But this instant “immersion” was like diving into a wide, deep ocean without knowing how to swim…
My “right-strategy-but-wrong-tactic” approach was causing me to drown in information overload.
Music, movies and TV shows gave me too much information all at the same time, and at too fast a pace. Even when I could understand the words, I missed all of the jokes and cultural references.
I had even less luck trying to “keep up” in conversations. I felt like I was the only runner in a race with his shoes tied together.
Maybe you’ve experienced something similar, and you’re hitting the same learning “wall” I did?
What I didn’t recognize at the time was that because of how I had learned, it was impossible for me to move into the world of native speakers without help.
Native speakers move directly to fluency, gradually building up their language skills and knowledge over time.
But I was like a ship sent wildly off course by the violent storm of my incomplete language education, lost and far removed from fluency.
This large distance between where I was and where I wanted to be is what I now call The Fluency Gap, and trying to cross it in a single step is one of the most dangerous mistakes you can make because you’re so close to fluency…
And how do I know you’re so close to your goal?
Because you’re reading and understanding these words, and because I remember what it was like to be where you are…
Right now, each failure to understand – or mistake you make in a conversation – leads to more feelings of doubt, confusion, worry and frustration that can ultimately kill the motivation you must have to become a successful speaker.
Fail too many times and you’ll quit, believing you’re one of those people who can’t master a second language.
But... If you can take one final step – and I know you can if you’ve come this far – my second language learning insight will give you the key to success you’ve been searching for:
After much frustration with the world of native speakers, I realized that it’s impossible to jump directly from your current level of English to fluency…
But if you have a series of smaller, simpler steps standing between where you are and where you want to be, you can cross The Fluency Gap easily, and with lightning speed!
So, after a brave yet foolish effort to “bite off more than I could chew” in the world of native speakers, I decided to break the conversational language down into tiny pieces I could actually swallow, and eat them one at a time…
I created a two-step process for mastering grammar so I could train myself to use it automatically.
I focused on learning the most common CONVERSATIONAL phrases and expressions, and practiced them with as many people as I could until I could say them smoothly, confidently and without hesitation.
I studied aspects of culture that helped me understand the meanings behind the language, so I could use clever references without thinking, just like native speakers.
And I created special practice missions to build speaking confidence, develop fluency and make friends with native speakers anywhere in the world.
Each of these essential steps came to be known together as The Fluency Bridge Learning System, the simple yet powerful strategy for learning native content in the right way so you can develop the habits of a native speaker and get fluent FAST.
When I saw how this unique approach helped me finally transform from a shy, clumsy learner into a confident, fluent speaker, I made it my mission to help learners around the world get back on course to become successful speakers…
Learners like you.