My mission at the Calgary Language Nerds
Solve the fluency problem
I’ve been learning languages since I was a teenager and I’ve noticed something rather surprising. With the exception of intensive lessons where you take 20+ hours of class per week, all consumer-facing businesses I have found fail to reliably lead to fluency. I have tried in vain since 2023 to find evidence to the contrary.
Therefore, in today’s article I will:
Outline three reasons as to why most products/services don’t result in fluency
Explain how we are solving the fluency problem at the Calgary Language Nerds
Let’s dive right in!
As I wrote above, there are three reasons why most companies do not offer products/services that result in fluency.
The three reasons are as follows:
Reason #1: The product/service doesn’t have fluency as the goal
The aim instead is something narrower, such as teaching grammar, increasing vocabulary, or building basic conversational skills. Alternatively, the focus might not even be on language learning at all, but rather on business outcomes, like maximizing profits, boosting user ratings through gamification, or driving customer acquisition.
How fluency be achieved if that’s not the company vision?
Reason #2: The product/service doesn’t provide enough “whys”
It offers a curriculum, a method, or a set of exercises to follow, but doesn’t give enough compelling reasons to stick with it. I believe strong "whys" should be built into the program. Without them, students will lack the drive to sustain their efforts.
Reason #3: The product/service is ineffective
This is the least common reason, but does occur from time to time. Most products and services I see are decent at a minimum. They usually have sound methodologies or at least offer some value. The issue is just that, as I mentioned earlier, they do not address fluency comprehensively.
Frankly, I wish there were a product or service on the market that did reliably pave the pathway to fluency.
Since none exist, I am working with my team at the Calgary Language Nerds to develop lessons that do. This has been our singular focus since the fall of 2023. We use a three-pronged approach to address the three root causes of the fluency problem.
I’ll be honest: there is a lot of work left to be done, but this is where I stand as of today.
1. Make guaranteeing fluency my business’ vision.
More specifically, I want 100% of students to reach their individual goals. Truthfully, I don’t know if a 100% success rate is possible, but I may as well shoot for the moon and see what happens, right? By making fluency the goal, everything else aligns around it.
2. Build “whys” into the lessons.
If you have multiple strong reasons to attend class and stay diligent with your studies, you are more likely to reach your goals. My team and I use two types of whys:
Motivation-based whys
Personable tutors with strong interpersonal skills. Build a genuine connection with your tutor and look forward to attending lessons
Freedom to make mistakes. We create a low-stakes environment for mistakes to encourage students take risks, which is key to developing fluency
Clear vision of success. We set measurable goals that correlate to real-world proficiency. Progress toward a meaningful goal is inherently motivating
Super fast progress (not gradual progress.) Our goal is that lessons at the Calgary Language Nerds result in fluency at least 4x faster than traditional alternatives. Rapid progress keeps motivation high and proves that fluency is within reach. Read more about my business’ teaching methods here
Frequent tutor encouragement and relentless support. Your tutor is on your team, enthusiastically cheering you on and recognizing achievements (big and small) along the way
Accountability-based whys
High expectations. We set high, but realistic expectations, pushing students to achieve their full potential
Constructive feedback. Regular, actionable feedback ensures that students know exactly what they’re doing well and where they need to improve. This clarity, combined with open communication, fosters trust and builds genuine confidence
Assessments. These keep students aligned with their goals and maintain accountability. Assessments can also be motivating by showcasing tangible growth over time, reinforcing the belief that fluency is achievable
Attendance tracking. We expect consistent attendance and hold students to this standard. We offer a fluency guarantee contingent on maintaining a minimum attendance percentage, ensuring students stay committed.
3. Innovate. Use better teaching methods.
Here’s a detailed description of my business’ teaching approach. It’s worth pointing out that we’re a fast-moving business that’s always innovating, which means our methods evolve over time based on new insights and feedback. That link outlines the techniques we use at the moment.
As a summary…
Most people struggle to learn a language, partly because none of the solutions on the market reliably lead to fluency. As a result, learners are often left to navigate the process on their own, which unsurprisingly causes them fall short of their goals.
At the Calgary Language Nerds, my team and I are dedicated to solving this problem. We strive to guarantee fluency through innovative, cutting-edge teaching methods while embedding compelling reasons to stay diligent right into the lessons.
We’re determined to turn this vision into a reality - let’s see if we can make it happen.
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It’s on the hardest part of learning a language. It helps my team and I to continue developing an approach to teaching that reliably results in fluency.