Open lesson “Business and advertisement”

Hello everyone, I’m glad to welcome you to our open lesson. I, Mary and Anahit were asked to make an advertisement by working together in a group, choosing a theme that we would like. And we decided to make an ad about our school Mkhitar Sebastatsi High school as me and Anahit are considered new students this year and it would be good to know what we have already achieved, explored and known about our school. As said in the advertisement, our educational complex is the school of your opportunities and choices, the school that provides many kind of different activities. Well, we had to show that all in one short commercial and do it the way so the audience would be interested and not bored, because we know that sometimes ads can be boring and annoying too. So, we tried to be creative and see our school as a new student, what’s the thing that we liked so much, what’s the first thing we noticed about our school or what did we know about this school before applying for the admission. After having the script of our commercial, we started the shooting part, which includes our voice recordings, different shots of the parts of the school to show exactly the activities that are mentioned in the ad. And an interesting thing happened during our shooting in front of the main entrance, a girl saw us making an ad and asked if we could send it to her after we’ve done making it. Turned out she was a social media marketing consultant and wanted to see our results, so she gave us her email, and I think if it turns out to be interesting, we’ll send the commercial of our school.

So, once again remembering all the good things that our school provides, we wanted to share it with others, and I think there are many students in our school who don’t fully know all the sides and features of our school, so it was a way of informing and spreading the information for our present and upcoming students to see exactly what interesting and unique things they can find in our special educational complex.

Questions

1. What is advertising? 

Advertising is the act of promoting a product, service, or idea through various forms of communication to reach and influence a target audience. Its main purpose is to create awareness and interest in some product or a service. The forms of communication include color, music/sound, words, effects and many other things that can create an attraction among the consumers.

2. Why is advertising important for businesses?

Advertising is important for businesses because it helps create awareness about their products or services, generate demand, and ultimately drive sales. It enables businesses to reach their target audience, communicate their value proposition, and differentiate themselves from competitors. Effective advertising campaigns can build brand recognition, enhance brand reputation, and influence consumer behavior, leading to increased market share and profitability.

3. What do you pay attention to when you watch ads?

I mostly pay attention to the music and effects of the commercial, but words play an important role too. You have to speak less and show more and only mention the important things in your short speech, the things that can attract your target audience and influence them, describing your product sufficiently. I think colors can influence consumers as well and that’s more a psychological trick.

4 Do you think advertising affects the purchase of goods?  

It depends on the product and the method of advertising. If it includes only speeches and description, the audience can be bored and skip the ad, not even having to know the product. But so many successful companies that are organizing creative and productive advertising campaigns, can influence the audience and even make them spread awareness about their product without them knowing.

5. What kind of advertising do you prefer: “mute” or with sound? 

I prefer when the advertisement is with sound, but not including speeches or talks. It’s much more effective when the description is written by words in the ad and shown like a presentation than someone talking throughout the video.

6. Do you think advertising has a negative impact on your health?

Again, it depends if it’s an honest advertisement of a useful product or just unhealthy food and drinks. Again, they can be very successful but have a negative impact for our health and make an addiction. That’s why famous health organizations or the governments hold non-profitable advertising campaigns to spread awareness about some unhealthy products that have a negative impact.

7. Does advertising help you learn about new products, services, and technologies? 

I mostly learn about new products or technologies from social media, the news or commercials. And sometimes not only about products, but also movies, TV shows or many other things which have just been released. So, commercials, social media and other platforms strongly influence our minds and can be used as a way of spreading the awareness and creating an interest about this or that product.

Letter writing

The form of the letter writing is something that people used for centuries in order to communicate from one place to another. It’s interesting how that form has held up so far and even now whenever we need to write a letter to our boss, manager or other important people, we always use that method to write the letter.

Letter writing remains a valuable means of expressing thoughts, ideas, and feelings in a personal and meaningful way. So, it’s important to follow the letter writing rules such as mentioning the purpose of it and the intended people at the beginning. It’s also important to write a formal greeting and closing, address the reader appropriately, and using proper grammar and spelling. That way, your letter can be more effective and, of course, the reader would appreciate your carefulness and effort.

I believe that everyone has once received a letter from another place, another country, from their friends or relatives which keeps till now as a memory of the past. I also have one too, and I think that’s one of the nicest things I have in my box of memories. It was written by an old nice lady from USA with whom I met at the age of 9 and until now I take out that letter sometimes and read it once again, so it reminds me of all the good memories I had with that amazing and kind woman.

So, as you see, handwritten letters are going out of use now, but again, they had been a life saver for many people on many occasions for centuries. And now, we just keep them as a good memory of the past, because as the technology develops very quickly, writing letters and mails have become lot more easier and quicker than ever before.

How to Influence and persuade people

The only way in which one human being can properly attempt to influence another is by encouraging him to think for himself, instead of endeavoring to install ready―made opinions into his head.

Leslie Stephen

Of course, when you say influence people, many of them may think it’s about manipulation and trickery, but if you look at it from different directions, you may see it good side. Influencing people is not always about manipulating them. In fact, if you’re a good leader or have some leadership skills, if you’re a manager of a group or principal of a company, you must know how to acknowledge your members’ needs and requirements and try to motivate, lead them to a certain aim by influencing and persuading your people.

It’s important to know the difference of those two: whether you manipulate them or lead them to success. Once you know the difference and willingly want to help your people around you need to start communicating with them. The first and most important thing of influencing people is to establish trust and credibility. Get to know each other, make them comfortable around you.

In order to persuade people into something, you must understand their needs and what motivates them in life. Under what circumstances and suggestions they can realize their needs. You should be trustful so they can share their problems with you and you must be flexible to find the key, the solvation of the problem.

Once you’ve known the person, their motivation, needs and requirements, here comes the essential part. Your speech must be effective, clear and firm, without any uncertainty. You should plan your way of achieving the goal and have all the faith in your work. That way, you can capture their attention and faith too. Never, under any circumstances, lose your consistency and don’t let your emotions take over, even when people are not interested in your speech. Try to attract them with the proof and evidence you have around to support your arguments. When people see that you still have the faith and the temper, they will start to follow you and believe your words.

So, in conclusion, remember that wherever you go, there will be people who want something in their life, who are willing to make a success, but whom need strong, flexible and supportive leaders, who can hint them the way, clear the direction for them. So, if you think you’re the one, then be tempting, irresistible and understanding. Always have faith in your words and work, so the others won’t be afraid following you.

Crime fiction and thrillers

Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore, it is upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

With every crime fiction or thriller movie, your imagination can be widened, and your mindset can be changed about many things. Sometimes, if you truly understand the story, your mind can become brighter, and you can easily see through someone’s actions, you can easily orient yourself in this or that situation. Some classics like Agatha Christie’s detective crime histories or Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, can actually tell you many things about crime and murder case solving. And you have to know, what information to take from the story and how useful it can be in some circumstances.

So you see, not every crime history can be disturbing or hurting. Actually, sometimes a little horrifying story is all you need to get you interested. I enjoy watching horror films and thrillers, they contain some kind of horrific mystery that keeps you in suspense all the way during the film. Especially when you watch psychological horror, it’s a whole different thing. You can follow one’s psychic mindset through the film and know how their brain really works.

So what I’m trying to say, it’s ok to be addicted in thrillers and crime fiction, if you know how to get benefits from them. You may always have some lack of adrenalin, that you can only get by watching or reading mystic and thrilling horrors. But of course, it’s up to you. If you don’t find those things interesting and catchy, keep doing what you like. After all, we are the one who know our preferences the best, aren’t we?

SEB Talks: Teeange insecurities

Dear all, you can watch my speech video below.

If you’re interested in my SEB Talks speech, you can read it here.

Creative writing: One gloomy day

There once was a bachelor living in an abandoned house, located in the vacant land. He lived there for many years, all alone and solitary. Nobody has ever seen or heard about that man, except the police, who implemented a visit once a year to make sure that everything’s fine.

And on one gloomy day, during their annual visit, the police were surprised that the bachelor was vanished out of sight. So, he explored the house, went through all the rooms and explored all the floors. He found bloody steps on the floors, and it was obvious they had a fight earlier.

Until he went to check the basement. The officer opened the door and the frigid cold hit him in the face. He went on exploring the basement and was shocked as he saw a dead corpse on the floor. Noticing a peril, the officer’s dog started to bark. And the bark was getting louder and louder as it was approaching the dead body.

Soon, they caught the bachelor who wasn’t far from the house, obviously didn’t manage to escape that far.

The detectives had a heated debate on the latest actions. Soon, assembling all the facts and instructions, it was visible that the man devised a plan to escape from the police by eliminating all the clues. But it was unforeseen for them to discover another murder…

Insecurities do not define us, our choices do

Few years ago, I used to concentrate on many things happening around me and be concerned about my actions and abilities. I used to compare myself to my friends, the people who surrounded me, and I used to underestimate my abilities, talents, my appearance. I often felt very bad because of all the negative opinions about me that the people would say. And the thing is, I blamed myself for all those things.

Until one day, I had this serious talk with my mom, who just said one thing that has changed my mindset once and for all. She said: “Always surround yourself with kind, trustful and supportive people. People who can inspire you and make you believe in yourself. Never care much about the ones’ opinions who can’t truly make you feel unique, who always concentrate and focus on your disabilities or mistakes. They’re the one who are not accomplished in this life․”

But think about it for a moment, isn’t it true? That your environment can seriously affect you and make you underestimate your skills.

I’m here today to talk about a subject that affects all of us at some point in our lives, but especially when we’re young. And that is the topic of insecurities.

Growing up, we all have some insecurities. I think even the most confident and outspoken people have some things about themselves that they are not completely happy or satisfied with. We may feel like we’re not pretty enough, not smart enough, not popular enough, or simply not good enough. And these insecurities can manifest in many ways – from being self-conscious about our appearance to feeling like we don’t fit in with our peers.

The truth is that insecurities are a natural part of growing up, and they’re something that everyone experiences to some degree. Some people care about their insecurities a lot, while for others, they mean very little. However, a strong confidence is required to speak about them in public. Many teenagers might get bullied or laughed at, however a strong will and determination is required to ignore them all. But why do we feel insecure? And what can we do about it?

The teenage years can be tough, with so many changes happening both physically and emotionally. It’s no wonder that young people often feel uncertain about themselves and their place in the world.

But one of the main causes of our insecurities is the internet. Social media has created an environment where we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others. We see images of our peers living seemingly perfect lives, and we can’t help but feel inadequate in comparison. We also receive messages from society about what we should look like, how we should behave, and what we should achieve, which can make us feel like we’re not measuring up.

But it’s important to remember that these messages are often unrealistic. No one is perfect, and we shouldn’t be striving for perfection. Instead, we should focus on being our best selves and accepting ourselves for who we are.

First, it’s important to recognize that everyone has insecurities. You’re not alone in this, and you’re not the only one who feels this way.

Last Friday, I was about to give an important speech in front of the students and the teachers. It was that project, dedicated to the anniversary of our drama club, and I was about to give a long speech. To be honest, I was very nervous, I was nervous that I might forget my speech, that I might mess up something. But for one moment, I pulled myself together, and I said to myself: “Do you realize that you’re not the only one in this situation? You know that other members are possibly as nervous as you, so you’re not the only one feeling this way.” And eventually, that kind of relieved my stress.

The second important thing is to try to focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses. We all have things we’re good at, and it’s important to celebrate those things. You should know that it’s possible to be successful and happy without following societies narrow definitions of beauty and success. We need to celebrate our diversity and encourage young people to be true to themselves.

And finally, the last and the most important thing is to be kind to yourself. Treat yourself the way you would treat a friend – with kindness, compassion, and understanding. It is important for you to understand that you are valuable and worthy just for who you are.

So, in conclusion, insecurities are something we all experience, especially when we’re young. But they don’t have to define us. Our choices do. The choices that we make. My advice to you is never let anyone judge you for your insecurities, never let anyone break your self-confidence and having faith in your own capabilities. It’s not about being great or being loved by public, it’s about being perfect for yourself. Love yourself, value what you have and build your path to success without listening to others’ negative comments.

Thank you.

Why People Are Addicted to Taking Selfies

Back then, when people wanted to have a picture of themselves, their family, different events, they had to go to the photographer, or they should have a special camera, in order to have a picture as a memory from that day or event. Not many people could afford it. In fact, in old times only rich people could have cameras. They used to have photo albums where you could see their whole life, from childhood to their old age, every big moment pictured and put in the album.

In a few decades, many things have changed. The photo albums are a thing of the past, and the majority doesn’t even know what they are. Cameras are used only for big events or during official ceremonies. In everyday life, we use our phones. All the pictures of us in different places and times are stuffed there, for years. The phone galleries became the new photo albums in which you can find our pictures not only taken at big events, but also from everyday life. Taking photos became one of the main actions of our day. We take a picture of our food, our daily outfit, we take photos of many beautiful and unique things we see on our way. And it takes less than a second, while decades ago people had to wait for weeks.

Other than the standard pictures, a new thing that became popular and trending is the selfie. Selfie is a function that allows you to easily take a picture of yourself. You can just switch the camera mode and take a group photo, a photo of you and your surroundings, and you can also use them as a mirror. You don’t have to ask the strangers to take a picture of you anymore, you can use a selfie stick, with the help of which you can widen the size of the picture by including more things in your photo.

Those are the main reasons that people prefer taking selfies rather than asking strangers to help them. It’s faster, easier and you can take as much shots as you want.

Now, the reason why people are addicted to taking selfies is different. One of the main reasons is the social media. People are just obsessed with posting their pictures on social media and describing their day to their friends. So, nobody wants to be left behind from that.

Or there are some people that like to picture all the moments in their life, but for themselves, as a memory. It’s a way to remember the old days and feel nostalgic. They don’t post it on social sites, they just keep them in their gallery for themselves or their friends.

But after all, we all can agree that all of that is a way of showing off your life: what you do, what you eat, what you wear and where you’ve been. Some people may not have the desire to show off in front of the others, but it’s a natural thing for us, humans. We want to share our good time with others and it’s not a bad thing. The bad thing is that for some people it’s like a kind of a competition. They display all their life in front of others, and that is the bad thing.

It is good to have pictures as a memory and post them on social media to share your happiness with others. In fact, it’s a very joyful and fine thing to do, which can multiply your happiness. But do not make it an obsession, do not live and act for that aim, it can cause you to always feel unsatisfied in life and not being happy from what you have.

Getting to know foreign cultures

Culture makes people understand each other better.

Paulo Coelho

Being in a foreign country, getting to know their culture is always a fun thing to experience. Indeed, it widens our imagination and our perceptions of the world. Naturally, when people visit a foreign country, they try to learn new things about the people, their traditions and culture. It’s a start to a new adventure and new phase in your life. And I think it’s good to know some of the aspects of people’s culture before visiting their country and in some situations that knowledge can save your life.

Recently, I’ve been researching different cultures, interesting traditions and the differences between them, how different nations act in different situations, what gestures they use according to the circumstances, and I found out one important thing: when you’re going abroad for a long time, for studying, for work or holiday, always look up some of the important aspects in their culture and traditions. The differences between the two cultures can bring you to a misunderstanding and you might either get into trouble with some foreigners or be embarrassed in front of them.

Years ago, I’ve been to one of the beautiful and rich cities in the world and I have great memories and impressions to this day. I’ve been there two times and each time I had the opportunity to know about the life there, how affordable the life is, what are the advantages and disadvantages and, of course I visited the famous and glorious parts of the city.

The trip in Dubai remains one of the brightest memories for me, which was not only a trip, but also an introduction to the culture, traditions, people and strictly observed laws there. Yes, despite the fact that Dubai is known for its luxurious lifestyle, cutting-edge architecture, and modern amenities, it also has its strict laws that are well obeyed.

• Dubai is home to the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa. It has one of the fastest elevators to take the tourist to the top of the building for stunning and fascinating views of the city.
• Dubai has created several man-made islands off its coast, including the Palm Jumeirah and the World Islands. These islands offer unique opportunities for leisure activities.
• Dubai is a paradise for shoppers, with numerous malls and luxury boutiques. The city is also home to the world’s largest shopping mall, the Dubai Mall.
• Dubai offers a variety of adventure activities, including indoor skydiving, hot air balloon rides, and sandboarding.
• Dubai has several cultural landmarks and attractions, including the Dubai Museum, the Jumeirah Mosque, and the Dubai Fountain, which is one of the world’s largest choreographed fountain systems.

Thos are only some interesting facts about the city. You get the main attraction and excitement from visiting the city and seeing all those things yourself in reality. Of course, I haven’t been to all of the sights in Dubai, but I’ve been to the most beautiful and well-known places like Burj Khalifa, Dubai mall, Jumeirah mall, the World Islands and many other places.

One of the main reasons that I would rather not to live in UAE, is that the life is so expensive there. And the first years are the hardest for foreigners as they can come across to a lot of problems․ For example, some cultural differences that we have. The religion is different, the traditions are different, they have different workdays, schedules and system.

• Armenia has a rich and ancient history dating back thousands of years, while UAE is a relatively young city-state that has gone through a rapid development in recent decades.
• Armenia is predominantly Christian, while Dubai is predominantly Muslim. This difference is reflected in the architecture and customs of the two countries.
• In Armenia, people generally dress in a Western style, while in Dubai, many people dress in traditional Arabic clothing, particularly women who often wear the hijab and abaya.
• Armenia has mainly an agricultural and industrial economy, while Dubai has a highly diversified economy supported by tourism, real estate, and financial services.
• Dubai is known for its luxurious lifestyle, with skyscrapers, shopping malls, and world-class dining and entertainment options. In contrast, Armenia has a more traditional and laid-back way of life, with a focus on family and community.

That was a guide for all the Armenians who have plans to live in UAE or going on holiday to Dubai. If you ask me, I’d say for sure that it is worth going there at least for once and experiencing all the entertainment and attractions that the city offers. I guarantee that you’ll have a great time and great memories for the rest of your life. But, in general, for all the people that are planning to go abroad, do not forget to read about their traditions, lifestyle and culture, because nevertheless, you’re going to live there for some time and it’s always useful to know some cultural facts about the foreign country you’re going to visit.

My mother my hero

“A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyway.” 

Christopher Reeve

Everyone has his hero in life. Someone who is really precious for a person and someone who is admired by him for his noble qualities and outstanding courage. For some people, a hero can be their life saver, for others it can be an idealized person for his heroic actions, some historical figures can be their heroes. When we were kids, each of us were asked once who’s our hero. We were kids back then and used to name some superheroes like Superman, Spiderman, Batman. We used to watch them fighting, defending the country, the people and defeating the villain. And back then, we knew that a hero is someone who risks his/her life to defend others, who makes others’ life safe and happy. We were kids, but we knew the true definition of the hero.

I was one of those kids too, until I grew up and saw a person who works every day without rest, to make my life bright and carefree, to give me the life of my dreams and make sure I’m always safe and happy. That person is the true motivation of my life, with whom all my problems can seem only a drop, and the only person who can relieve my stress completely and make me feel myself the happiest. That person is my hero and I call her my mum.

That’s right, my mother is truly my hero. If others look at their hero and try to be like them, I try to be like my mother. I try to be kind, caring, honest and of course brave like her. At first glance, no one would think that she is such a brave woman, with strong will and fighting character. How far she can go after her goals to make them come true. How hard she can chase after her aims to make them done. And all that work is done for her children. She truly is my inspiration of life.

If they ask me who is your mother for you, I’ll say she’s my friend. For right, we are like best friends, not mother and son. We can share to each other our problems, successes, how we spent our day and discuss millions of things like that. I have lots of close friends, but I can’t relate to anyone the same way as my mom. All the conversations, jokes, discussions and behavior are different and that’s what I appreciate the most. That makes me so joyful knowing that you can relate to your parent as your friend and even the people around won’t notice that I’m her son. They always confuse us as brother and sister.

And besides all that, I want to thank my mother for all the work she’s doing for me and my brother, for all the effort she’s putting in to make us happy and grateful in life, for raising responsible, smart and intelligent children who have confidence and a discipline in life and ones who will always be there to help people when they need it. Without her advices and life lessons, I won’t be the kind of a person that I’m now.

I want you to be grateful to your parents, the most precious ones you have in life, who will always be there for you, even if the whole humanity turns their back on you. They are always ready to help you, even to risk their life, they fear from the circumstances, but anyways, they are always with you, and they will defend you at any cost, they are the ones that will make your life meaningful at the end of the day. So, value every moment you’re spending with them, show your endless love to them, because they’re not here forever, so at least, give them the endless love and care they gave to you.