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Every Thursday you receive tips and content to help you improve your English skills, 1 % at a time.

In general terms, the Pareto Law states that 80% of results come from 20% of actions. For example: 80% of physical improvements come from 20% of exercises, or 80% of profits come from 20% of customers, or 80% of language progress comes from 20% of activities.

So, if we apply this law to your English development, we need to consider the following:

1. What do I spend 80% of my time talking about in English?
2. Who do I spend 80% of my time talking to in English?

Or:

1. What 20% of my practice produces 80% of my results?

Let's say you have an intermediate level or more. Based on the above questions, it is more important to practise and learn the right things than to practise and learn anything or everything.

How do you do this?

By answering the questions above.

You need to analyse what you need English for and with whom you speak most, and also what actions you take produce the biggest improvements, and then tailor your practice to focus on these points.

The who is important because if, for example, you spend around 80% of your time speaking to potential clients and are selling and negotiating then you will need sales and negotiation language. If you are speaking about selling your product/service etc. then you need to know how to describe and sell it.

I see all the time how schools give children material that has absolutely no use. One particular example is where children who are around eight years old learn medieval tools and customs. If we apply the 80/20 principle to this then are those children ever going to realistically use that language in their lives? Probably not.

So always ask yourself: What will I do with this language? Will I use it?

Because why learn something (given the choice- something children don't have) if you are never going to use it?

If you do that you will see remarkable progress because you will learn and practise what you use.

And if what you practise produces the greatest results, you will improve more quickly.

You just need to start...

TIPS

1. Prioritise material based on probable contact and frequency of usage: If you have limited time, don't do something in English you wouldn't do in your native language and don't learn something you are never going to use.
2. Only learn and practise material you will use: The content and vocabulary you learn should be based on your subject matter interest and who you speak to.
3. Do an 80/20 analysis of what practice produces the best results for you and your needs.

CONTENT

1. You are your content: Your job and your interests provide you with the material you need. Do an 80/20 analysis on the things you enjoy and need and then consume content based on that.

A CHALLENGE

Do the 80/20 analysis on how you use English and what practice most benefits you.

In other words, what do you spend 80% of your time talking about and to whom do you speak to?

And ask yourself: does 80% of my improvement come from the same 20% of my practice?

Then do more of those activities and forget the rest...

You just need to start...

AN INSPIRING QUOTE

"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field." Niels Bohr. Danish physicist and Nobel Prize winner.

If you want to improve your communication in English, book a free call to see how we can help you:

If you want to learn English, you can read the How to (finally) learn English book:

​https://lighthousetraininggroup.com/books/​

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Find out more about us at https://lighthousetraininggroup.com/​

Ben

PS: Keep progressing!