Lesson Transcript

Intro

Chigusa: Welcome to a special Inner Circle Audio Lesson! I'm Chigusa and I'll be your host. My co-host today is the founder of InnovativeLanguage.com... Peter Galante!
Peter: Hi everyone! Peter here.
Chigusa: In this Inner Circle, we’re talking about…
Peter: How to Get a Return on Your Language Learning Investment.
Chigusa: You’ll Learn...
Peter: One: One of the Biggest Reasons Why People Fail.
Chigusa: Two: How to Get a Return on Language Learning.
Peter: And Three: How to Track Your Results.
Chigusa: So you can master your target language and reach your goals!
Body
Chigusa: Listeners, welcome back to the Inner Circle.
Peter: Last time, you learned about the “Easiest Way to Start Writing, On Your Own...”
Chigusa: ...with our learning program. So, Peter.
Peter: Yes, Chigusa?
Chigusa: Last time we talked about a tactic for improving writing skills! Where you copy...
Peter: ...and write things out by hand, right?
Chigusa: Yes, that’s it! So, are you still writing out FrenchPod101 lesson dialogs?
Peter: I am. It’s actually a very easy routine to stick to.
Chigusa: Oh, really? Why is that?
Peter: Well, there’s no thinking involved. You don’t have to worry about “what to do...”
Chigusa: You just copy and write it out?
Peter: Exactly. So, as promised last time, I’ve been sticking with that.
Chigusa: Great! And what about speaking. You also promised us... 7 minutes of French conversation.
Peter: Ah, yes, that was... the... goal...
Chigusa: So? Results? Did you hit your goal?
Peter: I did not, Chigusa. I failed.
Chigusa: Oh, wow, you’re so upfront about your failure. Isn’t this the second goal you’ve missed, Peter?
Peter: Hmm.. Chigusa, what a great memory you have. It is! And this is why the Inner Circle is... the monthly, no-holds barred newsletter where anything goes. We’re not just talking about success, but failure too.
Chigusa: That’s very true. It’s also important to look back and ask.. Why did you fail?
Peter: Well said, Chigusa. The fast and easy answer is... TIME. I did not have time for it this month. Work got in the way.
Chigusa: I see. So you're still at 5 minutes of French conversation.
Peter: Exactly. I’ve been sticking with writing and reading, but speaking... if you remember last time with my skype teacher...
Chigusa: I remember, you couldn’t get ahold of your teacher. Usually, it’s the other way around!
Peter: Usually it’s the teacher chasing the student down... trying to teach them!
Chigusa: That’s so funny.
Peter: So because of that.. I fell out of that routine in April. I got ahold of her this month but then I got busy with work.
Chigusa: So you just didn’t get to put in the time.
Peter: You got it. And listeners, in a way, language learning is quite simple.
Chigusa: Above all else...
Peter: ...it's a simple equation of time.
Chigusa: It’s all about the time you put in.
Peter: And that’s the topic of today’s Inner Circle:
Chigusa: How to Get a Return on Your Language Learning Investment
Peter: Okay, let’s jump into the first part.
Chigusa: Part 1: One of the Biggest Reasons Why People Fail
Peter: Listeners, you already know the first big reason if you listened to the previous lessons.
Chigusa: But just in case you need a reminder... here it is again.
Peter: People often fail because they set big, vague goals like “I want to be fluent.”
Chigusa: The next big reason is...
Peter: ...lack of time. They don’t put in the time.
Chigusa: Learning language is a lot like a gym — you get in what you put in.
Peter: If you buy a dumbbell and do nothing, nothing happens. It can do great things for you....
Chigusa: ...but it won’t work for you UNTIL you pick it up and curl it a few times.
Peter: So, if you put in 1 hour a day, you get results.
Chigusa: If you put in 10 minutes a day, you get results.
Peter: But, if you put in 0, you get 0.
Chigusa: But Peter, you did more than 0 this month. You did practice writing and reading.
Peter: You’re right. So this brings us to the next point. Let’s jump into the second part.
Chigusa: Part 2: Getting a Return on Language Learning
Peter: So, in the first part, we talked about “putting in the time.”
Chigusa: Yes.
Peter: That’s the most important step to take. But, you can put in 3 minutes and do a lesson...
Chigusa: ...you can put in 3 minutes and read a textbook...
Peter: ...or review 10 phrases for 3 minutes.
Chigusa: In all these examples, you can put in an equal amount of time...
Peter: ...but the results you get...will be different.
Chigusa: And that’s because some ways of learning are faster than others.
Peter: So, the second lesson is - you need to know what kind of results you get.
Chigusa: You need to measure and know the return on your time.
Peter: Listeners, with the FrenchPod101 lessons - the Absolute Beginner level ones I’m taking - I know that 3 or 4 audio lessons get me to roughly 1 minute of French conversation. This is the return on the lessons.
Chigusa: Wait, how did you figure that out?
Peter: Well, the dialog tracks are about 20 seconds... at least on the French Absolute Beginner ones. On the other sites they vary.
Chigusa: Yes, the dialog tracks are quick. Like 10 to 40 seconds.
Peter: And so 3 lessons, that’s 3 conversations
Chigusa: Ok, so 20 seconds a piece, that’s 60 seconds. One minute.
Peter: Exactly.
Chigusa: Wait Peter. If you know THIS, and you were at 5 minutes already... then you had to do just.. 6 easy lessons... to hit 7 minutes of French conversation. You could’ve done that in a few days!
Peter: Well Chigusa, I never sat down with the teacher to actually practice and time our conversations...
Chigusa: Ah... right, right...
Peter. So, I can’t prove it to you. I did the lessons. I just didn’t do the timed conversations part.
Chigusa: Yeah, you’ve gotta track and measure your results! I think this is super useful for listeners.
Peter: Exactly. Listeners, If you know that 3 lessons get you to...
Chigusa: 1 minute of conversation...
Peter: That can help you make a basic calculation. But we can’t count our 3-minute series grammar or writing lessons here. Just our conversational lessons. AND... remember, you still have to practice speaking.
Chigusa: Ah, that’s true. But if you know this, listeners...
Peter: You can know what results to expect.
Chigusa: If you do 20 lessons, you’re at about 5 minutes of conversation.
Peter: 40 lessons, that’s around 10 minutes or so of conversation.
Chigusa: That’s the power of measuring the results,
Peter: If you track your results, you know what to expect in the future.
Peter: And you can hit your language learning goals.
Chigusa: . Now, what can our listeners take away from this?
Peter: Let’s jump into the third part.
Chigusa: Part 3: How to Track Your Results and Hit Goals
Peter: Listeners, now that you’re in the 6th month, it’s time to optimize your language learning routine.
Becky: ...and to start tracking your time and effort.
Peter: And here’s why: At the basic level, language learning is simply... putting in the time.
Chigusa: You don’t need a high IQ.
Peter: Can you say that Chigusa? It helps. But what we’re trying to say is... you don’t need to be talented at languages.
Chigusa: You just need time.
Peter: The more time you put in, the more results you get out.
Chigusa: And aside from setting unrealistic goals...
Peter: the other reason why people fail at languages is...
Chigusa: ...they just don’t put in the time.
Peter: So, Iets look at 2 ways - an easy way, and an advanced way of tracking your time and results.
Chigusa: Let’s start with the easy way first.
Peter: Okay, here’s the easy way — simply track the time you put in. That’s it.
Chigusa: So, if you do a 10 audio minute lesson today, and then spend 5 minutes with Flashcards...
Peter: Note this as 15 minutes for the day. And write down what you did.
Chigusa: Then do the same thing tomorrow.
Peter: Now, it’s one thing to “hear” about learning tactics...
Chigusa: ...and it’s another thing to take action - and actually use this. Most people don’t.
Peter: And they’re missing out. Listeners, Picture this. Let’s say you know that if you came by and asked us for a free language audiobook.....
Chigusa: ...you would get it. You just have to ask. Get up and go do it.
Peter: But, if you never acted on that knowledge... you would gain nothing.
Chigusa: We want to help you take action. So, we’re including a timesheet in the PDF of this Inner Circle.
Peter: So you can take action, print it out and fill it in. You can apply this simple tactic.
Chigusa: Now, the goal here is to track the time and your effort.
Peter: Why? Again, since language learning is about putting in time...
Chigusa: You’ll want to track it and actually have measurable proof of your work.
Peter: And also, so you can review what you’ve been doing...and see your progress.
Chigusa: So, if one day... you realize don’t know enough words...
Peter: ...or maybe you don’t speak as much as you’d like...
Chigusa: Here’s what you do. You look at your timesheet. Review your work...
Peter: ...If you see that you’ve been just watching video lessons, you can spot the problem...
Chigusa: ...which is... you’ve done no actual vocab study or speaking practice.
Peter: And now you can start doing it. Problem solved.
Chigusa: You’re on your way to fluency.
Peter: Another way you can track your time and effort is.....
Chigusa: ...with the Dashboard on the site.
Peter: So, if you visit the Dashboard, you can see the lessons you’ve completed...
Chigusa: ...the number of flashcards reviewed... and hours studied.
Peter: Now, this is second tactic, and it’s an advanced one.
Chigusa: ...because not only do you need to track your time...
Peter: ...you also need to track your results, which is a bit trickier.
Chigusa: So, how can you do that?
Peter: With our conversational audio lessons, check the length of the dialog track.
Chigusa: If the dialog track is about 20 seconds..
Peter: ...that’s the amount of conversation you can expect to master.
Chigusa: By the way, these tracks are anywhere from 10 to 40 seconds long.
Peter: As mentioned, with my FrenchPod101 lessons, I know that I need to master about 3 lessons to hit 1 minute of conversation. Those lessons have 20 second dialog tracks. Multiply by 3 lessons. That’s 1 minute. And that’s my return.
Chigusa: Now, if you’re studying words with flashcards...
Peter: ...take note of how many words you already know. So, if you studied for 5 minutes...
Chigusa: ..and can easily remember 7 out of 10 words, then that’s your return.
Peter: If you know this, you know what to expect when you learn new words.
Chigusa: You can expect to remember about 7 out of 10 with a 5 minute drill.
Peter: Another thing you can do is... boost that number to 10 out of 10.
Chigusa: Next, if you’re practicing your listening skills,
Peter: ...try to gauge how much you understand.
Chigusa: If you understood about 20% of a 3-minute lesson, then that’s your return for now.
Peter: Again, by knowing this...
Chigusa: You can now start asking questions like...
Peter: What can I do to understand 50% of this lesson?
Chigusa: Will doubling my time double my results as well? Will I understand 40%?
Peter: Will reviewing this lesson for a few minutes a day, everyday, work better than trying to memorize it all today?
Chigusa: So, then, you put these questions to the test and try them out.
Peter: And because you know your return...
Chigusa: ...you can see if it really works! So, Peter, you still owe us 7 minutes of French conversation.
Peter: That I do. I’ve done the lessons and learned the conversations.
Chigusa: But you still need to sit down with your teacher and time yourself!
Peter: Exactly. I missed the goal this past month. But I’m confident I can hit it next month.
Chigusa: Great attitude. By the way listeners, it’s totally OK to miss your goals...
Peter: ...as long as you keep going...
Chigusa: ...track your efforts...
Peter: ...and see what works for you.
Chigusa: And remember, if you want get started on your small, measurable monthly goal...
Peter: ..for example, master 1 minute of conversation...
Chigusa: ...then complete around 3 lessons
Peter: ..or 4 lessons... just to be on the safe side.
Chigusa: Alright, Peter, what’s the deadline on your goal?
Peter: July 31st.
Chigusa: Listeners, how about you?
Peter: What’s your small, measurable monthly goal? And what’s the deadline?
Chigusa: Will you aim for the 1 minute of conversation? Let us know!
Peter: Email us at inner dot circle at innovative language dot com.
Chigusa: And stay tuned for the next Inner Circle.

Outro

Chigusa: Well, that’s going to do it for this special Inner Circle lesson!
Peter: Bye everyone!
Chigusa: Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time.

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