Me talking in English with my friends at the language school
I Had The Same Problem.
This is something I experienced when I was taking online English lessons.
Even when I tried to speak, I overthought grammar and expressions, and the words wouldn’t come out. As a result, the conversation would stop.
Even when I had questions, I couldn’t ask them because the other person only spoke English, and I couldn’t understand their responses either.
The silence would continue, and it felt very awkward.
Because of that stress, I couldn’t continue.
I knew something had to change.
Then, I joined a 2-month language school. There were textbooks, but I chose not to use them and focused entirely on speaking with the teacher.
In the lessons, I started by choosing a topic. After that, I stopped worrying about mistakes and just focused on getting my message across, speaking as freely as possible in English. Sometimes, we would talk about things completely unrelated to the topic. It was basically casual conversation.
Whenever I didn’t know a word or expression, I asked immediately and learned it in the flow of conversation.
By repeating this, I developed the ability to construct sentences in real time, and my speaking skills improved dramatically.
After joining a language school, I realized that improving speaking ability is not about focusing on perfect English.
Instead, it’s about increasing the time spent enjoying conversations and continuing to speak without worrying about mistakes.
Because it’s low-stress, you can keep going. And because you can keep going, you end up speaking much more.
As a result, you naturally develop the ability to form sentences quickly.
After that, I went on a working holiday in Australia. While many people struggled and applied to dozens of companies, I got a job from my very first application. In just 2 months, I reached a level where I could use English in real work situations.
With local colleagues in Australia
But—
Even though I could speak to some extent, my skills were still not enough to speak freely with native speakers. I couldn’t have deep conversations, and my relationships remained shallow.
Work was busy, and connections didn’t grow.
I felt like I was left alone on a deserted island.
Me in Australia
That’s Why I Created SpeakJP
A place where you can:
- A place where you can regularly speak Japanese with other learners at an affordable price (Online group session)
- Have deeper, more focused conversations with me (Online 1-on-1 session)
- Stay connected with others (Japanese Learners Community (Included with Any Purchase))
- Effective review and support that helps you stay consistent (Advanced Learning Support)