If you freeze when it’s time to speak Spanish, you’re not alone.
Today, I want to talk a little about why this happens and what we can do about it.
We’ll venture briefly into “soft skills” territory…
And I’ll make some psychological evaluations that I’m not qualified to make…
But hopefully the end result will be useful: a new sense for how you can approach speaking your new language.
So you can become a Spanish speaker (not just a learner).
Who does this happen to?
The trouble about this freezing business is that it’s not just for beginners.
I’ve chatted with people who know thousands of words, lots of grammar, and have good pronunciation…
But speaking with a real Spanish speaker feels like walking onto their high school auditorium stage naked, so it just doesn’t happen.
Then, I’ve spoken with others who happily try their Spanish with anyone, anywhere, without hesitation.
This is not usually related to level, in my experience. More about personality and a lack of fear and pressure around speaking.
Unfortunately for the rest of us, nagging self-doubt, self-consciousness and overthinking can keep us from using the language we’re learning.
It’s easy to feel like speaking a new language is a performance, especially the first times we speak it.
But short of “Just Do It”… Are there any practical ways to work around these mental blocks?
Here are a few suggestions that have helped me and some of the learners I’ve worked with:
Announce your faults
Want to instantly take the wind out of the “This Feels Like A Performance” sails?
Let the other person know you’re still learning, or are out of practice, or are unsure about your grammar, or whatever the case may be:
No llevo mucho tiempo hablando español
Vas a tener que ayudarme un poco
Hace tiempo que no hablo español
Something that announces that you’re still learning.
It’s not about negative self-talk or anything like that. It’s more for you than the other person.
In my experience, it has made me feel relaxed and less like I need to say everything correctly.
It helps make the conversation feel more pleasant for you, which makes the next one easier to start.
Ease into speaking
After college, I spent a year in France teaching English. Before leaving, I’d taken several French classes, and on paper I had a decent level…
But I’d never actually had a real conversation before arriving.
My first attempt to speak was to ask directions from an airport employee. Here’s roughly how it went:
- Before the trip, put off speaking, thinking it would be easy enough to get good once I got there
- Find myself in a situation where I actually needed to use it. Start wishing I’d practiced more.
- Hone in on someone relatively friendly-looking
- Pace around and rehearse 9 times in my head what I want to say
- Go up to him, stumble, but basically get my point across. Kind of understand the reply.
- Realize it could have been worse. Pressure around speaking is reduced by 50%
I know that sounds really fun, but I’d recommend NOT doing things that way.
There’s no reason to leave speaking to those situations that can feel “high pressure”.
Instead of building up to a Big Moment when you’ll finally have a spontaneous conversation with a [jaws music] Native Speaker…
Just talk to yourself a little every day.
Build a regular habit of producing Spanish, even if it’s incorrect (it’s fine if it is).
The trick is speaking in small ways, often, rather than in big ways infrequently.
I know you’ve heard some version of this advice before.
I also know from experience that it’s not easy to make it happen. I’m working on a 30-day speaking challenge that’ll help with this.
In the meantime, here’s a video that shares one way of building speaking into your learning routine:
Slow down
In our native language, it’s often the case that our brains move faster than our mouths.
But in a new language, it can be the reverse…
Our mouths try to keep moving but our brains haven’t been able to form the next thought.
Especially if you’re prone to speaking quickly when you’re nervous (which happens more in a new language).
If you force yourself to slow down your speech, you may find that it flows better. Less stop-and-go.
And most likely, it won’t sound as slow as it feels.
In public speaking, I’ve heard that people often have to train to reduce their pace of speech so they can find their words and communicate clearly. If native speakers need to do that in a higher pressure situation, it makes sense as a practice tool for language learning.
So: when you’re speaking to yourself, try speaking as slowly as your mouth will let you (also a great way to refine your pronunciation).
When you’re speaking with another person, try taking it down to 0.8x speed.
Pánico escénico
Basically, speaking a foreign language has all the elements of public speaking that terrify people: fear of judgment, performance anxiety, comparison to other speakers, exacerbated shyness, extreme self-consciousness…
For some people, charging into conversations works.
For many others, easing into the process like we looked at today can be a more sustainable approach.
Whatever it takes to get you using your Spanish more.
So you’ve been avoiding or delaying speaking Spanish, or otherwise “getting ready to” speak when you know it’s time… give today’s tips a try.
I’d love to hear your experience, too. What’s helped you get past these mental hurdles and start using your Spanish more often?