Learn a Language Faster By Slowing Down
From engrish.com
One thing that is hard for many people is making conversation. It’s even harder when doing it in a foreign language–you want to be able to tell jokes or get your opinions across in a completely different culture by using different words and in some cases, completely different ways of expressing yourself.
In this article from Positivity on mistakes in a conversation, an excellent point is made that can be applied to foreign language learners:
Poor delivery
One of the most important things in a conversation is not what you say, but how you say it. A change in these habits can make a big difference since your voice and body language is a vital part of communication. Some things to think about:* Slowing down. When you get excited about something it’s easy to start talking faster and faster. Try and slow down. It will make it much easier for people to listen and for you actually get what you are saying across to them.
* Speaking up. Don’t be afraid to talk as loud as you need to for people to hear you.
* Speaking clearly. Don’t mumble.
* Speak with emotion. No one listens for that long if you speak with a monotone voice. Let your feelings be reflected in your voice.
* Using pauses. Slowing down your talking plus adding a small pause between thoughts or sentences creates a bit of tension and anticipation. People will start to listen more attentively to what you’re saying. Listen to one of Brian Tracys cds or Steve Pavlina’s podcasts. Listen to how using small pauses makes what they are saying seem even more interesting.
* Learn a bit about improving your body language as it can make your delivery a lot more effective. Read about laughter, posture and how to hold your drink in 18 ways to improve your body language.
Of course you’ll be eager to talk about everything in your new language, but rushing will lead to mistakes which leads to backtracking to get your points across. In other words, you lose your fluency. The more expressive you are and the clearer your voice is, the more effectively you can communicate.
Notice that the article encourages learning correct body language so that your audience will have no doubt as to how you are feeling. This also applies to foreign cultures as well–do your research! Find out what makes native speakers “native,” and how you can bridge the gap between an awkward foreigner and a cool insider. A lot of it has to do with body language and not just speaking abilities.
For example, take for instance person A. Person A is fairly competent in speaking Japanese, but wavers when they make a mistake and their confidence diminishes. They speak too fast in a small voice to try to cover up their mistakes, and ultimately confuse whomever they are talking to. Embarrassment on both ends.
Person B, on the other hand, is a native Japanese speaker. They make mistakes in speaking–as we all do–but laughs off the mistakes and keeps going, because they know they have the language skills to get their point across. The audience in question disregards the mistakes, or laughs with them and continues listening to the speaker.
Both people know the language, but have different ways of handling conversations. It’s imperative for language learners to gain confidence in speaking abilities despite making mistakes. At the same, you should speak clearly and slowly to minimize the chances of making silly errors.
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