

    The more commitment you can gain from a client, the more likely the ‘next steps’ you have proposed will happen. Fail to gain commitment and be prepared for the client to ‘forget’ the appointment, not do what you asked, or fall into an endless loop of call-backs where they keep saying ‘I haven’t had time to look at it yet’. Sound familiar?

    Follow the tips above and watch your sales soar! I look forward to hearing how you get on.


  • Los Angeles Mayor Bass Endorses Former Mayor For Governor

    Los Angeles Mayor Bass Endorses Former Mayor For Governor

    Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass endorsed former mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for governor of California on Sept. 9.

    The 72-year-old Los Angeles native and former state assemblyman is making a second run for the state’s highest seat.

    He lost in the 2018 primary against 26 other candidates. Gov. Gavin Newsom won in the general election.

    As Jill McLaughlin reports for The Epoch Times, Bass introduced Villaraigosa at a press conference, calling him California’s next governor.

    “You are talking about somebody who knows the Legislature, who knows how to build relationships, who knows our city,” Bass said.

    Villaraigosa, a Democrat, said he was honored by the endorsement.

    “I’m honored to have the endorsement of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass,” Villaraigosa stated on social media.

    “Mayor Bass is a fierce advocate for working families, children, seniors, and underserved communities and a tireless champion for social and economic justice and for the people of Los Angeles.

    “I appreciate her support in this campaign and look forward to collaborating with Mayor Bass for the health, safety, and betterment of Angelenos and all Californians,” he added.

    During the press conference, he criticized the recent immigration enforcement in the city and federal immigration officers working to identify and deport illegal immigrants.

    He vowed to continue fighting against the Trump administration’s immigration operations.

    “In my lifetime, I have never seen military-style raids in this town, or any town in the United States of America. … I say no. I say no to this threat to our democracy,” Villaraigosa said Sept. 9.

    The two have been friends since the 1970s, when Bass was a community activist and Villaraigosa was a union organizer.

    Both of them served in the Legislature, becoming Assembly speakers, and both were elected as mayor of Los Angeles.

    Villaraigosa, the city’s first Latino mayor, describes himself as a problem solver and civil rights leader.

    Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaks to journalists in a press conference in Los Angeles, on Jan. 17, 2025. Bass endorsed her friend and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Sept. 6 in the state’s governor’s race. Apu Gomes/Getty Images

    One of the latest polls published in August showed the former mayor with only about 9 percent support among possible voters.

    Former Congresswoman Katie Porter, a Democrat, has a solid lead in the race, followed by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican.

    Former Fox News host Steve Hilton, also a Republican, was in third place, according to the Politico poll.

    In June, an Emerson College poll showed Villaraigosa was favored by 5 percent of voters.

    The former mayor was a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics after serving as Los Angeles mayor from 2005 to 2013. He launched his campaign to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom in July 2024.

    The Democratic Party stalwart faces similar competition this time around with a field of contenders vying for the seat.

    At least 20 candidates had entered the gubernatorial race as of Sept. 10, with several big names among them.

    Besides Bianco, Hilton, and Porter, candidates for governor include former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, who was appointed by President Joe Biden to oversee the COVID-19 vaccine mandates, current California State Schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond, former state senator Toni Atkins, and tech entrepreneur Ethan Agarwal.

    Former vice president and California resident Kamala Harris announced she would not run for the office.

    Term-limited Newsom has not yet endorsed anyone for the race.

    Loading recommendations…
  • Last day to amplify your brand: Host your Side Event at Disrupt 2025

    Last day to amplify your brand: Host your Side Event at Disrupt 2025

    The countdown is on: The application to host a Side Event at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 closes tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT.

    If you’ve been considering a way to amplify your brand during the week’s tech epicenter, now is the time to lock it in.

    Your Side Event could be the dinner everyone’s still talking about, the panel that sparks a deal, or the happy hour that launches a new collaboration.

    With 10,000+ Disrupt attendees in San Francisco — plus the global spotlight of TechCrunch promotion — your event won’t just happen. It will resonate.TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 Side EventsImage Credits:Slava Blazer Photography

    Today’s deadline is final

    Applications are free, but the deadline is final. Submit your proposal before it’s too late.

    Why host a Side Event?

    Visibility that lasts: Get your event featured in TechCrunch’s official Side Event listings.

    Curated audience: 10,000+ founders, investors, and innovators in San Francisco during Disrupt Week (October 25-31).

    Flexibility: From VIP dinners to casual mixers — design the event that fits your brand.

    Zero cost to apply: No hosting fee, just your idea and execution.

    Amplification: TechCrunch promotes your event across multiple channels, so you don’t have to build an audience from scratch.

    Apply before the clock strikes midnight

    Apply now and make your event the one everyone remembers during Disrupt 2025.TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 no anniversary

  • Robinhood embraces copy trading after warning competitors about regulatory risks

    Robinhood embraces copy trading after warning competitors about regulatory risks

    What a difference a changing regulatory environment makes.

    Roughly nine months after suggesting that a young copy trading platform could only operate because it flew “under the radar” of regulators, Robinhood has announced its own entry into the space with “Robinhood Social,” a new feature that will allow users to follow and manually replicate the trades of prominent investors.

    The move represents a striking about-face for the online brokerage, which has historically been cautious about features that could attract regulatory scrutiny. The company famously ditched its celebratory digital confetti feature ahead of its 2021 IPO after regulators raised concerns about gamifying trading, making its embrace of copy trading, another potentially gamified feature, all the more notable.

    This wariness was on full display in December, when in a conversation with this editor about upstart copy trading platform Dub, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev suggested that such platforms could operate primarily because of their smaller size, proposing that “copy trading could become of greater interest to regulators” and that Dub may not yet be under the “magnifying glass” because of its “comparatively smaller size.”

    Now Robinhood is betting that the regulatory landscape has changed enough to safely enter the copy trading market.

    The timing is particularly notable given the pointed criticism Robinhood faced earlier this year from Dub’s 23-year-old founder Steven Wang, who has positioned his platform as a more educationally focused alternative to traditional trading apps.

    “I have a lot of respect for what [CEO] Vlad [Tenev] has done in making trading free,” Wang told me back in February. “But at the end of the day, making it super easy to trade without expert guidance, without education, is really just gambling for the broader population.”

    Techcrunch event

    Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025

    Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before Sept 26 to save up to $668.

    Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025

    Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before Sept 26 to save up to $668.

    San Francisco
    |
    October 27-29, 2025

    REGISTER NOW

    Wang has consistently argued that Dub’s approach — which includes risk scores, risk-adjusted returns, and portfolio stability metrics — represents a safer alternative to platforms like Robinhood. In his conversation with TechCrunch, Wang was also critical of Robinhood’s decision to offer meme coins like TRUMP, saying the incentives are “misaligned between these big platforms that are public companies now that need to make money.”

    Tuesday’s news, announced at Robinhood’s company event earlier in the day, brought to mind the possibility that Robinhood had, in fact, acquired four-year-old Dub, which officially launched just last year and has so far raised $47 million in funding from investors. But reached for comment, a Robinhood spokesperson responded via email, “No, this is not an acquisition, we are building our own platform in Robinhood.”

    Said Wang via email: “It’s validating to see Robinhood launch something in our space. It shows they view what we’re building as threatening enough to their core business that they feel the need to copy elements of it.”

    Wang added: “Their approach is very different. Robinhood Social is built for active traders” while Dub is “built for a completely different audience: The majority of people who don’t have the time, experience, or desire to become active traders.”

    Whether or not Robinhood sees it that way, its version of copy trading differs meaningfully from platforms like Dub and established players like eToro, which has offered copy trading to U.S. users for years through its CopyTrader feature. While eToro allows automatic copying of other traders’ portfolios in real-time (with U.S. users limited to copying only other U.S. traders due to regulations), and Dub allows users to automatically copy entire portfolios for a $10 monthly subscription, Robinhood Social will require users to manually replicate trades, a distinction that may help address regulatory concerns.

    The platform, set to launch early next year, will feature verified traders and display the activities of famous investors and members of Congress. Unlike the informal copy trading that happens on social media, Robinhood will require identity verification and proof of actual portfolio positions. The plan, according to the company, is to first invite 10,000 Robinhood Social users to test out the service before rolling it out more widely.

    The launch comes at a time when the regulatory landscape is fast evolving. Crypto companies were scrutinized heavily under the Biden administration, while numerous crypto companies have become publicly traded companies in recent months, their path eased by the Trump administration’s crypto-friendly stance. Meanwhile, copy trading — long common in Europe but heavily restricted in the U.S. — may be gaining acceptance finally.

    Seen through that lens, Robinhood’s entry into copy trading represents more than just another feature launch; it could signal the opening of floodgates for a wave of new platforms. If Robinhood can successfully negotiate the legal landscape that has long limited copy trading in the U.S., other fintech outfits seem likely to follow suit. eToro’s successful May IPO, which raised $310 million and saw shares surge 29% on their debut, has already demonstrated strong investor appetite for copy trading platforms.

    Whether this potential wave is good news or bad for retail investors — or it will mostly serve to boost fintech valuations — is an open question. For right now, Robinhood’s shareholders are probably the clearest winners.