Do you want to speak a language,
but you can't stop overthinking
when you're doing it?
You may have anxieties
popping up into your brain,
like what if I say this wrong?
What if I use the wrong word?
What if they're laughing at me?
What if I'm not fluent enough
and they're bored
and all these different things?
If you're trying to speak
a foreign language
with what I'd like to call a loud brain,
then keep watching
because I'm about to share with you
seven different tips,
including a bunch of resources
that'll help you with this.
If you're new here, hi, my name is Jamie.
I'm a language coach
and my specialty
is helping online language learners
stick to the process long term
and really love language learning.
So if that sounds like you,
make sure to subscribe and hit the bell
to be notified when I post a new video
all about language
learning every Wednesday.
The first tip I have for you
for speaking a foreign language
with a loud brain is to respond to
what it is that your brain
is yelling at you about, basically.
So, for example,
if you are really scared
that you're not going
to be pronouncing correctly
or that you're going to be made
fun of for your accent
or things like that,
work on your pronunciation.
If you're spending
too much time conjugating in your head
and you're super worried
what people think of you
when you're sitting there
and conjugating in your head,
work on your conjugations.
Practice these skills
until they are absolutely no brainers
and you don't have to
think about them anymore.
Practice them
until they become totally natural to you.
I have absolutely been there
with my past tense in Spanish
and every single time
a conversation about something
that happened in the past popped up.
I would just kind of freeze up
and I started second
guessing every single thing,
and then I worked on my past
tense and I worked on my preterit
and my imperfect tenses
until I got more confident in them.
And even though they're still not perfect
and they might never be perfect,
I got to a point where I stopped
feeling really insecure about it.
The resource that really helped me with
that personally, was Clozemaster.
It was really, really helpful
for getting the conjugations
practiced in my brain with context.
And Clozemaster is available
in a ton of different
languages, link below
in the description
for my review of Clozemaster,
I can highly recommend it
for intermediate learners and up.
The second tip I have
for you to quiet that loud brain
when you're trying to speak
a foreign language
is to practice having
conversations with yourself.
And by this, I don't necessarily mean
walking around your house
and just like saying things out loud,
which you totally can.
But there are other options.
For example, there are chat bots
where basically you
can hold your phone up,
have a conversation with the robot,
and this can help
you build your confidence in your ability
to not only understand
the conversation,
but also your ability to say the words.
Once you get more confident
in your practice
and your experience
with having conversations with yourself
or with a robot
with the piece of technology,
whatever, then it can really help
with that anxiety
when it comes to having
actual conversations with real humans.
If you've already practiced it
in a very low stress,
low pressure setting,
then it'll be much easier
to actually perform
in a higher pressure situation.
So like with people.
For example, uTalk is a great app
that's available
in like a zillion different languages,
and it has like shadowing capabilities.
So you can say the word
and record yourself
saying the word and compare it.
And there's a bunch of activities
with speaking involved,
and it can be really, really helpful.
Again, link below in the description
for my review of uTalk. Tip number three.
This might be a familiar tactic
if you experience anxiety
in other places in your life.
Think about what it is
that you're afraid of happening.
Follow that line of logic.
So, for example,
if you are really,
really terrified of using the wrong word,
that can be a really scary concept
for some people.
So think about it.
Let's say you're in a conversation
and you say the wrong word.
What's going to happen? Think about it.
Is the world going to end? No.
At the very most,
you might be a little bit embarrassed.
Think about what it is
that your brain is like
assuming is going to happen.
Think about what your brain
is preparing to happen,
and it's probably never going to happen.
Once you understand that,
and once you follow
that thought process through,
it can be much easier
to differentiate
between what is really concerning
and what is just your brain flipping out
because you're trying something new.
This can be something
that you just do in your head right now.
You could journal about it.
You could have a conversation
with somebody,
however you like to process
these kinds of things.
That tip is a nice segue to my next tip,
which is to share your anxiety
with a conversation partner,
a language tutor,
or whoever it is
that you're talking to, whoever it is
that you are practicing speaking with.
So, for example,
after you've sat with your fear
and you realize that you are really,
really afraid of pronouncing a specific
sound wrong because it's an unfamiliar
sound for your mouth.
Share that with your partner
when you are talking to somebody
on Tandem or HelloTalk,
which are free language exchange apps,
let them know via text before
you have an actual conversation,
like with your mouths,
that you are afraid
of that particular thing.
You're really, really
self-conscious and insecure
about making that sound,
so let them know.
Have them encourage you.
And then that way,
it'll be easier once
you are having a conversation,
you come across that sound or that word
or whatever it is.
They can be really gracious
with you and patient with you,
and you can understand that you know
they are open to you
and they're not going to judge you.
They're not going to criticize you,
that they are helping
to create a safe space for you
to make mistakes like that.
That little bit of
communication can really go
a really long way.
What are you afraid of when it comes
to speaking a foreign language?
Personally, I'm really
afraid of just saying
things wrong and that like
just imperfection thing.
Even though when I have conversations
with other people
and I can tell that they're not perfect,
I don't judge them.
My next tip is to start
with a paid tutor.
Now, this is really important
to understand that
when you're working
with a paid tutor,
yes, they have their own curriculum
and they'll help you through,
you know, a specific way
of teaching language.
But if you make absolutely clear
that what you need
is somebody to make you feel comfortable
making mistakes and,
you know, saying specific things
or whatever it is that you're afraid of.
If you communicate that
just like with your language
exchange partners.
Communicating that with your paid tutor
can be even more helpful.
Why?
Language tutors are literally
paid to sit there while you stumble
through your words,
butcher pronunciation,
use the wrong gender, or,
you know, just sit there
and be confused and frustrated
and just work through it.
Not only are they
literally paid to do that,
but they are used to it.
They are accustomed to it.
If you go on italki
and you find a paid
language teacher
and you say, "Hey,
I'm really struggling
with just saying things
and I get really backed up
in my mind just goes blank
and I get really frustrated
and really self-conscious
and really anxious.
And I need somebody
to help me get past this
so I can build more confidence
in my ability to speak."
And a good language
teacher will help you with that.
They'll be able to help
guide you through a conversation in a way
that's really beneficial
and gentle and slow for you.
And it's their job,
so don't feel guilty about it,
especially if you've communicated this
before actually meeting with them.
The next step is a mindset shift.
Remember that every single person
who has ever learned a foreign language
has been exactly where you are right now,
even if you don't see it very much.
It is definitely there.
One thing that can be really helpful in
this situation is to go to the 30 Day
Speaking Challenge
where you have people
who are spending every day for 30 days
speaking their target language.
Some are beginner.
Some are intermediate. Some are advanced.
It really doesn't matter.
But what you can do is
you can see how people are struggling
and how people are using the wrong words
and how people aren't
completely confident
in their ability to speak.
This can be a really helpful way
to remember that you're not alone.
In fact, you're in the majority.
The silent majority.
Everybody who learns languages
struggles with this.
You are not alone.
You'd be surprised
by how supportive other people are.
I mean, I'm surprised every day.
My next tip for speaking
a foreign language
with a loud brain is to join a challenge
like the Fluent in
Three Months Challenge.
The point of this particular challenge
is that every single day
you're working on your language
so that at the end of those 90 days,
you will have a confident
conversation for 15 minutes.
It can be really intensive,
but it can also be really fun,
it really just depends on
what your life looks like
for the next 90 days.
But it can be really helpful
for this particular situation
where you need some strong hand-holding,
some strong support,
some strong accountability.
The purpose is to get you to speak,
and a lot of people
have a lot of fun wins where
even though they're afraid,
even though they're busy,
even though they have that loud brain,
they still make it work
because they have this
challenge to kind of
encourage them.
And my final tip
for speaking a foreign language
with a loud brain
is to, well it's three things.
First, you understand
the root of your fears
because a lot of times
the fear isn't the actual fear.
The fear is a symptom of the fear.
You understand how it's affecting
your language learning.
And then once you see
that you completely rework your mindset
into something that'll actually help you.
Honestly, of all the tips
that I've shared in this video,
this last one is
the absolute foolproof one.
And I know this because it's
the first lesson in my 90 day
coaching program.
The first lesson of 14 lessons
is all about this
exactly, and I have seen people
completely change their body language
and how they talk about themselves
and their ability to learn a language
just from those three steps.
You want to know more?
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in the description
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And if you like this video,
make sure you check out
these videos next.
Otherwise, have a wonderful day and I
will see you next time.