Step 1
Welcome again to the Double Your Confidence in Speaking program.
In this unique program, I will help you speak more fluently, confidently, and accurately through the power of guided speaking practice based on real conversations.
Since you’ll find a lot of material and resources along the way, I’m going to walk you step-by-step through this first week.
So over the course of the next 6 days, I’ll send you every day an email giving you the exact action steps to take and the resources and materials to use for your learning.
This way we will complete a full learning cycle for one complete lesson so you know exactly how this program is structured, how the learning system works and how you can continue to progress systematically in all other lessons.
I know there is a bit of reading this week, but I’d like to ask you to bear with me, it’s worth it to understand the principles and the learning system correctly and it’s just one time because every lesson will have a similar structure.
So, let’s get started.
Here’s your action for today
Let’s start today with Step 1 of our “5-Step process”.
In the Herr Professor App you’ll find the following podcast series:
- Speak Confidently mit Manuel
If you click on it you’ll find the the podcast Lesson #1 – Step 1 (Beginner):
In Step 1 you’ll “warm-up” by listening to our “Speak Confidently Beginner” podcast and this way train your basics because, as Kobe Bryant put it: “Never get bored with the basics“
Think about it, even pro athletes train the basics on a daily basis because they account for 80% of their performance.
Same with you, if you don’t get the basics right, how will you earn the right to get to an advanced level?!
Once you get the basics right, you can work everything else from that.
IMPORTANT:
While listening, you’ll become part of the conversations and you’ll always try to listen INTERACTIVELY and ask yourself 3 key questions:
- Can I spot the mistake of the student?
- Am I able to correct the student before the teacher does?
- Am I saying it right?
Then you’ll also take action by speaking OUT LOUD:
- Whenever we prompt the student to correct himself
- Whenever we correct a student and you hear us saying the correct sentence or writing it down word by word
Ready!?
Think of one routine you might have today where you can listen to this podcast.
I mean routines like having breakfast, driving in your car, exercising in the gym, or going for a walk.
Routines where you’re not performing a task that requires your full attention like at work, and where you can listen to this first podcast in the background.
Let’s start today with this first Step 1 and tomorrow I’m going to tell you how to move on.
P.S. If you click on the podcast you’ll find the show notes of the podcast:
Step 2
(Note: If you haven’t completed yesterday’s Step 1, the podcast “Lesson #1 – Step 1 (Beginner)” yet, no worries, take your time to complete each step, once completed, you can refer to this email and the next step whenever you’re ready. Think of your progress as a step-by-step process.)
Here’s your action for today
Once you’ve completed Step 1, let’s continue with Step 2 of our “5-Step process”.
In the podcast series “Speak Confidently mit Manuel” you’ll find below Step 1 the podcast “Lesson #1 – Step 2(Intermediate):
- Lesson #1 – Step 2 (Intermediate)
In Step 2 you’ll listen to our “Speak Confidently Intermediate” podcast so you uncover common hidden mistakes that you’re probably making.
Think about it, what are the most common mistakes you still make when speaking? And be honest with yourself.
Still simple structures from A1 like accusative and dative endings, pronouns, two-way prepositions and past tense or A2 structures like sub-clauses, relative clauses, passive voice, phrasal verbs and subjunctive?
Most intermediate students don’t need to learn more or new structures, they have to become fluent and confident with what they’ve already learned.
IMPORTANT:
While listening, you’ll become part of the conversations and you’ll always try to listen INTERACTIVELY and ask yourself 3 key questions:
- Can I spot the mistake of the student?
- Am I able to correct the student before the teacher does?
- Am I saying it right?
Then you’ll also take action by speaking OUT LOUD:
- Whenever we prompt the student to correct himself
- Whenever we correct a student and you hear us saying the correct sentence or writing it down word by word
Ready!?
Again, think of one routine, you might have today where you can listen to this podcast.
I mean routines like having breakfast, driving in your car, exercising in the gym, or going for a walk.
Routines where you’re not performing a task that requires your full attention like at work, and where you can listen to this podcast in the background.
Let’s continue with this Step 2 and tomorrow I’m going to tell you how to move on.
P.S. If you click on the podcast you’ll find the show notes of the podcast:
Step 3
(Note: If you haven’t completed Step 2 yet, no worries, take your time to complete each step, once completed, you can refer to this email and the next step whenever you’re ready. Think of your progress as a step-by-step process.)
Here’s your action for today
Once you’ve completed Step 2, let’s continue with Step 3 of our “5-Step process”.
In the podcast series “Speak Confidently mit Manuel” you’ll find below Step 2 the podcast “Lesson #1 – Step 3(Advanced):
- Lesson #1 – Step 3 (Advanced)
In Step 3 you’ll listen to our “Speak Confidently Advanced” podcast so you get inspired by advanced students and learn new details of the language.
It’s always good to see examples you can aspire to so you have a clear vision of what your German can look like in the future.
IMPORTANT:
While listening, you’ll become part of the conversations and you’ll always try to listen INTERACTIVELY and ask yourself 3 key questions:
- Can I spot the mistake of the student?
- Am I able to correct the student before the teacher does?
- Am I saying it right?
Then you’ll also take action by speaking OUT LOUD:
- Whenever we prompt the student to correct himself
- Whenever we correct a student and you hear us saying the correct sentence or writing it down word by word
Ready!?
Again, think of one routine, you might have today where you can listen to this podcast.
I mean routines like having breakfast, driving in your car, exercising in the gym, or going for a walk.
Routines where you’re not performing a task that requires your full attention like at work, and where you can listen to this podcast in the background.
Let’s continue with this Step 3 and tomorrow I’m going to tell you how to move on.
P.S. If you click on the podcast you’ll find the show notes of the podcast
Step 4
Here’s your action for today
Once you’ve completed Step 3, let’s continue with Step 4 of our “5-Step process”.
In the podcast series “Speak Confidently mit Manuel” you’ll find below Step 3 the podcast “Lesson #1 – Step 4 (Weekly Round-Up):
- Lesson #1 – Step 4 (Weekly Round-Up)
What the “Weekly Round-Up” podcast series is all about
Over the course of Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3 you’ve listened to conversations where students tried to express their thoughts and ideas and, of course, also stumbled upon difficulties and made mistakes.
We corrected most of those mistakes in the conversations and kept track of all those challenging sentences by writing them down in a document.
Those sentences oftentimes contain key elements that act like an unmovable barrier on your way to fluency and accuracy, they hinder you from making progress and keep you stuck at a certain level, which leads to that feeling of being in a plateau.
In “Weekly Round-Up” we’ll take those sentences and review all those challenging sentences in detail so you get a feel for how to express all those sentences correctly.
So in Step 4 you’lllisten to our “Weekly Round-Up” podcast of that lesson and the previous Steps so you get a feel of how things are expressed correctly and in which real contexts they are used.
Here are the sentences students struggled with in Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3 that we’ll look into more deeply.
(Just read through them once before listening to the podcast. And btw, you can find all these sentences also on the app by clicking on the Show Notes icon.)
Bei Nebenwirkungen fragen Sie ihren Arzt oder Apotheker.
Es war ein schöner Nebeneffekt.
Wir haben keinen Beweis.
Er ist ein gut aussehender Typ.
sich kennenlernen
Wir haben uns in Michigan kennengelernt.
Wir kommen aus derselben Stadt.
Wir hatten den gleichen Freundeskreis.
Sein bester Freund und meine beste Freundin sind zusammen ausgegangen/waren zusammen.
Als er alleine zu uns gekommen ist, war es eine große Sache.
Er hatte keine gute Ausrede.
Es war klar, warum er gekommen ist.
Schöne Grüße an Kevin.
Momentan ist es in Deutschland zu kalt.
Manchmal habe ich am Freitag Unterricht.
Ich muss meine Durchschnittsnoten verbessern.
Meine Durchschnittsnote muss verbessert werden.
Bist du ein Streber?
Meine Erinnerungen an die Schule sind gut, aber nicht was das Lernen angeht.
Als ich die Schule beendet habe, habe ich einen Job gefunden.
Ich habe in einem Ingenieurbüro gearbeitet.
Ich habe viele Mitteilungen/Nachrichten.
Das ist neuer als das andere Zimmer.
Wir mussten einen neuen Fußboden legen.
Es war nicht möglich für mich hier zu arbeiten.
Das ist kein Schuhschrank, sondern ein Aktenschrank.
Seine Achillessehne ist gerissen.
Ich musste mich um das Haus kümmern.
Was ich versuche zu sagen ist, dass …
Was ich meine ist, dass …
Die Bäckerei ist von 1860, sie ist von den sechziger Jahren (60er).
Es gab zwei Fenster, die sehr alt sind.
Der Rahmen muss aus dem gleichen Holz sein wie das Haus.
Wir mussten ein oder zwei Dinge ändern.
Ihr Architekt ist gekommen um zu überprüfen, ob alles in Ordnung ist.
Ich bin auf dem Weg der Besserung.
Sie tut so, als ob sie Trost braucht.
Ich glaube mein Mann ist nachsichtiger als ich, er gibt öfter nach.
Sie ist noch sehr klein und zerbrechlich.
Menschen, die Kinder haben sehen oft älter als wir aus.
Es ist nicht sicher, dass wir an der Hochzeit teilnehmen werden.
Meine Partnerin ist positiv.
Sie wurde positiv getestet.
Morgen wird das Wetter ein bisschen besser werden.
Ich wiege jetzt 60 Kilo, vorher habe ich 70 Kilo gewogen.
Es ist nicht natürlich.
Der Arzt hat mir geraten, kein Fahrrad zu fahren.
Ich halte mich strikt an meinen Diätplan.
Die Oma strickt eine Jacke für das Baby.
Der Bart steht dir.
Bist du soweit?
fremd gehen
jemandem fremd gehen
Der Vater ist ihr fremd gegangen.
Die Beziehung zwischen ihm und dem Vater ist nicht so gut wie die, von meinem Mann zu seinem Vater.
Das ist eine Lehre für mich.
Ich stimme dem nicht zu.
Meine Mutter hätte nie diesen Schritt gewagt, sich von meinem Vater zu trennen.
Die Emotionalität lässt mit dem Alter nach.
Mein Bauchgefühl sagt mir, was ich in dem Moment tun sollte.
Mein Bauchgefühl hat mich noch nie im Stich gelassen.
Normalerweise bereue ich meine Entscheidungen nicht.
Ich versuche mein Bestes.
Das Ereignis hat mein Leben so stark geprägt, dass ich heute nicht die Person wäre, die ich bin.
Ready!?
Again, think of one routine, you might have today where you can listen to this podcast.
I mean routines like having breakfast, driving in your car, exercising in the gym, or going for a walk.
Routines where you’re not performing a task that requires your full attention like at work, and where you can listen to this podcast in the background.
Let’s continue with this Step 4 and tomorrow I’m going to tell you how to move on.
Step 5
Here’s your action for today
Once you’ve completed Step 4, let’s continue with the last Step 5 of our “5-Step process”.
In the podcast series “Speak Confidently mit Manuel” you’ll find below Step 4 the podcast “Lesson #1 – Step 5 (Fluency Test):
- Lesson #1 – Step 5 (Fluency Tes)
What the “Fluency Test” podcast series is all about
To finish up your cycle, let’s do some active practice.
At Herr Professor, we believe strongly in guided speaking practice at the beginner and intermediate stages.
Not just “practicing speaking” with a language partner, but structured, guided, contextual speaking practice.
Here’s the issue with “practicing speaking”: when you speak too early or without structure, it often turns into practicing incorrect speaking.
You repeat the same mistakes over and over, and those mistakes become habits.
Over time, it’s like developing your own incorrect version of German that can leave you stuck for years in the intermediate plateau, because those bad habits are very difficult to break once they’re ingrained.
Instead, at Herr Professor, we focus on practicing correct speaking.
That’s exactly what we do in the Fluency Test.
I give you a clear prompt — “How would you say this in German?”
You get a few seconds to respond, then I provide the correct version, like in our Verb-Juggling lessons.
This way, you’re practicing speaking with structure, support, context, and repetition, so the correct patterns are more likely to stick.
It’s like learning a sport: first, you train with a coach to master the moves, and only then do you start sparring. Not the other way around.
Speaking works the same way.
In the Fluency Test, we’ll practice all the exact sentences we reviewed in our previous Step 4: Weekly Round-Up podcast.
(BTW, check if you can outperform the students in the podcast.)
Ready!?
Again, think of one routine you might have today where you can listen to this podcast.
I mean routines like having breakfast, driving in your car, exercising in the gym, or going for a walk.
Routines where you’re not performing a task that requires your full attention, like at work, and where you can listen to this podcast in the background.
Let’s continue with this Step 5, and tomorrow I’m going to tell you how to move on.
Step 6
Great!
We went through the complete 5-Step process:
So to summarize, in this 5-step process, you’ll basically listen to 3 types of podcasts:
In our Speak Confidently podcasts (Step 1, Step 2, Step 3):
- You’ll listen to real-life talk and real-life conversations as if you were talking to a colleague or friend, this way you’ll learn the real 80% of words and structures you’ll use in everyday conversations
- You’ll overcome little by little the fear of speaking by listening to students who are going through the same challenges as you are
- You’ll learn things you still struggle with from students at your level and new details of the language from more advanced students
In our Weekly Round-Up podcasts (Step 4):
- You’ll learn the “gaps” between what you want to say and what you are able to say, so you notice what you do not know or only know partially when trying to express something
- We’ll dig deeper into this “gap” and the EXACT grammar and vocabulary that keeps you still stuck at a certain level and hinders you from making progress
- We’ll help you get unstuck by showing you the hidden difficulties in the sentences students made mistakes with
- We’ll help you get a feel for how things are expressed correctly by showing you examples and scenarios in which those difficult words and structures are used in context
In our Fluency Test podcasts (Step 5):
- You’ll do some quick translations similar to the Verb-Juggling episodes, so you can do some guided speaking practice
- You’ll see how other students are doing in these tests so you can overcome little by little the fear of speaking by listening to how they are going through the same challenges as you are
- You’ll be able to test yourself, check what you’ve already acquired and check your progress
Each week a new lesson will open with the exact same 5-step process, but feel free to adapt the plan to your current level and needs as described here.
One lesson will be with me, Manuel (Lesson #1, #3, #5, #7, etc.):
Another lesson will be with Dan (Lesson #2, #4, #6, #8, etc.):
This way, you’ll have more options and different perspectives.
In addition, for advanced students, you’ll find 2 additional podcast series: Speak like a native.
So for advanced students: Feel free to listen alternatively or in addition to the 5-Step process to Johanne’s and Florian’s “Speak like a native” podcasts (every 2 days, a new podcast will be uploaded).
And remember: Think of you’re progress as a step-by-step process. If you haven’t completed a step, no worries, take your time to complete your current step, once completed, you can refer to the email of the next step or next lesson.
Take your time, acquiring a language is a marathon, it’s not a sprint!
How to join our weekly Live Fluency Test Calls
Each week, you can also join our Live Fluency Test calls to practice speaking with guidance and real-time corrections, focusing on the situations and challenges that matter most to you.
Every Sunday, you’ll also receive an email with the theme for the week and the links to join the calls.
Beginner (A1–A2) Click here to register for the beginner call
Intermediate (B1–B2) Click here to register for the intermediate call
Step 7
You see, the key to succeeding in this program is actually very simple:
First, listen interactively to the podcasts on our Herr Professor App which does not even require one extra minute of your valuable time
Second, practice speaking the right way with the Fluency Test podcasts and in our Live Fluency Test calls with guidance and real-time corrections.
And the best part is: we’ll be able to measure your progress over time.
Not based on how you feel, but based on what you can actually do.
That’s what our Growth Progress Review (GPR) system is for.
Every ~100 hours of listening, you’ll record a short speaking sample. Then later, you’ll record it again using the same format.
This way, you can compare both versions and check in on your progress, in terms of fluency, confidence, and accuracy.
So let’s start with it RIGHT NOW:
Just click here and record your first GPR (Growth Progress Review).
It only takes a few minutes and gives you your personal starting point.
Click here to do your first GPR (Growth Progress Review) so we can start measuring your progress.
Step 8
Note: If you haven’t completed Manuel’s Lesson #1 yet, no worries, take your time to complete your cycle, we’ll add every week a new week, but you can refer to them whenever you’re ready. You’ll find all new weeks in your podcast app.
Important: Click here to do your first GPR (Growth Progress Review) so we can measure your progress.
In Lesson #2, we’ll focus on the following podcast series:
Here’s your action plan for Dan’s Lesson #2:
We encourage you to follow the same 5-step process for Dan’s Lesson #2 (but feel free to adapt the plan to your needs as described here):
IMPORTANT: Try always to listen INTERACTIVELY and ask yourself 3 key questions:
- Can I spot the mistake of the student?
- Am I able to correct the student before Dan does?
- Am I saying it right?
Then also take always action by speaking OUT LOUD:
- Whenever we correct a student and you hear us saying the correct sentence or writing it down word by word
- Whenever we ask in the Fluency Test: “How’d you say…”
For advanced students: Feel free to listen alternatively or in addition to Johanne’s and Florian’s “Speak like a native” podcasts.
How to join our weekly Live Fluency Test Calls
Each week, you can also join our Live Fluency Test calls to practice speaking with guidance and real-time corrections, focusing on the situations and challenges that matter most to you.
Every Sunday, you’ll also receive an email with the theme for the week and the links to join the calls.
Beginner (A1–A2) Click here to register for the beginner call
Intermediate (B1–B2) Click here to register for the intermediate call
Let’s stay in touch on a daily basis by doing our simple yet powerful 2-Minute exercise in our private student community here.
Important: Click here to do your first GPR (Growth Progress Review) so we can measure your progress.
Step 9
Important: If you haven’t already, click here to do your first GPR (Growth Progress Review) so we can measure your progress.
New podcast episodes on a weekly basis
Each week a new lesson will be added to the app (alternating one week with Manuel, one week with Dan), but you can refer to them whenever you’re ready. You’ll find all new lessons in your podcast app.
(And remember, the 5-step process is not written in stone, feel free to adapt the plan to your current level and needs as described here.)
You’ll find all Podcast Show Notes of the podcasts by clicking on the Show Notes icon:
How to know what Podcasts you’ve already listened to
Once you complete a podcast it should be visible as completed, if not, you can also use a little trick:
By clicking on the heart symbol you can add a visible marker to them to remind you the podcast as completed as well:
Let’s stay in touch on a daily basis by doing our simple yet powerful daily interactive 2-Minute exercise in our private student community here.