Are you at a point in your learning where you can understand English well,
but can speak little or no English at all?
Why does this happen?
If you understand the language to the point where you are able to comprehend what I’m saying now,
it means that it’s already quite good. So, what is that BLOCK that is preventing you from
actually opening your mouth, using the words that you already know, and speaking English?
Are you thinking to yourself: is there something wrong with me?
No, there isn’t anything wrong with you. But I understand exactly how you feel because I myself
went months without speaking a single word of Spanish while living here in Spain.
You’re suffering from what in second language learning is known as the silent period, but
when you learn about it, you realize there’s nothing to suffer from, as it is
a natural part of learning a second language. What’s important though is that you spend the
least time possible in this period... that you break out of it and that you
start unlocking the endless benefits of speaking English freely in the world.
That’s exactly what I’ll teach you in this lesson.
You’re first going to learn why this is happening. This will give you some much
needed peace of mind as you’ll learn that it’s okay that you’re not speaking yet.
However, we also want to actually get speaking once and for all, and so the other part of this
lesson is going to be focused on giving you seven tips so that you can finally start speaking in
English, and in this way, get closer to your dream of becoming a fluent speaker.
How does that sound?
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guide you beyond the classroom to live and learn, and speak English in the real world.
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So, what is the silent period?
The silent period is the time between the first time that you start learning
English or are exposed to the language and the moment when you start speaking it.
Obviously, you can’t speak the language knowing zero words.
Well, you may not be able to do it if you know 20 words. What you can do is imitate
or say your words out loud, but while this can be useful it is not speaking.
Only after a time when you have already learned enough words and sentence patterns
can you start speaking, and start emerging out of this silent period.
Now, this period may be shorter or longer depending on the learner.
You might be able to start speaking 2 months after you’ve started learning English.
Others take six months or more.
What’s tricky about this stage in language learning is that it tends
to make students feel a lot of stress and anxiety about their lack of speaking skills.
Well, the point of actually becoming aware of this silent period is that you can
relax because you now understand that it is a natural part of learning a new language.
This goes hand in hand with understanding more than you
can actually speak, which we covered in this recent lesson we’ve uploaded.
I’d like to hear about your experience. Are you at the point in your English learning
when you haven’t started speaking yet or have you already overcome this silent period?
If you haven’t started speaking, let us know down in the comments. What’s preventing you?
If you’re already speaking English, how often do you do it every week?
Answer these questions in the comments and I’ll reply to you.
Now, I’ll give you some tips. They’ll be relevant for you
if you’re still not talking, or if you find it really hard to do consistently.
Number one. Don’t let anxiety get the best of you Whether you’re not talking at all or you’re doing
it very little, accept that as part of the process. In this lesson so far,
I’ve explained to you why it’s okay to be like this. What’s not good is to forever be
in this state, but you will not be. Learners with high motivation,
self-confidence, a good self-image and a low level of anxiety are much better equipped to succeed
in English. But, if this lack of speaking is creating this debilitating anxiety,
you need to work at it so that you can gain this peace of mind I mentioned before.
Think of a process that you think is going to help you improve your English,
keep you motivated and help you increase your motivation and confidence.
Then, keep at it consistently and progress will surely come your way!
Number two.Use a Springboard In competitive diving, athletes use a springboard
to help them elevate in the air, gain momentum and then perform all these fantastic acrobatics.
Speaking a second language is quite a similar feat.
Formulating your ideas in English (which involves words and grammar), and then articulating them
(which involves pronunciation) is pretty similar to an acrobatic dive.
However, at this point, you don’t have to worry about the acrobatics.
Just the act of jumping is the win we’re looking for.
You’re just going to dive straight into the water, no need for the fancy stuff.
So, leaving the metaphors aside, your springboards are your sentence starters.
When you know a few basic ones, you can start to talk and get momentum.
I’ll give you some examples in just a moment after the next tip.
Number three. Boring sentences Master answering questions with boring sentences.
What is this you might be asking?
So, if the goal is to start speaking, we’re going to start with the basic stuff.
We’re gonna jump off that springboard straight down first. Then, when we gain
practice, we’ll add all the twisting, somersaults, and all the fancy stuff.
Maybe, one of the things that prevents us from speaking is a feeling of insecurity
that you can’t do it with a perfect pronunciation, a perfect accent,
use idioms, phrasal verbs, and all that stuff.
So, let’s start with an essentialist mindset. Think of how you would introduce yourself. I
know many advanced English speakers that struggle with this simple question because they focused
too much on doing it in a sophisticated way, which isn’t a bad thing. But again,
let’s first master the basics. You’ll do it in the simplest of ways.
You could say: My name is... I’m from… and I’m a… and then you say what you do as a profession.
Don’t let the simpler interactions make you feel nervous or anxious. First, you need to
feel assured that you can answer them, and then with time you’ll learn to add all the fancy stuff.
If you’re asked how are you? How would you answer?
It’s funny because in a very recent video I talked about how “I’m fine and you?”
is rather boring. Well, isn’t that the point I’m making here? You’re going to
get started with that one. Then, as you get more experienced, you can use alternatives…
I'm doing great. Can't complain. Doing really well. Couldn't be better.
Now, let’s go back to the springboards, which in other words are your sentence starters.
Let me ask you a question. Do you know how writers conventionally start a story?
I’ll give you some options for you to choose.
Conventionally, many stories begin with once upon a time.
You need your conventional story starter for the different types of discourse that you
will use to talk English. Here are some examples: You want to tell an anecdote? Then, start it with:
One day this and that happened or I remember one time I did this and that…
If you’re having a conversation with another person, and they say something that makes
you remember something you want to share with that other person, say…
Oh, that reminds me of... One time I did exactly the same.
If someone asks you what you did in the summer, use the following starter: What did I do in the
summer… and then elaborate: So, okay, I met with some friends, I traveled to… and so on.
The repeating of the question “What did I do in the summer…” accomplishes two things.
One, it gets you speaking, and two, it gives you
some time to think. Just try not to do it for every single question you’re asked.
These are your springboards or sentence starters. You can observe how
other more experienced English speakers start their sentences and learn from them!
Number four. Go to a conversation class or an English speaking club
If one of the main roadblocks to you starting to
speak English is that you don’t have the opportunity to do it,
signing up for a conversation class or joining a conversation club is a fantastic idea.
A conversation class is great because you’ll have a teacher or tutor who will give you feedback.
If you can choose one of many different conversation classes,
even with different teachers, maybe attend a few of them and pick the one that you like the most.
When we were talking about this idea with the RealLife English team, they told me they went to
a conversation class where the teacher talked too much. So, if your teacher does most of the talking
in the conversation class, then that’s not a good teacher. Choose a conversation class where the
teacher allows you and your classmates to speak. The other option is a conversation club. There are
usually a few of them close to you if you live in a big city. If you live in a smaller city,
with some searching maybe you can find one. What I like about conversation clubs is that many times
foreigners join to interact with locals and even practice their own English.
One of our members of the RealLife team the other day was telling me that when he spent four months
living in Peru he actually set up a conversation club there. Soon people from France, Belgium,
Ireland, the US, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina got together and they became friends. Conversation
clubs are great because they go out of the classroom, you can make really good friends,
even party with those people, maybe even find that the love of your life is from another continent!
Number five. Use Chunks! Word chunks are a sequence of
words that come naturally together to express an idea.
For example, when you first learned "Nice to meet you", you didn't study each word in that sentence.
You simply learned them all together, and even the answer, "Nice to meet you, too!", right?
Chunks are great because they save your thinking time.
You don’t have to think about the grammar of chunks. They’re prefabricated chunks.
They allow you to add them automatically into your speech and spend less time thinking.
It helps with fluency. Various research studies have found that more fluent speakers are able
to speak faster and with less hesitation due to the effective use of chunks. And one of the best
parts about word chunks is that they set you up for further learning. For example, when you
learn a word chunk with the word way, you’re more likely to learn other chunks, by just changing a
word. For example, “on the way” means something is coming (ex: "there's more snow on the way")
Now, you can replace “on” with “by” and you get “by the way.” Then there’s more chunks
you can play with: when you say I’m on my way, or no way of… as in no way of knowing,
no way of telling, etc. One chunk can help you get the foundation for subsequent learning.
Number six. Stay busy Once you get talking,
you’re getting the much needed practice. That’s great!
Don’t forget the most brilliant quote ever said on the topic of English speaking skills:
However, also try to stay busy with the language in other ways too. If you can do a bit of good
old studying, that’s great. You’ll be shocked to see what 20 minutes a day amounts to in the course
of a few months. Also, keep experiencing the language through music, movies, and
watching videos on YouTube. This will expand your vocabulary, your grammar and your pronunciation.
Number seven. Download the RealLife English app With the RealLife English app,
you can say goodbye to the lack of opportunities to practice your English,
because anytime, anywhere and at the touch of a button you can connect with an English speaker and
practice your English. It’s incredibly fun! A bit addictive, I would even say, but isn’t that great?
The RealLife App will guide you beyond the classroom,
to live, learn, and speak English in the real world.
Betty said “This is an awesome app to make friends from around the world and
sharpen our English listening & speaking! Kill two birds with one stone!”
So I hope you found this lesson useful. And why not download the app and start
practicing your speaking now. But maybe you need a little bit more encouragement,
so if you're not quite there yet, I highly recommend you watch this lesson next so that you
can start practicing and build up to connecting with other learners from all around the world.