Conquering Conversation Nerves
Ready to conquer those conversation nerves?
I am so excited that you are learning Spanish!
There is no better way to learn a language than by speaking. After all, that is a big goal in language learning: speaking to communicate with other people.
Speaking is definitely one of the hardest things to do when learning a language because:
“Yo como la pizza--wait I meant comí, because I did it yesterday--Yo comí la pizza, y después, I mean before…”
Do any of these sound like you?
Hopefully through this course you will learn some tips and tricks on how to have a conversation in Spanish without worry.
Like I mentioned above, having a conversation in Spanish can be super nerve racking, whether you have just started learning Spanish or have studied it for years.
I remember going to my first advisor meeting in college as an undergraduate majoring in Spanish. I was worried that the advisor would ask me to recite the alphabet in Spanish. That was a worry I had before going into that conversation, but it really didn’t need to be there. Many times before a conversation, we come up with thoughts and worries that end up not happening.
While you can’t always control your thoughts about what you think will happen, you can (most of the time) control the conversation (or if you don’t like how the conversation is going, you could politely leave).
How do you control a conversation?
Think back to a time where you had to give a speech. Whether that be in front of a large group, a class, or your family and friends. You can probably remember the nerves you had before and during the speech, just thinking about it.
What do speeches have that every day conversations SEEMINGLY don't?
A Script.
In a speech, you write out and plan what you are going to say. Then, you memorize it (or have a few points written out to follow).
We see conversations as something that are naturally flowing. Are they?
Most conversations have the same pattern, whether we notice it or not. In our native language, we have had the same conversation so many times that we have memorized them.
Have we memorized every conversation? Of course not! That is why the majority of us cannot have a conversation about engineering. (More about this in Section 3).
In the following sections, there will be more tips on how you can conquer your nerves in Spanish conversation.
Do you like giving speeches? I was a very shy child and it wasn’t until I took a speech class in college that I realized how much I enjoy giving speeches. Once I learned to enjoy the process and realized that if I practiced and memorized the speech, then it isn't so bad. (This is how I realized that having conversations in a language and giving speeches are the same!)
There is no better way to learn a language than by speaking. After all, that is a big goal in language learning: speaking to communicate with other people.
Speaking is definitely one of the hardest things to do when learning a language because:
- It is nerve racking to remember what you have studied and practiced in the pressure of having to respond in a conversation.
- You are afraid of making mistakes and having people judge you.
- You just don't feel confident in your abilities yet.
“Yo como la pizza--wait I meant comí, because I did it yesterday--Yo comí la pizza, y después, I mean before…”
Do any of these sound like you?
Hopefully through this course you will learn some tips and tricks on how to have a conversation in Spanish without worry.
Like I mentioned above, having a conversation in Spanish can be super nerve racking, whether you have just started learning Spanish or have studied it for years.
I remember going to my first advisor meeting in college as an undergraduate majoring in Spanish. I was worried that the advisor would ask me to recite the alphabet in Spanish. That was a worry I had before going into that conversation, but it really didn’t need to be there. Many times before a conversation, we come up with thoughts and worries that end up not happening.
While you can’t always control your thoughts about what you think will happen, you can (most of the time) control the conversation (or if you don’t like how the conversation is going, you could politely leave).
How do you control a conversation?
Think back to a time where you had to give a speech. Whether that be in front of a large group, a class, or your family and friends. You can probably remember the nerves you had before and during the speech, just thinking about it.
What do speeches have that every day conversations SEEMINGLY don't?
A Script.
In a speech, you write out and plan what you are going to say. Then, you memorize it (or have a few points written out to follow).
We see conversations as something that are naturally flowing. Are they?
Most conversations have the same pattern, whether we notice it or not. In our native language, we have had the same conversation so many times that we have memorized them.
Have we memorized every conversation? Of course not! That is why the majority of us cannot have a conversation about engineering. (More about this in Section 3).
In the following sections, there will be more tips on how you can conquer your nerves in Spanish conversation.
Do you like giving speeches? I was a very shy child and it wasn’t until I took a speech class in college that I realized how much I enjoy giving speeches. Once I learned to enjoy the process and realized that if I practiced and memorized the speech, then it isn't so bad. (This is how I realized that having conversations in a language and giving speeches are the same!)
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