Production Practice Problems for Introverts, or Woe Is Me

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Production Practice Problems for Introverts, or Woe Is Me

Postby arthaey » Mon Aug 03, 2015 12:00 am

Mostly this post is just me venting/whining. ;)

But surely I'm not the only introvert here who's had this "problem". For example, on Friday I ended up spending 5 hours chatting with a friend, then another 4 hours when my roommate threw a party at our apartment. I was super pleased that even after so much talking in Spanish, I didn't have that "melted brain" feeling like I used to after "too much" Spanish.

However, I did feel totally worn out simply interacting, period. It was very fun, don't get me wrong! I just needed to recharge after all of that. (I spent the rest of the weekend holed up programming to regain some quiet time & introvert-equilibrium.)

What's frustrating is that I could tell it was awesome Spanish practice. It would be useful it it didn't tire me out so much, but man does it.

Alas, I don't know of a better means of practicing speaking & listening than conversation. :P

NB: I'm not shy. Introversion is a separate variable from shyness, even if many people are both simultaneously.
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Re: Production Practice Problems for Introverts, or Woe Is Me

Postby basica » Mon Aug 03, 2015 12:08 am

I know how you feel. I work around it by going for little bit of interaction regularly as opposed to a lot of interaction all at once. Since I work, I find during the week I can't handle too much interaction with people as I'm already overloaded but during the weekend I can do a catch up for the afternoon. If i do that, I basically need the whole next day to wind down. So, when I am practicing my speaking/listening skills with someone, I try to limit it to half hour to hour sessions once or twice a week because anymore than that I feel overwhelmed.
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Re: Production Practice Problems for Introverts, or Woe Is Me

Postby tarvos » Mon Aug 03, 2015 5:57 am

It happens to everyone if you speak a language a lot that you aren't used to speaking. What that means is you need more practice and to keep on truckin'.
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Re: Production Practice Problems for Introverts, or Woe Is Me

Postby arthaey » Mon Aug 03, 2015 6:31 am

tarvos wrote:It happens to everyone if you speak a language a lot that you aren't used to speaking. What that means is you need more practice and to keep on truckin'.

Actually, this exact thing happens to me in English (my native language) as well. It has nothing to do with my level of fluency, in this case. It's because I'm an introvert. :)
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Re: Production Practice Problems for Introverts, or Woe Is Me

Postby Serpent » Mon Aug 03, 2015 6:37 am

Same here. Like with everything, limiting L1 use means more time and energy for L2 :P
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Re: Production Practice Problems for Introverts, or Woe Is Me

Postby Brun Ugle » Mon Aug 03, 2015 11:21 am

I have the same problem. And I also get tired of being told it's shyness or that I should get over it. Maybe people with diabetes or food allergies should just get over it too and stop being such picky eaters. (Just being a little sarcastic. But in a way it is a bit like an allergy because I do like being social, I just get tired or even ill from it.)

Anyway, like Serpant says, limiting L1 time gives more time for L2. I try to reduce other interactions that would be draining on me. For example, I often keep my door closed at work and listen to nature sounds on MP3 to block out other people. I also try to make the most of L2 interactions by studying a lot on my own. Some people like to study by talking, but I'm better off using books and stuff as much as possible and just using conversations for testing what I've learned and where I need to make improvements, and for improving actual conversational ability.

Another thing is that some people find different situations easier than others. Some people might find Skype easier than in person because there is a sort of barrier between you. For others, it's the opposite. Some people find it's easier with an audio only conversation on Skype or phone, but I find audio only to be even more tiring. Sometimes one on one conversation is easier because there aren't so many people to take your energy, but on the other hand, you might find having several people there easier because you don't have to keep up the conversation so much and can rest more and even take breaks. Knowing yourself and what situations are least tiring can help.
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Re: Production Practice Problems for Introverts, or Woe Is Me

Postby garyb » Mon Aug 03, 2015 1:07 pm

I'd consider myself in the middle of the extroverted/introverted spectrum, ambivert is the term people use, I love being around people but it can sure get tiring after a while. It would be nice if language practice opportunities were evenly spaced out and not too short or too long, but unfortunately in real life it doesn't usually work like that. I might not have any chances to use the language for a week or two and then suddenly there's a party with Italians and then an Italian friend-of-friend visiting then a dinner and I end up being around them for the whole weekend. Afterwards I'm a bit drained and dying for some time for myself.

One nice thing about studying a language for which it's relatively easy to find speaking opportunities is that I can pick and choose from the ones available to me. Last week I could have had dinner with Italians but I was tired and didn't feel like being around people so I just gave it a miss, comfortable in the knowledge that more opportunities would come when I'd be more up for it. Whereas for something like French it's harder to say no because I'd have no idea when I'd next have an opportunity like that, so I'd probably have gone to the dinner out of a sense of obligation.

Working with a tutor can help with both the problems I've mentioned: speaking opportunities being not regular enough or not frequent enough. I've not even done a lesson since the start of the year, but it's more a psychological thing, knowing I always have that backup option and getting out of the mindset of opportunities being scarce and feeling like I'm missing out if I don't take advantage of every one.

I also believe that in the past I placed too much importance on speaking and conversation, so again I found it hard to say no to opportunities and I put a ton of time and effort into trying to meet people for language exchanges etc., which stressed me out and drained me and mostly turned out to be a waste of time anyway with people being so unreliable. I blame reading a certain blog that encourages speaking as much as possible. I agree that conversation is the best way to practise speaking and listening, but it's not the only one and most activities, done with the right mindset, eventually contribute to your conversation skill. If one evening you're more in the mood for watching a Spanish film than speaking to Spanish people, that's fine and you'll still be working on your language skills.
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Re: Production Practice Problems for Introverts, or Woe Is Me

Postby tommus » Mon Aug 03, 2015 2:04 pm

I think one factor that makes even L1 conversations tiresome is boredom. Conversations that are very interesting are seldom tiring, and can go on for a long time. But conversations that are mainly "small talk", especially if you are struggling to find something to say to continue the small talk, can be very trying, and sap your energy. In my Skype language exchanges, I try to prepare well enough in advance to discuss topics that both partners probably will find to be the most interesting. I also keep a list of interesting reserve topics so that I don't get concerned that we might run out of interesting topics and have to revert to small talk. You do need a capability in L2 for small talk, but language exchanges are much more productive and less tiring if the topics are very interesting to all participants.
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Re: Production Practice Problems for Introverts, or Woe Is Me

Postby Serpent » Mon Aug 03, 2015 2:13 pm

garyb wrote:I love being around people but it can sure get tiring after a while.

That's something most people can relate to. Do you get more energized from being around people or alone?
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Re: Production Practice Problems for Introverts, or Woe Is Me

Postby garyb » Mon Aug 03, 2015 2:21 pm

Serpent wrote:That's something most people can relate to. Do you get more energized from being around people or alone?


That's a hard one to say. Being around people energises me to an extent but after a point it can be too much and it becomes draining again. Same for spending time alone: sometimes it can help me recharge but other times it's tiring and I feel the need to be around people. I seem to need a balance of both.
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