How to start making progress with your English again [Let's get your English unstuck!]

The Speak English Fearlessly Podcast

This episode is for you if you have been feeling stuck with your English. Like no matter how hard you push or try, you can't seem to make progress anymore.

By listening in today, you'll learn 3 practical things you can begin doing today to help you create momentum with your English.

I want to begin by sharing a quote from a great article I read a few weeks ago. It's by Karen Otavalo, a young immigrant from Ecuador who immigrated to the United States.

During those initial months of transition, words eluded me. When they did surface, that all-too-familiar fear rippled through me. Speech used to be one of the things I was strongest at, and seeing myself fail at something so essential — not only to get my ideas across but also to be taken seriously — was disheartening. It didn’t help that despite hours of practice sometimes it seemed like I wasn’t getting better.

I learned quickly that impatience doesn’t help things along. Language acquisition is rarely a linear path. More effort doesn’t always translate into more progress. Instead, I had to learn to be patient, and that isn’t an overnight transformation either.

I love that quote, and enjoyed reading the article. (I suggest you give it a read.) Karen highlights something that everyone experiences in their English learning journey, and that maybe you are experiencing now: A language learning plateau.

A fast beginning, and then all of a sudden, everything slows down and it feels like no matter how hard you push, you just can't seem to make progress anymore.

If that feels like you today, then this episode, and the following episodes in through February, will be for you. We'll be talking all about language learning plateaus and what you can do to break through them.

Today: Getting momentum back.

First things first: Let's get real.

• No instant fixes.
• No language hacks.
• No 'Ah-ha' moment will come to your rescue.

But this is what we often look for. A silver bullet. To repeat myself, there isn't one.

Here are 3 things you can do today to begin building momentum again:

1. Realize where you are. You are experiencing a normal part of learning and language learning. (You're not broken!)
2. Don't look for those instant fixes. You need to put in the work. But it doesn't have to hurt! Look for and engage with, English that you enjoy. (Movies, TV shows, Books, Friends etc.)
3. Who are you connecting with in English every day. Make a point of building a relationship with someone who you can talk to in English beyond, "Hi, how are you doing?"

Next week: Breaking free from depending on class, course book, and safe vocabulary.

Links:

Here's what it was like for me to transition from ESL to mainstream classes.