Community Discussions
Explore the latest discussions and community conversations related to this domain.
Has anyone heard of Speak_ and its interview prep program?
Main Post:
I recently saw Speak_ on LinkedIn, and I was wondering if anyone knows about it or has experience in the program. It's a free interview prep program for underrepresented people in tech.
This is their website: https://speak.careers/
I think it seems interesting, but I haven't seen reviews about it.
Top Comment: Seems a little sketch tbh. It's asking for ALOT of info from the applicant with very little info on them and the program in return.
Explain Reddit speak, please?
Main Post:
What do all the abbreviations mean? TD;LR and FFTY or something like that come to mind.
Top Comment: Instead of asking for a list of all the abbreviations you have questions about, I'm going to suggest you search here on your own time. Too Long; Didn't Read Fixed That For You
Thoughts on Speak.com or its app?
Main Post:
Hey language learners - I’ve been considering getting a subscription to Speak.com for Spanish for a while but the trial period wasn’t enough for me to really figure out how useful it would be in the long-term. Mainly I’m trying to figure out how useful this really is to gaining working proficiency? I've tried a few other apps like Duolingo or Anki flashcards but they're just not helping me improve my speaking or sentence construction ability. I really struggle with this but I don't think I'm at a level where I can use services like italki yet
Could anyone who’s used it here give me a rundown on their experience so far / how worth the money it is? I like that they're trying something new with an AI tutor and for someone like me who's a bit more self conscious about sounding stupid when I speak, it seems like it would be a useful talking companion. If you’re willing to chat with me in DMs in more detail I would really appreciate it too! Thank you so much guys
Top Comment: If you're too nervous to talk to an italki tutor you probably aren't at a level that having conversations with an AI will be the best use of your time. If you really want to start off speaking I would recommend pimsleur which focuses on pronunciation and gives you prompts to speak. I would also recommend language transfer
Reddit-speak trend: *counter-argument*, “no?”
Main Post:
I've been seeing this on Reddit a whole lot lately and it bothers me to no end. I can't stand copy/paste speak on social media such as:
"Tell me X without telling me X"
But this new one where someone says something, and then a commenter challenges it by saying a counterpoint and then adding: ", no?" annoys me to no end. It comes off as such a condescending way to disagree with someone. I know it's not new but it seems to be catching on in the online vernacular lately
Kind of a shitty way to have a discussion, no?
Top Comment: Redittors in general kinda piss me off (alot of them that is). But i do admit reddit comment sections also have some of the funniest comments in my opinion. That's why i still like reddit as a whole. And also reddit has pretty interesting content besides the infuriating hiveminded people.
Speak
Main Post:
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I don’t even know where to start. This might be the most accurate work ever written about an outcast teenage girl. While the book might seem minimal, I thought it was really accurate, to the point where I’m convinced it was based on true events. The writing wasn't perfect, but the emotions came through strongly. I loved this book so much I wish i'd read it earlier. P.S. I’m not referring to SA, just Melinda’s personality in general.
Top Comment: This book genuinely saved my life. I found it (and the adaptation with Kristen Stewart) shortly after experiencing a similar attack to Melinda's. I don't think I would still be here without it
Has anyone used the “Speak” app? Thoughts?
Main Post:
Hola! It’s driving me crazy I can’t find any reviews on this app, only “jumpspeak” which is different. I did the trial and was honestly impressed but it’s pretty dang expensive - but it did really improve my speaking and is nice to be able to practise speaking when I don’t have time to book my tutors in. So has anyone bought the premium and found it useful? Gracias 🙏
Top Comment: I just checked the app out myself, after reading your question. I love it already, but I'm in the same boat as you as for reviews. I'm also curious what others have to say. It seems more helpful than other AI apps for language.
How the fuck do I teach myself to speak smoothly and articulately around people? (especially speaking "off the cuff")
Main Post:
"Practice" seems like a good idea except I'm not learning any new turns of phrase that way, it'd just be regurgitating how I actually speak (which, suffice to say, is not good lmao)
I'm bad at telling stories. I'm bad at relaying funny things that have happened to me. I am absolutely horrible at speaking 'matter-of-fact' about anything, even things I consider my passions, because tripping over your words generally makes people think less of what you have to say. I'm bad at everything.
I have a tendency to go full howitzer, pretend to myself I actually know how to word what I'm trying to say, then blank halfway through because I don't have enough brainpower to both talk to the person and actually think of a way to word the sentence at the same time. Insert a two second pause, then I trip over myself trying to get back to what I was saying (I forget 95% of the time????) and frantically fail to think of a way to continue the sentence. For reference I've re-written this entire post about 9 times, sucks I can't "re-write" stuff in real life.
I also have no fucking idea how normal people seemingly manage to throw in the most random idioms or quips off-the-cuff into what they're saying and actually have them fit the sentence perfectly every time. Like what?
Top Comment: It's called word fluency. This is a skill in high school and college debate, and here are some tips to help you: Slow down. Your brain has more room to think if you express yourself more slowly. You don't need to blurt everything out at once. Try speaking slowly, like if you're talking to a shaky baby deer that could dart at any moment. See if that helps you gather your thoughts better. Practice with this exercise. Give yourself a question or a topic, set a minute-long timer, and just talk out loud to yourself. Here, there's no pressure to sound smart. Just speak out loud at a comfortable pace, and try to avoid pauses or filler words. If you're saying "uh" and "um" a lot, then remember to slow down. Start with easy prompts, like "What did I have for breakfast?" or "What's the plot of my favorite movie?". Then, you can increase the difficulty & length as you feel more comfortable Increase your vocabulary. Try reading more books and look up new words you don't recognize. Hopefully this helps. Lmk if you try it out :)
IWTL how to speak better and clearly.
Main Post:
I have had problems for the longest. I usually stumble or slur my words and sound dumb. I also sometimes stutter when speaking and sometimes too quiet. I feel like I can’t process what I am saying before it’s to late. Like my brain knows what I’m thinking but I can’t get it out right of my mouth.
Top Comment: Speaking is definitely a practicable skill and like any other skill it’s a matter of spending time doing it, and coming to better understand the “functions” of speaking and what makes one person a better speaker than another, honing in on these things and applying them. To elaborate on “time spent doing it” and “practicable skill” - What I mean is that you can literally sit down and practice. You don’t need to be in a real conversation to practice this and you should, in theory, improve with every practice session. You can simulate conversations with yourself, but the important part is not just doing this in your head. Speak out loud. Do it in the mirror to yourself. Think of difficult sentences that you may usually stumble over, and just say them out loud. Assume both roles in the conversation, as in ask yourself a question out loud, and answer that question out loud. Try and say things as clearly and confidently as you can and if you find that you’re struggling, try and figure out why - Are you trying to speak too quickly? Are you finding certain longer words difficult? Are you finding it difficult to visualise the full sentence in your head before saying it? These are things you can sit and think through during your practice sessions and there may be some things you come to realise that are specific to YOU and why YOU struggle to speak. Some more general tips that I imagine would apply to everyone: Take 2-4 seconds to consider fully what you’re about to say before opening your mouth. This might sound like something that couldn’t possibly be put into practice in a real conversation, as it may feel that you can’t just stare blankly at somebody for 4 seconds before you reply to what they just said. The fact is you can. It’s really not that uncomfortable in practice. You can make it clear through body language that you are just considering your words, people are more used to this than you may feel, and if what you say comes out clearly many people won’t even notice the small pauses before your replies and you will simply appear more measured. I know some very intelligent people that will almost always say “Hmm..” and appear to be in thought before saying anything, but what they say is often more thought-out and clear. Practice tongue twisters and annunciation, the classic “She sells sea shells on the sea shore” are intentionally and almost comically difficult phrases that we’ve come up with and parroted over time to challenge our mastery of syllable annunciation. Once you’ve mastered “She sells sea shells on the sea shore” increase the difficulty.. “Surely she sells sea shells on the sea shore and surely she should sell me a sea shell.” The fact is that every sentence is just a series of syllables strung together. If you can master stringing together syllables that are difficult together and do this regularly, you should find that your mastery over simple sentences improves. Do these tongue twisters often, and do them until you can comfortably and consistently speak them aloud without actually having them in front of you to read. I used to think tongue twisters were really fun as a kid and I used to go through lists of them and try to impress my friends with how well I could get through them, I did not realise at the time I was setting myself up to be a better speaker, it was just fun, but I do find that even to this day without regular practice I can master a tongue twister I have never read before within a minute or so. Again, practicable skill like any other. Time spent practicing will lead to improvement. Work on your overall confidence. This is too broad a topic to detail, but anything that you can do to reassure yourself that you are, in fact, not dumb at all. Your mastery of language is not a reflection of your overall intelligence, it is simply of a reflection of a lack of practice. I wouldn’t feel dumb for not being very good at piano, because I have never sat down and practiced piano.
How do people have long conversations and speak so well
Main Post: How do people have long conversations and speak so well