Language Exchanges: Essential method to speak

Learning English can be a challenge that many people want to accept and some of them are afraid to face. Everybody knows that if you want to improve any skill, in whatever area in your life, you’ll need the discipline to do it (which means investing time, practice, tools). It’s hard for some people to find spaces where they can practice what they’ve learned in school, university or a regular language institute. Moreover, the challenge for all students is practicing with native speakers or people with a good English level. Now, let me give you good news: There are plenty of places you can go to, in order to develop your conversation skills!

I’m going to describe two of the best of them in the following paragraphs:

• Nicopan is one of the few places where basic and intermediate level speakers can become REALLY fluent. It’s on the second floor of a bakery located on the corner of 74^th Street and 15^th Avenue. It’s a good place where people communicate in English by using different expressions, idioms, debates, games, jokes etc.  It has the appropriate environment to speak without external distractions such as noise, music, TV, etc. It’s really spacious and bright which helps people to have an effective communication in good conditions. The event takes place all Saturdays from 2PM to 8PM.  After that, people are invited to join external activities like singing karaoke or having some pizza nearby, if they want to.  Because they talk about their passion, hopes and dreams in a way friends would do, many of them become regular visitors and in most cases, friends. This language has a Whatsapp group, which is educational because 3 out of 4 organizers are English teachers!

• During the week there’s another place that benefits many people who have the same objective: becoming REALLY  fluent English speakers. Our own speaking club by CLOSER ENGLISH. It’s a pleasant place where people who are looking forward to improving their level, are going to be able to interact with others. It’s located at Pizza Narcizza -Chico Norte neighborhood, 14^th Avenue 97-34. Good music, lights, seats and very tasty pizzas. Another good thing is that people are going to speak through many techniques, such as games, debates, conversations, karaoke, quizzes etc.

In other words, people have everything that they need to learn, practice and improve their level. Whether they want to talk with a native speaker or a non-native speaker.  What I suggest you as an English teacher, is attending those events. You’re going to build self-confidence, people are going to correct the few mistakes you make and you are going to get more vocabulary and expressions while you are interacting with others, experiencing normal situations that life is going to make you face.

Life is about growing by taking risks and my question is: What are you waiting for taking the risk of experiencing these kind of events, having fun and seriously improving your language in the process?

By: Marisol López