Go with the flow

Oh, algorithms!

This month the YouTube algorithm suggested a video from a guy called Joseph Tsar. I clicked and immediately got hooked. I’d seen other videos like his, but these are somewhat different and totally gripping.

And his channel has been growing exponentially over the past few months thanks to that.

His game is rhetoric. Some of them are dedicated to reacting to famous speeches while others, which are more relevant for us language learners, focus on how to be more articulate.

Being articulate is not something that I would literally translate into Spanish as “articulado”, but nonetheless it makes sense to think it that way. It makes me think of those action figures you play with as a child —muñecos articulados. Only that the movements of those action figures are more stiff than I’d like my language skills to be.

Anyways, what I like about him is that he offers actionable strategies to be a better communicator. So, although he does not speak from the standpoint of a language learner, most of what he says can be applied to language learning.

In one of the first few videos I watched before bingeing a handful of them (see it embedded below), he offers 5 steps to speak like you think:

1. Focus on the three M’s of communication: me, message, and messenger

2. Focus on the intention and purpose of communication

3. Practice active listening and empathy

4. Embrace vulnerability and authenticity

5. Practice consistently and seek feedback

And these pieces of advice happen to be finely entangled to what we want to achieve as language learners. Of course, since he’s not mentoring students of a foreign language, he doesn’t refer to those type of skills, but I can do that to supplement the already powerful message contained in the video.

In short, what you want, first and foremost, is to feel comfortable with using your target language. How do you get there? Well, there’re many alternative paths, but what they all have in common is the realization that the most essential ingredient is consistent dedication and embracing mistakes.

You have to go past the initial liking of the idea of speaking Spanish, and actually get your hands dirty, while feeling happy with that. Do not face it as a daily struggle, else you’ll fail.

You need to feel uncomfortable in order to then feel comfortable. You need to accept that it’s not easy until it feels easier (notice I didn’t say easy, but easier). This is why learning and honing a skill is so exciting!

And that’s where it gets personal. Nobody can tell you what to do. At most, those who have some experience can tell you what you could do.

Nowadays we are so used to ready made meals that we expect everything to work in that way.

You’ve proably heard it before: If you want to succeed, fail first. Fail again, fail better.

Happy Spanish learning,

You might also want to read these articles:

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• Pizza in Argentina
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• Put your pen to ink
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• The Paradox of Choice
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• Argentinian Spanish Input (part 1)
  In this post, I included podcasts you can try to leverage your learning with natural input.