Hey there! This is TOP episode 309. The Strategy for Speaking English
You read English. You understand English. You’ve been learning for years, but when it’s time to speak your mind just freezes, and the words don’t come out. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. My name’s Ola, and this is Teacher Ola Podcast. I’m here to help you finally speak out loud. This isn’t about perfect grammar or fancy vocabulary. This is about your voice. Your words. Your real English.
Today, I want to tell you a story. You know I love stories. And this one isn’t about me, it’s about my friend. She is completely obsessed with MasterChef Australia. Obsessed. She watches it every evening, every season, every episode. She knows the contestants’ names, she comments on the drama, she laughs, she cries, she’s in it.
But here’s the funny part. She doesn’t even cook seafood. She doesn’t even cook much beyond the usual Polish staples. You know, potatoes, schabowy, pierogi sometimes. Maybe a pasta dish here and there. And yet, she has probably seen more lobsters being broken down than any professional chef in Poland.
But if you handed her a real lobster, she would have no idea where to start. None. She wouldn’t know how to crack it open, how to take the meat out. All that time spent watching? It wouldn’t magically turn her into a chef.
And this, my dear listener, is exactly like learning English.
Because you can listen to podcasts, even mine, all 308 of them, you can listen, you can nod along, you can even repeat after me. And that’s wonderful, of course it is. But it won’t make you a speaker.
Now, let me stop here for a second. Because I know what you’re thinking: “Ola, are you saying grammar doesn’t matter? Are you saying vocabulary lists don’t matter?” No, no, no. You know me better than that. Grammar is your skeleton. Vocabulary is your flesh. Idioms and phrasal verbs are your accessories. You absolutely need them. I don’t want you walking around with messy grammar, that can cause misunderstanding.
But listen carefully: grammar is not the heart of the language. The heart of the language is speaking. The heart is communication, mistakes, laughter, awkward pauses, and then that magical moment when you get understood. That’s the heartbeat.
And this is why I created Voice Loop. It’s my five-week program where you don’t just consume English, you live it.
Here’s how it works:
Every day, you record yourself in our WhatsApp group. And listen, this is not easy at first. I’m going to be honest with you. When you record your first message and six other people hear it, your nervous system goes: “Oh no, danger! Danger!” But that’s where the magic starts. Because you are finally exposing yourself. You are finally saying: “Okay, here I am. This is my English. This is me speaking.”
And the best part? You’re not alone. There are six of you in the group. You learn from me, of course, because I give you feedback every single day. But you also learn from each other. You hear the mistakes other Polish speakers make, and you think: “Oh, I do that too. I need to fix that.” Or: “Wow, she said that so well. I’m going to steal that phrase.” And that’s how you grow so much faster.
Every week, we also meet for a live 60-minute conversation session. It’s intense. You speak with a partner for 10 minutes, then you switch. New partner, new topic, 10 more minutes. By the end of the hour, you’ve had real conversations with several people. Real conversations.
And let me tell you about one of my clients. She recently went to Berlin for a short trip. And for the very first time, she didn’t only use English when she had to, ordering food, asking directions. No. She started conversations just for fun. At her hostel, she went up to strangers and said: “Hey, what do you think about this place?” She didn’t have to. She could have stayed quiet. But she didn’t.
And that small, silly question turned into a whole day together, exploring Berlin, laughing, chatting. That’s the difference. That’s what speaking does. It opens doors that passive learning never will.
Enrollment for Voice Loop is open only until Sunday, October 5th. After that, the doors close. I lock in the groups, and we start.
It’s 375 złoty for 35 days of consistent, daily practice. Five weeks of speaking, listening, feedback, and community. And listen if I need to, I’ll throw you on my shoulder and carry you through these five weeks. I’m serious. I know it’s scary, but I won’t let you give up.
October is the best time to do this. It’s the moment when the year is still alive, but you also feel the need to focus, to prepare, to build something before the winter hits. There’s no better moment to take your English and actually use it.
So, go now to teacherola.com/groupy. Sign up. Join Voice Loop. And let’s do this together.
And I’ll leave you with this: You can keep watching MasterChef. You can keep listening to podcasts. Or, you can finally pick up the knife, step into the kitchen, and start cooking. You can finally start speaking. You are ready. Trust me. I know it! If you’re still here, if you understand me now you are ready.
I’ll see you inside Voice Loop. Go to teacherola.com/groupy and sign up today.
She watches it every evening.
She doesn’t even cook seafood.
She would have no idea where to start.
Grammar is your skeleton.
Vocabulary is your flesh.
The heart of the language is speaking.
Okay, here I am. This is my English.
Wow, she said that so well.
Hey, what do you think about this place?
You can finally start speaking.
And that’s a wrap for today’s episode.
Listen, I know exactly how it feels to sit there, listening, nodding, understanding, but not speaking. I was in the same place. I’m a Polish learner of English myself, and I know the fear, the nerves, the shaky voice. But I also know the way out, and it’s not listening more. It’s speaking.
That’s why I created Voice Loop. It’s not theory, it’s not passive learning it’s real speaking, every single day, in a safe group that lifts you up. You’ll get my feedback, you’ll hear yourself grow, and you’ll finally use the English you’ve been carrying inside you for so long.
If you’ve been waiting for the right moment, this is it. Enrollment closes this Sunday, October 5th. Don’t let another season slip by. Go now to teacherola.com/groupy and join Voice Loop today.
I’d love to see you inside. Remember, you can speak English. You just need to start. I’ll help you.
I’m your teacher, Teacher Ola, and this was Teacher Ola Podcast. Bye for now and see you in Voice Loop.