At the start of 2019, I went back to Joensuu – you can’t keep me away from my Finnish alma mater – and to Kuopio in central-eastern Finland, both in the depths of winter. It was colder than -20°C and in that weather, my devices still worked, but I was surprised to note that the cold somehow drained the batteries if I took my phone or tablet out to take a photo. Maybe one day somebody will find a technical fix for that; clearly, not yet. In the summer, I also visited Tallinn, the rapidly-growing capital of Estonia, that seems to be markedly different every time I go there.
Copywriting, editing and proofreading were all in high demand this year. I worked with Aalto University, helping students refine their presentation skills for the exciting end-of-course Gala. A number of business events highlighted the fact that presentations in English are becoming more important in Finland as many fledgling companies want to expand internationally.
In my free time, I continued to read as much as I could, meet new people, and develop fun new skills in cooking and amateur magic (sometimes they seem to overlap!).
The year 2020 will start with an intensive programme teaching presentation skills at a client organisation in the financial sector. As the year proceeds, I will be developing courses for people who are already good presenters but want to brush up their professional vocabulary in specialist English courses in information technology, human resources, and medicine.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my clients and business partners in 2019. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year!
Koala Consulting and Training will not be operating from 21 December until 1 January, 2020. However, please feel free to send an email if you have something to ask or discuss.
I’ll be back in business on 2 January. See you next year!