How to get the most out of a conversation club

As I was participating in our English speaking club last week, I thought to myself, “Wow, everyone is so respectful and kind.” And it was true, our club had a good atmosphere and people were enjoying themselves. 

But it wasn’t always like that. I remember when I started the club almost a year ago, there were all kinds of problems. 

Sometimes, I would ask a question and nobody would answer. 

Other times I would ask a question and someone would answer with something completely unrelated. 

There were times people would get flustered and go back to their native language. 

Basically, there were a lot of problems. But now, after many months of effort, our weekly conversation club has a nice flow. The conversation feels natural and, most importantly, now people speak english with confidence. 

It is much better this way. Everyone has a chance to speak and everyone can benefit more as a result. With this realization, I reflected on what makes a conversation club engaging. 

Here are the three conclusions I found. 

Share your personal experience

A conversation club has two advantages. The first is to practice speaking in your target language. This is the reason most people come the first time. The most obvious benefit.

The second reason is to meet new people. This is the reason people come back to a good conversation club. Humans enjoy the company of others and anyone who joins a club like this is connected by the desire to learn a new language. 

Sharing stories helps us to connect in any language. 

When I meet new clients, I like to tell them about my own mistakes in language learning. I share my experience so they can see me as another human being. As someone who makes mistakes and knows the pain of learning another language. 

In the club, it is the same. Your experience helps everyone connect with you. The topics we discuss are relatable, and everyone has an experience that adds value to the conversation.

The next time you’re in a speaking club, use your personal experience to make your point about the topic. Share with others and others will want to share with you. 

Talk less, listen more

I know what you may think. It’s a conversation club, you’re here to practice your language. How can you practice if you don’t speak? 

But a conversation club is a social environment. The value isn’t just to give you the opportunity to speak. The value is creating a space where you enjoy speaking.

To create this space, we need to listen more.

It’s natural to want to share your point, but too often we plan what we will say and stop listening to the other participants. Sometimes, we are just waiting for someone else to stop talking so we can speak. 

But this creates an environment where people are speaking to no one. It becomes impossible to react and continue the conversation because what you say is unrelated to the previous point. 

We need to listen and respond to everyone. We need to listen because we want to be listened to as well. 

Stay on topic

A few weeks ago, we were talking about family values. We separated into smaller groups as always and then came back to a large group where I asked everyone a question. Something about how families share time on weekends in different countries.

All of a sudden, someone starts talking about the government and corrupt labor policies. Honestly.

Maybe these comments had a place in the discussion, but it definitely wasn’t related to the question I asked the group.

The topics in a conversation club are intentionally broad. We could talk for days about things like money, crime, politics or food. 

We make the topics broad so people can choose which direction the conversation will go. It gives people the freedom to use those personal stories to help connect the group.  

But when the conversation starts, it helps everyone to continue in the same direction. It is important to respond to the other participants. 

This doesn’t mean you cannot raise a new point or argument, but it is important to first acknowledge the other person’s point. Then you can ask a new question related to the topic. 

Considering these three suggestions will make any conversation club a better place. You will benefit, and everyone will benefit. 

Our club isn’t perfect. It will never be a perfect club. But every week, people come back and know they are in a great place to practice and learn. 

Are you ready to join the club and practice speaking real English every Tuesday? Click the button below to sign up!