My hands are sweating, climbing up the narrow rickety stairs of the French pastry shop/cafe, I am leaving behind the voices of cheerful people and entering uncertainty. It has been years since I spoke French and, although I spent a little time brushing up, I am not prepared for the onslaught that awaits me.
With a deep breath, I open the door, leaving the shaded corridor for the bright room full of people speaking French.
One of the best pieces of advice that I have read for learning a language is to just start a conversation with somebody. One of the best ways you can find people to talk to is looking for language conversation groups, such as those found on meetup.com. But, it can be difficult to attend one of these meetings off the cuff; especially when you are new to your target language.
Here are some pointers and tips I picked up from my conversation groups to guide someone into the language exchange scene:
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Aim to speak at least one sentence
People are scared because they believe that foreign language conversation groups require you to spend 30 minutes discussing high brow subjects. The truth is the meeting participants want to discuss things that the average person is interested in. So, take heart, you will probably be asked if you have seen the latest action movie well before you are asked about your thoughts on Nietzsche’s perspectives on the eternal return or some other highfalutin topic.
Likewise, you probably will not be speaking for a solid half of on hour. Depending on the number of native speakers in the area, and the popularity of the language, you may be finding yourself only giving 2 to 3 minutes of dialogue. This is okay and, fortunately, just enough that we need to get our foot in the door.
Whatever you do, you must try. Most conservation groups are, well, just that: conversations. They are not “let’s all take turns introducing ourselves” groups, the back and forth is organic. Because of this, you will need to be a little “aggressive” with our contribution to the group.
I am not saying that you awkwardly blurt out something in the middle of someone’s sentence but, if you find an opening, take it. If you have a question, ask it.
You may screw up, you may not know what the words are in the target language, but that is how you learn. But, try to say at least one sentence.
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Be an active listener, try to grasp the gist of the conversation by finding context
On the other hand, do not sit there the entire time thinking about what you are going to say. The best method (especially early on in your language learning career) to gain understanding is to actively listen. You will be surprised how much you can pick up with such little understanding of the language. As mentioned above, I went to a French conversation group and was able to follow a group of French Canadians and Vietnamese speak about working in department stores and I even contributed!
Search for the meaning of the conversation and, when you get it, pat yourself on the back and take it as the impetus to throw yourself more into the language. If you misunderstand or do not comprehend something, don’t fret; the mere fact that you could follow the conversation at all should show you that learning this language is not an impossible feat.
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Take copious notes, and review/practice them after the meeting
While you are actively listening, you are going to have questions about a word or phrase that you just do not know. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by, bring a composition book with you and write down all of the words that you do not understand.
Another subject to take notes on is, when you speak, how you are corrected. Don’t get embarrassed or upset if you are corrected, either; that person just gave you a gift, a micro lesson from an expert/native speaker…for free! Kudos to you for picking it up and running with you, you sly dog you.
The last thing to take notes on is the, as mentioned above, the topic of conversation. Why, do you ask? Because after the group is over, you can turn to the active participants and rehash what you think was talked about so they can correct you to see if you were on target in tracking. This may seem awkward, but it will boost your learning because you will be able to see quickly what areas you need focusing on.
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Conclusion
Starting a conversation with a person can be intimidating; however, if you remember to 1) aim to speak at least one sentence 2) make active listening to your goals 3) take notes and practice after the meeting, then making the jump should be surprisingly (less) painless. Before you know it, you will be speaking to everyone (even people who don’t speak your target language) in no time. Good luck!