Natalia Tokar | Native-Like Fluency

We're meeting tonight at 8 p.m. UTC +3. Join the FREE training: The METHOD to Self-Correct Old, Stubborn Mistakes in English Learn more and apply here https://nataliatokar.me/method

Below are the instructions to Creative Exercise #128 in the community of practice. If you're a member, here is the direct link https://community.nataliatokar.me/c/exercises/exercise-128 If you're not a member and want to practice SMARTER, doors open on June 5. Apply today https://nataliatokar.me/community

Let's do a quick exercise. How many useful words and expressions do you see in this 52 sec video?

Would you have the courage to speak in front of three cameras in English? My goal with these interviews was to show the depth of our conversations in English, the beauty of people's thinking, and, if I'm completely honest - to erase the stereotypes. We need all the same things. We care about all the same things, whatever our first language. We just need help explaining what we need, how we see the world, what matters to us and why. I never had the intention to showcase my students and the way they speak English as MY achievement or my triumph. We're all in the process of learning. Their confidence and courage to be on that path is what I admire, and it is what matters. My students need English to build and nurture relationships in English. They don't need a certificate; they're not getting ready for a test. Everyday life situations challenge them enough 🙂 They are looking for clarity, better relationships, and understanding. The exercises we do and the practice routines they integrate in their daily life are designed to help them achieve exactly that. Please like and support this interview and other interviews with students). You have no idea what it means for all of them to be on camera and speak English. https://youtu.be/PARok06v8ac

Follow along! We'll do a cool exercise together, and I'll tell you about the skill of "checking undersanding" in only 9 min

Check yourself. How many words did you get correctly?

Let's practice with one more video. What is he saying? Can you hear it?

Watching my own videos from 3 years ago is fun. I still say YES to these ideas. But I hear my VOWELS😁 and they are a mess in this video. Not long enough, not stressed enough, and not well-shaped. My vowels are so much better today, and working on my vowels helped me change how I sound in English. Two years ago, had to go back to the beginning and learn the vowels from scratch. I had to dismount my pronunciation habits and build new ones. Learning the correct pronunciation of the vowels was not hard. The hardest part was to admit that I was a beginner again. Did I notice the improvement right away? No. The biggest improvements happen gradually. They show themselves once you have developed the new norm, because only then you can hear or see the difference. One Method. A few practice routines. Two years. And these results will stay with me for life. Two years are a lot faster than 10 years of doing the same thing over and over again and complaining that you're stuck. https://youtu.be/uCbuF8ruMWE

Always check in with the source. For example, someone posted in telegram that they heard "lives are on stakes". If they don't check the original transcript and don't self-correct, they risk remembering the wrong expression. The correct preposition is AT. "Lives are at stake" Someone didn't hear the phrase "Lives are at stake" at all, but they told themselves the story that they heard and understood EVERYTHING. But without this phrase, the scene is not funny. Movies are way more fun when you truly hear and understand everything people say and everything they mean to say. If you want to practice with more movie scenes, leave a comment 🙋‍♀️ and mention the movies or accents that you find difficult to understand.

Check yourself! Which words surprised you?

Let's do an experiment. What do people say in each of these videos? Can you hear every word of it? Or do you find yourself guessing? Watch the fragments and write what you hear in the comments. I will reply to show you the exact percentage of how much you can hear. The answers will be in the next post. **** Many language learners have a strong "guessing habit". They think they’re being intuitive, but in reality, they’re fantasizing. People say "I understand", while in reality they didn't hear half the words. As humans, we desperately need meaning. We create meaning where we can't find it. Many learners guess the words that they can't hear because they don't know WHAT to do to actually hear them. The “word guessing” habit can stand in the way of learning to read and understand spoken language. People don’t guess because they’re lazy; they simply use the process that seems most logical or intuitive to them. Believe it or not, guessing is taught as a reading strategy in many language schools. Previous teachers may have encouraged a student to look at the word or use context clues to see if they could figure out what the unknown word was. This habit is the hardest to break! People rely on the sand castles they build in their heads, and not on what actually is. Students strengthen the habit of guessing instead of developing the habit of understanding. Native-Like Fluency is about mastering communication in English, and not about knowing enough words in order to pass a test. It's impossible to reply if you don't understand what was said. You can't answer the question that you didn't hear. You can't influence people if you can't hear how your own messages land. Stop guessing. Learn to hear what people say in English. Every word of it! ➡ To learn more about improving your listening skills, listen to my podcast episode "How to listen and understand: 10 steps in between" ➡ To learn to understand everything that native speakers say, do the synchronization exercise with me in the community (see “weekly focused practice”) I look forward to your comments!

You want to improve your vocabulary, so you decide to read books in English. You quickly realize though that finishing one book might take forever.... If this is you, read this ⬇️ Everyone says "Read more books in English. That will help you improve your vocabulary". And I agree. But I also FEEL your pain ⬇️ ⚫️ When you read a book or a blog post in English, you want to easily understand every word of it. People who say, "It doesn't matter if you don't understand some words. Simply keep reading. You'll eventually get the idea", give you advice on reading books in English, not on improving your vocabulary. 📌 If the focus of your practice is "better vocabulary", the advice to ignore vocabulary is USELESS. ⚫️ Here is what most people do: They pick up a book, having no idea how much to read, when to stop, and what to do with confusing words. They look up every word that they don't know and by the end of the page they feel exhausted and are convinced that they will never be able to read the entire book. Looking up words takes forever! What's more, all these words get immediately forgotten. The conclusion that the brain makes is this: reading in English is pointless, frustrating, and takes forever. The exercise is NEVER completed. ⚫️ Try this instead: Pick a book that you like or want to read. Put your finger on a random sentence in that book. Literally, close your eyes and do it! Read that random sentence out loud. One sentence might be enough for you. If you feel like doing more and you like the sentence, consider reading a paragraph. If you don't have a lot of experience of reading out loud in English, don't read more than one paragraph because all you're going to achieve is internalize your unconscious mistakes. You strengthen your guessing habit. Instead, you want to apply conscious effort to achieve a clear improvement. Swipe ➡️ to see an example sentence P.S. This text is from my newsletter. If you don't receive my emails, consider having practical tips land in your inbox exactly when you need them. Sign up here - nataliatokar.me/sign-up

Meet my student - a consultant principal in a life-science company based in London. He faces the challenge of leading a team of native-speaking experts who are older and have been with this company for longer. His daily meetings in English demand clarity in communication above all else. How can he ensure his ideas are not only heard but also acted upon? How can he strike the perfect balance between human warmth and professionalism when speaking with English-speaking clients and team members? Many people often ask me what exactly I teach. It's hard to explain in a single post, but I’d rather show you. If you can relate, if your career also depends on how well you articulate your ideas in English - despite imperfect accent or occasional grammar mistakes - my method can make a difference. I primarily coach senior executives. They need real-life results and confidence in high-stake situations. We focus on two key areas: 1) Breaking bad speaking habits through self-correction 2) Mastering clarity in spontaneous English conversations, where understanding goes beyond mere words. You can check out the individual mentorship program on my website. https://nataliatokar.me/mentorship P.S. The full interview is coming out soon! Subscribe to my Youtube channel to get notified.

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