The one trick that boosted my English skills to the next level
I’m a Peruvian software developer that currently works at Tekton Labs. Every day, as part of my job, I communicate by writing and speaking in English with other developers, clients, and interviewees from around the world. As you might have guessed, my native language is not English, but Spanish. Over the years, I’ve tried multiple Internet hacks to speed up my learning journey while retaining what I learn.
We’ve all read tons of tips and tricks to improve your English: from changing the language on every device you own to English or watching your favorite movies and shows without any kind of subtitles (or at least with CC or English subs). They work, don’t get me wrong. However, I’ve discovered one other thing — that you probably haven’t heard of — that will boost your English skills even further:
I listen almost every day to online courses and podcasts, completely in English, without any subs and at 2x speed. I sincerely believe this is one of the main factors that has substantially improved my listening skills, as well as my speaking and vocabulary.
From now on, I will refer to this technique of mine as speeding. I like giving things a name, and it also helps to cut down on unnecessary words.
But why?
It takes half of the time 🤯 You can use the extra time you saved for doing other things 🌈
I don’t remember exactly when I started speeding, but I do remember how it started. I just started playing podcasts at 2x speed because I wasn’t able to finish a whole podcast during my commute. As a developer, I also have to keep up to date with new technologies, so I usually take online programming courses because they are accessible and allow me to learn at my own pace, either from home or the office.
It’s specifically in this context — while learning — that I speed things up. As I’ve said earlier, knowledge is not power, implementation of knowledge is. The intention behind this technique is to spend less time learning, and more time doing; more time thinking about the concepts, connecting them with my past experience, and practicing what I’ve just listened to.
The intention behind this idea is not necessarily having more time to get to more resources, it is to use your time effectively. Absorbing information is only one part of the learning experience. To actually understand and retain what you have learned, you have to connect the dots. To tie up the new idea with other ideas in your head, you have to get your hands dirty.
I do this only with learning media 💁🏽♂️
It’s also worth noting that these types of media (where they teach you something) are usually slow paced. People speak a little slower than they would if they were having a normal conversation. Why? Because teaching is not easy — you have to think before speaking. So extra speed in this context leaves you with speech that actually isn’t as fast as you might expect.
I think I’ve read online about speeding only once (after I was already doing it) and discussed it with a co-worker who does it too. My friend, for example, speeds even anime and Netflix series! I don’t do that — I like them at normal speed to appreciate everything the authors wanted to present in the way they intended.
It’s very hard to get sleepy this way 😴
A problem I face when reaching to learning media is that even when the content is interesting, I get drowsy. In the past, I would find myself really fighting to stay awake, especially when the content is presented in a long format or without any technique to captivate people’s attention.
It’s a totally different thing when you speed things up. You can’t just do this mindlessly. It requires your full attention and focus to keep up with the speed. If you get distracted for even a short time, you will lose twice as much you would at normal speed.
It’s a new challenge 💪🏽
Finally, I like to challenge myself. To this day, there are moments where I still struggle at listening to others speaking English, especially when they are native speakers or when they get excited about the story they are telling. In both moments, I get lost because they speak faster than usual. However, with my current English level, I don’t have that problem while listening to podcasts or courses at normal speed. Speeding things up brought that challenge to my learning experience.
The first time I sped things up, I have to say: it wasn’t easy. It required my complete and undivided focus. It was a challenge. Little by little, it started to feel easier and more natural. This way you will absolutely improve your listening skills because you are practicing a lot. Talking with others helps you the same way, but I hardly talk with others that often or for longer periods than half an hour.
My learning ritual
For me, this technique is habitual for me. It’s part of my learning ritual. Every time I want to learn something, I listen at 2x speed. I tried listening at more than 2x and I just couldn’t keep up with the pace. At a greater speed, the words sound a bit shrill and I lose some sounds. 2x feels fast, but humanly possible for me.
I may speed things up, but that definitely doesn’t mean that I never stop or slow down at times. In fact, as soon as I feel I missed something I go back, multiple times if needed. Sometimes, I even play it at normal speed or even slower. I don’t feel like a failure while doing so — not at all. My objective is to learn, not just to finish the course/podcast. It’s like the Pareto Principle: 20% of the resource provides 80% of the knowledge. I focus my attention there, on the important things.
I listen to podcasts almost every day when I commute to work by bicycle. I listen to just one episode per commute. If I finish earlier, I like to keep thinking about what I have just heard. After finishing, I try to remember the key ideas. If I don’t recall something, I listen to it again until the idea is internalized. Sometimes, I even write them down in my notes.
I listen to programming courses less often, but when I do, I play them at 2x speed, but stop every time I want to try out what I’ve seen, or to take notes of the most important stuff. As I said, if something isn’t clear to me, I go back or slow it down until I understand it.
The secret sauce
This is what I do; this is what I found helpful for me. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you. It depends a lot on your circumstances. For me, this technique works because I’ve reached a certain level of English and I wanted to take it to the next level. Also, it works for me due to my personality: I love learning new things and challenging myself. That’s why I like reading about personal growth, disruptive innovation, science fiction, space exploration, and software development.
The fact is, I tailored speeding to fit me, not to fit everyone else. And it wasn’t like that at first. I tried things, looked back at what helped me achieve my goal — and what didn’t. I put effort into developing the technique, and I tested it day after day. And believe it or not, I liked the process. I wasn’t focused on reaching that level of perfect listening or perfect understanding, I was just trying to keep learning while enjoying myself in the process.
My point is, speeding might not suit you. But the principles behind it probably will help you on your own learning adventure. The secret sauce is to make it yours, to scratch your own itch while making it fun for you AND to practice it. Consistency is key in developing a habit that sticks and that has an impact on your life — even though it may also be the unsexiest part.
That’s all, folks
I hope you liked the article. Feel free to contact me for anything. Leave a comment if you want to say something or share your own techniques and experiences. I’m new to this writing habit I want to build for myself, so feedback is also appreciated. And claps, I like claps 👏🏽.
