How to stop being shy and start learning a new language



Most of us feel shy at the time of speaking a second language, especially when we are first learning one.

Top two reasons why people feel shy when learning a new language:

  1. Pronunciation: Students fear using the wrong words or pronouncing a sound wrong. The thought of making a mistake when speaking that might cause our interlocutor to be confused or laugh at us is embarrassing. 
  2. Fear of speaking in front of others: Stumbling on your words can cause anxiety. Many students have a fear story in their minds that tells them if they do stumble they will look bad in front of others. Fear of looking silly seems to be inherent in human nature. 

I see many students every week and spend most of my time guiding them through their language learning process and I learn a lot from each one of them.

What has caught my attention the most is how often students struggle with fear and embarrassment and the funny thing is that there is nobody else in class but me!!! Well, guess what? Overcoming this fear is one of the strongest keys to learn a language a lot faster.

If you are always self-conscious at the time of speaking, you tend to speak a lot less and miss out on multiple and rich opportunities to practice what you are learning.

That means, that if you don’t take advantage of your class time to practice, you are most likely going to make a mistake when speaking out in the real world because you haven’t practiced enough.

Number one tip to overcome your shyness

So my first advice, go ahead and make use of a safe and controlled language environment to say everything you want to say. It doesn't matter if you are making mistakes. On the contrary! Please make as many mistakes as you possibly can. We all learn from them.

This article is part of an overcoming shyness series. Stay tuned for more tips to kill your fears and start speaking a new language asap. 
Ready to start learning Spanish or English? Email me to learn more about private tutoring at belenpino85@gmail.com.

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