English Conversation Practice with Karishma Ma’am | Improve Your Speaking

English Conversation Practice with Karishma Ma’am | Improve Your Speaking

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Very good evening, Mekha. How are you doing? Good evening, ma'am. I am doing great and uh thank thank you so much for asking. What about you?

SPEAKER_01 0:09

I'm also doing great pretty well. Thank you so much for asking me too. So, Mega, you are very new to me because I have never seen any of your video with anybody. So I just want to know about you.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

Okay, ma'am. So my name is Megha and I hail from Uttarakhand. I have completed my uh BSC from Dal University, and uh right now I'm you know working on my communication skills. Apart from this, I also provide uh tuition classes from 4.30 to 6.30 in the evening. And uh along with that, I also run a YouTube channel with the name Mega's English Galaxy. So that's a little bit about me, ma'am.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

That's amazing. Good to know about you, Mega. Mega, do you know about me or should I also give my introduction to you?

SPEAKER_00 0:55

No, no, I know about you. I watched your videos. I yeah, yeah. So the first thing is uh you said that you were from Uttarakhand. Yes, ma'am, I'm from Uttarakhand. But you completed your butt currently I'm living in Delhi. Ah, that's why I asked you.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Okay. So you have done BSC from DU? Yeah. Oh, okay. That's nice. Yes, from Delhi. You did job also after that?

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Actually, after you know, completing my graduation, I gave two years uh for government exam preparation. So during my preparation, my grammar became quite good. But if I talk about speaking, so I was uh lacking in that part because you know you know very well the government exam preparation is quite hectic and quite time consuming. So, because of that, I was not able to give enough time to my speaking practice. But right now, at this moment of my life, when I'm free, um, I don't have to give that much time to my you know uh preparation. So right now I'm working on my speaking.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

Okay, also have skills?

SPEAKER_00 2:02

No, no, no, I don't not yet.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Okay, that's why you have time a little bit. Yeah, yeah, because yeah. Okay, good, great. So, as you were saying that uh you were good in grammar, but you are not good in uh spoken English, but I don't find any issue with your spoken English as well. I can see you're quite confident, you are speaking fluently, and the main uh thing is that you are speaking with accuracy. I am not finding so many mistakes while you speak.

SPEAKER_00 2:28

Actually, ma'am, uh, what I you know find I know grammar rules, but when it comes to speaking, I'm not able to apply those rules in my speaking. I feel that. Or maybe it is because you know, from a few months back, I'm practicing, I'm working on my speaking, so I think I have worked a little bit on that proportion as well.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

So, how long working on your speak spoken English?

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Actually, ma'am, uh, last year um in the month of April, I started my YouTube channel and I started teaching grammar. I started teaching grammar because uh I I thought that I'm good at grammar, so I started with grammar sessions, but uh due to circumstances, due to unfavorable conditions, many other things were going around also. So because of that, I shifted uh from grammar sessions to conversational. So I think um it has been only three to four months only, and I was not consistent during that time, also. There are so many ups and downs, so because of that, I was not consistent, but I always try to use, you know, I always try to make best use of my time, whatever little little amount of time I get, I try to use it in a fruitful manner.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Yes, okay, that's amazing. Good to know about you that you're quite hardworking, you have been focusing on this communication skill, and you know, you know the importance of it, so that's a good thing. But yeah, if you're practicing just for the last three to four months, you are speaking quite well. So I I can assume that even if uh I mean uh three to four months back, also you were good at English. It's just that it was not polished, but now you are trying to polish it, that's it. But your base is already good. I can't say that you have started from zero or something, yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:18

Yes, actually, the my medium was English and I was good at uh studies as well. So, you know, there was a introduction to English every time in my college time, it might in my school time every time, although I was not in practice, but there was a connection with English always because of that.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

I can yeah, because if someone is an absolute beginner in English, so it is quite difficult for a person to speak like uh you just within three or four months of practice, it's not possible, I think. Uh so I yes ma'am, yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Sorry for the interruption, yes ma'am. No problem, we can continue. Actually, I was saying that uh uh I never did any practice, speaking practice before. So now I'm now I'm just focusing on practicing on speaking. The speaking environment was not there, so because of that, yes ma'am.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

So sometimes what happens, I've seen people they are like absolute beginners, they have been practicing from last six months, one year, then only they achieve the kind of fluency which you have right now. You are the one who knows all grammar rules, who knows English, but you never tried speaking, but just you start focusing on it, so now you are on the flow. But that is good that you uh started improving it because it is the demand of society these days, it's very important, no matter how much how many times people say that it's not important, and but I feel that it's very important to learn English these days. Okay, let me ask you some questions relatable to this. Um, actually, one of the main problems with the people around us is that they already know English, like you. They know English, the only problem they face is hesitation, they have this fear of judgment. They feel if I make any mistake, how people will react. So, did you also face this kind of fear when you started your journey three months ago?

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Actually, uh, I was uh a bit apprehensive before, you know, practicing speaking. But uh, but now I feel that I can speak in front of anybody, be it an expert or a co-learner or a beginner. But so I get to I think from I get that confidence right now, I can speak in front of anybody. But uh in the beginning of my journey, I was apprehensive. I was I feel like what if I say something wrong, what would the person who is in front of me would say? So these types of feelings were there, but I think right now I can speak. You can speak.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

So, what are the strategies that you are following right now to become fluent or speaking good English?

SPEAKER_00 7:05

Actually, ma'am, um uh due to time constraint, I don't have much time, but uh while doing house shows, like uh I'm doing some work at my kitchen, so at that moment I listen to English conversational videos or uh podcast. So, in this way I'm doing my listening practice because you know the more you consume English content, the English will automatically come out of your mouth, right? So, in this way I'm consuming English content, and whenever I get time, I do my practice, my speaking practice with the co-learners, and sometimes I do my speaking practice with the chat GPT also. So, in this way I'm doing my speaking practice, and if I talk about writing and uh writing and reading, so writing and reading take a back seat in my case. Okay, same because I then I don't get enough time, yeah. Yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

Okay, got it. So you are focusing more on listening and speaking. So, how do you find people to communicate with? How do you find the co-learners?

SPEAKER_00 8:09

Uh actually I joined uh Sunita's ma'am, uh Sunita Ravat ma'am group for one month, what subgroup for one month, and uh so during that uh period I got many co-learners. So in this way I came across uh many co-learners, so I got connected with them. I so in this way I started my conversational journey and I joined for one month and I I I think that I can you know improve my English just by practicing. So there is no need of joining any group or any course. I believe that it just happened naturally if you will go with the flow, if you do everything listening, writing, speaking, reading. So the only person who can help you is you, so you have to work on yourself.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

There is no need of classes, then I believe that you mentioned about that if a person wants to learn English, he or she doesn't need any classes or something, he can just learn himself. Actually, I was about to ask you one question about the group. The moment you mentioned about the group, the question came to my mind that these kinds of WhatsApp groups are really helpful for people to improve their English, or it's just a myth. What do you feel?

SPEAKER_00 9:27

Actually, ma'am, if I talk about myself, because I think the situation maybe differs from person to person. If I talk about myself, the teachers are good, Sunita ma'am, and Red Neharana ma'am is good, but you know, uh they don't have fixed timing for classes, so the time fluctuates. And as we are homemaker, or so we don't have that fixed time. You know, we don't have fixed time, so if the class is at 4 30, I provide tuition classes at that time, so I am not able. So I only join two to three classes in that one month. So for me, I would say it is not that much beneficial. I'm not, you know, criticizing them, they are very good. But yeah, but I didn't get you know that uh resonation with them. The classes, you know, I so my timing doesn't match with their timings. So I would not be able to take classes, whatever they provide. And uh apart from this, most of the time I listen to English uh conversation on YouTube only. So with the help of YouTube, you can improve if you have that dedication, that fire in your belly. So you can do that definitely.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

But one benefit which I personally see is that when you join such kind of groups, you find people and the co-learner with whom you can communicate. Yeah, yeah. That is the most beneficial part, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 10:47

Yeah, totally agree. That is the only benefit I get from that group.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Because it is really difficult to find people with whom you can practice with, otherwise, you have to practice with yourself, either with yourself or with chat GBT. But no one can give you the feeling of that real conversation.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

Uh yeah, yes. I also saw your videos on YouTube. You know, when you are in a particular nation, YouTube suggests you that kind of videos as well. So I saw your video, and you have you know so many subscribers as well, and your speaking is quite good. So I watched your videos and I thought I should connect with ma'am. So I just made you accepted my invitation. So thank you so much for that, ma'am.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

Okay, so what happened actually from the last one week? I have not been there in Gurgaum. I went to my mom's place, so I was not able to record any video, I was not able to talk with anybody. So today I was craving for conversation. Like it feels like I'm incomplete from last one week. I didn't have um conversation with uh anybody, not for channel, not even in general. So that is why yeah, for my personal practice, it's important because right now I feel that I'm stacking a lot, I'm not able to express myself really well. It always happened with me. Whenever I take a gap of a few days, even it starts reflecting on my face, on my words. I started to fumble. So this is really important. But you know what happened? Even when I go to my mom's place, I try to practice with the I mean uh core learners, but what happened this time? My mom was not well, so I was like busy uh going to the doctors and all, multiple things were there. So it was not a practice, yeah. So today I thought, okay, let me reply to my email. So on top of that, I got your email. So I thought of let me ask her. I replied four to five emails today, but out of those five, I received reply from you only. So that is why I'm able to connect with you today.

SPEAKER_02 12:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 12:47

So yes, let me ask you some another questions now. Um, how do people react when you speak English now?

SPEAKER_00 12:55

Actually, ma'am, there are not many people around me. Uh, so that I get reaction from them. But still, when you talk with your co-learners, then yeah, so I was just talking about it. I I get, you know, uh message from my siblings, from my brother, from my sister, you are doing good. And my brother, my elder brother all always gives me, you know, always gives me feedback also. You should try in this way, you should smile less. So in this way, he also gives me suggestions. So I'm also very grateful to him because he give he you know he gives that much amount that much amount of time. And he also you know find out finds out mistakes from my videos and tell me simultaneously. So my elder brother is you know very cooperative and very helpful.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

So yeah. That's a great thing because even till now nobody watches my entire video. Nobody has time actually. Only my audience, the people who need and who wanted to learn English, only those people watch my videos, not my family members at all.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

So, same with me, only my elder brother.

SPEAKER_01 14:03

Brother, at least you have someone who watches your uh whole video and you then give you feedback also. That's very great. Yes, ma'am. Okay, so um, what are your future goals? What do you want to do in your future now?

SPEAKER_00 14:18

Uh so ma'am, uh, right now my future goal is uh to become fluent in English, and uh I want to provide English classes, online classes and from home only. I don't want to go outside and do any job because I am fed up with job. So I I think that I should uh do something of your something of my own, like teaching classes, online tuition classes, or uh something like that. That's great.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

So do you speak English with your friends or family?

SPEAKER_00 14:49

No, you you speak your mother. Nobody has time to speak English with me. Everyone, you know, is busy in their own life because of that.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

So have you ever felt judged because of your English in past?

SPEAKER_00 15:08

No ma'am, because uh in the past uh there was uh you know no English environment. There is there is yes, there was no English environment. Uh so I didn't feel like that.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

And did your family support your journey? Yes, so yeah, yeah, they support me. They supported you. That's great. So how do you stay motivated daily? What you do for the motivation?

SPEAKER_00 15:34

So my motivation is only me, I would say, whenever I feel down. So I I tell myself why did you start, why did you start this journey? And now so there is always some there is always why. And apart from this, I also tell myself, uh, if you will not do something for yourself, nobody will do. So you have to do. If you have studied something, you have to complete that also.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

That's great. That's great. I think we should not seek for motivation outside because that is there within you only, and you can only motivate yourself. As you said, that you nobody can help you in this journey, you have to help yourself, you have to learn by yourself. Similarly, you can be your own motivator. That's true. So, how do you get time for self-improvement after doing household shows and all? I mean, I can understand.

SPEAKER_00 16:26

So, yes, ma'am. Yeah, so whenever I get free after doing you know my household chores, I uh do you know whatever I listen to. I as I told you, I listen to conversational videos, podcasts while doing house shows. So after getting free, after getting completely free from my household chores, I just find out uh the meaning of all the words. Uh those meanings I don't know. So I first of all I search the meanings and then I learn, I revise next day. So in this way I learn new words, new idioms and phrases, and uh then I take a nap. And I feel that taking a nap is very compulsory for me to refresh my mind. So I always take a nap at the daytime. Um around 12:30 to 1.30. At what time uh do you wake up? Uh uh uh you know I mostly get free after 11am.

SPEAKER_01 17:21

Oh, that's too early. What that you don't have kids?

SPEAKER_00 17:25

Yeah. Right now I have time. What is it?

SPEAKER_01 17:30

House I can be free at 11 30. Oh my god. Yes, it's impossible. Yeah, after yes, yes. So it's a golden period. I must say that you should utilize it entirely.

SPEAKER_00 17:43

Right now, my husband also says my husband also says, uh, uh you you know, improve your habit.

SPEAKER_01 17:49

Don't sleep because after some time you don't yes, that is that one thing I must appreciate. Your husband is mentioning correctly because after kids you won't get time to sleep. Definitely you you what you feel like the time that at least kids should sleep and I will relax and have tea. This is what you will feel after that. Yes, so just enjoy your golden period now.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

You know, I also sometimes I also feel afraid how I would manage sleeping after having kids. These kinds of thoughts, you know, also comes uh to my mind.

SPEAKER_01 18:22

Yeah, it will automatically gone after getting kids. Your life will be entirely changed because I also remembered, like you were mentioning, I used to get free around 12-12 thirty when I don't have kids. I didn't have kids. So at that time I used to spend two to three hours a day on social media just scrolling, watching vlog. I used to watch some Havna Say vlog, or you know, there was a girl, Lahnavi girl. I used to watch her vlog, and somewhere I got inspiration of starting a channel from them only, to be honest. But I used to spend the time there, and uh since I got um kids, then I started creating vlogs and started to you know entering into that YouTube field.

SPEAKER_00 19:04

Yes, I watched, yeah. I watched your videos, initial videos also. You have uh, you know, you ha you have also uploaded uh video you of your two years old baby.

SPEAKER_01 19:14

Uh yes, but that is on another channel, I think. Not in this channel, I had another vlogging channels.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

I used to I don't know I where I watched, yeah, I was somewhere. I don't remember the exact moment.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

So generally the time when I was not doing anything, I was just preparing my mind that what I have to do in future, like you are doing right now. Same I can uh resonate with you, yeah. It was the same with me. I used to watch and I used to sleep also, like you mentioned, one hour. I tried. Yes, so especially some hours.

SPEAKER_00 19:47

It may, yeah, it may it may fluctuate from what 1230 to 130, or sometimes from one to two. So it fluctuates a little bit, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

Okay, so initially when you introduced yourself, you have mentioned that you used to teach grammar on YouTube, and you were you had started your channel last year in the month of April, if I'm not wrong, right? So it's been one year. Since it's three or four months that you start connecting with people and focusing on your spoken English. But why did you change the pattern? What do you feel?

SPEAKER_00 20:19

Actually, I'm connecting with people. I started uh I think in the month of March or Feb, in the end of Feb. Only it has been only one. Yeah, not on not three, only I think two months. Or I and I switched my uh, you know, uh niche from grammar to conversational videos. The reason was that my leg started painting. Because nowadays everything we have to do on uh every work we have to do by standing on our phone, whether it is kitchen work, everything. You know, before in the earlier time we used to do everything by sitting, right? But nowadays, so and uh while you know uploading video, while I used to make grammar videos, I have to uh make videos by standing only. Okay, you have to make it yeah, so I used to make videos on blackboard on whiteboard. Whiteboard, okay. So because of that, my legs started paining, and when I concerned doctors, so he suggested she suggested um me uh try to stand less if possible. So that was also one of the reasons, and apart from this, I also wanted to work on my communication. So one day I was scrolling through YouTube, so I came across conversational videos. Then I thought, why not I start making conversational videos? It will help in both ways improving your communication, and you have some that you have some content for uploading on your channel.

SPEAKER_01 21:50

So these were the reasons, yes, and so do you think uh um creating conversation and uploading this kind of video is easy comparatively? I mean, if I compare it with grammar or any other kind of content.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

Uh ma'am actually getting co-learners for um you know practicing is hard.

SPEAKER_01 22:09

You know for your English practice yeah is hard but uh if I talk about uploading it is easy it is easy as compared to uploading grammar sessions because uh when I used to upload grammar sessions first of all I have to you know uh structure out all the notes in a proper way because I have to represent it to my audience so first of all I used to structure it in a proper way and then I used to write it on the blackboard then I used to stand there and record it but if I talk about conversation videos you have to just sit down and you have to speak so it is easier in that way okay got it yeah even I feel the same because finding people is really difficult that is the actually actual problem especially for like if for example I try to post videos with the fluent speaker these days so it's very difficult to find out fluent speakers which um don't make mistakes and all but I would like to connect with beginners also it doesn't mean that I would like to post only videos with advanced speakers sometimes I connect with the people who are on their journey because the real insights which they can share nobody can share because they are the real people who can tell that where they are finding the mistakes how they are overcoming that mistake and how the people who are watching that video can benefit out of that conversation.

SPEAKER_00 23:31

So those kind of conversations is really helpful but finding people again it's a difficult task even if I'm receiving emails it's very difficult to reply each mail and then a proper timing um how to say that um fix the proper timing that is also a difficult thing because for example I am free at four other person is not free what will you do yeah that is why yeah let me ask you one or two last questions because I know that you have to go for teaching I think it's four yes yes I was just looking at the time yeah yeah okay okay then no problem let's uh wind up the session because I don't want you to sacrifice that part that is also important commitment no if you have one question you can ask me no issues in that no no that's perfectly fine I just was just wanted to discuss that if you have any advice to give the housewives the women who really want to achieve something in their life but stuff because of the household responsibilities and other responsibilities what they can do yeah so ma'am my advice is that if they have that fire in their belly to achieve something so they have to manage time anyhow by hook or by crook housewives have their different timings like for example for me in my case I get free after 11am but it it also fluctuates sometimes sometimes it becomes 12 12 30 if some you know somebody comes to your house you have to serve that person also so it varies but you have to manage accordingly if you didn't get time in the morning then you have to give one an an hour extra in the evening whenever you get time okay and if you say that you don't have time we we don't have time to watch videos then you can listen while doing house shows this is also an option you can do passive listening in in that time passive listening and whenever you yeah yeah and whenever you get free then you can do active listening right just go through you know that conversation deeply write down or jot down all the words which you don't know so in this way you can also improve your listening skills and improve your vocabulary idioms etc and if I talk about speaking if you want to improve your speaking and speaking improves by speaking only you know like for example you you want to learn driving but if you watch videos only key how to drive how to how to you know fix this uh thing how to fix that thing and until or unless you try driving you will not learn so you have to drive in order to learn driving so in the same way you have to speak in order to you know learn speaking right so speaking is the only option you have to remove your hesitation and if you get time for writing and reading that is uh very good in my case I d I don't get so yes so so this is my advice for house thank you so much Mega sharing this insight and uh I really enjoyed talking to you also I feel that we have very little time so thank you so much have a nice day bye bye thank you so much you too ma'am thank you so much for connecting with me it's a great pleasure okay then bye bye okay ma'am bye bye