“stammering”
“too nervous”
“afraid to speak”
According to your emails, the number one problem you have is speaking.
Speaking during interviews… speaking to your foreign boss… speaking to foreign clients…
And the number one speaking problem is nerves.
No surprises there.
It’s a very common problem.
And the most common solution?
Studying.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t work.
Knowing ABOUT something does not help you DO anything.
Imagine going to a lecture about tennis and then wondering why you can’t hit the ball.
Silly, right?
But that’s the belief that keeps Berlitz and British Council in business.
The real solution is much simpler.
You need to speak more.
We learn skills best by doing them, not by studying them.
And just like a beginner tennis player shouldn’t start practicing in tournaments…
An English student also needs to choose his level or practice based on his or her level of English.
So here we go…
THE THREE LEVELS OF SPEAKING PRACTICE
LEVEL THREE — REAL WORLD
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: max
BEST FOR: intermediates to advanced
RECOMMENDATIONS: toastmasters.com ; meetup.com
Real world English is fast. There’s slang. There’s jokes.
And if you ask the other person to repeat himself too many times, you may find your new friends keep excusing themselves to go to the bathroom and never return.
LEVEL TWO — A TEACHER
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: medium
BEST FOR: pre-intermediates to upper-intermediates
RECOMMENDATIONS: Teacher Creature
It’s a challenge to speak with a native speaker. After all, when you don’t know a word, and your teacher doesn’t know your native language, you’ve got to work harder.
Also, an experienced teacher is patient, speaks slowly, speaks clearly, uses simple words, and lets you do most of the talking.
NOTE: Teacher Creature is a database of English teachers you can meet for lessons online or in Prague. The teachers are professionals and do not teach for free so please don’t ask them for free lessons. (It’s also my site.)
LEVEL ONE — FRIENDS
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: low
RECOMMENDED FOR: lower-intermediate to intermediate
OPTIONS: School of Speaking
If you’re new to speaking English, if you need a lot of practice and can’t afford a teacher every day, and if your biggest problem is nerves…
Then the best solution for you is to find a group of students like yourself, meet, and start talking.
This is perfect for your situation because there’s no correction, no stress, and no judgement.
Just easy, friendly conversation.
It’s a great way to boost your confidence.
NOTE: School of Speaking is a paid membership program I created to give students the opportunity get Level One practice every day. If we’re currently closed to new students you can go here to put your name on the wait list and you’ll be the first to be invited when we re-open.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Leave a comment or question below. I respond to every comment and answer every question.
I like these details, step wise improvement of English learning, speaking etc