You want a peer group to pull you up. You want to join a group that
encourages you, that feeds you positive thoughts, that interests and entertains
you. You want a group that will boost you when you are struggling, and
celebrate when you are successful.
Peer groups create spirals, either upward or downward. Through their
shared interactions, standards and values, peer group communities exert
ever-increasing influence upon you. Participation in a toxic peer group will
eventually erode your confidence, no matter how strong you are. On the
positive side, an inspiring peer group will empower you to improve, grow,
and achieve tremendous success, even if you now feel hopeless.
Choose carefully. When considering a class or online English community,
research it thoroughly. Notice how the members interact with each other.
When a member is successful, are they celebrated, or do other members
gossip jealously? When a community member struggles, do other members
jump in to encourage and help them or are they ignored?
While it seems obvious, many students forget the ultimate reason they are
learning. In traditional English conversation classes it’s easy to get too
focused on tests, textbooks, grades, and “levels.” After a while, you as a
student are so worried about these artificial measurements that you forget
your ultimate purpose for study.
At the deepest level, English conversation is about international
community-building and sustaining meaningful connections between people.
What kind of people do you want in your English speaking community?
One of my ongoing goals is to use our seminars and courses and online
groups as a way to create strong international communities. I want to help
people connect and communicate in positive and meaningful ways – and
help them stay connected. One way you can do this is through our member
forums and conversation clubs. They’re designed to allow you to interact and
ask questions of other students who are learning English just like you.
I also want you to always keep in mind why you are studying English in
the first place. Forget grades, tests and worrying about mistakes or how you
might sound to others. Just focus on communicating and trying to connect
