towards english fluency

Towards English Fluency

Accelerating Speaking & Listening Skills

Prepared by: Jonathan Ballantine

If I only hear, I forget

But if I hear and see, I remember

However, if I hear, see and do, I understand

Abstract Towards English Fluency is a focused, language learning programme. The programme has been developed by Jonathan Ballan;ne, a language coach from the UK who lives in Madrid. The programme is unique in that it focuses on the learner (aBtude, needs and objec;ves) rather than a fixed teaching methodology. People are different and teaching must be focused towards the learner. The goal of this publica;on is to challenge certain beliefs around language learning in order to remove perceived barriers for learning English as a second language, and has been specifically designed for Spanish learners. In business and other areas of life the 80:20 rule has been generally accepted. For language learning this would mean that 80% of your results are coming from 20% of your effort. What this really means is that for every hour you study 48 minutes are wasted. This is not efficient. Towards English Fluency has been designed to maximize your learning efficiency by iden;fying the effec;ve 20% (or the 12 minutes per hour that gets results) so that 100% of your effort creates improved performance. 20 minutes of purposeful prac:ce is equivalent to 2 hours of study.

The Towards English Fluency learning programme consists of four parts: Part One will examine the role of the learner (attitude, needs and objectives). This is an invaluable part of language learning because what you think about the English language and your ability to learn, defines your learning process and overall success. Parts Two and Three will focus on key language components and skills, the fundamentals of language learning. Part Four will focus on ´practicing for performance´ - and will examine training exercises to get you speaking English in the real world with real people. After completing this learning programme you will be more confident and motivated to speak English, the vital ingredients towards reaching fluency.

Summary

An overlooked but invaluable part of language learning is your aAtude. Why? Because what you think about the English language and your ability to learn it, changes for you the en;re process. If you see learning English as an obliga;on, a must-‐do, then you have already reduced the chances of having any fun. Like anything in life, percep;on ma[ers. In Part One we are going to explore the most common aBtudes and excuses that prevent Spanish learners from learning English, and for the most part having fun. Do you associate with any of them? •  I am not good at languages •  English is a difficult language to learn •  I am too old to learn •  I am too embarrassed to speak •  I don´t have ;me •  I don´t live in an English speaking

country •  I am not mo;vated to study Let´s assess some of these excuses to see if they are really true: I am not good at languages > Yes you are as you already speak Spanish. English is a difficult language to learn > Maybe. But not impossible. Uses the same alphabet as Spanish and there are many words similar.

Attitude I am too old to learn > Age and maturity are

strong assets for learning. I am too embarrassed to speak > Good. This shows you care. I don´t have :me > We both know this is not true. Plus quality is be[er than quan;ty. I don´t live in an English speaking country > There are over 10,000 English speakers in Madrid. They are easy to find and are keen to speak with you. I am not mo:vated to study > I agree, studying is boring and not that effec;ve for reaching fluency. Now let´s rethink some of these excuses and then re-‐write them in a neutral form. Try not to think of nega;ve or posi;ve. Everything should be seen as neutral and possible. See examples below: •  It is possible that I could learn English •  My educa;on and experience can help me

plan my learning course

•  Overcoming my fear of speaking English will help me in other areas of my life

•  A focused and well-‐prepared English training programme will help me save ;me

•  There are lots of opportuni;es in Madrid for me to prac;ce speaking with na;ves

•  Being ac;vely involved in the learning experiences (and not studying) will be a lot of fun

Part One

It is important for language learners to have an objec;ve defini;on of what fluency really means. Please write out your defini;on for fluency _________________________________ _________________________________ Are you fluent in speaking and listening? _________________________________ Many Spanish learners believe that Fluency is synonymous with being Na;ve, Proficiency and/or Bilingual. This is not correct, and puts addi;onal pressure on them. To clarify, fluency and proficiency are not the same. It is possible to be fluent without being proficient. Fluency simply refers to the ability to convey a message and understand most of what is being said. Please write down what is your learning goal. To be Fluent? Or to be Proficient? ________________________________ Either goal is fine. But it is really important for you to understand and believe what your language goal is, and thus have the correct defini;ons for proficiency and fluency.

ENGLISH FLUENCY IS NOT ABOUT PERFECTION Being a fluent speaker means that you will: Make mistakes (even I make mistakes) Speak with an accent (yep, I have an accent as well) Not understand everything being said (about 60-‐70% is fine) Find vowels and consonants difficult to pronounce (I can struggle with some) Now write again what speaking and listening fluency means to YOU. ______________________________ ______________________________ Are you fluent in speaking and listening? ______________________________ ______________________________

Definition

Part One

In Spain there are many structural factors that have shaped your ability to speak and listen fluently. These include dubbing, an;quated teaching methods and non-‐na;ve teachers. As a consequence, these structural factors have created a cultural or behavioral legacy that greatly affects future learning. The purpose of this programme is to increase awareness of them so that we can be ready for change. Dubbing Unlike students from Sweden or The Netherlands, Spanish learners are disadvantaged through the dubbing of TV programmes and movies. Future genera;ons will benefit from digital television that allows programmes to be shown in the original version. Teaching Methods The way you were first taught English used a transla;on model, and was based on a very unnatural learning process (read > write > speak > listen). This process is opposite to how we learnt our mother tongues (listen > speak > read > write). The impact of this teaching approach can affect how you study languages. Many Spanish people see learning English like a school subject such as Maths to be studied (or memorised) but not like a performance ac;vity such as Sport or Music – which are to be learned and prac;ced. Tengo que estudiar inglés es más común que tengo que prac@car mi inglés

Structural Factors

But I never hear the following: •  I have to study the piano •  I have to study how to play basketball •  I have to study how to drive a car Cultural factors – an Academic bias An observa;on I have discovered since living in Spain is the importance people put on Academic Educa;on (Degree or Masters). Of course having an advanced level of educa;on is highly valuable but it is only half of the story. During my ;me in Spain I have been asked many ;mes to help write or review somebody´s CV (resume). It really surprises me when I read somebody with over 20 year´s experience start their CV with Academic Educa;on first. In some cases they had studied at University in the 80s -‐ that´s nearly 40 years ago. This approach differs greatly from interna;onal standards. Nobody who has more than two or three year´s professional experience would men;on Academic Educa;on first on their CV. Typically they would be keen to highlight Professional Achievements and/or Professional Experience. The reason why I men;on this is not to say that one way is correct or incorrect but rather to show how this cultural tendency may unconsciously affect how you learn English – by crea;ng a preference for teaching, study and exams (academic) versus learning, prac;ce and experience (real world).

Part One

Structural Factors Towards Efficient & Effec:ve Learning English fluency is not to be a[ained through forced study, by memorising grammar tables or by reading English textbooks. In business and other areas of life the 80:20 rule has been generally accepted. For language learning this would mean that 80% of your results are coming from 20% of your effort. What this really means is that for every hour you study 48 minutes are wasted. English Fluency 20:20 has been designed to maximise your learning efficiency by iden;fying the effec;ve 20% (or the 12 minutes per hour that gets results) so that 100% of your effort creates improved performance. Effec;veness is doing the right thing. Efficiency is doing it in the right way. Purposeful prac;ce is doing the right thing in the right way. 20 minutes of purposeful prac;ce is equivalent to two hours of study. Let´s examine how you have ´studied´ to speak and listen. Answer truthfully the following ques;ons: 1. What percentage of your ;me is spent studying English versus prac;cing listening and speaking? ______________________________________ 2. Describe a typical study plan? ______________________________________

3. Do you think this have been an effec;ve method for learning to speak English? ____________________________________ 4. Do you see English as studying Grammar Rules and Memorising Vocabulary? ____________________________________ 5. Do you see English as an opportunity to Travel, for Work Advancement, to meet New People or to have fun experiences? ____________________________________ 6. Are you open to exploring new ways of learning and prac;cing English? ____________________________________

Part One

Why do you want to speak English fluently? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ (Take your ;me and answer this ques;on carefully) Many of the Spanish people I speak with don’t have a strong WHY for wan;ng to learn English. Listed below are a number of reasons, which one do you most associate with:

•  Work •  Travel •  Exam •  Study •  Meet People •  Watch Movies •  Live in another country •  Social Media •  Music For example if you said ¨work¨ this is not specific or personal enough. Achieving any worthwhile goal is going to be a long and painful process. Remember English fluency is not about textbooks, grammar, vocabulary or even phrasal verbs, it is about social interac;on, connec;ng with people, discovery and, yes, having fun experiences. By clarifying your purpose for wan;ng to learn English and connec;ng it with what you already do and enjoy, you will be more mo;vated and commi[ed to the process.

Purpose

Part One

Mo;va;on is a vital ingredient in language learning. Now write down again why you want to speak English fluently. ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Responsibility Give a man a fish and he´ll eat for day.

Teach a man to fish and he´ll eat for a life@me. Which one is more valuable? To an extent this famous proverb explains how most people approach language learning. Most people seem happy to accept the ¨fish¨ the teacher gives them rather than learning how to ´fish´. To learn a language you need to take ownership and responsibility for your process. Why? Learning is a change process that requires stretching. For any real learning to happen you must be willing to undergo an uncomfortable period of change (this means geBng out of your comfort zone). If you want to improve your English fluency skills answer the following ques;ons: What are your speaking and listening goals? ___________________________________ ___________________________________ How do you think you will achieve these goals? ___________________________________ ___________________________________ What is your ;me scale? ___________________________________

Below is a simple coaching framework that can be applied to language learning for the realisa;on of language goals. Plan of Ac;on Step 1 -‐ Write down three speaking and three listening goals. Be specific. Step 2 -‐ Set six dates (2 x short-‐term, 2 x mid-‐term and 2 x long-‐term) Step 3 -‐ Why do you want to achieve these goals? Step 4 -‐ What extra skills or training do you need? Step 5 -‐ What are the poten;al obstacles that stop you from achieving these goals? By following this process you will begin to take responsibility for your learning.

Part One

Summary In this sec;on we have examined how ABtude plays an important role in language learning. We have looked at how Defining fluency and Structural factors may affect your learning behavior and preferences. We have also clarified your Purpose for learning English and discussed why you must take ownership and Responsibility for your language learning.

Part One

Language

Part Two

Part Two will focus on Language Components. For the last 10 years I have been helping Spanish people improve their listening and speaking skills. During this ;me I have iden;fied some common problems. The four most typical problems for Spanish learners are: •  Pronuncia;on •  Grammar Components (notably,

preposi;ons and phrasal verbs) •  Listening to na;ves •  Speaking with confidence Below I explain each of these areas further: Pronuncia;on & Rhythm A key pronuncia;on challenge for Spanish Speakers are vowel and consonant sounds. Typically, short and long vowels, where they may confuse pairs of short and long English vowel sounds like “ship” and “sheep” both in comprehension and speaking. Other problems related to pronuncia;on include: •  B & V sounds •  Y v J sounds = Yacht v Jot / Yet v Jet •  Words that start with ¨ S ¨ “I am from

eSpain”. •  English ¨h¨ •  Final ¨d¨ sound / ¨ed¨ of past par;ciples •  ¨Sh¨ sound Spanish being a syllable-‐;med language manifests a more rigid syllable-‐;med rhythm. English, however, is a stress-‐;med language – that uses stress and loudness as the basis of the rhythm. This means the ;me taken from one strong stress to the next is approximately

the same. In Spanish, as the length of syllables is the same, the ;me taken between two stressed sounds depends on the number of syllables in between. In English, stress falls on the most important words such as nouns, adjec;ves, verbs and adverbs. This means that syllables can be lengthened or shortened according to importance, emo;on or meaning. Without correct intona;on and rhythm, Spanish speakers can sound unnatural or flat when speaking. In rapid speech, vowel and consonant sounds can be squashed or in weak form, making understanding even more difficult. Grammar Components Consistent use of the past tense is a common problem for many of the Spanish people I have spoken with. English phrasal verbs are difficult to learn and use. Preposi;ons also ( ¨En¨ funciona por casi todo en español) Female and Male pronouns (She v He) Quan;fiers such as Much v Many / People v Person Compara;ve adjec;ves and superla;ves Vocabulary influenced by Spanish – Trabajo (work and job), Presupuesto (budget and quote) Correct use of certain verbs such as Make v Do

Listening to na;ves Understanding na;ves can be difficult, some;mes even impossible. However, I feel Spanish learners make the task harder by not fully understanding how na;ves speak. Na;ves do not speak English like Cambridge textbooks or teachers – they speak fast, with slang, and use ¨Spoken Grammar¨. In most cases you have not be taught to speak or listen to na;ves, and therefore would not have prac;ced for this type of ¨performance¨. You have been taught to pass an Exam. Over 90% of the Bri;sh popula;on would FAIL the Cambridge Proficiency Exam. Speaking with confidence To start speaking with confidence you need to have the right challenge and a clear, objec;ve evalua;on of your ability. Confidence is directly related to the (perceived) Challenge v the (perceived) Ability. For example, if I had to play football in the Bernabeu with 80,000 people watching me then I wouldn´t be very confident. Why? Because the Challenge is greater than my Ability. However, if I had played 100s of games before in smaller stadiums, and had built my way up to bigger stadiums over a number of years then I would be fine. Why? Because I have increased my Ability in direct propor;on to the Challenge. The key word is Experience – I have gained experience.

In all professions gaining experience increases our ability and makes us more confident. Later in the course I will explain Confidence in more detail. Furthermore, speaking is a reproduc;on of listening. If you train and prac;ce your listening skills then speaking will become more automa;c. You will not improve your speaking or listening skills by reading or wri;ng.

Language

Part Two

Summary In this sec;on we have examined the Common Mistakes made by Spanish learners. The four most typical problems for Spanish learners are: •  Pronuncia;on •  Grammar Components (notably, preposi;ons and

phrasal verbs) •  Listening to na;ves •  Speaking with confidence

Part Two

Skills

Part Three

There are four language skills needed for communica;on: •  Listening •  Speaking •  Wri;ng •  Reading When we learn our na;ve language, there is a natural process for the learning and development of these language skills. Natural Language Learning Process Listen > Speak > Read > Write However, when as adults we try to ¨study¨ a second language we reverse this natural process. Second Language Learning Process Read > Write > Speak > Listen The problem with this approach is that it puts Listening at the end of the learning process. According to the United Na;ons one in six people cannot Read or Write but they can all Speak and Listen. This shows that Reading and Wri;ng do not influence our ability to communicate verbally. Write down the communica;on process you have studied. ________________________________________________________________ Do you think this process was an effec;ve method? ________________________________________________________________

Listening

Part Three

Of the four communica:on skills, listening is the most important! "Listening" involves iden;fying the sounds of speech and processing them into words and sentences. However, what things are we ¨listening¨ for: •  Speech sounds •  Rhythm •  Stress and Intona;on •  Pauses / Correc;ons / Fillers (speech behaviours) Although Listening is considered recep;ve (received) in conversa;on it becomes Ac;ve and requires focus, a[en;on and engagement. However, it is important to understand the difference between concentra;on and straining. When I was learning Spanish I would concentrate so intensively to every word that azer five minutes I was exhausted. Listening skills can only be improved through listening prac;ce – to other people, sounds, music et al. To increase fluency (and understanding) in English you need to train your listening skills. Listening is key for: •  Pronuncia;on •  Vocabulary Building •  Rhythm / Intona;on •  For your understanding and meaning (how a word is said can change the

meaning) •  Speaking flow •  Conversa;ons – two way process Exercises for Listening •  Ear Training exercises – Vowel and Consonant Sounds / Rhythm, Stress and

Intona;on •  Radio Programmes – especially debates or phone ins (BBC Radio 2) •  Music / plus lyrics •  Movies (with and without sub;tles) •  Spoken Grammar (learn how na;ves pronounce certain words – remember

they may even pronounce it wrong according to the books)

Speaking

Part Three

”Communica;on" involves four different skills (Listening, Speaking, Wri;ng & Reading). One of these is different from the other three – do you know which one? For example, can you listen by yourself? Can you write by yourself? And can you read by yourself? And can you PRACTICE these skills on your own? Yes. You can listen to music or watch TV. You can read a magazine, book or newspaper. And for wri;ng it is normally be[er to do this on your own. So, how can you prac;ce Speaking if it is not possible to do it by yourself? Five Ways to Prac;ce Speaking in Madrid •  Join an Intercambio (e.g. MadridBabel

every Wednesday & Sunday) •  Go to an English bar or shop – there are

many in the City Centre – order a drink or buy something but only speaking in English. This helps build confidence.

•  Triskel´s (English pub – great for watching football)

•  J&Js (American second hand book store and café)

•  Living in London (café / shop) •  Say what you see – whenever you see

something wri[en in English – make an effort to say it. This helps you to start thinking in English.

•  Music – listen and sing along to your favourite songs. This is just good fun.

•  Speaking Improvisa;on – 60 seconds non-‐stop and RECORDED. A brilliant way to improve skills through effec;ve prac;ce.

Record Yourself Speak The last exercise (Speaking Improvisa;on) is a great way to train your speaking skills. And is the only way you can prac;ce and improve your speaking skills by yourself. On your Smart-‐phone you will have an applica;on that records your voice. To start with, find a random topic (e.g. Britain leaving the EU) and speak for 60 seconds non-‐stop about this subject while recording. Do not prepare or make notes. Just speak from your memory. It doesn´t ma[er if you don´t know anything about the subject. By recording yourself you make the task ¨live¨ and this creates a li[le bit of pressure. Which is great! The goal of this exercise is to train your ability to process ideas and build communica;on pathways. This is a great way to increase fluency skills. If you then review the recording you can also improve your accuracy skills.

Writing

Part Three

Wri;ng in English clearly is an important goal for all learners. Perhaps more important now than ever with the introduc;on of email, social media and global commerce. The first step to wri;ng clearly is choosing the appropriate format. The format, as well as your audience, defines the wri;ng style – that is, how formal or relaxed the tone should be. Start by iden;fying who will read your message. With everything you write, your readers, or recipients, should define your tone as well as aspects of the content. The growth of digital and social media is increasing the importance of wri;ng skills. Typically we write more now than ever. Social media pla}orms have created a new form of wri;ng called Chat. This is where the wri;ng style is less formal and resembles speaking. List all of the types of wri;ng you do in Spanish and English •  What do you write? •  Who do you write to? •  Which medium? •  What is the purpose? Camara. Write for one minute about a Camara. Do not think just write!!! Why is wri;ng so difficult? •  Unlike speaking there is a record of what you have wri[en for others to see •  Too much ;me to think •  Constraints such as rules, form and language Macro & Micro Skills Generate ideas Accuracy Structure and Medium Fluency Style Proof

Writing

Part Three

Common Mistakes (even for Na;ves) It's essen;al to learn grammar properly, and to avoid common mistakes that your spell checker won't find. Here are some examples of commonly misused words (even Na;ve speakers can make these errors: Affect/Effect "Affect" is a verb meaning to influence. "Effect" is a noun meaning the result or outcome. What is the effect of the proposal? Then/Than "Then" is typically an adverb indica;ng a sequence in ;me. We went to dinner, then we saw a movie.) "Than" is a conjunc;on used for comparison. The dinner was more expensive than the movie. Your/You're "Your" is a possessive. "You're" is a contrac;on of "you are.” note also their/they're/there & to/too/two Its/It's "Its" is a possessive. "It's" is a contrac;on of "It is." Company's/Companies "Company's" indicates possession. "Companies" is plural. note also Principle / Principal Compliment / Complement How to improve your Wri:ng English •  Reading is the best way to improve Wri;ng skills -‐ read a variety of English

texts – such as TIME, Na;onal Geographic, The Guardian •  Learn new vocabulary -‐ learn synonyms / learn formulaic chunks •  Prac;ce Daily -‐ Keep a Journal •  Learn Pronuncia;on and Spelling •  Learn the basic rules of wri;ng (structure, form, audience)

Reading

Part Three

Reading is perhaps the English communica;on skill you will use the most. From reading business reports, emails, books, movie sub;tles, to whatsapp or facebook messages. Reading fluency is not the ability to understand every word wri[en but rather to be able to read a paragraph and understand the main message. During my ;me in Spain some people tell me that they read with a Dic;onary and look up each word they don´t know while reading. To me this is not an efficient learning strategy as you break the flow. Equally it is not effec;ve as by trying to work out what a word means through context provides a more complete learning experience and enables be[er recall of the word later on. How to improve your Reading Skills: •  Reading is the best way to improve Reading skills – however, it is important to

read a variety of English texts – not just books but also magazines, newspapers, blogs, cooking instruc;ons, headlines, posters, adverts, etc

•  Enjoy what you read. As an Adult Learner you are responsible for your learning so choose texts that you love. For example, sports, business, history, music, famous people, gossip magazines.

•  Reading with flow – read long sec;ons of text. Try and guess what words mean through the context. Don´t rush for the dic;onary.

•  Ac;ve reading – reading doesn´t have to passive or internal. Azer each chapter or sec;on, summarise what you have read. The best way to learn something is by trying to explain it to somebody else. So imagine you are explaining to a friend. Speak out loud (voz alto) and record yourself. Listen to the recording. This will also help improve your speaking and explaining skills.

Summary In Part Three we have examined the four communica;on skills. To prac;ce language skills you have to match the training to the performance. And remember that: Reading helps build Wri;ng (and Reading) Skills. Listening helps build Speaking (and Listening) Skills.

Part Three

In Part One we examined the many structural factors that have shaped your ability to speak and listen fluently. We have also examined the Academic bias that exists in Spain. It is really important for Spanish people to understand how their cultural background can influence their percep;on of value. The over-‐importance placed on Academic Educa;on reflects a behavioural tendency towards Studying (or Titles) and not Learning. YOU ARE NOT A STUDENT …SO STOP STUDYING! Studying is a short-‐term approach in order to acquire knowledge. Whereas Learning is a con;nuous and holis;c process that combines technical knowledge, skills development and experiences. KEEP LEARNING... Do you see the difference between a Studying and Learning? Which one do you think will accelerate your speaking and listening fluency? How can you change your Study habits towards Learning habits?

Study v Learning

Part Four

Practice to Perform Purposeful prac;ce is the key to performing well in pressurised situa;ons. Why do you think professional sports people, ar;sts and leaders prac;ce? Two reasons why: To develop their skills To develop their confidence I ozen see Spanish people very confident reading English texts or comple;ng grammar exercises. However, when they have to ¨perform¨ in English (speaking or listening) they become nervous or ashamed. Why do you think Spanish learners (who know English grammar be[er than French or Italians) are not confident when they speak? The answer is linked to how you prac;ce. There are two types of prac;ce: Prac;ce for Technique Prac;ce for Performance The first type of prac;ce is really just studying, learning the technical concepts. This is good if you want to pass an exam. The other type of prac;ce is about building compe;;ve confidence. By compe;;ve, I mean ¨real-‐life situa;ons such as speaking with other people, listening to na;ves, making a presenta;on. In all of these situa;ons there is a LIVE factor. In every profession or ac;vity there is a transi;on between Training mode and the Performing mode. As the situa;on becomes real it becomes more pressurised. For example, a pilot in flight school feels no pressure while flying the simulator. However, once they progress to a real plane

Part Four

with passengers the situa;on changes and there is more pressure. Therefore a significant part of their training is focused on handling pressure. This is what I mean by Compe;;ve Confidence – they have trained their skills so that they feel confident to perform within a pressurised situa;on. Everybody needs to increase their Compe;;ve Confidence in order to perform at their best. Write down how you have trained your speaking and listening skills in order to perform in pressurised situa;ons. From speaking with many Spanish learners I can assume you have not trained your skills in the correct way so that it reflects the performance. Why? Because Spanish learners like to study, and studying is a good method for passing an exam. Not for speaking and interac;ng with people. ENGLISH IS NOT AN EXAM To develop Compe;;ve Confidence you have to prac;ce your speaking and listening skills under pressure. This means that prac;ce sessions (not study) have to be designed in a way that makes them more challenging than the performance. Let´s examine a typical Spanish learner´s prac;ce session. 85% of the ;me will be focused on reading, wri;ng and comple;ng grammar exercises 10% of the ;me will be focused on listening 5% of the ;me will be focused on speaking 100% of the prac;ce session will be in a comfortable, non-‐pressurised situa;on.

Practice to Perform

Part Four

How does this type of prac;ce session increase your confidence to listen and speak? How does this type of prac;ce session help you to interact with people? How does this type of prac;ce session help you to understand rapid speech? In my opinion, I believe the above prac;ce session will make you less confident, less able to interact with people and will reduce your ability to understand na;ves (as you will be prac;cing with your own internal voice, accent and pronuncia;on). Your prac;ce sessions have to reflect the actual performance. If you have an Exam, then you need to study and focus on technical skills. However, if you have a business mee;ng, a[ending a conference, mee;ng new people, etc. -‐ then you have to train your English skills for these purposes. How to develop your compe;;ve confidence ü  A training programme that focuses on

speaking and listening skills

ü  A training programme that focuses on the purpose (mee;ngs, travel, conference calls, social events)

ü  A training programme that combines confidence building exercises – tasks and exercises that enable you to prac;ce under pressure

ü  Understanding of Key Func;ons of English (Explana;on, Presenta;on, Persuasion, Nego;a;on)

Fit for Purpose

Part Four

The typical Spanish learner´s prac;ce session is focused too much on technical concepts such as grammar or vocabulary. I help people to rethink the way they study. Below are seven strategies that will accelerate your speaking and listening fluency: 1. The 1/3 Rule The 1/3 rule is a game changer when applied to daily prac;ce sessions. The 1/3 rule consists of three focus areas where an equal ;me should be spent on each: Technical – you will be familiar with this part. Allocate 1/3 of your training session to grammar concepts and vocab. Skills Development – in this category we look at developing specific capabili;es that are required for communica;on. These include: pronuncia;on, rapid speech, spoken grammar, slang and accent training. Live Prac:ce – it is important that every prac;ce session consists of a LIVE session. By live I mean a simula;on that puts you under some form of pressure (it makes you nervous or uncomfortable). For example, the Speaking Improvisa;on tool is a great way to add some pressure to speaking prac;ce. 2. Purpose This is perhaps the most overlooked part in student learning. A great way to increase confidence and prepara;on is to rehearse the actual situa;on. For example, if you have to a[end a conference in London, imagine the people you will meet, the .

conversa;ons you will have. These human interac;ons will typically be during coffee, lunch or at the social events. Prepare ¨small talk¨ ques;ons and answers, and your 20 second ¨elevator speech´. These are things you can prac;ce in advance. To me it seems more effec;ve to do this rather than study the Present Perfect. 3. Func;ons of English When you really think about it, English it is not about verbs or grammar. Essen;ally it is about communica;on func;ons – the things you do with the grammar and verbs. Think about the answers to these ques;ons: Where are you from? What do you do? What does your company do? Do you know where the restaurant is? How was your trip to New York? Each requires you to explain (yourself or an experience). When did you ever think about improving your ability to Explain? Nearly everything we talk about involves explana;on whether it be professional or social. We can all learn to be be[er at Explaining. 4. Make it Real The biggest reason why Spanish learners struggle when listening to na:ves. A lack of Real content.

Fit for Purpose

Part Four

What do I mean by Real content? Let me first explain the current situa;on. Many of the Spanish people I work with are happy to tell me that they watch movies or TV series in English, or how they listen to audio books narrated by the author. Or how they listen to Podcasts. In my opinion this is not Real content. And if you only listen to this type of content you will struggle when two na;ves talk to each other. Why? Because the content is not REAL. Let´s examine how a Movie is made: First, a professional writer writes the screenplay. Then a professional actor reads the script and azer many rehearsals and edi:ng the movie is produced. Natural speech is not like a movie. There are no writers, there are no scripts and there are no actors. And most importantly there is no edi;ng. It is a live process. When na;ves speak, the dialogue is natural and spontaneous, it changes abruptly, people aren´t wai;ng for their turn to speak (like the actors). They make errors, they self correct, they mispronounce, they use slang or spoken grammar, they switch topics midway through. In essence Natural speech is nothing like the movies or wri[en text. To increase your ability to understand Na;ves you have to prac;ce listening to Real content. Finding Real content is very difficult if you live in Madrid. This is why watching movies is an OKAY subs;tute.

But you must realise that it has limited value when listening to na;ves speak. Listed below are some resources that will help you prac;ce English with Real content: Radio Phone Ins This is when listeners call the radio sta;on. For example, on Sundays, football fans call the BBC to complain about their football teams. They are normally quite emo;onal. Live Debates BBC Radio 2 normally have debates on current social issues. The presenter will invite people to give their opinions on a current topic. Live News The main news presenter is reading a Script – however, during the programme they connect with people in different places who have to comment on a LIVE situa;on. Always think about how the content was produced. Real content is typically Live and unplanned. This is they type of content you need to prac;ce. 5. Daily Habits Finding the ;me to prac;ce English is a key concern for many people. Therefore, it is important that your learning sessions are efficient. The goal of this programme is to concentrate the learning gained from 2 hours of normal study into 20 minutes (based on the 80/20 principle). Nobody has 2 hours every day, but what about 20 minutes. I am sure we can find 20 minutes in your daily schedule.

Fit for Purpose

Part Four

Think about the moments in the day where you could prac;ce English. For example, while in the car you could listen to English. Also while preparing dinner. Write down the moments in the day where you could listen to English (even just 5 minutes). 6. Daily Goals Probably the biggest cause of poor learning is the lack of short-‐term goals. Most students seem see the end of the course as the goal. This could be nine months away. To increase the effec;veness of your daily learning sessions you should set daily goals. For example, by the end of today I am going to learn these ten phrases. It is important that you can see daily or weekly progress as it builds confidence and mo;va;on. 7. Ac;on based learning Learning a second language as Adults is far more difficult than for say young learners. I think the main reason for this is that Adults try to Study the language and rely less on ac;ons, experiences and feelings. As Adult learner mo;va;on and par;cipa;on are key factors for success. As a language coach I spend more of my ;me crea;ng confidence, fun and commitment than Grammar. The way it should be for most learners. I am convinced that by learning English through some ac;vity such as Sport or Music, par;cipa;on and mo;va;on are greatly enhanced.

It is important to remember that language is a communica;on process between two or more people. It requires par;cipa;on, interac;on and emo;on. Of course vocabulary and grammar are important, but there must be a balance. We are not textbooks, we are people. An exposure to vocabulary and grammar through ac;vi;es such as Sports increases a learners' command of the language, and increases both par;cipa;on and mo;va;on. Vital ingredients for accelera;ng your speaking and listening fluency. These seven strategies go above and beyond a typical study session, and have been designed to improve the efficiency and effec;veness of your learning process 20 minutes of purposeful prac:ce is equivalent to 2 hours of random study. The typical Spanish learner´s prac;ce session is focused too much on technical concepts such as grammar or vocabulary. I help people to rethink the way they approach learning English – from study to training. .

Explanation Skills Imagine a series of different communica;on situa;ons such as a conference presenta;on, two people talking about a movie, a job interview, or explaining your day at work with your partner. What do all these situa;ons have in common? Each requires you to explain (yourself or an experience). Nearly everything we talk about involves explana;on whether it is professional or social. Explana;on is an essen;al component of communica;on. By focusing directly on the topic we realise that it is very much taken for granted. When did you ever think about improving your ability to Explain? Over the last 10 years I have listened to thousands of hours of explana;ons from Spanish people on diverse topics. I have also helped prepare many people for job interviews. During these mock interviews I am very surprised how the quality of speech reduces when they have to make an explana;on about their previous job, their experience and even something personal. What I have experienced during this ;me is an avalanche of words and sentences, delivered quickly and without any structure. It seems like they want to throw everything they know or can remember all at once. As the listener it is quite difficult to understand. And not because of the English skills.

Part Four

Although many of these people believe the problem is with their English, the actual problem relates with their ability to structure ideas and concepts. To Explain. There is a simple three-‐step process for crea;ng more effec;ve explana;ons: •  Prepare •  Produce •  Present Explana;on represents an unexplored communica;on skill for most people (even na;ves), and it is a skill that can be learned, prac;ced and improved. For language learners this presents a great opportunity for you speak more fluently and effortlessly.

Part Four

Mo;va;on and Confidence are two vital ingredients for accelera;ng your speaking and listening fluency. Since living in Spain I have spoken to many people. It is quite normal for the conversa;on to fall back on English, as I am from the United Kingdom. The majority of people I speak to believe that English is either impossible to learn or that they don´t have the ;me or energy to ¨study¨. Living here for 10 years has enabled me to understand the cultural and structural background to language learning, and I am not surprised that many people are not mo;vated to ¨study¨ English during their lunch;me, azer work (10pm?) or on the weekends. Why would anyone want to work all day long and then go home to sit at a desk and read through English grammar books or dic;onaries? So, yes I can fully understand why mo;va;on is low. Confidence is also key factor for Spanish people. I know many people who will speak to me in English but when somebody they know (another Spanish person) join us they will start speaking in Spanish even if that person speaks in English. The key to confidence is compe;;ve prac;ce – training your communica;on skills under pressurised situa;ons. Thus if you have only read books then speaking with other people becomes more difficult. Confidence = Prepara@on -‐ Challenge Challenge is the situa;on in which you have to use your speaking skills. For example, if you had to speak English to six dogs the challenge would be really low. However, if you had to speak on live Television the

challenge would be really high. The solu;on is always to have Prepara;on bigger than Challenge. Confidence is thus the ability to perform to a level higher than the challenge. Why Studying makes you less confident, mo;vated and fluent In Day 16 we examined the difference between Study and Prac;ce. Let´s examine further how a typical ¨study¨ session will make you less confident, less mo;vated and fluent. 85% of the :me will be focused on reading, wri:ng and comple:ng grammar exercises. Very li[le of this prac;ce will benefit your speaking and listening skills. This tradi;onal form of teaching English was designed for classroom management (so that 1 teacher can manage 12 students) and for making money. This is not an effec;ve or efficient learning strategy. 10% of the :me will be focused on listening This should be increased to at least 40% and should incorporate Real forms of speech. Not only prepared material like Movies and Listening exercises from textbooks. 5% of the :me will be focused on speaking This should be increased to at least 40% and should incorporate spoken grammar, pronuncia;on, rapid speech, speech behaviours, slang and accent training. Speaking prac;ce can also be linked with listening prac;ce through explana;on, and thus crea;ng a more holis;c learning experience.

Confidence, Motivation & Commitment

Confidence, Motivation & Commitment

Part Four

100% of the :me will be in a comfortable, non-‐pressurised situa:on This is the reason why Spanish people are not confident speaking English. Confidence is low because studying is very comfortable. You are siBng behind a desk, reading texts and comple;ng exercises. Confidence is created by stretching your comfort zone and becoming uncomfortable. Answer truthfully the ques;ons below, and if you answer no please provide clear reasons: •  Would you walk into an Irish bar on your

own and start talking to people? •  Would you a[end the English version of

Toast Masters and speak for 3 minutes on a random topic in front of 20+ people?

•  Would you go to J&J books and ask the staff for something in English?

•  Would you go to MadridBabel (intercambio on a Wednesday or Sunday) on your own and start speaking to people in English?

What has to happen in order for you to do these ac;vi;es? More Study? More Confidence? More Time? I believe that studying English using the tradi;onal form will make you less confident, less able to interact with people and will reduce your ability to understand na;ves when they speak (as you will be prac;cing with your own internal voice, accent and pronuncia;on). Furthermore, it will greatly reduce your commitment and mo;va;on. Mo;va;on is created from ac;ve experiences, encouragement and feedback. If you are

aiming to be fluent in nine months ;me, then you have to wait nearly a year un;l you see any results. My guess is that by month three you will lose your commitment and be distracted by life. Short-‐term goals achieved through purposeful daily prac;ce are the essen;al ingredients for long-‐term commitment and mo;va;on.

Summary

Part Four

Part Four has examined a series of Effec;ve Training methods that will accelerate you towards speaking and listening fluency. In this sec;on we have illustrated the necessary shiz from Student to Learner and examined how purposeful prac;ce is key to building compe;;ve confidence. In Part Four, we have outlined a seven-‐step training programme that will accelerate your speaking and listening fluency, and examined the importance of Explana;on skills in the role of communica;on. In conclusion this sec;on has explained how tradi;onal forms of study are not efficient or effec;ve for learning. And has demonstrated how Mo;va;on and Confidence are two vital ingredients for accelera;ng your speaking and listening fluency.

towards english fluency

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