Conversation is one of the most important skills in language learning. Often underestimated compared to the study of grammar and vocabulary, the practice of speaking a new language in real-life contexts provides incredible benefits.
Unfortunately, I took too long to understand this, especially in my process of learning English. But, when this "key" changed, I realized that using these strategies to speed up my conversation learning was totally possible and it would help me on my process of learning English - or any other language.
Therefore, on this article we'll explore why conversation is so important, the common challenges faced by learners and how to overcome them, besides offering practical strategies to improve your conversation skills through my practical experience.
Motivation: Why is conversation so important?
Real practice: Conversation allows learners to use the language in real-life contexts, which is crucial for developing fluency. When you talk to native speakers or other learners, you apply what you have learned in a practical way, which consolidates your knowledge and helps you to internalize the language in an active way - unlike books and apps.
Confidence: Interacting with others on a new language increases your confidence and reduces the fear of making mistakes. Every conversation you have, no matter how small, is a step towards greater confidence. Unfortunately or not, this confidence only increases as you expose yourself and practice.
Social rules: Learning how to use languages appropriately in different social and cultural situations is essential. Through conversation, you will better understand the cultural and social points of the language, with expressions, slangs and appropriate tone in different situations. This will not only improve your fluency, but also your ability to connect with other speakers.
Problem: The impostor syndrome
Many language learners face challenges when they participate in language immersion or simply when they try to speak a new language:
Lack of confidence in the language: The insecure about your abilities can prevent you of envolve yourself on conversations, even if you have a good theoretical knowledge.
Fear of making mistakes: The fear of making grammatical or pronunciation mistakes can be paralyzing, taking many people to avoid speaking the language completely.
Increase in anxiety: The combination of lack of confidence and fear of making mistakes, generates an anxiety that can be paralyzing, making the practice of speaking a traumatizing experience.
The impostor syndrome
All of these points are related to the impostor syndrome, a psychological phenomenon in which competent people feel inadequate and are afraid of being exposed as frauds. In the context of language learning, this can lead to excessive self-criticism and avoidance of practical opportunities for fear of being judged. Recognizing and understanding this feeling is the first step to overcoming it.
Do you feel the same way? How does this happen to you? Share in the comments below.
Solutions: How to learn languages through immersion
First, a disclaimer: These strategies are focused on the TALKNTALK immersion context - mainly for the host students of the Fluency Speed program - where we have group conversations guided by a topic and questions. But with a little effort, you can adapt these techniques to almost any conversation with a new language, and also as a student participating in TNT Conversations.
To start beating the impostor syndrome and improving your conversation skills, it's important to use some tools and strategies. I'll show you some of these techniques as you progress through the levels:
1️⃣ Beginner level solution: Start by building confidence.
Understand well the questions of your immersion and ask for ChatGPT to answer them:
Prompt example: "Answer the following questions as a native English speaker".
Benefits: Learn more about the topic, new vocabulary and expressions through ChatGPT's answers, which makes the conversation with other participants easier, and allow you to ask questions and answer in a proper way.
2️⃣ Intermediate level solution: Improve your practice with a more detailed approach
Understand the questions of your immersion well and ask ChatGPT to answer them, giving you points that help you with the questions:
Prompt example: "Answer these questions with expressions, vocabulary, examples of answers, and points that will help me answer them, but without answering everything directly".
Benefits: Gain more expressions, vocabulary, and answer choices by creating your own answers with these points. This encourages creativity and active use of the language.
3️⃣ Advanced Level Solution: For a deeper understanding, use advanced strategies.
Think about the gaps in your knowledge and the content you want to learn in the language and use them in the questions.
The most basic thing would be to create questions about artificial intelligence if you want to learn about that topic. Or any topic you want to learn about.
But you can also use this strategy to learn English, especially grammar.
Prompt example: "I learned about adverbs of frequency in English today, and I'm going to take part in an English conversation immersion where I'm going to create 10 questions on a topic, and I wanted to practice these adverbs in this conversation. How can I do that?"
You can also: Focus on active listening and participation in the immersions, and write down words and phrases you don't know or need to improve your understanding.
You can also: Review the immersions you've done and the mistakes you made by watching the YouTube videos on the TALKNTALK channel.
4️⃣ Mix the strategies: Use the techniques that better suit your needs You can mix these strategies to maximize learning. By combining them, you can practice in a holistic way, covering many aspects of the language at the same time.
Conclusion: The benefits of maximizing conversation
Preparation: What will happen if you don't prepare beforehand? The practice may be less effective, developing more anxiety and limiting the use of grammar and vocabulary. Preparation allows you to feel more confident and prepared to participate in real conversations.
Develop confidence: Proper preparation and regular practice develop confidence and fluency faster and more effectively. Over time, you will feel more comfortable in any conversation situation.
Accelerate learning: Maximizing conversation accelerates language learning and takes you to a more advanced level of fluency. Regular practice with preparation strategies and immersion techniques can transform your learning process.
Schedule a conversation immersion
And speaking of practice, now just book one - or several immersions at TALKNTALK. Go to talkntalk.com.br/booking to book your session. Whether you want to improve your fluency, expand your vocabulary or develop confidence in your language learning journey, TALKNTALK is here to help. I hope to meet you at an English, Spanish or maybe Italian immersion 😅
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