Hey everyone, welcome to the English Fluency Journey podcast.
These episodes were created based on our videos on YouTube for those who'd rather listen than watch.
So happy listening. Hope you enjoy our content.
First, we'll talk about strategy, strategic planning.
This is where we have to take a look at a bigger picture and this is where we have to identify opportunities and minimize fails. it easily and understandably it means figuring out all the things you need to do and all the steps you need to take to accomplish your goal, to perform analysis and monitor progress. primarily, and this is essential to have an ultimate goal, to set an ultimate goal for yourself. meaning how do you see yourself in the future in terms of English language?
We already know that you want to learn English, foremost What are you needed for?
Why do you want to learn English? Maybe for traveling, so you want to travel and communicate with people freely from all around the world. maybe for a job, so either you want to get a promotion or you see yourself giving presentations in English and negotiating with other international companies. or perhaps you want to study or work in an English-speaking country,
You just love this language so much, so you want to learn it for yourself.
Whatever your goal is, figure it out. Knowing this, knowing your goal, at least what you're moving towards helps you in taking your next steps. and what is even more important, what do you need to concentrate on?
If you want to study abroad, then most likely you will have to take IELTS or TOEFL exam.
And it's clear that the first thing you need to concentrate on is on getting ready to take the test.
If you need it for traveling, then you have to concentrate on this concrete topic by watching videos about traveling following someone on social media who travels a lot and posts about this in English. learning traveling vocabulary and phrases and let's joining speaking clubs so that you can actually use something that you've learned.
And this point is important. Join a speaking club anyway, no matter what you need English for. is going to help you in developing your communication skills.
If you need it for your job, then focus on business English.
Watch videos and programs about your specific field of work.
Consequently, you'll see what typical vocabulary and phrases are used in your area of expertise and how people communicate in business environment.
When you have this purpose you are more engaged in learning.
The second point. Think of your current situation and assess it.
You're a mom. or dad of two or three kids.
You have a full-time job and maybe plus some home chores and plus kids.
You're an entrepreneur and maybe you have a pretty much flexible schedule or you're a student or you're someone who has a lot of free time.
Now think how many hours and when you can spend studying added to your schedule.
This is important. Start slowly But be consistent.
I can't stress it enough. You have to make it a habit first.
If you really can't force yourself to study on your own, then sign up for a class. you'll kind of obligate yourself to go there and hopefully it'll become a habit.
And also here you have to evaluate your financial situation.
If you can hire a teacher or take a good course, that's awesome.
Or maybe you need to be thrifty for some time to save enough money to take a course.
If you can't, don't worry and don't get frustrated.
That's life. We are all in different circumstances, but they do not determine our future.
Yes, you're going to have to work on your own and develop a strong willpower.
And that's terrific. Being able to self-educate, that's the greatest gift you can give to yourself.
Now, your circumstances may change, something may come up.
You gotta be flexible. If you didn't get the chance to study yesterday, you can go an extra mile tomorrow, and this is always praiseworthy.
Step number three is to figure out our weak spots.
What is the hardest for me? Is it grammar?
Is it pronunciation? Am I a very shy person and that affects my communication skills?
Or maybe it's listening skills. or whatever you think your Achilles heel is, so to speak.
Why do we need this? Because we need to prioritize.
Knowing this, you actually will be able to plan your learning process better because you'll know what you need to concentrate on and where to even start, since a lot of the times people are confused, like What do I even start with?
What do I need to pay more attention to?
And at the end, their attention is too scattered, like, oh my God, I need pronunciation and grammar and listening. and speaking and reading books and blah blah blah, you gotta start smart so not to discombobulate yourself.
And then little by little, you can add up everything else to your studying process. eventually you'll see that grammar rules finally started to make sense. and you don't think of every word you want to use whether it's relevant or not. and you'll be able to read books for pleasure, not looking up every other word. and you'll be able to communicate freely in English without any fear. merely enjoying pleasant conversations.
Sounds great, right? There's just a little process to it.
The goal is set. The approximate route to this goal is set.
The circumstances are assessed. Now let's talk about how can we approach our learning process and incorporate it with our strategy. about methods that you can use to learn English.
Let's call them your preferences. Some people are studious.
They like to study, study, like for real.
They like grammar, rules and everything to be clear and in order.
To be honest, I struggle with this a little bit because I'm from that opposite camp.
I like keeping things simpler, relaxed, fun, yet effective.
I want it all. So the first method is systemized method.
This is for people who like everything to be in order or for those people who are craving for this order. when it's not exactly in their nature, but they know that they need this because it's going to help them to stay determined and concentrated.
Especially if you're working on your English under your own steam or if you have a busy schedule, it's very effective as long as you follow it.
This method is based on structuring and organizing. and it's all about planning.
Make your study timetable. Set a time and place and pencil it in in your schedule.
You need this quiet time and free from distractions place where you can concentrate. and get some notebooks and pencils so you can write things down or some other technology.
When you're reading something or watching something, you may want to write down something new so not to forget it and review it later. and try to carry around some notebook with you just in case if you're listening to a podcast and you want to write something down. or use voice memos on your phone and record something that you want to remember.
And also it'll be a good speaking practice.
Now back to scheduling. Let's say you really want to understand tenses in English, then this is where you start.
We live in the era of information explosion.
You can find all that you need online, free.
You can watch videos on a vast variety of topics, and you can connect to literally anyone in the world anywhere in the world, not to mention someone who teaches English if you really need some help.
So before your studying hour, you want to make sure that you have all the resources and info that you need.
The same with idioms, vocabulary or working on your pronunciation.
Pencil it in and work on it. You can mix it up so not to get bored.
And don't forget to have fun. your studying process can be fun yet effective.
Okay, let's say you have a free hour on Monday's evening. and a free hour on Wednesdays morning and on Friday you have a two-hour break from work so you can spend one hour studying English.
So Monday can be your and pronunciation slash vocabulary training, because when you work on your pronunciation, you inevitably work on your vocabulary.
Wednesday can be your grammar day. You can take the present tense and work on it, or some other grammar point.
And a very effective way here is if you're working on your own, is to read the information and then try to explain it to yourself. not to read it, but to explain it like you would explain it to someone else.
But if you had a partner for this thing, that would be awesome.
And also you can come up with the relating questions and give full answers.
This is very effective as well. And if you search, you'll even find some websites with tests to check yourself.
And let's say on Friday you'll watch some TV show and analyze it.
You'll write down some new words, expressions, and you'll even do some shadowing.
And on your way to work, or college or a kindergarten to pick up your kids, you can listen to some podcasts.
Well, that's for kicking off. You can always change something.
You can always add or cut out something.
You are making decisions here. So the second method is a total immersion method.
Immerse yourself in the language as much as it is possible for you.
The point here is to create an environment as close to natural as you can.
This one's awesome and challenging in the same time.
This is when you decided, okay, I want to learn English and I want to achieve a native speaker level and you go to be firm in your decision because there will be times when you want to quit and you're going to have to fight it. because the moment when we want to give up is the moment of our breakthrough. one hack that'll help you.
You have to trick your mind. You know that everything's about mindset.
Imagine as if you were thrust in the situation where you have to live in an English-speaking country.
And all that you hear, all that you read, all that you watch is in English.
And you simply have no choice. You want to blend in.
You want to make friends. You want to have social life.
You want to work and you want to be respected. and now you have to turn this immersion environment mode on.
There's not much to explain. Everything that you do from now on is in English.
Read, watch, speak. Easier said than done.
I know. I know what I'm talking about. It worked for me perfectly after trying a lot of things that hadn't given me the result that I wanted.
I looked at my baby and I realized that the way the children learn is natural and ideal.
First, all they do, they listen and it's not like their parents explain every single thing to them.
No, they simply soak up all the information.
Then they start to talk, then they start to ask a lot of questions. and only then read and write in dealing with grammar.
Now, think a little bit about this. every native speaker went through the same process.
By the time you talk to an adult native speaker, they have had years and years of practice and exposure to the language.
There's nothing supernatural. Nobody's born with perfect speaking and listening skills.
All of that has to develop and it needs time.
And you need time. And continuous and consistent practice.
I speak with my kid, with my husband, talk to myself in English, practice a lot.
Shadowing technique works like a charm. Even all the things that I'm curious about or I need to find information on are in English.
The ways to connect with people, to practice and communicate and have lessons or ask questions, I've talked a lot.
But I'm still gonna put all the links in the descriptions to all the websites that I know, names of apps and groups.
In the beginning of this method, of course, you'll spend a lot of time with the dictionary.
This is inevitable. This is just a part of this process. and sometimes it'll feel like your brain is melting and leaking out through your ears.
And that's normal, it means you're getting used to it.
This is too much for you, you can start slower, not right away and not that intensely.
But after some time, I switched to the next method, because that wasn't enough.
Remember, you can choose a method to start with that is suitable for you.
Maybe you're ready to start with the hardest one right away.
And the hardest one is combined method. it's when we combine two of those previously mentioned methods.
In addition to all that immersion and developing a natural comprehension, you'll need a quality practice time as well. like working on your pronunciation or dealing with grammar.
So, basically English is all around you all the time. plus you add those scheduled lessons, that systemized method.
And not only you can work by yourself, but also you can hire a teacher, or use different websites to learn from native speakers. and you can sign up for a pronunciation and accent reduction course.
There are a lot of options. Keep in mind, those are extremes.
This is when you have perfect circumstances.
You can scale the degree of intensity. You can play with those methods.
This is your life and you have to make it work for you. you.
You can change or add whatever you want or think would be better for you.
The fourth method is passive learning method.
This one is the easiest, but of course not that effective, but not useless.
If you don't have the goal to get to the core of English language you're learning English for yourself, for fun, for traveling. but you don't mind the additional bonus of better perception and grasp of English, then this one is for you.
The point here is to emancipate yourself from all this schedules, special preparations and deliberate practice.
The only thing that you will have to do is to always have some videos in the background. some educational videos even on grammar or TV shows or favorite programs, whatever.
I assure you, your brain will catch on something.
And if you suddenly get curious about something and you want to pause the video and listen to the piece again and maybe look up some words.
Don't overthink it, by all means go for it.
So the first method keeps your brain calm.
It basically prevents you from burning out and quitting. because it's methodical and efficient.
The second and the third Make your brain go crazy in the beginning.
They require strength of character, but they are very rewarding.
If you have some other methods that work perfectly for you, this is awesome.
This is not math. These are not rules, you can apply whatever you want.
Now, some of the things that are applicable to any method.
Note this, always search a way to apply your knowledge.
If you're learning English for studying abroad for work or traveling, that shouldn't be a problem.
But if you're learning English for yourself or just in case that you'll need it, then speaking clubs, conversation partners.
There are a lot of Facebook groups where people learn English, including posting on your social media in English.
Everything counts. Review and repeat. This is profound.
Always review new information. and repetition, repetition, repetition.
Record yourself speaking on any topic and then analyze your pronunciation and grammar mistakes. not notice them while you're speaking because your brain is busy with other things.
But then when you listen to yourself, you can actually catch them and correct them.
One super important thing. is to be focused on the present moment, on the thing that you're doing right now. you're working on your pronunciation right now, give it your full attention and be conscious about it.
And enjoy your path, concentrate on your path, not on your ultimate goal.
You have already figured it out and that's great.
Now let it go. You know this. You have your strategy, you have many different methods.
Don't think about that future thing every single day.
Like, okay, today I've done this, but I don't feel like I've gotten any closer to my goal.
Or it's been a month, and I still don't know a lot of things or Yesterday I had this conversation and I just kept forgetting words.
By focusing on this and telling yourself these stories, you end up demotivating yourself.
And the next thing you know, you'll find yourself thinking, okay, I was supposed to study today, but what's the point? and that's gonna throw you back to the beginning again.
Focus on the present, tell yourself, Today I've done a great job and tomorrow I'll do even better. or okay today i didn't get the chance to study but that's okay i have a plan and I'll do a little more tomorrow.
Give yourself time. and keep yourself motivated because only you are the ones who can do that. and give yourself a permission to make mistakes.
It's inevitable, just deal with that. You've made a mistake, correct yourself and move on. that all being said i have to tell you i've talked to some people who've told me okay all of your advice is good but no matter what I do nothing seems to work and then when I ask them But what do you actually do?
Do you read in English at least a couple of times a week?
The answer is, well, Not exactly. Do you watch movies, TV shows, videos in English?
Well, no, it's too hard, but I listen to music in English all the time.
Have you tried to find someone to talk to?
Have you tried to join a speaking club? Have you tried to hire a teacher?
Have you tried to take a course? and all that I hear, I can't afford this, I don't have time, I don't like speaking clubs, I don't really like this website.
No, I do not record myself because it feels uncomfortable and stupid.
And then they ask me. But can you tell me what do I do?
They have thousands and thousands of reasons why they can't do And I have only one answer to this.
I wish I could wake up tomorrow morning and know English perfectly. and Spanish and French, but I don't have any magic powers. can't do the work instead of you.
One piece of advice. Don't focus on something that you can't do.
Let's not search for problems, but rather their solutions.
Okay guys, that's it for now. Thank you for choosing our podcast.
Until the next one.
