The statistics are staggering! 

•  60% are passive learners
• another 30% are “blocked”  
• only 10% are active learners who improve their business English much more effectively than the rest 

Are you willing to take the longer, harder and more challenging path to success? It’s up to you!

The No 1 reason you can’t reach a breakthrough with your business English

Passive learning includes all the language learning activities that DON’T require active brain participation. 

It’s like watching TV versus playing a video game. The former requires you to sit back and consume the content appearing on the screen. The latter requires you to be alert and actively engage with the game.

Let me give specific examples. 

• watching English movies/videos with subtitles on Netflix or YouTube
• reading the news on BBC
• listening to English podcasts while driving
• spending time on Duolingo or similar apps
• being a member of a WhatsApp group of English learners (conversation groups)
• living in an English-speaking country or working in an international environment without engaging with others in English

What are the signs of passive learning?

Well, there is a rule. The easier & more fun it is and the longer you can commit to it, the more the chances it is a passive learning activity. 

Does that resonate with you? Think about it. You can spend hours upon hours watching English films on Netflix, right? So much fun. Or you can easily spend 30 minutes a day on Duolingo. Easy peasy.

You receive stimuli, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your brain processes them to learn something new.

Don’t get me wrong. The activities in the list above are not useless, but they won’t get you far with your business English.

I would suggest doing them for fun in your free time and not using them as the primary way of improving your English.  Add a more active element to each language learning activity you do.

For example, when you read an English e-book, don’t just read the pages but look up the words or expressions you don’t know in a dictionary & learn how you can use them in a real-life example sentence.

Is there a way to fix things and switch from passive to active learning to boost your business English?

Yes, there are five handy and sustainable ways to do it. Read on!

5 ways to switch from PASSIVE to ACTIVE learning to reach a breakthrough with your business English

Switching from passive to active can be both a game-changer and a life-saver!⠀Here are the 5 best ways to do it & get on the right track with your business English.⠀

1. Reading: Instead of simply reading a book in English, look out for words or expressions you don’t know and look them up in a dictionary. Google Translate may also be of great use as it also provides example sentences so you learn how to use them,

2. Listening: Instead of simply listening to podcasts while driving or doing the dishes, you can set aside 30 min to listen to the podcast carefully and transcribe it. This way, you can actually improve your listening skills and learn how to use and pronounce the words in English.

3. Writing: WhatsApp or Facebook conversation groups are just for fun. Instead of writing to other non-natives in these groups, pick a topic you like and write an essay about it. It’s more fun than you might expect. Also, try to write in English as often as possible. For example, emails or reports. If you work in an international environment, everyone will appreciate that.

4. Watching: Instead of passively watching videos and movies in English with subtitles, try shadowing. Read aloud the subtitles at the same time the actors say their words. Sync with them and train your muscles to improve pronunciation enormously. Also, look up any new words in a dictionary (a physical one or online-this is my favourite– I highly recommend consulting the thesaurus section) or Google Translate. The best part is checking new vocabulary from your smartphone these days. How easy is that?

5. Speaking: If you live in an English-speaking country or work in a multinational environment, engage in conversations instead of simply listening to natives or non-natives talk in English. Don’t be afraid to jump in and practise your English. You may make mistakes, but that’s OK. Actively immersing in English will get you far with your goals!

Can a language coach help you switch from passive to active learning?

There is no way back once you understand how much passive learning holds you back from levelling up your English. And you have a lot of options when it comes to getting some professional help: language school, teacher, language coach. 

Each of these options has its pros and cons, but one wins the race. 

Bear in mind that your goal in improving your English must be to improve fast enough + sustainably. However, some professional help will help you get there quicker.

English language coach VS teacher/language school

Both can focus on theory and usually give you exercises to practice. 

The tricky part is what happens with these exercises. Do you actively learn to use what you have just learned? Or do they become simply a task to be done?

Also, most people reckon the most significant benefit of a language school is that there are many students and opportunities for interaction/practice/speaking.

Are there? Or do most of the students “hide” in the crowd & rarely (if ever) participate in active conversations?

Is a language coach the best option?

Weighing the pros and cons, yes. OK, I’m a language coach myself, so that is the obvious answer. Let me explain & you’ll understand why I became a coach rather than a teacher.

With a language coach, you can

• mindfully improve your listening skills by working on the specific areas you need help with
• improve your pronunciation sustainably by training the right muscles and aligning mind and body (ask me about that)
• work on your past writings, see what went wrong and improve your weak points on the spot
• speak. No judgement, no beating-up. We practice your speaking skills in a kind way, record our sessions, check progress day by day until you reach a high enough level of confidence

You see, things like confidence, mindfulness and a non-judgmental approach you can’t usually find in a language school or teacher.

The choice is yours. Take action TODAY, weigh your options & don’t let precious time slip away until you talk to a professional who can help you with your business English.

Whether alone, with a teacher or with a language coach, you can find your own sustainable path towards improving your English for work by switching from passive to active learning.

Now you know: passive learning activities are OK for your free time, as an extra tool or way to keep up with English. 

Active learning, however, can help you reach a breakthrough. Plus, you can do it faster and with more sustainable results.

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Here at ProEnglish, this is my end goal. To empower non-native, highly-skilled professionals like you to claim what you deserve by breaking down the language blockage in a safe, kind and trustful environment.

I am Vera Daskalaki, your mindful English coach. You, being here and reading this, really means a lot to me. Let me know if anything above hits a nerve, and feel free to send me any questions.

If you want to talk about your goals and struggles in English and create a customised plan, just like I’ve done for dozens of professionals in the past, book a free Clarity Call by clicking below.

BOOK YOUR FREE CLARITY CALL

It’s a free 30-min call. No commitment, no obligation. We will talk about your challenges and needs for business English and lay out a path to achieve your goals. 

No catch. Let’s talk and take it from there.