Awesome advice from the Advance Learning Techniques section

Thank you for these awesome tips, they really help. Repetition and speaking aloud has really helped me improve my pronunciations and confidence. FROM: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT "Here is a trick I learned from a great English teacher I had when I was studying English; try some anonymous phone calling. It might sound silly, but it’s a safe way to practice speaking and listening to your new language in a real situation. Many companies these days give you language options when you call for information. Can you think of some you could try? Go on! The worst that can happen is you will end up hanging up on a computer. At least try to listen and see if you can understand. You can call back again if you don’t, and it is a good way to “break the ice”. " FROM: WANT TO BECOME A MORE CONFIDENT SPEAKER? "If you want to feel confident about your speaking ability… Listen carefully. Separate the words you hear and how they are said. Think about the different sounds that make up the word. Be sure that you know all the sounds in the alphabet, especially the ones that do not exist in English. Listen carefully to how words are sometimes blended together Listen to the rhythm of your new language and how it flows up and down Speak out loud when you are doing your course. This is very important. It is easy to copy your hosts in your head, but it’s not as useful as speaking aloud. Speaking aloud forces the sounds - which might feel strange to you - out of your mouth. This can help you to get over the “feeling silly” stage, and help your mouth get used to the different ways it needs to move to pronounce the language correctly."

Thanks for your tips. Those are great tips.

Great idea, especially for those of us in Canada. Many places start out with "Press 1 for English or Press 2 for French."