I met someone this week from Ukraine and she is working hard to build her English skills.
I was immediately struck by two things as we talked. One: what she was doing that was actively helping her to build her English skills. Two: the thing she was doing that was working silently but powerfully against her.
What was helping her:
She was incredibly friendly and immediately helped me feel welcome. As we talked, it felt like we were old friends – it was an effortless connection.
Have you ever been around someone like that? You feel instantly comfortable with them.
But that’s not what was going to make a big difference with her English skills, though being friendly and outgoing does help a lot.
As we talked, I noticed that her English was still very simple. She understood almost everything I was asking her about, and when she wasn’t sure, she wasn’t afraid to ask me to repeat myself or to ask for some clarifying information from me. She did that perfectly!
When she spoke, she used simple sentences to express her ideas clearly and effectively – nothing complicated. It was enough to hold our conversation well.
Did you notice what she did well?
It didn’t have to do with her friendly personality. While being friendly and outgoing can for sure help you when you’re learning English, not everyone is like that.
What she was doing very well at is something everyone can put into practice to see impressive results with their English: simply use the English you have!
One of the most important things you can be doing to see dramatic improvement happen with your English or your CELPIP speaking skills, is to be using the English you already have as frequently as possible with native English speakers.
As you increase your connection time with native English speakers, I promise you that you’ll begin to hear new ways of saying things. You’ll hear new words and phrases being used that you will be able to pick out as being interesting or cool – and you’ll figure out how to begin using those new words or phrases yourself.
The Common Mistake
The common mistake I see many newcomers to Canada and English learners in general make is isolating yourself. This mistake has the power to hold your English skills back for decades if you don’t actively work to change it.
My meeting with this lady was the first time I ever saw her, and she has been living in the facility where I work for several months now. She was kind, friendly, welcoming, easy to talk to – but she never comes out of her suite to interact with her neighbours! She was isolating herself!
I didn’t ask her why I never saw her in our community events, but I can guess:
She feels self-conscious about her English, so she doesn’t try to connect with others.
She tells herself that she won’t understand what people are trying to talk with her about, so she should avoid those situations as much as possible.
And I get that. It feels uncomfortable and embarrassing when you don’t know what the other person or people are saying. It’s even worse when they’re talking directly to you, so I understand that line of thought very well – I’ve thought it myself about my own skills in Spanish!
I’ve also hidden and isolated myself – avoiding social situations with native Spanish speakers because of my own feelings of not being good enough with my Spanish skills.
But here’s the thing: when you hide, your skills won’t get better. Like ever.
The Terrible Cost Of Hiding
While it’s true that avoiding experiences that can be embarrassing because of your developing English skills feels good in the moment, you’ve got to understand that protecting yourself in that way comes at a terrible cost!
We have some close friends who have lived in Canada for over a decade, but because they’ve isolated themselves they still have a beginner level of English. For them isolating from native English speakers has cost them over a decade of English development and tons of money!
It’s cost them boatloads of money because they are only now trying to invest in learning English so they can complete their immigration goals of becoming Canadian citizens.
But that financial investment is going to take a few years to get them where they need to be in order to pass their language proficiency exams.
Are You Hiding?
Do you feel like you’ve been hiding or isolating yourself? Do you feel afraid of what people might think about you if you try and use the little English you have with them?
Hiding from opportunities to use your English is holding you back, and it’s keeping you from getting the results you need on the CELPIP exam.
Let’s change that! This year can be your year to get the score you need on the exam. This year can be the year you start speaking English fearlessly with everyone around you! Join the CELPIP Success school today!
You’ll meet other newcomers to Canada who are working to get ready for their exam, just like you.
You’ll also have regular opportunities to practice your English, along with unlimited one-on-one friendly support from me as we work together through courses that are designed to help you practice the essential skills you need to score well on the CELPIP.
Join CELPIP Success School today for only $1.95 a day! For as long as you remain a member!
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