Have you heard the whispers about the Clubhouse App in the online language learning hallways?
The idea of learning online is not only boring, but not new news. However, using this simple and free app to do it is.
The flood of social media posts about “Clubhouse” made me curious. I still had no idea what that was. So, like most people do, I googled it. It’s an app. “Big deal,” I thought. “There are millions of apps. How is this one so special?”
You’ll see if you should buy into the hype about learning a language on Clubhouse.
Y’all, it is special. Let me tell you how special it is as well as how you can use the free app to learn any language you want.
What Is It?
First of all, I’m not sponsored by the app. I just think it’s helpful to language learners. Clubhouse is a social audio only app. Though it is free, it is very exclusive. You need an invite from someone to fully use it. The company has said that they will change this in the future, however.
The app is available for Apple and Android now.
Here’s how to get started:
- Downloaded the app.
- Create a profile.
- Choose topics that you like
- Add followers from your contacts, or browse for more.
This social audio only app is for those who don’t mind speaking or listening. The app has “rooms” created by users. Each room is different. They are arranged around a specific topic. I’ll explain more about that below.
How Is It Used?
As I said before, it’s an audio only app. That’s not special, though. What makes it unique is that you can enter different “rooms” and basically just hang out and listen to the hosts and other people in the rooms talk, discuss, or yes, teach something. I’ll explain more about that later.
People use the app for different reasons. It’s all for speaking and listening. It’s an audio app. It’s really all you can do. Because there are so many different rooms, there is a topic for everyone.
What are these “rooms” and “topics”?
Rooms
“Rooms” are user hosted spaces. The spaces have different topics. These topics vary from gardening, black entrepreneur females over the age of 40, and more. Trust me, if you’re interested in anything, there is a room for you.
Clubhouse allows you to enter different rooms. If you’re not in a room, you’re just in the hallway. Once choosing a room you will be able to listen to the conversation in the room. If you want to speak, just “raise your hand” and the hosts will allow you to speak. Some rooms have many people. This function is great for the host to see all of the people who have something to say.
Start talking! Share your opinions, thoughts, or expertise with others in the room. Not ready to talk? Just listen. You enter a room muted. You’ll stay muted unless you request to speak. In fact, in July 2021, the app now allows users to send messages. This feature is called “backchannel.” This allows users to send links and messages, but not photos and video.
The surprising thing about the app is that it is not uncommon for celebrities, stars, and other famous people to enter rooms. So, who knows, you may be in a room with a famous celebrity!
How to Learn a Language on the Clubhouse App
Learning a language isn’t as difficult as it used to be. In fact, that may not be the most difficult part of learning a language: knowing how to start is equally difficult.
Let me help you.
Starting should always begin the same: at the beginning.
Where is the beginning?
1. Start with a Goal
100% of your goals are missed by not first making one! I made a podcast episode about this earlier in the year. You can listen to that one here.
To begin learning a language on Clubhouse, or anywhere, make a goal. This goal must be specific. You shouldn’t be general. For example, your goal shouldn’t say “I want to speak English.”What does that mean exactly? Do you want to speak fluently, or only make some words aloud that are English? Here’s a better goal: I want to speak for 15 seconds in English. Or, I want to practice 2-4 vocabulary words and/or phrases when I speak in a Clubhouse room. Those are good goals.
3. Find a Room
After you have created your goal, start choosing rooms. When you created your profile, Clubhouse asks you to select topics and people that you might be interested in following. You can search for rooms, too. Just type in keywords such as “conversation,” “language,” “intermediate,” or the specific language that you want to learn. It’s really that simple.
2. Make a Plan
You have your goal and your room. Wonderful. You must know decide when you use this time to study. There are thousands of rooms! However, the specific room that you have chosen may not be available at all times. So, you really must know when the room and host will be open. If you don’t see a room that is open when you would like, make a room. When you make your own language learning room, you will get exactly what you want when you want it.
Similarly, the room does not have to be a “language learning” room. You could choose, or create, a study room or a conversation room. The choice is yours.
4. Start
Now is the time to start speaking! Terrified of speaking? I recommend listening to the host and other speakers first. This helps you “get a feel” for the room. If the room is too advanced for you, I suggest using it to stretch yourself, or simply find another room.
Listening can be challenging by itself, but remember that goal that you made? It was probably not just listening. I bet it always was about speaking and/or vocabulary as well. So, start speaking! If that’s intimidating, start small. Start by simply introducing yourself. Next, try asking a question. Ask for feedback on something. You could even challenge yourself to state your opinion or speak for 15-30 seconds. These are simple things to get you started.
Benefits
As I explained in podcast episode #78 titled “How to Learn a Language on Clubhouse” this week, there are a lot of benefits. Here are a few:
- many room options
- study rooms
- conversation rooms
- you can practice different parts of your language
- plenty of topics of interest
- interesting conversations
- real conversations that use natural speech
- rooms available any hour of the day
Final Thoughts
And there, my friend, is the uncomplicated way to learn a language on Clubhouse. Follow these easy and simple 4 steps that I have outlined and you will begin improving your language fast!
Remember, everything is a matter of practice and discipline. Be disciplined and practice your language and follow these 4 steps. That’s how you learn a language on Clubhouse.
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