Get yourself unstuck with one question
It's disarmingly simple.
In this email:
Reflect: why speaking prompts are basically like a full body fitness practice. Some of you asked, and I am very happy to explain
Output: today’s free speaking prompt
What I’m up to:
Footer: all links in one place & about me
Reading time: 6 minutes! You got this!
Struggling to focus? Read one section at a time.
Your brain loves everything more if you don’t overload it.
Struggling to understand?
Support your reading with paragraphs you don’t understand by copying them here. No shame in getting help if you need it. It’s part of the process.
Always ask yourself: what's the worst that can happen?
Most likely… that you'll sound a little goofy.
And that's where self kindness comes into play: if we are kind to ourselves, we will see our being goofy as something endearing on our learning path.
The alternative is to play it safe to never lose face...
And never make an attempt to speak. And never improving. Ever.
So you might as well take action in the privacy of your own company.
Here’s how.
Sorry, Paola, but…
What the hell is a speaking prompt anyway?
And why should I use them?
Why do you put so many in your newsletters?
If you go look at a lot of my old newsletter issues, I always include speaking prompts, which are basically exercises to help you speak on your own.
Every time I send a prompt, I always, ALWAYS include the instructions you see here:
How to prepare for recording in a way that helps you grow:
Write 3-4 bullet points (you are not writing a script, you don't want to sound like you are reading out loud)
Try to keep it concise: give yourself a time limit of 3-4 minutes.
Listen to yourself once and think of the things you'd like to improve: words that you were missing. Places where you were unclear. Make a mental note to improve those areas, and then re-record.
Today, I’d like to talk about the benefits of this exercise, because they might be unclear to many of you. And…
Speaking prompts are something incredibly powerful you can do on your own, without a coach, on your own schedule, without anyone judging you (but yourself, which might actually be THE problem!)
In what ways does consistently practicing speaking prompts on your own help you?
It helps you because it’s an incredibly complete and complex exercise. It’s almost like full body fitness practice.
Here’s why.
Every time you start working on a prompt, you have to read, and understand the prompt. (So you work on your reading skills and your vocabulary comprehension.)
Then, you’ve got to decide what you want to say, and how to say it. (So you practice sentence creation, language mechanics, and work on recalling your vocabulary, as well as on organising your thoughts, to say things clearly and concisely)
Once you’ve made your notes, you have to start recording. So you have to think about how to pronounce the words you’ve chosen. (So… You work on pronunciation, on doing research on how to actually say new words, and on managing frustration when you make mistakes. Which is also very important.)
Once you have recorded yourself, you’ve got to decide if you are happy with the result, you can see the mistakes you’ve made, and you have to live with the fact that you might JUST HATE your recorded voice (so you are developing your independence as a learner, you are learning to evaluate where your English still needs work, and you are working on developing a growth mindset, and you are practicing how not to judge yourself)
And… You don’t need a partner for it. You don’t have to pay a coach and you don’t have to respect a schedule. You are entirely responsible for your own learning. Talk about personal growth.
Which means you can do it anytime, at no cost, but it also means you have to make yourself responsible to sit down and take time to work on your English.
Because your English will never improve if you never actually sit down and take care of it.
Today’s speaking prompt
What was the most enjoyable thing you did this week?
What were the stressors instead?
What was the loveliest thing you did in the past ten days?
What was so nice about it?
If it felt so good, is there a way you can work towards making it happen regularly?
Was there anything particularly stressful, tiring or uncomfortable?
If yes, what made it stressful or uncomfortable?
Are there any ways you can help yourself better manage it next time?
Instructions are in the paragraph above, where I talk about the benefits of speaking prompts. Read them again, and try practicing some English on your own!
Curious to find out if my 1:1 work can serve you?
Then fill in this form, and let’s chat :)
I am currently fully booked! Woo-hoo!
If you want to work with me 1:1, I will probably have a few spots open again mid June! Plenty of time to think about it.
No sales pitch, just you, sharing your situation & your needs :)
What I’m up to
I’m writing from Milan, Italy. I decided on an impromptu visit after landing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, in Barcelona. My partner will stay in Argentina for some time longer, and I had not spent Easter with my family in a long time. So… I hopped on a plane and came to see my mum, with one last aviation effort.
Remember how I had told you I’d be visiting a friend in Paris on the way back from Buenos Aires? Didn’t happen: I fly standby, and that means cheap flights and a lot of adrenaline, not knowing if I’m actually leaving until boarding closes! It requires time, control over your schedule, patience and good nerves. Two weeks ago, one of Argentina’s biggest trade unions announced a massive, historic strike, and I got caught up in that!
I ended up leaving last Sunday, on an epic 29-hour journey that took me through São Paulo airport, then Lisbon airport, and finally to Barcelona. It was kinda crazy. But I’ve made it home, in time to get the chance to be a good daughter and visit family in Italy.
What about you, dear reader? Is Easter important where you live? How did you spend it?
Thanks for reading.
See you next week for a short and sweet quote email 🧿
Hugs,
Pao
Ways I can help you, whenever you are ready to work on your English joyfully:
Read about or join The Joy Luck club here. Create the low-pressure speaking opportunities I talked about in this email! It’s my group space to speak, relaxing into the language, grow and bloom together… Without breaking the bank. All details are on the page I’ve linked: we are waiting for you!
Work with me 1:1, with the Flow & Bloom programme. Find out whether my work can serve you by filling in this form, so we can get on a quick 20-min call, also to see how we feel when having a chat! I won't sell you anything on this chat. Just listen to what you need, and tell you about the way I work.
Listen to my podcasts about language learning, multilingual life and solo travel as a woman here. In English, Italian and French.
Italian speaker (or advanced Italian learner)? Listen to me on Spotify on CatramePod, or read my biweekly cultural bulletin!
Read past issues (and find past speaking prompts for practice) here.
About me:
My name is Paola.
I’m a trained and certified language coach. I speak 5 languages fluently, and I coach people who want to find their voice in English, French or Italian.
I believe in making language learning and cultural growth available to as many people as possible, which is why this newsletter has no paywall, and won’t ever have it.
I also believe in slow, gentle communication: we have enough stressors in our lives. Let’s make our learning space a space of peace and kindness, pushing back against notifications, social media noise & mental fog, and expectations of instant responses.
My mission is to get others to access a wider world thanks to their English — speaking a language well is so much more than just a skill you can put on a CV, it’s a door to other amazing, colourful, far away worlds! — and to help them do so joyfully, without judging themselves, and being okay with messing up. Making mistakes is part of the game!
Love languages, and they will love you back.
