IELTS VIP Podcast Episode 16: How Your Mindset Will Determine your IELTS Score

Summary

In this podcast, the host addresses the impact of mindset on IELTS scores, emphasizing the importance of a realistic mindset over positive or negative ones. They discuss the consequences of extreme positivity or negativity in parenting and business, suggesting that a balanced approach is crucial for growth. The host plans to create a free course on mindset for VIP students, highlighting the need to recognize strengths and weaknesses to improve performance. The discussion encourages students to take responsibility for their learning and not rely solely on external factors.

Takeaways

• 😀 The podcast discusses the impact of mindset on IELTS scores and the importance of a balanced approach rather than extreme positivity or negativity.
• 👨‍👩‍👦 In parenting, extreme positivity or negativity can lead to children growing up without a realistic sense of self or with low confidence, respectively.
• 🏢 In business, 'cheerleader bosses' who are overly positive and those who are overly critical can both lead to business failure due to ignoring reality and not learning from mistakes.
• 📚 The podcast introduces the concept of a 'realistic mindset' as a middle ground between positive and negative, focusing on recognizing strengths and weaknesses.
• 🏅 Successful sports teams and individuals learn from their losses, turning negatives into positives, which is a strategy that can be applied to IELTS preparation.
• 👨‍🏫 Teachers who are overly positive or negative can hinder student progress by not providing a balanced view of their performance.
• 🤔 Students should take a self-audit to identify their strengths and weaknesses, focusing on improving areas that need work rather than solely on success.
• 🚫 Avoid blaming external factors for poor performance; take responsibility for one's own learning and improvement.
• 💡 The podcast emphasizes the importance of reality-based thinking, where one acknowledges both the positive and negative aspects of their performance.
• 📈 A realistic mindset can lead to exponential improvement, as it allows for targeted efforts to strengthen areas of weakness.
• 📧 The podcast concludes with an invitation for VIP students to engage with the hosts for further assistance and for non-VIP students to reflect on their mindset.

Q & A

Why did the podcast take a break for over a month?

The podcast took a break because the host went on holidays for a couple of weeks in December, and then Christmas happened, followed by a busy period.

What is the purpose of the VIP podcast?

The VIP podcast aims to address topics, questions, or problems that VIP students are struggling with by going in-depth on these issues.

What is the main topic discussed in the podcast regarding mindset and IELTS scores?

The podcast discusses the impact of mindset on IELTS scores, highlighting that both positive and negative mindsets can be harmful and that a realistic mindset is more effective.

Why might a positive mindset be harmful to IELTS scores according to the podcast?

A positive mindset can be harmful because it may lead to complacency and a lack of awareness of one's mistakes, resulting in not improving and potentially underperforming.

What is the example given to illustrate the effects of extreme positive and negative parenting?

The podcast uses the example of two families with 4-year-old boys, where one family is overly positive and the other is overly negative, suggesting that neither approach is conducive to raising well-adjusted adults.

How does the podcast relate the concept of mindset to business leadership?

The podcast compares extreme positive and negative mindsets to 'cheerleader bosses' and bosses who rule by fear and criticism, suggesting that both extremes can lead to business failure.

What is the recommended mindset for IELTS students according to the podcast?

The recommended mindset for IELTS students is a realistic mindset, which involves acknowledging strengths and weaknesses, learning from mistakes, and focusing on self-improvement.

Why is it important for IELTS students to have a realistic mindset?

A realistic mindset is important because it allows students to identify areas for improvement, take responsibility for their learning, and avoid complacency or unnecessary criticism.

What is the role of a teacher in the context of a realistic mindset as discussed in the podcast?

In the context of a realistic mindset, a teacher's role is to provide honest feedback, highlight areas for improvement, and guide students to learn from their mistakes rather than just offering praise.

How can students with a realistic mindset benefit from receiving lower scores on their essays?

Students with a realistic mindset can benefit from lower scores by understanding the specific reasons for the lower score and using that feedback to focus on improving those areas.

What is the podcast's advice for students who struggle with a particular IELTS task like writing essays?

The podcast advises students to focus on the specific areas where they struggle, take constructive feedback, and work on turning weaknesses into strengths.

Outlines

00:00

🎙️ Podcast Introduction and Mindset Discussion

The speaker begins by welcoming the audience to the Aisles, VIP podcast, acknowledging the long hiatus since the last episode due to holidays and busy schedules. They express their intention to address a topic that has been challenging for their VIP students. The main focus of the podcast is to explore the concept of mindset, particularly the differences between positive and negative mindsets and their impacts on performance. The speaker suggests that both extreme positive and negative mindsets can be detrimental, hinting at a more effective 'third way' of thinking, especially in the context of the IELTS test. They propose to create a free course on mindset for their students due to its significant influence on test scores. The discussion then shifts to real-life examples, starting with parenting, to illustrate the effects of constant positivity and negativity on children's development.

05:02

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The Impact of Parenting Mindset on Children

The speaker uses the example of two families with contrasting parenting styles to demonstrate the potential negative outcomes of extreme positive and negative mindsets. Family A is overly positive, praising everything their child does without recognizing mistakes or areas for improvement. Family B is overly critical, never satisfied with their child's efforts. The speaker argues that neither approach is beneficial for the child's development, as the former may lead to arrogance and a lack of self-awareness, while the latter could result in low self-esteem and a constant feeling of inadequacy. The speaker then transitions to the business context, drawing parallels between these parenting styles and leadership styles in the workplace, suggesting that both extremes can lead to business failure.

10:05

🏢 Business Leadership and the Realistic Mindset

The speaker extends the discussion to business leadership, comparing 'cheerleader bosses' who are overly positive with bosses who are overly critical. They argue that neither extreme is effective, as the former fails to address necessary improvements and the latter drives away employees. The speaker emphasizes the importance of a realistic mindset, which involves acknowledging both strengths and weaknesses. This mindset is applied to the IELTS context, suggesting that students should not expect constant praise or criticism from their teachers but should instead focus on self-assessment and learning from mistakes. The speaker encourages students to take responsibility for their learning, to seek out constructive feedback, and to work on their weaknesses to turn them into strengths. The discussion concludes with advice for VIP students and an invitation for non-VIP students to consider their own mindset and that of their teachers.

Keywords

💡Mindset

Mindset refers to a set of attitudes and beliefs that shape an individual's approach to situations and challenges. In the video, the speaker discusses the impact of mindset on IELTS scores, suggesting that neither a purely positive nor negative mindset is ideal. Instead, a realistic mindset is advocated, which involves acknowledging strengths and weaknesses and learning from mistakes. The concept is used to illustrate the importance of a balanced approach to learning and self-improvement.

💡Positive Mindset

A positive mindset is characterized by an optimistic outlook and a tendency to focus on the good aspects of situations. The speaker argues that while it may seem beneficial, an overly positive mindset can lead to complacency and a lack of self-awareness. For instance, a child who is constantly told they are doing great without constructive feedback may grow up without understanding the need for improvement.

💡Negative Mindset

A negative mindset involves a pessimistic view of oneself and one's abilities, often focusing on failures and shortcomings. The video script uses the example of a child who is constantly criticized to illustrate how a negative mindset can lead to low self-esteem and a lack of confidence. This mindset is portrayed as detrimental to personal growth and performance.

💡Realistic Mindset

A realistic mindset is one that balances positivity and negativity by acknowledging both successes and areas for improvement. The speaker emphasizes the importance of this mindset for effective learning and performance on the IELTS. It involves a self-audit to identify strengths and weaknesses and using this understanding to guide improvement efforts, as opposed to relying solely on external validation or criticism.

💡IELTS

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System, which is a standardized test that assesses the English language proficiency of non-native speakers. The video uses the IELTS as a context to discuss the impact of mindset on performance. The speaker suggests that a realistic mindset is particularly effective for IELTS preparation because it allows test-takers to objectively assess their language skills and areas needing improvement.

💡Parenting

Parenting is the process of raising and guiding children. In the script, the speaker uses parenting as a metaphor to explain the effects of different mindsets. The examples of overly positive and overly negative parenting styles are used to illustrate how extreme mindsets can hinder a child's development and sense of reality.

💡Business

The term 'business' is used in the context of leadership styles and their impact on organizational success. The speaker contrasts 'cheerleader bosses' who are overly positive with bosses who are overly critical, suggesting that neither extreme is effective for business performance. The concept is used to parallel the discussion on mindset in the context of IELTS preparation.

💡Confidence

Confidence refers to the belief in one's abilities and self-assurance. The video discusses how an overly negative mindset can erode confidence, leading to a lack of motivation and poor performance. Conversely, an unrealistically positive mindset may create false confidence, which can be detrimental when it is not backed by actual skills or knowledge.

💡Responsibility

Responsibility in the context of the video refers to the accountability one has for their own learning and performance. The speaker argues that a realistic mindset involves taking responsibility for one's own improvement, rather than blaming external factors or relying on others for constant validation. This concept is central to the speaker's advocacy for self-reliance and self-improvement.

💡Reality

Living in reality, as discussed in the video, means acknowledging the true state of affairs and not being deluded by extreme positivity or negativity. The speaker suggests that a realistic mindset allows individuals to face their current abilities and limitations honestly, which is crucial for setting achievable goals and making meaningful progress.

💡Improvement

Improvement in the video script is associated with the process of enhancing one's skills or performance. The speaker emphasizes that a realistic mindset is essential for improvement because it enables individuals to identify areas for development and take actionable steps towards enhancing their abilities, as opposed to being complacent or overly self-critical.

Highlights

The podcast discusses the impact of mindset on IELTS scores and the importance of addressing it.

A new free course on mindset is being created for VIP students.

The difference between positive and negative mindsets is explored.

Both positive and negative mindsets can be harmful to IELTS scores.

A third mindset, the realistic mindset, is introduced as the most effective approach.

An analogy of parenting styles is used to illustrate the effects of mindset.

The importance of recognizing reality in both personal and business contexts is emphasized.

The concept of a 'cheerleader boss' in business is critiqued for not facing reality.

The negative consequences of always being positive or negative in a business setting are discussed.

The application of mindset to IELTS teaching and learning is analyzed.

The detrimental effects of overly positive or negative teaching methods are highlighted.

The need for a realistic mindset in students for self-improvement is stressed.

The idea that success comes from learning from mistakes, not just positivity, is presented.

The importance of not blaming external factors for IELTS performance is discussed.

The responsibility of students to choose the right teacher and learning environment is emphasized.

The podcast concludes with an invitation for VIP students to engage with the new course and for others to reflect on their mindset.

Contact information for the podcast host is provided for further assistance.

Transcripts

hi everyone and welcome to the aisles

VIP podcast we haven't made a podcast in

quite a while and I think it's been like

a month more than a month since we meet

so I went on holidays for a couple of

weeks and in December and then Christmas

happens and we've quite busy since then

so apologies for not and having our

weekly I put and what we're back and

what we're gonna look at today as always

is something that our VIP students are

struggling with and so what the VIP

broadcast is is we have a VIP group of

students who we work very closely with

and what we normally do with these

podcasts is taking a topic or a question

or a problem that they are struggling

with and going very very deep on it and

and one thing that we looked at in the

group recently has been varying

attitudes about mindset and what we're

going to actually do for our students is

we're gonna create a whole new free

course and just for our students on

mindset because it's a it's a huge topic

and it has a huge impact on your scores

so we're not going to talk about every

aspect of mindset and today we're going

to talk about the difference between a

positive mindset and a negative mindset

and you might think that a positive

mindset and that's obvious if you have a

positive mindset you're going to improve

your scores and if you have a negative

mindset you're going to your scores are

going to suffer and which is not

actually true I believe both of them are

as harmful to your scores as each other

positive mind having a positive mindset

is not actually always beneficial on

having a negative mindset is not

beneficial either there's a third

mindset a third way of thinking about

the IELTS test that is far more

effective so before we get into that and

talking specifically about the IELTS

test and let's take it out of an IELTS

context and put it into more of a

real-life context so that you guys can

understand it so first let's talk about

and parenting bringing up children so

imagine you have two families and one

family they're very very very positive

all the time with their let's say they

both have 4 year old boys my little boy

is 4 years old so that's a good example

so family a really positive all the time

family be really negative all the time

so what do they specifically mean about

that so family a everything that little

boy does is good everything is amazing

keeping a positive all the time no

matter what he does

even if he's bad you know good boy good

job everything is good and then contrast

that with the other little boy where

nothing is ever good enough they're

always criticizing him you know trying

always being negative with him both of

those little boys and these are true

extreme examples but I do believe you

know the this does reflect life in many

ways both of those little boys are

probably not going to grow up to be very

functional adults because the negative

little boy is not going to have any

comfort confidence he's always going to

think that and his parents you know

think I love him and he he will never

feel that he's good at anything but on

the flip side the little boy who was

told that everything was great and

everything was amazing might even turn

out worse because he has no idea when

he's doing anything wrong he might be

very arrogant he might you know be

delusional and he doesn't really live in

the real world

so that's one context and I'm sure you

can see where I'm going now and what

when I'm applying that's IELTS let's

talk about a second context and which is

business something that I have obviously

a great interest in and something that I

work on and study and I've worked in

many many different businesses let's

think of like two extreme ends of the

spectrum some businesses have leaders or

bosses or managers wherever you want to

call them that are very very very

positive and let's call them cheerleader

bosses they're like cheerleaders

you know you see like an American

football game where they have the

pom-poms and everything is positive and

it's great and it's amazing and then we

have on the other end of the spectrum a

boss who is just constantly nothing is

ever good enough

alway they kind of rule by fear and

through criticism and whereas the other

guy trying rules through kindness and

love both of those businesses are going

to fail they're both going to go

bankrupt so the guy who is negative

everybody is going to leave and no one

is going to work for him because no one

likes to be criticized all the time the

guy who who's positive all the time his

business is actually going to fail even

quicker because they are not recognizing

reality they are not recognizing that in

any business there are always going to

be bad things and things that need to be

fixed and lessons that need to be

learned and you know not everybody is

going to put in as much work as other

people and not everyone is going to

perform at the same level so both of

them are in major major trouble so when

we apply this to IELTS if you have let's

say two teachers and you have two

classrooms in the same school with the

same students one teacher is positive

all the time good job you're doing great

everything is amazing keep going let's

keep it positive the other guy or girl

whatever whatever you want to be is just

constantly this is wrong this is wrong

this is wrong fix this get better

always always negative both of those

groups of students will not perform to

the level that they have the potential

to perform at so why is that well the

negative person the students are just

going to give up they're going to give

up because they will have no confidence

in themselves they will not see the

light at the end of the tunnel and the

positive ones they're probably trying to

get even lower scores and neither of

them are going to do very well but the

positive ones they're going to think

that they're doing well when in reality

they're not and they're going to be in

for a very big shock when the results

come out

and and that the again this is two ends

of the spectrum and two extreme examples

but I have sat in classrooms that words

that you have teachers that it just will

not criticize their students everything

is positive at all times because a lot

of students don't like criticism and

whereas you'll have other teachers and

I've sat in classrooms and watched

teachers do this and just everything is

negative and you know mistake after

mistake after mistake a better a third

way a third attitude and this is the

attitude that you should have as a

student is not a positive mindset or a

negative mindset a realistic mind set a

realistic mindset is what am I where am

i right now what am I good at what do I

need to work on what lessons can be

learned from my mistakes because you

won't win every single day like any

sports team any successful sports team

even the best sports statement teams in

the world lost at certain points in the

season or throughout a championship but

the difference between champions and

people who don't get to that level is

you they learn from their losses they

they take those negatives and they turn

them into positives so as a student you

should live in reality you shouldn't

want the teacher to constantly tell you

that you're doing well

because why do you even need a teacher

for that like that is not what a

teacher's job is and same as if you're

looking for someone to criticize you

constantly you you're going to struggle

because you're not just probably more

good in your work than there is a

negative so whenever you're struggling

and whenever you you're wanting to

improve and wanting to move forward kind

of take an audit of where you are right

now and don't just think about all the

negatives think about the positives on

the negatives what am I good at but also

what am I not so good at and what do I

need to work on and all you're doing is

just taking your weaknesses and turning

them into strengths I'm focusing on that

but realizing that

there are a lot more positives to your

you know to what you're doing then there

are negatives but you do need to realize

that you do have negatives and because

what often can happen is people instead

of focusing on and trying to improve

those weaknesses they especially if they

have a you know if they have people

around them that are very very very very

positive they'll start to believe in

things like luck they'll start to

believe in things like hope and luck and

hope are not really going to get you

there and hard work is you also get a

lot of people who have that very very

very positive mindset who blame

everybody else for their performance

apart from themselves

so they'll blame external factors like

the examiner wasn't nice on that day and

IDP gives lower marks than the British

Council or the British Council gives

lower marks than IDP or my teacher

didn't give me the right structures like

none of that has anything to do with

your result that is all on you people

who live in reality do not blame other

people because if you live in reality

you understand that it's all on you it's

all your responsibility if you have a

bad teacher it's your responsibility to

fire them and go and find a new one and

so don't be overly positive don't be

overly negative live in reality and and

if you do that then you are going to

you're going to improve at an

exponential rate you're going to improve

massively because you will be able to

identify these are the exact things that

I need to work on and let's work on

those and then also you're going to go

through a process of trying to do things

that you're not very good at so let's

say you really struggle with writing

tasks to essays you one of the things in

our VIP group is they email me their

essays I correct them and when we send

them back they're often the scores are

often lower than

that none they expected then the scores

that they want and some students

completely crumble when they get that

they're like I never pass I'm never

going to get the score I need you know

on that and this is evidence that I will

never get there whereas there are other

students who see this as that as a

really great thing they're like great I

got 6.5 Chris has told me the exact

reasons why I got 6.5 all I need to do

is work on those exact reasons and then

I'll move to a 7 so it's all about your

attitude and more than anything else and

that is just having a realistic approach

to everything and living in reality it's

just one aspect of mindset which is a

huge huge huge topic and that's I think

we've got a plan to do like a six or

seven module course just on on mindset

and how that will help our students and

so if you're a VIP that is coming this

month and if you are not a VIP student

and do look into do you think about your

own mindset and how it might be either

helping you improve or sabotaging your

improvement and then also think about

your teachers attitude are they living

in reality or are they always positive

because they don't want to offend

anybody and they want to be your friend

rather than your teacher or is your

teacher the opposite end of the spectrum

they are only interested in highlighting

your mistakes and telling you a bad you

are when you know that's not the case

either and so hopefully that will help a

lot of you and help the VIP students

listening and more on that coming soon

to if you need anything if you're a VIP

student listen the last thing to this

you'll know how to get in touch with us

if you are not and you need any help

feel free to get in touch Chris at IELTS

advantage comm is my email address if

you're watching on YouTube you should

see it here or if you're listening on

the podcast Chris at il-2 Vantage comm

and we kind of guarantee that we'll be

able to you know help you as much as as

you

but we'll try our best and feel free to

get in touch and we'll try our best to

help you I thank you very much guys and

hope you enjoyed that podcast away