Hello Reader,

If you're an outgoing person, you have natural and obvious advantages to learning English.

You love talking to people - most of the time.

And that love of talking to lots of people, a lot of the time, can be a massive boost for your English skills. And if you've been a reader of this newsletter or a podcast listener for any length of time, you'll no why!

The more you use your English skills with others, the faster they will improve.

Want another reason talking more is good?

Fluency and self-confidence hang out together, and they both tend to go up the more you use your English.

What about for us introverts?

If you're an introvert, you also have a superpower. You just might not know what it is or how to use it. To unleash your superpower, all you need is a cup of coffee (or something you can hold on to, like water, tea...chocolate milk? ) and one other person. ​

I'm an introvert, most of the time. I'm even more of an introvert in my second language - Spanish. But I've found that I do far better when I'm trying to talk with small groups of people, and it's even better if it's just one!

That coffee I mentioned? That's part of the strategy.

Seriously!

When I hold that cup of coffee, I kind of feel like I am hiding behind it. If you've never tried it, give it a try! Even just holding your cup at chest height feels somehow...safer.

Maybe that's my weirdness coming through, but it works for me. I do it all the time.

English Learning Myths Extraverts and Introverts must bust!

And regardless of if you're an outgoing extravert or a shy and quiet introvert, there are a few ideas...let's call them myths.... that you have to bust if you really want to see your English skills sky rocket:

Forget these 'English practice myths.'

• To be effective practice needs to be long. (Wrong! It can be short! But what practice does need to be is FREQUENT.) Think daily.
• To be effective I need to be in front of lots of people using my English. (Wrong! All you need is one person to talk with. This is especially true if you're an introvert.)
• To be effective practice needs to be serious. (Wrong! It needs to be real. Where you're actually talking about something that matters to you and the other person or people. Ideas, thoughts, feelings, experiences need to be exchanged - and it can (should?) be fun!)
• To be effective practice needs to include course books and grammar rules. (Wrong! Course books and grammar books tend to be hiding places. I've seen far too many people hiding in their course books instead of actually using the English they're learning about in them.) Think of grammar and course books like tools for 'just in time' learning. When you run into trouble, grab. your book and figure out what you need to keep your conversation going.
• To be effective, practice needs to be in English class with my teacher and classmates. Wrong! I'm a firm believer that you need more time actually outside of your class actually using your English. See the previous idea: class should be more of a 'just in time' learning tool, instead of a place you can hide in - and still feel like you're working on your English.

Where and how often will you use your English this week?

Have a great week!

Aaron

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