Tag: Mindset Training
How English Language Coaching can help you reach your goals
Introduction English language coaching is a great way to improve your English, but you might not know how it works. This article will tell you everything you need to know about English language coaching and why it can be very beneficial for your professional and personal life. English Language Coaching is different from other types of English teaching. English Language Coaching is a bit different from other traditional English classes you may have taken. An English coach is part speaking partner, part English teacher, part counselor and part mentor. An English coach helps you become a more confident and effective ... Read more
Stay motivated: Celebrate your Small Wins
Introduction When you’re learning a new language, it can be easy to get discouraged. You might feel like you aren’t making enough progress and think that the time you put in isn’t worth it. This is especially true if your goal is something big or difficult to achieve, like using English in professional contexts or reaching a C1/C2 level. The solution? Celebrate your small wins along the way! People tend to focus on their big goals. People tend to focus on their big goals. They want to get the job, climb the ladder and be successful. But it can be ... Read more
What is Cognitive Load and how does it affect my English?
Do you ever feel like your brain just doesn’t have enough “processing power” to speak English fluently? Or feel like you have to focus really hard to understand what people are saying to you? Does you mind go blank when you start to get nervous or frustrated? All of this is very natural, because speaking another language has a high cognitive load. What is cognitive load? Cognitive load is a way of describing how much information your brain has to process at any given moment. It’s basically the amount of mental resources you’re using to process and store information, as ... Read more
The Importance of a Growth Mindset for Language Learning
ou might have heard about the growth mindset, but what is it? This is a term popularized by Carol Dweck, a psychologist who has studied educational psychology for decades. A growth mindset is a way of thinking about your abilities and intelligence that allows you to learn from mistakes, have self-confidence, seek challenges and increase your potential.
Use Temptation Bundling to Help You Create an English Habit
Foto de Mollie Sivaram en Unsplash Introduction I’m sure you’ve heard of the term “temptation bundling.” It’s a strategy that was popularized by Australian entrepreneur Zoe McLeod, who used it to help her quit smoking. The basic idea is that you take something you want to do (like practice English) and combine it with something you want less of (like watching TV). By doing so, you trick your brain into thinking that practicing English will satisfy both desires—and before long, practicing English becomes habit. Watch your favorite series in English (Keeping up with the Kardashians, anyone?) Temptation bundling is an ... Read more
How much time should I spend studying English every day?
Foto de Siora Photography en Unsplash Introduction This question is one that I get all the time. Many clients want to know how much time they should spend learning English and what types of activities will help them get better at it. In this article, I’ll answer both questions and give you some tips to get started. Ten minutes a day but the more you practice, the better you’ll become. You should spend time practicing English every day, but there is no one-size-fits-all answer on the exact number of hours you should devote to studying. Instead, you need to find ... Read more
How to improve your fluency without a speaking partner
We all know we should practice speaking to build fluency, but what if you’re still lacking the confidence to actually talk to another human being? I mean, what if they don’t understand or I don’t understand them or what if they laugh at me? I had one client who was very embarrassed about her fluency and felt that all her colleagues spoke English much better than her. She felt her coworkers were annoyed by her slow English, so she stopped contributing to conversations and even stopped trying to socialize with people at work. She told me she knew she needed ... Read more
Agathe
Have you spent years studying another language, but don’t feel confident enough to even practice speaking it? I did, too. I studied French for 15 years. I majored in it at university. I could read 14th-century literature, translate poems and write essays citing dense philosophical texts. Then I arrived in France for the very first time as a 19-year-old college student. I didn’t understand anyone and I didn’t try to speak to any real French people. What if they laughed? I became shy and antisocial. I avoided speaking to anyone but my English-speaking classmates. Then one evening, we had to ... Read more
Feel the fear and do it anyway
I seemed to develop a new fear overnight. My husband and I had been hiking for hours and we only had a hundred meters left to reach the summit. The last section involved climbing over large boulders and rocks. In my peripheral vision, I caught sight of the edge of the mountain and the terrifying cliff that led to a body of water called “Abyss Lake.”. My body instinctively froze and I dropped down to hug the rocks. I was paralysed. I couldn’t move forward or backwards. That’s when I knew I had developed a fear of heights. This had ... Read more