Natalia Tokar | Native-Like Fluency

You feel like you need to check all the unknown words first... and only then you'll be ready to work with the audio/video/text? This video might be for you. I'm not saying that pre-teaching is bad and doesn't work. All I'm saying is that in my experience, it's a bad idea for advanced-level students or those who want to get to more advanced levels. I focus on spontaneous speaking skills. Being spontaneous means learning to deal with with high levels of uncertainty and risk. You need to learn to prepare yourself instead of preparing your words. This video was recorded without a script, just like all of my videos. I would never get there if I didn't do the exercises to develop my attentiveness, awareness, and synchronization skills. I would also not get there if I didn't self-correct my texts/videos. The Synchronization exercise is available for everyone on my telegram channel "THE Exercises". It's free Create an account on my website to get access to FREE self-study materials and start learning about the method and working toward native-like fluency. nataliatokar.me Apply to join the community of practice and receive a video/audio message from me with feedback on your speaking skills and personal recommendations on what to do, which exercises to prioritize, and where to find them in the community. nataliatokar.me/community

PART 1: Native-Like Fluency is a non-trivial skill. In fact, it requires practicing many non-trivial skills at the same time. In contrast, learning 10 English words is a trivial skill. Learning to use gerund an infinitive is a trivial skill. The methods you have used to learn a foreign language as a trivial skill will not work if your goal is to express your true self, build meaningful relationships with people, and most importantly - SELL in English. It doesn't matter what you sell - your ideas, your resume, or your services. Selling to another human in a foreign language is a non-trivial skill, which requires solving many non-routine problems. People are the most unpredictable part of any business:) If you're a community member, you already know that the creative exercises we do are very different from what you have done before. They require continuous feedback and creativity, but the results are worth it. People start speaking, writing, and thinking in English differently. They unlearn their stubborn and unconscious speaking patterns and replace them with more natural-sounding expressions. In PART 2 I'll explain why pre-teaching vocabulary is not a good strategy if your goal is to achieve native-like fluency. To join the community of practice, apply here nataliatokar.me/community

What is your weakness? What NOT to say and what to say/do instead

Creative does not mean disorganized. To create your practice routine means to have the power to challenge the existing order of things. To create means to create a new order, which is to organize your life differently. "Create" and "organize" are synonyms in the context of learning. The Cambridge dictionary says that to "create" means "to make arrangements for something to happen", which is the same as "to create opportunities for something to happen", "to create space for the wanted change." It's a myth that creative people live in chaos or need chaos to create. Try to create a symphony. Think of Shostakovich, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, or Rachmaninoff. It took these masters about a year to write one piece of orchestra music. Listen to Symphony 2 by Rachmaninoff. It is far from chaos. It's extremely well-organized. Can you even fathom what it means to write music for so many musical instruments that are supposed to play at the same time for the duration of 60 minutes? It looks like chaos to an outside observer, but never to a creator. A creator is constantly looking for ways to organize his/her creation so it can exist in the real world and in agreement with the laws of the real world. When you create your practice routine, create something that will work in the real world and agree with your lifestyle. If it can't survive in reality, then you haven't created anything yet. You're still in the process of organizing chaos, which is inside you. Once you've organized it, structured it, given it a name, shape, and place, your creation starts serving you and maybe others too. Organized people are often the most creative. And truly creative people are often most disciplined. To start creating your own practice routine and work toward native-like fluency in English, sign up here nataliatokar.me/community

387 already:)))

The mind map works for ALL levels and is available in the community of practice. I innovate and explore when I learn. I practice explaining grammar rules to myself, and I help learners see patterns in the language and deduce meaning. Deductive reasoning is a logical approach where you progress from general ideas to specific conclusions. Most people memorize grammar rules and wait for them to manifest in real life, but real life is confusing, just like fast, natural speech. You do not have the time to remember the rules that you learned last year as you prepared for IELTS. You need to respond right NOW! It's a lot easier to speak the language when you can SEE the story, the meaning, and the relationships between the words. If you can see it, you can show it to others. If all you see is a page with grammar rules, it's going to be hard to help people see what you mean. To use the map, you need to be a member. If you're a member, find it in the section "grammar" Sign up here - https://nataliatokar.me/community

All my work is about learning to achieve extraordinary levels in very ordinary conditions. I teach strategies to develop meta skills and apply them in very practical ways. Once you've built these skills, no one can take them away from you. You saw my pistol squats in the previous reel. They took years! I spent many years practicing the wrong way. Then I spent months working on my ankle mobility because that was the problem. And only then I stated seeing consistent results. I can take long breaks. The skill stays with me. It has never been a chore. It's a game. Hm...What else can I learn?

I want to remind those of you who are getting ready for a job interview in English that I have a practice routine to help you practice your answers to the most typical and tough job interview questions. You will receive professional feedback from a human, not from a chatbot or AI. In this practice routine, you will find sample answers in English (both text and video), my video recommendations for some questions, as well as video answers of other members and my feedback to them. When you submit your answer, you will receive feedback too. You can use the feedback and try again as many times as you need to. We pay attention to the structure of your answers, as well as your delivery. When people ask, "How long do I need to practice?", my answer is "Until it works" How many job interviews do you need to go to? Until you get the job that you feel you deserve. To access this practice routine, you need to be a member. https://newsletter.nataliatokar.me/job-interview-14questions

I finally finished this work. Everyone can learn what they want to learn and get to a level where they want to be. 1,5 years ago I drew like a 5-year old. I don’t draw every day. I work on many skills at the same time. When I take a break from drawing to work on my mobility or pick up a new skill (such as tennis), I notice that my drawing skills get better after a break. I come back more focused and attentive. I can concentrate better, I feel my body more and become more aware of my own thoughts. Consistency always beats intensity. Learning is a lifelong pursuit. People who are hoping to learn EVERYTHING during ONE expensive mastermind program or ONE online course are delusional. You can learn HOW to do something in an online course. But how to do for at least 2 years to see results? That’s the biggest question. We live in a society where everything is upside down. Learning is associated with academic achievements whereas learning is a natural human ability. Learning is a lifelong process of unfolding your potential. Whatever you learn (be it relationships, foreign languages, honesty, or writing a resume), you must practice the skill. Most people stop after they’ve learned a little bit about the skill. At least 2 years of practice are necessary to get to a new level, where the breaks you take only improve your concentration, and every new skill takes less time to master. This is why I don’t sell online courses. I develop practice routines instead so people have clarity and certainty about the things they need to practice today and next week. A practice routine is what will keep you going for a year or two. Then it becomes second nature. P.S. I am learning from one of the best art teachers. Choose to learn from the best.

Your WEAKNESS... How to talk about it at work or in a job interview? Your weakness is also the source of your strength. What you want to show in a job interview is that you know yourself. You know your weaknesses, and you're working on them. Show HOW you're working on them or how you're using them as strengths. Tell a story. Practice telling such stories in English in the community. You will always receive feedback. * People have always told me that I romanticize life and people. They told me I was idealistic and naive, that my poetry was not grounded in real experiences, and that writing poetry was not serious. What people failed to recognize is that my experiences WERE real, and they inspired my poetry. When I did the BIG 5 personality test, it showed that my biggest strength is openness ... because I'm an "empathic idealist". I use my insight and creativity to help others in practical ways. What some people see as a weakness is in fact my biggest asset. I'm a creative innovator and educator. I have strong analytical skills, but I feel people very well too. I see the hidden and the invisible, which allows me to help my students change their unconscious speaking patterns. I see them as clearly as I see the student's potential to change. If I hadn't felt that I could build a different, better world of learning, I would have never dared to start this business. Your weakness can easily be the source of your strength. Your trauma can easily be the source of your purpose.

What do you still believe to be true? What have you never questioned ever since your teacher told you it was the only correct answer? Share your stories in the comments. Have you questioned your teachers?

Thank you Dela for your amazing work! If you didn't work on your pronuniciation with Dela, you missed a great oportunity! We just finished 12 weeks of practice with a native-speaking coach. Members are getting ready for the pronunciation exam so we can measure their progress. And I'm bringing a new native speaking teacher soon! The first small group project was successful, and I want to continue creating opportunities for the members so that they learn how to learn from the BEST humans. If you're a member and would like to learn from the feedback that Dela has given to others, we will make it accessible to people on the Daring Learner + tier soon. If you're not a member yet, what are you waiting for? 🙂 Apply here https://nataliatokar.me/community