So Ethan, how was the movie?
I heard some people were disappointed with it.
I liked the movie... uh...
I think...
uh...
My favorite character...
Does this feel familiar to you?
Well today we will look at some of the reasons why you might feel more confident writing
English than you do when you speak it.
And we'll also give you four practical tips that will help you to feel just as confident
speaking English as you do writing it.
Because here at RealLife English every single week we make lessons like this one that help
you go from feeling like a lost and insecure English learner, to being a confident, successful
English speaker.
So if that sounds like what you want for your English, then be sure to join us by hitting
that subscribe button and the bell below and that way you won't miss a single new lesson.
So I just want to start out by saying that if this is the case for you, that your writing
is much better than you're speaking, it's probably not your fault.
So stop beating yourself up about it.
You know, traditional methods that most of us learn languages with tend to put a very
heavy focus on grammar and writing because it's what's easiest to teach to the masses.
So without a doubt, you've gotten in plenty of hours of English writing in.
But very few, if any, practical speaking opportunities in.
So while it's not your fault that the English teaching system is largely like this, it is
your responsibility to actually start looking for opportunities to practice speaking English.
So don't give up.
So when learning the language, it's really important that you grasps the difference between
input and output.
So input is the different things that you consume in the language that you're learning.
So this could be, for example, reading, but it's also things like listening to podcasts,
watching your favorite movie or series, or listening to the radio while you're cooking.
In order to become a confident English communicator, it's super important that you build habits
that help you to be consuming English constantly.
Now, if you start filling your day with different opportunities to be listening to the language,
they're going to find that you're just absorbing the vocabulary, the grammar and the sounds
that you'll need when it comes time to speak.
Remember, it's super important that this input is actually related to the things that you
enjoy in your life.
So, for example, just because someone told you that watching the news in English can
be good for learning different vocabulary.
If that's nothing you're already doing and enjoying in your native language, then you're
probably not going to be very effective at actually keeping up a habit with that.
If on the other hand, you love sports, then maybe reading the news about your favorite
sports team in English could be a great way for you to get some vocabulary related to
the things that you love and are most likely to be speaking about because here at RealLife
English, We really believe that you need to own your English and find convenient ways
to make it a part of your everyday life.
Now, moving on to output, these are the productive parts of the language, such as writing and
speaking, of course.
So the quality of your output is directly related to how much input you have.
So the more meaningful content you consume in English, the better that your speaking
will become.
And of course, you have to actively be searching for different speaking opportunities.
Now, I know that it can be really simple to find many different ways to have input, but
then it's really difficult for you to actually find ways where you can actually practice
your output, such as speaking.
That's why we decided to create the RealLife app and solve this problem for you.
Just check out what one of our app users, Pedro, said about his experience.
It's awesome.
You can practice your English and gain confidence, develop new skills to communicate with citizens
around the world, and at the same time you can help those that want to improve their
knowledge and understand accents It is a great experience.
So just like Pedro, you can have fascinating conversations with global citizens from around
the world about your life, about your passions, Or you can just talk about what the weather
is like outside if you want.
You also have input opportunities by listening to our podcast with full transcripts and vocabulary
definitions.
So what are you waiting for?
Give it a try it right now by downloading the RealLife app by clicking up here or down
description below.
Or you can search for RealLife English in the Apple app or Google Play Store.
See you there.
All right.
So now let's look at some actual tips that can help you to improve your confidence when
speaking English.
So first off, finding a model now with my students, I actually used to have them do
an exercise where they would identify an English mother or father.
And this was basically just picking a celebrity, for example, that they really liked and constantly
consuming content from that person speaking and trying to shadow or imitate this person's
way of speaking, their accent, the musicality they use in their speak and so on.
Now, it doesn't necessarily need to be a celebrity.
It could be a native friend that you have.
It could be someone from your country who has an English that you really admire and
you would like to also arrive at that level.
It could be your English teacher.
Or maybe you have a friend who speaks really great English, and you could ask them if you
could start practicing your English together.
The basic idea is that you find someone who has English very similar to what you would
like to have, and you model that person.
So, for example, for me, when I first started learning Catalan, I found this band that I
really liked and so on to gather more men.
This goes all the way up, but background is quite funny because they are from the interior
of Catalonia.
So they had a rather thick accent and I just was listening to music all the time and singing
along.
And so I kind of developed that accent.
And when I would speak with people there asked me, you know, Where are you from?
You sound like you're from the countryside.
So the second exercise is to break down common patterns of questions or simple sentences.
Let's take
a look.
The next exercise is to repeat sentences that you learned with different moods.
So let's take a look at some examples: I don't know what to do.
I don't know what to do.
That sounds great.
Yeah, that sounds great.
Exercise number four is to look around you and observe and look for different opportunities
where you can practice your English.
So just to give you an example of how you could do this.
If you're walking down the street, you could look around and identify the different things
that you're seeing and try to think of how you call those things in English.
And when you get stuck, you can't think of how you would say one thing in English.
Then that's an opportunity for you to look it up and learn a new word.
And it doesn't just have to be things that you're seeing.
You could also try to think in your mind in English, describing what you're doing.
So maybe you're at the gym and you could say, I'm lifting weights or I'm running on a treadmill.
So you can see it's not even necessary to live in an English speaking country to find
different immersive experiences in the language.
And if you start doing this at a bunch of different places, well, you're going to be
exposing yourself to just a ton of different vocabulary.
Why not do it also at a café or do it while you're riding the bus and just look out the
window?
You could do this at a restaurant like, for example, look at the menu and try to think,
how would you say some of the different plates, some of the different dishes in English?
Or maybe you can even take the next step and go to a terrific part of your city and pretend
that you're from out of town, you're from another country, and you only speak English
and actually have that interaction with the waiter in English.
You can do this at the supermarket by trying to look at the different products and think
how you would say them in English.
As you can see, creating an immersive experience in English doesn't require traveling thousands
of miles away.
It just requires a little bit of creativity.
And before you go, let me give you a few bonus tips.
So use what you know.
You know, you don't have to be studying forever.
You don't have to have perfect pronunciation or grammar to start speaking.
So if you're a beginner, for example, then just try to have a simple introduction in
English.
Maybe if you've never had a conversation before, then really try to get down saying, Hello,
my name is what do you do for a living?
I do this or I study this and so on, and try to get that really down so that you'll feel
confident in those situations.
Remember, it's really important to value connection over perfection.
And when you follow up on the different tips that we've done today, when you get out of
your comfort zone and you start having conversations with other people, without a doubt your confidence
will develop over time.
So just stick in there when it's difficult sometimes just to envision yourself in the
future as that confident English speaker and you will get there.
There's a really great phrase that I've heard people say, which is fake it until you make
it, which basically means that if you fake doing something, eventually you will be able
to do that thing.
Next step is to be comfortable laughing at yourself.
So sometimes when you're speaking another language, you will feel like a child.
So just lean into that.
Embrace the experience.
You know, you may never speak with the same level of comfortableness in English as you
do in your native language because you've spent countless hours speaking your native
tongue and English as a language that you're now learning as an adult probably.
So be patient with yourself and be a little bit silly with it.
Have fun with it.
And finally, a super born tip is to make it a habit.
Do it every single day, even if it's just for 5 minutes.
Find an opportunity where you can speak, even if it's not with another person.
Record yourself, listen to it, give yourself feedback, whatever you can do to make sure
that you are getting those immersion experiences Those touch points with English every single
day.
Now I want to hear from you.
Which of the four core skills in English which are reading, writing speaking and listening
do you find most difficult?
Let us know down in the comments below.
And that way we can make a lesson to help you with your biggest English frustration.
Oh yeah.
And if you have difficulty speaking, then one of the reasons might be that you just
don't have enough of the vocabulary that you need to have a competent conversation in English.
So I highly recommend that next you check out this lesson where I'll teach you one tip
that can help you to learn thousands of words in English.
Sounds too good to be true?
You'll have to watch the lesson so that you can find out.
Let's check out a clip.