How to Overcome Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety? [with Emily & Brian]

Описание: How can you practice speaking a foreign language despite having foreign language speaking anxiety?

1. Drop the perfectionism! Be aware that you will probably never speak your target language as well as a native speaker. There are exceptions to this rule and there are adults out there whose accent can’t be heard, even when they have learned the language as an adult. Those are usually people who have lived in the country where their target language is spoken for many years, or just individuals for whom it is easy to imitate, and repeat sounds they hear. Having an accent makes you special and even gives you charm. What’s more, it always makes for a good conversation starter because most people will want to know where you are from and hear your story. So, having an accent may even give you some conversation practice, which is ultimately the best way to improve your speaking skills!

2. Start by just talking to yourself at home or when you're taking a walk by yourself. Repeat words and phrases you have learned or even practice small and easy dialogs. When you pronounce words, you are also training the muscles of your tongue. So, learning a foreign language can definitely be compared to a physical workout!

3. Find a language exchange partner. You can meet them online and chat with them, alternating between the language you are learning and the language you want to help your language exchange partner learn. You can even meet them in real life if you happen to live close to each other. It's a fun way of practicing a language and you'll learn tons of slang and authentic language used in real life. You can even make friends along the way!

4. Make sure to find fun ways to improve your language. It doesn’t always have to be books or formal language lessons. You can listen to the radio in your target language, watch tv shows or movies, or do an activity in your target language. If you don’t have an opportunity to do this in real life, you can find online instructors. Why not learn how to do yoga in English? There are many YouTubers out there trying to teach you something. This will keep you motivated, and you’ll automatically improve your listening skills, which will come in handy once you start speaking and taking part in conversations.

5. Is there a speaker of your target language whose way of speaking you really enjoy? Then listen closely to them and try to imitate, or mimic, how they speak. People naturally have different ways of speaking. Even in your own language, there are people whose voices and ways of speaking you do — and don't — like. Pick one or a few native speakers of your target language, listen closely, and repeat little by little how they talk. It doesn’t have to be a whole episode of a show, either. Just a few sentences here and there will add up over time and help shape the way you speak.

6. The only way to become better at a skill is by practicing it regularly. This is true for sports, for academic subjects, and for foreign languages as well. If you practice a skill, sooner or later, you will receive feedback by others, or even a teacher, and this will help you assess how much progress you have made and boost your self-confidence. How can you practice? If you don’t feel ready yet to surround yourself with native speakers and start conversing right away, start by working on your reading, writing, and listening skills. Don’t feel pressured to start speaking right away. Everyone learns at their own pace. Some feel good about speaking sooner than others. The more comfortable you are writing in your target language, the easier it will be to use the vocabulary you acquire while speaking language as well.

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See you soon at lingoni :-)

00:00 Introduction
00:41 Practice your pronunciation!
01:52 Listen and repeat!
02:22 Mimick!
03:38 Talk to friends!
04:18 Make mistakes!
05:47 Speak every single day!
07:07 Outro