😓How to deal with conversation overwhelm

You’ve been working hard at your Spanish and really look forward to practising, but when the moment comes… you get blocked, the words won’t come out and your frustration leads to discouragement.

Has this ever happened to you? If this is the case, here are 5 practical tips for how to deal with conversation overwhelm.

1. Focus on communication, not perfection. 

This is where a lot of people struggle. When the focus is on not making mistakes, it is very easy to get blocked because as soon as we don’t know how to say something “properly”, we’re out of sorts. 

Instead, when the focus is on communication, we allow the language and the conversation to flow much easier. 

2. Practice as much as you can beforehand.

Any practice, no matter how little, is better than nothing. This will help with confidence and familiarity as it will reduce the feelings of stress at the thought of speaking with someone in Spanish.

3. Revise key vocabulary that may be necessary.

Whether you’re going to a shop or you know you’re meeting someone, think in advance what you may need to say and what the other person may say to you. 

Sometimes knowing a bit of specific vocabulary will make the conversation much smoother.

4. Aim to take small steps. 

Have little interactions first and then gradually build from there until you are comfortable with longer conversations. Trying to do too much when you’re not ready will overwhelm you and cause you to stumble more.

5. Keep a positive mindset. 

Learning another language doesn’t happen overnight and requires important skills like patience, commitment, self-discipline and resilience. 

So, instead of focusing on how far you have to go, the silly mistakes that you still make, etc, take a moment to appreciate how far you’ve come, where you started and where you are now. 

Then, work out a plan to move things forward. Remember that your approach will be directly linked to your chances of success 👍😀.

Hasta pronto,

Cristina