Michelle Obama and her mission to inspire women - 6 Minute English

Rob: Hello. This is 6 Minute English

and I'm Rob.

Dan: And I'm Dan.

Rob: Now, Dan. Do you know who

Michelle Obama is?

Dan: Er, yes. Maybe the most famous

woman in the world.

Former First Lady, which means

she was the wife of the President

of the United States of America.

Rob: That is correct. She's just

published her autobiography

and has been talking in

the UK about her life. Before we find out

more here is this week's question. When

did the title First Lady first become used

for the wife of the US president?

Was it in the:

a) 18th Century, b) 19th Century or

c) 20th Century? Any ideas, Dan?

Dan: This could be a trick question.

The first US presidents were in

the 18th Century, and

they had wives, but I think the actual term

may only have been introduced

much later - so I'm going to take

a wild guess and say the 20th Century.

Rob: OK. Well, I'll have the answer later

in the programme.

Michelle Obama's visit to

the UK was covered on BBC News.

According to this report, where did she

visit that she had visited before?

BBC News Report: The former First Lady

spoke openly about a number

of issues and one of

her main messages was about

empowerment. Earlier in the day

Mrs Obama revisited a school in

north London, a place where she says she

was first inspired to focus on education

during her time as the First Lady.

Rob: So, where did she revisit on this trip?

Dan: She went to a school in north

London. She said it was at

this school that she was

first inspired to focus on education. If you

are inspired to do something

you get a strong feeling

that you want to do something, you

feel a strong motivation

to achieve something

particular, often because of something

someone else had said or achieved.

Rob: The report also mentioned that she

spoke openly about a number of issues.

To speak openly about

something is when you discuss

a subject, often a difficult subject, without

trying to hide the facts or your feelings.

It's a phrase that is used when people talk

about things in their life that they find

difficult or embarrassing.

Dan: One of the things she spoke openly

about was her own feeling that she didn't

really belong, that she didn't really have

the skills or talent to be doing

what she was doing and

that she didn't deserve her position.

Rob: There is a name for that. It's called

imposter syndrome - that feeling where

you think one day everyone

will realise that you're really

not very good at what you do.

Dan: I get that feeling all the time!

Rob: I wonder why? Because

the thing with this imposter syndrome

is that it isn't justified.

It's more a lack of confidence or

a result of the way society labels us.

Dan: Well, anyway, back to the report,

Michelle Obama was also keen to talk

about the topic of empowerment.

That is giving

people the strength, confidence

and power to achieve

what they want in life by themselves.

Rob: Let's hear from Michelle Obama

herself now talking about how we

sometimes judge people based on their

class rather than their individual abilities.

Michelle Obama: That's often the mistake

that we make, we assume

that working class folks

are not highly gifted in their own right

when a lot of times your station in life

is limited by the

circumstances that you find yourself in.

Rob: She says here that we assume

things about people based on

their social status or station

in life. To assume means to make

a judgement which is not based on

the facts but on what

we think is true.

Dan: She uses the phrase in their own

right. When you say that someone

is talented in their

own right, it means that

their talent comes from their

own skills and abilities and not

because of any connection with any

organisation, individual or class that they

happen to be associated with.

Rob: Before we wrap up, time to get the

answer to this week's question.

When did the title

First Lady first become used for the wife

of the US president? Was it in the:

a) 18th Century, b) 19th Century or

c) 20th Century? And Dan, you said?

Dan: I thought the 20th Century.

Rob: Well, you were right.

Dan: Yay!

Rob: But let me finish. You were right in

that it was later than the 18th Century,

which was when the first US presidents

held their positions, but it wasn't

as late as the 20th Century.

It was the second half of

the 19th Century when the title

First Lady began to be used.

Now let's review today's vocabulary.

Dan: We started with the phrase

to talk openly about something.

This means to discuss something,

usually a difficult subject, without

hiding your feelings, emotions or facts

about that subject.

Rob: Then there was

the noun empowerment. This is the

process of giving people the feeling

that they are in control of their lives,

making people more confident

in their rights and abilities.

Dan: The verb inspire was next.

If you inspire people, you give them

the feeling that they want to

and can do something, something difficult

or creative. If you have that feeling

yourself, you are inspired.

Rob: Next there was the verb

to assume something. To assume means

to make a judgement about

someone or something

not based on proof, but on things you

think or believe to be true.

Dan: The next phrase was in

their own right. If someone is

successful in their own right,

for example, it means their success

is because of their own skills

and abilities, and not because of

who they work for, or work with

or which social group they come from.

Rob: And finally there was

the noun phrase station in life.

Dan: Your station in life is your position

in society - your social status.

Rob: And that brings us to the end of

this week's programme.

We'll be back soon and in

the meantime you can find us on

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter,

YouTube our App and of

course the website

bbclearningenglish.com.

Bye bye for now.

Dan: Bye!