Congratulations! You have accepted the challenge to learn a new language, but you lack knowing where to start, since you feel that there is so much to learn. You are probably right! Where do you begin? Do you try to memorize everything that you hear? Do you switch all of your devices to only play videos or audios in the new language? Do you switch your car’s GPS to only use the voice of your new language and take the risk of getting lost every time you visit a new address? With all of these unknowns and the huge body of work to complete, it can quickly become an overwhelming task, which may also increase your chance of giving up.
The good news is that there is hope and you can do it.
BE SMART
At TeachableSkills.com we focus on providing new learning opportunities so we know that learning a new language is possible and that your first step is to accept that you have work to do — but you can manage it. That is to say, you should think about what you want to learn in phases. What does success look like — do you simply want to order a coffee with one cream and two sugar in your new language or do you want to apply for jobs in work environments that require you to use a second language? Obviously, the second is more complicated but start off by outlining the goal(s) that you want to achieve in relation to second language. As shown in the following diagram, your goals should be structured as being S.M.A.R.T. so that you move forward with the rough outline of an action plan to follow.
After identifying your goals then identify what you can do to achieve your desired goals, while thinking about the resources or the people that you may be able to utilize. Finally, do a serious personal evaluation of what aspects of the language you already know and what you must work upon as a priority.
BE INCREMENTAL
TeachableSkills.com recommends that you avoid trying to set too many priority action items or areas of the language to improve. If you are starting with little experience in the language then consider the following diagram which outlines a graduated approach to improving your language abilities. Note that the key point is to break the work down into manageable pieces of work and to build upon what you had previously learned and improved.
Our model breaks the work down into five key phases where your objective is to incrementally grow upon your previous knowledge until you reach your target goals. We sometimes refer to this approach as the 10×10 method since you start off simple by perfecting 10 verbs, 10 nouns, and 10 adjectives as your foundation. Within each subsequent phase you then do the work to add to that foundation and increase the complexity of verb tenses, replacing common words for synonyms, concentrate on developing well-structured responses, and add the ability to speak abstractly to your repertoire. Ideally, you would add to your personal inventory of French grammar by adding a minimum of 10 new items for each language element (i.e. verbs, nouns, etc..)
BE CONSISTENT
I once complained to a Manager that I was never able to get the promotion that I deserved because I lacked a specific training that was required for most positions. Her response was — “It won’t be a priority for you until you make it a priority”. At the time I thought that it was a very simple response but after a while I appreciated her wisdom and I began to set the time aside to make the training a part of my daily habit until I achieved the required certification. The key message is to set a schedule and stick to the schedule so that it becomes habit forming. There will be days when you are sick, or you are too busy with other tasks, but even if you set aside 5 mins of listening to audio instead of your normal 30 mins then you are able to keep the forward momentum.
To summarize, learning a new language will be a challenge but with a positive attitude, commitment, and a plan of action then you can increase your chances of succeeding.
Good luck!