3 reasons to master Spoken English skills under a mentor

Have you ever tried learning or studying Spoken English on your own, but have had hiccups in learning it effectively? If you answer this question in affirmation, then you are not alone. There are many people who opt for self-learning mode to learn many things. However, self-learning may not be effective and take a longer time for you to excel in that skill because you do not have a mentor to guide you. You need a mentor to learn something especially if you are learning it for a serious reason such as a career choice or as a source of income.

A mentor is someone who already knows what you are learning, and would have made mistakes and found the solutions for those mistakes. Even for a skill like Spoken English you unquestionably require a mentor to guide you and master your skill.

Spoken English is a skill that most people are actively interested in today because English is the most widely spoken language in the world. The internet and communication technology have erased geographical and cultural boundaries making it a seamless world. People from different countries are interacting with one another sitting in their respective countries. English, as a transactional and business language, in this context has been gaining a lot of significance.

Several job aspirants who are looking for international exposure and students who are aiming to study in global universities are prepping their Spoken English skills. And today there are many options to learn it including offline classes, online classes and self-learning modes.

Self-learning mode seems to be the way today. However, you need to proceed with caution if you choose to learn Spoken English on your own. There may be tools and guides to learn the language but there will be obstacles in the way in terms of doubts and queries regarding grammar usage, pronunciation and so on. These issues cannot be addressed in a self-learning mode since you are a learner. You will require the assistance of an experienced mentor.

Learning a skill under the guidance of a mentor is the right choice since the mentor would have spent more time on the skill than you would have. They would have made mistakes too in their process of learning, and they would have also found solutions for those mistakes. They would have figured out ways and measures to even prevent those mistakes in the first place.

Here are three primary reasons why you should hire a mentor to learn Spoken English:

1. Practical Learning

While self-learning offers you a lot of theory, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to impart practical learning. The theory introduces concepts, but it cannot demonstrate their practical application of it.

To explain this in simple terms, here is an example of cooking a dish. While you may be able to look at a recipe for a dish and prepare it on your own, it will be challenging for you to understand everything on your own. You may require someone to guide you or to clarify your doubts if any. With such guidance, the chances of you making any mistakes are less.

Even in Spoken English, you will have grammar rules, exceptions to those rules and pronunciations. When you learn them in a practical environment, it is easier for you to learn.

You can take the help of your mentor to repeat lessons for you if you have not understood.  You can experiment and ask for suggestions. You can come up with examples and also come back for doubts and clarifications.

Further, these options may not be available to you in self-paced learning.  You may learn them all on your own, but it is going to take longer time than you expect.  But for skills such as Spoken English, which is important for your career, you cannot risk taking more time.

2. Scope for Correction

No learning is devoid of mistakes.  As a beginner, everyone is new to a skill. And mistakes are natural but definitely not inevitable. You should remember that no expert was an expert on day one.  They were all beginners when they started. They made mistakes too.

Similarly, when you make mistakes when you are learning Spoken English, you need to know how to correct those mistakes. But unfortunately, no beginner is equipped with the tools to correct their mistakes. And that is also the beauty of learning.

However, having a mentor to learn a skill gives you an edge in terms of getting your mistakes corrected. It is important at this important for you to note that having a mentor does not ensure that you do not make mistakes at all. You will make mistakes despite having a mentor, but the mentor will guide you towards the correct ways.

In addition to that, the mentor will use their expertise to caution you in advance so that you know to learn things in the right way. This rich experience of having committed mistakes already and found solutions for those mistakes is something you will undoubtedly not get in a self-learning mode. This is one factor of learning under a mentor that cannot be replaced.

3. Critical Evaluation

Learning a skill is incomplete without its evaluation. Learning without evaluation would amount to studying in a college and getting a degree just because you studied for a specific duration.

Evaluation simply means assessing your progress. It means to analyse whether what you have learnt for a period of time is actually showing results or not. If you continue to learn without evaluating at regular intervals, there is no point because it does not amount to progress.

You cannot proceed to advansed lessons if you are evaluated for the primary lessons. And only a mentor can do justice with regard to evaluating your progress. For example, in Spoken English¸ you need to assess whether you have understood the basic grammar rules before you move on to the advanced rules and so on.

Self-paced learning can make you complacent. You may not look at your mistakes or at your progress from a critical perspective. You may be lenient towards the progress you are making. However, a mentor on the other hand will take an objective look at your progress. They will help you reflect on your process and guide you towards the right steps.

You should not take such a critical evaluation in a negative way but look at it as an essential part of your learning because this helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses. It shows how to approach the next steps.

Conclusion

While it is convenient to learn Spoken English or any other skill in a self-learning mode, it has its own disadvantages. It may not be as effective as learning under the guidance of a mentor.

So, do yourself a favour and hire a mentor to sharpen your Spoken English skills, and get your career ball rolling.

You can read about easy ways to master English grammar here.

Also, check out simple methods to enrich your English vocabulary.

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