6 Things Every Extrovert Needs To Know About Language Learning

Extroverts!

It seems to me that you don’t really need much encouragement with language learning.

As an extrovert, you’re normally first out of the blocks…

Speaking with people without fear…

But what are you missing out on?

Could you speed up your language learning by borrowing some techniques from introverts?

Following my popular post on language learning for introverts, I asked my Instagram followers for their thoughts on what extroverts need to know about language learning. .

Me?

I’m definitely not an extrovert.

So, I defer to the wisdom of the crowd…

By the way, no matter whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, using the right method is key.

My courses teach you through StoryLearning®, a fun and effective method that gets you fluent thanks to stories, not rules. Find out more and claim your free 7-day trial of the course of your choice.

1 – Not Everyone Is Like You!

Do you have classmates who don’t seem to like speaking as much as you?

Perhaps you find yourself wondering why others don’t seem to enjoy it all like you do?

Maybe you have a friend who you pressure into speaking a language with you?

Well, here’s the thing…

Other people are keen too.

They just learn in different ways.

Be patient with them.

2 – Read More

As an extrovert, your language routine might revolve entirely around speaking with people.

It’s where you draw your energy.

It’s what excites you. Makes you feel alive.

But if you read more, you will learn faster. That's why I created the StoryLearning® method – because I experienced for myself the power of learning through story.

For all the benefits of practising speaking with people, there’s a lot that you miss. (Speaking all happens very quickly, after all!)

And reading is the single best way to complement speaking.

Got some great books for you here!

3 – Learn To Enjoy Your Own Company

Watching a film by yourself…

Reading a book…

Being in your own company is a treat, not a punishment.

This can be hard to do, and you may face a lot of internal resistance to it. That’s where FOMO comes from!

But when you discover just how much you can learn when you’re alone, you’ll want to do it more!

Try starting with just 5 minutes a day, and build up from there.

4 – Be Patient With Yourself

As an extrovert, you probably love speaking with people, and may want to start speaking early in the language learning process.

But if you’re speaking a lot as a beginner, you’re going to make a lot of mistakes. There are no two ways about it!

But guess what — that’s ok!

Be patient. Don’t beat yourself up.

5 – Not Everyone Wants To Speak With You

You might want to speak with people as much as possible…

But not everyone will be as keen to stand there and help you practise!

Be alert to the signals you receive from people, especially if they’re not language learners themselves.

6 – Stick To Your Strengths

The most important thing in language learning is to discover how you learn best.

I’ve personally tried methods that I know are powerful, but don’t fit my personality.

I do better by sticking to how I know I learn best. Methods that I’ve discovered the long, hard way, over learning 8 languages.

As an extrovert, if you know you learn best by speaking, then stick to that!

Language Learning For Extroverts

I hope you found these tips helpful.

If you’re an introvert, be sure to check out my sister post on introverts.

Lastly, if you have a friend who’s a massive introvert or extrovert, share this post with them – they’ll thank you for it!

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.