Ever wonder why learning a language takes up so much time and energy? The more you try, the harder it seems to get, as if every time you open the textbook, the language itself is expanding before your very eyes, giving you a nudge to close the book and return to sunbathing in the backyard.
What is the common anxiety denominator that ties public speaking and foreign language speaking? Let´s decipher how a quick public speaking course can get you twice as fast to your goal as a fluent foreign speaker.
COMMON DENOMINATOR 1: SPEECH ANXIETY
Public speaking and speaking a foreign language cause the reaction in a human brain: anxiety attack. The reasons behind the reaction vary: The lack of positive experience, fear of sticking out too much, “all eyes on me” syndrome – those are the general definitions. The more in-depth aspects such as being ashamed of an accent, fear of messing up grammatical rules, they all refer to a perfectly normal humane response.
The best way to fight it? Imagining the speech as a conversation. Performance anxiety tends to ease on the nerves once the orator envisions himself having an ordinary conversation with a non-judgemental friend. This public speaking technique helps the tension in a stomach dissolve into a slightly less shiver, then disappear altogether. Once this subconscious fear has gone, the brain opens up to receiving information and learning becomes a walk in a park.
COMMON DENOMINATOR 2: ANALYZING THE AUDIENCE
Another super helpful public speaking technique that can be borrowed and apply to foreign linguistics, is called “analyzing the audience”. How do you convince yourself that speaking without fear of making mistakes is okay? Your audience are people just like you – unless you´re giving a speech at a NATO conference or at a CERN gathering, people are understanding, they often use slang, which is technically an incorrectly used grammar device, too, they probably have parents, grandparents, aunties who are foreign and have accents – simply put – it´s okay to let yourself speak a foreign language without perfecting it first.
COMMON DENOMINATOR 3: RESEARCH HOW OTHERS DO IT
Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King, Margaret Thatcher – they were all undoubtedly gifted orators capable of capturing audience´s attention. However, not everyone is born a natural. Public speakers, in order to gain confidence, they do their research on all the great orators who were once terrible at their art. As a foreign speaker, take advantage of this and do the same – research the stories of people who speak multiple languages, yet once sucked at it. They all offer conducive tips and boost your confidence with the been there, done that, support system.
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from Salvete | Languagelearning https://ift.tt/36dRaVV
via Learn Online English Speaking
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