Say yes!
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A couple of months ago I was invited to speak online at a new event all about languages. My first thought was, heck no! That sounds utterly terrifying.
My second thought was, what would Karli Dendy do?
Karli co-runs designosaur and YEAH laser here in Brighton. We've been friends since uni,when we watched enormous amounts of bad TV, and went to every nightclub in the city in one year.
Now that we are grown-ups (apparently), I proofread her copy, and she gives me great business advice.
Anyway, I knew what Karli would say. Say yes.
"I know the new mantra is to learn to say no to things, but I'm very much still in the say YES to everything phase, check your inbox every five minutes and reply to every strange direct message you get."
- Karli on the designosaur blog
Isn't that awesome advice?
I've seen what amazing exciting opportunities Karli, and her boyfriend and business partner Jacques Keogh, have had by saying yes to things.
So I said yes.
And I did it! And it was great!
My talk was titled "The Classroom is Not Dead", and I spoke about my experiences setting up an offline language school, in an increasingly online world.
This was the first ever Women in Language event, put together by Kerstin Cable, Lindsay Williams, and Shannon Kennedy. There were 25 speakers - all women - and the online event ran from International Women's Day on March 8th to (UK) Mother's Day on March 11th.
The talks were divided up into four categories: Starting Language, Mastering Language, Living With Language, and Working With Language (that's me!)
I really enjoyed all the sessions I watched. There was a great mix of practical language learning advice, and more academic perspectives.
I missed a lot, but the talks are available online to ticket holders, so I can play catch-up over the next few weeks.
Speaking online was a new experience for me, but it was a lot of fun. I got some great questions in the Q&A too - about my experiences as a non-native teacher, and how to find a language class near you.
I also got to "meet" a bunch of new people online, and find other language teachers and learner to share experiences with.
And to think I wanted to say "heck no". It's a good thing I didn't.
So...what are you going to say yes to next?
Top photo: Lindsay Does Languages
More links: Women in Language homepage / designosaur / YEAH laser
Like many people in the UK, I studied French in school. I liked French. I thought it was really fun to speak another language, to talk with people, and to try and listen to what was going on in a new country. (Still do!)
When I was 14 we went on a school exchange to the city of Reims, in northeastern France. I was paired with a boy, which I’m sure some 14-year-olds would find very exciting but which I found unbearably awkward. He was very sweet and we completely ignored each other.
That was nearly 20 years ago, and I didn’t learn or use any more French until, at some point in lockdown, I decided on a whim to take some one-to-one lessons with online teachers. Here are some things I learned about French, about language learning, and about myself.