Have you ever found yourself in the position of not being able to interact in a real situation through a language that you may have been learning for some time?
I think we kind of all see ourselves in this situation, which can be caused by different factors.
The lack of patience and willingness to listen of the person you're trying to communicate with, the speed of speech, an unknown accent, the use of unfamiliar terms, dialectal influences, a noisy environment that doesn't allow you to hear well, are all factors that can hinder the use of a foreign language in a real situation and discourage you.
These are perhaps the moments when we think that we haven't learnt anything, that we aren't good at learning a foreign language and perhaps give up.
If you too have been through these moments, I'd first like to share with you what happens in our brain in a potentially stressful situation for us. The tension resulting from not being able to communicate is perceived as a possible danger and a mechanism called 'fight or flight' is therefore set in motion. The normal activity of the prefrontal cortex is inhibited and this doesn't allow us to think clearly. The priority is in fact to be able to react in front of a danger that the brain perceives as real even though it is not. Ultimately, this creates a situation that is not beneficial to the practice of a foreign language.
pa Language Coaching events are precisely designed to create a safe environment to practise Italian. A friendly and relaxed environment in which the participant feels listened to, respected, understood and free to communicate in a foreign language. By feeling safe, no "fight or flight" mechanism will be triggered and we can give the best of ourselves.
pa Language Coaching offers the participant three types of events in which linguistic communication is stimulated differently.
"Due chiacchiere in italiano": a time to unleash our Italian by talking about whatever topic comes to mind and we like to use.
"Che ti va di vedere?": in this case, the conversation is stimulated by watching short clips of a film or TV series. Any doubts concerning the comprehension of what has been seen and heard are discussed.
"Leggere o non leggere...": this time the conversation is stimulated by reading a few paragraphs from a book, article or any other type of written text. Doubts related to what has been read are discussed.
The number of participants is generally small and this ensures that everyone has an opportunity to speak if desired. No one is ever put under pressure to participate actively. Those who simply want to listen are free to do so.
All this contributes to creating a pleasant climate for practising Italian that encourages participants to sign up again for events week after week.
If you think you can benefit from practising Italian in an environment such as the one described, do not hesitate to sign up.
However, if you feel the need to improve your Italian before putting it to the test, I would like to suggest trying a free session of Neurolanguage Coaching.
"Neurolanguage Coaching® is the efficient and fast transfer of language knowledge and skills from the Language Coach to the Language Coachee with sustainable effects facilitated by brain based coaching and coaching principles and neuroscience.” (®2012, Rachel Paling)
I look forward to seeing you!
Andrea
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