4 Steps to English Success - Improve Your Motivation to Study English

Summary

This video from Oxford Online English explores the concept of motivation in English learning, emphasizing that motivation is not an on/off switch but a consequence of life goals, values, and environment. It distinguishes between 'real' and 'fake' motivation, highlighting the importance of setting SMART goals and focusing on progress rather than perfection. The video also discusses the significant impact of one's environment on motivation levels and suggests that taking risks and creating a need for English in daily life can enhance motivation. It concludes by acknowledging the limitations of motivation and the need for realistic goal setting.

Takeaways

• 🚫 Motivation is not an on/off switch; it's influenced by life goals, values, environment, and lifestyle.
• 🌱 Real motivation is deep and internal, unlike 'fake' motivation which is often superficial and temporary.
• ⚠️ Motivation is fragile and can be easily diminished by various life factors, requiring careful maintenance.
• 🎯 Setting SMART goals is crucial for maintaining motivation, as vague goals like 'speaking perfectly' can be demotivating.
• 📈 Focus on improvement rather than perfection; asking 'how can I improve?' simplifies the learning process.
• 🌐 Your environment significantly impacts your motivation; using English daily can naturally enhance your drive to learn.
• 🔄 Both Sam and Alex's stories illustrate the importance of context in maintaining motivation to learn English.
• 🏠 Alex's situation highlights the struggle without immediate needs or consequences for using English, affecting motivation.
• 🔄 To boost motivation, one might need to alter their environment or daily habits to incorporate more English usage.
• 🤔 Taking risks and facing potential failure can create a sense of urgency and necessity for improving English skills.
• 🕒 Recognize personal motivation limits and plan study sessions and goals accordingly to avoid burnout.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the lesson discussed in the transcript?

The main topic of the lesson is motivation in English learning, including tips on how to manage motivation for better results.

Why does the speaker suggest that motivation isn't something you can just decide to have?

The speaker suggests that motivation is a consequence of life goals, values, environment, and lifestyle, and cannot be directly changed like an on/off switch.

What is the difference between 'real motivation' and 'fake motivation' as discussed in the transcript?

Real motivation is deep and comes from within, taking time and work to develop. Fake motivation is often external and temporary, like joining a gym out of New Year's resolution but not going consistently.

What are some factors mentioned in the transcript that can kill motivation?

Factors that can kill motivation include a bad teacher, a busy job, a newborn baby who doesn't sleep well, financial worries, and video game addiction.

What does the speaker mean by 'SMART goals' and why are they important for maintaining motivation?

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timebound. They are important for maintaining motivation because they provide clear, achievable targets that help learners track progress and stay motivated.

How does the speaker suggest approaching teaching and setting goals for students?

The speaker suggests focusing on how to improve the student's English rather than worrying about their budgets, time, or starting levels, by asking 'how can I make this person's English better?'

What role does the environment play in motivation according to the transcript?

The environment plays a significant role in motivation as it includes where one lives, works, the kind of work they do, who they interact with, and how they spend their free time.

What are some examples given in the transcript to illustrate the impact of environment on motivation?

The transcript provides examples of Sam, who lives in Amsterdam and uses English daily, and Alex, who lives in Taipei and rarely uses English, to illustrate how the environment can either support or limit motivation.

What advice does the speaker give to Alex to feel more motivated and deal with frustration?

The speaker advises Alex to change his environment to one where he needs to use English daily and to take risks that could potentially lead to failure but are necessary for growth.

Why is it important to understand that motivation is always limited according to the transcript?

Understanding that motivation is always limited helps learners set realistic goals and priorities based on the time and energy they have available, leading to more effective studying and less frustration.

What is the final piece of advice the speaker gives regarding managing motivation when studying English?

The final piece of advice is to set clear goals, understand one's limits, and use the available motivation and energy effectively, such as having a 30-minute conversation in English every day.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Understanding Motivation in English Learning

This paragraph introduces the topic of motivation in English learning, emphasizing that motivation is not an on/off switch but a consequence of life goals, values, environment, and lifestyle. It distinguishes between 'real' and 'fake' motivation, with the former being deep and internal, while the latter is often externally influenced and short-lived. The paragraph also highlights the ease with which motivation can be lost due to various life factors, such as a bad teacher or financial worries, and stresses the importance of nurturing motivation carefully.

05:03

🌐 The Impact of Environment on Motivation

This section explores how one's environment significantly influences motivation to learn English. It uses the hypothetical examples of Sam and Alex to illustrate the difference in motivation levels based on their daily use of English. Sam, living in Amsterdam, uses English extensively in her work and social life, which reinforces her motivation. In contrast, Alex from Taipei seldom needs to use English, leading to a lack of urgency and motivation to improve. The paragraph suggests that unless English is a necessity in one's immediate life, maintaining motivation can be challenging.

10:05

🚀 Creating Opportunities for Motivation

The paragraph discusses the necessity of creating an environment where English is essential for daily functioning, as this is crucial for sustaining motivation. It suggests that learners should seek changes in their living or working conditions to increase their reliance on English. It also touches on the importance of taking risks, such as engaging in situations where English is necessary, to create a sense of urgency for improvement. The paragraph acknowledges the difficulty of these changes but insists that they are necessary for progress.

15:08

🕒 Recognizing and Managing Motivation Limits

The final paragraph addresses the reality that everyone has limits to their motivation and capacity for studying English. It advises learners to understand and respect these limits, suggesting that effective learning involves setting clear goals and priorities within the constraints of available time and energy. The paragraph warns against overestimating one's motivation and setting unrealistic goals, which can lead to disappointment and failure. It encourages learners to find practical ways to incorporate English into their daily lives to maintain motivation and make consistent progress.

Keywords

💡Motivation

Motivation refers to the psychological drive or desire that influences a person to take action toward a goal. In the context of the video, motivation is central to the theme of English learning, as it is described as a consequence of life goals, values, environment, and lifestyle. The script emphasizes that motivation is not an on/off switch but rather something that can be influenced by changing aspects of one's life.

💡Goals

Goals are the specific objectives one sets to achieve a desired outcome. The video discusses the importance of setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) for English learning. It also advises against setting vague goals like 'speaking like a native speaker,' which can be demotivating due to their lack of clarity and attainability.

💡Deep Motivation

Deep motivation is described in the video as a genuine, internal drive that takes time and effort to develop. It contrasts with 'fake' motivation, which is often short-lived and externally influenced. The script suggests that deep motivation is essential for sustained effort in English studies, as it comes from within and is not easily swayed by external factors.

💡Progress

Progress is the advancement or development towards a goal. The video emphasizes that feeling progress is one of the best motivators for continued study. It suggests that setting clear goals and focusing on improvement rather than perfection can help learners feel a sense of progress, which in turn fuels motivation.

💡Environment

Environment, in the context of the video, refers to the external circumstances and conditions that can influence a person's motivation. It includes where one lives, works, and socializes. The video uses the examples of Sam and Alex to illustrate how different environments can either support or hinder motivation for learning English.

💡Priorities

Priorities are the tasks or areas of focus that are considered most important. The video suggests that understanding one's limits and setting priorities based on available time and energy is crucial for effective English learning. It implies that recognizing what can be achieved within one's capacity can help in managing motivation and avoiding burnout.

💡Risks

Risks are the potential dangers or uncertainties that one might face. The video encourages learners to take risks, such as speaking English in uncomfortable situations or volunteering for presentations, as a way to increase motivation by creating real-life consequences for not improving.

💡Limits

Limits are the boundaries or restrictions on what one can achieve or endure. The video discusses the concept of having a limit to the amount of time one can effectively study or use English before experiencing boredom or fatigue. Recognizing these limits is important for setting realistic study goals and maintaining motivation.

💡Perfection

Perfection refers to the state of being flawless or without error. The video advises against aiming for perfect English, as it can be a source of demotivation due to the unattainable nature of the goal. Instead, learners are encouraged to focus on improvement and ask themselves how they can get better.

💡Improvement

Improvement is the process of becoming better or enhancing one's skills. The video stresses the importance of focusing on improvement as a way to maintain motivation. It suggests that by concentrating on making progress rather than achieving perfection, learners can stay motivated and engaged in their English studies.

💡Consequences

Consequences are the results or effects of an action or decision. In the video, the concept of consequences is used to explain how motivation is not a standalone factor but a result of other life aspects. It also discusses how the lack of immediate consequences in one's environment can limit motivation for learning English.

Highlights

Motivation in English learning is not an on/off switch but a consequence of life goals, values, environment, and lifestyle.

Real motivation is deep and internal, unlike 'fake' motivation which is often externally influenced and short-lived.

Developing and maintaining motivation is challenging, but it can be easily destroyed by various life factors.

Setting SMART goals is crucial for maintaining motivation, but avoid comparing yourself to native speakers.

Focus on self-improvement rather than perfection to simplify the learning process and boost motivation.

Feeling progress is the best motivator for continued English study.

Your environment greatly influences your motivation to learn English.

Examples of Sam and Alex illustrate the impact of environment on English learning motivation.

Alex's lack of immediate need for English limits his motivation, whereas Sam's environment necessitates English use.

To increase motivation, create an environment where you need English for daily life and work.

Taking risks, such as public speaking in English, can enhance motivation by creating real-world consequences.

Recognize that motivation is always limited and plan your study time and goals accordingly.

Understanding your personal motivation limits can lead to better study habits and increased satisfaction.

Avoid setting unrealistic study goals that exceed your motivation capacity.

Find ways to incorporate English into your daily life to create natural motivation for learning.

Encourage engagement with English-speaking communities or opportunities to practice the language.

Acknowledge the importance of both internal motivation and external environmental factors in language learning.

Transcripts

Hi, I’m Oli.

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

In this lesson, we’re going to talk about motivation in English learning.

You’re going to hear some tips for how to manage your motivation and get better results

from your English studies.

Before we start the lesson, don’t forget to check out our website: Oxford Online English

dot com.

We have free materials to help you practise your English, and you can also study in online

classes with one of our professional English teachers!

But now, let’s look at some important ideas about what ‘motivation’ means.

Idea number one: motivation isn’t something you can just decide to have.

It’s not like an on/off switch inside you, which you can just flip from ‘off’ to

‘on’ if you find the right trick.

Instead, motivation is a *consequence*.

It’s a consequence of your life goals, your values, your environment and your lifestyle.

You can’t decide to change your motivation directly, but you can change other things

in your life which influence your motivation.

Idea number two: real motivation is deep motivation.

If you struggle to find the motivation to study English, then that’s a deep problem.

There’s also ‘fake’ motivation.

This is the kind of motivation which makes people join a gym and pay for a year’s membership

on January the 2nd, and then go once or twice in the whole year.

This isn’t real motivation.

Often, fake motivation comes from other people, but it disappears as quickly as it arrives.

Real motivation is deep motivation; it comes from inside, and it takes time and work to

develop.

Most importantly, idea number three: it’s hard to develop and maintain motivation, but

it’s easy to kill it.

Lots of things can kill your motivation: a bad teacher, a busy job, a newborn baby who

doesn’t sleep well, financial worries, video game addiction, and many more.

So, you have to look after your motivation carefully.

You need to think about many aspects of your life, not just study-related questions.

You’ll learn about these points in more detail over the rest of this lesson.

Let’s move on.

We won’t spend long on this section.

Why not?

Because we already made a whole video about it!

You should watch it, if you haven’t already.

Remember that it’s easy to kill your motivation.

Not knowing how to set study goals is one of the best ways to kill your motivation to

learn English.

If you set yourself goals like, ‘I want to speak like a native speaker,’ or, ‘I

want to speak English perfectly,’ this will kill your motivation.

Where do you start with goals like these?

What’s the first step?

How do you know when you’ve finished?

There are no answers to these questions, which is why these goals are no good for you.

You need to set goals which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timebound:

SMART goals.

We’ll give you one more idea here which we didn’t mention in the SMART goals video.

Don’t compare yourself to native speakers; don’t aim to speak perfect English; instead,

just ask yourself one question: how can I improve?

This is how I approach teaching, by the way.

This is the question that’s in my head when I meet a new student: how can I make this

person’s English better?

Students come to me with all sorts of goals; they have different budgets, and different

amounts of time they want to spend on studying.

They’re starting at different levels.

Some people are ambitious; others just want to learn one or two simple points.

With each person, there are different possibilities.

I don’t worry about those things; I just ask myself: what can I do to make this person’s

English better?

You can benefit from thinking in the same way.

This idea makes things simpler, and it helps you to focus on specific, concrete steps to

learn and improve.

Guess what: that’s good for your motivation!

Overall, nothing is better for your motivation than feeling like you’re making progress.

If you can feel that you’re improving, you’ll feel more motivated to continue studying.

Setting good goals is vital to keep your motivation alive and healthy.

However, there’s another point which is equally important.

Your motivation depends greatly on your environment.

This means: where you live, where you work, what kind of work you do, who you talk to

every day, how you spend your free time, and so on.

Let’s take two examples.

Imagine two people.

We’ll call them Sam and Alex.

They’re not real, but the ideas are similar to many students we’ve met.

Sam lives in Amsterdam.

She doesn’t speak Dutch, so she mostly uses English in her day-to-day life.

She works in a software firm, where all office communication is in English.

She regularly attends meetings, participates in conference calls, and gives presentations

in English.

Outside of work, most of her friends are expats from other countries.

Their common language is English, so most of the time, Sam speaks English outside of

work, too.

She only speaks her native language with one or two friends, or when she calls her family

and friends back home.

Alex lives in Taipei.

He speaks intermediate-level English, but he rarely uses it in his daily life.

He works for the marketing department of a large company, and most of his day-to-day

work is in Mandarin or Taiwanese.

At home and with his friends, he mostly speaks Taiwanese.

He goes to English classes twice a week because he wants to improve; he has a dream of studying

in Australia or the UK, but he knows that his English level isn’t high enough.

He often feels too tired to study, or that he doesn’t have enough spare time.

Besides, he feels like studying doesn’t make any difference to his English level.

He feels frustrated because his progress is slow.

What do you think?

Do these stories sound familiar to you?

Are you more like Sam, or more like Alex?

Remember: these aren’t real people!

However, I think Alex’s situation will sound familiar to many of you.

We meet and hear from *so many* English learners who are in this situation.

Here’s another question: what can Alex do to feel more motivated?

How can he deal with these feelings of frustration?

Short answer: he can’t, or at least, not easily.

That might sound like a demotivational answer!

We’re not trying to kill your motivation, of course, but you need to understand what

you can and can’t do to make a difference if you’re in the same situation.

Here’s the problem: Alex lives in an environment where he doesn’t need to use English.

Sure, he has his dream of studying abroad, but for most people, future dreams aren’t

enough.

You need something *now*—or at least, in the near future—which gives you motivation.

Alex doesn’t have that.

There’s nothing in his life *now* which means he needs to improve his English.

That limits his motivation.

He feels like he’s too busy or too tired to study.

When you say you’re ‘too busy’ or ‘too tired’, that means you don’t have enough

motivation.

When you care about something, you find the time; you find the energy.

When Alex says he’s too busy, he really means that it’s not a high enough priority.

When you say you’re too tired to study or practise, you’re saying it’s not a high

enough priority.

Alex’s environment limits his motivation, and his motivation limits his potential progress.

Not making progress hurts his motivation even more.

Over time, nothing changes.

He spends time and money on English courses, but his situation doesn’t change in any

meaningful way.

Motivation won’t just appear out of thin air.

He needs to change something.

If you’re in Alex’s position, you need to change something.

You need to give yourself something *now* or in the near future which means that you

*need* English.

You need something which is a central part of your life, and which you cannot do without

English.

Let’s think about Sam for a moment.

Sam doesn’t have these problems, because if she did, she couldn’t live her life.

She couldn’t do her job or talk to her friends if her English wasn’t good enough.

So, if her English was weak in some areas, she would fix those problems.

She would find a solution.

Maybe she’d do it herself, maybe she’d ask a friend, or maybe she’d study with

a teacher.

It doesn’t matter; she *would* find a solution, because she has to.

Let’s think about you.

What does this mean for you?

It means two things, and neither of them is easy.

One: if this is your problem, then you need to change your environment.

You need to make changes in where you live, or where you work, or how you spend your free

time, so that you need English in your day-to-day life.

I know that a lot of you are thinking, “Great advice, guys!

I can’t just move to another country!

I can’t just get a job in a multinational company!”

Yeah, I know.

It’s not easy, but you need to do something.

Start small: try to find expat groups or social activities in your city where there are English-speaking

foreigners.

If you work for a company which sometimes deals with foreign clients, ask your manager

if there’s a way for you to be involved.

We can’t tell you exactly what to do, because you have your life, and everyone watching

this will have different possibilities.

All we can say is: you need to do something, and if you have no idea what to do, start

with something small.

We said there are two things you need to think about.

What’s the second?

Two: you need to take risks.

That means that you put yourself in a situation where you might fail, and that failure might

hurt.

Think about Sam and Alex again.

Sam cannot live her life if her English isn’t good enough.

She’ll lose her job and she’ll struggle in social situations.

For Alex, there are no consequences if he doesn’t make progress.

He just stays in the same place.

Maybe he’s unhappy with that, but for most people, that’s not enough to give you motivation.

You need to take risks.

That means things like talking to people when you’re nervous or uncomfortable, moving

to a new city, or volunteering to make an important presentation at work in English.

And again, we know this isn’t easy.

But, it’s necessary.

If you live in a way that means you don’t need to improve your English right now, then

you’ll probably struggle to find the motivation to study and practise.

You need to put yourself in an environment where you need English, and where failure

to improve is painful.

‘Painful’ means that your life is more difficult and more limited if you’re not

getting better.

We know a lot of people watching this are going to say, ‘I can’t…’

‘I can’t make changes…’

‘It’s too difficult…’

Maybe.

Maybe not.

I don’t know the details of your life.

I don’t know what’s possible or not for you.

Just remember: your environment limits your motivation, and your motivation limits your

progress.

There’s no way around that.

Finally, let’s talk about one more thing you need to know.

Up to now, we’ve talked about developing and building your motivation, about how to

feel more motivated to study and improve your English.

We’re going to tell you something which might sound strange, but it’s just as important:

your motivation is always limited.

You’ll get better results—and be happier—if you understand this.

Here’s a question: how long can you sit and study by yourself before you get bored

and you find it difficult to concentrate?

Half an hour?

An hour?

Two?

What if you have to study every day for a month?

Could you still do the same amount?

How long can you spend in an English class before you start to feel bored and you want

to do something else?

How long can you spend speaking English before you feel tired and you have an urge to speak

your own language?

You’ll all have different answers, but all of you watching this will have a limit.

Your limit might be lower or higher, but it’s there.

These limits control how much time you can spend working on your English.

You can try forcing yourself to study when you’re bored, but it’s not effective.

If it works, it only works for a short time.

That’s because feeling bored is your brain’s way of saying to you: “This isn’t important

enough to spend our time on!”

Remember: motivation isn’t something you can just decide to have.

You have a certain amount of motivation, and you need to decide how you use it.

Don’t be hard on yourself.

Feeling bored is natural, and everyone has their limits!

But, it means that you need to set clear goals, as we talked about before.

Also, you need to set priorities based on the time and energy you have available.

If you can study for thirty minutes before you start getting bored, you need to think:

what can you do in thirty minutes which will help you the most?

Many English learners overestimate their motivation, and set goals which they don’t actually

have the motivation to achieve.

We’ve met so many students who say they want to study for hours every day, but most

of them give up quickly, because they don’t have enough motivation to do the things they

say they want to do.

You can see this from the other side, too.

If you can speak in English for half an hour before your concentration starts to fade,

then ask yourself: how can you have a 30-minute conversation in English every day or most days?

Who can you talk to?

You have enough motivation and the energy to do this, so you should try to use that.

How do you manage your motivation when studying English?

Have you experienced the things we’ve talked about in this lesson?

If so, please let us know in the comments; we’d love to hear your ideas!

Thanks for watching!

See you next time!