Natalia Tokar | Native-Like Fluency

Preparing a presentation is easy. Preparing yourself for the unknown, i.e. questions at the end of your presentation that will be asked in English, is a whole different level of mastery. I spoke in front of 40-1000 people in Barcelona, Stockholm, New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, London.... I prepared other speakers for conferences in Singapore, London, Athens, Bangkok, San Francisco, etc. I prepare senior executives for interviews in English with the press. It's easy when you have done it enough times. But spontaneous situations are different. You can't predict anything. You can't prepare your words. Only yourself. And that's what I do best. I prepare people to be themselves and sound like themselves in English even if they are not prepared. Learning to be be clear and spontaneous is my favorite skill to practice. In the end, it's what matters. Prepared speech gets forgotten. The skill of being YOU in a foreign language is never lost. P.S. The fragment is from my recent youtube video "Native-Like Fluency: What people want" https://youtu.be/1UePmVaZKTg

The Stanford press release announcing the article is titled, “Instead of ‘finding your passion,’ try developing it.” As the release elaborates: “While ‘find your passion’ is well-intended advice, it might not be good advice. A new study by Stanford psychologists examines the hidden implications of the advice to ‘find your passion.’ … Mantras like ‘find your passion’ carry hidden implications…they imply that once an interest resonates, pursuing it will be easy. But, the research found that when people encounter inevitable challenges, that mindset makes it more likely people will surrender their newfound interest. And the idea that passions are found fully formed implies that the number of interests a person has is limited. That can cause people to narrow their focus and neglect other areas.”

“Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it.” ― Cal Newport * People think that Passion and Effort live in different dimensions, but it's not true. You will never be passionate about math if you suck at it. You will never be passionate about English practice if you never practice it. It doesn't matter how many English teachers you follow on Instagram and how many courses you have bought. You will never become passionate about learning if you have poor learning skills. Passion makes it look and feel easy, but passion is the result of effort. It's easy for those who love their effort. It's impossible for those who hate effort. Today, working out is a non-negotiable part of my daily routine. I love it, but I used to hate it too. Passion is nothing without discipline. Discipline dies quickly without JOY. I know that eating right, workout out, and improving my English are the things that I will need to do for the rest of my life. It's in my best interests to become really good at these things so that my own results inspire me to keep going. What are your non-negotiables? What do you want to learn to be passionate about?

From my Youtube Video "Native-Like Fluency: What Do People Really Want When They Say They Want To Be Fluent in English?" https://youtu.be/1UePmVaZKTg

Everyone cal learn. Learning is natural for humans. We’re able to learn on our own. And we love learning with others. Binge watching educational videos feels like learning, but it’s not. I help people achieve native-like fluency in English by staying true to who they are, embracing their curiosity, and falling in love with their own effort. But most importantly, they use the right methodology. I have developed the methodology for achieving Native-like fluency that prioritizes the fundamental understanding of human nature, and not English grammar. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. You need to practice the right way. Watching YouTube videos all day or watching Netflix is not the right way to practice. It’s possible to master English independently. Taking expensive programs or working with a coach is not a prerequisite. Moreover, it’s useless if you can’t learn and expect to be taught instead. If you practice independently with YouTube: 1. Choose relevant content ( what you genuinely like) 2. Do the exercise with that content 3. Request feedback 4. Do guided self-evaluation Stop binge watching! You can learn more from a 20-sec video than from 3 hours of mindless browsing. The community of practice is where you will find the right methodology and all the right steps to help you practice effectively and improve your spontaneous speaking skills. You can also bring in any content, and we’ll turn it into the exercise. My job is to help you create. Don’t get used to being a helpless consumer.

If you're not an iPhone user, choose a more convenient app here https://shows.acast.com/nativelikefluency

https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/native-like-fluency-in-english/id1534189308?i=1000611985713 A new podcast episode is out. 1. Why reading out loud is a must-do exercise to improve your fluency 2. The major differences between English and Russian rhythm patterns. Enjoy! The podcast is available on any app where you get your podcasts.

Find the transcript and other episodes of Natalia Reads in the community of practice. Read out loud with me and request feedback on your reading. https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/read-out-loud/ Get inspired by what Ash Ambirge writes here https://selfishforever.com/about Join us and learn by doing. Reading out loud is THE exercise to help you develop spontaneous speaking skills

I opened my inbox today and I couldn't help it! I read the entire email out loud. Emails from Ash Ambirge are a manual to convincing, simple, and powerful copywriting. Or should I say "content writing?" The secret to convincing copy: SENSORY DETAILS. ➡️Instead of saying "don't overthink it", show your reader the consequences of overthinking: "They’re more successful while you're sitting in your living room with a salami sandwich in your hand, overthinking every step" ➡️ Instead of saying "Your brain is powerful! Change the way you think", show how powerful the brain is and make it relatable: "Your brain tells you you’re fat. Your brain tells you you’re dumb. Your brain tells you your work’s not good enough. That whatever you put out will be disappointing garbage; that no one will want what you’ve made..." *** You will find more examples, the text, the full audio, as well as the invitation to read with me and get feedback on your reading in the community of practice. Doors open on May 5. Apply today! nataliatokar.me/community

What if it's not true? What if our attention span is not shorter the the attetion span of a goldfish? A good example of "working with the source"

Who'd like to join the Advanced Grammar Call tomorrow at 12:30 (GMT +3)? ❤️ The TOPIC is "Direct and Indirect Speech". It's THE grammar for storytelling and summarizing skills. The usual price for non-community members is $72 per workshop. If you have never attended our grammar calls before, and you'd like to see how they go, join us tomorrow and enjoy a free ticket! If you would like to have the replay of the call, you can pay $72 to get 2-month access to "Native-Like Fluency. The Community of Practice" (which is 50% less than the usual price) and unlock EVERYTHING: the exercises, the lessons, the workshop replays, and individual feedback. ☝ The offer stands until tomorrow 12:00 (GMT +3) This is how we do it: ❌ I teach you grammar ✅ We open a grammar book together! We use the books written by and for native speaker, i.e. we learn directly from the source. And we figure it out together. We do the exercises, we practice, and we work on understanding rules, not memorizing them. I am there to help you NOT be afraid of such books and use them for your practice with confidence. I find these books and the examples in them to be THE most effective for advanced learners who want to tell stories of many people without overthinking grammar. If you want to join, leave a comment, and I'll send you the Zoom link

Find exercise #125 in the community of practice. Let's practice summarizing it together! If you're not a member yet, join us! https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/exercises/exercise-125